The following interview with writer Justin Torres was conducted in 2013 by Kelly Yuzawa as part of the Poetry and Literature Center’s online Interview Series. The series featured emerging and established literary writers in dynamic and thought-provoking conversation. Though the series is no longer active, From the Catbird Seat is reprinting these interviews to bring them new light.
I heard you read at the National Book Festival last September [2012]. It was a warm afternoon and the audience was looking a little sleepy, but when you started reading the first chapter of We the Animals, it was as if the tent had caught fire. Do you always get that response to your work?
You know, that reading in DC stands out among the very many readings I’ve done in the past two years, and you’re right, something about that tent felt alive. I remember the Mall being rather dusty, and hot. I stood on that podium watching people walk past the tent, feeling a bit distracted myself and feeling the audience’s distraction. I felt daunted, but as I began to read I could feel folks leaning in, and I could see others, passing by, stop to listen. I’ve never been to a revival, but I have been to many carnivals, and it wasn’t hard to imagine myself preaching, or barking; I put as much emotion as I could into that reading. When it was finished, the tent was full, the crowd had grown, and I had the most amazing feeling—which sometimes, but not always happens at readings—that I had won them over, that they were aiming, beaming, their goodwill in my direction. I hope this doesn’t sound too boastful, but it is a rare experience, and one I feel very lucky to have had.
When did you know you were going to be a writer, and when did you start committing to it seriously? Was there someone in your life who helped you recognize your talent?
I’ve long had a desire to write, but no real desire to be a writer. I feel lucky about that, actually; wanting to be