Episode Seventeen - John Englehardt

Dzanc Books conducts a literary contest every year, and they publish the winner in several categories--fiction, poetry and short stories. In 2019, the winner of the Dzanc Award for fiction was a debut novel by John Englehardt called Bloomland, which is the story of a school shooting that takes place in Arkansas. The book is told from three separate points of view, including the shooter, and it's a masterwork of fine writing. I had the pleasure of talking to John about his debut novel, and the choices he made in how to structure this unique, powerful novel.