This was not my first, um, rodeo with Courtney Maum (be warned, obligatory –and unabashed– horse puns were sprinkled throughout our chat, but credit to both of us for, ahem, reining it in). We met virtually last year as part of the wonderful Virginia Festival of the Book to discuss her publishing guide BEFORE AND AFTER THE BOOK DEAL (video of that conversation here, and to anyone who has written, will write, or knows someone who needs to know everything about the literary landscape, this instant classic is not recommended so much as it’s prescribed; it’s mandatory reading. Get your copy HERE.).
We met again to talk about her remarkable and moving memoir THE YEAR OF THE HORSES. In her recent piece in the wonderful Poets & Writers (you should read the essay, and then subscribe to the magazine) she writes: “perhaps my memoir is a testament to the fact that family is complicated, memory even more so” and this neatly encapsulates some of the issues Maum explores, but also serves as a succinct leitmotif for things so many memoirs grapple with.
We crammed as much as possible into our sixty minutes and it’s a testament to how interesting and insightful Courtney is that we had to table many topics for further discussion (to be cont’d!). Inevitably, we touched on the ever-tricky notion of “truth” as it relates not only to personal writing, but art in general (and the even hazier concept of real truth vs. artistic truth, and intention vs. execution, and why –spoiler alert– honesty and authenticity are usually enough to ensure the writing and those being written about are healthy and balanced). As writers who have published a great deal of fiction, non-fiction, and memoir, we inevitably compared the different genres and how, for certain artists, the unique (and often overlapping) disciplines required for each blend and complement one another. We also briefly (too briefly) addressed what to do when a writer confronts the contemporary perception that many memoirs are fabricated and novels are based on real life.
As always, it’s our pleasure to partner with D.C.’s historic Potter’s House and we encourage you to purchase your copies of THE YEAR OF THE HORSES directly from them and help support independent booksellers!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
At the age of thirty-seven, Courtney Maum finds herself in an indoor arena in Connecticut, moments away from stepping back into the saddle. For her, this is not just a riding lesson, but a last-ditch attempt to pull herself back from the brink even though riding is a relic from the past she walked away from. She hasn’t been on or near a horse in over thirty years.
Although Maum does know what depression looks like, she finds herself refusing to admit, at this point in her life, that it could look like her: a woman with a privileged past, a mortgage, a husband, a healthy child, and a published novel. That she feels sadness is undeniable, but she feels no right to claim it. And when both therapy and medication fail, Courtney returns to her childhood passion of horseback riding as a way to recover the joy and fearlessness she once had access to as a young girl. As she finds her way, once again, through the world of contemporary horseback riding―Courtney becomes reacquainted with herself not only as a rider but as a mother, wife, daughter, writer, and woman. Alternating timelines and braided with historical portraits of women and horses alongside history’s attempts to tame both parties, The Year of the Horses is an inspiring love letter to the power of animals―and humans―to heal the mind and the heart.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Author of five books, including the game changing publishing guide BEFORE AND AFTER THE BOOK DEAL and the memoir, THE YEAR OF THE HORSES, Courtney is a writer and book coach hellbent on preserving the joy of art-making in a culture obsessed with turning artists into brands. A nominee for the Joyce Carol Oates prize and the host of the monthly “Beyond Fiction” conversation series at Edith Wharton’s The Mount, Courtney’s essays and articles on creativity have been widely published in outlets like The New York Times and Interview Magazine, and her short story “This is Not Your Fault” was recently turned into an Audible Original. A frequent interviewer of high-profile writers such as Anne Perry, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Edouard Louis, Courtney is also the founder of the learning collaborative, The Cabins. You can sign up for her publishing newsletter at CourtneyMaum.com
