Bradley Quinn
Author Silas House. Photo by Bradley Quinn
Earlier this summer, beloved Kentucky writer Silas House moved from Berea to Lexington, where he now crafts and hones his stories in a light-filled room in Lexington’s Ashland Park neighborhood. At his desk, he is surrounded by various totems that inspire him and remind him of meaningful travels and life experiences – items that lay atop low bookcases and rest in bowls near his computer. Among his favorites are the small stones he’s collected from near and far, including from the homes of favorite fellow writers. His workspace is also filled with books, art and framed letters from admired heroes, and when I visited him recently, he happily recounted receiving a letter from very special fan: Dolly Parton.
“Dolly wrote me a letter when my first books came out, and again more recently when she read my latest novel, ‘Southernmost,’” said House. “I’m as proud of these letters as anything.”
That’s saying something, as House has much to be proud of. The author of six novels, House has been on the receiving end of many awards and acclaim for his thoughtful and honest portrayal of the South – Appalachia, in particular. Other common topics include the bonds of family, the power of food, complexities of love, tolerance, redemption and a love of the land so deeply embedded within the Kentucky native it feels like part of his DNA.
House credits growing up in Eastern Kentucky with family that knew how to “appreciate a good ghost tale and pull a good prank” with instilling in him the art of storytelling.
“I was lucky to be raised in the middle of a large group of remarkable storytellers, and I listened to every word they said,” he said. “My parents, my aunts and uncles, my grandparents – everyone in my childhood seemed to know how to tell an epic tale naturally.
“They instinctively understood that good storytelling is about characters, place and, most of all, trouble,” he added.
Those three elements – characters, place and trouble – play a central role in much of House’s work. His first three novels, “Clay’s Quilt” (2001), “A Parchment of Leaves” (2003) and a “Coal Tattoo” (2004), collectively serve as a multigenerational trilogy set in the fictional Crow County, Kentucky. Centering on characters dealing with various tragedies and hardships, the novels are revered for their dialogue and tender portrayals of complex and memorable Appalachian characters.
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Bradley Quinn
Among the treasured items that House keeps in his home office are a typewriter gifted to him by his aunt when he was young, and correspondance from Dolly Parton, who’s a fan of his writing. Photo by Bradley Quinn
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Bradley Quinn
Among the treasured items that House keeps in his home office are a typewriter gifted to him by his aunt when he was young, and correspondance from Dolly Parton, who’s a fan of his writing. Photo by Bradley Quinn
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Bradley Quinn
Among the treasured items that House keeps in his home office are a typewriter gifted to him by his aunt when he was young, and correspondance from Dolly Parton, who’s a fan of his writing. Photo by Bradley Quinn
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Bradley Quinn
Among the treasured items that House keeps in his home office are a typewriter gifted to him by his aunt when he was young, and correspondance from Dolly Parton, who’s a fan of his writing. Photo by Bradley Quinn
House’s sixth and most recent novel, “Southernmost” (2018), has garnered rave reviews from critics. Having been long-listed for the Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Fiction and appearing in year-end literary “best of” lists in many national publications, including Paste Magazine, Garden & Gun, Southern Living and others, the book centers on an evangelical preacher who experiences a crisis of faith after a gay couple helps him and his neighbors in the midst of a natural disaster. Bestselling author Lee Smith, whom House calls his “main literary mentor,” described the novel as “a spiritual journey,” noting that the book’s “themes of acceptance and equality hold a special meaning for America right now.”
While novels might be the medium for which House is best known, they certainly aren’t his only creative outlet – his essays, short stories and commentary have appeared in such venerable outlets as the New York Times, Oxford American, NPR’s “All Things Considered” and No Depression over the years, and he’s a regular contributor to popular national news and culture website Salon.com. He’s written about Lucinda Williams, Kris Kristofferson and other musical icons as a music journalist and currently hosts a weekly podcast called “On The Porch,” where he holds casual conversations with fellow authors, artists and other people who are making an impact in Appalachia. Among former guests are actress Ashley Judd, writers Barbara Kingsolver and Bell Hooks. (The podcast is available to download or stream on WUKY.org as well as other podcast outlets such as iTunes, and an extended version of the podcast is played on air on WUKY a couple times a month.)
House and his husband, fellow writer and editor Jason Howard, are both educators at Spalding School of Writing in Louisville as well Berea College, and recently moved from a house in Berea overlooking the hills to a Chevy Chase apartment overlooking the mature trees of Ashland Park. Freshly on the other side of the chaos that accompanies any move, House recently relished this new chapter of his life in Lexington, talking against the backdrop of birdsongs wafting up from his otherwise quiet street.
“We have met so many great people – really, everyone is so friendly here,” he said. “I miss the hills, but this neighborhood is so beautiful, and we are loving getting to know it.”
Bradley Quinn
Since moving to Lexington from Berea earlier this summer, Silas House does his writing in a light-filled home office in his Chevy Chase-area apartment. Photo by Bradley Quinn
House took some moments to answer a few questions for Local Luminaries columnist Celeste Lewis about his life and career.
When did you first know you wanted to be a writer? I always knew, somehow. But from seventh grade on I was determined that I was set on that course and nothing was going to sway me from it. By the time I was a sophomore in high school, my entire identity was as a writer. Everyone knew me that way. I wrote and read all the time.
Tell me about how a novel is born. Please share a little about your process. It’s different with every novel. My latest, “Southernmost,” started with a small news item about a custodial kidnapping. Sometimes it’s an image or a line that comes to me out of the blue. Or it could just be that I know I want to write about a particular theme. When I started “A Parchment of Leaves,” I just wanted to write about the nature of forgiveness. And “Eli the Good” is my commentary on life after 9/11.
Whenever I get an idea for a novel the first thing I focus on is getting to know my main characters as well as I can. I might spend a solid year doing that. But once I know the character, I see the space they inhabit, usually a place I know well, and if not, I get to know it. The plot rises up out of the characters.
Where do your characters come from?
They’re always guilt-ridden. I was raised in the holiness church, and everything is a sin and you must always be repenting. My characters usually feel like they aren’t good enough, but they are trying to be as good as they can be. As a novelist, you always want your characters working through some trouble; you want them to be trying. I believe most of us are really trying our best.
What are some of the physical places and landscapes that have most inspired you?
The region around Cumberland Falls, where I did most of my growing up. Cumberland Gap, Key West, Ireland, England. Dale Hollow Lake, on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, is my favorite place in the world. It shows up a lot in my nonfiction, and for years I’ve been writing a murder-mystery set there. Maybe someday I’ll finish it.
Where is a place your career has taken you that really surprised you? Last summer I was invited to the Edinburgh Book Festival. My writing led to me teaching several times in Ireland and Scotland. When I was growing up, we never even vacationed farther than a couple hours from home, so getting to travel overseas as part of my job is not something I ever dreamt of doing. Every time I go to New York City for something book-related I always feel like a bit of an imposter – like someone will find out that I really don’t know what I’m doing as a writer. I recently had to present to about 100 booksellers up there, and even though I’ve been all over the world, I still felt like a little boy from Lily, Kentucky – population 500 back then – to some degree.
What is a place in Lexington that is a favorite haunt? I walk to Ashland almost every day. There is a particular path where the trees are all so huge that the light and air changes because of their leaves. Somehow, you can barely hear the traffic there. It’s a kind of timeless place, I think, because of how old the trees are. That’s one reason I love living in Ashland Park – the trees are so old and big. There is so much birdsong and cicada screaming here because of that. And those are two of my favorite sounds.
Ever had a weird fan encounter? When I lived in Laurel County, right after my first book came out, one Sunday morning a man showed up at my door. He had driven all the way up from Alabama. He brought a bottle of bourbon [bourbon was in the story] and wanted me to have a drink with him. We chatted, but I had small children at home at the time that needed my attention and I had to politely decline.
Are there any Appalachian traditions you wish the whole world would adopt? I do think that more people where I come from sit on a porch or a supper table and talk to each other. I wish everyone did that.
You’re sitting down to your favorite feast – what’s on the menu? White half runners [green beans] with new potatoes, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, fried cabbage, green onions – all of this fresh from the garden. Along with my mother’s cornbread. The beans are the “meat” of the meal, and they’re cooked with a big chunk of salt pork.
What’s the biggest reward in being a teacher? What’s the biggest challenge? The biggest reward is always when you see that a student is engaged. When they’re learning and truly listening and you can see that light bulb go off above their head – there are few things better than that. The most challenging thing is that almost every student is at a different level of knowledge and desire for learning, and as a teacher you have to figure out how to serve all of them the best you can.
What is something you can’t leave home without? A book. I never go anywhere without one. Even if I’m driving across town, I think there might be a traffic jam, and I’ll have some time to read, so I take one.
What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud? My husband. Maybe it’s a cliché to say but few things are more important than being married to someone who can make you laugh.
What’s next for you? I’m thinking about a new book that will be set in Ireland, and I’ve been commissioned to write a television show. We’ll see how all that comes out.