JOSEPHINE ENSIGN WITH E. C. MURRAY

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  Josephine Ensign is a professor of nursing at the University of Washington (UW) School of Nursing where she teaches health policy, public health, and health humanities. She is an alumna of Hedgebrook, Centrum, The Community of Writers, Mesa Refuge, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Born in Richmond, Virginia. Josephine Ensign is a professor of nursing at the University of Washington (UW) School of Nursing where she teaches health policy, public health, and health humanities. She is an alumna of Hedgebrook, Centrum, The Community of Writers, Mesa Refuge, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

Born in Richmond, Virginia. Ensign received a BA (Biology and Religion) from Oberlin College, her masters in primary care nursing from the Medical College of Virginia, and her doctorate in public health from the Johns Hopkins University. Ensign has worked as a nurse and family nurse practitioner for the past forty years, providing primary health care to homeless adolescents, families, and adults. Her four books are CATCHING HOMELESSNESS: A NURSE’S STORY OF FALLING THROUGH THE SAFETY NET,  SKID ROAD: ON THE FRONTIER OF HEALTH AND HOMELESSNESS IN AN AMERICAN CITY, SOUL STORIES:VOICES FROM THE MARGINS, and WAY
HOME: JOURNEYS THROUGH HOMELESSNESS.

  1. As a family nurse and nurse practitioner for forty years, and someone who has lived experience as a homeless young adult, what compelled you to write about the people and institutions you’ve encountered?

I’ve always written about the people and institutions I’ve worked with. This work started when I was an undergraduate student at Oberlin College when I worked with a young girl living in a group home. I mostly wrote about my work in private journals and in various journals and magazines. I write what I call personal policy narratives, ones that weave personal reflections into an exploration of larger health and social policies.

  1. The take away I have from reading your work is the desire to inform readers about being unhoused and deepen reader’s empathy. What methods did you use to reach that goal?

I’m interested in ways to guide people towards greater empathy and understanding for/of people experiencing homelessness. And how to do that without falling into a polemic. I like to explore the limits of empathy, including for myself, and ways to nurture empathy even when it is difficult. I feel strongly about using people’s own voices, their own stories as much as possible and with their permission whenever possible.                                                                                                                  

  1. In your book, WAY HOME: JOURNEYS THROUGH HOMELESSNESS, you seem to work hard at showing multiple perspectives while describing both successful stories and heartfelt tragedies. What is the most difficult aspect of writing these personal stories?

The most difficult aspect is not looking away, writing in a way that avoids sensationalizing stories of people, that is respectful and honest while also avoiding becoming overwhelmed by it all.

  1. Please tell us about your research process.

My research process varies with what I’m writing. I draw on my journals and notebooks, interviews with people, participant observations, and document review including archival research. My most ‘research’ book to date is Skid Road. Research for that book included extensive reading of various histories of King County and the Pacific Northwest. I also completed (at that point, I now have sixty-four) thirty-six oral history interviews and years of archival research here in the Seattle area and even in the UK (for the English Poor laws). I enjoy ‘going down rabbit holes’ with research because I find all sorts of unexpected twists and turns and more than a few skeletons. I usually don’t end up incorporating all of that information when I write the book, but it informs my writing.

  1. You deftly combine touching personal stories with thorough research worthy of an academic paper.  What is your writing process?

I’ve landed on a writing process that works for me. I start with the story, with a compelling opening scene and I refine that until I find my way into the essay or chapter. I simultaneously write out notes for what I think may fit or where the narrative might go. I do considerable background research before I begin writing and add to it as I go along writing the chapter or essay. But until I get that opening scene I can’t move forward. It has to grip me. Whatever I write has extensive research behind it and I incorporate the research findings where it helps drive (and deepen) the overarching narrative. 

  1. As you developed your creative writing skills, have you ever wanted to write fiction or write about a different topic?

I have written and even published fiction, a short story, but even that was about the experience of homelessness for a woman. For my second book, Soul Stories, I incorporated braided essays, a haibun, and poetry (as well as the short story). I allowed myself to experiment with and expand my writing. What I’m currently working on only tangentially includes homelessness. It’s an exploration of place and home and what responsibilities we have towards both.

  1. What advice do you have for people who want to write a “readable” non-fiction book about a difficult topic such as yours?

I had to unlearn my tendency towards dry, aloof, formulaic academic or straight journalistic writing and search for the compelling stories and voices of people. Adopting writing techniques more associated with fiction can help as long as you know when and how to reign it in. In our world of twisted truth, make sure you stay honest with the facts and treat the reader with respect.                                                                                                                                                                                    

  1. Who are your favorite non-fiction authors?

My current favorite non-fiction authors (and my favorite books of theirs are:
Elizabeth-Jane Burnett, THE GRASSLING
Olivia Laing, TO THE RIVER
Toni Jensen, CARRY
Amanda Thomson, BELONGING,
Robin Wall-Kimmerer, BRAIDING SWEETGRASS
Terry Tempest Williams, all of her books
Kerri ni Dochartaigh, THIN PLACES
Nan Shepherd, THE LIVING MOUNTAIN
Robert Macfarlaine, THE WILD PLACES
Scott Russell Sanders, THE WAY OF IMAGINATION
 

  1. What was the best advice you, as a writer received, over the many years you’ve been writing?

This is my own twist on a distillation of advice from my writing mentors:
Writing is an art, craft, practice, and habit. It wants exercising every day even if you can only give it 5-10 minutes.
       
           Thank you so much, Josephine. Your work is both inspiring and insightful. https://josephineensign.com/