Andrew Marquis

This interview was conducted with Andy Marquis on June 29, 2019 at 320 State Street in Hudson, NY as part of the Oral History Summer School Workshop: I Am Sitting in a Room. In the interview, he reflects on how he spent his Childhood in Dunlap, IL, with anecdotes that mention elementary and high school experiences; his mother, father, sister, and other relatives; and the geographical and natural landscape of Dunlap and how it has changed. These anecdotes include, more specifically, Childhood adventures that involved some physical risk and a love of movies, especially Sci-Fi films and the movie Jaws. He goes on to describe the landscape of Vermont, a state where he currently and has previously lived, and its transition from winter to spring. He reflects on what it is like to travel or move away from a place and then return to that place, notably a move he made to and from Kalamazoo, MI. He meditates on how some states, like Vermont have banned billboards and how others, like Michigan, do not. He also shares thoughts on his impending move to Louisville, KY to pursue a PhD in Philosophy. Throughout the interview he touches upon themes of place, family, aging, travel, nature, health, and love.

This interview may be of interest to those who want to learn about growing up in Dunlap, IL and the encroachment of Peoria, IL on Dunlap; adventures of Childhood; proximity or distance to hometown and family; a high school love of movies; descriptions of Vermont landscapes and seasons; geographic and cultural differences between the Midwest and New England; and philosophy.