Pamela Statz
Pamela Statz is the author of Thorn City. Pamela grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, the twelfth of thirteen children. She attended UW Madison earning degrees in Journalism and History. With four duffel bags and her goldfish Lucrezia swimming in a mason jar, Pamela flew to the West Coast at the cusp of the dot-com boom and never left. She’s worked in media and advertising in San Francisco and Portland for Lucasfilm, WIRED, Nike, and Wieden+Kennedy. She currently splits her time between Portland and Manzanita, Oregon with her husband Justin Graham and their giant dog Hooper.
Instagram: @pamelastatz
Facebook: @pstatz
Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?
Die Hard because the villains are so delightful, from Hans Gruber with his appreciation of fine tailoring, to Uli sneaking a Crunch Bar from the candy tray in the lobby of Nakatomi Plaza. I love My Own Private Idaho, because it shows such empathy for its flawed characters, and has so many great shots of Portland. Also, fast-paced television series like 30 Rock, Community and Arrested Development have really influenced me, particularly episodes where small details and different perspectives layer from one scene to the next until they land with hilarious punch lines.
Favorite non-reading activity?
I love going to the movies, and Portland has so many fantastic theaters. The Bagdad, the Laurelhurst, the Hollywood, and the Moorland theaters are all great places to get a tasty beverage, popcorn or a slice, and escape into another world for a few hours.
Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?
I love popcorn. I used to make it with a Whirley Pop, then recently switched to an Air Popper. My husband gave me an adorable one cup saucepan just to melt butter. I always melt too much and throw in several dashes of sea salt. Heaven!
I did find myself writing a lot about food in Thorn City, from the fictional food carts, to real Portland restaurants like Screen Door, The Daily Feast, and Jake’s Famous Crawfish. Portland is a fantastic food town and it made sense to include that aspect in my story as a way to make the town more of a character than just a setting.
Is there a work of art that you love. Why? Have you ever visited it in person?
I’ve always loved Wild Poppies Near Argenteuil by Claude Monet. It reminds me of being a little girl and walking with my mom on a sunny summer day through the fields of the farm where I grew up. It looks exactly the same, well, if you replace the poppies with wild mustard flowers, the chateau with a farmhouse, the bonnets with permed 80s hair, and the gowns with t-shirts and jeans. I saw this painting in person at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris one glorious fall when my 21-year-old self took a semester off from college and backpacked through Europe.
What piece of clothing tells the most interesting story about your life?
I grew up in Wisconsin, so of course I’m a Green Bay Packers fan. When the Packers were in the Superbowl in 1997, I told my dad that I was going to throw a proper Superbowl party for my friends in San Francisco. He surprised me a few days later when a package appeared with a green knit collared shirt emblazoned with Green Bay Packer stripes and logo. Gorgeous. This was the first and only gift that he’s ever personally bought, wrapped, and shipped to me. And I understand why. How could he possibly top that?
