The Sticky-Fingered Foodie is a witty two-play collection featuring Grandma, food-truck thieves, and comic chaos while exploring hunger, generosity, and human assumptions. What first inspired this collection?

My conscious mind would cite the early, short plays of Edward Albee, which I saw and read in my youth over fifty years ago and which have remained odd favorites ever since. My unconscious mind might respond differently, of course. Let’s just say Albee+. Admittedly, there’s a lot of actual life experience stirred in. While dropping off a few spare canned goods at a local food bank recently, I came face-to-face with people who were basically just like me minus a few spare canned goods. That certainly got me a-thinkin‘!

What did you want readers to consider about generosity and judgment?

We’re all in this together. Full stop. I’m a big believer in the concept that when we share with and support each other, we’re all better off. We may not agree with or even particularly like each other, but, spoiler alert, that shouldn’t matter. That may sound woefully simplistic, but it’s the best answer to prejudice and polarization. Only together can we stop the madness.

What does the play suggest about the danger of forgetting?

My own grandma had an expression: “Grow, don’t wither!” Whenever I’d bomb on a test at school or misplace my rain boots or have to pay a 5¢ fine at the library because I’d failed to return books on time, that was her advice. Deal with it, learn something, move on. I no longer have to worry about tests, rain boots, or fines at the library, but I’m still learning what life has to teach me. Unless one is mindful of and honest about the past, present, and future, even the painful stuff, withering happens.

What have you learned from writing short plays that you might carry into future work?

Short plays are both fun and challenging because everybody and everything must be essential and related. That’s good practice for any kind of writing. I’m working on a full-length play now (which will be my first), but I still love the short play form. Incidentally, my new full-length play will feature Mikey and Mags from The Sticky-Fingered Foodie, so I guess I’ll be carrying quite a bit into future work!

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