Colgate University’s Living Writers discussion featured Silas House, the bestselling author of seven novels, including this year’s selection, “Lark Ascending,” on Thursday, Oct. 19. House is a highly decorated author, and has been recognized with the Duggins Prize, the Southern Book Prize for Fiction, the E.B. White Award, the Lee Smith Award, the Caritas Medal and the Hobson Medal. House teaches at Berea College and currently serves as the Poet Laureate of Kentucky.
Senior Virginia Boyer was an attendee at the event who was drawn in by House’s background.
“I’m from Kentucky, and I was excited to hear from an author who was from the same region as myself — a ‘flyover’ state that often gets ridiculed in the media,” Boyer said. “Mr. House himself was charming and articulate, offering insight into his writing process and sharing his main sources of inspiration.”
House’s author discussion differed from previous Living Writers events due to his use of a visual aid slideshow, allowing the audience to be immersed in the visual process. This was especially helpful due to the fact that House emphasized the importance of multiple forms of media in his practice.
“I have always been an author that draws inspiration from other forms of art throughout the writing process,” House said.
The topics of discussion included stories of the dogs that inspired House’s character Seamus, pictures from his time in Ireland and of his beloved aunt, artworks he drew for visual aid and music he listens to while he writes. House also mentioned several books that inspired his latest work, one being “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stephenson. Boyer enjoyed the way he incorporates other art forms into the writing process.
“I loved hearing about the important role that music plays in his work,” Boyer said. “He makes playlists to accompany each of his novels, and the ‘Lark Ascending’ playlist features the songs he thinks he would remember in a climate crisis scenario that wipes out recorded media – namely John Prine and Brandi Carlisle.”
Senior Max Gardinier also appreciated the visual aid and excerpts from House’s presentation.
“I loved Silas House’s presentation, [where he named] the media that inspired him and explained his writing process,” Gardinier said. “To me, it was both inspirational and moving, especially when he inserted those wonderful excerpts from ‘Lark Ascending.’”
When discussing the inspiration for “Lark Ascending,” House explained a major theme: grief.
“I wanted to create a character that was grappling with a great loss. He loses his family, his love, his life and his country,” House said.
House published this popular dystopian fiction novel in September 2022. The story takes place amid a rise of religious nationalism and an escalating threat of climate induced wildfires. The main character (and book title’s namesake), Lark, is compelled to migrate northward for safety, ultimately finding refuge in the woods of Maine with his family. However, their quest for safety becomes a global odyssey, as the characters discover that there is no secure haven, even in countries like Ireland, where refuge is rumored to be offered. The rest of the novel depicts Lark and his family’s voyage before they find the place they believe represents a sanctuary – a modern-day promised land.
As typical for a Living Writers event, much of the discussion centered on the author’s creative process. For House, this was especially imaginative, immersive and visual.
“I found that studying pictures helped my writing more than videos [did]. They forced me to use my imagination more,” said House.
House also recalls his writing process as a visceral one – anything the protagonist Lark did, he would do, too. As Lark hikes through the Irish wilderness and drinks from lakes out of desperation, House felt as though the best way to recreate this in his writing was to live through it himself.
Silas House is also known for his recent work, “Southernmost” (2018), most acclaimed “A Parchment of Leaves” (2001), the famous “Eli the Good” (2009) and many others that can be found on his website.
