Born in Berwick, Maine, in a small town she fondly refers to as a “blip in the road” Teresa comes from a long line of writers, artists and politicians. Her family roots trace back to Emily Dickinson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Though she jokingly quips that she’s probably related to everyone in Maine, her loyalties remain tied to a long line of strong island women from Nova Scotia.

Tryst Interviews T.E. Ballard

Could you describe your relationships to the woman and men in your family? 

For a time, I believed what shaped me were the things that pulled me into this world, ones which taught me beauty. My grandmother and great grandmother were that for me; but now I am finding I am formed not only by what draws me out but by the people and situations which push me in. We cannot choose our foundation, we carry the threads of mistakes and triumphs of the ones who have lived before us. None of us are without roots, none without family.

I say that not only about the people I am related to, but the ones who come into my world.  In Uganda there is symbol of a circle with a line through the middle; it means, we all share the same stomach. It means what you eat,  I swallow and no matter where you are, we are connected.  Of course, the relationships I have with the women and men in my family are complicated. I relate to each person differently: my mother taught me how to name wild plants and my father, how to cut meat from bone. My grandfather led me to be arrogant and helped me fight for what I wanted. My grandmother showed me the woman I wanted to be and each one gave me stories, the stories they imagined and the ones they lived. Yet I have always known, it was my job to write them down.

Mia: In which ways do you feel the matriarchs in your family influenced and shaped the writer in you? And in which ways did your grandfather and father influence you?