Sonja Livingston
Author of Ghostbread (University of Georgia Press, 978-0-8203-3398-4)
When did you start reading, and what did you like to read as a kid?
I can’t remember when I started reading independently, but I’ll never forget the feeling of having books read to me as child. There was such incredible warmth, and the wonder of an entire world rising up between author, reader, and child. Eventually, I started to read on my own (Nancy Drew mysteries, the Little House books, all kinds of Greek myths), but I still love to be read to!
When you were growing up did you have books in your home?
Sort of. We moved around lots and seemed to lose most of our possessions with each move, so there were books, but like people, they came and went. My mother somehow managed to acquire most of a set of Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedias and there was always a Bible lying around—so I grew into the habit of reading reference books and proverbs. And I learned the magic of a library card very early on.
When did you think about becoming a writer?
The words I write down have always made more sense than the words I speak. Writing, for me, is a primarily a means of organizing and understanding what comes my way. That said, I didn’t see myself as writing anything of interest to others until I was much older, out of graduate school and working. Many writers inspire me, but the essayist and poet, Judith Kitchen, led a workshop which was instrumental in my development as a memoir writer.
How do you write?
I try to write daily and fail quite often. I want to be one of those writers who talks about morning rituals--steaming mugs of coffee and birds singing--but so far, I’m not there. I write when I find the time and the bravery, or when something, some idea or image, comes at me so hard I have no choice but to write it down.
Do you have any particular story to tell concerning the writing of this book?
Only that the book tells all the stories I kept to myself as a kid. It’s funny that the very sources of shame and feeling different ended up being the same things that propelled me into this book. I believe we write what most needs to be written, and for me, Ghostbread was a way of turning childhood secrets inside out.
What's some advice that you could offer young writers?
The best advice I can offer is to trust yourself. Be open to what comes your way, notice the gems that surround us; the ones that life so often disguises as rocks. Read. Listen to what others have to say. But in the end, after all the noticing and reading and listening, you are left with your own impulse. Trust it, it will not steer you wrong.
How did you find the publisher for this book?
The book was being sent to publishers when I was notified that it had won the AWP Award for Nonfiction, which meant publication by the University of Georgia Press. UGA Press created a beautiful book, and I am nothing but grateful to have had Ghostbread land with them
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m working on a novel about a historical figure at Niagara Falls. The history and culture of western New York continues to grab hold of me. The same landscape as Ghostbread, but this time, I’m writing fiction, and get to play with the facts!
What are you reading?
I’m just starting a mystery by Dorothy Sayers. My husband and I are cultivating the evening habit of glasses of sherry and old English mysteries. We take turns reading aloud to each other, complete with bad English accents and all--which tells you the sad state of my social life! Actually it’s total fun to read with the one you love. And I’m about to launch into a re-reading of Edna O Brien’s early novels, which are deliciously inspiring.
