“The Writers’ League of Texas is a one-stop shop for connecting with your craft, your peers, and industry insiders.”
-James Wade
A member of the Writers’ League of Texas since 2015, James Wade lives in Austin.
Scribe: In what genre(s) do you write?
JW: Literary Fiction.
Scribe: What author(s) would you like to have a drink with, and what beverage?
I’d like to get Chad Harbach, Ben Fountain, Stephen Graham Jones and Joe Lansdale around the same table. I imagine the tales would last longer than the beer.
Scribe: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book would you want to have with you to keep you sane?
JW: Give me The World According to Garp by John Irving and I should be okay, until I start wishing I’d said Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird.
Scribe: What have you learned from your association with the Writers’ League?
JW: Several things, including how much support the Writers’ League of Texas gives to all its members, no matter where they are in their careers. The WLT has fostered relationships with a brilliant mix of established and emerging voices in the literary industry, and its willingness to share those relationships is made apparent by all of the learning opportunities it provides. From Third Thursdays and open office hours to the phenomenal classes offered almost year round, the WLT is a one-stop shop for connecting with your craft, your peers, and industry insiders.
Scribe: Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
JW: Somewhere raw and emotional. Somewhere terrifying and beautiful. Somewhere with the blisters of experience and the audacity of hope. Or maybe just down the street to grab a burger.
Scribe: Here at the Writers’ League, we love sharing book recommendations. What’s one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down?
JW: Paradise Sky, by Joe Lansdale. It just won the 2016 Spur Award for Best Historical Western. This is actually one of the few Joe Lansdale books that isn’t set near his own East Texas stomping grounds, but the guy is a state treasure at this point, so he gets the nod here. But if you want to be the first one to the party, Mongrels, by Texas-born Stephen Graham Jones, received a tremendous amount of praise ahead of its May 10 release.
Scribe: Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world? An opportunity for blatant self-promotion!
JW: My latest short story, “Such Things as Hope,” is featured in the current edition of the Skylark Review, available on Amazon. To read things I’ve written, find out more about me, or join my book-loving newsletter, visit www.jameswadewriter.com.
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Thanks, James!
