Panic is a Waste of Energy
The Body, Brain, and Books: Eleven Questions with Author and Creative Writing Professor Maurice Carlos Ruffin
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Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of National Bestseller, The American Daughters, as well as The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You, a One Book One New Orleans selection, which was longlisted for the Story Prize. His debut, We Cast a Shadow, was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the PEN America Open Book Prize. All three books were New York Times Editor’s Choice selections. Ruffin is the winner of the Iowa Review Award in fiction and the Louisiana Writer Award. Ruffin is an associate professor of Creative Writing at Louisiana State University. He writes the Substack
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What are you reading now?
I’m enjoying Jami Attenberg’s A Reason to See You Again. It’s a wonderful novel about the way a family evolves over time. Attenberg is brilliant at presenting these crystal-clear moments of insight about human nature. I always feel smarter after reading her work. I’m also reading a book called Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Saidiya Hartman, the Genius Grant winner, about the lives of women in the early 20th century in Philadelphia. It’s so intimate and fascinating.
What are your most beloved books from your youth? Did you ever hide any from your parents?
I loved some obvious ones like A Wrinkle in Time and A Wizard of Earthsea, but honestly, my favorite would be the Uncanny X-Men comics written by the great Chris Claremont. He’s the guy who made superheroes like Wolverine, Storm, and others. His stories were so engaging and taught me a lot about characters and plot. My parents were very hands off and open minded about what I read, but I did hide that classic Kinsey sex book when I was a teenager. It took all my courage to check it out at the library!
What’s your favorite book to reread? Any that helped you through a dark time?
I’ve read Handmaid’s Tale three times. There’s something about how Atwood deals with oppression and resistance that stirs my soul.
What’s an article of clothing that makes you feel most like you?
I love a cozy hoodie for when I’m writing, especially during the holiday season. It’s like a hug that helps me think. It goes great with a mug of cocoa too.
What’s the best piece of wisdom you've encountered recently?
Very few things are the crisis people tell you it is. Folks love to destroy your peace. Have a moral conscience and use it, but don’t panic. Panic is a waste of energy.
Tell me about any special relationship you’ve had with an animal, domestic or wild?
I had a parakeet named Apollo when I was kid. He was cute and happy and oblivious. I’m not sure he knew I existed except for when I fed him seed from my fingertips.
What's one thing you are happy worked out differently than you expected?
I broke my leg over the summer, which felt like the end of the world, but it allowed me to focus on finishing a draft of my next book. I also had some lovely interactions with very kind people during my recovery. I’m doing great now.
Singing in the shower or dancing in the kitchen? Or another favorite way your body expresses itself?
I’m a singer. I’m not a good singer, but I do it. Come to think of it, my latest protagonist, she says something similar in the opening chapter I’m writing. I love a shower with good acoustics.
What are your hopes for yourself?
I want to write five or ten more books. Maybe a screenplay. I’ll take fame and fortune, if for no other reason than I think I could do a lot of good with it.
What’s a kindness that changed your life?
One summer when a teacher told my mother I was reading delayed, my mother sent me to stay with my grandmother who had just retired from teaching English. My grandmother bought me a bunch of novels and had me make book reports. That lead to me being the author I am now.
What’s a guiding force in your life?
Grace. I try not to look down my nose at anyone. We’re all just trying to make it. Anytime someone tells me to hate someone, I reject it.
If you enjoyed Maurice’s questionnaire, you may also enjoy this one with Gina Frangello:
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Yes to Grace!! “Grace. I try not to look down my nose at anyone. We’re all just trying to make it. Anytime someone tells me to hate someone, I reject it” beautiful.
Eleven questions and I'm in love with this man!