Bianca Skrinyar

What was your favorite book as a child?

Growing up I loved reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. On one hand, I was already drawn to alternative universes and thinking about how different social systems works. The novel represents a world where pain is taken away by not giving citizens the option of being “different” — everyone is striving to be the same. This society lacks items that we take for granted: emotions, colour, the concept of family, and much more. The novel spoke to me as I thought (and still think) about speculative futures and what societies would look like if a certain component was different.

On the other hand, I felt like I was similar to the main character, Jonas. He was somehow different than the others in his community — he was curious to experience “difference” and he was excited to embrace concepts that inherently felt right, regardless of what “the Elders” of the community thought.

What was the original reason or motivation why you started writing creatively?

I started writing creatively because I thought if I produce everyday stories about queer people, I might make the self-acceptance journey of other queer children, teenagers, and people a little bit easier and better.

What was the most adventurous or thrilling thing you ever did/experienced?

The most adventurous and thrilling experience that I have ever had was snowmobiling on a glacier. My parents, some of their friends, the friends’ children and I went on a tour in Iceland when I was younger. We rented two huge jeeps, and drove around the island, camped in various places and stayed in hostels at others. One day, the adults decided that we were going to try snowmobiling on the glacier. It was a cloudy day, but the glacier was higher than the clouds — the sun was blazing. I asked my father if I could drive and he said “yes.” I was driving a snowmobile for about an hour on a glacier on a beautiful, sunny day. It was one of the best days of my life, and definitely the most thrilling.

Do you listen to music while reading or writing?

In noisy places I like listening to music while I read or write as it helps me (re)focus. In quiet places I prefer not to listen to music as it distracts me. I find it quite interesting how the same activity can have the exact opposite effects on me in different circumstances.