Interviews

Interview conducted by email in 2017–18 GWYNETH JONES: You met Joanna Russ when you were at the University of Washington, and she became your self-chosen mentor—for a while. Could you tell me how that came about? KATHRYN CRAMER: When I was in high school, my father got back in contact with Gene Wolfe, whom he had known as a child. Gene came to Seattle to attend Norwescon and suggested that we come out. That was my first sf convention. I’m not sure if it was at that Norwescon or one a few years later, but I saw Joanna Russ speak on panels and found out she was on the University of Washington faculty. She was an amazing, charismatic speaker, and I decided that I wanted to take courses with her and looked her up in the university catalog after the convention. I took several quarters of her science fiction writing class. I don’t remember if I had read any of her work before I started taking her class. I think I may have read a couple of her novels as preparation. But I had already decided to take her class based on listening to her talk at Norwescon. Many of her students were a bit scared of her and so her office hours were very open timewise. I would just go and talk to her for as much of the time as was available. If anyone else showed up, I would defer. A guy named Michael Gilbert, who later went to Clarion West with me, usually was there, too. My big regret is that she taught a science fiction criticism course and I didn’t take it. Michael took it; I was involved in student government and didn’t have the time. But I heard all about what they studied from Michael....