Christopher Woods on "The Sadness of Winnning Crap"

The new art on the site was created by Christopher Woods and hilariously titled "The Sadness of Winning Crap." Below, Woods discusses his background as a writer, how he found photography, and his interest in carnival culture. Check out more of his work here.

A Note About "The Sadness of Winning Crap" by Christopher Woods Until several years ago, I had spent my creative life as a writer. I published many poems and stories, saw my plays produced, and published a novel, The Dream Patch, a prose collection, Under a Riverbed Sky and a book of stage monologues for actors, Heart Speak. Three years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. I am a cancer-survivor these days, and am thankful for it. But while I was more or less out of commission from surgeries and chemotherapy, I picked up a camera, one that belonged to my wife, Linda. She's a fantastic photographer who specializes in equine images. At the time, she was also recovering from cancer, so we were ill, in tandem. But neither of us ever lost our creativity. In fact, it became a literal lifeline for us both. I began taking photographs of rural Texas. We live in Houston but have an old farmhouse in the country. The two worlds could not be more different. I discovered county fairs and carnivals, and began taking pictures of them. For me, these fairs and carnivals are a link to the past, a to a simplicity I fear we have almost lost. I have written about these carnivals and fairs. Most recently my essay, "Carny," was published in the New York City publication, Freshly Hatched, in Freerange Nonfiction. In the essay I tried to put my finger on the strange attraction of the often eerie carny world.American sub-cultures interest me. Our nation has become so homogenized, and it is a treat to find something, and some places, which have, inexplicably, survived intact. Carnivals are a good example. Other photographers are pursuing the same disappearing subject matter, and the results are varied and unique. Recently, while on a trip to New York City, I saw the Alec Soth show, "Broken Manual," which features photographs of American outcasts. I identified with Soth's work. My fear is that much of what passes as unusual and bizarre in our country will be eliminated by "progress" and the commercial pressures of uniformity.But for now, the subject matter is still out there, for writers and visual artists, if they go looking for it. For now, there's still plenty for us all. I share a photography website with my wife, Linda at Moonbird Hill Arts. I admit that I am very slow to post my own images on our website, but much of my work can be seen online if you Google "Christopher Woods Chappell Hill." Then too, the best images are still out there, waiting.