Lis Bensley and I had the opportunity to sit down and talk about her debut novel, THE GLIMPSE.  In THE GLIMPSE, Lis  paints an incredibly moving and emotionally engaging story of an artist who is struggling to find her way. A sophisticated, unsentimental and beautifully written story of art, empowerment and the bonds of maternal love. 

THE GLIMPSE is also a beautifully nuanced study of the relationship between a mother and her teenage daughter. If the earlier narrative of failing to make it in New York is told in broad strokes then the second half of the novel turns on seemingly slight but emotionally intense moments. 

Lis Bensley has written for The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, Elle Décor and The Santa Fean, among others. She's been an arts journalist for several years, and also a single mom of two boys. Both of which informed her novel.  

The Glimpse has been awarded the Independent Press Distinguished Fiction, the Literal Lion Gold Award and the IPPY Silver award for best regional fiction. Lis currently lives in Santa Cruz with her sculptor husband.

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• During the abstract expressionist era of art (1943-mid 1950’s) it was the kiss of death to have a child for women artists and in many ways this continues today. 80 % of all collections in museums today are composed of work done by men. 
• As a woman, there’s always a tug in my mind that you can go deeply into your fictional world but you can’t totally disappear because I’ve got to remember to come out and deal with my life and children (7:37)
• Writing fiction you bring a lot of emotionality to it, this was a new skill to learn because as a journalist you do not do this (10:53)
• Writing a novel is like driving home in the dark without headlights on, you can’t see very far ahead but if you keep going, you’ll get there (11:03)
• I’d sit down every day and say, Just write a scene, don’t worry about where it’s going (11:19)
• If we could apply that idea to life, just be in one scene at a time. We have the moment now and that’s what we have to count on, so make the most of it (11:55)

Questions I asked: 

• Were there personal issues you felt compelled to work through in this body of work? (5:52)
• Have you ever painted yourself given how visceral and alive the painting is within your story? (9:09)
• Did you ever worry about how the mother character would be portrayed? (15:03)
• Did you evolve as a person as you worked through the book? (10:20)
• Did you feel an intersection between your own healing and your art as you worked through this book? (13:00)

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