Nicole Hylton is a writer-of-all-trades from Southern Maryland. She writes poetry, short stories, and has completed two novellas, Internet Official and Dropping Her Gloves. Her work has appeared in Aethlon and Avatar. She’s beyond excited to be working with Eckleburg (and not just because The Great Gatsby is her favorite book.) She holds a B.A. in English from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, minor in Sociology & Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Eckleburg: What captures your interest most in your work, now, as a reader of your work?
Nicole Hylton:
I’m always compelled by the emotionality of my characters. My main characters (or speaker, in my poetry) are often those who struggle with some kind of inner turmoil, which comes out in musings as well as interactions with other characters. All of my characters are struggling with something, and I think it really comes through in how they act and speak with each other. So much is often unsaid or undone, which to me reveals so much about who these characters are.
Eckleburg: What are you working on now?
Nicole Hylton:
I’ve just finished my first draft of my second novella, Dropping Her Gloves, which was my senior project at St. Mary’s. I’m going to let that sit for a bit while I work on my poetry and my first novella, Internet Official, which I wrote in 2015. Although, I must admit it will be hard to put Dropping Her Gloves away because it’s a topic I’m so interested in (sports and gender) and a project that’s so close to me. But I know I will come back to it soon enough. In the meantime, I’ll be editing and sending out some of my poetry, so you can look forward to that.
Eckleburg: Who and what are your artistic influences?
Nicole Hylton:
I find myself influenced by both written and visual art. I’ve had deep interests in both ever since I was a kid, drawing on the walls of our house with crayon (sorry Mom and Dad) and staring at books for hours in my crib. I will always be inspired by The Great Gatsby and F. Scott Fitzgerald for their tortured beauty and lyricism. Frida Kahlo inspires me with her sharp tongue and vulnerability in her art: her ability to communicate her pain and bear herself before her audience so viscerally is amazing. In general, I admire artists who can portray images beautifully on a page or canvas, despite whatever pain may be behind them.
Eckleburg thanks Nicole Hylton. Do you have new work published here at Eckleburg or elsewhere? Add your Selfie Interview and share the news with our 10,000+ reading and writing community. If you have a new book out or upcoming, join our Eckleburg Book Club and let our readers know about it.