Tiny Talks is an interview series with Tiny Spoon’s talented contributors. This week we spoke with Taylor Jones from our tenth issue.

Tiny Spoon: What kindles your creativity?

Taylor Jones: The weird and wonderful variety found in nature never fails to amaze and amuse me and inspires most of my short stories. I tend to write poetry during periods of intense emotion, both good and bad.

Tiny Spoon: Are there any artists/heroines/idols/friends that you look up to?

Taylor Jones: Rachel Carson is my hero. Writers I admire include James Tiptree, Jr., Ursula K. LeGuin, and Octavia Butler. They all infuse fascinating speculative fiction with a deep understanding of the human condition and profound empathy.

Tiny Spoon: Are there any natural entities that move your work?

Taylor Jones: Fungi, bird mating dances, ant colonies, and sex-changing fish are a few natural phenomena I’m fascinated by, but there are too many to list!

Tiny Spoon: We love insight into the creative process. Could you share what it is like for you, either with your work that appears in Tiny Spoon or in general?

Taylor Jones: The poem “I’ve inherited” came from a place of anger. Anger is often devalued as destructive, but righteous rage is one of the most productive and transformative emotions out there, if we let ourselves feel it. This poem is a reminder to myself to keep feeling it.

Tiny Spoon: What book, artwork, music, etc., would you recommend to others?

Taylor Jones: I listen to the Groove Salad channel on Soma FM (somafm.com) for chill creative vibes. I have a huge list of speculative fiction books I could recommend, but if I had to pick just one work, the “Imperial Radch” trilogy by Ann Leckie is incredible if you like rebellion against empire despite impossible odds.

Tiny Spoon: Where can people learn more about what you do?

Taylor Jones: Links to my writing, my art store, and my social media are on my Linktree: linktr.ee/i_heart_fungi