Interview: CWA Member Serena Wadhwa

By Walt McElligott

Serena Wadhwa is another of many young women who had her head and talents bashed against the so-called "glass ceiling" they have often become familiar with. Serena started writing in junior high school and continued through high school, even finishing two books along the way. She wanted to be a journalist, until she was discouraged from pursuing this endeavor. It seems that at this time of Serena 's life being a female and a minority were not qualities that would benefit a journalism student.

I admit that I am familiar with her next comment, since I did so myself. Serena "gave up writing, and creating, for many, many years." But, I'm glad that she returned to her creative self. Serena also went back to school to finish her BA and began writing a weekly column for the school paper on stress management. Since most students are stressed, Serena 's editor thought her idea would be well received.

CWA: Please answer a few questions about yourself. First, how do you think others would describe you?

Serena: I'd like to know myself. I never really asked.

CWA: What are you most passionate about outside of writing?

Serena: Ummm, ending animal cruelty and being a voice for animals when I can, learning, and having fun.

CWA: What is your most precious, most embarrassing, memory?

Serena: Well, I'm not inclined to share the most embarrassing. One of my most precious memories is when I walked across the stage to receive my doctoral degree. I didn't want to go. My mentor, dissertation chairperson, and some friends and family strongly encouraged me, so I reluctantly agreed to go. So I did and I'm grateful I listened.

CWA: Describe your typical writing day.

Serena: Well, it's an embarrassing admission, but I don't have one. Since I drive a lot, I keep a tape recorder in the car to "jot" notes down for things I want to write or am writing. I write more for my presentations and workshops than for the books these days. But one goal is to develop a better writing schedule when I begin the fiction books.

CWA: What writer most inspires you and why?

Serena: Any writer inspires me. There is something very uplifting about hearing someone complete a piece and it motivates me to keep moving forward.

CWA: In a single sentence, what do you want people to say about you and your writing 50 years from now?

Serena: If people are still reading it and using it, then that's good enough for me.

CWA: Where can readers find more information about you?

Serena: My website,TriQuaLiving.com,offers some insight into what i do professionally.

CWA: Where did you attend school, and where do you now live in the Chicagoland area?

Serena: I went to school for my doctorate at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and currently live downtown Chicago.

CWA: Serena , the above brings us through your early years in college. Did your desire to write continue to mature as you did?

Serena: Oh yes, in fact, in the back, of my mind, somewhere, was the nagging desire to complete a book, well, actually, more than one.

CWA: Have you been able to bring that "nagging desire" to the forefront of your mind?

Serena: Yes, other ideas started to follow, and I've even gone back to the two fiction books I wrote in high school (I'm glad I've kept them nearby). I'm revising one into a psychological/supernatural thriller, while just updating the other.

CWA: Can you explain to readers how their life experience can support their creative writing endeavors?

Serena: A part of me really believes that completing my education and gaining life experience was what I needed to come this far in my writing work. Although many people have told me, I am very creative; I needed to allow myself to be okay with being creative. I've seen a lot, been through a lot, and feel that others may benefit from something I've learned.

CWA: What is your favorite place to visit in Chicago?

Serena: Mostly my own place. I'm at work most days so I enjoy visiting my place! I don't have a particular favorite, but anywhere there are a lot of people. I love people watching.

CWA: What are you now writing?

Serena: I'm currently finishing the stress management book that I began putting together while in college.

CWA: For those who might be interested, okay, me (!), what your degree initials, Psy.D., LCPC, CADC mean?

Serena: Doctoral in psychology, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor

CWA: Many thanks, Serena , for taking time out to be us The CWA wishes you the best in your future writing plans.

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Walt McElligott is the assistant editor of CWA's e-zine, Write City, and is the author of the children's book, "A Blessed Bethlehem Birth as told by Abraham & Anna Mousenstern."