Tell us about Lakewood:

Lakewood is a novel about a young woman named Lena Johnson who has to take care of her family. Lakewood is a novel about systemic inequity in the United States in relation to race, gender, class. Lakewood is a novel about grief and love and friendship. Lakewood is about some gross stuff.

How are you nesting during this time? 

I planted vegetables and flowers yesterday. I pulled up the clover and the dandelions and yanked roots and started new homes. I reminded myself that some of the things I plant will be eaten by birds, others will shrivel and never really get started, and a few will eventually be salad. And even that will be a little sad while also being an accomplishment.

Do you have a bird story or favorite feathered friend?

The most quirky small-town thing about where I live is there is a well-known parrot who is often seen around town. His wings were clipped by his previous owner and his current owner learned—I have no idea how—that the bird loved to ride on the back of his bike. In the spring and summer, you can regularly see this man riding around town with the red parrot on his custom perch behind him.

What is your most memorable reading experience?

I was fourteen and my family lived far away from most people. Our backyard was big. And I would go and lie in the grass and read most of the day. I would go inside sometimes to cool off or refill my glass of water, but I remember waving everyone off. One of my siblings brought me a plate of dinner. And I realized that the sun was setting and I had been so far into reading that I had truly been somewhere else.

What makes you most excited about Lakewood?

It's having people take my work seriously. I'm deeply disinterested in having everyone like the book, but I am deeply interested in having people be rigorous and thoughtful. So whenever people tell me their book club is reading it, or ask me questions, I get really excited.

To tweet or not to tweet?

Ugh, Tweet.

What books do you have in your bag right now?

I'm not really going anywhere, but I peeked in my tote and I had Fiebre Tropical still in there from when I was reading it at the start of March.

Can you tell us your favorite rejection story?

When I was twenty-two and graduating from undergrad, I had no plans, so I applied to MFA programs and got into absolutely none. And I felt really down; most of my friends were going on to graduate school, I had no plan, and I felt like it might have been proof that I had wasted a lot of time on writing. So, I got a job. I started reading. I fell in love. I kept reading. I started writing again. Not for class deadlines, not for other people, but for me. I found that I didn't need cookies or attention to write, that I was going to do it no matter what. And it was a lesson I needed.

What literary journals do you love?

Well, of course The Offing and The Rumpus. I also love The Iowa Review, Split Lip Magazine, Wigleaf, TriQuarterly. On Loan From the Cosmos is new, but I've really liked a lot of the work on it (and the layout)..

What shakes your tail feathers?

I love flowers and plants. Being in a greenhouse makes something in my soul sing. I miss walking around on April days like this and seeing all the blooms, feeling my heart lift up because I know soon it will be peony season. Peony is such a terrible melodic word for such a wonderful flower.

What advice do you have for fledgling writers?

A lot of people are going to give you advice, especially at the start of your writing career. One of the hardest things to learn is to figure out when the advice actually is helpful and when the advice is someone trying to make you conform to their aesthetic ideals. Learn to listen to the voice in your head, the one that knows what you're trying to write and achieve, even when some very loud voices are trying to tell you there are  only set ways to write a "good story."

What other eggs do you have in your basket right now?

I've been writing a new longer project for a few years now. I'm trying to be gentle with myself. When everything first started snowballing, I wanted to do a lot of projects and stay busy, but even before COVID-19, I was emotionally burnt out. Instead, I'm making a plan to give myself an absolute at-home vacation in July. I'm going to get some of the books I read and loved when I was a teenager and stay up late reading them, and see how I feel.