James Dalessandro asked Sascha Benjamin Cohen:

Someone recently brought some of your pies to my house, and though I rarely indulge in dolce, they were superb. So I just happened to check Goodreads, saw your generous assessment of my novel 1906, and just thought I'd say hello. Yours is a most impressive resume. Of your many interests, which is the one that you would least be able to abandon? Thank you. James Dalessandro

Sascha Benjamin Cohen Hi James. What a difficult question! I honestly don't know how to abandon an interest -- it seems a bit like cutting off your hands and then pretending you never had them. That said, if somehow one of my interests and activities were torn away from me, to imagine what I would least long for, or least regret, I'd have to say it would be my engagement in technology. Which would be unfortunate, since that's paying the rent for the other fractional bits of my mind which are writing poems and stories, baking pies and crafting recipes, playing music, delving into politics and history and language, and generally doing things that these days almost by definition *don't* pay the (ever-more exorbitant) San Francisco rent!

Oh -- and I am supremely delighted that you enjoyed the pies. We aim to make people happy with the baking, and it sounds like the goal was achieved. Thank you!

flag