One Word That Describes Jotham Burrello as a Writer is . . .
Layered
verb
“I want to have writing that's layered with a depth and a vertical drop to it. I want the reader to care about multiple characters.”
An avid reader since childhood, Jotham Burrello started a literary journal in graduate school and spent his early adult years editing. He used his experience to start Elephant Rock Books, publishing 12 books in eight years. His debut novel Spindle City took over 10 years to publish.
When asked about inspiration, Jotham said, “You write what you're curious about.” While his first novel is about a mill town in 1911, his current project, Love and Flowers, explores changes in a small town as new people move there, post Covid. How much change is too much to preserve the integrity of the people that live there, while also allowing them to grow? He relies heavily on voice in his work to give each character depth.
“If someone wants to be a writer, I can work with them. If they want to be an author, I don’t know what to tell them. The measure of success in writing should always be what is figured out on the page, not publishing.” Writing will always be important. The culture isn’t always going to value it at the time, but that doesn’t mean it doesn't need to be written.
Jotham Burrello’s novel Spindle City, based on an immigrant mill owner in Massachusetts in 1911, was longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel. He lives on his family’s flower farm, Muddy Feet, in Ashford. https://jothamburrello.com/
Interview by Grace Quilliam