Gee Henry

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  interviews September 19, 2019

  Bookforum talks with Tupelo Hassman

  Tupelo Hassman’s gods with a little g is out now, and announces its own universe—a town somewhere in California called Rosary. Like most towns, Rosary has its merits, but it has been overrun by Bible-thumpers. The book’s central character, Helen, nicknamed “Hell,” navigates the margins of the town, and dwells on topics like teen pregnancy, addiction, magic, sexuality. The novel is extremely funny and extremely dark—often both at the same time. Though fundamentalists are threatening to rule Rosary, pockets of freedom remain: There’s a magic shop, run by Helen's Aunt Bev; and there’s the neighboring

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  interviews May 20, 2014

  Bookforum talks with Stacey D'Erasmo

  Brian Eno famously said that everyone who bought the first Velvet Underground album when it came out ended up starting a band. Someday soon, something similar could be said of Stacey D’Erasmo’s music-drenched and inspiring road novel Wonderland, which follows a former rock star as she attempts a risky comeback. Bookforum recently talked with the author about artistic ambition, the phenomenon of “dating your own characters,” and the differences between novelists and musicians.

  Brian Eno famously said that everyone who bought the first Velvet Underground album when it came out ended up starting a band. Someday soon, something similar could be said of Stacey D’Erasmo’s music-drenched road novel Wonderland. It’s truly an inspiring work—a master class in structure and character—and it makes you want to be a rocker and a writer. The story follows a former rock star, Anna Brundage, as she attempts a risky comeback and tours across Europe with her new band. I recently spoke with D’Erasmo about artistic ambition, the phenomenon of “dating your own characters,” and the

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  interviews December 02, 2013

  Bookforum talks with Hilton Als

  "I didn't want to do a typical collection; I wanted to do a book that was based around this idea of it all being one story. So I guess it's all one story about a sensibility, and I don't think that anybody loves any sensibility completely. Maybe people will like it. Or be irritated by it—which is good, too."

  It’s been 15 years since the publication of Hilton Als’s previous essay collection, The Women. Now, in the florid White Girls, the New Yorker writer expounds on topics as varied as Truman Capote, Louise Brooks, Gone With the Wind, and Eminem. Effortlessly controversial, Als manages to add new layers to familiar subjects (the “n-word,” Richard Pryor, Flannery O’Connor) and fearlessly challenges conventions of race, culture, and sexuality. Bookforum recently called the author to ask him about White Girls.

  BOOKFORUM: You call a lot of people "white girls" in your new book, including Louise Brooks