Ellen Gilchrist
Ellen Gilchrist
Ellen Gilchristis an American novelist, short story writer, and poet. She won a National Book Award for her 1984 collection of short stories, Victory Over Japan...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth20 February 1935
CountryUnited States of America
babies children conceive dressing nursing taking whether writers
I can't conceive of nursing babies and taking care of children and writing, too. I know there are writers that do that, but I'm too single-minded. I can't stand to be interrupted, whether I'm writing a story or dressing a child.
drawers kept pages since suppose
Ever since I was a child, I've kept boxes and drawers and pages of things that I liked. I suppose that it constitutes a journal of sorts, but it's not in a ledger or a notebook.
visit
My childhood is in my brother's house, and I like to visit there and be reminded.
alabama both home north northwest
My ancestors are Highland Scots, and my father's home in north Alabama is so much like northwest Arkansas. I have the same allergies in both places.
habit knowing life lived
I have lived most of my life in small towns, and I'm in the habit of knowing and talking to everyone.
I never thought it was unusual to write, and I've been writing or pretending to write since before I even started school.
fighting hills love people snow
I love Fayetteville. I like hills and vistas and hardworking people and fighting snow in winter and chiggers in the summer.
party moving school
I have been moving around all my life. Going to different schools, living in different houses, shedding old roles, assuming new ones. This way of life is as natural to me as staying in one place is for other people. I do variations on the theme. I return to places where I used to be. I find my old personas. I try them on. If they still fit, I wear them out to a party or a show. If they begin to restrict my movements, I take them off. I am a human being, capable of mimicking anything I see or remember or can imagine.
beauty schools
In the schools of small Midwestern towns, the only aristocracies are of beauty, intelligence, and athletic prowess.
coast except seems south
The Mississippi coast is not like south Florida, but it always seems warm enough for sandals and short-sleeved shirts, except for now and then.
great honored work
Having your work honored nationally is a great morale booster.
love
I love New York, but I wish they wouldn't put clothes on their dogs.