Meet the Jury: Katie Kitamura

January 28, 2022

Katie Kitamura’s most recent novel is Intimacies. One of The New York Times 10 Best Books of 2021 and a Barack Obama recommended read, it was longlisted for the National Book Award and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. Her third novel, A Separation, was a finalist for the Premio von Rezzori and a New York Times Notable Book. She is also the author of Gone To The Forest and The Longshot, both finalists for the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award.

Her work has been translated into nineteen languages and is being adapted for film and television. A recipient of fellowships from the Lannan, Santa Maddalena, and Jan Michalski foundations, Katie has written for publications including The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times, The Guardian, Granta, BOMB, Triple Canopy, and Frieze. She teaches in the creative writing program at New York University.

What is your favourite writing routine?

Caffeine is central, I’m afraid. Coffee helps tighten my mind, and it gives me some temporary optimism about the state of whatever it is I’m working on.

What are you working on now?

Another novel. I’m returning to it after a long break, so opening the document each morning is a bracing experience.

Who is your favourite Canadian author?

If it has to be a single author, then Michael Ondaatje.

If you could tell your younger writer-self anything, what would it be?

Writing is an act of exposure.

How many hours a day do you try to write? Why did you choose this number?

Three to four hours. Then lunch. Then editing and reading, the latter alongside school pick up. On a good day, I’ll get another couple hours in the evening, after the children have gone to bed.

Is there a book you enjoy rereading?

The Portait of a Lady. For me, it’s the book that changes most radically with each reading.

What are you most looking forward to being a juror for the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize?

The opportunity to read deeply, thoughtfully, and critically, in the company of my outstanding fellow jurors.

Submissions for the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize are open. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and updates.