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Boxcar Children
Babysitter's Clubs,
Paranoid Park
Paranoid Park.
Willamette Week: Were you a skater when you were younger?
Seems like skateboarding is a pretty damn good vehicle for telling a story about teenage isolation and angst.
Ever have a set of rollerblades too?
Paranoid Park
When you're writing, do you think about the Portland you grew up in, or what Portland's like today?
There's references throughout the book to the Church, and to religion, and to God…how much was that on your mind as you were writing?
For that average American kid you talk about, who might read the book, what do you think they'll take away from the story?
You write about kids growing up. In Portland. So when you come back to visit, and see Portland as a city growing up a little bit, becoming a little more professional, a little more trimmed around the edges, is something about its youth getting lost?
What do you think draws young people to this city?
What's the first thing that went through your mind when you found out Gus Van Sant was going to make Paranoid Park into a film?
Have a favorite story from being around during the filming in Portland?
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What are you reading right now?
Best story from your younger days, when you were in a punk band?...
Is this snow weirding you out a little bit?
Blake Nelson reads from Paranoid Park on Thursday, Jan. 18 at Powell's City of Books. 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4631. 7 pm. Free.
WWeek 2015