grads. I was in a class of mixed
poetry and fiction writers. I wanted
to write poetry, and she had everyone
try the other genre. I wrote a story
for her that I considered a great suc-
cess, and it tilted me toward fiction.
She said that fiction is about charac-
ter, and the structure of a story is like
the structure of a poem. That was
helpful to me.
YOU’VE WRITTEN BOTH NOVELS
AND SHORT STORIES. HOW DO
YOU DECIDE THAT A STORY MERITS
EXPANDING, AS YOU DID AFTER
WRITING THE FIRST CHAPTER OF
IMPROVEMENT? You’re always
hoping you can get something longer
out of things. I am making it up as
I go along. For me, it begins with
the situation. In Improvement, there
were two things. When Hurricane
Sandy happened, I was living on the
Lower East Side, an area that was hit
by it. The Con Ed tower went out,
and there wasn’t heat or hot water. I
heard on the radio that people were
visiting the elderly in housing proj-
ects affected by the storm, and the
older people were fine, saying “We’re
okay, it’s no big deal.” I had also
wanted to write about Turkey, and
I thought of the character of Kiki,
and the younger character. They had
adventurous, parallel lives.
WHY DO YOU THINK THE THEME OF
WANTING TO BE A BETTER PERSON
RESONATES WITH READERS? We’re
certainly in an era when people aren’t
used to asking enough of themselves
morally. I think this book did well
because we’re hungrier to see people
do good things.
YOU CURRENTLY TEACH AT YOUR
ALMA MATER AND IN THE MFA
PROGRAM AT WARREN WILSON
COLLEGE. HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY
CHANGES IN WRITING STUDENTS
OVER THE YEARS? When I ask “Who
makes you want to write?” they give
ten names, not just one, and they’re
more socially aware; there’s less fear
of writing about politics, with their
ethical views of things sneaking into
their work.
WARREN WILSON’S CAMPUS IS IN
ASHEVILLE, N.C. HOW DO YOU MAKE
THAT WORK? Warren Wilson is a
low residency program for adults
who can’t leave their lives for long
periods of time. Students come to
campus for 10 days a year, take
classes and meet one person who’s
their advisor. I correspond with them
every three weeks, sending a long
email with comments. It’s a two-year
program, and a very one on one kind
of teaching.
WHEN YOU GIVE READINGS, ARE
THERE QUESTIONS YOU GET ASKED
ALL THE TIME? People ask, “Why
did you give it that title?” Another
is, “Do you know what all the sto-
ries will be about before you start?”
With Improvement, I did know what
the beginning and the ending would
be, but didn’t know all the differ-
ent parts. You need to know where
you’re going.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR
THE NEAR FUTURE? I’m in the
last quarter of my new novel. It’s
called Secrets of Happiness, and
it comes from a story a friend
told me about a wife who dis-
covered that her husband had a
whole other family hidden from
her. It’s also about how people
cope with pitfalls. And I love
travel, especially in Asia. I’m
going to Nepal in October, and
I have two work-related travel
plans: To teach at the “Under the
Volcano” conference in Mexico
in January, and because the book
just got published in the UK,
New Zealand and Australia, to
go to a festival in Adelaide,
Australia in March.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE
YOUNG FICTION WRITERS? I’ve
had a long, zig-zagging career.
Cultivate equanimity. ■
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