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Is it possible to be a good writer without being a good reader? It might be possible to create compelling fiction without being a faithful and attentive reader, but such fiction can never be as compelling or complex as it would be if the writer were a good reader. There are certain subtleties to the writing process that can only be gleaned from active reading… certain subtleties that can’t be taught or explained in any other fashion, and can’t be picked up by being, say, an avid filmgoer or TV watcher. When you read carefully and with interest, you develop your intuition and your insight into the writing process in ways that you’re likely not aware of as you’re reading. 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? Once you’ve fallen in love with even one book (and most of us have that first love affair as children), then you know there’s potential to fall in love with another one. So every book we pick up, we pick up with the hope of it leading to another great fling. It doesn’t always happen, but those of us who read a lot, know that the potential is there for it to happen frequently. Plus, our initial relationship with a book lasts longer than our relationship with other art forms, generally. Whereas the average movie lasts only a few hours, and listening to a CD for the first time often takes less than an hour, a book requires several hours to experience… some people cite this as an impediment to reading, but it’s really an advantage. Eudora Welty wrote that fiction is a relationship between the writer’s imagination and the reader’s imagination, and to be able to spend several hours with an author’s imagination in that way is a rich experience. Have you ever belonged to a reading group? I’ve never belonged to a book club, but I’ve been in several writing workshops, which often involves reading the works-in-progress of fellow writers in the group, and the published work of classic and contemporary authors. What advice do you have for reading group members when it comes to selecting books for discussion? I’ve found when I’ve disagreed with someone on whether a book is worthy of admiration, that I can be swayed by a good defense. I love hearing why people love books that I didn’t. So I’d advise a book group to select books that you know some people are going to like and others might not, and allow the people who feel passionate about the book to convince the others. It can make for a lively discussion, when you have the challenge of changing someone’s mind about their own reading experience. What books are you reading now or do you plan to read? In my pile of books are Josie and Jack by Kelly Braffet and We’re All In This Together, by her husband, Owen King, as well as Russian Lover by Jana Martin, and The Complete Tales of Merry Gold by Kate Bernheimer. If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only bring one book with you to read, what would it be and why? When you say “deserted island,” is there potential for rescue? Am I shipwrecked? Or just far from civilization for a few weeks? As much as I’ve loved the books that I’ve loved, I can’t imagine the misery of being stuck with only one book for the rest of my days. But if rescue was on the horizon, I guess I’d bring some thick Russian novel that I’ve not yet read. I’d probably dive into War and Peace. If you could have dinner with three writers (dead or alive) who would they be and why? Eudora Welty, John Cheever, and Anais Nin. Welty for a touch of the sublimely demur and her intelligent humor; Cheever for his wit and because he’d be able to mix a good martini, I’d imagine; and Nin to push the conversation in unexpected directions. Have you ever read anything you're too embarrassed to admit (except in this interview)? I don’t embarrass easily, so no, I haven’t. (Unless you mean something like sneaking peeks at the diaries or private letters of a friend or lover. Which I’ve never done, of course.) Favorite book when you were a child? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of few children’s books I read. Back then, I read comic books, mostly. Favorite heroine in literature and why? I liked Julia in 1984. She was the sexiest member of the Anti-Sex League. Favorite hero in literature and why? Gulley Jimson, The Horse’s Mouth. He’s an artist with ingenuity. Book that changed your life? The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Reading Faulkner was like having to learn how to read all over again.
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