Presenting...Craig Johnson!

Craig Johnson, author of Death Without Company, Cold Dish and Kindness Goes Unpunished, indicated interest in this blog and offered to do a virtual interview! Here is what he had to say....

I love the phrasing in your books, for instance, when you said ‘my nose hit his fist’. That sounds like Wyoming guys that I have known. I love the humor, does that come from your experiences with Wyoming people, is it intrinsic to you or is it more universal?

I grew up in one of those families that went out on the porch after dinner and told stories, learning very quickly that it was an ability just like working cattle or rebuilding a small-block—a person who could tell a good story was an individual with a talent. I was talking with Mark Spragg about this and we both agreed that the writing is an extension of that ability. I think no matter what kind of writing you’re doing you have to tell the story and dialogue is a big part. I listen to people very carefully and try to differentiate the characters with their speech pattern, syntax, the word choices—I think that’s better than just throwing in ‘he said, or ‘she said’. There’s also the advice I give students, which is—Is there another way to say this? If you’re writing along and suddenly the writing sounds like it’s been done before… Guess what? It has. Writers are like everyone else; they get lazy and start using the same old words. The big trick? Listening. Ask questions, and then listen to the answers.


Henry Standing Bear represents spirituality, maybe the centering or conscience of Walt. Do you have an equal in your life for that kind of earthly spirituality? Can you permit yourself to trust in the fate when something as difficult as a daughter’s illness might occur?

I’m fortunate enough to have good friends on both the Crow and Cheyenne Reservations and am lucky enough to be one of the only white men ever asked to raise the center lodge pole in the Cheyenne Sundance, which is quite an honor. Indians are incredible in so many ways, their integrity, their humor, their spirituality… They are the bedrock of what I consider to be the west, and excuse the pun; it would be criminal to leave them out of the books. I’ve had a pretty varied life, and I’m not to the point where I can explain all the things I’ve experienced—the things I’ve seen out of the corners of my eyes—that’s for sure. There are stranger things, Horatio, than have been dreamt of in your philosophies… I think the trick in those mystical situations that are described in the books is in allowing the reader to interpret along with the characters—did that really happen or did I imagine that? I’ve been out there on the ragged edge, where you’re talking to people who aren’t there. I think there’s a strength in acknowledging that we don’t understand everything that goes on around us, or why.


Your scene in the kindergarten where you are reading to kids who have a raw realism to their questions, have your experienced something like that with children? What are your thoughts on where today’s children might be going and what kind of support they have in their lives?

There’s an opportunity in the books to show a truth—whether the characters are Indians or police officers. The job isn’t just pulling your gun and sliding over the hood of your car screaming some pithy, Hollywood phrase like, ‘I’m getting too old for this stuff…’ It’s a question of being honest and looking for the humanity in the character, no matter what their age, gender, ethnicity or profession. The kindergarten scene at the opening of Kindness Goes Unpunished is there for numerous reasons—a reminder of Walt’s connection to his daughter, a statement on the condition of a particular society, a metaphor for what happens later… I could go on for a half a page. I think it’s a pretty accurate portrayal, and I think there are always going to be concerns about the future generations. I’m pretty sure the last generation is still worried about us…

What would you like to see Wyoming libraries offer?

Wyoming libraries are run by a pretty capable bunch, and I think they do a marvelous job. I wouldn’t guess at trying to tell them how to do their jobs, but it doesn’t keep me from trying to help. When The Cold Dish first came out, I got an email from the, then librarian in Meeteetse who was wondering if I’d ever think of doing an event over there. She explained that they were a branch library out of Cody and didn’t have a lot of money. I wrote her back and explained that once you’ve reached a certain level of notoriety—you really can’t negotiate your honorarium… Mine was the same as it’s always been, a six-pack of Rainier beer, cans preferred. She accepted my deal within three minutes. It kind of set a precedent that I’ve stuck to—whenever a Wyoming library calls, I do the event for a six-pack. It’s my way of saying thanks.

What are you reading now?

I’m reading The Ox-Bow Man by Benton Jackson, a biography of Walter Van Tilburg Clark who wrote such western greats as The Ox-Bow Incident, Track of the Cat, and House of Trembling Leaves. Ron Carlson’s Five Skies and eight manuscripts from students I’ll be mentoring at the Jackson Writer’s Conference at the end of the month— they’ve got a lot to live up to…
All the best,
Craig

Thanks for the interest, your time, and the picture Craig!