My gooood friend, Sarah Yeomans (a.k.a. Colleen) recently sat down with me on the webberface for an interview. It's for her first Journalism assignment, but it may make it to my old high school's newspaper! Publicity, folks! This was the result of our hour long talk (and I say hour because I don't know how long it really was):

In Her Own Write: S.A. “Henry” Heistand on Lead Based and her alter-ego, Henry.

Sarah C. Yeomans

Wilde Society Reporter   

 

Read and Exhale.
   That’s the advice S.A. Heistand gives readers of her new poetry book, Lead Based. This 17-year-old Pittsburgher released the book online in July of this year.
   She now reflects on the process of becoming a published author, her writing career, and exactly why they call her Henry.
   Starting at age four writing about “a group of teenagers that get stuck in a zoo”, Heistand caught on to many different forms of writing early. Her writing level during her early years surpassed many to the point that she was sent to a guidance counselor at Highcliff Elementary for the heavy, deep nature of the pieces she brought forth.
   If only this counselor could see her now.
   Lead Based is Heistand’s first published book, and, according to Heistand, “is a fully self published work. My mother’s a reverend for this Wisconsin New Age group and she had published her own workbooks and teachings on this mysterious website, Lulu.com.” Although shaky of the idea at the start, Heistand formatted her fifty poems into the Lulu template, copyrighted her work, and procured cover work from her younger sister, Allison Heistand. According to the author, “it’s good to knowing I can do something for myself.” Thus, Lead Based birthed the start of a writing career for S.A. Heistand. A book with a title that echoes the profound, toxic nature of the literature inside.
   “You won’t die from reading it (or eating it),” says Heistand, “but hopefully you will be affected by it. It could be about paint. Or it could be about a pencil.”
   For Heistand, the most poignant piece in the entire book, entitled Pap Pap’s Place Burnt Down, was written for her grandfather, nicknamed “Joe Cool” by the family because of his personality. This poem was written for Joe Cool two months before his sudden death and just a short time after his mobile home burnt to the ground. Heistand, “hand-printed the poem on to some notebook paper and placed it in his coffin… I dedicated Lead Based wholly to him.”
   The book, amongst Heistand’s other writings, would surely make her grandfather smile. Writing comes naturally to her, especially her poetry. “It just flows better,” Heistand says of the abundance of poems she has published in her book and many others she has posted at WritersCafe.org. She often glances at her work posted to the Café “to be constantly assured that it’s there. It’s safe. It’s open to interpretation. And, for the most part, it’s out of my head.” Which is good for the readers, too, who get to log on and read the latest work by this talented writer. There, the reader can also glance at chapters out of Heistand’s newest novels or short stories and review the literature as well; by chance, she may have parts of her newest poetry book up for preview soon. “One hundred poems this time, as opposed to Lead Based’s fifty,” she tells the Society. One Hundred Henries- so why is she called Henry?
   “I started a short, stick-figure cartoon about a boy I didn’t like and which a character named Henry always died. I used to draw sketches on my hand and one day two kids in my 9th grade gym class saw it, taunted me with it, and it’s been phenomenal ever since!” she laughs. And with a final regard to Lead Based:
   “Take it with a grain of salt and a big vocabulary. It’s a mouthful.” 

Read and exhale. 

(Lead Based available from Lulu.com via http://www.saheistand.com)