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Is it possible to be a good writer without being a good reader? I think it might be, as long as one is a good and original thinker. Still, I think it helps to read a lot and begin to understand what you respond to as a reader and why, and what you don’t and why. Ideally, good writing seeps inside you and becomes a part of your voice. It can tint the way you see the world and people and places and helps you understand such things in more precise or different ways than you might otherwise. According to a report of the Independent Book Publishing Association, over five million American adults belong to reading groups. What, do you believe, is the basis for this country's love for literature and books? What a happy statistic! We often hear about how few people read anymore thanks to the rise of the internet and the pervasiveness of television. I do think that reading is not only a guilt-free activity (though I suppose that depends on what book one is reading), but one that imparts a sense of virtue and goodness. I also think people like to escape in a book (to learn something new, say) or identify with situations and characters that may reflect their own lives. I’d guess these are two primary motivations for reading fiction. Have you ever belonged to a reading group? No, but that may be because so much of my day job is reading. When I put down my books and journals, I like to talk about anything else but books and journals. Still, in another life I would belong to a reading group and bring fabulous food and wine. I should add that in another life I would be a better cook and know much more about wine. What advice do you have for reading group members when it comes to selecting books for discussion? Pick books that you want to read, not books that you feel you have to read. Not that I’m qualified to answer this question given my answer to the above question, but I’d guess that a better discussion would ensue if people are discussing a book that means something other than duty to them. What books are you reading now or do you plan to read? On Chesil Beach, by Ian McEwan, Throw Like a Girl, by Jean Thompson, and Who Will Run the Frog Hospital, by Lorrie Moore. If you could have dinner with three writers (dead or alive) who would they be and why? Though it certainly wouldn’t make a good dinner party, I’ll say Virginia Woolf, James Baldwin and Katherine Mansfield. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad party? Have you ever read anything you're too embarrassed to admit (except in this interview)? Plenty of things. I’m a big fan of People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly and, weirdly, men’s magazines like Esquire. I like to see the many ways that men are the new women. Favorite book when you were a child? Blueberries for Sal, Where the Wild Things Are, anything by Dr. Seuss. If you have children, is this the same book you read to them? If not, what is your favorite book for your children? Yes, except I need to pick up a copy of Blueberries for Sal. Though my kids are 9 months old, I read to them quite a lot. Right now they love anything that is fuzzy, pops up and/or fits in their mouths.
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