Photo by Kathleen O'Neal
Patricia Henley is the author of the new story collection Apple & Palm. Her other books include the novel Hummingbird House. She lives in Kingston, Washington.
Q: Over how long a period did you write the stories collected in Apple & Palm?
A: Most of the stories in Apple & Palm were written during the height of the pandemic. I’d finished a novel, and I was doodling around with micro-memoirs.
Then some tucked-away ideas kept coming back to me, especially the story of Roxy in “Currency,” and I set about writing the stories. I didn’t intend for them to be interconnected, at first, but I enjoyed the characters, particularly Jill Zebrak, the owner of the apple orchard.
I went through enormous life changes while writing these stories. I was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer. My beloved dogs passed away. I sold my house and gave away almost all of my earthly possessions. I moved across the country to a region I’d always loved.
All that affected the speed with which the stories were finished. But sometimes the most memorable stories have long gestation periods.
Q: The author Joan Frank said of the book, “These deeply atmospheric, sensuous, richly textured stories have a Winesburgian feel.” What do you think of that description?
A: I have great admiration for Joan and her writing. I was delighted when she agreed to read and comment on the stories. “Sensuous” and “richly textured” are descriptions that pleased me. I aim for texture.
I suppose by “Winesburgian” she refers to the exploration of one small town – Whistle Pig – in Apple & Palm. I appreciate this comparison. I’ve lived in small towns and rural situations almost all my life, although I have my favorite cities – Vancouver, BC, London, Chicago, New York City, New Orleans, and Seattle.
Cities can – not always – be lonely places, due to the anonymity. If you stay in a city long enough, it’s possible to get past that and feel a part of a neighborhood or block. In small towns, you might not welcome the intimacy, but it’s available almost immediately, around every corner.
Frank O’Connor, the Irish short story writer, posited that short stories give voice to submerged population groups. That’s my intention in Apple & Palm.
Q: How was the book’s title (also the title of one of the stories) chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: Apple and Palm are cross streets in one of the stories. Significant things happen there or near there; these moments are from a child’s point-of-view. She doesn’t yet understand how meaning in her life will change over time. To me, those cross streets are a sign of innocence.
Q: How did you decide on the order in which the stories would appear in the collection?
A: I didn’t belabor the process! I wanted to start with the story of the centenarian Roxy because it’s a joyful story overall, and yet she has a life history of many ups and downs, desires, some realized, some not, and dishonesties.
Then Jill, a woman in her 60s, plays a role in almost all the other stories, except the last two. Gradually, toward the end of the book, she is relegated to being “the old woman from the orchard.” Her character fully blooms and then wanes. Like all of us do, I suppose, as we age.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m mulling over an idea for a novel, but I haven’t committed to it yet. I’m exploring the area where I live, with a view toward setting a novel here. I can’t talk details at this stage, lest I lose the passion for it.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I’ve come to realize lately – from the early stories in Friday Night at Silver Star all the way to Apple & Palm and including my two novels – how much my work is a close-up examination of the arguments women have with themselves about sex, marriage, work, mothering, aging.
I’ve been a writer for over 50 years. My life’s work has been about women gaining agency in the world, becoming more fully who they long to be.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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