Douglas Stuart, author of JOHN OF JOHN

Douglas Stuart is one of those unicorn authors who seemed to have appeared out of thin air and took the literary world by storm. His 2019 debut novel, Shuggie Bain, would be rejected 44 times before winning the Booker Prize, becoming a finalist for the National Book Award and being named the Sunday Time’s 25 Best Novels of the 21st Century. Then would come Young Mungo in 2022, which sealed Douglas’s standing as a literary genius. He has since been published in the New Yorker at least three times. John of John came out in May. It was an instant Oprah pick and another literary masterpiece. He joins Marrie Stone to talk about it. They chat about Douglas’s unlikely path to success and how he taught himself the craft. They discuss his research process and how he immersed himself in a part of the world – and a part of his own country – that he didn’t know. And he shares how his approach to every novel has differed, what his 20 years in the textile industry taught him about writing, why he feels unqualified to offer any advice, and so much more. For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It’s stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you’ll find an album’s worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It’s perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website. (Recorded on June 23, 2026) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie Stone Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)