Midwifing Stories in the American South December 2, 2020 By Collegeville Institute Leave a Comment Editors hold a hidden yet sacred role in the publishing world. As managing editor of The Bitter Southerner, writer Josina Guess works closely with storytellers to hone their work. At times she acts as midwife to writers, helping form narratives on difficult topics like domestic violence and racism. Before she became an editor, Josina attended three writing workshops at the Collegeville Institute, including Writing to Change the World led by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove in 2014, Revision, Christian Spirituality, and the Writing Life led by Lauren Winner in 2017, and Exploring Identity and (Dis)belonging through the Personal Essay led by Enuma Okoro in 2019. She is also a former regular contributor to Bearings Online. In this interview, Josina discusses her work as an editor, as well as her own writing on themes of race, violence, and family. Josina’s posture as an activist, writer, and editor is rooted in curiosity and empathy. From her home in rural Georgia, she shares wisdom from acting and storytelling within a particular community, which she believes is the best way writers can change the world. Topics and resources discussed in this episode: Everyone Carries by Josina Guess in Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction Story about domestic violence in The Bitter Southerner Ahmaud Arbery Holds us Accountable by Jim Barger, Jr. in The Bitter Southerner Featured writing by Josina Guess: The Sound and the Fury of Jericho Brown How We Write a Better South The Wind Delivered the Story Bios Josina Guess is the managing editor for The Bitter Southerner. She writes about faith, race, family, violence, activism and home rooted in the rural and urban landscapes of her life and memory. She lives in an old farmhouse on four acres in rural northeast Georgia with her husband Michael, four children, two dogs, three cats, several chickens and a goat. You can view her writing portfolio here. Ellie Roscher is a writer, theology teacher, and host of the Unlikely Conversations podcast. She is a board member at the Collegeville Institute and the author of 12 Tiny Things, Play Like a Girl, and How Coffee Saved My Life. Ellie holds an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and an MA in Theology from Luther Seminary. She lives in Minneapolis with her spouse and sons. Follow Ellie on social media at @ellieroscher [Twitter, Instagram, Facebook]. Matthew Ian Fleming edited the audio for this podcast. You can find Matthew on Instagram at @matthewianfleming and his other podcasts at www.alterguild.org. Next Steps Follow Josina Guess on social media [Twitter + Instagram] and subscribe to The Bitter Southerner‘s newsletter Follow the work of the Collegeville Institute on social media at @collegevilleins [Twitter, Instagram, Facebook] and subscribe to our email newsletter Like this post? Subscribe to have new posts sent to you by email the same day they are posted.
