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Artist Spotlight with Phoenix Miller

An interview series designed to highlight the creativity, drive, and skill of the amazing students at Denver Writes, “Artist Spotlight” poses questions about writing and the writing life to authors age 8-15 and includes an excerpt from the author’s poem, story, play, comic, or essay—created in our studio at Back Space.

Phoenix Miller

Phoenix is a ten-year-old writer who has attended many workshops with Denver Writes. During the workshop, “The Art of Flash Fiction,” she authored the flash story “The Cruise.”

DW: What was the inspiration behind your story “The Cruise”?

PM: My inspiration came when I looked at the idea-starters, and saw the words “ship”, and “ghost”. It was then that the idea was born.

DW: How did Denver Writes help you write this story?

PM: The volunteers helped me with molding my story, and helping edit. Also, they provided an idea starter which worked very well for me.

DW: What do you love about writing?

PM: I love that you can escape into a different world, even a different dimension. For me, writing takes my mind off my worries. I end up in a world where none of my troubles exist. I can make the characters do whatever I want, whenever I want–I can even put myself in a different situation. And reading your work after you are done, you just think, “wow, I just created this”, and, personally, I love that feeling.

DW: Which books or authors are you reading right now?

PM: I’m constantly reading books. Meaning, on average, I read about two novels per week, (unless it is something really long, like the last Harry Potter book, or Wildwood)

At the moment, I have just finished The Fault in Our Stars (which is an amazing book and I recommend it to everyone), and I am starting The Westing Game (which is also very entertaining so far). The one impossible question for me is, “what is your favorite book?” I always answer, “every book I read”, I read one book and say, “this is my favorite book!” Then the next book I read I say the same thing, and so on.

DW: What are your future writing goals?

PM: My goal for this year is to finish one of the novels I have started, edit it, and then self-publish. Going even further into future goals, I plan to finish and publish even more books, maybe even someday, in my spare time between dance, become a children’s author. I think that I would be someone like Barbara Park because I absolutely love her Junie B. Jones books, (I read them to my sister every night while cracking up at the clever and hilarious hidden jokes).

The Cruise

By Phoenix Miller  

“Everybody on?” booms a loud voice from the speakers above. My family and I are on vacation, on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. I walk into the room I will be staying in, and look out at the beautiful sunset. The room is pretty boring—white bed, brown dresser, black nightstand. The only thing I really like is the huge window by my bed. I flop down and throw my suitcase by the dresser. I take out my diary and look for a hiding place.

“I guess I’ll just put it under the bed,” I mutter.

I kneel down and look under the bed, but something is already there. I scream and back against the wall.

“I am the ghost of the future, and I have come to warn you!”

“About what?” I whimper.

The ghost smiles and opens her mouth to say something. I shut my eyes tight, frozen with fear. But when I open them, the ghost is gone.

“Everybody to the dining hall for a party,” the speakers boom.

“It’s okay, it was just a dream,” I whisper, but I would always remember what happened that evening.