Jeffrey Tayler on the Writing Life

In the latest installment in his series of interviews with travel writers, Rolf Potts queries Atlantic Monthly contributor Jeffrey Tayler, author of Siberian Dawn and Facing the Congo. Among other things, Tayler reveals the secret to spotting bad Peace Corps writing and explains how he came to the writing life. “My writing derived from the conviction I conceived during my college years: one should lead one’s life as if one were the protagonist of an epic novel, with the outcome predetermined and chapter after chapter of edifying, traumatic, and exhilarating events to be suffered through,” he says.

©2026 World Hum, All Rights Reserved