In anticipation of the 2023 Chicago Review of Books (CHIRBy) Awards ceremony, we asked our finalists a few questions about their books, their inspirations, and their favorite way to spend 2 hours and $50 in Chicago.
In Part II, we talk to:
- Laura Adamczyk, author of Island City
- Julia Fine, author of Maddalena and the Dark
- Juan Martinez, author of Extended Stay
- Dipika Mukherjee, author of Dialect of Distant Harbors
- Kathleen Rooney, author of Where Are the Snows
Stay tuned for the announcement of our 2023 Chicago Review of Books Awards winners on December 7!
What is your one sentence elevator pitch of your book?
Laura Adamczyk: A woman thinks she’s losing her mind, so she moves back to her shitty home town and tells the story of her life to a bar of strangers, who probably aren’t listening.
Julia Fine: In 1717 Venice, two fifteen year-old female music students from very different circumstances make increasingly dangerous sacrifices to a mysterious creature in the lagoon that promises to fulfill all their desires.
Juan Martinez: The “official” one-sentence pitch was The Shining in Las Vegas, but my favorite one is “undocumented brother and sister end up in a hotel that eats people.”
Dipika Mukherjee: A grievous vastness to this world, beyond human experience.
Kathleen Rooney: Cracking jokes at the end of this world and looking forward to the start of another.
What is your favorite thing about Chicago and its writing community?
Laura Adamczyk: Familiar faces.
Julia Fine: Chicago writers are generous with their time and advice, and supportive of each other across genre.
Juan Martinez: I love how people show up for each other, and I love how deeply Chicago cares for books.
Dipika Mukherjee: The collegiality! There is such a midwestern friendly vibe and support, and not all literary communities feel like such a group hug!
Kathleen Rooney: Both the city and the writing community are huge and brilliant and humble and welcoming.
If you could choose what book a reader should follow up yours with, what would it be?
Laura Adamczyk: Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker.
Julia Fine: The Passion by Jeannette Winterson.
Juan Martinez: The Strange by Nathan Ballingrud.
Dipika Mukherjee: A God at the Door by Tishani Doshi.
Kathleen Rooney: Oreo by Fran Ross which must be in the top 5 funniest books ever written. More people should read it so we can all talk about it.
What was one non-literature inspiration for your book?
Laura Adamczyk: David Berman.
Julia Fine: Vivaldi’s Concerto for 2 Violins in A Minor.
Juan Martinez: All of David Lynch’s movies but also Herk Harvey’s Carnival of Souls.
Dipika Mukherjee: Travel. Lots of it. Then the curbing of travel due to the pandemic and the effect on diasporic families with branches across oceans.
Kathleen Rooney: YouTube comments; everybody there is so heartfelt and funny and weird and alive, reaching out across the ether and trying hard to get a reaction. Same.
You have 2 hours and $50 to spend in the city. Where are you going?
Laura Adamczyk: Chris’s Billiards.
Julia Fine: Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary with a BLT from Same Day Cafe, a pistachio matcha latte from Drink Happy Thoughts, my headphones, and book.
Juan Martinez: To the Hopleaf for a really good Belgian & to Anteprima for pasta & then to Women & Children First for a book or two.
Dipika Mukherjee: I would buy books at the gorgeous indie bookstore downtown, Exile in Booksville in the stunning Fine Arts building, then walk to the lake past the Buckingham Fountain and find a sunny bench to sit and read and listen to the lake breathing through the whoosh of the waves.
Kathleen Rooney: All 50 dollars get spent at Middle Eastern Grocery in Andersonville on sweet and savory treats, and the we go to Toby Prinz Beach Park in Rogers Park and have a big picnic with all our friends.
