Episode 51: Marc Lynch interviews Fawn Parker

Introduction

In this interview, Parker discusses her experience as a Ph.D. Student at The University of New Brunswick, As well as her career through such publications as Bad Nudes Magazines and Bad Nudes Books, the founding of her band Pet Play. Parker expands on her writing process, and her differing approaches to prose and poetry both inside and outside academic institutions, and finally, Marc and Fawn discuss the culture of Canlit, and the role community plays in the creation of writing.

BIOS:
Marc Herman Lynch is a mixed-race writer, currently doing a PhD student at the University of Calgary and presiding as president of filling Station magazine. Each summer he works with the creative team at Wordsworth Youth Writing Camp to teach young writers. He resides in Moh’kins’tsis, otherwise known as Calgary, in Treaty 7 Territory, Alberta. His debut novel, Arborescent, was published by Arsenal Pulp Press in 2020.

Fawn Parker is the author of Set-Point and Dumb-Show (ARP Books), What We Both Know (McClelland & Stewart), and the forthcoming Soft Inheritance (Palimpsest Press) and Hi, it’s me (McClelland & Stewart). Her short story “Feed Machine” was nominated for the 2020 McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize and her novel What We Both Know was nominated for the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Show Notes:
06:23 Fawn Parker talks about the Ph.D. program at the University of New Brunswick
08:29 The discussion of working at Bad Nudes Magazine
08:30 The (Ex)Puritan Magazine
09:25 Bad Books Press
10:10 Parker talks about paper and digital prints
11:17 Discussion of PETPLAY and Parker’s music adventures
11:24 Joshua Chris Bouchard
13:24 Talking about the nomination for the Giller Prize
13:45 “In Which A Small Item is Found”
14:01 “Vacation with my Mother” in Looking Good and Having a Good Time
14:12 Form, Genre and Parker’s writing process
15:03 Crafting scenes in Parker’s works
16:14 The complex interplay between memory, abuse and reality
18:07 Kelly Joseph
19:28 What comes first to a writer: Characters or plot?
20:28 The use of the present tense in Parker’s novel.
21:04 Set-Point
22:30 Parker talks about leaving Montreal and life in Fredericton
23:32 The impact of the community on the writer
24:45 Weak Spot
24:54 The discussion of Soft Inheritance
25:29 Parker refers to “The Lady’s Dressing Room” by Jonathan Swift
27:51 Marc refers to Episode 9: Fawn Parker & Lesley Trites
29:03 Dumb-Show
29:48 Discussion of female characters’ struggle against the patriarchal structure
31:35 The speakers talk about CanLit
34:17 What’s next for Fawn Parker?

Parker’s photo was taken by Steph Martyniuk.

TIA House recognizes the generous support of the Canada Research Chairs program and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. We also appreciate the support of the Faculty of Arts and the Department of English at the University of Calgary, where our offices are housed, as well as the guidance of Marc Stoeckle at the Taylor Family Digital Library.