![]() What would that look like and how homegrown would it look and who would run it? ![]() So I thought about what would happen if a small town had to invent a beauty pageant and a festival. Like, I knew that there were men that went around the South having kudzu festivals and promoting kudzu, but the idea of somebody who would be kind of a con artist about it, that was my idea and the idea of how the festival would work. I was really disappointed about lemon bars, but yeah, even after the book was accepted, I did a lot of etymology research and figured that stuff out. I’ve heard you speak about wanting to include old-timey sorts of things only to learn that they hadn’t yet been invented in 1941. I mean, I wasn’t around in 1941, so I had to do a lot of research about that. A lot of it was about clothing and food and that sort of stuff. I had to know how high the cotton was or the corn was or when you should be weeding it or what water might do - what too much rain or drought might do to it. So what I’ve realized is that the growing seasons of cotton and corn and tobacco became sort of the clock of the book, so I had to get it right. Mimi Herman: A lot of it was about agriculture in North Carolina. Tell me a little bit about the research process and things you learned that you might not have ever thought about. ![]() I assume you went down rabbit holes as well because you didn’t just start with the microfiche and make it up from there. I’m still on the lookout for it, but I have tried the kudzu jelly. When I was doing research I read that it made a lousy biofuel but a good beer. So it’s kind of baffling that nobody has actually really tried to make it a large-scale industry. But they’ve got natural enemies and we don’t. In Japan it’s called kuzu and it is very highly thought of it’s very well-respected. Mimi Herman: There’s an organization in Asheville called Kudzu Culture, which is trying to promote the benefits of kudzu, and they’re terrific, and there are people who make kudzu jelly and other kudzu products. It does offer value but it also grows everywhere and no one farms it. It offers so much symbolism and it had me going down some internet rabbit holes about whether this was all a scam when people were pushing kudzu as the next big crop. It’s such an interesting topic, and not only the competitions, but the plant itself. I was reading an article and came across it, and I thought, alright, that’s really interesting. Mimi Herman: Well, I’ll give you a big hint: I first heard about kudzu competitions and Kudzu Queen festivals on microfiche (laughs). I have been thinking about revisiting one of the earlier ones now.Īnd how long has this story specifically been working around in your brain? This is the third novel I’ve written, but it’s the first one that I felt was ready to go. And I also published a nonfiction book for the North Carolina Arts Council years ago. But I’ve always gone back and forth because they sort of fill different gaps for me. Mimi Herman: Well, I wouldn’t say I’ve always been a fiction writer because I started writing poetry in fourth grade, but both my undergraduate degree and my MFA are in fiction. How long have you been wanting to work in this medium? You’ve published poetry collections in the past, but this is your first novel. Mimi Herman: I’m tempted, but I think I better leave that in the hands of a professional. It feels like almost every day something big is happening - you know, Best of Early 23, Best of January, lots of great reviews, and you’re the first to hear that it’s going to be an audiobook.Ĭongrats! Are you going to read it, or are you bringing someone on? 10, so in the short time it’s been out, what’s the feedback been like? Queen City Nerve: The book released on Jan. The Best in Charlotte – Best in the Nest 2019.The Best in Charlotte – Best in the Nest 2020.The Best in Charlotte – Best in the Nest 2021.The Best in Charlotte: Best in the Nest 2022.
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