Shopping Bag
My AccountThere are three interviews among the current features on the “literary website” Identity Theory, and all three are with Portland writers.
The first is with Jon Raymond, author of the short story collection Livability. On whether “Benny,” a story in the collection, is based on anyone in particular, Raymond says:
Benny is definitely a composite of numerous people I know, none of whom are necessarily full-fledged Bennys themselves, but who taken together could form a pretty convincing derelict. The genesis of this story is really all about the structure. Once the idea occurred to write about a guy in search of an old, wayward friend, I realized I suddenly had a vessel for a whole handful of anecdotes that I’d been collecting over the years.
Secondly, we are treated to an interview with Lee Montgomery, the editorial director for Tin House Books, executive editor for the literary magazine Tin House, and author of the memoir The Things Between Us. Asked about the difficulties of working as an editor while still pursuing on her own ambitions as a writer, Montgomery replies:
Well, you know, the busier I am as an editor, the less energy I have as a writer. And, also, just the volume of material I go through, the last thing I want to do is look at another book, including my own. It’s a difficult balance when I’m promoting a book and I have authors who are promoting books. I always feel that…if I was a true editor, I would not be writing at all. I struggle with this quite a bit. I think that to be a true editor and publisher that you need to be focused completely on your authors and their work. And then if you’re a writer as well, you’re taking away from that. It’s a struggle–it really is a struggle that I deal with frequently.
Lastly, Peter Rock discusses his new book My Abandonment with interviewer James Warner. Asked of his recent use of the viewpoint of characters in their early teens, Rock explains:
Because I haven’t grown up and don’t know what adult people think like? Maybe that’s part of it. I’m stuck back there when a girl skateboarding is the most beautiful thing in the world and any blowing piece of magazine could be a 1976 Playboy... It’s sentiment, and it’s also coincidence, the fact that I’ve been dealing with these teen characters. That said, I do think that those years are so interesting–it’s before any real responsibility, but right when you have free time, usually, when adults aren’t feeling quite as responsible for you. You’re figuring out what you’re going to do with your life–more so, then, I think, than in college, where all of this “figuring out” becomes so explicit and belabored.
On a related note, “My Abandonment” has been selected for this months Reading Local Book Club. We are always looking for new members.
