Jeannie Vanasco is the author of The Glass Eye and Things We Didn’t Talk About When I Was a Girl, two critically acclaimed memoirs that explore grief, trauma, and memory with striking honesty and formal invention. In this conversation, she discusses her early love of language, how silence shapes her work, the importance of writing without preciousness, and why her cats are essential to her creative routine.
Jeannie, can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got into writing?
My parents regularly told stories. My favorite word is “porch”—probably because that’s where my parents told so many of their stories. They taught me that the “when” of a narrative matters. My dad was born in 1922. My mom, 1942. Me, 1984. Their generations required a lot more patience, and I think you need patience as a writer. They gave me that. They also gave me so much encouragement. Their attitude was “you get old soon enough,” so it’s important to pursue what makes you happy—however you need to do that.
Born and raised in Sandusky, Ohio, you now live in Baltimore. How has your upbringing and life experiences shaped your writing and influenced the subjects you choose to write about?
I could go on and on about how much my parents influenced me, and I think that’s why I’ve written books for them. My first, The Glass Eye, is for my dad. My forthcoming book, A Silent Treatment, is for my mom. Because they told so many stories, I’m interested in what goes unsaid. Silences greatly influence what I choose to write about.
Your memoir Things We Didn’t Talk About When I Was a Girl was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice and a best book of 2019 by several publications. What was the most challenging aspect of writing this memoir?
For that book, I interviewed a former friend who sexually assaulted me when we were nineteen. I knew my decision to interview him would anger people, but I resisted my impulse to make people feel comfortable. Publishing the book was more challenging than writing it.
Your essays cover a wide range of subjects, from artificial eyes in fiction to the history of erasure literature. How do you come up with ideas for your writing and what is your creative process like?
Scraps of language—especially sonically memorable language—inspire me. The acoustics often help me find or better understand the subject matter. For example, my first book uses a kind of sonic thesis: eye, i, I. My dad had an artificial eye. I’m named after his daughter who died. Our names are pronounced the same, but he added the letter “i” to my name. And of course there’s the first-person “I.”
I credit Amelia Bedelia for my early love of language. Amelia was a maid for a wealthy couple. She was very literal, which caused problems at work. For example, when the Rogers—that was the couple—told her to draw the drapes, she’d draw a picture of the drapes. For many years, starting in grade school, I volunteered at the local public library, teaching younger children how to read. Of all the books we read together, the kids adored Amelia Bedelia the most. Witnessing readers’ joy as they read those books, I have to think that influenced me. Of course, I couldn’t bear to watch someone read my own work.
As for my creative process, I keep a pen and paper with me always. If an observation interests me—no matter how silly it seems—I write it down. For example, when I’m in a turn only lane, I debate whether to use my turn signal. I mean, is that the equivalent of a double negative? Sometimes stuff like that, for better or worse, makes its way into my writing.
What does a typical writing day look like for you?
On the days I write, I usually wake up at 4 or 5am, fix some coffee, and get to my computer or a notebook. I try not to be too precious about the routine, though. And my cats keep me company—so much so I had to add a clip-on bed to my desk. In the photo of my workspace, Catullus has claimed the bed. What you can’t see are Kiffawiffick and Hildegard at my feet. When I’m writing, one of them is almost always on my lap. I’ve never done a writing residency because I can’t bear to be without them. So I guess I’m precious in that regard. I can’t imagine a life without cats.
How do you balance your time between teaching and writing?
I can always put more work into both. So I’m still learning how to strike that balance. If I’m struggling with pacing in my own work, for example, I’ll find a way to address pacing with my students. And I’m lucky that I get to schedule when I teach. I try to schedule my classes for late afternoon at the very earliest. I also have a supportive department chair. She helps me protect my writing time.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers who are trying to establish their writing routine?
Don’t be precious about the routine. Otherwise, it becomes too easy to shut down if one of your variables is off.
If you could have a conversation with any author throughout history about their writing routine and creative process, who would that person be?
Virginia Woolf. There’s already so much scholarship out there about her routine and process, but I’d love to hear it from her directly.
I’d love to know about the books you’re reading at the moment. What have been some of your favourite reads?
Omar El Akkad’s One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. I also recommend his interview on David Naimon’s Between the Covers podcast.
What does your current writing workspace look like?
These days I prioritize ergonomics. I have a fancy Steelcase chair, adjustable desk, and adjustable book stand. My twenty-something-self would be disappointed that I’d spend this much money on writing tools. She’d get free coffee from bank lobbies and free furniture from rich neighborhoods on trash day.
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