Interview with Sion Dayson
I am thrilled to interview Sion Dayson , author of As a River. I have long admired Sion’s writing, especially her essays on life in Paris, and am so happy to hold her novel in my hands. She will be reading at the Red Wheelbarrow bookstore in Paris on Thursday, September 12th at 7 p.m. Ms. magazine writes that “Dayson’s debut novel is at once delicate and heavy, and is one that will stay with you like the last heat of stormy summer.” Foreword Reviews calls the novel “insightful, observant, and poetic. ”Today, we discuss her life in Valencia, the road to publication, and reading list. I hope that you will enjoy reading her insightful answers!
What took you to Spain?
Sun, sea, and Spanish. After a decade in Paris, I was ready for all three. Living in Spain had been a dream since I was young. I decided it was time to make it happen.
What keeps you there?
I didn’t know a soul in the city when I moved, yet the transition to life here has been pretty smooth. I’m a happier person now. The pace is more laid-back. The sunshine warms my heart, the palm trees make me smile. The people, for the most part, have been kind. And no one blinks an eye at my loud laugh!
How has living in two foreign countries shaped your writing and relationship with language?
Language itself has always been what most draws me to writing. Being immersed in two foreign languages opens new ways of thinking, offers surprises, and keeps me humble (I’m constantly learning – and making mistakes!).
Living abroad also offers distance in examining my own native country. I think it helps with perspective.
How has it shaped the sense of place in your writing?
Setting can be as important as any element in writing. Indeed, it’s often crucial and as important as any character in my writing. In my novel, for example, the story simply couldn’t exist anywhere other than a small, segregated Southern town. The substance, the conflicts, the heart of the story arises because of where it takes place. It’s a fictional town, Bannen, Georgia, but one I hope I’ve rendered so it feels palpable and real.
I think travel and living in different countries has expanded my canvas. And underlies how plunging into the specificity of a place can help you tell a story that feels universal.
Can you tell us about your path to publication?
It was a long, circuitous path. Demoralizing at times, but obviously it has a happy ending!
I started the book in 2005. When I finished it (or so I thought!), I began querying agents in late 2011/ early 2012. It garnered a lot of complimentary feedback, but the consensus boiled down to “it’s beautiful, but too quiet.” (As if “quiet” is a bad thing!)
I kept editing the book, but it seemed it might be better suited to a small press. So I pursued that route for awhile. Another long process, but I was thrilled when it got signed in early 2015. Right when the production cycle was about to start, however, the press abruptly closed without explanation. Needless to say, I was heartbroken.
Eventually another small press agreed to take on some of the original publisher’s orphaned manuscripts. Though the intentions were noble, they unfortunately didn’t have the bandwidth to follow-through on the commitment, either. They stopped communicating for long stretches and never made good on their promises.
It may seem strange to say, but I’m grateful now for this series of disappointments. It’s actually what spurred me to finally pick up and move. Yes, publishing a novel had always been a dream. But the misses with these other presses forced me to consider my other dreams – and most importantly, discern which ones I could make happen myself. The answer: Spain!
Remarkably, my first summer here, in 2018, I received two emails from different publishers on two consecutive days about my manuscript, completely out of the blue. The first was an offer; my manuscript had been sitting in a Submittable queue at a small press for nearly a year. Once they read it, they wanted it!
The second message was from Jaded Ibis Press. While the previous day’s surprise had delighted me, I intuitively knew that the book had finally found its home when JIP’s email arrived. Or rather, it had found me! The press had heard of my manuscript from another publisher who had enjoyed it years before but hadn’t had space in their catalogue. But unbeknownst to me, they had recommended the manuscript to Jaded Ibis, who reached out asking if it was still available.
I am certain that surrendering and becoming less attached to the outcome of publication made space for these other opportunities. It highlighted, again, the importance of community and connection. You have no idea how publication will happen. But it’s possible. And you have no idea who your champions will be, but they are out there. Treat everyone with an open heart.
What advice would you give to writers?
Don’t compare yourself to others. For the most part, writing is a solitary activity. You have to sit with yourself and the blank page. That means the process is unique to you; what works for one person might not work for someone else. Only you can find the material that makes you feel alive and excited to keep working – and only you can figure out how to get the writing done.
There’s a lot of common writing advice that has simply never worked for me, much as I might have wished otherwise. Write every day, for example. I’m super happy for people who do, but the truth is, I don’t!
I also know the idea of not editing while you draft (think Anne Lamott’s famous phrase) has helped a lot of people. But that’s never worked for me, either. I constantly keep polishing what I already have to unearth its true meaning before I am able to move forward. It goes back to language being my touchstone.
So, bottom line: take the advice that resonates and let go of the rest. Don’t worry what other people are doing. Do you.
What books are on your nightstand?
One of the best parts of publishing a book is befriending other authors who are on the journey with you. It’s been a lifeline talking with other writers whose books are forthcoming around the same time as mine and I’ve loved getting to know their work. Right now I have an ARC of Tidal Flats by Cynthia Newberry Martin on my nightstand. It comes out a week after mine.
I’ve also started reading The Travelers by Regina Porter. There are so many characters right up front, though, that I might need to come back to it when my mind is less scattered. It’s a busy time right now as my launch is upon me and I feel like I’m tracking so many things – such a polyphonic novel might be too much at the moment. But I’ll be excited to return to it!
I want to enjoy this launch period – I’ve been waiting for it for so long! But I also look forward to reading more deeply when things are more quiet again. There are so many great books out there!
What’s next?
I’ll be doing some book events in September: in Paris, New York, Philadelphia and the Berkshires. Right now is heavy on promotion.
As for the next project, I shall see!
I’ve got about a quarter of a nonfiction book written about my decade in Paris, but I haven’t looked at it for awhile. Maybe I’ll go back to it. Or maybe something as yet unknown will reveal itself. I’m always open to the unfolding.
