Jami Attenberg
Jami Attenberg
book drinking writing
I wish I had the luxury of time to read and write like grad students do. That sounds pretty awesome. When I was writing my first book one of my friends was going to grad school at the same time and I heard a lot of stories about drinking, too. I feel like everyone was having affairs.
reading mean writing
Studying writing to me means reading and also rewriting obsessively. That's the best way to learn.
believe writing thinking
The very best parts of me go into my writing, it is the best version of myself, and I don't think it's hubristic to believe that that's worth something, worth someone else's time. It's the most I have to offer the world.
writing sitting-still wish
I wish I could write while I'm on the road but it never works for me. I need to be sitting still.
book writing lasts
My last book was speculative. I just don't quite know what I am doing. But I'll get there. I have a list of things I would love to write.
writing emotional historical-novels
I've been told by people who write historical novels that you just sort of write the emotional truth first, the story at the core, and then you go back and research it at the end.
crazy writing epic
I'd love to be able to write crazy epic plots. I'm working on it.
writing thinking contemporary-fiction
Most of my writer friends are women, and they're all extremely talented, so of course I think the state of contemporary fiction for women is pretty great. Which is to say there is a ton of amazing work out there. These women are writing hard. There's much to be said. We're on it, chief.
behind donald family french fried growing local looked mind office onion saw trump
When I was growing up in Chicago, my family and I used to go to a local chain, Hackney's, for burgers and their French fried onion loaf. I probably haven't been to one in 25 years, and yet, I once saw Donald Trump from behind in an office building and the first thing that flashed in my mind was his hair looked like that onion loaf.
When does an object become a symbol? All I know is you cannot force it.
full statement totally
Why e-mail a full emotional statement when, instead, you can text a totally insignificant and ambiguous half-considered phrase?
coming eternal food great layers society struggle
There are a lot of great things about food, but it's something that's an eternal struggle in our contemporary society, where and how food is made, where it's coming from, how much to consume. There are so many layers to it.
countless graduate literary pitch published pursue seemed send writers
I didn't go to graduate school, where all the important writers seemed to be getting their start. I didn't pursue getting published in literary magazines. I didn't even send out countless pitch letters and manuscripts to agents.
men talk women
I don't know much about any of the Hasidim because the men won't talk to me because I'm a woman, and the women won't talk to me because, while I am Jewish, I'm not Hasidic.