A Conversation with Alan Cheuse

Although I've been on a panel with him before and even interviewed him for a print piece, sitting down for this onscreen chat with my esteemed colleague Alan Cheuse was intimidating. He's a truly fine book critic, an accomplished journalist and author, and an amazingly zen interview subject.

During most of this interview, Cheuse and I talk about "A Trance After Breakfast: And Other Passages," his collection of travel essays (note to self: Don't call them "pieces!") spanning several decades and including long articles for the San Diego Reader as well as sophisticated shorts for the late lamented Gourmet magazine. His comments about why, as a New Jersey native, he now prefers the West Coast, are particularly interesting.

We also found time to talk about Cheuse's most recent novel, "To Catch the Lightning: A Novel of American Dreaming." Cheuse imagines the life of Edward S. Curtis, a 19th-century Seattle-based photographer who set out to record as many Native American rituals and daily tasks as possible. Curtis's story is peculiarly suited to Cheuse's interests and style, as it combines steady, focused work as a journalist with events worthy of a Hunter S. Thompson or William Burroughs (for example, Curtis at one point shares a hallucinogenic soup partially made from dung). 

Take a look, but even better: Take a read! Either of Cheuse's books will make great end-of-year nightstand choices, but if you don't love those, try one of Alan Cheuse's personal 2009 favorite titles: "Jarrettsville" by Cornelia Nixon. I don't think my fellow critic will mind having another author's book mentioned here, because he'd agree: ANY reading is good.