Tell Us About Yourself, Lexi Kent-Monning
"Books ... about women obsessing about shit while going slightly insane."
This coming Thursday, November 16, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, I’ll be talking shop in a live conversation with author Lexi Kent-Monning, whose debut novel, The Burden of Joy, was released last month by Rejection Letters.1
Our live (and later recorded!) conversation will focus on the craft of writing and the ways in which the work of others—including Maggie Nelson, author of, among other things, the 2009 essay collection Bluets—inspires her, so I wanted to play a little “Getting to Know You” here.
Jessica Hatch, for Comp Title Book Club (CTBC): Thank you for agreeing to talk shop with me this month, Lexi! Since we’re all about craft and comp titles here, what is your favorite sort of book to read?
Lexi Kent-Monning (LKM): Books that are about women obsessing about shit while going slightly insane (Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett, Drifts by Kate Zambreno).
CTBC: I enjoyed Olga Tokarczuk’s Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead (in translation) for similar reasons. (Also, I’m noticing each of these books plays with form to some extent, which we’ll definitely discuss on Thursday night.) Was your favorite book that you read this year in that category?
LKM: Why the Child is Cooking in the Polenta by Aglaja Veteranyi. It came out ages ago, but it’s being reprinted soon and it’s incredible. I’ve never read anything like it!
CTBC: I’ll have to add it to my list. When did you start writing?
LKM: I’ve written all my life, but I started taking it seriously when I was 33 (I’m 39 now).
CTBC: I think a lot of writers will relate to that. Speaking of, any advice for the aspiring authors out there?
LKM: Share your work with others! It’s absolutely terrifying, but having a couple of people you can share work with is so transformative, both for the work and for your confidence as a writer.
CTBC: What is the best writing advice anyone ever gave you?
LKM: To take time away from a draft after you complete it. I find this immensely difficult, but spending 3 months away from a draft can be so helpful. I come back to it with completely fresh eyes and clarity I didn’t have when mired in it.
CTBC: So true. What’s your favorite part of the writing process: drafting, revision, pitching?
LKM: Absolutely drafting. I hate revision and think I’m really bad at it!
CTBC: Thanks for the brief chat, Lexi. I can’t wait to talk to you about all of this more on Thursday.
Lexi Kent-Monning is an alumna of the Tyrant Books workshop Mors Tua Vita Mea in Sezze Romano, Italy, taught by Giancarlo DiTrapano and Chelsea Hodson. Lexi’s writing has been published or is forthcoming in XRAY, Joyland, Tilted House Review, Neutral Spaces, Little Engines, and elsewhere. A native Californian, she now lives in Brooklyn, New York.
To follow Lexi, visit the following profiles and pages:
Instagram: @lexicola
Website: https://www.lexikentmonning.com/
X (formerly Twitter): @lexicola
Lexi wanted me to share this fabulous deal with all of you: “I also wanted to point your readers to a deal on my book if that would be of interest. They can get it for 50% off here: https://tertulia.com/book/the-burden-of-joy-lexi-kent-monning/9798218263454 - they have to sign up for a trial membership and can cancel it right away after buying the book. OR they can use code "BURDEN" to get 20% off without membership.”