Jesmyn Ward
I heard her do a reading of the dog fight scene from Salvage the Bones and instead of feeling repulsed by what was happening I found myself enraptured by the beauty of her language and storytelling. Since then, I’ve read everything she’s written.
Anne Carson
I first fell in love with her essay “Eros the Bittersweet” and its meditation on the complexities of desire–that constant reaching and sense of lack that to me is such a part of being human. I’m also drawn to her wit and blending of genres.
Helen MacDonald
Her ability to find both grief and grace in nature pulls me in. And I admire the way she looks at and critiques different perspectives, yet also will fearlessly turn the lens on her own actions and motivations.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
I can’t resist entering the worlds he creates–the storytelling, the magic, the vivid description.
Marilynne Robinson
She makes me think and see things a different way.
Kathy Davis is a poet and nonfiction writer. Their poetry manuscript Passiflora won the 2019 Cider Press Review Book Award and is due out in 2021. They are also the author of the chapbook Holding for the Farrier (Finishing Line Press).