Interviewing the Interviewer: A Conversation with Charlotte Wood

Abstract

Charlotte Wood is an Australian writer and editor, the author of four novels, most recently Animal People, which won the People's Choice medal in the 2013 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, with a fifth, The Natural Way of Things, about to appear later this year. She has edited a book of essays, Brothers and Sisters (2009) and written a memoir on food and cooking, Love and Hunger (2012). I have long been a fan of Charlotte’s work, and was delighted when I learned in 2013 that she was beginning a new online subscription magazine, The Writer’s Room, which would contain interviews with her fellow writers. This was particularly exciting since it was at this time we were exploring the establishment of what would become Writers in Conversation. I subscribed immediately and have found the Writer’s Room interviews unfailingly illuminating – essential reading for creative writers and anyone seriously interested in the craft of writing. Details of Charlotte’s publications are at http://www.charlottewood.com.au/ and The Writer’s Room subscription page is http://www.charlottewood.com.au/store/p27/2015_Subscription_The_Writer%27s_Room_Interviews.html. When Writers in Conversation was established, Charlotte kindly agreed to join the Advisory Board. It seemed clear that we shared a commitment to the long-form literary interview, so earlier this year I decided to ask Charlotte if she would agree to an interview for WIC