Writers Read welcomes back alumna novelist Christine Benner Dixon ’04

When we think about post-apocalyptic literature or film, says novelist Christine Benner Dixon ’04, whose newly released debut novel, The Height of Land, takes place long after the collapse of civilization, we tend to think of something like Mad Max.

“Everyone’s driving around with the biggest gun they can find, mowing down anyone who seems remotely threatening,” she said. “Everyone’s fighting tooth and nail in this really brutal way.”

Speaking at a Writers Read event in Martin Chapel on Thursday evening, Benner Dixon said she’s not particularly interested in those types of stories. She would rather learn how people get past that point. 

“I don’t want post-apocalyptic,” she said. “I want what comes after. I want to see the communities that thrive once all the warring and stabbing has burned itself out.”

The Height of Land is set in the far distant future and follows Red, a sensitive and inquisitive young farmer who is torn between “spiritual longing and commitment to his community’s survival in a harsh landscape” (Orison Books). Benner Dixon read from a chapter in her novel, shared a short story she had written about encountering God in her garden, and read an essay that will be published by The Iowa Review in its spring issue.

Answering questions from moderator Dr. Kevin Seidel, professor of English at EMU, and members of the audience, Benner Dixon spoke about beauty in art and gardening, the meaning behind the title of her novel—the dividing line that separates watersheds—and the inspiration that sparked it all. She said she had read a book by religious scholar Reza Aslan, who wrote God: A Human History.

“I started wondering, what would it be like if modern humanity was able to have the slate wiped clean, as it were, of all the religious knowledge we have and create a new religion,” she said. “What would we create?”

Future events

A book launch and “post-post-apocalyptic party” held on Saturday, March 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Tangly Woods Farmstead (2715 Fruit Farm Lane, Keezletown, Virginia) will feature a reading from Benner Dixon, an open mic, and demonstrations from local artisans and craftspeople. Read more details about that here.

The next Writers Read event, on Tuesday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Martin Chapel, will feature EMU English Professor Kirsten Beachy introducing her memoir of collected essays, Martyrs and Chickens, Confessions of a Granola Mennonite.

About the author

Benner Dixon is a teacher, poet, editor, and novelist living in Pittsburgh. She spent roughly 15 years in academia as a classroom teacher and scholar before launching her freelance editing and writing business. Along with poet Sharon Fagan McDermott, she is the co-author of Millions of Suns: On Writing and Life. Her writing has appeared in outlets such as Literary Hub, Reckoning, Flash Fiction, Online, Appalachian Review, and elsewhere.