Interview with Adriana Trigiani
Random House Author
by: Catherine Estep

      Adriana Trigiani, the best-selling author of the Big Stone Gap trilogy, Lucia, Lucia, and Queen of the Big Time, recently agreed to an e-mail interview with an editor from Planet Blacksburg to answer some questions about her career as a writer. 

    Apart from being a successful author, Trigiani is also known for her work in television and film.  Her first serious writing job was for the “Cosby Show” spin-off, “A Different World.”  To add to her success, Trigiani, along with her sisters and mother, have co-written a cookbook entitled Cooking With My Sisters: One Hundred Years of Family Recipes, from Bari to Big Stone Gap.  Not impressed yet?  She is set to direct the movie based on her novel, Big Stone Gap. Visit her website.

     Despite her fame and success, Trigiani has seemed to remain kind and humble.  This is not that surprising, though.  After all, she did grow up in Southwest Virginia.

Q: What made you want to be a writer?

Trigiani:  I was an avid reader first. I fell in love with language, words, grammar, etc.  I also loved storytelling in the forms of poetry, music, theatre, and especially live coming from my grandmothers.  Storytelling was definitely the first attraction to the writing field.

Q: Was there anyone in particular who pushed you to be a writer?

Trigiani: No one pushed me, but I was mentored by my parents, and by my fabulous teachers in the Wise County Public Schools and at Saint Mary's College.  I had excellent training which is very important.

Q: In your opinion, what is the most rewarding aspect of being a writer?

Trigiani: The most rewarding aspect of being a writer is that it is a career that is based in solitude.  I have to really work every element of my brain to emotionally dig deep to come up with a good story.  I make my living as an artist; this is a wonder to me.  After years of doing odd jobs to get by, to be able to wake up each day of my work life and do what I love is a sparkling gift.  I am living the life I dreamed of, and I never, ever take it for granted.

Q: What is the worst part of being a writer?

Trigiani: The worst part of being a writer is the constant sitting.  I am a very physical person and I do not like to sit for long periods.  This is why I still write movies and television, and look forward to directing “Big Stone Gap.”  This allows me to be up, about, and with people.

Q: Did writing always come naturally for you or was it something you had to work at?

Trigiani: I have to work at everything.  It has taken me years to figure out the right haircut, so the same goes with my career.

Q: Are you glad you grew up in Big Stone Gap, Va.?

Trigiani: I am very happy I grew up in Big Stone Gap, Va. I learned many key life lessons and made some lifelong friends there.  It was really a gift to be raised in Southwest Virginia.

Q: The Big Stone Gap series is wonderful. Do you plan on writing anything else about the area?

Trigiani: Yes, I plan to write Return to Big Stone Gap, the fourth novel in the series due out in the fall of 2006.

Q: There have been so many rumors regarding the "Big Stone Gap" movie. Will be it be in production soon?

Trigiani: I am in preproduction now with my producers. We are working hard on getting the cast and production together. I have one shot to direct this movie and make a great one, so it will be worth the wait.

Q: What inspired you to write some of your other novels, such as Lucia, Lucia, Queen of the Big Time, and American Girls About Town?

Trigiani: I write novels usually to remember someone.  With Lucia, Lucia,it was a character I met on the streets of Greenwich Village during my days as a playwright.   With Queen of the Big Time, it was to remember my grandmother and the farm stories she told me as a girl.  Although my inspiration comes from many sources, when someone dies and I do not want to forget them, I weave them into the fabric of a novel.

Q: What made you and your family decide to write a cookbook?

Trigiani: I wanted to preserve our family history and our fabulous recipes, so I asked my sisters and mother to help me create one.  My sister, Mary Yolanda, was the main writer on the project.  She did a great job.

Q: Do you enjoy participating in public formers with other writers?

Trigiani: I value my fellow artists like rare diamonds.  They give me point of view, perspective, empathy, encouragement, support and a kick in the pants.  My artist-friends are all very different, but they bring something magical to my life that sustains and nurtures me.  I do not know what I would do without them.  It is particularly rewarding to team up, come together, and speak to large groups of people.  At these forums, you get an idea what it is like to be influenced and supported by them.  That is really special.

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one book with you, what would it be and why?

Trigiani: This is a terribly difficult question!  If I had to take one book, I would probably take the Bible, because the truth is I have not read it a lot.  But if you forced me to make a choice, I would take the Riverside Shakespeare, which is the penultimate collection of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets.  It is the one book that I return to again and again.  His words sustain me as an artist, and the emotion of them always moves me no matter how many times I read it.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Trigiani: My advice is simple.  Tell your story.  Surround yourself with joyful, supportive people. Take risks.  Remember you have two things to give in this world, which are the gift of you and of your time.  Remember we all just want to hear a good story, and if it is your story then all the better.