AWP23—Kristen Millares Young

Kristen Millares Young calls her novel Subduction “a study of recurrently going meta,” or “an examination of the longing that we have to be in contact with others who are not like us.” From exploring the notion of consent–not just sexually but also culturally–to the difficulty of the transmission of knowledge and the burden of whiteness, this novel plumbs the depths of the human consciousness.

Kristen is a prize-winning journalist and essayist who regularly writes essays, book reviews, and investigations for The Washington Post, The Guardian, Literary Hub, and much more. Her recent novel Subduction, published by Red Hen Press, was named a staff pick by The Paris Review, called “whip-smart” by The Washington Post, was shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, and won the Nautilus and Independent Publisher Book awards.

We had the privilege of speaking with Kristen about Subduction, including her writing process, how her journalism informs her work as a fiction writer, and her appreciation for Red Hen Press. We also learned about the importance of cultivating a strong professional relationship with an editor and how building trust with them can allow a writer to push for what they believe in.

Honorable Mentions

Ellen Akins review of Subduction in The Washington Post [paywall]

Michelle Bowdler’s Is Rape a Crime

Other Works by Millares Young

Pie and Whiskey: Writers Under the Influence of Butter and Booze

In conversation with Brad Listi on the Otherppl podcast

Audio by Bloomsday Literary in partnership with the official 2023 AWP Conference & Bookfair

Photo credit Natalie Shields