10 Questions for Matt Izzi
- By Christin Howard
“Corporal Belknap’s eyes were gone, white cotton: he must have drunk twenty beers himself. Which explained why he was leaning against the Humvee like a bike without a kickstand, why Sullivan couldn’t deceipher his latest slurred monologue—a single word he kept repeating, something like hurt, or heart, or was it help? – From “Gasoline,” Summer 2019 (Vol. 60, Issue 2)
Tell us about one of the first pieces you wrote.
In second grade I wrote a story on the classroom computer, which the teacher, Ms. Picozzi, let me use when I was done with my assignments. I wrote a first-person adventure story, all action, little dialogue: I climbed up a ladder, I went through a tunnel, I came to another ladder, and on and on. When I finished, my classmates and I sat on the floor in a semicircle while Ms. Picozzi read the story aloud (I was too shy to do it myself). I remember them laughing at the climactic scene, in which the narrator rescues a girl from being burned alive at the stake. They were too young to separate the author from the narrator, and in their minds I’d written a story in which I was the hero. But when the story was over, they all clapped and it was a very good feeling. And now I’ve gone and done it again, told a story in which I’m the hero.
What writer(s) or works have influenced the way you write now?
I like serious writers who are also funny. I have always wanted to write a comic novel, like Wise Blood or Confederacy of Dunces or Dead Souls or Moby-Dick.
What other professions have you worked in?
I sold frozen lemonade for three summers, an ideal job for someone who loves to daydream and read. After college I worked for my local newspaper, where I did a combination of production and reporting. Now I’m a full-time editor, but in the past year I’ve gotten into coding and managed to fit that into my day job.
What did you want to be when you were young?
As a kid I was obsessed with baseball history and memorizing stats and records. You know, like Harmon Killebrew hit 573 career home runs or Pete Rose had 4,256 hits—numbers I’ll never forget. I hit three singles my first season of Little League, so playing in the majors was a short-lived fantasy; instead I imagined becoming MLB commissioner or managing the Red Sox. Of course, I also wanted to be a writer.
What inspired you to write this piece?
The Naked and the Dead.
Is there a city or place, real or imagined, that influences your writing?
Boston, where I live, and Rhode Island, where I grew up. Also, any place I visit.
Who typically gets the first read of your work?
My writing group. We’re called The Write Stuff but we’re actually very serious. We’ve met every couple of weeks for nearly eight years. I wrote the initial sketches for “Gasoline” about a month after I joined the group, in late 2011, but it took me two and a half years to finish the first draft and another three and a half to revise it. By now, the other members are used to me bringing back drafts of stories they haven’t seen in years. I think we’re a good influence on each other and that’s how we’ve stayed together so long. Our criticism can be brutally frank, so when you do get encouragement or enthusiasm you know it’s not fake. We have different aesthetics, but our common demand is to never be bored by a story.
If you could work in another art form what would it be?
Rock ‘n’ roll, even if the world has moved on. I used to write lyrics and songs all the time but I have a limited vocal range. If I could sing I’d do that instead. Though writing stories comes easier to me than writing songs ever did.
What are you working on currently?
Stories to finish a collection. The working title is Mr. Fahrenheit.
What are you reading right now?
I’m in between books. Last week I read The Handmaid’s Tale for my book club and also finished Infinite Powers, a pop history of calculus. Chanelle Benz’s first novel, The Gone Dead, just came in at the library, so I’ll probably pick that up next. I don’t remember where I heard about it. I rarely read new books when they come out, but every now and again I like to shake things up.
Matt Izzi was born in Rhode Island and lives in east Boston. His writing has appeared in Baltimore Review, Carolina Quarterly, Post Road, Shenandoah, Third Coast, and other journals.
