Category: Author interviews

Writing From a Very Dark Place: A Conversation with Katerina Canyon

Recently, I received a review copy of Surviving Home, by Katerina Canyon. I knew of Katerina from a weekly virtual poetry reading series that she runs, called “Canyon Poets.” She is a self-made poet, community activist, and poetry agitator. Surviving Home is a series of narrated poems describing surviving an abusive childhood, being raised in an abusive home, and sometimes being homeless. I found that I couldn’t review the book in good faith; although I felt compassion for her story, its overwhelming darkness felt too dense for me to penetrate.

Tree Stumps Adorn Their Graves: 
A Conversation with Author Javier Sinay and Translator Robert Croll 
about The Murders of Moisés Ville

In The Murders of Moisés Ville, award-winning journalist Javier Sinay investigates a series of murders from the late nineteenth century, unearthing the complex history and legacy of Moisés Ville, the “Jerusalem of South America,” and his personal family connection to a little-known period of Jewish history in Argentina, linked to his great-grandfather Mijl Hacohen Sinay.

An interview with Tessa Wegert

The author of Dead Wind talks about her latest book, her protagonist Senior Investigator Shana Merchant, on writing a crime series, the Thousand Islands setting of the series, the attraction of putting a contemporary spin on classic, Agatha Christie-style detective fiction, PTSD, and more.

An interview with Joel Agee

Joel Agee, the author of The Stone World talks about his new book and the inspiration for it, the relationship between memory and fiction, his characters and themes, how he became interested in writing and translation, writing through quarantine, his favourite scene, and lots more.

An interview with Gary Slaughter

The author of WWII POWs in America and Abroad talks about why he wrote his book, the often-overlooked perspectives of the 6 million people held in prison camps in the U.S. and around the world between 1939 and 1945, about what life was like for an imprisoned officer, about growing up in Owosso during WWII, classic movies, collaborating with his wife, and lots more.

An interview with Elaelah Harley

The author of A Plan to Save the World talks about how she started writing, her debut novel and its inspiration, her (self-) publishing journey, and lots more.

A Q&A with Mike Mattison and Ernest Suarez

Musician Mike Mattison and literary historian Ernest Suarez talk about their new book, POETIC SONG VERSE: Blues Based Popular Music and Poetry. They cover such topics as the nature of poetic song verse, the transformative nature of artists like Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Jimi Hendrix, the role of coffee houses in the 50s, and lots more.

An interview with Arthur Swan

The author of The Encanto (La Fog) talks about his latest book, what inspired it, his themes, how story ideas come to him, what he does when he isn’t writing, his favourite authors, and lots more.

An interview with Andrew Rowen

The author of Columbus and Caonabó: 1493–1498 Retold talks about his new book and why it’s still important for people to understand 1492 and its aftermath, why he chose to write historical fiction, his research, his characters, the story of Taíno resistance and the devastating aftermath of the invasion, Isabel and Ferdinand and their role (and what they gained), and much more.