We will be kicking off on Wednesday, June 30, and will end with an author’s event on July 14, interviewing the poet Natalie Diaz. She also suggested finding the sort of spot that helps you write hers is often in nature or writer’s retreats. When asked about what tips she would give to other writers, she admitted that she could only write when inspiration grabbed her. Machado confessed that many of her stories start off being about a vague idea and then evolve into something else altogether.
“Eight Bites” evolved past being a new take on The Little Mermaid. In some ways, she was frustrated with the main character and her decisions, but she also loved and empathized with her. Writing the main character was more difficult. Machado admitted that she related to Cal, the staunch queer, feminist daughter.
She’s often blunt and angry with her mother. During our Summer Tales discussions, many of us were unsure of what to do with Cal’s character. Cal vehemently opposes her mother’s decision to undergo surgery. In the story, the woman’s daughter, Cal, serves almost as the main character’s foil. Machado proclaimed that she is a plus-sized woman who comes from a plus-sized family and who knows plenty of people who’ve undergone this surgery and experienced the side effects. The story of “Eight Bites” is about a woman who eventually undergoes gastric bypass surgery. She wanted to play with the theme of body transformation. Machado pointed out that the original story of The Little Mermaid was dark and gory. Machado often works with folk stories and fairytales and crafts with themes of horror. “Eight Bites,” according to Machado, started as a retelling of The Little Mermaid. The month-long discussion culminated in an event with over 80 attendees and Machado herself laughing along with Summer Tales host and Ph.D. She is the recipient of numerous awards and is known for her signature magical realism and exploration of sexuality, gender, and trauma. Machado is the author of Her Body and Other Parties, in which the SummerTales story selection “Eight Bites” is published and In the Dream House, a memoir on her experience in an abusive queer relationship.
Motherhood, genre, and form took center stage during the first session of Summer Tales when we examined the story “Eight Bites” by Carmen Maria Machado.
0 kommentar(er)
