📚 Administrative priorities

Rachel Khongauthor of Goodbye, Vitamin And real americanis back with a new short story collection, my dear youOut of Knopf today. Below, she discusses three books that influenced her work.

girl in flammable skirt by Amy Bender: About 20 years ago I first came across Amy Bender’s work and found that the direction of my writing had changed. I count myself among the generation of writers whose work deserves credit. I grew up loving fairy tales and fantasy myths; Many English classes suggested that only realism and serious subjects were valuable and important. But Amy’s work suggests otherwise: magic and joy and strangeness can be just as valuable, and can evoke human emotions just as deeply.

self portrait with ghost by Meng Jin:Meng is my friend, and this book really represents everything I admire about her as a writer and a person: a hunger for life and a deep curiosity. Some stories are magical, others more realistic, all truly poignant, inspiring, exciting and delicious. After reading Meng’s work, I see the world a little differently. If you haven’t read any of his work, this collection will be a wonderful introduction.

The Larges of the Sea Maiden by dennis johnson: What I value in some of my favorite authors is what I would call “exact randomness.” Words and sentences that sound surprising, yet are perfectly chosen – that stun you. Dennis Johnson’s writing embodies this for me, especially his stories and his poems. This posthumous story collection made me cry. I had a chance to meet Dennis at his home in Idaho because my husband, Eli, was his editor and friend. The man behind the art was generous and hilarious; He was the opposite of entitled, grateful to be alive, to be given another chance.