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Diana M. Raab: I grew up in Queens, New York. Reading and writing were always a very important part of my life. My passion for reading began at our local library where my mother took me once a week and I’d return home with a stack of books reaching all the way up to my chin. Although I read some fiction, such as The Nancy Drew Series, my real passion has always been nonfiction. I enjoyed (and still enjoy) reading memoirs and biographies about fascinating people, such as Helen Keller, Anne Frank, and a series about of all the American Presidents.
Diana M. Raab: It has been said that writers write because they are called to write. I write because I have to write, usually because something is burning inside me to be put onto the page.
Diana M. Raab: Both my parents worked full time, so my grandmother was my caretaker. We were very close. When I was ten, I found her in her bed after she’d taken an overdose of sleeping pills. The trauma of that day has lived deep in my soul and only when I was confronted with the demons of depression at the age of 47, did I become curious about her life. My mother gave me the journal when I was in my thirties. I scanned it and filed it in my drawer. I was busy raising three little kids and didn’t want to deal with what I knew would be a sad story. I knew that one day I would return to it.
Diana M. Raab: My grandmother was a beautiful woman who won many beauty contests in her native country of Austria. She was always dressed nicely. She loved me deeply and showed it by taking me places and cooking fine meals. She also taught me how to type my first story on her Remington Typewriter when I was about nine years old. My memories of her are all fond ones. I still miss having her in my life.
Diana M. Raab: It was a little bit of both. The book was one I had to write and there’s no doubt I felt better afterwards. Many people say that I have given my grandmother a wonderful gift. There were moments during its writing which were particularly difficult when I learned some surprising things about her and her life from her journal. I learned that what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. Diana M. Raab: I have kept a journal since the age of ten. My mother gave me my first journal a few days after my grandmother took her life in my childhood home. It was a Khalil Gibran journal with his sayings on the top of each page. His words greatly inspired my own. I have been journaling for more than 40 years and many consider me a journaling advocate. I teach high-risk teens in the community to journal and I also teach a class at UCLA Extension called, “The Writer’s Notebook.”
Diana M. Raab:
The writing of REGINA’S CLOSET began as my MFA in Writing thesis
which was started months after my diagnosis with breast cancer. No
one else in my family had breast cancer. My mother had often told me
that I was very much like my grandmother, and so I wanted to examine
her life to see if she might have ended it due to a cancer
diagnosis. Although, she didn’t mention it in her journal, rereading
her journal gave me the opportunity to study her life growing up as
an orphan during World War I and all the things she encountered
along the way. It was fascinating to hear her survival story. It
also gave me a chance to learn more about the history of the war. Diana M. Raab: I don’t understand this question or its significance.
Books-And-Authors.net: Briefly discuss your 2007 book "My Muse Undresses Me". Diana M. Raab: I have two poetry collections. My first is a chapbook called, “MY MUSE UNDRESSES ME” and the second was released in late 2008, called, “DEAR ANAIS: MY LIFE IN POEMS FOR YOU.” This one is more interesting to discuss because I dedicated it to a woman whose voice very much resonated with me. Nin was also a journaler who as a young girl found solace on the pages of her journal when her father left the family. I have read all of Nin’s four published journals and her words inspire me. I dedicated this book to her because I was sorry not to met her.
Books-And-Authors.net: What's next? Diana M. Raab: I usually work on more than one project at a time. Early next year, I have a book coming out called, “WRITERS AND THEIR NOTEBOOKS.” It’s a collection of essays written by writers who use notebooks or journals. It includes submissions from Sue Grafton, Kim Stafford, Dorianne Laux, James Brown, John DuFresne, Rebecca McClanahan, to mention a few. The preface is written by the renowned essayist, Phillip Lopate. I am also working on another poetry collection. Books-And-Authors.net: What was the last book you read? Diana M. Raab: The last book I read was “SUSAN SONTAG REBORN: JOURNALS & NOTEBOOKS, 1947-1963,” compiled by her son.
Diana M. Raab: My favorite hobby is people-watching and it’s obvious how this enhances my writing. I spend way too many hours in my writing studio. I become easily obsessed by my projects. Even though I love my studio, it’s important to have a change of scenery in order to clean out some of the cobwebs. I always take my journal with me wherever I go because writing ideas strike at the most unexpected times. My hobbies include, reading, working out with weights, yoga, hiking, cooking and traveling.
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