“Many writing careers begin in an English class, but in Gerry Wilson’s case, the classroom was her own.” —Emily Liner interviews Gerry Wilson for the Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, MS.
01.29.24: GERRY’S “3 FAVORITE READS OF 2023” at Shepherd.
It was great fun to share my three favorite novels of 2023 with Shepherd. Do take a look, and while you’re there, check out their extensive booklists where you can find just about ANY topic and theme you’re looking for. They’re great about featuring authors, too! I had a hard time narrowing my favorites to three. I’m wondering if any of mine are also yours?
PODCASTS
Charlotte Readers Podcast with Hannah Larrew: “Gerry Wilson’s That Pinson Girl Explores Issues of Class and Race in WWI Mississippi,” 4.30.24
What a great conversation with Kara. Her premise is to ask authors to come up with a “flight” of three authors they love and recommend. My flight? Three generations of Mississippi women authors: Eudora Welty, Jesmyn Ward, and Katy Simpson Smith.
Robin’s conversations focus on books that have influenced her guests’ writing, books that we can all learn from. I chose three books by Mississippi women authors: 1) Eudora Welty’s A Curtain of Green, focusing especially on “A Worn Path,” one of my all-time favorite short stories; 2) Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing (bringing us into the 21st century); and 3) Katy Simpson Smith’s The Story of Land and Sea, the novel that nudged me toward writing historical fiction. These books (and Robin!) made for a great conversation.
Dave is such a gracious host! Living the Next Chapter was my first-ever podcast, and he made me feel quite at home. Our conversation drifted toward sharing a little writing “advice,” which I enjoyed doing. He brought out the teacher in me! So thanks, Dave, for a good conversation.
“Though the overall story is tense and suspenseful, Wilson doesn’t adhere to the action-focused narrative of many crime and mystery novels. Rather, her seventh-generation Mississippian roots bring a storytelling style that pays attention to nature, unspoken social cues and expectations, and the silent dignity of living in poverty in the South.”
That Pinson GirlREVIEW: Mississippi Book Page “Realistic historical fiction novel follows a Mississippi single mother living a hardscrabble life” By Alex Brower
“[Gerry Wilson] writes about a complicated time and place where racism, sexism, and poverty abound. But even amid such dreadfulness, Wilson shows the reader love, hope, and reconciliation.” — Regina Allen
INTERVIEWS
10.07.23: Here’s a bit from Gerry’s interview with Deborah Kalb, published October 7, 2023.
Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: I had a sense of how I wanted it to end all along. What changed dramatically over the course of many rewrites was how to get there. I already mentioned that the characters underwent drastic changes, which ultimately reshaped the ending.
09.16.23: Beth Castrodale at SMALL PRESS PICKS reviews That Pinson Girl
04.23. 23: december magazine chose a short story, “Life Line,” as a finalist for their Curt Johnson Short Prose Award. “Life Line” was published in december’s Spring issue.
11.3.22: Quartet Journal has nominated Gerry’s poem, “Landscaping,” for the annual Pushcart Prize anthology.
02.10.21: Cliff Garstang interviews Gerry about Crosscurrents and Other Stories:
Why this book? Why now?
Crosscurrents predates the #MeToo movement, but there’s something of that struggle in these stories. All the main characters are women who encounter great obstacles to claiming (or re-claiming) their lives. As Antonya Nelson said about the book, “[The] characters are in mortal combat, most often with themselves.”
11.07.15: A writer’s debut must sing, must promise in a way that makes readers check in on the author every so often to see if that next book has been released. With “Crosscurrents and Other Stories” (Press 53), Gerry Wilson makes said promise in the first story, following it with 10 more gems that both fulfill that promise and signal more good to come.
Interviewer Jana Hoops: What inspires you as a writer?
Gerry Wilson:That’s a hard question. Other writers’ works inspire me — or depress me because they’re so good. Inspiration can come from anywhere — an image, a memory, an experience, someone I observe. I may see somebody in the grocery store and start imagining that person’s life. Places are so suggestive of story!
Gerry Wilson 