Now available on SoundCloud, Henrik Möller of the Danish podcast Udda Ting interviews William Gay Archive Director JM White. After the 3 minute Danish introduction, the rest of the podcast is in English. In discussion is William Gay’s life and books, as well as the posthumous novels. The podcast run time is 54 minutes.
JM White
Finding the Lost Country- The Life of William Gay is Released
We are excited to announce the release of Finding the Lost Country- the Life of William Gay. A fascinating biography of William Gay, published by the William Gay Archive’s Anomolaic Press, it is of interest to fans of William Gay as well as those interested in a life of a writer. Researched and compiled by J.M. White, the book is a result of the author’s years knowing William and his family. In addition to a thoughtful look at William’s life, the book contains personal photographs, William’s correspondence with Cormac McCarthy, unpublished written fragments from the Archive, and more.
The book is 460 pages, paperback, and is NOW AVAILABLE.
FROM J.M. WHITE-
Born in 1939 and raised in the rural south, other than his time in the Navy and a brief sojourn working in the factories in Chicago, he spent his whole life in middle Tennessee. He was raised in a sharecropper's shack with no electricity and no running water. His father never owned a car or a house. Tennessee ranks near the bottom of all the states in the union in terms of education and Lewis County ranks very low among the 92 counties in the state. He graduated from the Lewis County High School but was completely self-educated as both a writer and a painter. He was inspired by the writings of William Faulkner, Thomas Wolfe and Cormac McCarthy. He studied and wrote until he could match the great writers in the Southern literary tradition in the aesthetic power and intensity of their prose. He passed away at the age of 71 in 2012.
William Gay was born to be a writer. For as long as he could remember he was fascinated by the written word and wanted nothing other than to write. He faced incredible odds but there was simply nothing else that he wanted to do and nothing else that he would do. He lived a hardscrabble earthly life, rugged and simple. He served his art and let his art serve him. He was creating something original, something high energy, cut to the bone, coming out of the dark with an element of danger, exploding on the page. He wrote prose that is heartfelt and melancholy, imbued with beauty and concern for all living things. In a world that didn't seem to care, he was an earth angel singing from some imaginary corner of the universe. His life and the books he created are a master class in the art of writing.
Well Read Magazine January 2026, Issue No. 42
Well Read Magazine issue 42 begins 2026 with a focus on the new biography book, Finding Lost Country- The Life of William Gay. The William Gay Archive’s Dawn Major leads the insightful interview with author and Archive Director J.M. White.
Get your copy of Finding the Lost Country- The Life of William Gay HERE.
Finding the Lost Country- The Life of William Gay
We are excited to announce the forthcoming biography of William Gay, published by the William Gay Archive’s Anomolaic Press. Researched and compiled by J.M. White, the book is a result of the author’s years knowing William and his family. In addition to a thoughtful look at William’s life, the book contains personal photographs, William’s correspondence with Cormac McCarthy, unpublished written fragments from the Archive, and more.
The book is 460 pages, paperback, and is NOW AVAILABLE.
FROM J.M. WHITE-
Born in 1939 and raised in the rural south, other than his time in the Navy and a brief sojourn working in the factories in Chicago, he spent his whole life in middle Tennessee. He was raised in a sharecropper's shack with no electricity and no running water. His father never owned a car or a house. Tennessee ranks near the bottom of all the states in the union in terms of education and Lewis County ranks very low among the 92 counties in the state. He graduated from the Lewis County High School but was completely self-educated as both a writer and a painter. He was inspired by the writings of William Faulkner, Thomas Wolfe and Cormac McCarthy. He studied and wrote until he could match the great writers in the Southern literary tradition in the aesthetic power and intensity of their prose. He passed away at the age of 71 in 2012.
William Gay was born to be a writer. For as long as he could remember he was fascinated by the written word and wanted nothing other than to write. He faced incredible odds but there was simply nothing else that he wanted to do and nothing else that he would do. He lived a hardscrabble earthly life, rugged and simple. He served his art and let his art serve him. He was creating something original, something high energy, cut to the bone, coming out of the dark with an element of danger, exploding on the page. He wrote prose that is heartfelt and melancholy, imbued with beauty and concern for all living things. In a world that didn't seem to care, he was an earth angel singing from some imaginary corner of the universe. His life and the books he created are a master class in the art of writing.
Radio Interview With J.M. White
A radio interview with J.M. White from April 2018 regarding finding the manuscript of The Lost Country and Little Sister Death, along with observations about what it was like to get to know William Gay and his place in modern literature.