Episode 30
Andre Dubus III grew up in mill towns on the Merrimack River along the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border. He began writing fiction at age 22. He is the author of eight books, three of which were New York Times bestsellers: Gone So Long; House of Sand and Fog, a #1 New York Times bestseller and a National Book Award finalist; The Garden of Last Days; and his memoir, Townie, a #4 New York Times bestseller and a New York Times Editors Choice. Dirty Love — a collection of four short novellas — was chosen as a Notable Book and Editors’ Choice from the New York Times, a Notable Fiction from The Washington Post, and a Kirkus Starred Best Book of 2013. His other titles include The Cage Keeper and Other Stories and Bluesman, as well as his new novel Such Kindness (2023)and a collection of personal essays, Ghost Dogs, to be published in 2024
Andre’s work has been included in The Best American Essays and The Best Spiritual Writing anthologies. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, The National Magazine Award for Fiction, Two Pushcart Prizes, and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature. His books are published in over twenty-five languages. He is also a Professor of Writing at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
It was an honor to be able to speak to Andre and hear his insights about his approach to his own writing, how it has evolved over the years, and to hear the advice he would impart to creative writing students and budding writers.