Today’s podcast episode is a Book Chat episode, where we get to know one of the books that has been published by a fellow NAIWE member.
Our guest today is Christine Benner Dixon.
Christine Benner Dixon and her co-author Sharon McDermott have recently published Millions of Suns: On Writing and Life, a collection of craft-of-writing essays. Christine Benner Dixon came to editing from an academic background, with a Ph.D. in English and years in the classroom. Since launching her editing and consulting business in 2019, she has also found more time to write than the teaching life afforded.
Here is a sneak peak of what we discussed.
Q: When did you first have the idea for this book? And what inspired you to actually write this book?
My co-author Sharon and I taught at the same school for several years. As creative writers and creative writing teachers, we had lots in common — even if our approach to our writing practice and instruction were vastly different. In the early pandemic days, Sharon convened a group of writers for an online workshop. It was a beautiful experience, giving us a means of connecting through writing in a fraught time. After one of these workshops, Sharon pulled me aside and asked if I would be interested in writing a book with her. I said yes immediately. We knew very little about what this book would be except for two things: it would be about writing, and it would not be a how-to manual.
Q: Please describe one of your favorite characters from your book.
Although these are nonfiction essays and so do not have traditional characters, it was a happy coincidence that both Sharon and I decided to write about our grandmothers. Mine was a very meek Mennonite woman who found one moment of boldness that became a family story. Sharon’s was a woman so audacious that even the great hereafter couldn’t stop her from coming back to visit her granddaughter and set her straight.
Q: What did you learn while working on this book? And what were some challenges you faced during the writing or publication of this book?
I learned so much during the writing and publication of this book, both about the act of writing itself and the publication process. Because this was my first book, I encountered every step with our publisher totally fresh: working with an editor at a university press, learning to read a contract, navigating permissions, etc. But of course the greatest learning really was about myself as a writer. It has been enlightening to put a finger on the role that writing plays in my relationships and my sense of self. It forced me to articulate something that has always been implicit in my life.
To learn more about Christine Benner Dixon and her new book Millions of Suns: On Writing and Life, listen to the podcast episode.
Leave a Reply