Ten Questions for Austyn Wohlers
“[Y]ou can’t edit something into being good before getting it down.” —Austyn Wohlers, author of Hothouse Bloom
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Genre: Fiction
Kiss of the Spider Woman
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Written and directed by Bill Condon, this movie musical is based on the Tony Award–winning musical by Terrence McNally, John Kander, and Fred Ebb, and is the second film adaptation of the 1976 novel by Argentine author Manuel Puig. The film stars Jennifer Lopez in the titular role, alongside Diego Luna and Tonatiuh.
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When the Mask Slips
In Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Atria Books, 2017), Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo is hailed for her beauty, glamour, and sensational public life, and after announcing to auction her famous gowns to raise money for a breast cancer charity in honor of her late daughter, she grants a last interview to unknown journalist Monique Grant. During their conversations, Evelyn reveals the sides of herself often kept from the public—her relationship with her dutiful daughter, her heartbreaks, and her one true love—and the two connect in an unexpected way. Craft a scene in which the protagonist of your story hides behind a persona. When the facade falters, what is shown to be concealed?
The Time Is Now: Writing Prompts and Exercises
Write a sparrow poem, a story about the loss of self during a period of social upheaval, or a series of vignettes that look back on several past jobs you’ve had.
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Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin
The first lines of a dozen noteworthy books, including Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa and Articulate: A Deaf Memoir of Voice by Rachel Kolb.
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Q&A: Jenny Molberg of Ploughshares
The new editor in chief of Ploughshares discusses her vision for expanding the journal’s digital format and its community.
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Looking for Love in a Time of Global Loneliness: A Profile of Kiran Desai
In her third novel, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, which comes out nearly twenty years after her Booker Prize–winning The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai considers loneliness in all its states of loss and heartache, possibility and promise, through the lens of a love story.
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A Strong and Simple “I Must”: Rebuilding Confidence in the Wake of an Agent Breakup
After an unexpected split from her longtime agent, an author reconnects with her sense of calling and remembers who she writes for: herself.
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Reimagining Place: Setting as Convergence
A novelist explores the craft of imagining a fictional setting based on a real-world location that holds a capacity for convergence, a place where many threads intersect and many stories are born.
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Rachel Cusk on Writing Shamelessly
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“If writing has rules, they are exactly the same as the rules of living.” In this Louisiana Channel interview, Rachel Cusk reads from her latest novel, Parade (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024), and talks about her approach to writing, which includes focusing on the interplay of instinct, discipline, and authenticity.
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