In Episode 37, I have the privilege of speaking with three-time Pushcart nominee Bill Gaythwaite about his short story collection, A Place In The World, winner of the 2025 Drue Heinz Literature Prize.

This stunning collection of compelling short stories features regular people battling betrayal, displacement, and loss and will leave you feeling a deep sense of connection with the characters. In A Place In The World, a teenage boy and his family grapple with the harsh realities of his father’s abandonment, a young lady yearns for belonging in the face of dispassionate affection, and a gay hustler’s secret is exposed.

Beyond the collection, we discuss Bill’s staying power and his response to strings of rejections. This episode holds a powerful truth about the journey of artistry and is a much-needed reminder that consistency always rewards.

Show highlights

00:00 - Introduction

1:22 – Resilience, the secret sauce

1:51 - Being a Pushcart nominee

3:37 - How to weave humour into painful stories

6:38 - Using the element of surprise

10:11 - How not to give up on a story

11:45 - How to know when a story is not working

12:45 - Building cohesiveness in a short story collection

14:16 - The theme of belonging vs. mystery

16:25 - Using the story within the story device

18:17 - How to build a short story collection

20:17 - The stories that didn’t make the collection

22:39 - The sacrifice of publication

24:16 - How to stay on the Journey of the Art

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Listen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NfrDy4OwIa8

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Guest’s links

Buy A Place In The World: https://upittpress.org/books/9780822948766/

Connect with Bill on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billgaythwaite/

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Host’s links

Find out more about the show: https://www.journeyoftheart.com/

Follow Journey of the Art on Instagram: ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/journeyoftheartpod/

Book a one-on-one with Lola: https://wordcaps.com/coaching/