April 26, 2024

Rock Queen Writers: A Panel Discussion on Writing About Musicians in Fiction, with Jessamyn Violet, Mallory Smart, Claire Hopple, Kirsti MacKenzie

1 hour 9 minutes

*Listen to the audio-only episode here, or watch the video version on YouTube, which may make putting voices with faces easier since there are five people in the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkCdyH7Y_YM

*The audio-only episode was taken directly from the video without further editing.

I’m so excited about this special episode of Rock is Lit. It’s a first for the podcast, actually: a panel discussion, with four amazing women rock novelists, hailing from Canada to Chicago to LA and back to my neck of the woods here in Asheville, NC.

Kirsti MacKenzie, Mallory Smart, Claire Hopple, and Rock is Lit veteran Jessamyn Violet are joining me to talk about our experiences and thoughts about writing fiction about musicians.

Jessamyn Violet is a writer and musician out of Venice Beach, CA. Her debut novel, ‘Secret Rules to Being a Rockstar’, was published in April 2023 by Three Rooms Press. Short fiction can be found in ‘Ploughshares’, ‘Lit Angeles’, ‘805 Art + Lit Journal’, and more. She is also the drummer for the psych rock band Movie Club.

Mallory Smart is a Chicago-based writer and Editor-in-Chief of Maudlin House. Some people even call her ‘The Only Living Girl in Chicago’. Mallory is the host of the podcast Textual Healing, where she dives into the fusion of literature and music, and co-hosts That Horrorcast with Dmitry Samarov where they get lost in the weird world of horror films. Her latest book, ‘I Keep My Visions To Myself’, just came out from With an X Books.

Kirsti MacKenzie is the author of ‘Better to Beg’, as well as editor in chief of ‘Major 7th Magazine’. Her work has been published in ‘HAD’, ‘Rejection Letters’, ‘trampset’, ‘Autofocus’, ‘Maudlin House’, ‘Identity Theory’, and elsewhere.

Claire Hopple is the author of six books and the fiction editor at XRAY. Her stories have appeared in ‘Wigleaf’, ‘Vol. 1 Brooklyn’, ‘Forever Mag’, and others. She grew up in the woods of Pennsylvania and currently lives in Asheville, NC. Her next book, ‘Take it Personally’, is forthcoming from Stalking Horse Press in February 2025.

Each of these four talented authors brings a unique perspective to the conversation. From the creative sparks that ignite our own work to the cultural impacts of rock novels in general, we'll navigate the winding paths of character development and uncovering the challenges of breathing life into fictional musicians while honoring the essence of their real-life counterparts. We'll delve into the stigmas surrounding rock novels, dissecting perceptions and stereotypes to reveal the nuanced portrayals crafted by these talented authors.

And of course, no discussion on writing fiction about musicians would be complete without reflecting on current trends and the evolution of the genre, including the explosive success of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s rock novel ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’.

So, tune in and turn up the volume as Rock is Lit takes you on a journey through the pages of rock literature, where every word is a chord and every story a kickass concert.

LINKS:

Leave a rating and comment for Rock is Lit on Goodpods: https://goodpods.com/podcasts/rock-is-lit-212451

Leave a rating and comment for Rock is Lit on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rock-is-lit/id1642987350

Rock is Lit Episode 26, Jessamyn Violet: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/rockislitpodcast/jessamynvioletwithlinalecaro

Jessamyn Violet’s website: https://jessamynviolet.com/bio

Jessamyn Violet on Instagram and Twitter: @jessamynviolet

Movie Club’s website: https://www.movieclubtheband.com/about

Kirsti MacKenzie on Twitter: @KeersteeMack

Mallory Smart’s website: https://mallorysmart.com/

Mallory Smart on Twitter and Instagram: @malsmart

Claire Hopple’s website: https://clairehopple.wordpress.com/bio/

Claire Hopple on Twitter and Instagram: @clairehopple

Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: www.christyalexanderhallberg.com

Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, Instagram & YouTube: @ChristyHallberg

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By Christy Alexander Hallberg

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