This week on The Write Question, host Lauren Korn unearths an unaired conversation from the TWQ archive! In this conversation, she speaks with Morgan Talty, author of Fire Exit (Tin House Books; Zando Projects), which is now available in paperback! Lauren spoke with Morgan in 2024 in advance of the novel’s hardcover release, and due to some technical difficulties with the resulting audio, their conversation was kept on ice—until now, just in time for the paperback release. The two cover a lot of ground in this conversation: blood quantum, language, identity, belonging, and community.
About the book:
From the porch of his home, Charles Lamosway has watched the life he might have had unfold across the river on Maine’s Penobscot Reservation. He caught brief moments of his neighbor Elizabeth’s life—from the day she came home from the hospital to her early twenties. But there’s something deeper and more dangerous than the river that divides him from her and the rest of the tribal community. It’s the secret that Elizabeth is his daughter, a secret Charles is no longer willing to keep.
Now, it’s been weeks since he’s seen Elizabeth, and Charles is worried. As he attempts to hold on to and care for what he can—his home and property; his alcoholic and bighearted friend Bobby; and his mother, Louise, who is slipping deeper into dementia—he becomes increasingly haunted by his past. Forced to confront a lost childhood on the reservation, a love affair cut short, and the death of his beloved stepfather, Fredrick, Charles contends with questions he’s long been afraid to ask. Is his secret about Elizabeth his to share? And would his daughter want to know the truth, even if it could cost her everything she’s ever known?
This conversation has been edited for time.
About Morgan:
Morgan Talty is a citizen of the Penobscot Indian Nation. He is the author of the nationally bestselling and acclaimed short story collection, The Night of the Living Rez (Tin House Books; Zando Projects). His writing has appeared in The Georgia Review, Granta, Shenandoah, TriQuarterly, Narrative, Lit Hub, and elsewhere. Talty is an assistant professor of English in Creative Writing and Native American and Contemporary Literature at the University of Maine, Orono, and he is on the faculty at the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing as well as the Institute of American Indian Arts. He lives in Levant, Maine.
Mentioned in this episode:
“I’ll Show You My Indian If You Show Me Yours,” an article by Morgan Talty (Esquire)
N. Bruce Duthu, professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Dartmouth College and mentor to Morgan
“Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez,” a Supreme Court case that addresses issues of tribal membership and gender equality within Native American communities
Connor Quinn, professor of Linguistics at the University of Southern Maine; Carol Dana, who currently works at the Cultural and Historic Preservation Department for the Penobscot Nation; and Gabe Paul, Language Coordinator for the Penobscot Indian Nation
Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980
Trade and Intercourse Act of 1790
Morgan Talty recommends:
Delinquents and Other Escape Attempts by Nick Rees Gardner (Madrona Books)
Lauren Korn recommends:
Fire Exit and The Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty (Tin House Books; Zando Projects)
Perma Red and The Lost Journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling (Milkweed Editions); listen to Lauren’s conversation with Debra here!
There There and Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange (Vintage Books)
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Vintage Books)
Bad Cree by Jessica Johns (Vintage Books); listen to Lauren’s conversation with Jessica here!
And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott (Dutton); listen to Lauren’s conversation with Alicia here!
Dog Flowers by Danielle Geller (One World; Penguin Random House); listen to Lauren’s conversation with Danielle here!
Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq (Penguin Random House Canada)
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The Write Question team for this episode was Lauren Korn, host, co-producer, and editor; and Chris Moyles, co-producer, editor, and sound engineer. This episode is supported by Fact & Fiction, an independent bookstore located in the heart of downtown Missoula, Montana, providing books for all ages and supporting the literary community in Montana and beyond. More information can be found at factandfictionbooks.com.
The Write Question logo and brand (2022) was designed by Molly Russell. You can see more of her work at iamthemollruss.com and on Instagram @iamthemollruss.
Funding for The Write Question comes from Humanities Montana; members of Montana Public Radio; and from the Greater Montana Foundation—encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.
The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.
