Kawai Strong Washburn
Hi Kevin, thanks for the question!
A wide range of literature inspired me, because there are so many types of writing I love: writing that's lyrical, interior, and operates with a fractured plot and timeline like Paul Harding's TINKERS; novels that combine elements of "family drama" with strong plot and heightened language, like Barbara Kingsolver's THE POISONWOOD BIBLE; literature with a strong sense of place and community, like Jesmyn Ward's SALVAGE THE BONES; epic graphic novels that prize deep characterization over shallow tropes, such as Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, or Wendy Pini's ELFQUEST series; contemporary and historical poetry, whether C.K. Williams or Jericho Brown or Aracelis Girmay or Solamz Sharif; and even the sort of canonized short stories that most people have heard of, like Flannery O' Connor's A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND or Denis Johnson's EMERGENCY.
I want to walk away from every book I read feeling myself changed, so the books that have done that to me are the books that inspire me most.
A wide range of literature inspired me, because there are so many types of writing I love: writing that's lyrical, interior, and operates with a fractured plot and timeline like Paul Harding's TINKERS; novels that combine elements of "family drama" with strong plot and heightened language, like Barbara Kingsolver's THE POISONWOOD BIBLE; literature with a strong sense of place and community, like Jesmyn Ward's SALVAGE THE BONES; epic graphic novels that prize deep characterization over shallow tropes, such as Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, or Wendy Pini's ELFQUEST series; contemporary and historical poetry, whether C.K. Williams or Jericho Brown or Aracelis Girmay or Solamz Sharif; and even the sort of canonized short stories that most people have heard of, like Flannery O' Connor's A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND or Denis Johnson's EMERGENCY.
I want to walk away from every book I read feeling myself changed, so the books that have done that to me are the books that inspire me most.
More Answered Questions
Victoria Brogdon
asked
Kawai Strong Washburn:
Your answer to a question about age level gave me the courage to give it to my 15 year old granddaughter. She is so very excited. She told me she could take the R-rated chapters. So thank you again for such as wonderful book. I see it was on Barack Obama's best books of 2020 list! Congratulations. ?
Goodreads
asked
Kawai Strong Washburn:
If you could travel to any fictional book world, where would you go and what would you do there?
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more
Mar 20, 2020 06:26AM · flag
Aug 16, 2022 07:42AM · flag