Jami Attenberg

“In the wintertime I like macaroni and cheese.”

“I didn't go to graduate school, where all the important writers seemed to be getting their start. I didn't pursue getting published in literary magazines. I didn't even send out countless pi...”

“The interesting thing about overeating or being obese is there's this physical manifestation of it.”

“I have watched Occupy Wall Street mostly from the sidelines.”

“In 'The Odyssey,' every feast is extremely ritualized; high-status individuals even get a better cut of meat.”

“I find that short stories are almost like palate cleansers or brain cleansers.”

“I wrote a novel. It's called 'The Middlesteins.' It's fiction. It's not a memoir. I'm not a spokesperson.”

“I won't go anywhere near the new Times Square. It's seizure-inducing.”

“Your family is unavoidable. You cannot escape them or trade them in for another family. You also can't change them... but you can change your response to them.”

“In 1998, I started a blog, something I could control very easily and update at my own whim.”

“I make up stories about people who are either imaginary or some variation of myself.”

“Young adult novels don't shy away from the discussion of weight issues, and 'Blubber,' the tale of an overweight, not-so-sympathetic fifth-grader bullied by her peers, is a refreshing take.”