Conversations with Katie Yee & Her Summer Reading List

This week on the blog, we’re excited to be joined by Brooklyn-based writer Katie Yee, whose debut novel Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar has just been released into the world! To celebrate, Katie has also curated a dreamy summer reading list - filled with titles to inspire, transport, and keep you company in the warmer months ahead.

Hi Katie! Please introduce yourself for those who don’t know you…

Hi there! My name is Katie Yee, and I’m a writer from Brooklyn. My debut novel, Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar, was published this July. I’ve also been watching Estée’s YouTube videos since I was a teenager, and I’m a huge fan of MIRROR WATER.

Your debut novel, ‘Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar’ is about to launch! What can we expect from the book and take us behind the scenes - how has the writing process been?

The book is about a woman who finds out her husband is having an affair—right around the same time that she also gets diagnosed with breast cancer. But in a funny way! She names the tumor after his lover (the titular Maggie) and starts talking to it. Mainly, though, it’s a story about what we reach for when things feel really bleak. For our unnamed narrator, it’s humor, it’s the myths her own mother told her when she was growing up, and it’s her best friend, who is always there for her.

I’ve always wanted to be a writer, ever since I was three years old, so this is a dream come true. Writing the novel was a lot of fun. Of course, it involved hard work and long hours sitting by myself talking to these imaginary friends (characters, I guess we call them!), but I always try to preserve a sense of play in my writing practice. This might be surprising given the tougher subject matter of the book, but I’ve tried to balance those heavier things with more buoyant aspects, too. The best friend character, for example—I’ve given her so many of the traits and quirks and backstories of my real-life best friends, and it was a joy to spend time with them on the page that way.

Your novel blends humour, heartbreak, and emotional nuance. How did you make space for your own emotional rest while writing such an intimate story?

I’ve tried to build some of the emotional rest into the story. I’ve tried to create pockets of happiness and humor to seek respite in. This is why our narrator becomes so obsessed with trying to make her kids laugh. This is why you’ll also find her drinking margaritas in the middle of the day with her best friend! 

Because a lot of the writing process can be solitary, when I was looking for a break from it, I often sought that out in the form of a meal shared with loved ones. 

Much of your book explores human connection in unexpected places - heartbreak, memories. What role does solitude or stillness play in your personal creativity?

So much of finding things to write about comes with putting oneself out in the world: being open to unexpected connections or listening to conversations on the subway, noticing small things about people in line at the salad shop, that kind of thing. I derive a lot of joy and creative energy and excitement from hanging out with other people, but to actually get things done, I do also need a fair bit of alone time to ruminate and reflect. In that way, solitude plays a huge role in my creative process. I usually write at night, after my boyfriend has gone to bed, when it feels like the whole city is a little quieter. 

Do you ever suffer with ‘writers block’ and if so, how do you ground yourself and find clarity again? Do you have any go-to rituals that help?

My favorite writing ritual is lighting a candle! It’s a great mental and emotional reset. Pick a scent that feels special to you. (Ahem, Sun Through Trees is perfect for this.) Then only light it when you’re going to write, so it feels like an incentive and a special treat. Fragrance plays such a big role in memory, and I think having the same scent around me helps me get back into the story or the creative space. It also works as an hourglass in a way. You don’t want your best candle to tunnel, so you have to work until a full layer has burned. 

What do you love most about living in Brooklyn? And where’s your favourite place to find stillness in the city?

Brooklyn is ripe for spontaneity! You want to go to a concert or a play or a comedy show right now? There’s certainly one going on. You want to do karaoke on a Thursday night? Okay, let’s go! You want to see art and/or stop and smell the roses? The Brooklyn Museum is right next to the Botanic Garden. It’s 2AM and you’re craving a breakfast burrito? I know a place.

I grew up in Gravesend, Brooklyn, which is pretty close to Coney Island . . . Honestly, one of my favorite places for a bit of calm (and joy!) is the Coney Island Boardwalk. The amusement park itself can be kind of hectic, but the Wonder Wheel is magical. Sitting at the very top of that ferris wheel, you just see all these little lights and the ocean down below. It’s very peaceful to me.

That might not be everyone’s cup of tea, though, so my second answer is any local bookstore: quiet and full of stories. Picking a new book is like picking a new sliver of self for a little while. I think a bookstore is a good place for contemplating not just what you want to read next, but who you might want to be.

Do you have a ‘rest read’ - a book or genre you turn to when you’re craving comfort?

I’ve recently gotten into reading memoirs by celebrities I love for comfort. (Currently going through Lauren Graham’s Talking as Fast as I Can, and I feel like I can hear her voice! It’s like watching Gilmore Girls again.)

What does the word ‘rest’ mean to you right now? Describe your perfect day off…

Rest is starting to look a little more like solitude and enjoying my own company these days. A perfect day off would involve sleeping in a little, picking up coffee and an apple turnover from my local coffee shop, and spending the whole morning reading on my tiny balcony. Then I’d take my dog, Ollie, to the park for a long walk. I’d order take-out for dinner (probably sushi), pour a big glass of wine, and watch a rom-com to cap the night off.