Amy Hempel (born December 14, 1951) is an American short story writer, journalist, and teaches creative writing at Bennington College and at Harvard University. Read full biography of Amy Hempel →
I had a mother I could only seem to please with verbal accomplishments of some sort or another. She read constantly, so I read constantly. If I used... →
I probably have less revision than those who have that wonderful rush of story to tell - you know, I can't wait to tell you what happened the... →
I wanted to be a veterinarian, but slipped up when I hit organic chemistry.
I've always known when I start a story what the last line is. It's always been the case, since the first story I ever wrote. I don't know... →
Obviously, in journalism, you're confined to what happens. And the tendency to embellish, to mythologize, it's in us. It makes things more... →
I do feel that if you can write one good sentence and then another good sentence and then another, you end up with a good story.
I started writing by doing small related things but not the thing itself, circling it and getting closer. I had no idea how to write fiction. So I... →
I'm not first and foremost interested in story and the what-happens, but I'm interested in who's telling it and how they're telling... →