SSF Interrogation

yt sumner of Victoria, Australia

SSF: Okay, so all of your books are going to be lit on fire, and you are allowed to grab ONE. Which do you save?

yt: The Collected Works of Raymond Carver. I would grab that book like it was my only child.

SSF: List everything you have ever been for Halloween:

yt: There are not many I’m afraid, as Australians have never really took to the best holiday on earth. Seriously. Dress ups and Dead People and Sweet, Sweet Candy. What’s not to take to? But I’ve given it a good go a few times…

Queen of Hearts, Tippi Hedren from Hitchcock’s The Birds, Dead Knife Thrower’s Assistant, Zombie Bride, Aristocrat in masquerade suffering from the Red Death, Laura Palmer (wrapped in plastic).

SSF: What are you the most proud of that you have written?

yt: I don’t know if I’m especially proud of any particular piece. I suppose I puff up a bit when one is published. Kind of like, ‘look at my little bird fly’.


SSF: If you could be anyone for his or her looks—who would it be?

yt: Jessica Rabbit.

SSF: At what age did you feel the most sexual?

yt: This age.

SSF: What was the first book you read that you wish you wrote?

yt: Alice in Wonderland. I was a precocious little shit, just like Alice, and I remember thinking ‘I could write a book of nonsense.’

SSF: Describe the process in which you would eat an Oreo:

yt: Break it in half then break the piece again and then eat it in pieces. Although to be fair, I eat most things like this. I use a lot of napkins.

SSF: Do you get better writing done in the morning or at night? Please explain.

yt: Morning for sure. I dream quite vividly and so I usually wake with thoughts and scenes tumbling through my head. I think on my latest piece and if it can be used in some way and it gets the whole ball rolling. I’m also far less likely to be distracted by friends calling for coffee or turning up with wine in the morning.

SSF: What is a day from your life that you would love to re-live?

yt: Arriving in New York for the first time. Meeting friends in Brooklyn. Seeing Les Savy Fav play. Eating giant slices of pizza. Laughing and in love at The Chelsea Hotel.

SSF: What name would you choose for yourself if you were a boy?

yt: Leonardo (after the turtle not the Italian)

SSF: What was the last thing you wrote down on a piece of paper? (Honestly.)

yt: Wm. Farrant’s address on an envelope.

SSF: I wouldn’t be able to write without _____________-

yt: My past.

SSF: What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?

yt: Georgina. A big creepy floppy doll that was nearly as big as me. I dragged her around everywhere and told her stories. I tried to squeeze into her clothes. She had these huge felt, Manga pupils so I cut little holes in the middle so she could see.

SSF: What is your favorite month and why?

yt: January. It’s summer and everyone’s mellow, on holidays, in beer gardens and beaches. And I like that glow of the promise of a new year.

SSF: Thoughts on The Talking Heads:

yt: Wild Wild Life makes me dance like a dork no matter when or where.

SSF: Any last words?

yt: Hopefully not just yet.


Interested in being interrogated? Email me @ sleepsnortmakelove@gmail.com. Please include a picture of yourself or something that you feel represents you.