Jessica Barksdale Inclán
Jessica Barksdale Inclán is the author of fifteen novels, including the award-winning The Burning Hour as well as Her Daughter's Eyes, The Matter of Grace, and When You Believe. Her debut poetry collection, When We Almost Drowned, was published in March 2019; her second poetry book, Grim Honey, was published in April 2021. A Pushcart Prize, Million Writers Award, and Best-of-the-Net nominee, Barksdale Inclán was an English professor at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, for thirty-one years, and continues to teach novel writing for UCLA Extension and the MFA program for Southern New Hampshire University. She holds an MA in English Literature from San Francisco State University and an MFA from the Rainier Writers Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University. A San Francisco Bay Area native, she now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.
Twitter: @jessicainclan
Instagram: @jessicainclan
Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?
Here are movies that made me weep and think, in order, as I remember them: They Way We Were (oh, my! My first viewed sex scene, and Robert Redford! Heavens!), A River Runs Through It, Deep Impact (I'm sorry. It was a father/daughter scene that slayed me), Cloud Atlas (one of my sons saw this with me, and we were weeping at the end).
What’s the oddest thing a reader has ever asked you?
When I published my first few novels, I did many in-person readings and was asked many odd questions (Are you an alcoholic? Aren't all writers?). But likely the oddest question came at a reading in Medford, Oregon at a Barnes and Noble. As I was doing my reading, I noticed a young man in a chair adjacent to the reading area. After I was done, he came up and asked me, "Which is your favorite novel?" I assumed (silly me) he was talking about my novels. I answered, "Probably the novel I am writing now."
He cocked his head. "Not your novels. Novels in general."
Abashed, I stammered, "Oh, maybe Pride and Prejudice."
He nodded. "Do you want to buy me a copy?"
Is there another profession you would like to try?
I would actually love to be a real estate agent. I love houses, thinking about what stories happened inside them. I would love to create a "new" story for someone else to step inside. Also, I love completing a project, and real estate is all about completion. If not that, I do think I would be great in human resources. I've managed to hire excellent caregivers for my mother, which makes me think I could do it (ha, ha) elsewhere. Also, I'm a "super recognizer," so a stint at the FBI might be called for.
Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing? Do you sew? Paint? Draw? Knit? Dance?
I spend a lot of time taking photos, mostly of nature. Where I currently live in Vancouver, WA, there is a lovely hike down to and near Salmon Creek. Every week, I take a photo of the creek at the same place, and I've decided I need to make a calendar. The seasons show up so well right at that spot. Also, there are bald eagles that perch on a dead tree there, and it all feels so majestic.
What brings you great joy?
Being with my adult children--especially now during this crazy time--is my greatest joy. They are such amazing people, and it is so wonderful to see them moving forward despite all the odds.
