{"product_id":"conversations-with-brad-watson","title":"Conversations with Brad Watson","description":"\u003cp\u003eThough he only published four books in his lifetime—two story collections and two novels—native Mississippi author Brad Watson (1955–2020) received a staggering amount of praise and awards. His first story collection, \u003ci\u003eLast Days of the Dog-Men\u003c\/i\u003e, published in 1996, received the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction. His first novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Heaven of Mercury\u003c\/i\u003e, was a finalist for the 2002 National Book Award and established Watson as a part of the Southern canon. \u003ci\u003eAliens in the Prime of Their Lives\u003c\/i\u003e (2010), a story collection, was a finalist for a PEN\/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and the novel \u003ci\u003eMiss Jane\u003c\/i\u003e (2016) was longlisted for the National Book Award. \u003ci\u003eThere Is Happiness: New and Selected Stories\u003c\/i\u003e was published posthumously in 2024. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Watson is known for his lyrical prose and devotion to the strangeness of human nature. In the twenty-three interviews in this collection, readers are allowed a peek behind the curtain as Watson reveals his practice—how he writes, why he writes, and what he reads. As a creative writing teacher at the University of Wyoming for over a decade, he delves into his educational approaches. The introduction also includes a list of books and authors Watson recommends in the interviews. Altogether, the interviews in \u003ci\u003eConversations with Brad Watson\u003c\/i\u003e span sixteen years, making this collection a masterclass in Watson’s creative process.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57504975946101,"sku":"9781496864079","price":88.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781496864079.jpg?v=1786953895","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/conversations-with-brad-watson","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}