Entertainment · Books & Arts · 2 hrs ago
Adam Johnson Discusses How Trauma Shapes the Stories People Tell
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Adam Johnson discussed storytelling at the Center for Fiction during an event celebrating his new novel, *The Wayfinder*.
Johnson said narrative helps people make meaning from memory, emotion and events, and that his early books drew on his own life.
He described speaking with people who had left North Korea, including a man who had been an orphan there.
The man recounted his experiences in fragments and out of order, Johnson said.
He suggested that telling a painful story can bring the pain back, making it difficult for some people to share their experiences.
Johnson said these conversations influenced how he understood the challenges of turning oral accounts into written stories.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Adam Johnson discussed how painful experiences shape the way people tell stories.
He said storytelling can help people make meaning but can also bring pain back.
Johnson recalled hearing a North Korean defector tell his story in fragments and out of order.
The conversation took place at the Center for Fiction during an event celebrating Johnson’s new novel, The Wayfinder.
Amitav Ghosh moderated the event.
- Who
- Adam Johnson discussed storytelling with an audience. Amitav Ghosh moderated.
- What
- They discussed how people’s experiences shape the way they tell stories, including painful stories.
- When
- In the fall; the article was published on October 13, 2026.
- Where
- The Center for Fiction.
- Why
- The event celebrated the release of Johnson’s novel The Wayfinder.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Author
- Adam Johnson
- Novel
- The Wayfinder
- Moderator
- Amitav Ghosh
- Venue
- The Center for Fiction
- Previous novel discussed
- The Orphan Master’s Son
What people are saying
How do you tell the story without your story re-hurting you?
narrative is a meaning-making machine
Sources
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