William Kent Krueger, Writing the Stories Your Heart Tells You to Write

In this episode of The Study Podcast, author Kent Krueger discusses his use of the mystery/crime genre as a framework for exploring deeper human questions about justice, spirituality, morality, relationship, loss, and change; his commitment to creating a vivid sense of place for readers and to craft stories that are true to real life, that can help readers navigate and understand their own experiences as well as expanding their understanding of others. Kent also discusses various aspects of craft, the importance for him of the novels he’s written beyond the Cork O’Connor series, and the complexities of fiction and cultural representation. Finally, from his many years as a teacher of creative writing, he ends with some advice and encouragement for writers.

Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, William Kent Krueger briefly attended Stanford University—before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota. He’s been married for more than fifty years to a marvelous woman who is a retired attorney. He makes his home in St. Paul, a city he dearly loves.Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist is Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage—part Irish and part Ojibwe. His work has received a number of awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize. His last thirteen novels were all New York Times bestsellers. Ordinary Grace, his stand-alone novel published in 2013, received the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition for the best novel published in that year. The companion novel, This Tender Land, was published in September 2019 and spent nearly six months on the New York Times bestseller list. His most recent stand-alone, The River We Remember, published in 2023, was featured on many best-of-the-year lists, as well as receiving an Edgar Award nomination for Best Novel.
More at https://williamkentkrueger.com/

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