Interview with Joseph Blackhurst, Author of Indifferent Universe

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Indifferent Universe?

I had found myself growing more and more bitter about the state of the artist’s experience in the face of social media noise and artificial intelligence. I deeply wished to find a book to help me through my feelings of being an unappreciated artist—but there really wasn’t one. So I wrote one.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I’ve never been a loyal fan of any particular genre. For fiction, I purposely, exclusively, read literature that is considered canonical/classics (Hemingway, Joyce, Nabokov, Woolf, etc.). Otherwise, I primarily read nonfiction—namely books about writing. The nature of what qualifies as “good” writing is a major theme throughout my novel and is frequently poked fun at.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I’m currently reading a grammar textbook and a book about the logging industry in the 1800s. I don’t know why.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The ending. It ties up the story of the main character’s sister whom the reader comes to realize was the true artist of the story all along.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

The more experienced and disciplined I’ve become, the more I’ve shed any sort of external habits. I just sit down and my brain shuts off for an hour and a half. Then I get up for ten minutes and then I do it again.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Not really. However, I’ve always had a specific sentence that has guided my writing and inspired my own voice. It very much inspired my entire style. It’s from Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov: “My very photogenic mother died in a freak accident (picnic, lightning).” It tells an entire story while deftly combining humor with sadness in a matter-of-fact tone.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

It’s a privilege to believe the purpose of art is to heal others. It’s a privilege for those who are already successful to tell themselves to feel superior. It is not the experience of 99% of artists. The purpose of art is to heal its creator. Artists’ quest for validation more often goes unfulfilled and cannot be the focus of one’s life.

Joseph Blackhurst is the author of the new book Indifferent Universe

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