Photo by Jennifer Meihofer
Susan L. Katz is the author of the new novel-in-stories Pole Dancers at the Red Barn. Also a psychotherapist and a photographer, she lives in Rhinebeck, New York.
Q: What inspired you to write Pole Dancers at the Red Barn?
A: Two things inspired me: my own struggles with body image and my experience of feeling marginalized. I wanted to write about a misunderstood group of people brought together by a shared skill and a desire to use their bodies to earn a living. Although I never pole danced, I understood what it felt like not to belong.
I was interested in the life experiences that might lead people to use their bodies in different ways. Having undergone spinal operations at a young age, I had complicated feelings about my own body, so I admired women who could embrace their bodies with sensuality, sexuality, and glamour.
I envisioned something like Cirque du Soleil dancers with a working-class background—and that led me to pole dancers.
As a psychotherapist, I was also interested in how a person’s upbringing shapes their worldview and sense of self, particularly how a mother’s experiences can influence her child.
That became central to the structure of the book: each section pairs a mother’s story with the story of her adult child, allowing readers to see how experiences and emotional legacies move across generations.
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: The title emerged organically as I tried to capture the symbols and themes underlying the stories while keeping the title succinct and memorable.
Pole Dancers at the Red Barn reflects both character and setting, which are equally important to the book. The pole dancers represent people seeking identity, freedom, and self-expression, while the Red Barn becomes more than a physical place—it is a community where people who have felt marginalized can find connection, acceptance, and a sense of belonging.
Q: The Foreword Review of the book, by Xenia Dunford, says, “Through its episodic structure and generational lens, the involving novel in stories Pole Dancers at the Red Barn is about how sexuality, shame, labor, and belonging intersect within disparate lives shaped by social expectations and personal compromises.” What do you think of that description?
A: I think the description is very accurate. At the heart of these stories are characters who must work through trauma, shame, and difficult compromises in order to create lives that feel meaningful and authentic.
For example, GB (Gloria/Bill) discovers their true self at the pole after living with others’ expectations that identity should be defined by anatomy and behavior. Celeste, a full-figured woman, must overcome her shame about her body in order to experience sensuality and pleasure dancing at the pole.
The stories also explore how the expectations of family and society can shape our choices—and how, despite those influences, we can find the courage to choose a different path.
For example, Doris, Eddie’s mother, struggles with how social mores—and the guilt that comes from not adhering to them—can impact both mother and child.
Bella, Marie’s immigrant mother, pursues her father’s dream for her: to become a secretary and marry a “true American,” a soldier. When her husband struggles to find work after leaving the service, he becomes abusive. Bella eventually escapes his torment and raises her daughter as a single mother.
Her story illustrates the difficult choices women sometimes had to make when their lives were constrained by cultural expectations, economic circumstances, and gender roles.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: I hope readers come away with a sense of hope and the understanding that difficult circumstances don’t have to define or bury us. Change requires us to face what is difficult, work through it, and find a way forward.
I believe that hope comes from creating a life that has meaning and authenticity for you. And, as these stories show, we don’t have to do that alone. Connection, community, and the courage to be ourselves can help us move through even the most difficult circumstances.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m writing a memoir-in-stories that combines short stories with collaged images to explore my experiences of medical trauma and what it took for me to move beyond despair.
I’m also considering a sequel to Pole Dancers at the Red Barn, following the dancers as they undergo further transformations. In the next book, I’m interested in exploring a deeper kind of transformation—one that comes from connecting with something within ourselves, perhaps even the soul.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I invite readers to visit my website, where they can learn more about me and my work. I also have a section called “Other Writing,” which includes a standalone short story and offers another glimpse into my writing beyond Pole Dancers at the Red Barn.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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