Will Boast ’01

When did you know writing was something you were passionate about and wanted to pursue in life?

Not till Knox, to be honest. I was a big reader beforehand and wrote an incredibly silly and strange underground newspaper with my buddies in high school. And I had some vague notion of what writers did. But I definitely didn't know any before getting to Knox. Some encouragement from my teachers—Tom Franklin, Robin Metz, Audrey Petty, Natania Rosenfeld, Scott Garlock, and Rob Smith especially—really helped me take it all more seriously.

Who were your greatest influences, not just in literature but life in general?

In books, probably George Orwell, Roberto Bolano, Turgenev, Flaubert, Natalia Ginzburg, Graham Greene, and James Baldwin. I also greatly admire longform journalists like Ted Conover, Jon Mooallem, and Ellen Willis. In life... That's a bit of a tough one. Certainly my family, who I've written about a great deal. My friends, former Knox classmates, many of them. And music has been a huge part of my life. Performing, studying, listening. In some subterranean way, various drummers, especially jazz drummers, have probably influenced my writing as much as any author has.

Are you currently working on any new projects? If so, what? 

Two new novels and a book of essays and reporting.

What does winning the Flannery O'Connor Award mean to you? 

Well, a very pleasant and welcome surprise. I've been reading the series for some time, and many of the writers who've published in it—like Antonya Nelson and Ha Jin—I deeply admire. And, of course, if not for O'Connor herself, we'd all be writing quite differently. It's strange to be following such figures, even if we're very much in their shadows.

What were some of the activities outside the classroom you were involved in at Knox? 

The Jazz Ensemble. I played trombone in the big band and drums in various combos. Lived in the Jazz House for two years, too. Knox has both a great writing program and a great jazz community, and I was lucky to be part of both. 

What advice do you have for aspiring writers? 

Tough one, this. Take yourself seriously, but let your work be unserious if needed. Don't foreclose too early on what "literary" means. Write about what you like and you're truly fascinated with—or troubled or thrilled by—rather than what you think is a glamorous or "important" subject.

What is your writing process, and does it change as you go from the infancy of an idea you wish to write about to the process of putting down words? 

Putting down words is just the beginning. Most of my efforts have taken a long time and grown and changed substantially over months and, more often, years. My process is mostly just planting my butt in the seat until something emerges and then revising, revising, and revising until someone,often me,starts screaming at me to stop. And then revising some more.

How did your time at Knox shape you, not just as a writer, but a person as well? 

To be honest, I was probably not ready for college when I arrived at Knox. My high school was okay, and I did all right there, but I really had no idea how to be a college student. My first-year preceptorial professor gave me C's on my papers, and he wasn't wrong. So, I had plenty to learn, and luckily Knox was great about helping me catch up.

Galesburg is a profoundly midwestern place, and the corn and soy fields glowing under summer sun or the freight trains rumbling through the night sit somewhere deep in my psyche. I grew up in England, Ireland, and Wisconsin. And I've lived in a bunch of cities since—Chicago, NYC, SF, LA, Rome, and now London—but when I think about where I'm "from," that train is still rolling through the fields.