David Holub is a graphic designer at the Hartford (CT) Courant and lives in Manchester, CT. His work has appeared in more than 20 publications including The Cafe Irreal, Pindeldyboz, Defenestration, The Dream People, and Bust Down the Door and Eat All the Chickens. He is currently dividing his time between work, family and Western Connecticut State's MFA in Professional Writing program.

SM: What made you decide to become a writer?
What makes one decide to become a writer? What makes one decide to wear his underwear on the outside of his pants? It's something that just happens, something almost beyond your control. Since you can't simply contain or suppress the ideas, concepts, random comedy and extravagant absurdity swirling around in your high school aged head and because you can't paint or act or dance or debate or find any other creative outlet besides playing trombone, which is sort of funny and absurd as it is, you decide to write.

SM: What/who is your biggest influence outside the literary world?
Modern artists. The surrealists, Magritte in particular. His world makes no sense and perfect sense at the same time. It means everything or nothing at all. His imagery and ideas have the ability to create and foster thousands of ideas to follow. Other artists like Duchamp had the irreverence to tell the world that "art is what I say it is" and it can be funny or absurd, sarcastic or tragic. And maybe all of the above.

SM: If an illness or disorder were named after for you, what would it be called? What are its symptoms?
Holub Afoxiation. Symptoms: After watching Fox News and having all that is decent and true sucked from his essence and stomped upon, the subject involuntarily attempts to cut his life short by vigorously attaching a plastic bag over his head or by simply strangling himself dead.

SM: What story or novel do you wish you'd written? Why?
Tough question. It would have to be either the 7,000-year-old classic of the 144-hour triumph of the creation of the heavens and the earth. Since this story was "written" by God, I would be God and thus be able to whip out tons of stories that would just blow your mind.
If that wasn't an option, I would have written Without Feathers by Woody Allen. The literary value holds its own against all things funny, from absurdity to slapstick to whimsy and wackiness.

SM: If you could say anything to the entire world, what would it be?
If you are a religious fundamentalist, whether it be Christian or Muslim or. . .Okay, let's just start with the Christian and Muslim fundamentalists. Whatever thoughts or actions this fundamentalism spurs you to do, do the exact opposite. Let's give this 14 days and then see where we are as a human race.