BookView Review

Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we talked to Jeff Kirchick about his writing and his recently released, How Boys Learn, a collection of short stories that serves as a poignant reminder of the human condition, emphasizing themes of resilience, compassion, and discovering love amidst unforeseen circumstances. (Read the review here.)

How Boys Learn began as a thesis project. When did you know you wanted to publish your work as a collection for public consumption? Was that always the plan, or did that idea come later?

I think the idea for publishing the stories came later. When I graduated from college, I aspired to take on a writing career and to eventually become a screenwriter. I made a deal with myself that I would try to build enough wealth to be able to take on the risk of a full-time writing career, so I wound up in technology sales. A few years ago, I wrote my first book, which was a marriage between my writing interests and my career since it was a book about sales. The book did well enough that I thought it might be time to dip my toe further into the water. That got me thinking about these stories I had written so long ago, which had been fairly well-received at the time. I thought it could be a good foray into my fiction writing career.

Were there any stories you initially wanted to include in the collection but later decided to cut? And, how did you know when the collection was “complete”?

When I first wrote these stories fifteen years ago or so, there were a couple stories that did not make the cut. One was about a truck driver; the other was about a man who falls in love with a woman he interacts with while dreaming. I still have hope for those stories and intend to write them into my next collection, whenever that may be.

When it came to editing the stories for publication today, I did subtract a very short story about a college kid at a party. I just did not feel that it fit well with the rest of the collection.

As for knowing when it was complete, I think it was a gut feeling. I wanted to touch on these unique and interesting scenarios – we have a doctor treating a crying boy, a high school wrestler, a dystopian world, and so on – and I felt I had accomplished that. It’s important not to over-do it.

Do you have a favorite story in the collection, or at least one you hold particularly close to your heart?

This is a tough question because each story was inspired by some unique experience in my personal life and therefore each one is quite special to me. If I had to pick, I think I would go with “Why I Don’t Believe.” I had initially written this story early in college (maybe my sophomore year) in a class instructed by Joyce Carol Oates. I still remember to this day that she really liked the story, probably because I don’t think I had written anything else of note in that class. Without giving away the ending, I really like the moment where the protagonist walks down the staircase. We think of him descending into the depths of Hell in that moment. The story is otherwise banal for the most part, but that is intentional. The goal was to highlight the banality of evil, and I felt that I demonstrated that concept effectively in that story.

What did you learn from the process of publishing your first book that you carried into the process of publishing How Boys Learn?

I think it’s important for writers to not be too married to their own ideas. One of the stories in the collection is about a creative writing workshop and the key theme in that story is something to that same effect.

My first book required a lot of revision. Half of the content that made its way in eventually made its way out. I had a lot of people read it and it went through dozens of iterations.

A lot of the editing for this collection happened a long time ago. But I also workshopped it with others and made many more edits before publication. And that is something that I think makes it extra special, because the book is about how boys learn, and the book itself highlights two versions of myself: the younger one, and the current one. We get to see the evolution of the author. A key part of learning is making mistakes and fixing them. It also requires listening to others.

Who are your writing inspirations?

I have a lot of writing inspirations, but I would be remiss if I did not put Edmund White on the top of the list. He was my favorite creative writing professor in college and he was my thesis advisor when I published these stories. I had read many of his books a long time ago and always appreciated his writing style and his friendship. I’m grateful that he supported the book the way that he did.

What’s one thing you wish you could tell your younger self?

Stop worrying so much what other people think about you. I think the biggest mistake I made at the time when I wrote these stories in college was having a preoccupation with what my peers thought of me. I actually talked a lot about this in my first book. I’ve had a lot more success in life leaning into authenticity and presenting an honest version of myself, even if it rubs some people the wrong way sometimes.

What’s next for you as a writer?

To some extent, it kind of depends how these stories are received. I’d love to keep writing short fiction and become more regular about submitting content and so on. I think another short story collection would be wonderful because I have a lot of other stories to re-shape and other interesting ideas I would like to pursue.

I also have a newborn daughter, Josephine, and I have been writing her letters every month or so since she was born. I may want to publish these someday. I also like the concept of a father writing letters to his daughter and seeing how that relationship can evolve as a young girl becomes an adult.

Ultimately, I’d love to pursue screenwriting. I think some of the ideas I have are best suited for the big screen. I’ve started taking some screenwriting courses. It’s just a matter of churning out some content and someone being willing to take a chance on me.

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