Mini-interview with Mag Gabbert

Please help us celebrate our Underblong Interviews Editor & reader Mag Gabbert!!!

Mag Gabbert (she/her) holds a PhD in creative writing from Texas Tech University and an MFA from The University of California at Riverside. Her essays and poems have been published in 32 Poems, Stirring, The Rumpus, The Boiler Journal, Phoebe, Anomaly, Birmingham Poetry Review, and other journals. Mag teaches creative writing for the Graduate Department of Liberal Studies at Southern Methodist University and for Writing Workshops Dallas. She lives in Dallas with her dog, Bear-Lion, and their cat, Niffler. For more information, please visit maggabbert.com. twitter: @mag_gabbert.

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What is your secret superpower?

I am great at surrounding myself with soft, comfy things(!); including fuzzy sweaters and jackets, v plush socks (with those little no-slip things on the bottoms), fluffy blankets, and warm squishy pets! I suppose one might call me the Colonel of Comfort™.

What have you been snacking on recently? (food or non-food!)

So many things! Therefore, I present a list: roasted red pepper hummus with garden salsa-flavored Sun Chips; peanut butter; sometimes chocolate squares dipped in peanut butter; Bridgerton; Oreos dipped in (2%) milk; crafting projects; Jorge Luis Borges' Book of Imaginary Beings; Wikipedia's comprehensive list of fairy tales; pasta~; iced tea; dreams.

Tell us about a recent success, a small victory, a huge win, something you’re proud of!

Recently Chen and I released our second(!) collaborative zine, Fidgety Puddings. This one includes seven new recipe poems by each of us, *plus* an artistic interpretation of each dish to accompany them. I'm proud of this project because I think it's important to make art with your friends, to make time for both friends and art, and to (sometimes) make and share art for free, with no institutional backing or prestige, just because it's fun(!).

Bonus:

This magnificent cat, Niffler!