An interview with Kate Wyer, author of Transponder.

Fringe: What was the inspiration for this piece?

Wyer: I end up using the toll tunnels around the Baltimore harbor quite a bit because of my job. I have EZ pass and that word, transponder, was so strange and stupid I knew I had to do something with it. That word, partnered with my fascination with “social” creatures led me to start thinking about ants and the tunnels we make as humans and how we are all just trying to communicate.

Fringe: How did you get into writing? How long have you been writing?

Wyer: I’ve been writing since about third grade. I was, and still am, a hungry reader. Reading drives me to write. I am back to writing fiction again; I finished my MFA in poetry this past May. Writing poetry has allowed me to enjoy fiction after years of anxiety about the form.

Fringe: Is this piece typical of your work?

Wyer: Yes and no. I have been having so much fun with flash and hybrid work that I don’t know if I have fully developed something I could call typical.

Fringe: Is Fringe your first publication?

Wyer: No. I have to say that working with Fringe has been a pleasure.

Fringe: What do you like to read? Who are your influences?

Wyer: At the moment I am loving science books about bird vocalizations. I am also reading about Uranium. As for writers, Deb Olin Unferth has been a major influence. If you haven’t read her novel Vacation yet, do so.

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