An Interview with Ellen Graham

Ellen Graham’s writing focuses on the West and stories of open spaces, both on the land and in the heart. A prize-winner in Glimmer Train‘s Short Story Award for New Writers, she has also been published in Narrative, High Desert Journal, Everyday Fiction, Concrete Desert Review, Epiphany, and On the Run. She is at work on a series of stories about what happens in and around Utah.

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What inspired you to start writing this book?

For a number of years I put in my bio that I was working on a collection. One day, I thought, “Ellen, (insert your best expletive), you have the stories—maybe it’s time to actually put them in a (next expletive) collection already!” (Or take it off your bio, lol.)

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

It took forever because I tried so many ideas. “Postcards from the West”? “Follow Me West of the Mississippi”? (Truly, I had no shortage of dumb titles.) But one of my favorite stories I’ve written is “Baby on a Highway. ” And I wanted to have a strong lead story. I also thought that if I titled it “Stories of Utah” or “Stories of the West,” it might not have broad appeal. Or it might put off some readers.

Describe your dream book cover.

There’s a photograph of a drive-in theater in Utah showing the Ten Commandments. Moses is on the screen, brandishing those Commandments. Very fire and brimstone. It’s sunset, and in the background is a sliver of the Great Salt Lake and the outline of the prehistoric Oquirrh mountains. It encapsulates everything that interests me in these stories: the power of the land and the strong arm of religion.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Oh, anything from early cowpunk—Lone Justice, Social Distortion, The Blasters.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

For inspiration about the land, I always return to Rick Bass’s short stories. For insight into what makes people tick, I return to Alice Munro. Otherwise, I soothe myself with a good beach book. Something mildly trashy and fun that involves sun, wine, great descriptions of food, and star-crossed lovers.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I was a professional theater director and educator in the great state of Washington. When I wasn’t teaching, I had day jobs answering phones in a fancy law firm (where I was expected to behave), bringing food to dancers at a performance venue, working for the Mosquito Abatement, weighing people in at a weight loss center, and stuffing envelopes at Boeing.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I always wanted to write and I’ve kept a journal since I was a wee child. It was my way of explaining the world to myself. But then I had a high school teacher who said I had talent. The proverbial light bulb. She also told me I had to work harder.

Where is your favorite place to write?

I think a pen and paper are the two greatest inventions ever. Anywhere I can have those at hand is a good place to write. But my favorite? Usually I write by the window in “my chair” before everyone in my house wakes up. I’ve learned to write with a cat on my lap while balancing coffee and a piece of toast. I can get distracted by the sunrise or the chatter of birds or the greenbelt between me and the Salish Sea. But then again, those often end up in my work. The cat as well!

What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?

Work harder!

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Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.