‘Overcoming adversity’: Q&A with author Alex Poppe on July 30 Magic City Books talk and becoming a Tulsan through Tulsa Remote | About Town

Alex Poppe wears many titles, author, teacher, humanitarian and now Tulsan.

Her most recent works of literary fiction include “Duende,” “Jinwar and Other Stories” and “Moxie.” Poppe will be discussing these books and more at a July 30 talk at Magic City Books. Click here for event information.

Poppe started as a business analyst who followed her gut across the world as a teacher and humanitarian aid volunteer and brought her to Tulsa to participate in Tulsa Remote.

We spoke with Poppe about her journey and what to expect at her July 30 author talk at Magic City Books.

Can you tell me more about your upcoming event?

It is at 7 p.m. on July 30 at Magic City Books. Pat (Cawiezell) very generously said he would like me to have an event there; Magic City Books three of my four books because one of the publishers closed. It was my first book, so it’s not in print. You can find it used on Amazon or in a library, but you can’t get a new one. He said, “I’ve got these three books. Which do you want to have the event for?” They all have pros and cons, so I suggested having a themed event because I tend to write about badass women overcoming adversity in the wake of violence, so that’s what the event will be about.

What did you do before becoming an author?

I’ve always had other careers, so I was a business analyst, and then I said I wanted to be an actor, having never been on a stage. I was an actor for a long time in New York. I worked on the film Larysa Kondracki wrote and directed, “The Whistleblower.” I was working on her film before that, and she gave me that script to read, and I just fell in love with the idea of working in humanitarian aid abroad. Then I started reading her source material, went down a literary rabbit hole, and read everything from New York Times writers and reporters to humanitarian aid volunteers. There was a book that was pivotal in changing the direction of my life. It’s called “Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures,” and it’s 10 years of deployment in humanitarian aid.

I used to go to this group for actors, writers and directors in New York. They would go on Tuesdays, and we would cold read scripts so writers could hear how they sound so through a director/writer there, I met someone who knew one of the authors of “Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures” and asked, “Do you want to meet him?” and I was like “yeah!” It was a fantastic experience because it made the humanitarian aid world real to me, so I became certified to teach, went abroad, started volunteering, and then started writing. So that’s how I started writing.

I was taking classes at the writer’s studio in New York, and when I went to live in Iraq to work, I could continue my work online. They did online classes pre-COVID-19, so that’s how I started writing, and Iraq fueled many of my materials. I write books of literary fiction, and the places I live in have informed the narratives. There are always social justice issues in the background, but they are really character-driven and sometimes voice-driven. Next year, I have a memoir coming out about my time in Iraq.

Why did you decide to participate in Tulsa Remote?

I knew about Tulsa because of the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. The year I looked at it, they weren’t taking fiction writers, and I hadn’t written a nonfiction piece yet, so it was on my radar. I knew I wanted to return from Iraq. I had the two books coming out, and I knew not being here in the States when my first two came out hurt them. Then, my parents got COVID-19, and my dad didn’t make it; my mom was obviously having a hard time, so that was another factor.

I switched out of education and went into humanitarian aid full-time. NGO work is not the most lucrative, so the financial incentive for Tulsa Remote was attractive, but more so the ability to plug you into the local community. They give you membership in a coworking space and encourage you to get involved, volunteer, and give back. There are social events where you can go and meet people. So, there were all these cool factors, but I thought, “Well, if I don’t like it, I’ll just stay for the year.” I finished my first year and signed my lease again.

What I love about Tulsa is there are no gatekeepers. You could say I want to do X, and through Tulsa Remote, I have been one or two people away from X. I thought I may want to get involved with political life, so right away, I did Leadership Tulsa, a six-month program. Through that program, I went on an onsite visit to Poetic Justice and met Monroe Nichols and said, “I want to work on a mayoral campaign.” Now, I’m working on his mayoral campaign. Then, I wanted to sit on a board for a nonprofit, and I had just recently been appointed to the board of the Surayya Anna Foundation. So, I volunteer for the Take Control Initiative, sit on the board for the Surayya Anne Foundation and work on Monroe’s campaign.

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Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to participate in Tulsa Remote?

Do it. Do it. Do it. Once you get accepted, say yes to everything. Do everything and say yes to everyone. I worked a little too hard and couldn’t take advantage of everything.

What are your future plans?

I’m always writing. I always say, “I’m going to stop writing” because it is time away from making connections, building community, volunteering, and just going out and having fun. Sitting down and writing takes time, but I have a voice. I started writing. I’m in something, so that will be the next big project for a few years. I can’t write as much as I used to because my job is intensive. I’m here at least until my next book comes out in May 2025, and then we’ll see what else is on the horizon.

What advice do you have for anyone who wants to become an author?

Here is the best advice I’ve ever gotten; it’s from Jere Van Dyk, an esteemed journalist, who said live your dreams and write about them. I think that is great advice. I also think you need to be curious, follow that curiosity, and have guts and guile. Always have the guts to follow your gut. When you have decisions and one is good on paper, dare to follow your gut. The guile is about being smart. The purpose of education is not to get a job but to take in information, articulate an opinion about it, and back it up with evidence. You can do that by speaking and writing. That is foundational to everything we do, from writing a cover letter to being in an interview.

Find more information about Poppe at alexpoppe.com.