Meet Krys Malcolm Belc, Edelstein-Keller Writer in Residence

What drew Krys Malcolm Belc to the Creative Writing Program’s Edelstein-Keller Writer in Residence opportunity? In part, he says, it was the exciting books being written by our faculty. The MFA program’s rare encouragement of multi-genre and genre-blurring work was another factor: Belc, author of the memoir The Natural Mother of the Child, an NPR Best Book of 2021, as well as the nonfiction chapbook In Transit, is exploring a fiction project. The University of Minnesota’s urban setting also was an attraction. “I'm used to a vibrant arts city,” says the Philadelphian. “I knew that I would find that here as well. The Twin Cities have a large number of opportunities for artists, and great indie publishers.” Belc generously answered our questions via email. 

As part of the residency, you’re teaching a graduate nonfiction seminar this fall and an undergrad course on "Writing Friends and Family" next spring. What courses do you most enjoy teaching?

I specialize in memoir and lyric essay. I have a special place in my heart for students whose primary genre is not creative nonfiction who are trying out the genre. My mentor from graduate school, Rachel May, met me in my first-ever creative nonfiction class when I was just "trying out" the genre, and gave me a huge number of reading suggestions. That mountain of books really did change the trajectory of my artistic career! Being able to write from a place of "truth," whether it's the natural world, the world of culture, or one's personal experiences, is an artistic skill that can be intimidating to approach but can also be freeing, and a lot of fun. 

What is your favorite work to teach?

I read, write, and teach as broadly as I can across creative nonfiction, but I do have a few essays I return to (and recommend to my students) again and again because of particular moments and craft elements, including Wesley Morris' "My Mustache, My Self," Kiese Laymon's "Greens," and Eula Biss' "The Pain Scale.” This semester, I was really excited that my graduate students and I got to talk about Virginia Woolf's two incomplete memoirs, collected in the book Moments of Being, since they offer a rare opportunity to see how a writer attempted to capture the self at different times in her life. 

What writing are you hoping to work on while you're here?

I have been working on a book-length essay about cooking and baking for my family, and I hoped that the time here would really lead to that project coming together. I have also been doing some exploratory thinking, reading, and writing towards a fiction project. Not sure what the form of that might be, but I do hope to dedicate some of my time to it. 

Your home is Philadelphia, so you know about winter cold. What has been your favorite discovery living in Minneapolis-St. Paul?

Yes, and as I keep telling my concerned neighbors, my family lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for three years, so I've been through some tough winters! :) Before we moved, I signed up for my first half marathon in September in Minneapolis so that I would get to know the Cities during my training: I am wowed by all the miles of river trails and how quickly you can get to nature. But I don't run when it's cold, so my favorite recent thing has been spending time at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. I love that it's free: I can pop in if I only have an hour or two and spend some time with paintings. I also love walking to my local independent bookstore, Next Chapter Booksellers in St. Paul. 

Current book or short piece recommendation?

If you're traveling at all during the holiday season, I recommend downloading Beloved, which Toni Morrison read herself. I think it's the perfect audiobook.