Writer Profile: Douglas A. Blanc
Peace and quiet and a couple weeks away to write 8 hours a day...
Douglas A. Blanc is an Afro-futurist writer and visual artist living in Joshua Tree, CA. For over two decades, his work has traced a path through the physical and symbolic spaces he has called home, excavating the layers of meaning to highlight – and reimagine – overlapping lineages of devastation. His writing and art have been featured in a number of public spaces. In 2023 his poems and illustrations were published in Cholla Needles #80. [Three?] of his science fiction stories have been featured on the podcast Simultaneous Times, produced and published by Space Cowboy Books. His short story, “Come Home, Laika” was a finalist for the 2023 Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award. In 2021, Douglas was awarded a Speculative Storytelling Mentorship with Ancestral Futures. He has completed his first novel, an Afro-futurist science fantasy, The Downsider, which is awaiting publication, and he is currently working on its sequel. He has read excerpts, short works, and poetry at Desert Split Open Mic in Joshua Tree. Douglas is the founder and co-facilitator of the Mojave Artists of Color Collective, a peer-led organization for BIPOC artists, writers, and creatives in the Morongo Basin. He is also a practicing massage therapist and Qi Gong teacher.
What is your basic info? (Name, hometown, job, interesting hobbies, etc)
My name is Douglas A. Blanc, and I live here in Joshua Tree, CA. I’m a Writer, Artist, Massage Therapist, Qi Gong Teacher. I have the hugest LEGO collection in the Morongo Basin!
Can you give us a little bit of background on your writing history and career?
Writing and drawing my own comics in grade school and high school in Houston. Poetry collective - readings and self-publishing in Seattle in the 90s. Poetry and bookmaking while in school at CA College of Arts & Crafts in Oakland in the late 90s. More poetry and bookmaking while living in Japan at the turn of the century. Fast forward to Joshua Tree, 2019 - I wrote my first novel in 30 days during National Novel Writing Month. Since then, several sci-fi short stories, poetry, a couple novellas, readings with Desert Split Open Mic, workshops and critique groups online. Stories have been produced on the podcast Simultaneous Times and published in the online journal by Space Cowboy Books.
What drew you to Joshua Tree Writers Retreat?
I had seen what JTWR was doing on Instagram and Substack, and was really excited to connect with some writers right here in town. I attended a Friday Night Write online and loved the chance to read my writing and get feedback.
What are you hoping to work on while at Joshua Tree Writers Retreat?
I’m writing a first draft of a sequel to my first sci-fi fantasy novel The Downsider. It will be the second in a trilogy or maybe quadrilogy. The Downsider is still unpublished - so, if you know someone…
Is there something cool you're hoping to see or experience while staying at Joshua Tree Writers Retreat?
It’s not that cool, but I am hoping to have peace and quiet and a couple weeks away from my clingy schnoodle so I can concentrate and write 8 hours a day (fingers crossed!)
