An Interview with Townsend Walker
Townsend Walker has written two short story collections: No One Sleeps and Three Women, Four Towns, Five Bodies & other stories, and one novella, La Ronde. In addition, his stories have appeared in over one hundred literary journals and anthologies. He received two nominations for the PEN/O. Henry Award.
During a career in banking, he lived in New York, London, Paris, and Rome and wrote three books: foreign exchange, derivatives, and leasing.
Townsend now lives in San Francisco and teaches workshops in creative writing at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.
Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
No One Sleeps is the translation of “Nessun Dorma.” It is the title of a short poem I wrote and when putting the collection together seemed to capture the spirit of the book quite nicely. So, easy to find.
How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?
Great! Fantastic! The graphic people did a great job in design and color.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I have always liked to write. My secret for getting through school (high through graduate) was my term paper prowess. Influences are Balzac, Hardy, Simenon, Spillane, Anouilh, Hemmingway.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
Intelligence analyst, foreign exchange dealer, derivatives trader, developer of global trading communication system.
What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?
Participation in the design and production process. I’ve published five books previously and this is the first time I had the opportunity to be so involved in how the book looked.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
“Nessun Dorma,” of course.
“Sound of Silence,” the title of one of the stories.
“Runaround Sue” is featured in one of the stories.
And the story “I Can’t Forget” features Billie Holiday tunes, Bach sonatas, and Mozart concertos.
And “When My Son’s Father Came to Dinner” has a Scott Joplin rag and Elton John’s “Rocket Man.”
What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?
The perfect readers will see the fun where there is fun and will pick up on the serious bits where they are serious. And, of course, you’d like them to appreciate the effort that went into making it so.
What creative projects are you currently working on?
A book of short stories tentatively titled “Noir in Black and White.” The stories will be inspired by the black and white collages of the artist Beverly Mills. My current book, No One Sleeps, has a story “Lady of the Steps” that was inspired by one of her collages and is the inspiration for the book’s cover.
How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?
It was easy. The production part particularly. Of course, that is what I most paid for.
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