“I like to play with scientific ideas in a fictional landscape. The science has always come naturally to me. I have been interested in molecular biology and what was going on at the DNA level since high school. But still, I used to draw cartoons and write fictitious scientific pieces that I turned in to my teachers anonymously. I once wrote a fake paper about “Sus alatus the flying pig”. Now, I’m a professor of biological sciences at Dartmouth.
These days, my writing and science communities are dispersed across the country. If I didn’t know that I am part of those communities, it might feel difficult to keep pursuing my interests. Writing can be quite a lonely enterprise. When friendships are involved, I stay motivated and reminded of what my passions are. I do find that my science and my writing also connect me back to the Upper Valley, in a way that helps me appreciate our shared community. I had a short story collection come out in 2016, and I have a new collection out in 2023 with one story called “North of Lake Winnipesaukee”, which I am sure I never would have written without having come to the Upper Valley.
That idea of community really resonates for me. I live in Lebanon, and we have the largest trick-or-treater population in any place I have been in my entire life. We often get 400 trick-or-treaters. I feel lucky to live in an area where so many kids come out. It reminds me that there is a community larger than myself out there. My wife is a metalsmith, and she has a studio at AVA Gallery in Lebanon. She keeps us connected to the community in the area – particularly the arts community – which I very much like. Every Thursday evening, I get dinner at the Lebanon Farmers Market. I usually get the Bavarian-style pretzels and the jerk chicken. It’s a nice way to end my week.”
– Eric Schaller, Lebanon, NH
