An Interview with Teresa Burns Murphy by Elizabeth Huergo

I was recently interviewed by author Elizabeth Huergo for her blog. An excerpt: HUERGO: What inspires you to write? BURNS MURPHY: I am inspired by people and their stories. Everybody has a story. I grew up in a culture where storytelling was as natural as breathing. I listened to family stories, work stories, Bible stories, and survival stories. The potential for drama lurked in each facet of everyday life. Later, I read the works of writers–Tennessee Williams, Flannery O’Connor, and Carson McCullers—whose stories resonated with me. When I was an MFA student at George Mason University, I had the…Read more

Second prize in the 2013 Arkansas Scottish Festival Poetry Contest

I received second prize in the 2013 Arkansas Scottish Festival Poetry Contest for my poem titled "Aife." Aife by Teresa Burns Murphy Aife turned away from the messenger who brought the news that her only child, Connla, was dead, run through by his father’s sword. Cuchilain fatally mistook his son for a foe. Forever destined to battle the deep, Cuchilain raged against the waves. Aife grieved like a woman warrior. She built a fire in her round house of wattle and daub. All night she stoked the blaze and watched the smoke escape…Read more