Cathy Ulrich
Cathy Ulrich is the founding editor of Milk Candy Review, a journal of flash fiction. Her work has been published in various journals, including Black Warrior Review, Jellyfish Review, Passages North, Split Lip Magazine, and Wigleaf and can be found in Best Microfiction 2021 and 2022, Best of the Net 2022, Best Small Fictions 2019, and Wigleaf’s Top 50 Very Short Fictions 2019 and 2022. Her first collection of short stories, GHOSTS OF YOU, was released by Okay Donkey Press in 2019. She lives in Montana with her daughter and various small animals.
What’s your favorite comic strip or graphic novel? One of my part-time jobs is actually at a comic book store, so I have read a lot of comic books (I definitely prefer them to comic strips). I’m not a huge fan of the superhero comic in general (though I definitely appreciate them and their appeal), so when manga started making its way into American culture, that was something I really latched onto. I have a lot of “favorites,” but I recently reread Hiroaki Samura’s “Blade of the Immortal,” which I adore. It’s a samurai drama featuring (as per the title) an immortal samurai. It’s got revenge, brilliant fight scenes, a quiet romance, well-developed characters, anachronistic dialogue and style, humor, tragedy, and yet it never really takes itself too seriously. And of course the art (all pencils!) is beyond stunning.
Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing? My absolute favorite food in the world is popcorn. I always call it “nature’s perfect food,” but I’m joking, of course, because it’s not perfect until you add butter and salt. It’s also perfect with a caramel sauce, though. Or with honey butter and sea salt. Or in kettle corn form. Basically, I just really like popcorn! And depending on my mood, I prefer it sweet or savory, so to answer is my go-to comfort food sweet or savory: yes! But food doesn’t really inspire my writing. Or it hasn’t yet. I really admire writers who can write about food and tell a story. Maybe someday.
Vacation druthers… City or Rural destination? Why? I love cities. I live in Montana and, while I appreciate the beauty of nature, I really enjoy visiting cities and seeing the amazing things people have made. I’ve been to New York City, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London and Tokyo, among others. Tokyo is my absolute favorite place to visit — I love how you can be in the middle of these towering buildings and people walking by in business suits carrying briefcases, turn the corner and find a little inari shrine in an alley. I think that’s so beautiful and cool.
Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long? I collect several things — I try to get sake sets from every city I’ve been to since I’ve been old enough to drink sake. My favorite is the set I got in Kamakura; it’s beautiful. One of my more significant collections is my collection of books featuring photos of old movie stars. Which is to say movie stars from long ago, not elderly movie stars! I’ve promised my daughter that someday “all this will be yours,” and she’s been like “god, no, Mom!” But I really love the books. Sometimes I will just get them all out and go through them and admire the photo composition and the way they played up the actor’s “godlike” aspects.
Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing? Do you sew? Paint? Draw? Knit? Dance? I enjoy cooking and baking, and I make little beaded things. I used to make a lot of jewelry (I really liked making bracelets especially, though I never wear them myself), but now I tend to make little beaded dolls. They’re not particularly useful, but they’re fun to make. I do love to dance, too. Some nights, if I’m not in anyone’s way, I will turn on the music and just dance until I’m exhausted.
