Patrick Somerville: the interview

Tuesday, September 19, University Book Store was pleased to welcome Patrick Somerville to the store for a reading. And we were also pleased to find that, even though he looked at the interview with Andrea Seigel, he agreed to answer our questions, too!

A thing discussed at the reading:

Brad Spakowitz, meteorologist

1) Have you recently read a book that made you angry because someone else wrote it instead of you? If so, what was it?

I think Articles of War by Nick Arvin qualifies for me; it's so clear, with so many strange, amazing little moments built into it that convert war into something far weirder than horror and more moving than a typical story of people blowing other people away. It's just sad, and real, and totally unpretentious. And it's SO far from neurotic little kids running around in suburbia. I hate fiction like that.

2) A literary feud is a great way to get some publicity for a book. Who will you be starting a feud with and why?

Nicole Richie, because she's the mean one and I'm the nice one.

3) You grew up in Green Bay and now live in Chicago. How do you resist the urge—bred into you, one assumes—to punch people in Bears insignia gear in the back of the head?

Luckily, when I was growing up, the Packers completely dominated the Bears, and the pathetic, slumped fans moped around Lambeau Field with their beers and frowns and were too ridiculous to attack. Now the Bears are better and I live in Chicago, but I feel as though they deserve this nice time of winning. I also don't want to get the fuck beat out of me.

4) Say something nice about University Book Store.

Nice coffee, amiable street kids outside, really nice UW MFA students in attendance, and a high-quality microphone. What more could I ask for?

5) Any closing remarks?

Thanks. I had a fantastic time in Seattle, all around. The Alexis hotel? Pike Market? Come on.