This week on The Write Question, host Lauren Korn speaks with Alexandra Teague, author of Spinning Tea Cups: A Mythical American Memoir (Oregon State University Press). In this richly-told, some might say “quirky,” collection of essays-as-memoir, Alexandra attempts to understand and contextualize her family in terms of trauma and mental health via explorations of pop culture and the specific cultures of the places she and her family pass through: a Texas city, an Arkansas Victorian tourist town, a Southwest ghost town, Central Florida, the Bay Area, Kansas City… And Moscow, Idaho. Spinning Tea Cups is something akin to magical realism in a non-fiction form, exploring with great tenderness and honesty the dangerous and recuperative powers of fantasy.
In this conversation, Lauren and Alexandra talk about truth and reality, grieving, Disney World, and nostalgia.
About Alexandra:
Alexandra Teague is professor of English and co-director of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Idaho. She is the author of three volumes of poetry and a novel, The Principles Behind Flotation (Skyhorse Publishing).
Alexandra Teague recommends:
Vinyl Leaves: Walt Disney World and America by Stephen M. Fjellman (Westview Press, 1st Edition)
Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History by Kurt Andersen (Penguin Random House)
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (Mariner Books)
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf Press)
out takes/ glove box by Maya Jewell Zeller (New American Press)
Lauren Korn recommends:
Spinning Tea Cups: A Mythical American Memoir by Alexandra Teague (Oregon State University Press)
The Book of Difficult Fruit: Arguments for the Tart, Tender, and Unruly by Kate Lebo (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Picador USA)
The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamieson (Graywolf Press)
The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays by CJ Hauser (Doubleday Books)
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf Press)
Thin Skin by Jenn Shapland (Pantheon Books)
Thin Places: Essays from in Between by Jordan Kisner (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Picador USA)
Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative by Melissa Febos (Catapult)
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The Write Question team for this episode was Lauren Korn, host, co-producer, and editor; and Chris Moyles, co-producer, editor, and sound engineer. This episode is supported by Fact & Fiction, an independent bookstore located in the heart of downtown Missoula, Montana, providing books for all ages and supporting the literary community in Montana and beyond. More information can be found at factandfictionbooks.com.
The Write Question logo and brand (2022) was designed by Molly Russell. You can see more of her work at iamthemollruss.com and on Instagram @iamthemollruss. Our music was written and recorded by John Floridis.
Funding for The Write Question comes from Humanities Montana; members of Montana Public Radio; and from the Greater Montana Foundation—encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.
The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.
