Arts
“Anything humans make of an artistic nature has to be literally brought into some kind of physical existence. Even if it is a lone person talking outside there has to be some kind of preparation of sorts, both the internal preparation of the one speaking, as well as how the physical setting is to be negotiated, the question of audience, if that is to be planned at all, the start and stop times of the speaking and so on. Interestingly we are very well aware of this when it comes to life outside the arts, the most prosaic or necessary things in life like housing or buildings in general. I believe we lose sight of this fact when its comes to the arts. That is, we tend to regard the arts as magically falling out of the sky and not a humanly made thing in the world like anything else, and one of the many missions of our podcast is to bring such matters into focus. I think Jaimee Wriston makes a wonderful representative of this principle, both because she has come out with a brand new novel, with a new publisher and we could discuss one of the most important aspects of being artist: getting a particular work out there. She also is so very articulate about such matters and that is important. It has been most interesting to follow the work of one particular writer like Jaimee Wriston. When first I encountered her novel Shark Girls on a long Amtrak ride alongside the Easter regional in a sleeper car I certainly had no idea about ever having a podcast or having its author on an episode. I am thankful for this opportunity and hope you enjoy hearing her discuss this aspect of being a writer in the world as much as you do reading her.” Jaimee’s Bio,links to her beautiful worksJaimee Wriston Colbert is the author of seven books of fiction: How Not to Drown (2021), Vanishing Acts, Wild Things, Shark Girls, Dream Lives of Butterflies, Climbing the God Tree, and Sex, Salvation, and the Automobile. Her books won the 2021 and 2018 International Book Awards, CNY 2017 Fiction Award, Willa Cather Fiction Prize, Zephyr Prize, IPPY Gold Medal, Ian MacMillan Fiction Award, and more. Her stories have appeared in The Gettysburg Review, Prairie Schooner, New Letters, and many other venues. She is a recipient of the 2019 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities and delivered the 2020-2021 Harpur Dean’s Distinguished Lecture. Originally from Hawaii, she lives in upstate New York, where she is Distinguished Professor of English and Creative Writing at SUNY Binghamton University. When you reference How Not to Drown in any promo, this is a good way to introduce it: Winner of the 2021 International Book Award in General Fiction! My website link: www.jaimeewristoncolbert.com New novel links: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/653401/how-not-to-drown-by-jaimee-wriston/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1643855573?tag=randohouseinc7986-20 It’s available at a large number of online venues but I don’t want to “drown" you in links—the Penguin-Random House link has tabs for a bunch of others, and of course Amazon…. My other Books (Amazon Links): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1604890444/ref=cm_sw_su_dp Shark Girls https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-Acts-Jaimee-Wriston-Colbert/dp/1944388257 Vanishing Acts https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Things-Jaimee-Wriston-Colbert/dp/1943491054 Wild Things https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Butterflies-Jaimee-Wriston-Colbert/dp/1886157596/ref=pd_lpo_2?pd_rd_i=1886157596&psc=1 Dream Lives of Butterflies Two interviews about How Not to Drown, one in Hypertext Magazine the other on a premier website for eco-fiction: Sirens & Selkies – An Interview with Jaimee Wriston about her new book, How Not to Drown. Anita Gill, Hypertext Magazine. May 2021. https://www.hypertextmag.com/sirens-and-selkies-an-in --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mitch-hampton/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mitch-hampton/support