Even the best cooks and bakers among us know that not every attempt at meal preparation goes as intended.Essay collection and cookbook, writer and creative director Alison Rileyof Recipe for Disaster: Survival and Survival Stories of 40 Superstars (Chronicle Books, 2023) intertwines humorous and heartwarming tales that will satisfy nearly any appetite. Cooking that combines real experiences and interviews, disaster recipe The book includes contributions from Riley’s musician wife Mechelle Ndegeocello, Samantha Irby, Bowen Yang, Simon Doonan, Michael W. Twitty, Sarah Silverman, Alice Waters, Chelsea Peretti, and others. Contribution is posted. Riley recently made time to answer some questions about the book.
Greg Shapiro: Alison, can you tell us something about its origins? Recipe for Disaster: Survival and Survival Stories of 40 Superstars?
Alison Riley: I was thinking about that phrase disaster recipe For a while until we hear about a collaboration with Chronicle Books. I knew it was something. It fits well with my general feeling of making the most of the worst and producing the best, but I wasn’t quite sure until then. So when I started talking to the editors, the book took shape quickly, but I didn’t realize how diverse or likely the responses would be. As contributors started contributing, it took shape for itself.
GS: What did the contributor recruitment process involve? disaster recipe?
AR: A lot, a lot, a lot of emails and phone calls, a lot of rejections, a few simple silences, quite a few ego checks on my part, and so much patience and gratitude.
GS: Were everyone you recruited able to contribute essays or interviews?
AR: Absolutely not! I asked over 100 people, if not more, and these 40 are the ones who agreed.
GS: disaster recipe It features LGBTQ+ contributors such as Mechelle Ndegeocello, Bowen Yang, Samantha Irby, Michael W. Twitty, Jacqueline Woodson, Simon Doonan, Becca Blackwell, Kyle Abraham and many others. As a member of the community yourself, please say something about the importance of representing these voices.
AR: Well, to be honest, I didn’t have to think too much about it. Personally, I’m not interested in having a multitude of voices without a myriad of perspectives. And the people you named, and Gabriel Hamilton and Fran Tirado, are all very different from each other. I never counted gay people myself, but when I look at that list now, I realize that even within the “community” there is a great diversity of people, sharing stories ranging from the AIDS crisis to family rejection. I am glad to know that you are. To the universal story of not being kind enough to mothers.
GS: I recently interviewed Samantha Arby about her new book. stand quietly againstalso has an essay about food.her essay refusal chicken A combination of humor and food, it’s a great way to open a book. What does it mean to you to have Samantha’s essay at the beginning of your book?
AR: Thanks for listening, because it actually means a lot to me. I have so much respect for Sam’s humor and style, and having her willing to participate in her book was a personal victory and a huge compliment. Finding beauty, humor, and value in sad and terrible things, especially when it’s happening, is a treasure I have in people, whether I know them or not. is.
GS: Your wife Mechelle’s essay is heartbreaking, but the conclusion she wrote about clarifying her priorities: “Friendship, musical integrity, the people who have helped me grow.” And partner, clean food and decent coffee” ends with the hopeful words. Please say something about her contribution to this book.
AR: In that very sense, Mechèle is my hero. She is one of the most authentic musical thinkers I know, consistently choosing to follow her own musical voice without succumbing to the expectations of her industry or the narrowness of her genre. . I loved how she gave us a glimpse of how hard it is to stay true to ourselves and how disrespectful the music industry has been to out and queer black women (now of course but respected in many ways). There are so many people in public.
GS: Near the middle of the book, there are a series of essays that go into a serious direction about 9/11, the Belgrade bombing, and the pandemic. Can you say something about the inclusion of that kind of work?
AR: I didn’t specify a tone or topic for the people who asked me to contribute to the book (although I didn’t want the book to be dominated by COVID-19). And those responses were sincere and immediate responses to my prompts. As with all things, the disaster was a continuum and I was glad that there was a story along every point.
GS: Have you tried some or all of the foods/recipes mentioned?
AR: I’m much better at dirty jokes than food, so to be honest, I don’t cook much. That said, I tried a lot to make sure the recipe made sense. Having the vinaigrette recipe from Alice Waters was worth doing the whole project.
GS: Maybe Disaster recipe 2 Are you under construction?
AR: Let’s see! I had a lot of fun putting this book together. It was a lot more fun and harder work than I expected. I would like to do it again.
GS: Alison, I would like to end with a quote from Justin Vivian Bond’s essay. “When I feel the need to cheer myself up, or to show someone that I love them, I say: Just fry potatoes?” Meal preparation is one of the ultimate expressions of love. do you agree?
AR: Of course it does! I don’t express my own love that way, nor do anyone want me to because of my disappointing cooking skills, but this is certainly a demonstration of caring for others. It’s already done. One of my favorite parts of the book is that many of these recipes are about feeding yourself and the importance of taking care of yourself when disaster strikes. We tend to forget that, but if this book does something to ease people’s fears and prepare them to take care of themselves and each other, then I’m happy. .