ࡱ> GIF d0bjbjVV 4L<<V( IIIII]]]8\]9JIII:II ԄB]>: 09xLI9 : Interview with Ron Rash by Sylvia Bailey Shurbutt and David O. Hoffman Ron Rash, 2011 Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence at ϳԹUniversity, is recipient of the Appalachian Heritage Writers Award. He participated in a variety of programs throughout the year, coming to the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, for a series of events September 26 through October 1, 2011. S&H: You have spoken about the importance of fathers in your workreconciling with fathers, finding fathers and father figures, reconnecting with fathers. You have also said that your own father died pretty young, and there is a real sense of regret that I couldnt have spent more time with him (Neufeld 10). When did you lose your father, and how do you believe that loss is evinced in your stories? Talk about your father and his impact on you and your writing. RR: My father died when I was in my mid-twenties, and the greatest regret in my life is that he didnt live longer. His last decade was very difficult because of clinical depression and, had he lived a few more years, I believe the more recent drugs and therapies would have allowed him a much better life. He was a remarkable mana mill-village kid who dropped out of high school at sixteen to work in the mill, then through incredible perseverance got his GED, went to college while working full-time, and eventually became a college art teacher. Except in the story Chemistry, Ive never consciously written about our relationship, but as you point out, father and son stories abound in my work. Perhaps on some level aspects of our relationship not resolved in life are being dealt with in my art. S&H: Rather than following the MFA route toward authorship, you worked through the ranks as an English teacherfirst as an instructor in a rural high school in Oconee County, South Carolina; then for seventeen years as a teacher in the Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, South Carolina. For those of us who have traveled that route as scholars and writers, it is a busy road, to say the least. How have you managed to write and publish a steady stream of such quality poetry and fiction with such a schedule? What have been the advantages to your craft of your career as a teacher, and why do you think a degree in literature has been particularly beneficial to you as a writer? RR: My years teaching high school and technical college made writing difficult, but Ive always believed if writing is important enough to a person, he or she will make time. I got up early to write a couple of hours every weekday, wrote weekends and holidays. Many of my friends, all of whom are writers I admire, do have MFAs and found that experience what they needed. For me, however, a straight MA was better. I was a slow developing writer; I needed to immerse myself in literature during that period of my life. I do believe the best way to learn to write well is to read the best writers. All the really good writers I know, MFA or non-MFA, are voracious readers. S&H: What contemporary writers do you read today and find particularly interesting? What writers are you teaching today in your Appalachian Literature course? RR: This is always a frustrating question because Ill leave someone out and feel badly afterwards; so, except to say McCarthy is my favorite contemporary American novelist and Annie Proulx and William Gay my favorite short-story writers, Ill pass on the Americans. Ive been reading a lot of Australian authors of late; I especially admire Richard Flanagan, Janette Hospital, Les Murray, and Tim Winton. I havent taught my Appalachian literature class in a couple of years, but the last time I did, I taught, among others, Lee Smith, Silas House, Robert Morgan, James Still, Kay Byer, Breece Pancake. S&H: We really love the freshness and uniqueness of your poetry and marvel that you utilize, like Hopkins and to some extent Thomas, some of the more ancient forms, which add to that freshness. Talk about how you discovered the Welch cynghanedd form and the tales from The Mabinogion. What in particular interested you about the character Branwen who appears in the Among the Believers volume? RR: The Rash family came from Wales, so Ive always been aware of that connection. The Mabinogion, the great Welsh epic, has been a rich source for me, and Ive used its stories and images into a number of poems. Also, Ive always loved poets whose work has a strong aural quality, poets such as Hopkins and Thomas. In my late twenties I did an intense study of traditional Welsh poetics and began to incorporate what Id learned into my own work, but because I believe, as Brendan Galvin once said, that in poetry clarity is the deepest mystery of all, I did not want the poetrys music to overwhelm meaning. Im rather pleased when people dont realize (though I do believe their ears hear it) that Im using cynghanedd and strict Welsh forms such as the Awdyll Gwydd. S&H: Your Raising the Dead, Eureka Mill, and Among the Believers volumes are not only beautifully written but very accessible for your readers, often reading like an Appalachian Spoon River Anthology. You seem to have wonderfully wedded a lovely metrical expertise and vivid imagery with fascinating subject matter that is both grounded in place and, at the same time, transcendent of the region that breathes life into both your poetry and fiction. Talk about your latest volume of poetryhow does it continue to develop the ideas and style that you have evolved? Why have you waited so long to bring it out? RR: The new poetry book is called Waking. The Welsh-influenced sound patterns are similar to my last two poetry volumes. The poems continue to focus on Appalachia, but a number of them are more overtly personal than in previous books, childhood moments of transcendence, what Wordsworth called spots of time. I havent written much poetry in the last decade because Ive been immersed in novel and story writing. I cannot write poetry when Im writing fiction. Its like being on two completely different frequencies. It is nice, though, to have another poetry book out. It assures my poet friends Ive not gone completely over to the dark side. S&H: As we read the many reviews and commentary on your 2008 book Serena, everyone, of course, is interested in and appreciative of the parallel between this beautifully written novel and Shakespeares Macbeth. Some critics have brought up the Renaissance patriarchal fear of powerful women which Shakespeare reflects, suggesting there is some application as well in your book. We arent necessarily sure that is the case, nor that Serena should be looked at as an explication of the modern woman, as one critic asserted. We found Rachel a poignant and pointed balance to Serena, and, unlike Serena, Rachel is a character whom you portray as dynamic, growing more appealing to readers as she develops in the story. Since you were thinking strongly along the lines of Greek and Renaissance tragedy as you were writing this book, can you comment on what was going through your mind as you were beginning to write the character of Serena? Is she a metaphor for the new woman, as one critic suggests? RR: My hope was to create a character resonant enough to allow many interpretations of her, in the past as well as the present. S&H: There is a wonderful connection between the poems, the short stories, and the novels, where your readers will find a story told in one genre and then in another. The effect is interesting in that the retellings always give us something new and different to appreciate about the tale. As teachers, we also appreciate being able to connect the stories from these different perspectives and points of view. What tells you that it is right to continue with a character or event for retelling in another genre? What commonalities do you find between poetry and fiction in your subjects and writing process? RR: My goal has always been for the poems, stories, and novels to inform and enrich one another. I would hope that if someone read all of my work, he or she would think that it feels more like a quilt than mere pieces of different-angled cloth on completely different designs. S&H: In one interview, you explained that your grandfather taught you that words can be magical. How has this childhood lesson impacted your writing? Further, do you credit your grandfathers reading to you as a child with instilling your interest in approaching stories from different vantage points and different genres? RR: Yes, my illiterate grandfather making up stories did indeed make words magical for me, but I also credit my parents for making words magical. Both were voracious readers, and my mother would take my siblings and me to the library every week. My mothers mother had been a schoolteacher in the North Carolina mountains before marrying my grandfather and becoming a farm wife. As far as writing both prose and poetry, my childhood reading of Jesse Stuart, as well as the later example of Robert Morgan, James Still and Fred Chappell, showed me a writer need not be limited to one genre. S&H: Youve mentioned before, and it is quite apparent in your works, that compelling images often initiate and ultimately control your writing process. Talk about how these images develop for you and how they carry you through the development of your stories. RR: The more I write, the more mysterious the process is to me. All of my novels have begun with images. For instance, One Foot in Eden began with an image of a man standing in his field, his crops dying around him. Writers need to believe certain things to keep going, and I make myself believe that if an image is so strong as to make me begin a novel, then the finished novel already exists; I just have to find it. In a way, its similar to what Michelangelo said about the completed statue already being inside the block of marble. S&H: What advice can you offer young writers who are reading your works and writing their own? RR: That perseverance is the most underrated aspect of being a good writer. Read, read, and read some more.     G   # o ϿznzbzVFhsB*CJOJQJaJphhmCJOJQJaJhCJOJQJaJhsCJOJQJaJh LyCJOJQJaJh Ly56CJOJQJaJh>Gh>G6CJOJQJaJh)t6CJOJQJaJh Ly6CJOJQJaJh Lyh Ly6CJOJQJaJh><6CJOJQJaJh>Gh Ly6CJOJQJaJh>Gh Ly6CJOJQJaJ IJHIJF $>%?%'((*Y, $da$gd&=$a$gd&=$a$gd&=$a$gd Ly  dkzzk]Nk=] h5h5CJOJQJ^JaJh5hdiCJOJQJaJhdiCJOJQJ^JaJh5h5CJOJQJaJhdiCJOJQJaJh5CJOJQJaJh<56CJOJQJaJhrh<5CJOJQJaJh>5Cϴa"r'5Cϴa''5\<h<5CJOJQJaJ%hsh LyB*CJOJQJaJph*-EIJP{ַ{l]NBNB4h<h  5CJOJQJh  CJOJQJaJh  h  CJOJQJaJh  56CJOJQJaJh>56Cϴ"rr5Cϴa"r'5Cϴa''5\<h<5CJOJQJ h5h<CJOJQJ^JaJh  CJOJQJ^JaJh(CJOJQJ^JaJh5CJOJQJ^JaJhCJOJQJ^JaJ@NHIP67AYejݿݿݡݔyl\y\lyMy\yh  hiZCJOJQJaJh}\hiZ6CJOJQJaJhiZ6CJOJQJaJhiZCJOJQJaJhiZ56CJOJQJaJh  5CJOJQJaJhiZ5CJOJQJ\aJh.5CJOJQJ\aJh>G5CJOJQJ\aJh5CJOJQJ\aJ"hrhr5CJOJQJ\aJhrh  5CJOJQJaJ*8 <=>ǵǢǓ۳󳢳氪氪氪8䴳ϴ󱫱6Cϴ󱫱󱫱䴳ϴ󱫱󱫱6Cϴ󱫱䴳ϴ<56CJOJQJaJhiZ56CJOJQJaJ%hiZhiZ56CJOJQJ\aJ"hrhiZ56CJOJQJaJ"hrhiZ5CJOJQJ\aJhrhiZ5\h<hiZ5CJOJQJh}\hiZCJOJQJaJPDEFIhn !!-!.!!!!"L""sdXHXXHXX<hQ[CJOJQJaJhihi6CJOJQJaJhiCJOJQJaJh8p56CJOJQJaJhrh8p5OJQJ%hiZh(56CJOJQJ\aJ"h(h(5CJOJQJ\aJh<h8p5CJOJQJhUeh<CJOJQJaJhshsCJOJQJaJhsCJOJQJaJh  CJOJQJaJh8pCJOJQJaJhUeCJOJQJaJ"""""#3#\#`#h#m#s#v#z#######|$}$$$$$$>%?%%&ܸ踩貹^>䴳ϴ856Cϴ(56Cϴ"((5Cϴa((5\<h8p5CJOJQJhih8pCJOJQJaJhsCJOJQJaJhtfCJOJQJaJh  CJOJQJaJhiCJOJQJaJhQ[CJOJQJaJh&=CJOJQJaJ&$&s&x&{&&'&'0'A'D'c'~''''''''((.(O(}(((((((ĸĸĩxxxxxl]hs56CJOJQJaJh(h8p5OJQJh&=5CJOJQJ\aJ"h(h(5CJOJQJ\aJh(h8p5CJOJQJaJh^>h8pCJOJQJaJhCJOJQJaJhsCJOJQJaJh&=CJOJQJaJh1TfCJOJQJaJh^>CJOJQJaJh!CJOJQJaJ(((* * * ***++++Y,Z,_,`,a,,,A-`-c-d-g-h-ƴ}q}}bVHh(h(5OJQJ\h(h8p5OJQJhh8pCJOJQJaJh1TfCJOJQJaJhCJOJQJaJh8p56CJOJQJaJhs5CJOJQJaJh&=5CJOJQJ\aJ"h(h(5CJOJQJ\aJh(hs5CJOJQJaJhsCJOJQJaJhs56CJOJQJaJh&=56CJOJQJaJY,Z,d-//O0P0Q0R0S0T0U0V0X0Y0[0\0^0_0a0b0c0d0 dgd8p$a$gd&= $da$gd&=$a$gd&=h-i---~/////////O0U0V0W0Y0Z0\0]0_0̽qbqSD<8<8<8hJ jhJ Uhy3U56CJOJQJaJh(5CJOJQJ\aJh&=5CJOJQJ\aJ"h(h(5CJOJQJ\aJh(h1Tf5CJOJQJaJhh1TfCJOJQJaJh1TfCJOJQJaJh&=56CJOJQJaJh1Tf56CJOJQJaJh(h8p5OJQJh&=h(56OJQJ\h(h(5OJQJ\h&=5OJQJ\_0`0c0d0hy3U56CJOJQJaJhJ jhJ U21h:pmi/ =!"#$% j 666666666vvvvvvvvv666666>6666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666hH666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666662 0@P`p2( 0@P`p 0@P`p 0@P`p 0@P`p 0@P`p 0@P`p8XV~ OJPJQJ_HmH nH sH tH J`J miNormal dCJ_HaJmH sH tH DA D Default Paragraph FontRiR 0 Table Normal4 l4a (k ( 0No List 44 8p0Header H$66 8p0 Header CharCJaJ4 4 8p0Footer H$6!6 8p0 Footer CharCJaJNZ@2N ' Plain Text dCJOJPJQJaJFAF 'Plain Text CharCJOJPJQJPK![Content_Types].xmlj0Eжr(΢Iw},-j4 wP-t#bΙ{UTU^hd}㨫)*1P' ^W0)T9<l#$yi};~@(Hu* Dנz/0ǰ $ X3aZ,D0j~3߶b~i>3\`?/[G\!-Rk.sԻ..a濭?PK!֧6 _rels/.relsj0 }Q%v/C/}(h"O = C?hv=Ʌ%[xp{۵_Pѣ<1H0ORBdJE4b$q_6LR7`0̞O,En7Lib/SeеPK!kytheme/theme/themeManager.xml M @}w7c(EbˮCAǠҟ7՛K Y, e.|,H,lxɴIsQ}#Ր ֵ+!,^$j=GW)E+& 8PK!Ptheme/theme/theme1.xmlYOo6w toc'vuر-MniP@I}úama[إ4:lЯGRX^6؊>$ !)O^rC$y@/yH*񄴽)޵߻UDb`}"qۋJחX^)I`nEp)liV[]1M<OP6r=zgbIguSebORD۫qu gZo~ٺlAplxpT0+[}`jzAV2Fi@qv֬5\|ʜ̭NleXdsjcs7f W+Ն7`g ȘJj|h(KD- dXiJ؇(x$( :;˹! I_TS 1?E??ZBΪmU/?~xY'y5g&΋/ɋ>GMGeD3Vq%'#q$8K)fw9:ĵ x}rxwr:\TZaG*y8IjbRc|XŻǿI u3KGnD1NIBs RuK>V.EL+M2#'fi ~V vl{u8zH *:(W☕ ~JTe\O*tHGHY}KNP*ݾ˦TѼ9/#A7qZ$*c?qUnwN%Oi4 =3ڗP 1Pm \\9Mؓ2aD];Yt\[x]}Wr|]g- eW )6-rCSj id DЇAΜIqbJ#x꺃 6k#ASh&ʌt(Q%p%m&]caSl=X\P1Mh9MVdDAaVB[݈fJíP|8 քAV^f Hn- "d>znNJ ة>b&2vKyϼD:,AGm\nziÙ.uχYC6OMf3or$5NHT[XF64T,ќM0E)`#5XY`פ;%1U٥m;R>QD DcpU'&LE/pm%]8firS4d 7y\`JnίI R3U~7+׸#m qBiDi*L69mY&iHE=(K&N!V.KeLDĕ{D vEꦚdeNƟe(MN9ߜR6&3(a/DUz<{ˊYȳV)9Z[4^n5!J?Q3eBoCM m<.vpIYfZY_p[=al-Y}Nc͙ŋ4vfavl'SA8|*u{-ߟ0%M07%<ҍPK! ѐ'theme/theme/_rels/themeManager.xml.relsM 0wooӺ&݈Э5 6?$Q ,.aic21h:qm@RN;d`o7gK(M&$R(.1r'JЊT8V"AȻHu}|$b{P8g/]QAsم(#L[PK-![Content_Types].xmlPK-!֧6 +_rels/.relsPK-!kytheme/theme/themeManager.xmlPK-!Ptheme/theme/theme1.xmlPK-! ѐ' theme/theme/_rels/themeManager.xml.relsPK] d(L  P"&(h-_0d0 !"$%Y,d0#\(# AA@0(  B S  ?V(X(Y([(\(^(_(a(e(V(X(Y([(\(^(_(a(e(  c~U(e(;/Tc /J h  <\iFQ!'h !(&=^>GE>Gy3UiZQ[1Tftfdiminwns Lyh~.W)t^r= (Uek}\!5`4Im-~-&,m8p+NV(X(@d(@UnknownG* Times New Roman5Symbol3. * Arial9Elephant9Garamond7.{ @CalibriA BCambria Math"hfzfzQ"IQ"Ir0B(B(3QHX  $P2!xxSSHURBUTsshurbutOh+'0  px   SSHURBUTNormal sshurbut2Microsoft Office Word@@iB@iBQ"՜.+,0 hp  ϳԹUniversityIB(  Title  !"#$%&()*+,-./012345789:;<=?@ABCDEHRoot Entry F[ބBJ1Table'WordDocument4LSummaryInformation(6DocumentSummaryInformation8>CompObjy  F'Microsoft Office Word 97-2003 Document MSWordDocWord.Document.89q