Jacinda Townsend and James Bernard Short on American Fiction

Novelist Jacinda Townsend and writer James Bernard Short join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the movie American Fiction, which is based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett . Townsend and Short discuss how the film addresses race in the publishing industry via its central character, Black author Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, who tries to make an ironic point by writing a book exploiting Black stereotypes and finds, to his dismay, that it’s received in earnest and a bestseller. Townsend and Short analyze director Cord Jefferson’s approach and the film’s themes of family dysfunction, freedom in storytelling, and the importance of portraying the complexity of Black lives. Check out video excerpts from our interviews at Lit Hub’s Virtual Book Channel , Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel , and our website . This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf . * From the episode: James Short: Fiona [McCrae], when she was the editor [at Graywolf Press], she used to always say, “we’re punching above our weight.” And they just had this formula that worked. They kept things simple, they kept it small, but their reach was very wide and large in terms of the recognition of the authors. And, you know, Carmen [Giménez], now that she’s taken over the helm, has continued that [tradition] in Fiona’s footsteps. So you’re right, Graywolf is exceptional in that regard. But yeah, it’s nothing quite like what was portrayed in the movie. Whitney Terrell: Can I say that I’ve met some editors like that from Big Four publishers, in my time? I’ve definitely been in meetings like [the one in the movie], where somebody felt like they were being incredibly insincere. And they were talking about money, right? And they’re flattering someone in a way that is completely irresponsible and grotesque. I think the movie does a good job of that. I think that happens. Jacinda, you’re nodding your head. I want to hear what you have to say. Jacinda Townsend: My first novel was with Norton. I was never really pushed in any certain direction as far as the […]

Click here to view original page at Jacinda Townsend and James Bernard Short on American Fiction

© 2024, wcadmin. All rights reserved, Writers Critique, LLC Unless otherwise noted, all posts remain copyright of their respective authors.