Finalist in the 2020 Nick Adams Short Story Contest
Read the Story: These Small and Tedious Longings
More about Franziska Hofhansel
- Senior at Knox College
- Major: Creative Writing
- Minors: Computer Science and English Literature
- Hometown: Providence, RI
ACM: Do you have plans after graduation?
Hofhansel: Apparently Trader Joe’s offers great health insurance, so I’m considering pursuing a career as a cashier. If that doesn’t work out I might get into waitressing again, or farming.
ACM: What sparked your interest in writing, and how did you get started writing fiction?
Hofhansel: I watched a lot of Desperate Housewives as a kid—the soap opera, not the reality show—and for a while I really wanted to be like Gabi, the housewife who seduces a rich man and goes on to live a life of wealth and leisure. But I’ve discovered I don’t really have the waist-line for that kind of thing, so instead I started writing stories about unhinged women with inferiority complexes.
ACM: How have you developed your writing while you’ve been at Knox?
Hofhansel: When I first came to Knox I wrote a lot about sentient paint chips, and from there I moved on to olives, lesbians, and now golf. The Honors thesis I’m working on right now features a lot of magical realism, as well as some stories that were heavily influenced by Mary Gaitskill’s writing. I’ve worked with some really lovely people at Knox, and I’m very grateful for their input. Mia Coletto, Katana Smith, and Maggie Ruswick pursued Honors projects as well, and their support and generosity are much-appreciated.
