🎙️ H.A. Eugene

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Read H.A.'s story, Ugly Sweater Day, on Foofaraw now!

Are you a big fan of ugly sweaters?

My wife once objected to a sweater I kept because it had big, bold stripes that reminded me of Charlie Brown. I liked that sweater. Tastes really are subjective.

Have you ever won an ugly sweater contest?

No, but I did win a bubble-gum blowing contest once, when I was a kid. It was at a Thousand Trails campground in the ’80s, and there were only about five other kids in the contest. I wonder if I should list this in my bio?

If you could design your own ugly sweater, what do you think it'd look like?

I like the one described at the beginning of the story, where a girl had a sweater with a fully functional, blinking Christmas tree that opened up to an “I Saw Momma Kissing Santa Claus” reveal. If it were up to me, though, it would be a to-scale representation of Dealey Plaza during the Kennedy assassination, complete with Umbrella Man, the book depository, and the Grassy Knoll. I don’t even know exactly what that would look like, so I’d be hard-pressed to describe it in words, beyond this.

How do you think Tobey’s nana is feeling after the events of this story?

I believe her feelings are hurt. But there’s a certain amount of cattiness in her response, where she pointedly acknowledges that all her creations contain her love. It’s as if part of her knows she knits functional weapons—with love.

Have you ever found something so ugly you had a visceral reaction like some of the characters in your story (obviously not to that extreme, I hope)?

I don’t know that I have. Not in reality, at least. There are pictures of funny, melted-looking animals on the web, but those creatures are products of natural selection and are often photographed outside of their environment, in non-ideal circumstances. I wouldn’t like that for myself. That’s like being famous for your mugshot.

Given you’re also a musician, how do you feel music inspires your stories or stories inspire your music?

Some years back, I had a story called Buffalo Ballet published in Flash Fiction Magazine. In it, the main character sits down at a piano to learn the John Cale song of the same name and ends up writing a song with a ghost at his side. I also had a story called Awake Since ’78, which was the title of an Acid Jacks song from the early 2000s. For me, there definitely seems to be a through-line between the two mediums, coming from music. Sometimes, it comes from the other direction: I once wrote an EP-length collection of instrumental songs to accompany a novella I never finished. I’m thinking the EP might beat the novella to market at this point, as the novella’s in the trunk, so to speak.

What’s one of your recent favorite short stories?

I’m actually rather fond of Ugly Sweater Day, and I love that Foofaraw appreciates it as well! I like this type of experimental short story, though I don’t think its sub-genre has a name. Its narrative is derived from cascading absurdity; almost like Dr. Seuss, but in a (slightly) more grown-up frame. I have more than a few pieces like this, but they’re a hard sell for whatever reason.

What book are you reading right now?

I’m reading The Case Against Reality by Donald Hoffman, a nonfiction book that argues our perceptions evolved to see fitness, for the purpose of reproduction, rather than truth. It’s fascinating. The library will be taking it back soon, so I’ll have to wait a few weeks to finish it. I’m also reading Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan, a memoir about a young woman whose brain suddenly stopped functioning correctly. I’ve always been fascinated by perception and how it guides reality, which has a definite relationship to much of the absurdity in the fiction I write.

Do you have anything else you'd like to share or promote?

I recently read a short story called Out of Print by Wen Wen Yang, reprinted in Flash Fiction Online (originally published in Apex), about what happens when people stop reading a book. I liked it quite a bit. As for publications, I can’t speak highly enough of Radon Journal. It’s anarchist sci-fi. A great read, a great community, and a terrific place to entrust your stories. They have one of mine, a nightmare of near-future work called I’m Only Going to Do This Once. For music: if you like off-kilter electronic stuff, you can follow my electronic group, Business 80. For singer-songwriter work, I infrequently publish songs under the moniker Autobono. There’s also my previous band from many years back, Burbank International—which might have some new material coming out soon!

Thanks to H.A. for taking the time to chat with us!