Q&A with Stephen B. Shepard

 

 

 

Stephen B. Shepard is the author of the new biography Salinger's Soul: His Personal & Religious Odyssey. Shepard's other books include A Literary Journey to Jewish Identity. He is the founding dean emeritus of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, and he worked at Newsweek, Saturday Review, and Business Week.

 

Q: What inspired you to write this biography of author J.D.Salinger (1919-2010)?

 

A: In 2018, I wrote a book about the Jewish-American writers –- Saul Bellow, Bernard Malamud, Philip Roth, Cynthia Ozick, Arthur Miller, and all the others who made up a golden age of Jewish writers in post-war America. I thought of including Jerome David Salinger, better known to the world as J.D. Salinger, but his Jewishness was rather complicated. So I left him out.  

 

Yet Salinger continued to fascinate me. When Covid sidelined all of us in March 2020, I started reading more about Salinger’s life, as well as all the commentary about his fiction. I soon realized that there was more to say, and that I could turn it into a book. Thus was born Salinger’s Soul.

 

Q: How was title chosen and what does it signify for you?

 

A: Salinger’s Soul conveys his inner life, rather than focusing on his work. I didn’t want to reiterate the many good literary biographies published over the years.  

 

Because he lived mostly in seclusion in Cornish, New Hampshire, for 57 years, little was known about how he lived, especially the role religion played in his daily life and in his later fiction.

 

And apart from his fling with Joyce Maynard, little was known about his relationships with other young women, those “in the last minute of their girlhood,” as one of his fictional characters put it. Thus, the subtitle: “His Personal & Religious Odyssey.”

 

Q: How did you research Salinger's life and what surprised or intrigued you?

 

A: First, I reread all his published work, not hard because he published little and nothing at all after 1965. There was the one extraordinary novel that made him famous: The Catcher in the Rye. Plus some 35 published short stories.

 

I read them all to trace his changes as a writer and what it might tell us about how his life evolved. Then I read many of the reviews and commentary about his work, including scholars works and some Ph.D. dissertations.

 

What I learned was the extraordinary role that religion played in his daily life. Born to a Jewish father and a Christian mother who “passed” as Jewish, young Jerry Salinger was raised Jewish and had a bar mitzvah at age 13.

 

Once he found out his mother wasn’t the Jew she pretended to be, he abandoned Judaism completely. There is nothing Jewish in his later life and almost nothing in his fiction.

 

He ultimately embraced a mystical form of Hinduism called Vedanta, which dominated his personal life and his later fiction. Unlike such contemporaries as Saul Bellow and Philip Roth, Salinger was never known as a “Jewish writer,” but he certainly became a religious writer. 

 

I confess to not knowing anything about Vedanta, but I learned an enormous amount about it. Salinger’s Soul deals extensively with his practice of Vedanta. It is fascinating and not widely known.

 

Q: What are some of the most common perceptions and misconceptions about J.D. Salinger?

 

A: Most people know two things about J.D. Salinger: that he wrote Catcher and that he soon secluded himself in rural New Hampshire for the rest of his life – becoming famous for not wanting to be famous.

 

They don’t generally recognize that he often came out of hiding – sometimes to visit The New Yorker, which published many of his short stories, often taking lunch at the Algonquin hotel with editor William Shawn.

 

He also visited the Vedanta center and the Gotham Book Mart in New York, met with his buddies from World War II, and pursued young women. He wasn’t the complete recluse generally thought.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Trying to get Salinger’s Soul to as many readers as possible. Not sure what comes next.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Dave Ermini

 

 

Dave Ermini is the author of the book News from the Tope, now available in an updated edition. Also an architect, he is based in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

 

Q: What inspired you to write News from the Tope?

 

A: As a young architect working in New York City, years ago, I became increasingly frustrated with the lack of imaginative and common sense, pragmatic solutions that were being applied to combating rampant crime and poverty in our low-income urban areas.

 

The book also grew out of a design studio course that I had taken while obtaining my Master of Architecture degree at UVA. As is documented in the book, that course focused on the idea of Utopia, and what this term has meant to architects and scholars throughout history.

 

So my book was really an attempt to write a modern-day utopian novel which posited solutions to endemic problems in our contemporary inner cities and the permanent underclass that has existed within them for most of my lifetime.

 

Q: Is the place you write about in the book real or fictional?

 

A: I’m not sure I really want to answer that. Let’s just say that the place I’ve written about “could” be real.

Q: Did you need to do any research to write the book, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you? 

 

A: I did quite a lot of research. One of the things that really shocked me was finding out how much untapped potential there was in lower income U.S. communities.

 

There have been scores of studies that have documented large percentages of high performing students in lower income minority communities who either never go to college or else attend two-year community colleges at best.

 

These are children who should be steered into elite universities, and groomed to become doctors, lawyers, scientists, engineers, and business leaders, but who instead are falling through the cracks. 

 

I was also shocked to find out about the staggeringly high rates of incarceration for minority populations and the types of prisons that exist in the U.S.

 

There are some states in the southern U.S. that are leasing out their inmates to large agricultural corporations to work in the fields and pick their crops. There’s even a term for it - a “penal farm” or colloquially a “plantation prison” and it’s just unbelievable to me that this is permitted in the U.S. today. Didn’t we fight a little war in the 1860s to stop that sort of thing?!?

 

Q: How have readers responded to the book, and what do you hope people take away from it?

 

A: I’ve gotten positive feedback from just about everyone who’s read it. What’s been interesting is that I’ve had people who are extremely conservative as well as those on the far left all tell me that what’s described in the book is what really needs to be done. 

 

I’d like the book to become a catalyst for real change. We, as a nation, can’t afford to continue down this path of having a permanent minority underclass that feels helpless and continually aggrieved.

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’ve been working on a nonfiction book about my journey through the architectural profession starting as an unpaid intern to my present position as a senior associate. Architecture is a woefully misunderstood and overly glamorized profession. So I want to tell it as it really is for most of us, looking from the ground up.

 

On a lighter note, I recently listened to an audiobook by the comedian D.L. Hughley called Surrender White People, which is essentially a list of grievances and a satirical suggestion for a treaty to be signed between the two races, and it’s both hilarious and compelling.  

 

I’ve started writing a rebuttal to it that’ll be called We Accept Your Terms D.L., With The Following Conditions. So if anybody out there can put me in touch with D.L. Hughley, I’d really appreciate it!

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: One of the most interesting things that I’ve done as a writer was to publish a Twitter novel. And yes, it’s a thing. For anyone who doesn’t know already, it’s written entirely on the Twitter (now X) platform. So, for nearly two years between 2020 and 2022, I tweeted out, once every morning, a small piece of the novel - 240 characters maximum at a time. 

 

The novel was called The Assumption of Dijon Torino and it was an exploration of the relationship between quantum physics, religion, fine art, and mental illness. You can still find it on Twitter (now X) @DijonTorino. But it’s saved in reverse order so you’ll have to scroll all the way to the beginning if you want to read that one.

 

I also attempted to write a screenplay a while back that was loosely based upon my father’s career as a detective in the Yonkers Police Department and his eventual involvement with the Son of Sam case.

 

There’s a lot of things about that arrest which most people never heard about and which New York’s Finest would rather you didn’t know. So I’m looking for a producer for that one. I know. Good luck with that, Dave!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Sept. 29

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Sept. 29, 1547: Miguel de Cervantes born.

Q&A with Gretchen Dykstra

 

Photo by Kyle Good

 

 

Gretchen Dykstra is the author of the new book Lessons from the Foothills: Berea College and Its Unique Role in America. Her other books include Echoes from Wuhan. She lives in the Hudson Valley.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Lessons from the Foothills?

 

A: I spotted a one-inch ad in The Atlantic in the spring of 2011 that said simply Visit Appalachia with Berea College. I am a restless soul who has traveled widely, but I had never been to Appalachia.

 

My late paternal grandmother had told me about Berea and, although I did not remember any of the details, I remembered her enthusiasm. I went.

 

We had lectures at Berea on everything from the region’s history to its religious culture to its humor and its coal mining realities. Then we took off. We saw both the beautiful and the hideous. We met organizers and doctors, activists and ministers.

 

I loved it, but what really blew my mind was hearing about the college itself: its history, its steadfast commitment to equal opportunity and service. I was hooked.

 

Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: I have visited campus numerous times. No one at the college ever asked to see what I was writing, but nonetheless gave me freedom to wander and speak to anyone I wanted. I never met a professor who didn’t say Sure, come on in. I never met a student unwilling to chat, and I never met anyone who wasn’t respectful of the college and its aspirations.

 

I called many alums from Chris Hayes, the Sesame Street puppeteer, to Betty Jean Hall, the woman who got women jobs in coal mines—both proud Berea graduates. I spent lots of time in the special collections of the library, appreciative of the archivists willing to pull endless files to find gems for me.

 

And it was in the library that I got my first peek into the value of the labor requirement on campus and how the labor supervisors add so much value to the students’ work and education—every student gets a course transcript and a labor transcript when they graduate.

 

And I hit the road meeting Berea partners in eastern Kentucky. Buckhorn, Appalshop, Pine Mountain, Red Bird Mission, Cowan Community Center, and on and on.

 

What surprised me? The very fact of Berea---its high academic standards, its 50/50 racial split of students, its labor program, its no tuition promise, and its deep ties to Appalachia, but what ultimately surprised me the most—and lingers the longest---is the soul of the place.

 

That and the little-known fact that the seeds of the Peace Corps were planted at Berea.

 

Q: The author Ronald D. Eller said of the book, “Dykstra takes a deep dive into Berea’s institutional culture and enduring commitment to democratic values. In so doing, she demonstrates how the college's distinct approach to liberal arts education has nurtured generations of low-income and minority students to respect tradition, diversity, and the dignity of work while living a life committed to social justice and civic responsibility.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Ronald Eller’s comments thrilled me. I am a piker compared to him so when one of the nation’s pre-eminent Appalachian historians compliments my work and so clearly appreciates the impact Berea has had on generations of students it’s very satisfying.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from your book?

 

A: I hope first they will go, "Wow, such a place exists!" Everyone on campus knows about its Eight Great Commitments, the clear articulation of the historic principles that shape it. Although few can recite all eight, everyone has their favorite.

 

I hope the readers will respond the same way. Choose your favorite of the Eight Great Commitments and see if you can apply it to your own life.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I just finished a long piece on Clay County, Kentucky, and the grassroots efforts to address the lingering impacts of the drug crisis on that rural area.

 

I am thinking about Berea’s endowment and why it deserves the coveted Triple A rating from Moody’s.

 

I am also interested in local efforts to revive family farms in Central Appalachia. I guess you can say I like stories of good people doing good things.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I urge everyone to visit the college, its farm, its forest, its horse barn, and its wonderful Boone Tavern Hotel. Listen to the comments of other visitors: “I’m from Louisville and yet I had no idea.” or “Where am I? This place is extraordinary.”

 

I like the story about the Pakistani educator, dressed in a silk sari, who spotted a man in saffron robes on the campus. “Who is that” she asked the president who was showing her around. “He’s responsible for Buddhist education in Cambodia and is visiting too” “Oh, then it is true,” responded the woman, “everyone sooner or later ends up at Berea.”

 

Seven percent of Berea’s 1,600 students come from 70 different nations and they, too, are all low-income. There’s no place like it in the entire world.

 

My website is at www.gretchendykstra.com.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Rebecca Hendricks

 

 

Rebecca Hendricks is the author of the new novel Hard Dog's Night, a sequel to her novel Hound Dogged. She lives in Colorado.

 

Q: Hard Dog's Night is the second in your Hound Dogs series--did you know when you wrote the first book that it would be a series?   

 

A: I originally wrote the first book when I was 14 and recently revisited it with the intention of rewriting it. At first, I had no plans to publish it, but as I worked on it, the story started to grow in ways I hadn’t expected.

 

That’s when I realized there was more to explore with these characters and their journeys, and the idea of turning it into a series naturally developed from there.

 

Q: What inspired the plot of Hard Dog’s Night?  

 

A: The plot of Hard Dog's Night was inspired by the first book in the series. Since this is the second installment, many of the ideas and characters naturally evolved from where the story left off.

 

I wanted to explore the consequences of the events in the first book and how they impacted the characters, pushing their journeys further while introducing new challenges and dynamics.

Q: Do you think your characters have changed from one book to the next? 

 

A: The Hard Dog’s Night series is a coming-of-age story that follows the tumultuous journey we all experience while growing up. The characters face various challenges, joys, and disappointments that shape them along the way. With each milestone, they grow stronger in their abilities, beliefs, and relationships, evolving into the resilient adults they’re destined to become.

 

Q: Did you need to do any research to write Hard Dog’s Night, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you? 

 

A: Because Hard Dog’s Night takes place in the 1950s, it required quite a bit of research. On the surface, the 1950s often appear as a carefree, harmonious time in American history, with images of bobby socks, soda shops, drive-in movies, and sock hops setting a romantic tone in popular culture.

 

However, the reality was more complex. The 1950s were a tumultuous period marked by segregation, the fear of communism, and the looming threat of nuclear war.

 

What surprised me the most was how the events of the 1950s set the stage for the upheavals of the 1960s. Young people were growing tired of the sugar-coated, “ho-hum” lifestyle and began seeking something new. Women were eager to break out of their traditional roles as housewives and mothers, and the arrival of rock 'n' roll helped ignite those changes.

 

Learning more about this era definitely helped me create a richer, more complex narrative.

 

Q: What are you working on now? 

 

A: I’m currently working on the next installment of the Hound Dogs series, where the characters continue to grow and face increasingly difficult challenges as the rock 'n' roll conflict intensifies.

 

This tension also deeply affects The Dice, who must decide whether to adapt to the changing music scene or risk losing their shot at stardom. The story remains interwoven with the ongoing coming-of-age journeys and the evolving relationships between the characters.

 

Q: Anything else we should know? 

 

A: The core message of the series is to never give up and always believe in yourself. My hope is that readers will take away the importance of being kinder to others, giving themselves grace when things get tough, and remembering to take each challenge as it comes, one day at a time. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Mojdeh Bahar

 

 

 

Mojdeh Bahar is the editor and translator of the anthology Song of the Ground Jay: Poems by Iranian Women, 1960-2023. She is also a patent attorney and technology transfer professional, and she lives in the Washington, D.C., area.

 

Q: How did you choose the poets to include in your new expanded anthology?

 

A: My choices of poets and their respective poems were guided primarily by my heart. I needed a personal connection to a poem before I could take on its translation.

 

In choosing the poems I had several goals in mind: to provide access to English speakers to poets that they may not yet know, to showcase a variety of themes, to highlight poems whose context was readily understood or explained.

 

It’s important to note that this is not meant to be an exhaustive compilation including all contemporary Iranian women poets, rather a collection of poems whose essence I related to and could convey through translation.

 

Q: What do you see as the role of women in Iranian literature today--both within and outside of Iran?

 

A: Though women have always been active in literary endeavors, their work has been marginalized throughout history.

 

Fortunately, the past century has witnessed a marked increase in the number of Iranian women as literary critics, authors, playwrights and poets. Their poetry is a reflection of the times and serves as a medium to chronicle their thoughts and feelings, to serve as their refuge and to describe their predicament.

 

My goal was to amplify and celebrate their voices by opening the door to a new audience, English speakers.

 

Q: Among the various poems in the collection, do you see any particular themes you’d like to highlight?

 

A: Nostalgia, longing, womanhood, love, loss, home, freedom, and friendship.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from this collection?

 

A: I hope that the poems will resonate with the reader. I hope that the reader will:

 

1. find common themes between the poetry of Iranian women and those appearing in the poetry of women poets globally

 

2. have a more nuanced appreciation for Iranian women poets, their artistic endeavors, challenges, strength, and resilience. I hope the reader will appreciate the diversity of Iranian women, and resist the monolithic classification often ascribed to them. 

 

The book showcases 104 women poets. About one third of the poets live in Iran, a third in North America, about a third in Europe and the remainder live in Australia.

 

These women represent many different professions in addition to their poetic life: they are authors, artists, physicians, engineers, educators, activists, psychologists, translators, researchers, playwrights, rock climbers, social workers, filmmakers, and literary critics. 

 

I hope that the collection highlights multiple diversities: thematically, geographically, ideologically, esthetically, and temporally.  

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am trying my hand at translating from English to Persian.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: It may be useful to explain the title of the book. Iranian Ground Jay (Podoces pleskei) is a bird from the crow family, and one of two birds endemic to Iran. It lives in the desert and its coloring is perfectly adapted to its habitat, allowing it to blend in. Though it is sand colored when on the ground, when in flight it has beautiful black and white wingtips.

 

One of its distinguishing features is its strong and muscular legs, enabling it to walk and run long distances. Its beautiful song distinguishes it from other members of the crow family.

 

To me it is a powerful symbol of survival, the ability to at once adapt to one’s environment and distinguish oneself through song and strength…in short it is a symbol of Iranian women. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. NOTE: Some of the answers in this interview can also be found in the introduction to the book.

 

Sept. 28

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Sept. 28, 1856: Kate Douglas Wiggin born.