SOURCE: Interview with Zenna Henderson, in Speaking of Science Fiction: The Paul Walker Interviews, by Paul Walker, Luna Press, 1978, pp. 271-80.

In the conversation below, which was first published in 1974, Henderson recounts her life and career, and discusses her views on the genre of science fiction.

What was the origin of the "People" stories? Why have you gone on writing them?

The "People" stories originated with "Ararat." When I first started, I planned a story about some people who crossed the Atlantic by "lifting" from their home in Transylvania—with all the concomitant stuff that goes with Transylvania. But, as usual, I found that I can't write about unpleasant people, so I changed it to interstellar refugees, and the "People" emerged.

I went on writing them because I liked them. And at a time when I was experiencing considerable unhappiness in my personal life, the stories helped occupy...