Girlchild
What can you tell our readers about your new novel Girlchild?
Be brave. You'll need a Ticonderoga #2 and a hanky. Mind the gap (in this case, the economic and cultural one). Report back.
You have set the novel in Calle de las Flores near Reno, what is the reason for this?
Rory Dawn (the girlchild of GIRLCHILD) is someone else if she doesn't live on the Calle, just as she would be if she had a different mother or grandmother. If Rory is Sleeping Beauty, the Calle is the wicked fairy who curses her (but also blesses her, no one cares about Sleeping Beauty without her curse). But so, why Reno? Reno is particularly representative of a wasted city (sorry Reno lovers!), it's in a major decline. The decline is felt more strongly here because tourism is Reno's lifeline so the locals are increasingly adrift. It is a desperate place.
You are an associate English Professor at Santa Monica College, how much does teaching aid you own writing?
Much less than you might think. I teach composition courses, "Critical Analysis and Intermediate Composition." I love this job, I love working with people who are likely to be on a similarly circuitous path to the one I was on before I was able to transfer from Santa Monica College (a community college) to university. However, teaching is one of the dogs fighting for time in the cage of my life. There's a great deal of snarling.
You are filming the book tour for this novel as part of a documentary Hardbound:A Novel's Life on the Road, so how did this come about?
Me and my big ideas. I've never seen a documentary about a book tour so I thought I'd just tack that on to GIRLCHILD's adventure. I had no idea what I was in for! I am not a camera crew, it turns out. I also thought that I'd be capturing a bit of a different experience than the one GIRLCHILD had, more of a lonely voyage, and answering the questions of what happens to literature on the road and does anyone care? The question the actual footage answers is: What's it like to have some success with a novel? Also: How many times can Tupelo forget to turn on the microphone or take off the lens cap? And: How many airports does it take to destroy a tripod? (3.7)
Your writing has been published in many places such as The Portland Literary Journal and the Paper Street Press, so how did these compare to novel writing?
It's wonderful to form a relationship with anyone based on a shared respect for writing but especially people dedicating themselves to the lit mag. In many ways, this is where the real work of the literary world is being done, boundaries are pushed and chops are earned. Writing in a shorter form versus longer is about stamina, I think, and commitment, like any long-term relationship.
What advice do you give to your students with regards to getting published and thier writing?
Since I teach comp, I don't get the chance do this very much. If I were to, I'd push them to have a minimum of three pieces out for consideration at any one time and all of my students would have a folder labeled Rejection Feels Personal, to store rejection notices. If you aren't getting rejected, you aren't working hard enough.
You are a graduate of Columbia's MFA Programme, how much did this help you to become published?
Let's remember together first: it isn't necessary to go to school to learn how to write, even if it is possible to teach it. Programs are great for learning craft and theory and making connections. Most importantly, most of us do need to buy time to create art and that is a great reason for grad school. Sometimes you have to buy the life you want - on credit. It takes a bit of faith.
Who are your main influences in your writing?
I think this question is probably referring to other writers and though there are many authors I adore and wonder at (Ben Marcus, Salvador Plascencia, Susan Straight, to name just a few). Truer answers about influences change everyday. Here's one: an orange cat lives at my house, Pekoe and she's always hauling in creatures: lizards, mice, and hummingbirds, once, a blue jay. And things: a single blueberry, a flower (which she dropped at my feet like a knight), and a Santa hat. Generosity and cold-blooded destruction battle for sovereignty of her furry heart. Dichotomous lifestyles are a perfect platform for character development and that's not to mention what is inspired by the wrath of the blue jays.
Who do you most like to read?
I most like to read turns of phrase that have me stopped on the page. That new way to say something that had seemed quite said. Right now I'm reading through my favorite female authors' collections (Atwood, Lamott, Straight) in order of publication. Watching voices and themes develop is terrific. I wish I had done this sooner.
This is your first novel, do you have plans for another?
I'm not excellent at planning but I do have some ideas. Perhaps a novel about a family of bootleggers, perhaps a memoir about learning to be a caregiver for my brother who's suffered a brain injury. I'm about to dig in and see where I'm headed. I'll be dusting of that faith.
Click here to buy Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman
GIRLCHILD by Tupelo Hassman is published by Quercus, paperback £12.99
Female First Lucy Walton