Joan Leegant:"I have no clue what I'm going to do when I sit down to write stories"

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Joan Leegant to discuss her new short story collection, Displaced Persons. Joan shares insights into her writing process, including how she often begins stories with no preset idea and allows stories to emerge from a first sentence.

Many of Joan’s stories are set among immigrants and Americans living in Israel. And while Joan’s collection was accepted for publication before October 7th, it came in June, in the midst of a highly polarized and frightening time for people on every side of the current conflict. So we talk about what it’s been like for Jewish writers publishing today, and also the way that fiction allows for empathic connections not always available in daily life.

"My method of writing anything, particularly short stories, is that I have no clue what I'm going to do when I sit down to write it. I have no clue what it's going to be about."

Key Takeaways

Joan's collection is set in Israel and America, focusing on displaced individuals. She highlights the interplay of naive Americans with complex realities, particularly in Israel.

A notable story, Displaced Persons, features an American teaching English to African refugees. Joan explores the absurdity of a country founded by displaced persons dealing with new displaced populations.

"The material just was kind of urging itself to come out," Joan says about the stories she wrote while working on other novels. It's a testament to the compelling nature of the themes she explores.

In Remittances, the narrator empathizes with marginalized workers in Tel Aviv. It's a story of immigrants in a land that symbolizes a second chance, reflecting Israel as a haven for those on the edge.

Another powerful story, Beautiful Souls, follows two American girls in Jerusalem. Their naivete leads them into dangerous situations, showcasing the often startling collision of American innocence with Israeli realities.

Joan’s stories on mental illness are deeply human, exploring family dynamics through the lens of mental health, not as a central theme but as a way to navigate complex relationships.

We discuss the impact of the Israel-Gaza war and the polarized publishing landscape. Though accepted before the October 7 attacks, Displaced Persons landed post-crisis, and Joan says she’s navigated the current landscape by focusing on the universal human elements of her stories.

Fiction is transformative. Joan cites the power of fiction to expand empathy, offering a “glimpse into some deeper truth.” It’s about illuminating the complexities of life through imagined worlds.

Leegant’s belief in the power of fiction to expand empathy is echoed by George Saunders, who describes a story as a "black box" that provides a deeper glimpse into human nature. "You need to illuminate human truth, but you do it through imagined stories," says Leegant.

Joan’s idea of “associative leaps” in writing, where characters’ truths emerge organically, enriches her storytelling. Her characters' voices and feelings drive the narrative, rather than a pre-planned agenda.

On navigating the current volatile landscape: Joan learned to balance sensitivity with openness, not shying away from broader literary and academic engagements, while being mindful of the potential for polarization.

During a recent visit to Israel, Joan facilitated writing workshops helping teachers process trauma through expressive writing, a poignant testament to the healing power of storytelling.

We discuss fiction’s ability to explore complex human conditions and to bridge gaps of empathy and understanding. "Our capacity should not be just read about people we already know, or we are exactly alike, but people we are nothing like," Leegant remarks.

"Our capacity should not be just read about people we already know, or we are exactly alike, but people we are nothing like."

About Joan Leegant

Joan Leegant's new story collection, Displaced Persons, won the New American Fiction Prize. Joan's first collection, An Hour in Paradise, won the PEN/New England Book Award and the Wallant Award, and was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick. She is also the author of a novel, Wherever You Go, named a "Significant Jewish Book" by the Union of Reform Judaism.

Formerly a lawyer, from 2007 to 2013 Joan was the visiting writer at Bar-Ilan University outside Tel Aviv where she also gave talks on American literature and culture under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy and was a volunteer ESL teacher for Afri...