#14 Stephan Kalinski, writer & publisher

'...one song that’s on a loop – sometimes for hours.'

Stephan Kalinski is a writer and publisher based in Berlin, Germany. Together with Iain Botterill, he founded Fairy Tales Retold, an independent publisher working on retelling fairy tales to make them more diverse and inclusive. In 2019, they published a wonderful retelling of Snow White and now, they're getting ready to publish the sweetest version of Cinderella – and you can support them on Kickstarter to get your copy in advance.

Where do you write? 
Wherever it is a bit quiet, and I have some ‘space’ so that I can stare into the distance while trying to figure out what I want to write.

Morning writer or late-night words?
More late-night.

Coffee, tea or any other drinks?
A glass of white wine.

Something to nibble while you write?
Yes, but that usually is gone quite quickly.

What's your most tempting distraction?
My horrible phone!

Any desk essentials?
Not really. Just as clean as possible to avoid distractions.

What's on the speakers?
Usually, just one song that’s on a loop – sometimes for hours.

What are your pre-writing rituals?
Procrastination and cleaning up.

A poem that has changed your life:
None yet – but hey, I am still young-ish, so there is time. I am a fan of quotes – Mark Twain has many good ones.