Rebecca Curtis, Author, Twenty Grand

This interview first appeared in online on Gothamist.com on August 16th, 2007

Of Rebecca Curtis, Time Out New York has said, “This is a writer who astonishes with her versatility of styles and techniques,” calling her stories, “Wise and often emotionally devastating” The Village Voice declared that her debut short story collection Twenty Grand, “Showcases the talent of one of the more promising short story writers in America today.” And a boy who Rebecca had a crush on at 18 said, after being poisoned by her, ” This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.” Let’s see if Curtis, who certainly is as talented and witty as the reviewers say, can talk her way out of that one!

Have you had any encounters with shysters like in your story Alpine Slide, burned down a house like in Hungry Self, or witnessed the death of another under similar circumstances to The Witches?
No. I wish I had though. That would be hot.

In your story Monsters, frightening beasts exist and a family must choose which member to offer up for them to eat. How do you feel your own family would handle this situation?
My family argues a lot and the tide really shifts. So I think it would be whoever was in the doghouse the most recently. Like, whoever accidentally threw away the mail that seemed like credit card offers but was really bills, or whoever ate the ice cream and put back an empty container, or you know, whoever forgot to clean their hair from the shower drain. It could be anyone.

What was the most common reader reaction to this piece?
Most people seemed to find this story stupid. I know several reviewers felt the collection would be better without it. Maybe they’re right. A few people like it. One guy came up to me after a reading and thanked me for writing it. I think he felt like in his family he’d be the one to be eaten.

I liked it. I thought that the pieces that were less grounded in reality brought an enjoyable sense of variety to the collection. Do you often find yourself delving into the absurd?
Well, thanks. I do write absurd things a lot, often in my notebook, and most of them are really silly and never see the light to day. But that’s a good thing because they really are silly.

What sort of silly things do you write?
Oh, they’re too silly.

Do you ever feel torn between writing silly things and writing serious things?
No more than I feel torn between deciding on whether to have oatmeal or toast and eggs for breakfast. And I do feel torn about that, all the time, because I like them both so much! Oatmeal is sweet and satisfies that carbohydrate craving, but toast and eggs are salty and buttery. In the end I just console myself that if I have toast and eggs for breakfast today, I can choose oatmeal for breakfast tomorrow. Or, you know, if I really get desperate, oatmeal for dinner.