Tuesday is for #twitterviews. Via Twitter, I ask writers 5 questions, they give 5 answers, and we keep it all under 1400 characters (for the most part). Today, we hear from Joshua Harmon, author of the essay collection, The Annotated Mixtape, and the short story collection, History of Cold Seasons, both released from Dzanc Books on November 11th. Prior to these two titles, he has also released a novel, Quinnehtukqut; a collection of poetry, Scape; and the winner of the 2010 Akron Poetry Prize, Le Spleen de Poughkeepsie. Harmon lives in western Massachusetts, and he has more recent pictures than this. But I liked that it gave the feeling of a reclusive, prolific writer who hasn't been photographed in years (he has). Recently, we sat down (metaphorically, via Twitter) and discussed mixtapes, the transportive nature of music, and his self-described dilettantish writing. I even let him cheat a couple of times, because, come on, anyone who produces as much great writing as this guy can't be contained by 1400 characters. Question 1: What was your most embarrassing mixtape?Question 2: How does music help shape your landscapes as a writer?Question 3: What made you choose the group narrator for the (brilliant) short story, "Rope"?Question 4: Are there any songwriters you feel like are transcending into the world of poetry?Question 5: Do you prefer one type of writing (poetry, fiction, non-fiction) more than others?You're going to have to trust me when I say that everything this guy writes is amazing. He jumps around into several different mediums and genres, so odds are, you might be thinking that one of the above mentioned titles is not your normal cup o' whiskey. Again, trust me. Joshua Harmon has a way with the written word. He'll sell you on whatever it is he's writing. The Annotated Mixtape is, for my money, as good a place as any to start. It's fun, it's fascinating, and it's beautifully written. But, from there, simply enjoy the long, winding, and only beginning bibliography of probably the most enjoyable #twitterviews subject I've had thus far (no offense to anyone, but we had a pretty good time with this one).
3 Comments
11/18/2014 10:17:51 am
Whoa- killer interview. Adding these books to my list as well.
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Matt
11/19/2014 03:02:22 am
Thanks, Steph! You should. He drifts all over the map, genre-wise, but it is always interesting. And he is one of the coolest guys I've met in a while, so that's a bonus.
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