How does this all make the leap from your head to the page? Do you start with one plot and then things spiral, or are you juggling multiple plots right from the get-go?ĮSJM: I start with one thing usually. With Station Eleven there’s a graphic novel, theater, paparazzi, and on top of that a whole post-apocalyptic wasteland. Both the books I’ve read of yours have really interesting structures. In that sense, one’s probably related to the other.ĪB: Speaking of discipline, I am so curious about your process for writing. So much of writing is just forcing yourself to sit at your desk and write a novel. I think if you’re a dancer first, you might go on to become a more disciplined attorney or anything else you do in your life.

But I think dance is really good for developing this kind of fire and self-discipline, which I don’t think is applicable just to the arts. John Mandel: I mean, mostly they’re totally different things. Did you feel you transitioned skills or a mentality from one artform to the other, or were they two totally different things in your mind?Įmily St. John Mandel about how this lightning strike of a novel came together, apocalypses, and what books she would save for the end of the world.Īdam Byko: You got your start in dance before moving into writing. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, I spoke with St. John Mandel, authorīefore her event, which was part of UCF Celebrates the Arts at the Dr. “There’s a part of me that feels like the life of Station Eleven was something like being struck by lightning or winning the lottery.” - Emily St. The novel - simultaneously about a travelling symphony, celebrity culture, Shakespeare, and epidemics - explores the role and survival of art in a post-apocalyptic world. Clarke award for best science fiction novel, Station Eleven certainly defies conventional literary odds. Translated into 31 languages, a finalist for the 2014 National Book Award, and the 2015 recipient of the Arthur C. John Mandel, reflecting on the success of the novel that served as the focus for this year’s NEA Big Read at UCF. “There’s a part of me that feels like the life of Station Eleven was something like being struck by lightning or winning the lottery,” says author Emily St.

Station 11 emily st john mandel