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Website:
Dogzplot.com
Barry
Graham is Editor-in-chief of Dogzplot, as well
as teaching
writing at Monroe County Community College. He is widely published in
Storyglossia,
Pindeldyboz, Elimae, Prick of the Spindle, Frigg,
Smokelong Quarterly, Hobart, Monkeybicycle, Thieves Jargon, Dicey
Brown, Wigleaf, Cella's Round Trip, as well as many
others He is also
an avid poker player.
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| Interview
with Barry Graham |
The
Short Review:
How long did it take you to write all the stories in your collection?
Barry Graham: I wrote the stories in The National Virginity Pledge over a course of a year and some odd months.
TSR: Did you
have a collection in mind when you were writing them?
BG: No,
I didn’t sit down and say, I want to write a story collection, I think
all the stories work well together because I was in the same place
mentally when I wrote them.
TSR: How did
you choose which stories to include and in what order?
BG: Natural
selection.
I knew which story I wanted to start with and which one I wanted to end
with and the rest I just arranged until they felt right.
TSR: What
does the word "story"
mean to you?
BG: Words, that when forced together, mean something to someone.
TSR:
Do you
have a "reader" in mind when you write stories?
BG:
Myself. I don’t mean that I don’t intend for my words to be read, just that the only person I attempt to satisfy is me.
TSR: Is there
anything you'd like to ask someone who has read your collection,
anything at all?
BG: What did the cover taste like when you licked it?
I always wonder if people react physically to the stories. If not than I consider it a failure.
TSR: How does it feel knowing that people are buying your book?
BG: I like it a lot.
TSR: What are
you working on now?
BG: I’m working on two novels and a collection of flash fiction collages.
TSR: What are
the three most recent short story collections you've read?
BG: Stories - Scott McClanahan,
Big World – Mary Miller,
When I Moved to Nevada – Jamie Iredell
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