Jill Rosenberg is the author of the new story collection Now I'm Photogenic and Other Stories I Tell Myself. She is a professor of creative writing at Montclair State University, and she lives in Montclair, New Jersey.
Q: Over how long a period did you write the stories in your new collection?
A: I wrote drafts of a couple of the stories in graduate school, which was over 20 years ago; the most recent story was written about three years ago.
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: There’s a story in the collection called “Now We’re Photogenic,” and I thought that also made a nice title for the whole book, but because so many of the stories are about feelings of alienation, using a singular pronoun made more sense.
I also wanted to indicate that the title is somewhat ironic—I can’t imagine that any of my central characters would enjoy being photographed, and therefore, I doubt they’d be photogenic, but they might disingenuously claim to be.
I’m also interested in the way character is revealed through the stories we tell about ourselves, whether they’re true or not.
Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, “Surreal images and emotional realities collide in this debut collection.” What do you think of that description?
A: I’m pretty happy with it! I’m always reminding my students that surreality shouldn’t be employed simply to entertain. It should be used to spotlight aspects of reality that cannot otherwise be revealed—in particular, the emotional reality of being a real human in the real world.
Q: How did you choose the order in which the stories would appear in the collection?
A: I knew I wanted to start with “The Logic of Imaginary Friends” because I see that story as a Rosetta Stone for the collection, and I knew I wanted to end with “If I Could Have Anything, I’d Only Choose This” because that story is sad but ends on a really hopeful note, with a character summoning the kind of courage that I’d wish for all of my characters and for real struggling people too.
Everything in between I arranged the way I’d make a mix tape or playlist. I wanted one story to lead interestingly to the next, but I also wanted to highlight connections between the stories, so I tried to pair stories that have similar subject matter but a different emotional impact, or characters with similar traits who have very different experiences.
The stories are quite emotional and intense, so I wanted the experience to be a little like a roller coaster. I tried to strike a balance in which the troubling stories are offset with playfulness and fun. I hope I did that within each story as well.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m writing a memoir and revising a novel.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: There’s one anachronism in the collection which I’d like to confess. In “16 Days of Glory,” which takes place in the summer of 1984, the characters eat Ben & Jerry’s Super Fudge Chunk, but that flavor wasn’t released until 1985. I just really like the name Super Fudge Chunk.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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