A Brief Interview

The good folks at Shimmer have posted a brief interview with me about my short story, “Word and Flesh”.

Shimmer #16, author interviews: Dennis Ginoza

Posted by Elise | Filed Under Author Interviews, Issue 16

Trivia– this picture was taken by Doug Anderson at the 2011 Pacific University MFA Summer Residency (the beard left me shortly thereafter, leaving a note that read, “Well always have Forest Grove.”). DYG

 

Dennis conjures a disturbing tale for Shimmer #16, “Word and Flesh,” and shares a fabulous memory of reading Bradbury.

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Tell us how “Word and Flesh” came to be.
I wrote the story during my second week at the 2011 Clarion Writers’ Workshop. I’ve always been fascinated by anthropodermic bibliopegy (binding books in human skin) and knew I wanted to write a story about it. The idea was vague, however, and I was struggling to assemble a coherent plot. As I wandered the UCSD campus mulling over the story, I came to realize how disconcerted I was by the architecture around me. The notion of a city-state dedicated to esoteric pursuits got stuck in my head, eventually becoming the Universidad portrayed in “Word and Flesh.” Once I had that physical setting, the rest of the story came more easily.