Each week we will be connecting with our contributors showing where they have been, where they are now, and what’s up for the future.

Name: Paul Crenshaw
Title of Piece published in SweetHighwire
Issue:  8.3

Crenshaw_PaulFind him:
Twitter

You can find this four time Best American Essayist in Lawrence, Kansas, which was the location for many of science fiction writer, James Gunn’s novels, including The Immortals (1964).

What are some major accomplishments you have had since your Sweet publication?

I have two collections of essays coming out in 2019: This One Will Hurt You, runner-up in the Gournay Prize, will be published by The Ohio State University Press.

And This We’ll Defend, a collection of essays on my time in the military, will be out later in 2019 from University of North Carolina Press.

Can you tell us about a current/ongoing project that you’re excited about?

I’m working on revising a memoir about growing up next to an old tuberculosis sanatorium that was converted to a home for the developmentally disabled in the early 70s. Most of the buildings are boarded up and sealed off. I lived in a rented house on the grounds for a few years. It’s a strange place.

Also working on a new collection of pop culture essays.

Who is your favorite author?

Right now I’m re-reading John McPhee—he’s certainly close.

What is your favorite poem/essay/book?

I just finished Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm.

What is your favorite sweet?

This is the best candy bar in the world, ever:

Hazelnut Five Star Bars

Crenshaw hazelnut-five-star-bar_2

Thank you, Paul, for taking the time to reconnect with us.  We look forward to seeing more of your work in the future!