Who are your favorite writers , publications , or events ?
Kent Haruf has probably inspired me more than any other writer . I ’ m in awe of his ability to write powerfully about place and people with such economy . The National Book Foundation described his novel Plainsong as “ ambitious , but never seeming so .” I think that ’ s the best thing that could be said about a book .
When I need to be inspired to write strong sentences , I turn to Cormac McCarthy .
When I need to be inspired to write pitch-perfect dialogue , I turn to Annie Proulx .
When I need to be inspired to experiment with time , I turn to Alice Munro .
When I need to be inspired to experiment with structure , I turn to William Faulkner .
When I need to be humbled , I turn to Marilynne Robinson .
And of course there are so many other writers that serve as constant sources of inspiration : Larry Brown , Eudora Welty , Brad Watson , Daniel Woodrell , Robin MacArthur , James Welch , Jesmyn Ward , Mark Spragg , Kim Zupan , Peter Geye , Denis Johnson , and everyone else I ’ m forgetting .
Do you have any new publications or recognition ?
Before Familiar Woods was recently released as an audiobook . I had the privilege of selecting the three narrators . They ’ ve narrated some terrific books , including Rebecca Makkai ’ s The Great Believers and Jean Craighead George ’ s My Side of the Mountain ( a favorite as a kid ). I felt so grateful that they took on Before Familiar Woods , and they did an absolutely brilliant job with it .
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What other interests do you have and does this inform your work ?
I ’ ve always been interested in the visual arts . In high school , I had a tendency to skip class and hang out in the art room with a kindhearted — and probably perpetually stoned — art teacher who motivated me to apply and get accepted to the Savannah College of Art and Design . The visual arts have informed my work in the sense that I think all art is interdisciplinary .
My love of art has had a more direct impact on Before Familiar Woods as well . In elementary school , I took private art lessons from a couple who lived across the street from the school . The woman was a thoughtful and eccentric illustrator , and her husband was an equally thoughtful and eccentric potter who studied under the Master Sculptor Charles Reuchaud of Paris . They taught art but they also taught socio-emotional development , and they inspired the character of Ruth in Before Familiar Woods .