Lise Reingruber

What was your favorite book as a child?

As a child, my favorite book was Three Jolly Fellows by Estonian author Eno Raud. I still cherish his clever wordplay, the seamless blend of reality and fiction, and his subtle humor. My mother often read this fantastic book to us, and I vividly remember being so captivated by the illustrations that I couldn’t wait to turn the pages filled with only black and white words.

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

When I was sixteen, I spent a year in the U.S. as an exchange student. During high school, I took a Creative Writing class where we read extensively and wrote daily — mostly poems and short stories. We analyzed texts, discussed them, and shared our stories. This experience was a revelation for me and I started taking an interest in creative writing.

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

The most adventurous experience for me has been, and continues to be, the ongoing journey of learning to trust the uncertainty of life. Embracing the unknown and allowing things to unfold naturally has been both thrilling and transformative.

Do you listen to music while reading or writing?

For me, silence is the best way to immerse myself in a text, whether I am reading or writing. I fall into the rhythm of words, sentences, and the pauses in between. Sometimes, I dissolve into the text, and everything around me disappears, making what I read come alive.