"Poking the Unsayable: An Interview with Scott Broker" by El Tavarez
One of the most common things I’m told as a film student, specifically one that wants to become a screenwriter, is, “read good writing.” It’s said that’s the best way to become a better writer, so it was a privilege to be able to speak to and learn from Scott Broker, who is not only a good writer, but a great writer. Broker’s fiction has been published in the New England Review, the Adroit Literary Journal, and The Rumpus, to name but a few. He currently teaches part-time here at Woodbury University in Burbank, California.
We began our interview by talking about the process of writing and how Broker himself would describe his work to those who have never met him. As a queer writer based in L.A., Broker suggests that “I like exploring the spaces in narrative and asking, how do you poke at the unsayable without being able to say it?” Taking up writing in the fourth grade and continuing into adulthood, he now describes his work as “Uncanny. There’s a certain degree of mysteriousness and uncertainty to it.”
Broker relocated to Los Angeles after living in Colorado Springs for most of his life. “It was like a homecoming without ever having lived here before,” he said in regard to life in Los Angeles.
One of my greatest takeaways from my conversation with Broker was how down-to-earth and humble he was. When you’re speaking to a professional and multiple-award-winning author, it’s easy to be intimidated, but Broker talked to me as if we were old friends catching up over coffee. Throughout our conversation, we talked about careers, both “practical” and “non-practical.” I took this opportunity to ask him about any advice he would have for those following in his footsteps or pursuing other “non-practical” careers: “Pursue art, but without losing some kind of safety net. That’s where I think parental concern comes in; they think, ‘have you made your art your safety net?’ I think the problem that happens there is it becomes, ‘oh then you ought not to pursue art.’ Instead, I think that you should pursue art fully but also think about safety nets elsewhere. If you are able to make art your safety net, then that’s a beautiful, amazing thing, but it’s important to recognize that you can fully invest in art and also pull from other areas to support your artistic life.” We then talked a little more about parents, and the effect that they have on their children's decisions in terms of pursuing art as a full-time career: “I wish I knew what to say to parents other than, ‘just let your kid do what they need to do.’ Being an artist of any kind is a harrowing journey, but I think that’s what makes it a special journey, and if you set aside your expectations for what is a regular or comfortable life, it can still be a worthwhile kind of life to live.”
As my conversation with Broker was winding down, I found myself with more questions to ask, so I decided on one. What inspires you? “I think I'm just so continuously fascinated by the way people exist in community with other people. It’s an experience that we endure, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. This commitment to the community allows us to maintain a sense of the virtuous self despite how bleak the human condition can sometimes seem to be. You would probably think that I have a sad way of looking at things, but I don’t think it’s sad. What’s so beautiful about people is that we are all our own individual units, yet we strive so continuously to be connected with one another.” My conversation with Scott Broker was enriching and inspiring; it taught me that, to become better with words, sometimes what you need is to speak to great writers.
El tavarez
El Tavarez is Editor-In-Chief for Issue Eight of MORIA. She is a third-year film major at Woodbury University with a concentration in screenwriting. When El isn't working, you can find her travelling around L.A. in search of good restaurants, cozy coffee shops, and exciting things to do in the city. She also runs a small online jewelry store in her spare time.
Headshot credit: David Eklund