R.P. Infantino | Interview

R.P. Infantino is a published writer of essays, poetry, short stories, novellas, songs, and more.

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R.P. Infantino is a nascent writer, whose topics range from sci-fi, poetry, personal essays, religion, O. Henry-like short stories, to many about his beloved Mother. In this rare interview, he articulates on his writing passion, health fanatacism, and love of the classics.

Interview by Phoebe Grant

Who do you admire amongst writers and authors?
Dr. Seuss books were the first I read as a boy. My parents bought a 20-volume encyclopedia which I loved to browse through as a youth. The first stories I read as a ten-year-old were the Stan Lee penned comics of the 60s. His stories, along with the incredible art of Jack Kirby, John Romita, John Buscema, among others, absolutely thrilled me. Today, I admire and enjoy Philip Roth, John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, George Orwell, along with classic writers from hundreds of years ago — Dumas, Dickens, Chekhov, Wells, Orwell, and the list goes on.

Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
I attempted writing a comic book at age ten, trying to be the great Stan Lee, but couldn't finish it. I still have that problem at times. I know a bit more about the structure of stories so I plow right through it. I wrote a comedy piece about the Patent Office at age 12 or so. Also, a nice one-pager on my double headed wishnick, today known as a troll, which I still have (the wishnick, not the story).

How do you go about writing a story — the physical aspects. Type it out on laptop? Transcribe it? Record it?
Believe it or not, I begin with pencil and paper. I write and rewrite ten or fifteen times until its close to what I want to say. Then I type it in a word processor, saving the file on a separate drive and printing a hard copy. I've been doing it that way for as long as I can remember and it works for me. Using a pencil, as Steinbeck was wont to use, allows me to write quickly without pressing on my hand or fingers. A pen needs pressure which eventually cramps me.

Your work is certainly eclectic. How do you write with such diversity?
My reading habits are diverse. From the great Russian writers to all forms of mythology to the Bible. I don't lean toward reading one genre, like horror or sci-fi. I read it all and that helps me write what hits my fancy.

Who has influenced you, not as a writer, as a person?
My parents, most especially my Mother who was a fierce warrior when it came to caring for her family. I've written more personal essays on her than anyone. Any strong woman in my fictional stories, that's Mom; Forever memorable.

What guilty pleasures do you have?
I know I'll sound archaic, but I spend a lot of time watching classic movies from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. That was the period when movies were made artistically, unlike today's shaky camera movies that make me think the cinematographer is under the influence. Classic movies give me great pleasure.

You're in such good shape for a man of age [laughs]. How do you do it?
I've been exercising since my teens. I've been fairly consistent. I run, do calisthenics, eat healthy (as best as I can). I started late to the writing game so I have to last as long as I can to get as much done as possible. My plan is to live on into my 90s — hopefully hitting 100 or more — so I'm doing what I can to last as long as I can.