Chicagoan, Neo-Futurist alumna Jessica Anne debuts new book – Chicago Tribune

If you've ever had the pleasure of seeing lifelong Chicagoan and Neo-Futurist alumna Jessica Anne perform, then you know that her voice the physical instrument by which she makes her words heard onstage is an unforgettable phenomenon: clear, sharp, piping and incisive. If you give yourself the pleasure of reading her debut book, the delightful hybrid "A Manual for Nothing," then you will no doubt notice that her literary voice the tone and attitude with which she makes her words manifest on the page is equally memorable. Published by Noemi Press and written in the second person, her manual feels passionate and compassionate, an urgent emergency written for you. Anne answered the following questions by email; the transcript has been edited for clarity and space.

Q: This book incorporates fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama. Why blend genres like this? And did the book's hybridity and brevity it's just 162 pages make it tricky to publish?

A: I got excited reading unclassifiable books by authors like Maggie Nelson and Lidia Yuknavitch, and I wanted to try it.

I was concerned with form. I thought committing to the form of the manual would be a neat way to hold the story together, and then within that form I had fun doing whatever I wanted. Making this messy object of many genres helped me to get closer to a truth. Even though that truth might not be the truth.

I only submitted the manual as fiction, and publishers seemed to be OK with that. I got my fair share of rejection, of course, but nobody pushed back saying, this isn't fiction, young lady. I think the trick was submitting to presses that seemed to be known for publishing genre-bending work.

Q: How did your background as a performer in general and as a Neo-Futurist in particular help shape this book? How does that sensibility affect your writing?

A: Neo-Futurists are very concerned with balance, both in the late-night show ("The Infinite Wrench," the new title for the program formerly known as "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind") and in the prime-time programming. We are constantly sticking our same thermometers into the meat of the material to make sure there aren't too many monologues, too many deconstructions, is there enough political material? And that mindset has definitely carried over into my book-writing pursuits. Making the manual I would think, OK, now I need an interview, have to make sure I get an anthem in there and at least one scene, and so on.

And overall, my background in theater mostly affects my writing process. Writing still feels very physical to me and often starts out loud, pacing around my apartment or walking through the park.

Q: In recent years, you've been a fixture in Chicago's theater, live lit and literary communities, even organizing last summer's Andersonville Lit Crawl and currently serving as an editor of MAKE magazine. How do these pursuits inform one another and how has Chicago impacted you as an artist?

A: Whether it's a theatrical show or a neighborhood event or a magazine or a live magazine the thing I'm looking for is warm bodies. Sitting around writing or editing or emailing the chamber of commerce can be so lonely. But, if there are lots of other people pulling their own weight under the same project, that helps me to keep a steady pace so that no one person gets crushed. And then when it all comes together everyone claps because it's all so much better in company than it ever could have been on its own. And Chicago just has a really good attitude. Times I've had auditions and or work in bigger cities, I noticed how cold and quick the people were behind the tables. Go to a reading or a show in Chicago, and hang out as long as you want. Talk to everybody you like and want to work with. They're happy to see you.

Jessica Anne will appear at 7 p.m. May 25, at Unabridged Books, 3251 N. Broadway.

Kathleen Rooney is the author, most recently, of the novel "Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk."

By Jessica Anne, Noemi, 162 pages, $15

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Chicagoan, Neo-Futurist alumna Jessica Anne debuts new book - Chicago Tribune