What books are on your night stand?
“A Scanner Darkly,” Philip K. Dick; “Trust,” Hernan Diaz.
Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).
I have trouble finding time actually, because my work requires me to use my hands and pay attention to other pieces of paper. It took me a while to get into audiobooks, but that format really helped me to stay invested in stories while working with my hands. Ideally I’m in my studio making something with a well-read (well-articulated?) book in my ears.
What’s the last great book you read?
So loaded! Lots of books are great. I listened to William Gibson’s “Neuromancer” last summer because I had never gotten around to reading it when I should have. I see why and how it has informed a huge component of contemporary culture. I also just finished “The Fraud,” by Zadie Smith. She takes some big literary swings there. Loved it.
What’s the most interesting thing you learned from a book recently?
How to skin a man alive.
From working on the new book?
No — ha-ha, that was from Murakami, “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.” I decided to relisten to the audiobook recently because my friend June Leaf reminded me about the skinning part.
Describe your collaboration with Jamaica Kincaid. Did the text or the images come first?
Jamaica proposed the book to me. She had it in mind for a long time and she thought I would make a good illustrator. She would send me her preliminary entries for a letter of the alphabet, in non-alphabetical order, mind you, and I would send her some sketches or, as often as not, a finished piece. My goal was to try and be spontaneous. There are a lot of different looks for the drawings, partly a result of her loving every doodle I made.
Do you have a favorite Jamaica Kincaid book or story? Why is it a favorite?
Her short story “Girl” — for being curt, concise and deeply human. “My Garden (Book)” has helped me to understand what it means to plant and grow and what such activities might mean in a postcolonial sense.
What makes a good art catalog?
Size and shape. Editing. Good quality paper. It really shouldn’t be a doorstop. Should have legible and informative prose. When you see the spine it should make you want to see what’s inside.
What kind of reader were you as a child? Which childhood books and authors stick with you most?
I was a big fan of the “Peanuts” gang, but also “Doonesbury” cartoons. I loved (and still love) Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s “The Egypt Game” and E.L. Konigsburg’s “Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth,” which had the one character I most identified with, a Black girl (Jennifer) who claimed to be a witch, as I also did.
Did you have an encyclopedia at home growing up? How did you use it?
We had the World Book Encyclopedia when I was small. In my recollection several volumes were missing and I used to play “school” with them. I was most into the Time-Life books, especially the Time-Life Nature/Science Annuals from the 1970s that I inherited from my older siblings. I recently purchased the complete 1970s set on eBay.
Have you ever gotten in trouble for reading a book?
When we moved to Georgia in 1983, I was in ninth grade, so in lieu of studying or making friends or learning the ropes of high school, I took German with the other nerds and then spent my time in class reading Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” under my desk. I think I finished the book before I was caught, though.
Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?
It’s not the last by any means, but one can read “The Clansman,” by Thomas Dixon Jr., without finishing and kind of get the point.
Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine?
This will probably sound pretentious but I read George Eliot’s “Middlemarch” a few years ago and although there were moments where I got lost in the language, I loved the book. Dorothea Brooke and her pious dreaming and obtuse longing were so charmingly written, and yes, I may have encouraged my daughter to read it because I was reminded of her a little bit, and might have mentioned that to her about 100 times, knowing full well it’s one of those “Great” books she may not want to be told to read.
Your favorite antihero or villain?
Margaret Mitchell’s Scarlett O’Hara is my favorite villain, even though she’s positioned as the heroine.
You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
James Hannaham (living!). Zadie Smith (also LIVING!). Samuel Clemens (but in zombie form, or as a ghost or something). Also Douglas Adams (but alive and well). It could be a fun, funny evening.
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