David Joy (author)


David Joy is an American fiction writer widely known for his short stories and novels exploring themes of nature, addiction, and the human condition — inspired by North Carolina, his home-state. Plateau Magazine described Joy as a master at "creating a sense of place."
His writing has been featured in periodicals including Garden & Gun, Time, and The New York Times Magazine.
Raised in Moore’s Chapel, North Carolina, near Charlotte, Joy graduated from Western Carolina University where he studied with poet and fiction writer, Ron Rash. He lives in the Little Canada community of Jackson County, North Carolina.

Career

David Joy authored the Edgar Award–nominated novel Where All Light Tends to Go, as well as the novels The Weight of This World, The Line That Held Us, and When These Mountains Burn.
He is also the author of the memoir Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman's Journey, which was a finalist for the Reed Environmental Writing Award and the Ragan Old North State Award. Joy received an artist fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council.
His novel Where All Light Tends to Go has been optioned for a film directed by Ben Young and starring Billy Bob Thornton and Robin Wright. The film was released to streaming in 2023, as Devil's Peak.

List of works

Novels

Where All Light Tends to Go The Weight of This World The Line That Held Us When These Mountains Burn
  • ''Those We Thought We Knew''

Nonfiction

Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman's Journey Gather At The River: Twenty-Five Authors On Fishing Eds. David Joy and Eric Rickstad

Short stories

  • “Stink Bait.” Writer's Bone.
  • “Burning off into Forever.” Appalachia Now: Short Stories of Contemporary Appalachia. Eds. Larry Smith and Charles Dodd White. Huron, OH: Bottom Dog Press, 2015. 40–46.
  • “What Cannot Be Carried Alone.” Still: The Journal, Issue 18.
  • “The Line That Held Us.” Pisgah Review, 7.1 : 26–34.
  • “The Stars Shall Withdraw Their Shining.” Flycatcher, No. 3.

Essays

  • “Song Of The Woods.” Garden & Gun : 128-133.
  • "Light In The Dark." Garden & Gun : 116-119.
  • “Boss Hen.” Garden & Gun : 106-109.
  • “Dreaming Of Monster Fish.” Garden & Gun : 114–121.
  • "Hunting Camp." Time.
  • "At The Crossroads. The New York Times Magazine : 48–53.
  • "Good Dog: Mutually Reclusive." Garden & Gun : 87–90.
  • "A Charlotte Native Remembers Fish Camps." Charlotte Magazine : 54–59.
  • "Digging In The Trash." The Bitter Southerner. 2 May 2017.
  • “On Darkness." Criminal Element. 13 March 2017.
  • “This Caravan Rolls On." The Quivering Pen. 6 March 2017.
  • “My Privilege, Our Problem." Charlotte Magazine. 22 Sept. 2016.
  • “One Place misUnderstood.” The Huffington Post. 23 June 2016.
  • “One Place misUnderstood.” Writer's Bone. 21 June 2016.
  • “The Last Hotdog I Ever Ate.” Charlotte Magazine : 37–40.
  • “The Man Who Carried Snakes.” The Good Men Project. 15 August 2015.
  • “The Long Row.” Drafthorse Literary Journal 1.2.
  • “Creatures of Fire.” Smoky Mountain Living 10.3 : 44–47.
  • “Sound of Silence.” Smoky Mountain Living 10.1 : 42–45.
  • “Native.” Smoky Mountain Living 9.4 : 54–56.
  • “Breaking in the Cork.” Wilderness House Literary Review 4.1 : 1–9.
  • “Tired and Feathered.” Bird Watcher's Digest 31.2 : 80–82.

Translations

Là où les lumières se perdent. France: Sonatine Editions, 2016. Le Poids du monde. France: Sonatine Editions, 2018. Wo Alle Lichter Enden. Germany: Polar Verlag, 2019. Ojo Por Ojo. Spain: RBA Libros, 2020. Ce Lien Entre Nous. France: Sonatine Editions, 2020. Nos Vies En Flammes. France: Sonatine Editions, 2022. Queste Montagne Bruciano. Italy: Jimenez, 2022.Montañas En Llamas. Spain: RBA Libros, 2022. Dove Tende La Luce. Italy: Jimenez, 2023.

Awards

Interviews

Interviews with the author.

Television appearances