Edward P. Jones (The Known World, Lost in the City, All Aunt Hagar's Children) is my author crush for the week. I asked him recently what he was working on and he said he had done nothing in a very long time And nothing was planned on the horizon, which made me sad but even more curious. I didn't pry further but I wanted to.
I have hung above my desk this excerpt from his short essay "Writing Stories." I often have my students read it and I try to read it at least once a week myself.
"We get up to our day, however wonderful, however horrible, as they have been doing since before there were white blank pages, before the blank computer screen, when there were only grunts and hand gestures, and we tell stories. Some of us talk to God, and some of us talk to the mountains and the wind. We cannot help ourselves. People come into our heads and they begin to live, or die."--from "We Tell Stories" an original essay on Powells.com
There is also a wonderful interview written by Neely Tucker in the November 15, 2009 Washington Post where Jones speaks more on his writing habits and process. An amazing article. He is truly an artist and lives the life of an artist not just a writer who seeks to be published. I think he has amazing integrity in today's crabs-in-a-barrel publishing world.
Hats off to Edward P. Jones, what a masterful work of literature. I truly enjoyed getting to know his characters. How rich the story, written so poetically passionate.
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