No, as far as the teacher thing, they wouldn’t put any stock in inspiration or talent or the let me come close to those students. They muse or anything like that. It’s a vocation, would fire me on the spot. As far as a writer, and if you think about the word “vocation,” it I’m not very interested in writing memoir. means that it’s your job, it’s your livelihood, I’ve written a fair amount of non-fiction, but the other definition of vocation is that and I’ve enjoyed that. I really enjoy reading it’s a calling. There are plenty of people who poetry, but I would never deign to write it. are not called to do this. So, I think of it as a vocation. I show up for work every day and I Could you tell me about your work in film log the hours and I don’t worry about if I had that you have done? a good day or a bad day; I only worry about if I showed up for work. I tend to work on more I wrote a documentary film called Waiting for than one project at a time. I tend to always Lightning that is about a skateboarder who have at least two projjumped the Great Wall of ects running simultaneChina on a skateboard. ously and I’ll leapfrog He’s the only person to As far as my work habits go, back and forth between clear the wall on a nonthey’re pretty regimented them and that’s always motorized vehicle. And been a method to keep and they are pretty rigorous. that aspect is the least things going. If I start to compelling part of the There’s no romance in writing feel too frustrated or stistory—he’s just a very fled by one project, I can for me. I don’t put any stock complicated person. His move over to the other in inspiration or talent or the father was murdered project and it’s eventuin prison when he was muse or anything like that. It’s ally going to betray me six months old and his a vocation, and if you think and start to be frustratmother was a meth ing and stifling, and then about the word “vocation,” it addict. He’s broken his I’ll go back to the other neck; he’s a very commeans that it’s your job, it’s one. I’ve always worked plicated character. That your livelihood, but the other that way—whether I’m movie did very well, it working on stories or definition of vocation is that it’s was released all around films or novels—I’ve the world. It was up for a calling. always worked that various awards and it way. It doesn’t make was a great pleasure. sense to me to work I’d never done anything another way. I’ve never gotten a rush of in film before that, but with the team that inspiration and run to write a story. It’s not put that film together, I really found some like that, it’s far more pedestrian for me. kindred spirits. We’re constantly working on It’s a very blue collar way to approach it. different things. There’s talk of Remember Me Like This being turned into a film. I’ve been Well, I like that term—a blue collar way. contacted about writing a television show, so That describes the intention to start the it’s interesting. It’s very different from writing project and to keep working, to do your due fiction. diligence. Let me ask you about your teach-
ing and what you are doing at Harvard. You specialize in fiction when you are working with your students, but do you also dabble in poetry or memoir?
SPRING 2015
WEBER
Let’s talk a little about the book you edited, Naming the World. I am really interested in it, because it looks like such a good
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