Meet Ml Dumars

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ml Dumars a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi ML, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?

Writing is a gift, and I am the vessel blessed to receive the story, then allowed to be the scribe who shares it with the world. I seldom have writer’s block, though sometimes I have to wait for a story to reveal itself to me. If I am not writing, I am reading about my craft.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a writer and I focus my work on telling stories that explore simple human relationships. Most of my short stories and novels center on the innocence of love in children and the complexity of honest adult romance.

I have authored two novels and a collection of poetry. I am the 2023 Critic’s Choice Award winner for Literary Art in Critical Mass 11, the annual arts competition hosted by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council. I created an immersive exhibition based on my latest sci fi novel, A Different Way Of Being.

My first novel, Any Given Tuesday, was self-published in 2021, and it is a mystery set in my hometown of Shreveport, LA. It explores issues of mental health, homelessness, compassion, and trust. It also tackles interrelationships with law enforcement and low- income and ethnically diverse communities.

Tumbleweed, my collection of poetry, is a response to events that significantly changed our world. It is composed of poems about the Covid pandemic, the killing of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the war in Ukraine. These events drastically changed how we live in this world.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Growing up, I was encouraged in my love of writing. In elementary school, I met Gwendolyn Brooks, the Poet Laureate of the United States. She told me to keep writing. I was an avid reader and consumed tomes of poetry, novels, and fictional works. I fashioned my writing based on the styles and elements of the stories I read. As an adult, I read books and articles about my craft, constantly seeking to improve my skills. I believe that diligence, knowledge, and passion are required to be a good writer.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

As a young adult, I discovered Octavia Butler’s novel Parable of the Sower, which inspired a sensitivity to community life and political education. A few years later, I came across a book by Stephen King that did not contain horror stories. In fact, it tackled a different fear altogether. The fear of Imposter Syndrome sneaks up when you hear that your work is good, yet you doubt yourself. King’s book, On Writing, opened up another way to examine the craft of storytelling and to hone my skills. I learned to think critically about my work and to make bold changes without fear. It improved my ability to tell a good story with passion and excitement. Armed with these skills, I am confident in creating worlds where characters thrive and concepts are explored.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.culturalyst.com/m_dumars
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/ml_dumars