TBR [to be read] is a semi-regular, invitation-only
interview series with authors of newly released/forthcoming, interesting books
who will tell us about their new work as well as offer tips on writing, stories
about the publishing biz, and from time to time, a recipe!
Give us your elevator pitch: what’s your book about in
2-3 sentences?
Inspired by my unexpected return to Catholicism and my simultaneous
frustration with its ongoing scandals and disappointments, THE VIRGIN OF PRINCE
STREET chronicles a series of expeditions (including to a holy well in Ireland,
a mobile confessional booth in Louisiana, a county jail on Thanksgiving day,
etc.) as well as sojourns through memory that together explore my changing
ideas about devotion. That’s a very
detailed way of saying that these essays use my encounters with fading tradition
to help map and explore the tender terrain of the human heart.
Which essay did you most enjoy writing? Why? And, which
essay gave you the most trouble?
“Miracle of the Eyes,” looks at the phenomena of moving statues
in 1985 Ireland. It also looks at the case of Ann Lovett, a schoolgirl who died
giving birth near the Marian statue in her town and explores the desire some people
(especially girls and women) have for miracles, especially when their lives are
so dependent on the rule of man. Despite the heavy content, I loved researching
the various ways people described seeing the statues move. Some saw Mary smile.
Others saw her breathe or wink or cry. The essay begins with a litany of these
observations, and much of my enjoyment involved incorporating the delicious
sounds of all those Irish place names into the piece: Courtmacsharry, Kilfinane,
Rathdangan.
Less enjoyable was “Devil’s Advocate,” which tells the story
of a priest and nun who died in a 1967 fire. The priest ran into a burning
church to save the consecrated hosts while the nun went in to be certain no children
were trapped inside. But the story told after her death was that she followed
the priest to aide him in his sacred task. Whether she followed or
went in of her own accord may seem a minor point, but beyond the idea of obedience
versus boldness, it highlights divergent notions of faith—did God exist in the
Host or in the children rumored to be hiding in the church? I struggled because
I didn’t want to disrespect their legacy or beliefs, especially as incongruities
and issues of gender arose. They’re always arising if you let them. And I let
them.
Tell us a bit about the highs and lows of your book’s
road to publication.
The lows were all in the writing! Not the act of writing but
the idea of the writing about Catholicism. The Church did not make it easy. Every
day a new report of abuse or backward thinking emerged. I tossed and turned for
the three years I wrote these essays and have never been so uncertain of my
subject. In terms of publication, the path was surprisingly straightforward. The
collection is being released as part of the American Lives Series at the
University of Nebraska Press. The real high was that the editor, Alicia
Christensen, was open to hybrid essays (lyric and journalistic) that explore such
a highly charged, divisive, and increasingly politicized topic.
What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?
I can’t remember who said it and just googled to no avail.
Alicia Ostriker, maybe? Anyway, the advice is this: The job of the artist is to trust her obsession. This is so massively
reassuring. It means I don’t have to try to make sense of caring about an old
church or a tradition that’s so obviously flawed. It implies that doubt and insecurity
are part of the thing and that my only job as a writer is to stick with
whatever has snagged my heart, to honor it, and see it through.
My favorite writing advice is “write until something
surprises you.” What surprised you in the writing of this book?
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed incorporating elements
of literary journalism. I’ve always written personal lyrical pieces that rely
on an interplay of language and perception, but these essays required more
active engagement with the world outside my head. I suddenly found myself
riding shotgun with a Cajun priest in a mobile confessional booth, for
instance, or traveling all over Buffalo looking for a missing Virgin Mary
statue. I had to channel my inner Nancy Drew and totally loved it.
How did you find the title of your book?
The title is inspired by my search for a missing statue from
my childhood church in Rochester, NY. As Catholic churches close in cities
throughout the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic, their contents are sold
off, stored, or sometimes discarded. When I returned to church and did not see
the blue-cloaked Mary I grew up with, I decided to track her down. This was
undoubtedly a foolish thing to do, but foolishness has its place, and the searching
for the missing Virgin Mary turned out to be a perfect way to explore the American
Catholic tradition as it continues to decline and change.
Inquiring foodies and hungry book clubs want to know: Any
food/s associated with your book? (Any recipes I might share?)
How can I decide between Cajun-Fried Frog Legs, Irish Root
Soup, Buffalo Pierogi, or Baklava from Tarpon Springs? I’ll keep it simple and sweet
and go with Pouding Chômeur from Quebec. (Advice for late summer: serve
w/fresh peaches and vanilla cream).
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READ MORE ABOUT THIS AUTHOR: http://www.sonjalivingston.com/
ORDER THIS BOOK FOR YOUR OWN TBR STACK:
READ AN EXCERPT, “Miracle of the Eyes”: https://www.cincinnatireview.com/samples/excerpt-from-sonja-livingstons-miracle-of-the-eyes/