Episode 243 with Kathleen Rooney, Author of From Dust to Stardust, Keen Chronicler of Early Hollywood, Versatile Wordsmith, and Lover of Poetry and Whimsy

Notes and Links to Kathleen Rooney’s Work

 

   

   For Episode 243, Pete welcomes Kathleen Rooney, and the two discuss, among other topics, her childhood love of story and her later connections to Chicago and Chicagoland, her devotion to words and sentences and poetry, her fascination with Colleen Moore and her Fairy Castle, seeds for From Dust to Stardust, and salient themes and issues in her book like stereotyping, early Hollywood, the burdens carried by young women and all women in Hollywood, and the power of cinema. 

 

   Kathleen Rooney is a founding editor of Rose Metal Press, a nonprofit publisher of literary work in hybrid genres, and a founding member of Poems While You Wait, a team of poets and their typewriters who compose commissioned poetry on demand. She is the author of the novels Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk and Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, and her latest poetry collection Where Are the Snows, winner of the XJ Kennedy Prize, was released in Fall of 2022 by Texas Review Press. Her latest novel, From Dust to Stardust, came out in September 2023. She lives in Chicago and teaches at DePaul.

 

Buy From Dust to Stardust

 

Kathleen's DePaul University Bio

 

“Checking out Historical Chicago: Kathleen Rooney’s From Dust to Stardust” From Chicago Review of Books

At about 2:00, Kathlen talks about her early years in various parts of the country and her love of cities 

At about 3:35, Kathleen talks about her great love of the written word, and always wanting to “tell stories”

At about 5:30, Kathleen gives background on Chicagoland 

At about 8:10, Various parts of IL and connections to David Foster Wallace are discussed 

At about 9:30, Kathleen discusses formative writers, including “classic” poetry and how she is “attracted to words”

At about 14:00, Kathleen cites music influences like Bob Dylan, a “fellow word pervert” and B96 in Chicago and 90s hip hop

At about 15:50, Kathleen talks about how her Irish heritage has influenced her writing, and how her protagonist was limited by Irish tropes

At about 18:00, Kathleen gives some background on “thin places” from Gaelic yore, its connections to the book’s epigraph, and some plot summary/exposition for the book

At about 22:15, Kathleen builds on earlier discussion of the early history of Hollywood and various locations for shooting movies, after Pete and she reflect on the beautiful Cinema Paradiso and ideas of the magic of cinema

At about 24:05, Kathleen details her interest in Colleen Moore, and also gives seeds for the book

At about 26:15, Kathleen describes Chicago’s incredible Fairy Castle of Colleen Moore 

At about 28:20, Pete and Kathleen talk about other vanity/aspirational projects of the 1920s and on, Hearst, etc.

At about 29:20, Pete gives background on the book’s main character’s, Eileen’s, early fascination with movies

At about 30:15, Kathleen outlines the Eileen’s family and various backstories and influences on Eileen

At about 32:50, Pete asks Kathleen about her book’s structure-flashbacks and flashforward, and how the memories are narrated/formatted 

At about 36:50, Kathleen remarks on how she used flashbacks a little differently than some other popular movies

At about 37:45, Pivotal early scenes that lead Eileen to Hollywood are recounted, and Kathleen expands on the insular environment of early Holywood

At about 41:00, The two discuss the infamous D.W. Griffith and his connections to the book

At about 42:00, Kathleen discusses the ways in which casting and life affect women, especially young women, and their choices

At about 44:40, Kathleen talks about the various iterations of A Star is Born and its significance in Hollywood history

At about 46:00, Marion Davies and her unfair/incomplete reputation are explained

At about 47:30, Pete notes the ways in which Doreen is her own biggest fan and supporter and her agency and hard work

At about 48:40, Kathleen shares her connections to Edna Ferber, the real-life writer referenced in the book

At about 51:30, Kathleen responds to Pete’s questions about typecasting in early Hollywood, and what research Kathleen used for the parts of the silent film era

At about 54:30, Pete wonders about redemptive actions and motives for Eileen’s father and his help with the Fairy Castle

At about 57:20, Kathleen shouts out a few Chicagoland bookstores and other places to buy her book, and also gives social media//contact info

At about 58:25, Kathleen talks about the magic of Poems While You Wait

 

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    Please tune in for Episode 244 with Alexandra Alessandri. She is the author of several books for children, including Isabel and Her Colores Go to School (2021), and Grow Up, Luchy Zapata (2024), a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection; her books have received numerous distinctions, including the International Latino Book Award

The episode will go live on July 23. 

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