The Writers Who Read series continues this week with poet Jenny Sadre-Orafai.
Who are you?
Jenny Sadre-Orafai, author of four chapbooks and the poetry collection Paper, Cotton, Leather (Press 53). I also write creative non-fiction (The Rumpus, The Toast, South Loop Review, Los Angeles Review) and serve as co-founding editor of Josephine Quarterly.
What are three beloved books you first read before the age of 12?
My memory is terrible. So, according to my mom, my three books were: E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie books, and my mom’s old Nancy Drew books (Carolyn Keene).
What is one book you are always recommending to friends and family (and maybe the local barista) as an adult?
Jenny Offill’s Dept. of Speculation
What is your book kryptonite–those unique elements in a book, beyond just great writing and three-dimensional characters, that make you unable to resist reading?
Poetic language, vivid imagery, and first person narrators (like in Donna Tartt’s The Little Friend and Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex). I also love writing that’s intense and compact (like Sarah Manguso’s The Guardians and Ongoingness).
What is your ideal time and place to read?
In bed and in the afternoon, but I’ll read whenever and wherever I get the chance.
Which books have had the biggest influence on your writing?
Anne Sexton’s The Complete Poems, Olena Kalytiak Davis’ And Her Soul Out of Nothing, Gwendolyn Brooks’ Selected Poems, and Sarah Manguso’s The Guardians.
How do you balance reading and writing in your life?
I certainly read more than I write, which seems to work for me. I make time for both because they’re important to who I am. Reading is my way of escaping everything, of getting outside of my head. There’s nothing I’d rather spend time doing—except writing.
Choose your preferred book form: ebook, physical book, or audio book?
Always the physical book. I need that weight.
Do you consciously plan your future reading–i.e., set book goals, keep a TBR list, participate in book challenges or book clubs? Why or why not?
No. I don’t keep track of the books I’ve read or will read. I just don’t think of books in that way. The only person I’ve ever read with is my mom, the most voracious reader I know. We’ll pick a book and read it together a couple of times a year. We get pretty competitive about who finishes the book first, but we have really terrific conversations later. I never would have become such an avid reader if it weren’t for her. There was nothing she encouraged more than reading. She would—and still does—buy me any book I wanted. I am grateful for that because it’s what led me to writing.
What are you reading now?
Julia Elliott’s The Wilds, and it is so amazing.
Jenny Sadre-Orafai is the author of Paper, Cotton, Leather and four chapbooks. Recent poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Tammy, Linebreak, Redivider, Eleven Eleven, Thrush Poetry Journal, PANK, Rhino, Sixth Finch, ILK, iO: A Journal of New American Poetry, and Poemeleon. Recent prose has appeared in The Rumpus, The Toast, and Los Angeles Review. She is co-founding editor of Josephine Quarterly and an Associate Professor of English at Kennesaw State University.
You can find out more about Jenny on Twitter (@86753ohnine), or her website.