Two Reasons To Enjoy An Interview

I've been talking about my obsession with Shirley Jackson for years and years and years. So imagine my delight when Blog of a Bookslut referred me to a podcast of an interview with Joyce Carol Oates in which she talks about Jackson.

In it Oates talks about Jackson's dislike for her Vermont neighbors. She may have used the word hatred. I've read about that before. Ah, sweet irony. As a teenager in Vermont, I was so attracted to Jackson, while she appears to have hated the people I come from.

I liked the interview with Oates for another reason. I've been hearing about her since I was in college, when I read Them. I've also read (and actually own) a book of her short stories. I can't say she's one of my obsessions, since I don't run out and read everything she writes. I've always liked reading about her, though, and it was terrific hearing her voice in this interview.