Colleen Curran | From the Author

Q & A with the Author

Lisa Weinert, an associate publicist at Vintage, interviewed Colleen about "Whores on the Hill."

Behind the Book

Q: Why did you call the book Whores on the Hill?

A.: Because that's what the book's about. It's about being a fifteen-year-old girl and struggling to own your own sexuality and independence. Because I do think it's tough today, to be a girl and to navigate sex.
Also, I started writing it because I did go to an all-girls' school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and everybody did call us the Whores on the Hill. Which I thought was unique and provocative and funny.

But the more I talked about it, the more I learned how universal the term, Whores on the Hill, is for all-girls' schools. Which was surprising. When I told a creative writing class I teach I wrote a book called Whores on the Hill, one kid said, "Oh, is it about that school in Harrisonburg, Va.?" I told a friend in Ohio and she said, "Is it about that school in western Ohio?" I told a panel of Southern women about it and one woman said, "My daughter goes to Sweetbriar. Did you know that Jerry Falwell calls the Sweetbriar girls the Whores on the Hill?"

So the more I talked about it, the more it seemed like the Whores on the Hill really were everywhere, just like Astrid, Juli and Thisbe claim to be in the book. And I thought that was wonderful.

Q.: In what way are Astrid, Juli and Thisbe whores?

A.: They aren't whores. Not at all! They're fifteen-year old girls. They go skinny dipping late at night with a bunch of boys they met at a party. They're obsessed with clothes and hair and how they look to the world. They like listening to punk rock music and going to the all-ages' club Metropolis. They think about sex a lot. They experiment. Their lives are filled with firsts: first kisses, first loves, first dances, first betrayals. They're just girls

Q.: How is it empowering for the girls to call themselves whores?

A.: Because they're rebelling against it. Because the whole town calls them the Whores on the Hill to put them down, to put them in their place. But they take on the title, Whores on the Hill, and they reinvent it. They're saying, "We're fifteen and we're furious and we're sexy and we're scared and we're trying to figure it out - who we are and who we want to be. We're the Whores on the Hill. And who are you to stop us?"
That's very empowering. And it provides a surprisingly strong sense of identity for them.

Q.: What did you think of being called a Whore on the Hill as a teenager?

A.: I thought it was funny. I sort of liked it. Because it was so ridiculous for a Midwestern town to call a bunch of adolescent schoolgirls the Whores on the Hill. I mean, isn't that stupid? But there was something wonderful and thrilling about it. To be fifteen and to already be a legend in your hometown.
The other women I've met who've gone to all-girls' schools, the ones who were also called Whores on the Hill, are the same way. They'll raise an eyebrow, laugh a little, and say, "Yeah, we were the Whores on the Hill too."


			Q & A with the Author Lisa Weinert, an associate publicist at Vintage, interviewed Colleen about "Whores on the Hill." Behind the Book Q: Why did you call the book Whores on the Hill? A.: Because that's what the book's about. It's about being a fifteen-year-old girl and struggling to own your own sexuality and independence. Because I do think it's tough today, to be a girl and to navigate sex. Also, I started writing it because I did go to an all-girls' school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and everybody did call us the Whores on the Hill. Which I thought was unique and provocative and funny. But the more I talked about it, the more I learned how universal the term, Whores on the Hill, is for all-girls' schools. Which was surprising. When I told a creative writing class I teach I wrote a book called Whores on the Hill, one kid said, "Oh, is it about that school in Harrisonburg, Va.?" I told a friend in Ohio and she said, "Is it about that school in western Ohio?" I told a panel of Southern women about it and one woman said, "My daughter goes to Sweetbriar. Did you know that Jerry Falwell calls the Sweetbriar girls the Whores on the Hill?" So the more I talked about it, the more it seemed like the Whores on the Hill really were everywhere, just like Astrid, Juli and Thisbe claim to be in the book. And I thought that was wonderful. Q.: In what way are Astrid, Juli and Thisbe whores? A.: They aren't whores. Not at all! They're fifteen-year old girls. They go skinny dipping late at night with a bunch of boys they met at a party. They're obsessed with clothes and hair and how they look to the world. They like listening to punk rock music and going to the all-ages' club Metropolis. They think about sex a lot. They experiment. Their lives are filled with firsts: first kisses, first loves, first dances, first betrayals. They're just girls Q.: How is it empowering for the girls to call themselves whores? A.: Because they're rebelling against it. Because the whole town calls them the Whores on the Hill to put them down, to put them in their place. But they take on the title, Whores on the Hill, and they reinvent it. They're saying, "We're fifteen and we're furious and we're sexy and we're scared and we're trying to figure it out - who we are and who we want to be. We're the Whores on the Hill. And who are you to stop us?" That's very empowering. And it provides a surprisingly strong sense of identity for them. Q.: What did you think of being called a Whore on the Hill as a teenager? A.: I thought it was funny. I sort of liked it. Because it was so ridiculous for a Midwestern town to call a bunch of adolescent schoolgirls the Whores on the Hill. I mean, isn't that stupid? But there was something wonderful and thrilling about it. To be fifteen and to already be a legend in your hometown. The other women I've met who've gone to all-girls' schools, the ones who were also called Whores on the Hill, are the same way. They'll raise an eyebrow, laugh a little, and say, "Yeah, we were the Whores on the Hill too."