NEA Big Read Authors Tell All: a Collection of Interviews


By Samra Khawaja
An open book.
What makes our NEA Big Read authors tick? In search of this question’s answer, we rounded up interview clips with the authors to get to know more about their back story and their writing influences. You’ll discover why Cynthia Ozick thinks reading is important, and how Claudia Rankine came to write Citizen. You’ll also find out how Emily St. John Mandel imagined a post-apocalyptic world and the definition of happiness according to Dinaw Mengestu. Have a favorite interview with one of our Big Read authors? Let us know in the comments, or tell us on Facebook. For more interviews with NEA Big Read authors, click here.

Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven

Dinaw Mengestu, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears

Cynthia Ozick, The Shawl

Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric