Acclaimed debut novelist and English Professor Priscilla Morris spoke to me about finding her voice, and the germ of an idea that became her labor of love, acclaimed debut novel BLACK BUTTERFLIES.

Priscilla Morris is a British author and lecturer whose debut novel, Black Butterflies, was shortlisted for a number of major awards.

Critics described Black Butterflies as “a story of strife and hope set during the conflict in the Balkans in the early '90s,” and it was shortlisted in 2023 for: the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the RSL Ondaatje Prize, among others, and chosen as an Indie Fiction Book of the Month.

Black Butterflies is a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize 2025 (winners to be announced in September).

Priscilla teaches creative writing in Ireland and studied Spanish, Italian and social anthropology at Cambridge University and creative writing at the University of East Anglia, where she earned her PhD.

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In this file Priscilla Morris and I discussed:

How her Grandfather’s funeral planted the seed that became her novel

Why art helps overcome the tragedies of war

Writing a love letter to the place she spent a part of her formative childhood

How to cultivate a balanced disposition toward your work over time

Why writing is a long game

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

priscillamorris.org

Black Butterflies: A Novel by Priscilla Morris (Amazon)

Priscilla Morris on Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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