Reading Rural YAL

In this episode, Jeff and I talk about everything from genetic memory of place to why he became a writer and his advice for aspiring writers out there.

Here are the time codes:

• 01:44 His background and connections to rural people and places
• 03:58 Genetic memory and place
• 07:24 Why he became a writer and why he writes
• 12:55 What his writing process is like
• 15:55 Working to embody the world and experiences of his characters
• 17:57 What he likes to read and how it influences his writing
• 20:26 What he’s got in the works
• 22:50 His advice for aspiring writers

During this episode, I outline a possible assignment that uses embodied knowledge and a chosen passage from In the Wild Light to inform students’ writing. Students visit places in the community they love, take pictures, create Wordles, and ultimately write place-connected pieces that they then invite the community to view.

In this episode, I detail my reaction to Zentner’s text as a rural out-migrant and hillbilly reader. I discuss how IN THE WILD LIGHT raises questions about the experiences of rural out-migrants as well as the hero narrative attributed to rural folks who choose to leave their hometowns to pursue higher education.

For this episode, I discuss how Cash and Delaney’s out-migration helps us think about how place shapes the way we see and understand ourselves as well as how others see and understand us.

In this episode, I provide a brief summary of IN THE WILD LIGHT by Jeff Zentner and read from the first pages of the book.

In this interview, J.R. and I talk about everything from his rural background and its impact on his writing, building bridges across difference, the importance of translanguaging, and his writing life and advice for aspiring authors.

See specific time codes below.

• 01:26 His rural background and its impact on his writing
• 07:58 Why he writes
• 11:26 The importance of writing to reflect and identify bias
• 15:00 Building bridges across difference
• 19:35 Silos & echo chambers
• 21:36 Family and rural life
• 24:50 Learning to be an out-migrant
• 26:24 Translanguaging
• 31:58 His writing life
• 38:37 What he’s go in the works
• 44:18 Advice for aspiring writers

In this episode, I discuss some ideas for teaching Hillbilly Queer, including an argumentative assignment with a creative writing twist.

In this episode, I talk about my reaction to Jamison’s Hillbilly Queer as a rural reader.

In this episode, I analyze how place functions in Jamison’s memoir.

In the talk, I mention my piece on Dr. Bickmore’s YA Wednesday.

In this episode, I give a brief summary of J.R. Jamison’s memoir Hillbilly Queer and read a bit from the first pages.