Ariya Murray, aka “Vienna Wolff,” was the first place winner of Sorry! Zine’s first ever contest, which touched upon pieces that had the theme “melancholy.” Vienna, who was selected out of many great and touching pieces, really stood out to Sorry! Zine, and to Claudia Wysocky especially, who is the EIC of the magazine. Claudia had the honour of interviewing Vienna. Here is the interview!
A little background of the author!
Ari Murray, also known by pen name “Vienna Wolff”, is a student. She is a freshman in high school & on her schools varsity swim team. She enjoys walking down foggy city streets with a coffee in one hand, a book in the other and Billy Joel in her ears.
Now…the questions!
Claudia: What’s your story? How did you get where you are today?
Vienna: “This[…]question is a difficult one. To the best of my knowledge, my story began in January, quite a few years ago. Since I was young I’ve had a talent for English. My speaking, reading and writing skills were above my classmates. When i was 5 years old, I had my tonsils removed, the doctors complimented my parents on how well I spoke . Those same language skills are whats bringing me to write this today, they’re what brought me to write “pointless”.
Claudia: What do you consider your achievements? If any!
Vienna: “My biggest accomplishments include being accepted into college at 14, being a varsity freshman and being published at 15!”
Claudia: What are the best qualities of your writing/art style?
Vienna: “I believe the best quality of my writing style is how raw the emotions are. I begin most of my poems with something someone else has said to me and usually i don’t edit much of my emotion out of my writing, as to make it feel as raw and soulful as possible. Once, I said to a friend that i “ripped into the deepest crevices of my soul” to write “pointless”. Another quality that I love about my writing isn’t just about my style but about my format, I don’t use capital letters in my poems. It makes all of my writing feel so much more like me, since my handwriting often doesn’t contain any uppercase lettering at all. I know, it’s unprofessional and I’ll change it at some point, but it doesn’t have to be now!”
Claudia: How has your writing/art affected yourself and/or others?
Vienna: “I don’t think my writing has affected others much yet. But, poetry has had a huge impact on my own life since i started writing. I was always terrible at verbally expressing my emotions, and the second i began to write it all got easier. I could say what i needed to say, i could edit it and i could never show it to anyone. I could hide behind my pen. That “invisibility cloak” gave me a confidence in my emotions that i had never experienced prior. I don’t know what Id do without my poetry.”
Claudia: Have there been any drawbacks in your art/writing journey? How has that affected you?
Vienna: “Yes. It may sound terrible, but, my writing is fueled by tragedy. My creativity thrives in sadness because it’s just so much more powerful to write about and there was a point in my life where i finally just wasn’t sad. It was difficult, I had writers block for months. I couldn’t write any poetry, I couldn’t play my guitar, I couldn’t write any music and I couldn’t get my brush to a canvas. Finally, after 5 long months of a creative drought, i wrote what i still believe is one of the most beautiful poems i’ve ever written. Even during this period when i was happy i was still upset. I couldn’t write anything. I had to figure out who I was without a thousand hobbies. I’m still not too sure who I am without it all.”
Claudia: What are your aspirations for future publication and/or plans, if any!
Vienna: “In the future, i want to get a book of my poetry published. I’m not too sure how i’m going to do it, when i’m going to do it or if i’ll have enough material to publish a book, but that’s what i aspire to do. As for short term future plans, i have submitted several different pieces of writing to different magazines that I hope to hear from soon.”
Sorry! Zine thanks Vienna Wolff so much that she could take the time to send us all of these thoughtful responses, and we are so proud to have her as one of our authors!
“We can never thank you enough, Vienna! You are such a wonderful writer, and we hope you keep writing for as long as you can!”
Claudia Wysocky, EIC of Sorry Zine!
Sorry! Zine 
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