On this episode of NoNaMe Storytellers, Aki is joined by co-host Brian Petkash to welcome acclaimed author Julie Hensley, whose novel Five Oaks explores intergenerational family trauma through a braided narrative.
Julie takes us behind the scenes of how she discovered the right structure to tell this sweeping family story, explaining why the braided storytelling technique became essential to the novel and how she told this cross-generational story in the first person. If you've ever wondered how to tackle a complex family saga, this episode is packed with insights into both the creative and technical challenges of writing one.
We also explore Julie's beginnings as a writer, her acclaimed poetry, and her upcoming fall release: a novel told in poems. Along the way, she shares the conversations she had with her current agent about the direction of Five Oaks, and why she ultimately trusted her own instincts and stayed true to the story she wanted to tell.
The conversation also dives into the meaning of autofiction, the relationship between memory and storytelling, and Julie's advice to writers: write the book you want to read.
Whether you're an aspiring writer, an MFA student, or simply love beautifully crafted literary fiction, this episode offers a fascinating look at the art of structure, voice, perseverance, and storytelling. And after listening, be sure to pick up Five Oaks and any of Julie's books.
Keywords: Landfall, Viable, Five Oaks, Alligator Juniper, Laura Usselman, Lee Smith, Inception Film, family systems theory, polyphonic narrative, The Hambidge Center, Piggly Wiggly, Mona Simpson’s Anywhere But Here, R.D. Johnson, Southern Review, Louise Erdrich’s Love Medicine, Wayne C. Booth, Daniel Mason's North Woods, Broadstone Books, Appalachian Noir, REM’s Nightswimmings, Silas House’s Dead Man Blues, Blue Grass Writers Studio at Eastern Kentucky University, Bent Cedar Mountain: A Novel in Poems, Miranda Cowley Heller’s The Paper Palace,
Enigma by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100241
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
