Maggie Nelson
Writer
NAME AN INFLUENCE OF YOURS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE PEOPLE.
I confess to having been a fanatic about the band the Cure when I was young. More than literature, I read goth lyrics, and learned most of my big words from Robert Smith and Siouxsie Sioux.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SURPRISED YOURSELF IN YOUR WORK?
If you’re a writer and your work doesn’t surprise you, you’re in trouble. I don’t even know if I’d call that writing. I just wrote a little book based on dreams. Despite its grim subject matter, was a lot of fun, precisely because one’s dreams are usually surprising.
““How can I, each day, not make things worse for myself and others, and maybe even make them a little better?””
WHO DO YOU CALL THE MOST?
The phone records don’t lie—Harry Dodge, the love of my life, even if it’s just to make sure we know who’s doing what every day, or to trade stupid memes.
WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE, WHAT WERE YOU KNOWN FOR?
Talking a lot. Hyperactivity, being “accident prone,” and loving to dance.
DESCRIBE A RECENT CROSSROADS AT WHICH YOU FOUND YOURSELF.
I turned 50 last year, so crossroads is the name of the game. My crossroads tend to be internal, like: How can I, each day, not make things worse for myself and others, and maybe even make them a little better?
in your life?
