Brittany Menjivar

What do you feel is your best piece of work?

I’m excited and honored to be able to share Parasocialite with the world, of course. I’m also enthusiastic about a feature script I’ve been developing, A Few Millimeters of Bone. It’s an incel horror story based on research I conducted while writing my senior thesis, which dealt with ideological extremism and the radicalization process.

What music have you been listening to lately?

Lots of Placebo—their Covers album is severely underrated. Izzy Spears, Pulp, Blur, Lana Del Rey (Honeymoon and Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd are ideal spring-into-summer records), old Glass Animals (ZABA—you just had to be there…)

Who is the last character you related to and why?

For better or for worse, I feel a kinship with Charlie (Harvey Keitel’s character) in Mean Streets: we’re both trying to figure out how our Catholic background should influence our lives, and we both have savior complexes.

Have you ever failed at something you care about?

In middle school, I made it to the regional spelling bee not once but twice. I came close to winning in eighth grade, but messed up in the second-to-last round. (I remember the word like it was yesterday: “adipose.”) I was heartbroken at the notion that I would never be able to fulfill my dream of winning the national bee. I couldn’t try again next year; I had simply missed my shot. 

I’m digging around for a lesson here—but honestly, I’m at a loss for words. I really wanted to go to the National Spelling Bee. If there is ever a spelling bee for adults, I will be the first to sign up. (Maybe I can host one at the next Car Crash Collective?)

How much vitamin D do you take?

However much is contained in a Flintstones gummy vitamin

Last gift you received?

My friend Aiden gave me a beautiful bouquet of dried flowers upon the release of Parasocialite

Favourite photo?

This photo of Baby Britt enjoying a carousel ride despite her sensory issues

Best season? 

The stretch of festivities beginning with October (start of Halloween season) and concluding with Valentine’s Day

What drives you? 

I’ve had the same dreams as far back as I can remember—as soon as I could talk, I aimed to be a storyteller; as soon as I could read, I wanted to write books and poems and scripts. I owe it to my three-year-old self to see those dreams out. 

Best outfit?

Any outfit that incorporates my tall black platform boots. They have four-inch heels, so when I wear them, I’m six feet tall, which I greatly enjoy. I like to wear them to readings, parties, and concerts (I refuse to have my view blocked… unless I’m seeing Death Grips, in which case I’m wearing sneakers and entering the pit)

Do you like to write in the morning or at night? 

I’m a night owl, for sure

What do you consider to be your first rejection? 

Not being elected a Safety Patrol officer at the end of 5th grade. I burst into tears at the assembly

Where is the best place?

The Ocean City boardwalk, the White Cliffs of Dover, or Joshua Tree National Park

What’s an example of a good ending? 

I’m always in awe of the “Ciao Bella” scene at the end of Funny Games. The performative tenderness intertwined with violence, the complete lack of ceremony in terms of both the action onscreen and the camera work… my jaw literally dropped the first time I watched it 

Who would play the lead character in a movie about your book? 

Every woman in Parasocialite should be played by Taissa Farmiga. Every man in Parasocialite should be played by Evan Peters. (While I was drafting the book, I referred to it as American Horror Story: Brittany Menjivar in my head.)

Latest book you’ve read or favourite book ever?

I’m in the middle of rereading Crash by J.G. Ballard. The first time I read it, still healing after my own car crash, it imposed itself upon me violently, not unlike a shard of glass from a shattered windshield. This time around, the theoretical and erotic dimensions are more accessible to me. 

Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger is my favorite book of all time. “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” stands out to me as the perfect short story—but I’m also partial to “The Laughing Man.” Some writers capture the magic of romance; others pin down the nuance of friendship. I’m convinced nobody can write about acquaintanceship like Salinger can. 

Anything you’d like to promote?

Buy Parasocialite and leave a review on Goodreads :) 

Brittany Menjivar was born and raised in the DMV; she now works and plays in the City of Angels. Her debut collection Parasocialite, released in March 2024, was named a Must-Read Release by Nylon and has received praise from the Los Angeles Review of Books and Artillery. As a screenwriter, she’s best known for "Fragile.com," a short film produced by the AT&T Hello Lab in conjunction with Fullscreen (you can stream it via YouTube's ALTER Channel, where it has over 2 million views). She has also written cultural criticism for the Los Angeles Review of Books, Document Journal, and V Magazine, among other outlets. She co-hosts Car Crash Collective, a literary reading series that has held events in Los Angeles, New York, Boise, and Berlin.