Andrew Part 1

I talk with Andrew Malan Milward, a native of Lawrence, Kansas, and a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He has published fiction in places such as The Southern Review and Best New American Voices. His first novel, The Agriculture Hall of Fame, was awarded the Juniper Prize in Fiction in 2012. He has served as the McCreight Fiction Fellow at the University of Wisconsin, a Steinbeck Fellow at San Jose State University, and has received countless other fellowships and awards. He currently resides in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he teaches at the University of Southern Mississippi's Center for Writers and is editor-in-chief of the Mississippi Review. His newest collection of short stories, I was a Revolutionary, explores questions of history, race, and identity. Taking place in his home state of Kansas, the stories span from the Civil War era to the present day, showcasing an impressive cast of characters, each complex and unique as they navigate the war torn and haunted terrain of the Kansas landscape. A huge college basketball fan and a disciplined writer, Andrew has a lot to say about the importance of reading outside your medium and ‘being hard on yourself as a writer.’ We sat down inside the infamous Deadwood bar in Iowa City and had a few beers as I listened to him utter one valuable insight after another.