Alex Gershman Interviews Rickey Fayne on His Debut Book, The Devil Three Times
by Shuta Kiba
What inspires writers to write fiction? What is their writing process like? How do they read, write, and discuss stories? If you ever wondered about these questions, you are in for a treat. In his recent interview, Alex Gershman (creative writing undergrad) talked with Rickey Fayne (2023-25 Mendota Postdoctoral Fellow in creative writing at UW-Madison) about his debut book, The Devil Three Times (Little, Brown and Company, May 2025). Their conversation covers a wide range of topics, including the influence of Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison on Fayne, his creative process, the haunting and ambivalent power of religion in the South, the tradition of folklore, and various affective elements in the book, such as grief, loss, and desire. Their conversational style is, in itself, creative, thought-provoking, and inspiring to watch. You can see the full interview here.