Proust/Fama

The Corresponding Society is pleased to present another entry in our ongoing Proust Questionnaire project. This week, poet and editor Ben Fama reveals his deepest secrets.

An Introduction to Ben Fama

Ben Fama's work has appeared in GlitterPony, Gigantic Sequins and Pank! magazine, among others. He is the author of the chapbook Sun Come and the founder of the SUPERMACHINE reading series and poetry journal. Please enter his world >-----------> SUPERMACHINE!

Ben Fama Answers the Proust Questionnaire

Your favorite virtue.
Resilience. I aspire, I aspire!

Your favorite qualities in a man.
Disinterested Philosopher-King, but thats only if he is giving me advice. If he is my brother I want him to be younger. If he is my father I want him to be rich.

Your favorite qualities in a woman.
Witchy, imaginative. Oh, and knowing how to makeout while driving.

Your chief characteristic.
Fiery

What you appreciate the most in your friends.
They are all heroic.

Your main fault.
Immaturity.

Your favorite occupation.
Laying in the wheat and staring at clouds.

Your idea of happiness.
A good tan.

Your idea of misery.
Lack of love.

If not yourself, who would you be?
...?

Where would you like to live?
A country where certain things that I like would come true by magic.

Your favorite prose authors.
Musil, Dalton, Gossip Girl.

Your favorite poets.
Salamun, Minnis, Turovskaya.

Your favorite heroes in fiction.
I saw a few episodes of The United States of Tara. The husband in the series was the most negative-capable person I've ever encountered. I thought he was the model person I aspire to me.

Your favorite heroines in fiction.
...Holden Caulfield's little sister seems totally game for anything.

Your favorite painters and composers.
Helen Frankenthaler

Your heroes in “real life.”
Angela Moore.

What characters in history do you most dislike?
My history teacher from 8th grade. She was a total asshole. I had to write a report on New Mexico (are you kidding me?) and it sucked really bad and she chastised me by pointing at my t-shirt and saying “If you had to write about Kurt Cobain I bet you'd do a good job.” Well now I work for a publishing company that just published a punk memoir that is partly about Kurt Cobain. Fuck You Ms. McCafferey and Fuck You new mexico.

Your favorite names.
Names with three syllables. They are so easy to riff on!

What do you hate the most?
BORING PEOPLE.

What military event do you admire the most?
This current lifelong event when I never enlist!

What reform do you admire the most?
Health care for full-time farmers in Massachussetts! LOVE IT!

The natural talent you’d like to be gifted with.
Singing. I wish I had that talent.

How do you wish to die?
Touching skin (or a car crash)

What is your present state of mind?
Anticipating the best Spring of my life!

For what fault do you have the most toleration?
Grammatical errors, I dont give a fuck about those. Oversleeping, it makes me look good!

Your favorite motto.
Imagination is funny it makes a cloudy day sunny