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​Depressed with his life, Jonathan Odell flew the coop, leaving his business, breaking up with his partner, selling his home, and beginning to write at 45. He is the author of three novels: The View from Delphi (Macadam Cage 2004), The Healing (Random House 2012), and Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League (Maiden Lane Press 2015). His essays, short stories, and poetry have appeared in various publications such as the New York Times, Publisher's Weekly, Commonweal, The Baltimore Review, and others. He was granted a BA and MA in psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi before he fled the state for the North. Presently, he lives in Minnesota with his husband and is no longer depressed.

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Interview with Jonathan Odell
about his story "Competing with Jesus"
Honorable Mention for The Scribes Prize

​What inspired this piece?

A lot of therapy.

What draws you to the micro-fiction format?

I write longer pieces, but writing micro-fiction forces me to get to the heart of the idea.

Who are some authors that inspire you?

Pat Conroy, Faulkner, Eudora Welty. All dead.

If you could continue writing your story after these 100 words, what would happen next?

I have, and it’s turning into a memoir.

​What's next on the horizon for you?

I hope to have the finished memoir in my agent’s hands by the end of the year.

What part of writing do you lease like?

The paperwork. I much prefer the research. 

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