Pandemic inspires work and hope in ASU fiction award winner

If Nathaniel Buckingham had to describe himself in one word, it would be rosebud. 

A writer, poet and creative writing major in his third year at ASU, Buckingham uses the written word to explore the darker side of life and “the absurdity that comes with existing in such a seemingly meaningless and directionless and ambiguous world.”

At the core of Buckingham’s writing, however, is an undying, relentless hope for what the future could be. 

Writer, poet and creative writing major Nathaniel Buckingham

At the 2020 Swarthout Awards, Buckingham won first place in the undergraduate fiction category for a story he was inspired to write because of the effect the coronavirus pandemic has had on his life. 

Buckingham says that like everyone throughout the recent pandemic so far, his world has been affected dramatically. Buckingham wrote his winning piece on a cloudy, foggy day, when he was alone and isolated at work. 

“The story is about a woman that built a compound, secluded herself in the ultimate example of self-preservation, when a virus sprouted in a corner of the world and started spreading, much like it has in ours. Safe but alone, she watches her neighborhood outside, the world, humanity itself, decay and crumble — before coming to a realization and a regrowth, of her own. It’s a story about what it means to live versus survive, about hope, growth, individuality and the nature of isolation and connection.”

Buckingham said that the day he wrote this story, his mind was overloaded with information from the news and he was flooded with emotion. 

“I was overcome with an animal-like urge to retreat and isolate from everything, fear, disbelief that this was happening, what it would do to our future, and most importantly, nearly forgotten: a small, stubborn ember of hope. Rather than implode as an artist, I channeled those emotions outward into expression, into the story that ultimately ended up winning the award.”

Raised in the realms of fantasy, Buckingham has been writing off and on for most of his life. At the age of 11 or 12, he wrote a 400-page novel scribbled throughout a pile of notebooks. Buckingham describes this first attempt at a book as “basically this Frankenstein’s conglomeration of ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘The Maze Runner,’ before either existed.”

“Maybe if the quality of my book had actually been good, I’d have credit for both and a spot beside [J.K.] Rowling at dinner, right now,” he said. 

After completing that project at such a young age, Buckingham took a long hiatus from writing to focus on “wasting his time doing teenager things” before ultimately picking writing back up, for good, when he started college three years ago.

“I want to tell my stories, carve out the rare truths of the world through the sickel that is words. I live and breathe story, as all humans do (whether they know it or not) and only wish to add a little of my own to our trajectory, like a cobblestone for the future footsteps on humanity’s road.”

Last summer, Buckingham finished his first novel: a young adult romance and literary fiction project. While hard at work editing that book, he’s also been writing new short stories and a poetry chapbook that’s nearly complete. He also has a few other novel ideas that have been swirling around in his head for ages that are just aching to be brought into the world.

“Writing shows you what you haven’t felt before, what you couldn’t possibly feel; they are a handshake of experiences stretching all the way back to when we first looked up and wondered what those bright, twinkling lights in the night sky were.”

Buckingham says that writing has single-handedly given his life meaning. 

“It’s a purpose; I am an arrow pitching toward a target. It’s comforting to have some small shield to help batter away the existential crises, the anxiety, the days where I don’t want to get out of bed. I’m a firm believer that besides food, water and air, humans need creative expression, too.”

Buckingham says that his Swarthout award and the other awards he has received have affected him monumentally. He said he is beyond blessed to have received such amazing support for doing what he loves, and he’s incredibly grateful for the friends he’s met because of his love for writing. 

“Writing can give voice to the voiceless — emotions that hurt or massage, experiences that can’t otherwise be conveyed — and, through their speaking, help you through them. They are a connection not only between writer and reader but a doorway into the greater fields of humanity, a promise that you’re not alone, that someone else has felt the way you have before.”

Buckingham never wants a “real job,” but above that, he never wants to have to abandon “Wonderland,” his world of magical creativity and expression. 

Buckingham’s experiences are unique. No one else will move through the world in exactly the same way as he does, so writing is the only way he can truly share his full self with the world.

“I’m an optimist: like that stubborn kernel of hope that wouldn’t die in me despite COVID’s big cold blanket of negativity, I want my stories to leave or spark something hopeful — no matter how small — within you.”