I speak with novelist Claire Gibson about her unusual journey toward publication, from roving the country as a young Army brat, to living at West Point as a faculty daughter, to the fateful day when a close friend made a galvanizing observation: she was in a unique position to capture the lives and experiences of the women of West Point in the 9/11 generation. The result was Beyond the Point, published by William Morrow in 2019.

Claire and I met last year at Writerfest in Nashville — I found her soft-spoken demeanor belied a shrewd eye for the interior dramas of other people. Reading Beyond the Point I knew I had to have her on the podcast. Listen above or watch below.

One of my favorite aspects of the novel involved her descriptions of the setting and the community of West Point itself. We talk about Claire’s childhood growing up in a military family and how, in her own college experience, she faced opinions antagonistic to some of the values with which she grew up.

We talk at length about the struggles particular to the writing life, from the nagging sense that there’s always something you ‘should’ be doing that would better serve those around you, particularly when you’re a parent, and how creating space in your routine to allow for imagination’s work is a prerequisite for everything that follows.

Claire is currently at work on her second novel. She shares a piece of invaluable advice from author Dani Shapiro that may sound brutal to the uninitiated…

As an avid reader I’m always down to talk books. We trade a few favorite recent titles. And I remember saying something about being intimidated by the same writers who inspire me.

This was a great conversation between two bonafide book nerds and I hope in listening you’re inspired to write something, read something, feel something.

Find Claire:

instagram https://www.instagram.com/clairecgibson website https://www.clairegibson.com/about