a discussion with Al Dixon
Did you always want to be a writer?
Hmmm. Sometimes I did, and sometimes I still do.
What are some of your favorite books and writers? Why?
My favorite books are Geronimo Rex by Barry Hannah and Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson because they're great books, and there's nothing like the feeling you get from reading a great book. I admire all writers who cut through the BS and really try to tell the truth about this life.
Have you also written fiction and, if so, explain how the process is different for you?
Yes. I write short stories and screenplays. The process is different in that I work a lot harder at it and don't get paid.
Was there a moment that led you to begin writing non-fiction?
When the folks at Hill Street asked me if I wanted to do a book of quotes about the South. Although actually I was a journalist in college so I guess you'd call that non-fiction, too.
How long did research for this book take and did you know at the beginning that it would take the direction that it did? What did you learn from the process of writing it?
I can't remember how long it took anymore. It seems like maybe a year, although the bulk was probably done in a couple intense months. I was afraid it might be a little bit boring at first, a bunch of quotes about grits and the Civil War. But I quickly discovered and remembered that Southerners are very funny people so that made the book much more fun.
Were there any surprises when you were researching the book?
How funny the book ended up being. Also, the way much of Southern politics, particularly the Agrarians, now seems progressive in its pro-environment, anti-corporate stance with an emphasis on the local, whereas that was once thought of as conservative.
What about the topic of the book do you want readers to come away understanding?
How huge an umbrella "The South" is. Robert E. Lee and OutKast are in the same book. Also, that the South didn't stop being a place in 1950. That it still has a culture that doesn't necessarily involve looking backward in time, as so many contemporary pundits of the South seem to do.
If you could choose one book to read over and over for the rest of your life, which book would you choose?
A very short book, probably.
From your perspective, what has been your greatest accomplishment in life?
Getting out of bed each morning and doing it all over again.
Are you working on anything new and, if so, what can you tell usabout it?
Not anything I expect anybody will ever see. Some short stories and a screenplay. I'm also honing my skills as an English teacher and as a DJ.