Dantiel W. Moniz on Hometowns, Girlhood, and the Life Experiences that Fuel Fiction Writing
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Show Notes
It’s a very special “Three Ds from Duval” episode of Ursa Short Fiction! Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton welcome fellow Jacksonville native Dantiel W. Moniz, author of the acclaimed 2021 short story collection MILK BLOOD HEAT.
Moniz talks about how growing up in Jacksonville informed the stories in MILK BLOOD HEAT, and how real-life experiences serve as a jumping-off point for the stories we tell.
“It’s always as a seed or a starting off point because the story is a thing that allows me to get past what actually happened or what I think actually happened, and then explore what could have happened.”
Reading List: Books, Stories, and Authors Mentioned
- MILK BLOOD HEAT, by Dantiel W. Moniz (Grove Press)
- “An Almanac of Bones,” by Dantiel W. Moniz (Apogee Journal)
- “Eula,” by Deesha Philyaw (Apogee Journal)
- The Office of Historical Corrections, by Danielle Evans
- The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, by Mariana Enríquez
- Manywhere, by Morgan Thomas
- The Getaway Car, by Ann Patchett
- Dantiel W. Moniz’s website
About the Author
Dantiel W. Moniz is the recipient of a National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” Award, a Pushcart Prize, a MacDowell Fellowship, and the Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction. Her debut collection, Milk Blood Heat, is the winner of a Florida Book Award, and was a finalist for the PEN/ Jean Stein Award, the PEN/ Robert W. Bingham Prize, and the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award, as well as longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. Her writing has appeared in the Paris Review, Harper's Bazaar, American Short Fiction, Tin House, and elsewhere. Moniz is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she teaches fiction.
Read More from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton:
- The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw)
- The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton)
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Episode editor: Kelly Araja
Associate producer: Marina Leigh
Producer: Mark Armstrong
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