Brief Encounter

What habit has been sustaining you lately?
I’ve been reading every day. I keep one or maybe two books going at any time, and I try not to let a day go by without reading at least a few pages. It’s a humble practice, but it’s enough to sustain me. And I’ve been finishing books, having great ideas, and avoiding doomscrolling.

What time of day do you feel most like yourself?
Late, late at night, when everyone else is asleep.

When recently did you feel out of place?
Just yesterday I returned to a school where I used to teach. I hadn’t been back in over a decade. It felt as if I had walked into a dream, seeing places I remembered and many things I had forgotten.

What are you still holding onto even though you know you’ll eventually have to let go?
Every time one of my joints hurts or I feel a little bit sick I think, that’s it! I’m old! My body is gone, I’m a decrepit old man, I’ll never throw a baseball again.

What scares you more today: change or staying the same? Why?
Oh, staying the same. That’s easy. One of my great fears is staying the same, doing the same thing time and again, and then just petering out.

Tell us about a recent experience that made you change your mind or stop believing in something.
Watching my country participate in the genocide in Gaza has made me change my mind about many things I thought I understood and has made me feel embarrassed for the naïve beliefs I once took for granted.

Recommend a movie, an album, and a book and tell us why you liked each one.
Movie: Brief Encounter (1945). I loved this small, intimate film from England about people who find one another at a literal and figurative crossroads and must decide which way to take their lives. How comforting to know that such a personal and passionate story could come from a society pulverized by war.

Album: #1 Record from Big Star (1972). Well, I just have to recommend this album. It’s power pop ’s greatest achievement and a work that never seems to age. I’ve been listening to it for most of my life.

Book: Mornings Without Mii by Mayumi Inaba. I finished this memoir just the other day. This author chose to write an entire book about her cat. Even though it wasn’t the greatest book I’ve ever read, it showed me that an artist can take a story as ordinary as cherishing and losing a pet and turn it into something extraordinary.

What is your favorite restaurant and what do you recommend we order?
Come to Memphis and have some barbeque with me. We’ll split a full rack of dry ribs with beans and fries. I know a few places you’ll love.

Which friend have you admired lately, and why?
I admire Valerie Walker for her dedication to building a community of film photographers. She has done so much to encourage my development as a photographer, and I’m lucky to know her.