I think the worst thing about tumbleweeding is you can’t marry everyone.

One of the most significant literary figures of the last 200 years. And Virginia Woolf.

I am sitting in the front room of the library with tumbleweed Sarah Eddy. It’s Ryan’s last day at the shop and later we’ll have pastries, but while we wait for them to arrive Sarah lies ankles crossed on the comfy sofa, mug held in both hands throwing occasional wry smiles and answering too quickly. Fingers aching as I try to keep up, Our Tumbleweed Correspondent asks the questions you want to know the answer to.

Sarah:
I always decide to make tea at nine forty and then we have to open at nine forty-five and I think its the stupidest thing I do every day, because it’s cold.

(laughs, and stretches out)

What’s going on over there? Your silence is unnerving… this is going to be an interesting interview because we’ve already talked about how you make me nervous… he says nothing and just types.

(Makes a sound like a fighter pilot. Previous to the beginning of the interview Sarah tells me she’d been out drinking with Rob who became so inebriated he impersonated an aeroplane for fifteen straight minutes.)

What drew you to Shakespeare and Company?
Uhm, two summers ago my best girl Sarah Morris you weren’t here two summers ago no she did an internship thing and stayed here and told me about it and —

(At this point the interview breaks down due to Sarah’s rapid rate of response. Above left deliberately under-punctuated.)

What did you just say?

Ok, my friend Sarah Morris interned here two summers ago and told me about it.

And the thing about the book?

It’s really good, you have to read it, it’s called The Mixed Up Files, it’s about these two kids who run away and live in a museum and when she told me about it I said that’s exactly what it sounds like – I’m going to live in a museum: excellent read, you have to do it first thing.

Tell us about getting lost in Spain.

(laughs)

Uhuh, you DID read my blog… archives. Well, I lost my guidebook the second week in Spain which I thought was going to be fine because I think I have this intuitive sense of direction which I don’t have so on the day it was really really early in the morning and I set off by myself and I thought I was going to find this 9th century monastery and I looked bellow and saw a haystack which I thought was the monastery so I hiked towards it for two hours then found it was a haystack and then I hiked through a field to the Camino which was the walk I did. When I arrived in the town it turned out everyone knew I was lost and gave me big hugs and were like “oh my god I’m glad you’re not lost!” It happened multiple times, but that’s the time I remember most.

(Find out more here: http://scedwards.tumblr.com/post/59767268754/ancient-haystacks)

What is your favourite thing about tumbleeeding?
I like…

(enter Ryan)

hey Ryan!

(Ryan says nothing, he stares at your humble servant, the tumblepress, a manic glint in his eye.)

…little nervous…

…I like that every day someone comes in to the shop that has some history to it and your talking to people who are on some sort of literary pilgrimage and its so important to them. That sounds so cheesy. I think I’ve never lived in a place with so much of a history to it and you never know with all the people coming in what their history with it is, it’s very sweet.

Ryan:
Sarah’s a Romantic

Sarah:
As she lounges… this coffee’s really bad, I always think its going to be good but it isn’t.
I already screwed this day up

Ryan:
Ruining my last day

What is your least favourite thing about tumbleweeding?

Sarah:
Ryan.

(Ryan laughs)

Sarah:
…uhm… pfffff….. I’m thinking.

Ryan:
She’s thinking about how much she hates me, it’s just this visceral hatred she can’t overcome.

Sarah:
I’m struggling to speak clearly because of it. I think, well, I’ve been here four weeks which is a fairly long time, it’s forming these short term relationships –

Ryan:
Aw come on they’re not short term!

Sarah:
I think the worst thing about tumbleweeding is you can’t marry everyone.

Ryan:
I think that’s the title of the interview right there…

Sarah:
Oh, the silence…

This is the part of the interview where we ask if you have a poetic morsel to send Terry in Craven’s Corner.

Compose a poem for Terry Craven? I haven’t had enough coffee for that this morning. What did everyone else do? Rob composed a poem didn’t he? Damn Rob.

…uhm, the one, this is a cop out, this is a lame one, the one I’m trying to memorise right now is called Just Walking Around by John Ashbury.

I’m not gonna say it..

I have google.

Just Walking Around

What name do I have for you?
Certainly there is not name for you
In the sense that the stars have names
That somehow fit them. Just walking around,

An object of curiosity to some,
But you are too preoccupied
By the secret smudge in the back of your soul
To say much and wander around,

Smiling to yourself and others.
It gets to be kind of lonely
But at the same time off-putting.
Counterproductive, as you realize once again

That the longest way is the most efficient way,
The one that looped among islands, and
You always seemed to be traveling in a circle.
And now that the end is near

The segments of the trip swing open like an orange.
There is light in there and mystery and food.
Come see it.
Come not for me but it.
But if I am still there, grant that we may see each other.

– John Ashbery

Who is your favourite member of staff and why?

(Smiles, laughs)

Uhm, this is a terrible question, uh… I read Rob’s interview and I know he already stole my Colette answer but I really loved Colette. They left Colette here for a week and she slept on my bed and I was really sad when she left. Well, pause pause, well, can I say what I like about all of them? Well, like, Milly and Charlotte were the first ones to welcome me in and I’ll always like them for that. I think I have a special bond with Octavia because we like hummus and talk about it every day, well… this is redundant, but we spent the most time with Karolina and she’s just the best… person.

Name your three favourite songs:
I thought about this this morning and they all have the word “wild” in them which is an accident

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KaWSOlASWc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_0U3DlLFSU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2rOh6dCwao

My house mate and I used to watch his every morning for like a month. It’s so beautiful, Stevie Nicks is like the best woman after Karolina. I’m not actually very wild I just like these songs.

Anything else?
Oh I think I just lucked out with the group of tumbleweeds. I think every group is nice but they were very sweet to get to know. I think Rob’s hilarious, Ryan’s my therapist and I like cooking with Davy.

Ryan:
Can you guys finish so we can have coffee and pastries?

Sarah:
There are pastries? Ryan brings pastries?

Ryan:
Karolina brought them.

Sarah:
Karolina bought pastries – that’s why she’s the best!

Ryan:
Seriously, Tom, you should just get a tape recorder.

Sarah:
I have a crush on Karolina – you can say that I have a crush on everyone.

Favourite Member of Staff? “Well I’ve Slept With One Of Them…”

A dangerous animal. And a tiger.

I am sitting in the writer’s studio with Rob Summerlin, a gregarious, witty American tumbleweed. By day he shelves books, but by night he works at a bar down the street frequented by all the literary greats and even the Tumblepress. As Rob masterfully makes the tea I half-heartedly started and gave up on due to a hangover, Our Tumbleweed Correspondent asks the questions you want to know the answers to.

Rob:
…steal a bit of milk! Would you like some milk?

No thanks

No milk for Tom! No milk for Tom! So do you really think you’re going to stop drinking?

Probably not.

Its like Mark Twain said: “Quitting smoking is easy: I’ve done it hundreds of times.” Oh, who’s going to take me home tonight? This is exciting

What drew you to Shakespeare and Company?
Uhm…

(Grins)

I studied abroad here three years ago and I was doing a project on street musicians, actually, and my partner and I were getting tired of that and she said; “Have you been to Shakespeare and Company?” We did that and wandered round the shop and she told me some people get to stay here and live in the shop and write for free and so I remembered this when I was moving back to Paris and so I came here and it all happened. The dream began, slap slap.

What is your favourite thing about tumbleeeding?
Hmmm. Mwah. Uh. Probably just sleeping here. People that know I’m doing it sort of ask me what it’s like and my answer is it’s basically four kids who are locked in a bookshop and get to have sleepovers every night. Your room mates are the books, your alarm clock is Notre Dame as you said in your interview, but actually it’s usually the dude with the mop and I sleep on the floor. It’s a big sleepover party. And of course tickle fights with Ryan.

What is your least favourite thing about tumbleweeding?
That outlet over there can be stubborn once in a while so that’s out there, gotta jam it in. Uhm, Putting the mattress away to your little nook where you used to sleep when you’re not six foot five – gotta hop up on the children’s section. No complaints – zero, Tom!

Who is your favourite member of staff and why?
Well I’ve slept with one of them.

(Laughs)

Elaborate

And she was a real dog, I think you know who I’m talking about! Good old Colette! But that’s a bullshit answer. You know I think I’m going to have to go with Karolina. She brought me here, she got me in as a volunteer, she’s a ray of sunshine, she’s the front runner but its a tough race. Some good humans here.

Tell us about the Great Canadian.

(Laughs)

Uh, its the Canadian pub I work at down the road. Have a lot of Shakespeare visitors which is always good as we talked about yesterday – was it me and Terry or was it me and you? – but he Shakespeare people bring up the intellectual level and just of course the charm and good looks – it’s just down the street, it’s a good commute it’s pretty surreal. It’s like having two families on the same street. One of them drinks a lot more than the other but one of them reads a lot more than the other so its a nice back and forth.

I presume you mean the Shakespeare and Company contingent drink more?

(Laughs)

It’s actually probably even now that I think of it. If you were still a tumbleweed you’d bring our stats up but yeah. A lot of Jameson shots, that’s been my go-to when the Shakes, the Shakespeare people come in, which doesn’t seem to upset them too much.

(Phone buzzes)

They know they can’t be buzzed in!

(Shouts out window)

Go through the library!

(Leaves to let whoever it is in muttering)

Dickheads!

(returns)

It was a ghost.

Name your three favourite songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnkuBUAwfe0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99j0zLuNhi8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB0DU4DoPP4

Have you a little poem to send to Terry in Craven’s Corner?

I dunno I’ve none memorised, but I can come up with a haiku perhaps. It’s twenty-six syllables, is that what a haiku is?

It’s more if you want to send him your favourite poem, you don’t need to have one memorised: I’ve got Google.

I was going to make one up…

Actually, that’s better – why did I never think of this? Go for it!

Uh..,,.

Poem about Terry! Now!

It’s called Craven’s Corner?

Terry, sweet Terry
– Enter, enter, ellipses…
I will come visit you in your infamous corner
Where beards grow long
And love blossoms.
And when I visit
I’m going to give you a hand-job.

Karolina:

(who entered just in time to hear the last line)

(Appears flabbergasted)

I know that I cant say anything because whatever I say will be used against me but… Jesus! This is worse than I thought!

(Karolina leaves. She stops at the door to talk to Sarah as she comes in)

He’s talking about a hand-job…

(Enter Lauren)

Sarah:
Does this all go in the interview, you literally put every interjection in? He’s rolling his eyes.

Rob:
My favourite thing about working at Shakespeare and Company is telling ****** not to take photos. I said it was sleepovers but to be honest it’s giving an ***** a good scare. It’s the photoshoots that get me. If there were photos allowed it would be chaos ’cause even the bench outside is swamped.

(The Tumblepress have used asterisks in the previous comment in the interests of responsible journalism. I know, who’d’ve thought…)

Sarah:
People ask me to move from my seat – yeah it’s my seat now – it’s very upsetting.

Lauren:
I am literally on some random tumbler with Steph. We’re going to Kaiser now, want a croissant?

Rob:
Too expensive for my tastes.

Lauren:
I had a good velib adventure last night.

Rob:
You had a good velib?

Lauren:
I steer like I’m drunk even though I’m totally sober.

Rob:
So you can handle a velib but not the subway stairs?

(Lauren and Sarah leave talking about breakfast)

Rob:
This conversation seemed very affected with you on your laptop. I’m sure you’re used to that.

Anything else?
Uhm… Anything I’d like to add? The fact that you’re not going to stop drinking and that’s how we started out conversations today and we should put it in writing that we need to have a play date at your place with whisky and records… for the record. Shirts optional would you say? Or should I say fluffy shirts? What would you call the shirt you were wearing last night? Ruffled shirt?

(Rob continues to maintain bizarre enthralling chat.)

Moving Up In The World

No idea why he wanted me to use this picture…

I’m sitting on the third floor of an evening. The powerful figure of Ryan Caira sits in the chair opposite me drinking red wine like a noble Ancient Roman. Terry Craven reclines decadently on the sofa  with his Ancient Greek beard, devouring some particularly delectable roast beef he’s found in the fridge and occasionally offering titbits to Kitty.

Terry:

(to Kitty)

It’s edible, douchebag! Tumbleweed Correspondent – are you doing it? He knows you’re doing it…

Ryan:

Yeah

Terry:

BEEF!

(laughs)

He says, giggling.

What drew you to Shakespeare and Company?

Ryan:

First time, cause I’ve been here twice? Uhm, the first time I was looking for –

Terry:

Oh Kitty!

Ryan:

A like-minded community and some English speakers…

I liked the idea of being surrounded by books, it motivates me to read a lot, last time I read and reread a lot.

Terry:

What did you read?

Ryan:

Last time, last time I brought a lot of books I thought I hadn’t done a good job of last time, so I read Portrait of the Artist, Old Man and the Sea, Great Gatsby… so I read all these books I read in high school

Terry:

Are there any biscuits here, more importantly?

Ryan:

The first book I bought here was Tropic of Cancer which was quite interesting as I’d walk about during the day and come back and found he’d done a lot of the same walks as me. He’d talk about how inhospitable it was during the winter and that was very much my experience.

Terry:

(Leaving the apartment)

I’ve got three baklavas which I’m going to bring up with me in a minute…

Ryan:

I came here so I could read and write with people who were interested in doing just that. And the second time I came back ’cause I liked the people here.

What is your favourite thing about tumbleweeding?

(bites his upper lip)

 

(looks into bottom left corner of vision)

Maybe I should’ve prepared some, not prepared answers, but thought about what you might ask me. Uhm… I like that because I have to be here throughout the day every day, here and there, I end up spending time with everyone that passes through the store so I see the full spectrum of personalities and all their moods, well, that they bring to the store; in the morning, in the busy hours, during events, at closing, sometimes after closing for a drink or something. I like the unplanned events.

(Enter Terry)

Terry:

Oh yes, three! Uhm,…Charlotte says there’s Comte and Brebis in the fridge in the writers studio for you.

Ryan:

There’s what?

Terry:

Cheese in the writers studio.

Ryan:

That looks fancy, would you like some wine?

Terry:

I’m ok thank you. Tom do you want some?

Yes please

(a short intermission in the interview as I eat baklava)

Terry:

Please let it be noticed the Tumbleweed Correspondent took a break. I think he’s getting lax in his old age…

Ryan:

I liked your interview with Nina…

Terry:

Did you record that I thought you were being lax in your old age? Yes, he nods. See how I’m narrating back your own actions in a downward spiral of narration. Tom grins.

Ryan:

Terry narrates, Tom records Ryan recording Terry’s narration…

Terry:

Whilst Kitty watches on, plotting Tom’s demise. How derivative!

[in-joke alert]

Ryan:

Ok, another question! I want my interview!

Terry:

See – he’s getting old, missing his questions. So, what’s the best thing about being a tumbleweed?

SHUT THE FUCK UP!

(Ahem, Our Tumbleweed Correspondent wrenches back control of the interview from the clutches of Craven.)

What is your least favourite thing about tumbleweeding?

Ryan:

(smiles and twiddles thumbs)

I have to be careful because I know you’re going to record even my qualifying statements. I find it harder to schedule my day around a shift that we determine in the morning because I tend to plan my day the night before…

That’s it for me really cause right now I’m all about – this is going to sound so bad in writing – I’m not going to finish that sentence.

Terry:

Next question, maestro!

Who is your favourite member of staff and why?

Terry:

Pfwhhhh!

Ryan:

Kitty’s pretty great.

Terry:

Oh, Kitty! Karolina has got to be – have you met Karolina much?

Ryan:

Yeah, she came after I left. The people I met last time were you, Linda, Sylvia, David, other David and Charlotte. It would be easy for me to say the people who are my favourites were the people I knew last time I was here with them.

Terry:

That’s very diplomatic. You should ask him something about James Joyce because that’s what he knows about. Ryan and I celebrated Bloomsday two years ago.

Ryan:

That was a lot of fun reading the passages

Terry:

In fact Tom sang at Bloomsday this year…

I’m going to tell you about it next time when it wont get boring.

Ryan:

He’s going to edit this though, right?

Terry:

No.

Ryan:

Best part of the interview, Terry, right?

Name your three favourite songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6S9oqJRclo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO3gWIGzH3A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4v-_p5dU34

The most recent innovation in Our Tumbleweed Correspondent is the addition of Craven’s Corner. I’d like to invite you to send a poem to Terry in his corner to warm his cold and flinty heart.

Into my own by Robert Frost. It’s the first poem in his first book. I could recite it if you want…

Terry:

He couldn’t type it down fast enough.

I’ve got Google.

 

Into My Own

One of my wishes is that those dark trees,

So old and firm they scarcely show the breeze,

Were not, as ’twere, the merest mask of gloom,

But stretched away unto the edge of doom.

 

I should not be withheld but that some day

Into their vastness I should steal away,

Fearless of ever finding open land,

Or highway where the slow wheel pours the sand.

 

I do not see why I should e’er turn back,

Or those should not set forth upon my track

To overtake me, who should miss me here

And long to know if still I held them dear.

 

They would not find me changed from him they knew–

Only more sure of all I thought was true.

 

– Robert Frost

 

Anything else?

(bites tongue)

The last time I was here I was a volunteer, now I’m obviously a tumbleweed –

Terry:

Moving up in the world

Ryan:

Exactly what I feel, its like an upgrade. It’s a much fuller experience. I feel more engaged with the shop, although I don’t know – it seems like the volunteering thing has sort of changed, there are a lot more, I know I was here at a weird time in Shakespeare and Company history so I did have, I think, an exceptional experience as a volunteer because I was enlisted to help out in a lot of ways that I don’t think volunteers are usually used to help out – what do you think?

Terry:

I don’t know

Ryan:

Like all this was happening last year

(he gestures to the third floor, which was being completely renovated around the time Ryan volunteered)

Plus everything last year was moving every week

Terry:

I remember that Sisyphean task

Ryan:

That’s another of my favourite books, the myth of Sisyphus. Don’t put that in the interview it wont make sense.

Terry:

That’s going in the interview.

Ryan:

You have to contextualise that

Terry:

He wont

Turning the Tables

Our Tumbleweed Correspondent demonstrates how to knock back cheap booze “like a boss.”

Our Tumbleweed Correspondent is interviewed by tumbleweed Nina – check it out by clicking the link bellow.

 

http://lettresdemonquartier.blogspot.fr/2013/10/tumbleweed-tom.html