Joshua Marie Wilkinson [Host: Sara Rauch]

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers, Sara Rauch interviews Joshua Marie Wilkinson.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Joshua Marie Wilkinson is a poet, novelist, and filmmaker. His debut novel, Trouble Finds You, was published by Fonograf Editions (2023). He is also the author of nine books of poetry, including Selenography, Swamp Isthmus, and Meadow Slasher. His work has appeared in Poetry, The Believer, Tin House, Pen America, and in nearly two dozen anthologies. He has edited several collections of essays, including Anne Carson: Ecstatic Lyre, Poets on Teaching, and The Force of What's Possible with Lily Hoang.

Sara Rauch is the author of the book-length essay XO, from us at Autofocus Books. She’s also the author of the story collection, What Shines from it, from Alternating Current Press. Her book reviews and author interviews have been featured in the LA Review of Books, Newcity Lit, Lambda Literary, The Rumpus, and elsewhere.

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PART ONE, topics include:

-- working as a therapist

-- writing while raising a kid

-- a previous life as a poet and teacher

-- the move into writing fiction

-- therapy and narrative

-- growing up in and living again in the PNW

-- early poetry books

-- the disappearances of small presses

-- not writing a "poet's novel"

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PART TWO, topics include:

-- Joshua's first novel Trouble Finds You

-- writing a "misguided" character

--  a short story that kept getting longer

-- plotting and telling a story

-- suspense

-- animals and pets in a narrative

-- not having a smartphone

-- other novels

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Podcast theme music provided by Mike Nagel, author of Duplex. Here's more of his project: Yeah Yeah Cool Cool.

The Lives of Writers is edited and produced by Michael Wheaton.