Caleb Johnson claims he could score nine points in an NBA Finals game. Other fictions he’s spun include his fantastic debut novel, TREEBORNE, which is set in his native Alabama. He and James talk about staying true to the storytelling tradition, writing in dialect, giving characters autonomy, and reading the right book at the right time. Then, Justin Jannise, editor of GULF COAST: A JOURNAL OF LITERATURE AND FINE ARTS.

Caleb Johnson 

Caleb and James discuss:

Sewanee Writers’ Conference

Robbie!

Alabama Booksmith

Jake Reiss

University of Wyoming

Hernando de Soto

Chilton Country, Alabama

University of Alabama

Rick Bragg

THE SELMA-TIMES JOURNAL

DIRTY WORK by Larry Brown

Barry Hannah

Cormac McCarthy

William Gay

Daniel Woodrell

BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES

THE MARS ROOM by Rachel Kushner

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

William Faulkner

Lewis Nordan

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee

TRAIN DREAMS by Denis Johnson

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Justin Jannise of Gulf Coast

Justin and James discuss:

The University of Houston

“The Figure a Poem Makes” by Robert Frost

TREEBORNE by Caleb Johnson

Donald Barthelme

REDIVIDER

“The Bear” by William Faulkner

Phillip Lopate