Show Notes for Ep. 53 "Jo Walton"
Dragons and alternate history; the research process; writing with particularity, and courage; character work; and more on this Deep Dive with author Jo Walton about her work across multiple genres. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources.
Find out more about the Portolan Project here: www.speclit.org/portolan-project
Content warning: discussion of rape in Greek mythos in relation to Walton’s Just City trilogy
Recorded 2022 / Published August 21, 2023
Contents
- 0:00:00 – introducing Jo Walton, how she came into her genre career, and writing Tooth and Claw
- 0:13:10 – on writing Farthing
- 0:17:03 – on Walton’s research process
- 0:24:50 – on writing Among Others
- 0:31:48 – writing to your specific particularity, with sincerity, and through fear
- 0:45:48 – On Walton’s Just City trilogy (content warning for discussion of rape in Greek mythos and statues)
- 0:57:04 – comparing Walton’s work to Ted Chiang’s on character building in terms of their environment
- 1:08:36 – closing thoughts and Walton’s most recent book
Works Mentioned
Organized by order of appearance.
- list of Jo Walton’s books and other works
- The Collected Essays, Journalism, and Letters of George Orwell
- Terra Ignota, series by Ada Palmer
- Skin: Talking About Sex, Class And Literature, by Dorothy Allison
- The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion, by Margaret Killjoy
- Or What You Will, latest book by Jo Walton
