Alyson Hagy shares her new short story at BYU English Reading Series.
When Alyson Hagy left the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia for Williams College in Massachusetts, she started writing to grapple with the new sounds, smells, tastes, and experiences that surrounded her. Years later, as a published and award-winning author, Hagy once again used her writing to explore an unfamiliar frontier—the American West. Hagy provided aspiring writers with a great example of quality short-form fiction when she shared her latest work during her English Reading Series presentation on October 27, 2023.
Hagy recently contributed a short story, “Broken Crow,” to This Side of the Divide: New Lore of the American West, the second volume in an anthology series. According to its description, the series attempts to “capture the newness, vastness, territoriality, and sense of transience alive in the American West.”
“Broken Crow” takes after a real experience in which Hagy developed a relationship with an injured crow in her neighborhood. The short story captures the experience of a fictional woman living in the West who develops a similar relationship with a local crow. She communicates with the crow and begins to learn more about its world and purpose, eventually assisting the crow as it carries out one final act in its short life.
Hagy recounted that writing the short story challenged her for many reasons, one being its unfamiliar genre. Reflecting on her experience writing “Broken Crow” and other works outside of her comfort zone, she said, “I think in order to make your work honest and true, you’ve got to go toward the things that give you great joy and happiness, but also the things that create fear and despair in you.”
As part of her presentation, Hagy also answered questions from audience members and discussed her personal writing process and journey as an author. She offered meaningful encouragement to fellow authors, stating, “This is a great time to be a storyteller. The narrative arcs are stronger than they’ve ever been, not only in American culture, but internationally.”
Learn more about Alyson Hagy and her writing here.
Check out the remaining fall 2023 English Reading Series lineup here.