Happy Halloween! On a very special anniversary episode of Quote Me, we pay tribute to the legendary Shirley Jackson by discussing two writers who have been directly inspired by her work. It’s a clash of horror titans as we discuss and compare the influence of Shirly Jackson on Carmen Maria Machado and Benjamin Percy!

Carmen Maria Machado was born July 3rd, 1986 in Allentown Pennsylvania. She is the author of the short story collection Her Body and Other Parties, memoir In the Dream House, and comic The Low, Low Woods. She is well known for crossing genre borders and creating a new genre called "Liminal fantasy." Winner of the National Book critics Circle Award John Leonard Prize, Machado has a long list of residencies, honors, and academic essays to her name.

Benjamin Percy was born in Eugene, Oregon on March 28, 1978. He spent most of his formative years growing up in Oregon and it serves as the primary setting for most of his fiction. Benjamin has written six novels, as well as short stories, nonfiction essays, comics, podcasts, and screenplays. Two of his most well-known works are the horror thriller Red Moon and the post-apocalyptic quest tale The Dead Lands.

Benjamin Percy reading Goodnight Moon: https://soundcloud.com/graywolfpress/benjamin-percy-reads-goodnight-moon

Ocean Vuong

Quote MeBy Spartanburg County Public LibrariesAug 31, 2022