Sara Lippmann: Hidden River

Welcome again to the interview series at 100 Word Story to promote forthcoming and recently published books by our contributors. Authors answer five questions, each in 100 words or fewer. If you’re a contributor with a new book and you’d like to be included in this series, please reach out to us at hundredwordstory [at] gmail.com.

This week, we’re excited to share an interview with Sara Lippmann about her new novel, Hidden River, which releases from Tortoise Books tomorrow, May 5th. Hidden River is Lippmann’s fourth book. She is also the author of two short story collections, Doll Palace and Jerks, and a previous novel, LECH. Her piece “True Story” was first published in 100 Word Story in 2024.

 

How does brevity figure into your book?

The whole novel’s short, like really short. Maybe 55K tops. I knew from the outset I wanted to get in and get out. 

 

Tell us about the process of writing this book.

I often turn to flash for an energy burst. My first novel took forever, and at some point, I felt stalled or riddled with self-doubt, needing to shift gears, so I signed up for a Kathy Fish workshop. That’s where I wrote these first words. Initially, I thought I’d tell the whole thing in these little chunks. It was a way of tricking myself into another novel. The fractured structure reflected the narrator’s emotional state, so it made sense at first. Then, like all rules, I broke them. Sections grew. But you can still feel the flash imprint, I think.  

 

Tell us about a habit that played an important role in the writing of this book.

I started running about ten years ago, which has saved my life in countless ways. It’s pretty much responsible for all measures of sanity. Because the story is set in Philly, I signed up and completed the longstanding Philadelphia Distance Run a couple times  – for “research.” It’s a fun (and flat!) half marathon course that cuts through the city and hugs both banks of the river and culminates in beers and soft pretzels.

 

Who might you have been if you hadn’t become a writer?

a clinical therapist

 

If your book were a landscape, what would it be?

the Schuylkill River at sunrise