Writer Elissa Washuta, who is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, is known for her riveting, unusually structured narratives. Diving into either her debut memoir (My Body is a Book of Rules, Red Hen Press, 2014) or her most recent release (White Magic, Tin House Press, 2021) feels like falling into a rabbit hole of curiosity: In any given essay, Washuta is exploring everything from pop culture to her own history to the use of epigraphs. Washuta’s next book is about money. We sat down to talk to her about her craft and the process of publishing into a world that doesn’t always know what to do with you.
The Writer: Your essays use the braided technique to make your final point: You’re pulling together many strands, many narratives, in order to craft your work. How do you choose the strands that go into each essay?
I have taught the braided essay in the past by having students identify potential threads. But I think at this point, it doesn’t work that way for me now; I’m confident about going into the unknown. I basically just start with a starting point, and it’s sort of like a friendship
