Amanda Arnold will be reading at Difficult to Name on Saturday, October 14.
Much of your writing addresses the U.S. legal system, history and modern conservatism, as well as the ways in which those subjects intersect. What draws you to write about these sorts of topics?
I was born and raised in a red state in Middle America, so while I always considered myself to be much more left than my peers, family, and community as a whole, my local and state governments were Republican-controlled, so my state's laws regarding topics like contraception and sex education were quite conservative. What draws me to writing about conservative beliefs and legislation is the same thing that fascinated me about them when I was a kid, which is how so many of these discriminatory, backwards policies are justified in deceitful, ostensibly altruistic ways. For example, the first time I heard about abortion was leading up to the 2000 presidential election when I told my best friend I liked Al Gore and she told me that I should support the candidate "who didn't like to kill babies." I was eight years old! For a year or so of my life, I envisioned that Democrats went around trying to kill babies, and Republicans were the good guys who saved the babies. So I guess I was a Republican until I figured that one out.
It's almost Halloween. What's your favorite scary movie?
I recently watched this Korean horror/mystery film on Netflix called The Wailing, which is extremely good!! I love scary movies. I also have a soft spot in my heart for The Ring and can still do the same excellent Samara impersonation that I did when I was a kid.
What can people expect from your reading?
Now that I've convinced you of my interest in subjects that are backwards and sad and frustrating, I'm going to tell you that I'm reading something funny this weekend! Or maybe you won't find it funny, but I think it's funny. I will probably laugh. If it's bad, please humor me and smile, I don't care if you aren't being genuine.