Michelle A. Gabow, a Jamaica Plain writer and author of “God is a Dog: Lost and Found in Paris.” (Courtesy Photo)
Michelle A. Gabow, a longtime resident of Jamaica Plain, is a playwright and actor who recently penned her first book, “God is a Dog: Lost and Found in Paris.” The Gazette recently conducted a question-and-answer session with her through email about the new book. (The session has been edited.)
What prompted you to write “God is a Dog: Lost and Found in Paris?”
My mom died the day before Yom Kippur in 2010 and I allowed myself to stay in deep grief throughout a sabbatical. I had never allowed myself to grieve like that nor had the time. The only time I would leave the house was to walk Stanley, my Yorkie, who was given to me by a stranger in the streets.
In the summer, I was planning to go to Paris with a friend to write and celebrate my 30th anniversary with my partner, Michelle. (We later found out it was our 29th). I was literally going from my bed to Paris.
And then this strange event happened two days before I was leaving. It was as if a void was created in my heart and mind. In that void, stories began to appear. Literally, they were bursting out of me. I couldn’t write fast enough. Every label I had ever called myself was broken open. I was not just a playwright; I didn’t only write in the mornings; I didn’t need to be alone. I wrote everywhere—on the plane, in airports, in bed with my partner in the middle of the night. I was attacked by my characters in shops and restaurants. Nearly all the rough drafts of the stories were written in Paris and in two months.
Where did the title come from?
“God is a Dog,” the god in dog, how our dogs bring us to the present moment, small joys and love…to me that is god. “Lost and Found in Paris”…I believe that no matter what age and in what place, we must allow ourselves to be lost in order to be found…Paris was that place for me.
How would you describe the book to a potential reader?
“God is a Dog” invites the reader to experience tales of Paris; of the lost and the found; of joy and of loss; and of friendship and love like no other. Together, women and our dogs transform grief into magic and reveal hidden truths. Fiction and nonfiction collide in this book of short stories. The idea of stories as separate entities or the life of the imagination versus real life dissolves. There is a story that enchants all of them and the book should be read as novel from the beginning.
How has living in Jamaica Plain affected you as a writer?
I have lived here for 40 years, from back when it was affordable for artists. It has always been an amazing and diverse community. Just recently, Tres Gatos gave me a reading and book launch, which was a fantastic experience I will never forget. There were people there I had known for 40 years and it had such a loving community feel to it. It also gave me a chance to act again, which was why I became a playwright in the first place.
What writers have influenced you and why?
This is a difficult question for me. I am inspired by so many in so many different genres. So here goes. Novelists and short stories: Most recently Haruki Murakami (everything), Muriel Barbery (The Elegance of the Hedgehog) and Nicole Krauss (History of Love), Toni Morrison (everything). The way they break rules of real and imagined, the pace, the journey to writing, oneness and the all and deeper aspects of self and love.
Poets: Pat Parker, Pablo Neruda, Kat Rushin, Sharon Howell, e.e. cummings—for their power, authenticity and elegance with words.
Playwrights: Eugene Ionesco, Suzan Lori Parks, Ntozake Shange, Federico Garcia Lorca—breaking the form and structure of plays for deeper meaning.
Are you working on any other projects?
Yes. I’m working on a novel about a woman who leaves a relationship in her fifties and begins a wacky journey to self-discovery, healing and the spirit world through the people she encounters. The story takes place in Jamaica Plain.