LiteratureRacquel Henry
Writes Fast , Edits Slow by Mary McGinn
Racquel Henry learned to read when she was three . Soon after , she would start to write her own stories on construction paper . “ I always was , I suppose , a writer ,” she recalls . These days , between teaching college courses , publishing Black Fox Literary Magazine , freelance editing , and coordinating events at Writer ’ s Atelier ( the creative space in Winter Park she owns and operates ), Racquel Henry is a prolifi c writer .
She ’ s just wrapped another novel . It ’ s not her fi rst , nor her second . In fact , Henry produces a new novel every November during National Novel Writing Month . “ That ’ s what taught me to write fast ,” she discloses , “ and that all the excuses I ’ m full of throughout the year are total BS . You have the time .” Henry recommends that novelists write fast , but edit slow .
Alongside her own projects , Henry ghostwrites books for others . “ This is going to sound odd ,” she admits when I ask her about ghostwriting . She confi des that she works on a writing team coordinated by a woman who in lives in Malta — a gig she found on Craigslist . “ I don ’ t know anything about the company . I just do the work and the money shows up .” Through this company , Henry has composed multiple romance novels , a few novellas , and some short story assignments .
Her most recent book , however , is a personal project she ’ s currently shopping around to publishers . I have no doubt it ’ ll get picked up , especially after reading a short story of hers recently featured in Ghost Parachute . “ In the Dark ” is just a little over three hundred words , but does serious work . Henry ’ s prose is clear and sharp , with poignant images that punctuate well-crafted sentences . The reader is pulled through the piece before being pierced at the end with intimate understanding . photo by Mary McGinn
A short time after discovering her writing , I met Henry at Writer ’ s Atelier . The space ( much like Henry herself ) is open , inviting , and organized . Writer ’ s Atelier started in Henry ’ s college dorm , where she edited her peers ’ papers . Now , the company resides in a beautiful Winter Park offi ce . The space is shaded by oaks and is a stone ’ s throw from Lake Killarney . The front room sports a chandelier and hardwood fl oors . It is spacious but intimate , and seems perfect for the regular writing and restorative yoga classes that take place here . The adjacent offi ces act as a workspace for Henry , and can be rented by the hour for meetings and classes . While Writer ’ s Atelier remains primarily an editing company , it also hosts regular workshops for Central Florida ’ s writing community .
At the end of the interview , I ask Henry about Black Fox Literary Magazine . She disappears into her offi ce before returning with a stack of gorgeous magazines . She began the publication with two friends while pursuing her MFA , and has continued the project for over half a decade . “ It ’ s grown so much in just the last photo by Mary McGinn fi ve years that it ’ s gone kind of beyond my expectations ,” she admits . The bi-annual publication was created to showcase many genres of quality literature , not just pieces deemed literary fi ction . “ We publish regardless of genre , as long as it ’ s good .”
I leave the Writer ’ s Atelier anticipating the next release of Black Fox , and with intent to return for a yoga class or the February 19th World Building Workshop with Valerie Willis .
You can see more at : RacquelHenry . com WritersAtelier . com
Orlando Arts & Culture , v . 2.2
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