An Interview with Bryan Furuness

Hobart recently sat down with novelist Bryan Furuness, whose debut novel THE LOST EPISODES OF REVIE BRYSON was released earlier this year and has basically charmed the pants off of everyone who’s read it. Including the folks at Hobart, who write “It’s a novel that does so much, covers so much ground, succeeds so well at all of it, that it’s hard to come up with a short, pithy introduction for the book. So I’ll just say this: this is a novel that was an intense pleasure to read, one that so successfully rendered and created a world that I wanted to keep living in that putting the book down was miserable.” Click here to read the interview, where Bryan talks about writing, humor, religion, teaching, and more. (And you’d be remiss not to buy a copy of REVIE, available here…)

Speed Date with Sarah Suzor

The Buoyant Group recently caught up with the lovely Sarah Suzor and asked her a few questions about storytelling: “A simple example: I see a sunset and I think of a song. I think of a song and I remember a lover. I remember a lover and recall the last thing they said to me. I recall the last thing they said to me and I trip on that damn crack in the sidewalk. I trip on that damn crack in the sidewalk and a red car passes by. There goes a whole other story. In a matter of minutes. I think we all operate that way; I just allow myself the time and space to throw all of it into words.” Read the rest here (and buy her prizewinning poetry collection The Principle Agent here.)

Bruce Cohen on the Joe Milford Poetry Show

Here’s something to boost your mid-week: Bruce Cohen, author of the sublime collections Placebo Junkies Conspiring with the Half-Asleep and Swerve, is interviewed on the Joe Milford Poetry Show. Bruce is lovely, and it’s always wonderful to hear him read his work–and Joe calls Placebo “his favorite new collection.” Buy yourself a copy, we know you’ll agree.

“When Jesus Was a Boy in Gary, Indiana”

Butler University’s Newsroom recently posted  a new interview with novelist Bryan Furuness, author of the hilarious and poignant book The Lost Episodes of Revie Bryson. Bryan provides insight to his inspiration for his characters, and his process for writing humor–we laughed out loud when we first read this book, so he’s on to something.  Read the interview here, and buy a copy of this wonderful novel here.

Three Questions with Shane McCrae

Pen America sat down with award-winning poet Shane McCrae to ask about love, community, and history. A tease: “It’s something like a tingling, like a small tingling rush of joy that seems to start in my chest, just above my heart and below my throat, and spreads both up and down, so that I want to say the words out loud and yet I feel a little short of breath and sped up inside, because the feeling has reached my heart and lungs.” Read it all here (and stay tuned for Shane’s forthcoming chapbook Nonfiction). 

 

Abayomi Animashaun: On Winning the Hudson Prize

Poet Abayomi Animashaun talks about his experience winning the 2008 Hudson Prize for his sublime collection The Giving of Pears:

“For me, news of winning the Hudson Prize came at a time of great difficulty. A time when I was so thoroughly cornered, I became convinced that I was a loser pretending at verse. So, when I got the news, I was sure the editors had made a mistake.

But they hadn’t. Then I saw the names of all the finalists and semi-finalists, and it scared the hell out of me. I knew some of the poets, and I had read and enjoyed their work a good deal. Any of us could have taken the prize that year.

It’s still a mystery to me why my manuscript was chosen. But, I am grateful that my work has found home with a press and a group of editors that understand my spirit and believe in my imagination. Even beyond the prize, they are still with me. Listening and urging me toward my best work.

In a way, I guess the Hudson Prize tells me that even though I fail at poetry 99% of the time (as I do in other aspects of my life), it’s okay to take up the pen and try a hundredth time.”

Working with Abayo was an immense pleasure for us! A reminder that the 2013 Hudson Prize deadline is March 31: submit here.

First Book Interview: Marc McKee

We love Marc McKee’s poetry collection Fuse, and love even more that looking at his book gives Marc “a trill of excitement”–we feel the exact same way. It’s stunning inside and out. Read on for Marc’s insights on being a first-time author, his advice to aspiring poets, and how poetry can change the world. (And you’d be remiss not to pick up a copy of Fuse here.)

How Bryan Furuness Became a Writer

Bryan’s much-anticipated debut novel The Lost Episodes of Revie Bryson was just released, and in celebration, enjoy this funny and inspiring interview. Bryan talks about who inspired him, what his writing process is like, and how he envies the reading speed of his nine-year-old self. You’ll also get a hint of his voice as a writer, and that alone will prompt you to buy his book. Julianna Baggott blurbs that it’s “as beautiful and hilarious, as crushingly tender and brutally hopeful as I’d ever hoped for.” We agree.

Erica Wright: Writer’s Digest Interview

The Poetic Aside blog recently sat down with Erica Wright to talk rattlesnakes, writer’s block, and, of course, her sublime poetry collection Instructions for Killing the Jackal. Read it here (and buy her book here!)

My First Time: Jen Michalski

The Quivering Pen interviews Jen Michalski, whose wondrous debut novel The Tide King won the 2012 Big Moose Prize (and is now on sale at a discounted price!). Read on to learn which childhood literary hero influenced her writing (and click here to pre-order The Tide King).