Novelist Guy Owen describes the process of writing and changing real life into fiction by taking the germ of a thought and “running it through the Olympics” of his imagination. He challenges the notion that southern literature is in decline, citing its rich oral tradition and the ability of southern authors to vividly render a sense of place and the tempo of southern life. Owen is author of The Ballad of the Flim Flam Man and the Pulitzer Prize–nominated Journey for Joedel.
At the time of this interview, Owen was writer-in-residence and professor of English at North Carolina State University. He participated in the summer institute for North Carolina citizens, “Voyages of Discovery: On the Literature of Travel and Exploration,” held at the National Humanities Center in 1980.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
