Jami Attenberg
Jami Attenberg
wrote
I wrote a novel. It's called 'The Middlesteins.' It's fiction. It's not a memoir. I'm not a spokesperson.
respects
There's something to be said for an author who clearly respects a reader.
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.
either incredibly journal writers
Some journal writers choose to password-protect their site, which is either an incredibly responsible act or a paranoid one.
agent ambivalent art believes business entitled looking love people work
I always tell people this when they're looking for an agent - they should love your work. You are entitled to work with someone who believes in you. Why do business with someone who is ambivalent about you and your art?
hundred pages time
You write a book, and after 50 pages you think it's about one thing, and then you write another hundred and you realize it's about something else, and then by the time you're done, you can look back and say, 'Oh, this is what it's about.'
area chicago chinese family food grow household loved
I actually didn't grow up in a household that loved Chinese food particularly, and it's not really my go-to food or anything... We were more a pizza family, being from the Chicago area and all.
bookstores clearly dig friendly love people totally upfront work
It should be said upfront that I totally dig people who work in bookstores and libraries. They love books, and I love books, and that is all I really need to know. If they are friendly to me, then we are clearly soul mates.
nearly
I think it's nearly impossible to write something fictional without having it be about yourself in some way or another.
buffalo community distinct growing jewish memories small
I have very distinct memories about growing up as part of what was then a very small Jewish community in Buffalo Grove, IL.
color hide
For years I'd thought my color was black: deep, dark, thoughtful, mysterious. Black, you can hide behind. But now I know it is red.
anywhere near
I won't go anywhere near the new Times Square. It's seizure-inducing.
dozen drove forth
For years I drove cross-country, back and forth a dozen times, sometimes on book tour, sometimes just to get lost and found.
afraid certain emotional fresh perspective tackling topic truth understanding worth writer
I don't think there's any topic a writer should feel afraid of tackling just because it has already been discussed. If you feel you have a fresh perspective and an understanding of a certain emotional truth, it's always worth writing.