Hannah Pittard, "Wars and Winters"

It’s December 21. Hannah Pittard, author of We Are Too Many, can feel the solstice coming a mile away.

How would you describe your story?

HANNAH PITTARD: “Wars and Winters” is a chilly little love story in which a woman, on the eve of the end of an affair, finally takes the upper hand.

When did you write it, and how did the writing process compare to your other work?

HP: The story is more than a decade old! I was given the title, and the story unfolded quickly from there. 

What kind of research went into this story?

HP: Absolutely zero research. I was very much writing about current events that were heavy on my mind. 

What, to you, makes the short story a special form? What can it do that other kinds of writing can’t?

HP: There’s something wonderfully tidy and messy about the short story. I adore the fast finality of them, and the way they can—upon finishing—radically alter a mood or day or an even a course of life. 

Where should people go to learn more about you and your work?

HP: I try to keep my website pretty up to date. It’s hannahpittard.com. There’s also a very long profile about me (TL;DR?) in New York magazine, in which I lean too heavily on profanity!

What's the best gift you’ve ever been given?

HP: My parents gave me a Shetland pony when I was five. Her name was Martha. I adored her. My sister (older) tricked me into trading Martha for a sweater I wanted to borrow. My mother says it wasn’t a real trade because Martha was a real horse and the sweater was just a sweater.

* * * * *

What did you think of today's story? Use the hashtag #ssac2024 on Twitter and Instagram to check in with your fellow advent calendarians.