Ask the Author: Jennifer Pashley
[Roxane Gay / April 26th, 2010 / Interviews ]Enjoy Jennifer Pashley’s Magic in the March issue of PANK and then listen in as we talk about bad pick up lines,
magical powers and so much more.
How would the tone of “Magic” change if the story was written in first person or third person?
They’re complete different stories: in one version, I tell you about something I’m doing. In the other version you are doing it. When a story is first person, it’s basically voyeuristic, but in second person the reader is complicit. It changes the participation of the reader entirely. I use it sparingly, for that reason, but when I do use it, I really like the effect it has on you.
How was “Magic” received when you performed it live originally?
I got a great response, and a lot of laughs, which is great, because for what is really a dark and problematic little story, it also tells a little like a joke. I also performed it in a bar, with a giant photo of a girl in a cowboy hat projected behind me. (It’s David Jewell’s photo; he’s a regular at Five Things Austin.) But because I was a girl in a bar, reading a story about a girl in a bar, you get a lot of “Can I buy you a drink? Can I walk you to your car?” (or 10-speed maybe) afterward.
If you could only have one magic power, what would it be and why?
Flying. Doesn’t everyone say flying? Maybe not. Maybe everyone says invisibility, but really, invisibility just seems like a shitty feeling. Flying is awesome.
What have you pretended to be in a bar to confuse men? Did it work?
A scotch-drinker. It did not work.
What is the worst pick-up line you’ve ever received?
“We should write a book together.”
What is the worst pick-up line you’ve ever used?
“We should write a book together.”