Laurel Saville

Laurel Saville has a BA in English Literature from New York University and an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from the Writing Seminars at Bennington College. Her new novel is North of Here.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Saville's reply:

I’m reading a textbook called Perspectives on Animal Behavior. I’m getting a certificate in Applied Animal Behavior, and it is the required text. I’ve always been deeply interested in animals, the human animal connection, and how our innate egoism and culture have created severe limitations in our understanding of the complexity, depth and nuance of other animals’ social structures, emotions and communication. I also work with two shelter/rescue organizations as a volunteer. My primary interest is dogs and how to train and rehab them – and often, more importantly, their guardians – so everyone has a happier, more fun relationship.

The book and course focuses on “animals”, which we usually think of as “other” than us, but of course we’re animals too, and we all share the bulk of our fundamental biological underpinnings. Reading works like this is a great brain break from novels. I know novel reading is relaxing for most people, but since I write them, it’s hard to turn off the internal editor, critic, and trying-to-learn-from-others thoughts when I’m reading fiction. So, somewhat counter-intuitively, some science non-fiction is a splendid mental escape for me.

Visit Laurel Saville's website.

--Marshal Zeringue