Kimberly King Parsons on a Mother’s Right to Disassociate

Welcome to I’m a Writer But, where writers discuss their work, their lives, their other work, the stuff that takes up any free time they have, all the stuff they’re not able to get to, and the ways in which any of us get anything done. Plus: book recommendations, bad jokes, okay jokes, despair, joy, and anything else going on that week. Hosted by Lindsay Hunter.    

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Today, live from Exile in Bookville in Chicago, Kimberly King Parsons talks about her debut novel, We Were the Universe, a mother’s right to disassociate, drugs, horny moms, “a quick squirt,” her painstaking sentence-making, Garielle Lutz, her favorite music, deserving her novel’s ending and more! Plus audience questions!

From the episode:

Kimberly King Parsons: It’s the classic Madonna/whore thing. You shouldn’t desire. If you were into psychedelics before you have a baby, probably you’re still into psychedelics after you have a baby, but you can’t talk about it because there are certain things that seem to be off limits. Including, actually, grieving, or thinking, or anything that requires you to be alone with your thoughts.

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Kimberly King Parsons is the author of the forthcoming novel We Were the Universe and the short story collection Black Light, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and the Story Prize. A recipient of fellowships from Yaddo and Columbia University, Parsons won the 2020 National Magazine Award for “Foxes,” a story published in The Paris Review. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her partner and children.