“21 Extremely Bad Breakups”: An Interview with Mark Leidner

Once a year, Newfound Journal awards its Prose Prize to one author and publishes their work in a chapbook.  I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Leidner, winner of the 2016 Prose Prize, about some of the themes of his winning work and his relationship with writing.

Rebecca Henderson: Mark, did you write this piece specifically for the Prose Prize, or was it something you already had written?

Mark Leidner: I saw the contest advertised when I was in the middle of writing it. I thought because it’s multiple stories within a single story, it would make a good chapbook if selected.