Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Sharon Harrigan.
Sharon is the author of the new novel Half, which has received accolades from places like Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Foreword Reviews, and the New York Journal of Books. She earned her a B.A. from Barnard College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific University. She is also the author of the memoir Playing with Dynamite and she teaches at WriterHouse in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lives with her family.
In this episode Sharon and I discuss:
- What it means to come of age and how her novel Half addresses that.
- Why it is important to assess what type of point of view to use for a project.
- How to use voice as a bridge between the writer and the reader.
Plus, her #1 tip for writers.
About Sharon Harrigan
Sharon Harrigan is the author of the new novel Half. She has a B.A. from Barnard College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific University. She is also the author of the memoir Playing with Dynamite. She teaches at WriterHouse in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lives with her family.
You can find Sharon on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Check out Sharon’s essay, “Changing Me to We.”
Half
Growing up, identical twins Paula and Artis speak in one voice—until they can’t. After years apart, with lives, partners, and children of their own, they are reunited on the occasion of their father’s funeral. Seeking to repair the damage wrought upon their relationship by outside forces, the twins retrace their early lives to uncover what happened—but risk unraveling their carefully constructed cocoons.
Written in spare,lyrical prose, Half is an achingly beautiful story of intimacy and loss, revealing the complexity—and cost—of sharing your life entirely with someone else. Sharon Harrigan deftly explores how fierce love can also be the very thing that leads to heartbreak and betrayal.
Suggested Reading on the We Voice
Weightless: A Novel by Sarah Bannan
The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Diaz
We the Animals by Justin Torres
A Reunion of Ghosts by Judith Claire Mitchell
And Then We Came to an End by Joshua Ferris
The Committee on Town Happiness by Alan Michael Parker
If you decide to check out the books mentioned in this post, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!
Link to Episode 344
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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!
