Kristen Roupenian, author of ‘Cat Person,’ writes about what scares you
When Kristen Roupenian’s short story “Cat Person” went viral 14 months ago, the Harvard alumna (Ph.D. ’14 in English) and young author found the experience much like the topics she likes to write about: “disconcerting and anxiety-provoking.” A little more than a year later, Roupenian has published “You Know You Want This,” a collection of short stories that examine themes of gender, girl-into-adulthood, violence, and power. Roupenian, who grew up outside of Boston, received her M.F.A. from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan. She spoke with the Gazette in advance of appearing at the Harvard Book Store at 7 p.m. Thursday. Q&A Kristen Roupenian GAZETTE: You dedicated the book to your mom for teaching you “to love what scares you.” How did she do that? ROUPENIAN: She modeled it, really. She is a huge cult horror fan and had a real spooky side underneath a perky demeanor. She was a big Stephen King fan....