BackStory: Five Questions with Barbara Diggs Author of Granddaddy at War What inspired you to write “Granddaddy at War”? I’ve always found it poignant and confounding that the African-American men who served in World War I were determined to fight…
BackStory: Seven Questions with Jack Somers
BackStory: Seven Questions with Jack Somers Author of The Defenestration of Jezebel What inspired you to write ‘The Defenestration of Jezebel’? For years, I had heard the term “Jezebel” used as a derogatory term for a woman, but I didn’t…
BackStory: Five More Questions with Caroline Greene
BackStory: Five More Questions with Caroline Greene Author of Eliza Brightwen Waits for Dawn What inspired you to write ‘Eliza Brightwen Waits for Dawn’? This monologue is based on the life of Eliza Brightwen, a naturalist who was very much…
BackStory: Four Questions with Hannah Hoare
BackStory: Four Questions with Hannah Hoare Author of The Sort-of-True Story of Princess Alexandra of Bavaria What inspired you to write ‘The Sort-of-True Story of Princess Alexandra of Bavaria’? I first heard about Princess Alexandra of Bavaria in an episode…
BackStory: Four Questions with Peter Burns
BackStory: Four Questions with Peter Burns Author of Rex Nemorensis (King of the Woods) What inspired you to write ‘Rex Nemorensis (King of the Woods)’? The inspiration for this piece came, in fact, from Donald Trump refusing to accept defeat…
BackStory: Four Questions with Becky Tipper
BackStory: Four Questions with Becky Tipper Author of Root What inspired you to write ‘Root’? Years ago, in a book about childbirth, I came across a brief mention of the history of the caesarean section. Although the operation had been…
BackStory: Five Questions with Carys Crossen
BackStory: Five Questions with Carys Crossen Author of God’s Image What inspired you to write ‘God’s Image’? I discovered Eleno’s story by accident. I had Googled the Inquisition after watching a film featuring the Spanish Armada. I saw the name…
BackStory: Four Questions with Sam Payne
BackStory: Four Questions with Sam Payne Author of Torrey Canyon 1967 What inspired you to write ‘Torrey Canyon 1967’? Some time ago I read article about the Torrey Canyon disaster. It was one of the world’s most serious oil spills…
BackStory: Four Questions with T. L. Ransome
BackStory: Four Questions with T. L. Ransome Author of The Last of El Dorado What inspired you to write ‘The Last of El Dorado’? A trip to Phoenix through the cactus-studded Sonoran Desert. The saguaro are arguably the most iconic…
BackStory: Six Questions with Mark Cassidy
BackStory: Six Questions with Mark Cassidy Author of Gibbet What inspired you to write ‘Gibbet’? I grew up in Guisborough, North Yorks. At the end of the street on which I lived was a narrow lane called Northgate, which was…