Nationally acclaimed author Hannah Pittard has called Lexington home since 2014. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
When talking to Hannah Pittard, it’s hard not to notice a certain glint in her eye – one that suggests she’s onto something fun that no one else knows about.
It’s the look of a born storyteller.
“I’ve always loved telling stories,” explained Pittard, who grew up in Atlanta and moved to Lexington in 2014 to accept a teaching position with University of Kentucky’s English department. “My family might say that I’ve always loved lying, but the truth is that I like to entertain.”
As a child, her proclivity for storytelling often led her to embellish stories for the sake of entertainment. Today, as a creative writing professor and author of four critically acclaimed novels (and a fifth in the works), Pittard understands the best fiction tells some kind of truth.
“‘Tell the truth, but make it up’ is something that I’m always asking of my students,” she said. “I ask it of myself now, too.”
Pittard’s storytelling now extends to an ever-growing audience far beyond her family. Her 2018 novel “Visible Empire” – which utilizes a real-life 1962 airplane crash that killed more than 100 of Atlanta’s prominent civic leaders and art patrons as a backdrop to explore the complex wreckage and rebuilding that comes with loss and recovery – was shortlisted in publications that include New York Times, Bitter Southerner, Town & Country, Southern Living and Oprah’s O Magazine. Her essays and short stories have appeared in Oxford American, American Scholar, McSweeney’s, Salon and Best American Short Stories, and she’s been the recipient of a number of awards, including the 2006 Amanda Davis Highwater Award, granted by the esteemed publishing house McSweeney’s to a writer under the age of 32 who shows exceptional promise.
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Pittard’s living room is decked out with items that hold significance to her, including prints by a favorite photographer, Slim Aarons, whose photo graces the cover of her most recent novel, “Visible Empire.” Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Pittard’s living room is decked out with items that hold significance to her, including prints by a favorite photographer, Slim Aarons, whose photo graces the cover of her most recent novel, “Visible Empire.” Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Also in Pittard's living room, a full-page magazine ad featuring her late, beloved stepfather. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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On Pittard's mantle sits a family pillow and photograph of her mother. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
As is the case with many writers, much of Pittard’s perspective as a writer draws from a history of introspection. She claims she was a “painfully shy” child who suffered in social situations for many years as “the girl in the corner avoiding eye contact at all costs.” She can point to two major life experiences as an adult that significantly changed her and her outlook on life. The first was the death in 2006 of her beloved stepfather – a heartbreaking loss that ultimately led to a deeper understanding of the fleeting nature of life and the importance of making the most of every moment. In the wake of her grief, she made a conscious decision to shed the skin of a shy young woman and become someone who embraces life head on.
“I had spent so much of my life trying to be invisible,” Pittard said. “I quit overthinking things and decided to open up.”
The second life-changing experience came years later, in the form of a divorce that gave her a new perspective on the concepts of love and loss – themes that regularly make their way into her work.
“I feel like my stories all come from a place of loss and explore the light and the dark,” Pittard said. “I can tap into that muscle memory of what that is like and give it to a character.
“You’re trying to imagine other worlds – someone else’s life – but every character is imbued with some aspect of me,” she added.
When she first moved to Lexington five years ago, Pittard – who is now the director of the University of Kentucky’s Creative Writing program – initially considered the move a temporary steppingstone in her career. It didn’t take long for her to fall in love with her new hometown, however, and she doesn’t plan to leave anytime soon – in fact, several of her family members have followed her lead and moved to Lexington in recent years.
“I’ve written three novels here in five years,” she said. “I love the people, the coffee shops, the neighborhoods. It’s home.”
This photo was taken in Pittard’s former apartment in Chicago, with her late dog Elmer T. Lee (R.I.P.). Photo by Meghan Still
Hannah recently took some time to answer a handful of questions for us about her process, her playlists and the strangest email she’s ever gotten.
Tell me about how a book idea evolves. What are some of the themes you like to explore?
Ideas percolate. I know at a certain point I need to sit down and write. I write about what troubles me, what irritates me, what grabs my attention and keeps me awake at night. I write to make sense of the world. I think it wouldn’t be wrong to say that almost everything I’ve written so far is — to some extent or another — an exploration of the aftermath of parting. I’m interested in how people and communities and individuals move forward [or don’t!] after experiencing a sudden or great loss.
Tell me a little about your writing process when you are working on a new novel.
The first draft is typically an all or nothing situation. I’m either 100% committed to a project—meaning I’m likely being a lousy friend and terrible sister or daughter—or I’m out in the world watching, listening, waiting for the next idea to take hold. I do a lot of my plotting and thinking while running. It’s a very instinctive and organic process. When I write, I try to get out of my own way. It’s important to leave your ego in another room. By leaving my ego next door I can try to listen to these other voices and be surprised by them. For me, writing fiction is all about research, empathy and respect – plus the seduction of language and a little bit of magic.
What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to you?
I once received an email written in the same voice and from the same perspective as the narrator of my first novel [‘The Fates Will Find Their Way’], which is about a girl who goes missing. The email addressed me as if I was the girl in my novel. We never figured out who sent the email. It was an unnerving and definitely a strange event. The strangest? Probably not. But it’s up there.
What is a favorite spot in Lexington?
The bar at Cole’s. But don’t tell anyone.
Are you a music lover? What do you like to listen to?
I can listen to Hayes Carll on repeat for a week straight. I might throw in some James McMurtry or Robert Earl Keen to mix it up. But then it’s right back to Hayes. I also listen to a lot of books on tape. I’m a runner, and I can usually clear an extra novel or two a week by listening.
What is something about you that would surprise people to know?
I’m really good at karaoke even though I can’t sing. It’s all about the performance. In another life, I’d have been a stand-up comedian. In this life, I am painfully shy, though I’ve learned lots of tricks to mask the condition. This year I relearned how to do a flip off a diving board. I’m a little bit obsessed. Next year I’ll perfect my backflip or die trying, possibly literally.
As a college professor, what about teaching is the most rewarding and what is the most challenging?
I love the enthusiasm of students who are already passionate about writing. I also love the challenge of convincing an 18-year-old who thinks he doesn’t like to read that he does.
Now that you are a Kentuckian, what new things have you adopted? Any new obsessions?
I live for [local brand] Kentucky for Kentucky apparel and stickers. I’m a fanatic. Before I moved here, my dog [RIP, sigh…] was already called Elmer T. Lee [after the famous Kentucky distiller]. There was a lot about Kentucky that was calling to me.
If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you like to go?
I’d be magically placed at Stephen King’s breakfast table, and we’d have a nice long talk about plot and momentum over coffee and eggs. If I couldn’t have that, I’d settle for a seaside hotel in San Sebastian.
What about being a published writer has been the most unexpected experience?
Publishing my first novel is right up there with finishing my first marathon and swimming with a whale shark, none of which really answers your question. In general, I’m very good at not answering questions.
What is next for you?
Novel No. 6… And maybe another marathon or at the very least a half marathon? A tattoo? Definitely a backflip.
Photo by Emily Giancarlo