BY G. CONNOR SALTER

Justin Wiggins has written poetry, fantasy, and various nonfiction works covering classic authors he loves.

Some themes recur throughout his books. References to Ireland appear throughout his essay, story-poetry collections Celtic Twilight and Tír na nÓg, and in his novellas Celtic Dawn and Marty & Irene. He has also written about how much inspiration he draws from the Inklings—his memoir Surprised by Agape discusses how C.S. Lewis and George MacDonald influenced his spiritual journey. Not surprisingly, his most recent solo poetry collection, Ragnarok, is permeated with references to Norse mythology, the “Northernness” that Lewis loved so much.

He also discussed his love for Lewis and other Inklings in Surprised by Myth, an essay collection co-written with Grant P. Hudson.

Wiggins’ most recent poetry book, Sacred Space, was co-written with Matt Huff. However, it’s not the last project he has in the works.

He was kind enough to answer a few questions about what he has in the works and how he became the writer he is today.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

You have described your spiritual journey as agnosticism, then atheism, before reaching Christianity. For the benefit of those still discovering your work, what helped you along that journey?

The music of Jon Foreman, asking existential questions about suffering, meaning, and hope, the healing power of music, literature, and art; the growth, courage, and joy that came out of suffering; community, finding my voice as a writer, and having my heart and mind changed by the agape love of Christ.

Although I found other worldviews interesting, nothing was more compelling than the person of Christ—the same Jesus of faith and history.  I was not prepared for how Christ would completely change my entire worldview when I had a personal encounter with Him.

After my conversion, I went through a dark night of the soul. It was incredibly painful and certainly felt like a period of “atheism.” A small mustard seed of faith was still there in the terrible suffering, and when I came out of that dark night, I experienced a renewed passion for Christ, life, writing, art, work, and relationships.

Looking back on that dark time, I shouldn’t be here. It is by the grace of Christ that I made it. It simply defies logic. It felt good to be stable and thrive in my writing career, in my work, and relationships. I felt like King Theoden did when the good wizard Gandalf helped him emerge from the dark shadows of Saruman’s dark spell into the light of day—renewed and restored.

I find many Inklings fans either didn’t know anything about them growing up or heard about them routinely during their childhoods. Where do you fit on that spectrum?

Though most discover Lewis, Tolkien, and MacDonald while growing up, I never read them. I remember hearing references to Tolkien and Lewis in middle and high school, but I never found their writings to be of any interest. In fact, I had a very strong dislike for the fantasy genre of literature. To me, it seemed absurd and had nothing to do with real life. How differently I view the fantasy genre of literature now.

After I read the creation story in Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew when Aslan sings Narnia into being, I had a very powerful experience of the sehnsucht joy Lewis wrote about in his autobiography Surprised by Joy. This mystical experience of joy was central to Lewis’ conversion from atheism, theism, to Christianity. After reading that creation story and the other Narnia books, as well as Tolkien, MacDonald, and Madeleine L’Engle, I became very fascinated by myths and legends. I finally understood how important storytelling has been to humanity since our beginning.

What is one book by an Inkling that you wish more people knew about?

Tree and Leaf by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was first published in 1964 and has Tolkien’s powerful essay “On Fairy Stories” and other short works by him that are worth reading. I cherish my copy that I got from Blackwell’s bookshop in Oxford in December 2022 when I was with my dear friend Cindy Zudys. The artwork on the front of the book was done by Tolkien himself. He was a very gifted visual artist.

Like various American authors influenced by the Inklings, you started in a fundamentalist/evangelical tradition and ended up in a high church denomination. What attracted you to the liturgical tradition?

That is a very good question, and I know everyone has a different faith journey. Not everyone has a bad experience with a particular theology as I did. Though I am thankful to have been raised in the church and taught the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, I eventually found myself repelled by the American evangelical fundamentalism I grew up in. The Southern Baptist free-will theology, the feuding between denominations, the brainwashing and emotional manipulation, and the us vs. them mentality with its meshing of different political ideologies and manifest destiny. I found it all to be a bunch of racket.

I went to some wonderful nondenominational and Presbyterian churches after my conversion. But I found myself drawn to Anglicanism because of the liturgy, the Eucharist, the Book of Common Prayer, and the fact that the structure of the Mass was modeled off of the first-century church. I also found the emphasis on art, social justice, contemplative prayer, and appreciation for the Celtic Christian movement in the Anglican tradition to be very fascinating and spiritually nourishing. The Redeemer Anglican community I am part of in Asheville, North Carolina, is the best church community I have ever been part of. Without that community, I wouldn’t be caught dead in a church. Honest to God!

With all of this said, I also learned not to throw rocks at the fundamentalists I disagreed with. It is important to show grace to those we disagree with theologically and politically. They are all the beloved of Christ, just as I am and you are.

You’ve written about Malcolm Guite’s impact on you. Do you find he’s influenced your poetry?

I admire Malcolm Guite’s love for poetry, mythology, music, and literature, honesty about doubt and faith in his work, and devotion to his craft. It has inspired me to practice a regular writing ritual every day. Reading Malcolm’s work has allowed me to become a much better writer. It was an amazing experience getting to smoke a pipe with him in Oxford in 2022 and enjoy a good conversation in the tradition of the Inklings.

You studied under Inkling scholar Don W. King at Montreat College. What was your experience with him?

Dr. Don King is an incredibly humble, kind, and brilliant teacher, writer, and scholar. Studying under him at Montreat College was challenging, and also encouraging. He made sure that I took no shortcuts, offered very helpful critiques of my work, and has endorsed three of my books. It is an honor to call him a friend.  My first time going to Oxford was with Dr. King, his wife, and four other students. We still meet regularly for coffee to catch up and discuss books and current writing projects. He is the reason why I went to Montreat College after going to Pitt Community College and East Carolina University.

Going deeper into the King connection, I have noticed how much you’ve become a part of the Inklings scholarship community. Your books are filled with endorsements from well-known people in the field, including King, Lewis’ stepson Douglas Gresham, and George MacDonald translator David Jack. How has belonging to a larger community impacted you as a writer?

Years ago, I yearned for this kind of community. I was quite lonely, self-conscious, and filled with much self-doubt. I wanted to contribute an honest and hopeful work within the Inklings community. Having that came about beginning with Surprised by Agape and having endorsements from Dr. King, Doug Gresham, the Scotsman David Jack, Dr. Steven Beebe, Carolyn Curtis, Colin Duriez, Patti Callahan, William O’ Flaherty, Christine Norvell, Irish poet Ger White, and others, has been such a joy. I describe myself as a “peasant bard,” belonging to a group of brilliant academics, teachers, scholars, poets, and musicians who are all very humble, kind, and encouraging. It has all been an answer to prayer.

Ireland comes up frequently in your work. What attracts you to it as a culture or location?

I am absolutely fascinated by Irish mythology, history, and the bardic storytelling tradition, and I love Irish music. I think it also has something to do with the McArthur ancestry on my mother’s side. My great-grandmother Lydia McArthur was an incredible eccentrical woman who left behind a great legacy, and through her bloodline comes my love for Ireland and all things “Celtic.” I was delighted to find out that C. S. Lewis was Irish after I started reading him, and the great Irishman Seamus Heaney eventually became my favorite poet.

You’ve collaborated on at least one book with Grant P. Hudson, who also published several of your books. How did you discover each other?

I connected with Grant through a C. S. Lewis Facebook page in 2016. It is amazing who you can connect with through different writer groups on social media! He changed my life by publishing my first book, Surprised by Agape. A second edition was published in 2022.  I was very pleased with how it turned out.

You’ve also worked extensively with Steve Cawte of Impspired Publishing. How did you make that connection?

I was introduced to Steve Cawte of Impspired by my Irish poet friend Ger White when I was working on my epistolary novella Marty & Irene in 2020. Steve Cawte has published seven of my books, and it has been a joy to work with him.  He is an incredible actor, editor, writer, husband, and father. Many writers and poets around the world greatly admire him. Steve and Grant are two incredible Englishmen.

If I’m not mistaken, Impspired and Clarendon House Publications are both independent presses. What benefits and challenges come with working with smaller, independent publishers?

The challenge with working with smaller publishers is that even though they gladly promote your work, you still have to do a good deal of self-promotion yourself, and there is not a good deal of money offered for an advancement after a book contract is signed. This is established from the beginning of the journey and is not for people who are egocentric or just out to make money. Well-known publishers such as Tor and Harper Collins do things differently because of their high profile, of course. And they do good work like other well-known publishers.

With that said, Impspired and Clarendon House has changed my life. These two small indie publishers have published ten of my books, have allowed me to have an incredible artistic community, book signings, podcast interviews, receive some royalties from books, and have the opportunity to do what I am passionate about—writing! I am immensely thankful to Grant and Steve for giving me the opportunity to write honest and hopeful books for people of all worldviews.

What is one thing you wish you knew before you published your first book?

I wish I had not been in such a rush to get my first book published and had taken more time to edit. There were a few minor errors corrected after publication, which was quite a relief!  A writer is continuously learning these things as they continue to work on creative projects and cultivate their craft.

What can you tell us about your latest book, Artists, Myth, & Hope?

The idea for the book came to me one night while working on a freelance article. I thought to myself, “Why don’t I compile all the freelance articles that I have written thus far, make some necessary edits, add a few more articles about Tolkien and Irish poet John O’Donohue, and ask if Clarendon House would be interested in publishing it?” After I posed the question to Grant, he accepted the proposal, and I gladly signed the contract for the book. It was incredibly exciting.

Artists, Myth & Hope has been published and is available on Amazon and the Clarendon House website. I am working on getting a few copies in the local Barnes & Noble, and I have been encouraged by the eager response from readers! Dr. King and Dr. Beebe endorsed it. It is inspired by many artists, including Lewis, Foreman, MacDonald, T.S. Eliot, John O’Donohue, and the Bronte Sisters. It also owes much inspiration to the power of myth and the theological virtue of hope. It is a book that I am very proud of, and I gladly dedicated it to J.R.R. Tolkien.

You have mentioned plans to move to Scotland for a master’s sometime soon. Are there any other book projects in the pipeline before your trip?

I am currently working on a few freelance articles and a fantasy novella called Avalon that Impspired is publishing. The story is inspired by Arthurian Legend, Celtic and Norse Mythology, and Tolkien’s Beren and Luthien. It is a creative project that I have become very passionate about. It will be published sometime in the summer of this year.

More information about Justin Wiggins’ work can be found on Clarendon House Publications and his Facebook page. His books are available on Amazon. He can also be heard speaking about his life and work on the podcasts Pints with Jack podcast and Author Interviews with M.J. Struven.