Editor's Note: In advance of the March 11 deadline to apply for Lit Fest Advanced Workshops, we've asked the 2023 Visiting Authors for a preview of their workshop style, what they're reading, and more.
What's the most surprising source of inspiration for you lately? If one remains open to tenderness, inspiration is constantly bumping us. Right now, because I am in Singapore, the humidity and heat reminds me of the Bombay of my childhood, and this nostalgia is feeding into various short story ideas.
What are you working on these days? A new novel and when this depresses me, short stories and essays.
How would you describe your workshop style? Close reading is the heart of my workshop style. Also essential is building from strengths. It is easier to increase strengths than it is to eliminate weaknesses.
Which writer or artist whose work you love should more people know about? Robert Stone seems to have vanished from the literary landscape. His novel Dog Soldiers is a work of genius.
Akhil Sharma is teaching Weeklong Advanced Fiction Workshop: Partnering With the Reader. Learn more here. Apply via Submittable.
