TEXASREVIEWPRESSINTERVIEW

TR:YourdissertationwascalledANewPoeticsof
Silence:Joyce,Beckett,Cageandthereforeyouhave
doneagreatdealofworkonthemtocompleteit.Has
thatworkinfluencedyourownwriting?
WO:Joycehasbeenaprofoundinfluenceonmy
writingandmythinking,ashehasbeenforsomany
artists.IwrotemydissertationpartlyonFinnegans
Wake,butitisJoycesmasteryoftheshortstoryform
inDublinersthatmostimpressesme.SharpeyedJoyce
fansmayspothiddenreferencestomomentsfromJoyce
booksinsidemyownwriting.
JohnCageisanotherstory.Iverymuchadmirehis
philosophyofart,andindeedoflife.Idontthinkit
hasbeenadirectinfluenceonhowIwrite,however.I
donotusealeatorymethodsordisavowintention.
TR:Arethereotherwritersyouhavereadthat
haveinfluencedyouinbothyourchoiceofformsand
themes?
WO:Many.Thewriterswhomostinfluencemetendto
betheBritishandAmericanModernists:Faulkner,
Fitzgerald,Lawrence,Hemingway,andofcourseFlannery
OConnor.Ifindinthemthecombinationofexcellent
artistryatthelevelofthesentence,and
philosophicalsignificance,thatmakesmewanttoread
andwrite.Imlessimpressedwithpostmodernfiction,
largelybecauseofitsembraceofirony.Thereare,of
course,shiningexceptions.
WO:Manyofthestoriesdealwithaquestionof
faith,suchasFatherJohanCahillanesashewatches
hisfriendandfellowclergymembersuccumbto
Alzheimersdisease,andsodoyoubelievethatfaith
andmedicinecanworktogethertohelpapatientheal?
WO:Thereisnoquestion.Faithinitsbroadest

sensewhichIwoulddefineasaYestolifeislife
givingandhealthgiving.Faithasirrational
acceptanceofametaphysicalclaimshrinksthemindand
opposeshealth.
JohanCahillanessituationisquitedifferent,
though.Hisfaithhastakentheformofanangry
intellectualinsistence,andonlythroughhavingthat
faithshatteredwillitbecomepossibleforhimto
experiencecompassion.
TR:Doyoureadyourownworkafteritis
published?Ifso,doyourperceptionsofitchangewith
time?
WO:Itendnottoreaditafterithasbeen
publishedbecauseIhavepreparedeachelementso
carefully,andreaditsomanytimesbeforehand,that
thereisasomewhatpainfulprocessoflettinggo.My
fearisthatIwillseesomethingIwouldloveto
change,anditwillbetoolatetodoso.
TR:Youwriteablogdealingwithphysicsand
cosmologyandhaveaB.A.inPsychologyand
Neuroscience.Howdoesthisinterestinthesciences
intersectyourfictionandyourcreativewritingin
general?
WO:PeopleoftenaskmewhyIdontwritescience
fiction,giventhatIaminterestedinscienceandalso
writefiction.ReallytheconnectionisthatIam
interestedinwhataresometimescalledtheDeep
Questions:Whydoesthecosmosexist,andwhydoesit
havethecharacterthatitdoes?Isobjectivereality
knowableatitscore,orisrealityultimately
irrational?Whatisconsciousness,andwhyisithere?
Whyarewesowonderfullyandterriblydifferentfrom
allotherspecies?Thesequestions,longrelegatedto
religiousfaith,arenowcomingunderthepurviewof
scientificinquiry.
Thehumanresponsetotheconditionsofexistence
isanothermatter.Thatistherealmofphilosophy

which,forme,isbestexpressedthroughart.
TR:Youhavepublishedinawiderangeofgenres
andforms,whydidyoudecidetomakeAcrosstheRiver
anovella?Howdoyouseethenovellaasdifferingfrom
ashortstorycollectionoranovel?

WO:Myfirsttwobooks,Zombi,YouMyLove,and
AcrosstheRivercanbothbecallednovelinstories.
Thatis,onecanreadanygivenstoryfromthe
collectionand,ifIhavedonemyjobwell,comeaway
withadistinctandsatisfyingaestheticexperience.If
onechoosestoreadfrombeginningtoend,alarger
narrativeemerges:inZombi,YouMyLove,itsthe
storyofanAmericanphotojournalistwhotravelsto
Haitiontheeveoftherevolution,hopingtoconvince
amissionaryhelovestoleavewithhim.InAcrossthe
Riveritstheexperienceofacollegeinternnamed
ToddSproleswhospendshiswinterbreakinterningata
hospitalinD.C.,andthroughhisexperiencesthere
comestoavisionofhisowncorporeality.
Ashortstorycollectionisjustthat:a
collectionofstoriesbyoneauthor.Thoughthemes
emergeandimagesrecur,itsnotgenerallyan
expressionofnarrativedrivethatextendsfromone
storytothenext.Forminganovellaoutofdiscrete
butlinkedstories,inAcrosstheRiver,allowedmethe
pleasuresofboththeshortstorywriterandthe
novelist.Thereisalsoaconcludingpoemattheendof
eachsection.
TR:Yournewestnovel,KillerofCryingDeer,isset
in17thcenturyFloridaandhasapirateasoneofthe
maincharacters.Howdidthisideacometoyou?
WO:OneoftheideaputforthinKillerofCrying
Deeristhatthepiratesorprivateershadmoreof
aformativeroleinthecreationoftheNewWorldthan
didtheofficialseatsofpower.Itsanovel
essentiallyaboutthecompetitionforwhatwillbecome
America:piracy,slavetrade,Franciscanmissionaries,

andnativeAmericantribesareallinthemix.
IhavespentagooddealoftimeintheFlorida
Keys,stayingdownthereonceortwiceayearforthe
pastdecade.ThoughIamnotoriginallyfromFlorida,
thehistoryoftheregionbegantofascinateme,andI
writeaboutthingsthatIwanttounderstand.The
historicalresearchIdidwhenwritingKillerofCrying
Deerinitselfwashalfthereward.
TR:YouarethewriterinresidenceatEmerson
College,whatdoesthatentail?Doestheliterary
historyofBostoninspireyou?
WO:IamoneofseveralWritersinResidence;as
thenamesuggests,Iampartlypaidtowritemynext
book,butthedaytodayisteachingclasses.Iteach
undergraduateandgraduateworkshopsinfictionandin
playwriting,andonoccasionIteachgraduateor
undergraduateliteratureclasses.
Andyes,Bostonandsurroundsmakefora
magnificentlyinspiringregionforanyonewhoresponds
toliteraryhistory.EveryHalloweenIcarryajacko
lanterntoNathanielHawthornesgraveonSleepyHollow
CemeteryinConcordetothankhimforwritingYoung
GoodmanBrown.Onthewaythereyoucansayhelloto
Emerson,Thoreau,andtheAlcotts.Thispartofthe
countryisfullofsuchmoments.
TR:YouhavesaidthatAcrosstheRivercomesfrom
yourlabworkattheNationalInstituteforMental
Health,butitissetinatraditionalhospitalwhere
thedoctorsareoftenunabletohelppatientshealand
wefeeltheirsuffering.Doyoubelievethatthereader
shouldlearnfromyourwork?
WO:MyworkattheNIMHstartedtheimageryinmy
ownmindthatwouldlatercoalesceintoAcrossthe
River,butitisntascientificwork.WhatImeanis
this:AcrosstheRiveriswritteninthetragicmode,
astheepigraphfromS.H.Butchershows.Thepurpose
oftragedyistopurgeoursoulsbywayofextreme

sufferingsothattheyreachakindofbedrockfrom
whichauthenticpersonalgrowthcantakeplace.Iwould
likethereadernottolearnanythinginparticularso
muchastoexperiencethesufferingofmycharacters,
beemptiedoutastheyare,andtoriseagainintothe
richnessoftheirownactuallives.Itisonlythe
emptiedvessel,sotospeak,thatcanbefreshly
filled.
This,however,isintheserviceofliterature.
Medicalscienceismakinggreatadvancesagainstthe
illsthatbesetusallIsaythisasacancersurvivor
myselfandreaderswhoendureanyoftheseproblems
haveeveryreasontohope.
TR:Doyoufeelaneedtoconnectwithyourreaders?
Ifso,inwhatway?
WO:Alotofpeoplehavebeentellingmerecently
thatthemodernauthorneedstotweetandblogandrun
contestsofFacebook.AtthemomentIdontagree.I
feelaprofounddesiretospeaktopeople,butwhatI
wanttosayisexactlywhatiscontainedwithinmy
book.Ifeelthisasareaderaswell.Itdoesntmake
sensetometoread,say,KafkasAHungerArtistand
thenlogontotheauthorswebsiteandaskhimwhat
hemeant.Artisadifferentthingfromchat.
TR:Thenovellabeginsandendswithastoryabout
Toddandheisoneofthemorehopefulcharactersin
theworkduetohisabilitytoconnectwithpeople.Can
thatconnectionwithpeoplemakehimabetterdoctor?
Ordoesheneedtobedetachedtobeaneffective
healer?
WO:Itsanexcellentquestion,andoneIwould
prefernottoanswermoredirectlythanthebookdoes.
Iwouldonlysaythatthesamequestionconfronts
NathanielGalleyintheeponymousstory,theyounger
doctorinThatElusiveQualityofLife,andothers.
Thatdistinctioniscentraltothebooksmeaning:
whethermedicinesjobistoopposemortalityor

enlivenhumanity,andwhathealingultimatelymeans.We
areall,ultimately,goingacrosstheriver;howwe
touchuntilthattimeisofutmostimportance.