James Janko
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James Janko's Novels
Novelist, Poet, Veteran | Author of ‘The Clubhouse Thief’ and ‘What We Don’t Talk About’ | New book ‘The Wire-Walker’ out September 23, 2025
The Wire-Walker (2025) has a bushelful of honors and awards, including:![]()
• the Nautilus Gold Award for best novel of 2025 from a large press (I share the Nautilus award with Ocean Vuong and his 2025 novel, The Emperor of Gladness.)![]()
• 2nd Place in the IndieReader Discovery Award, which is open to all fiction published by independent presses in 2025![]()
• the Juniper Prize from the University of Massachusetts Press![]()
• finalist for the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence![]()
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I am especially delighted to share an award with Ocean Vuong, whose debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, is one of my all-time favorite books.
Ocean Vuong's novel, Emperor of Gladness, and my novel, The Wire-Walker, have been awarded the best fiction of the year by the Nautilus Book Awards.
Last month, I had the honor to join Deena Metzger, a great writer and feminist and peacemaker, in a reading and discussion of our most recent work. Deena reads from a novella, The Story That Must Not Be Told (2025), and I read from my novel, The Wire-Walker (2025), which primarily takes place in Nablus, Palestine. The readings and discussion focus on Palestine today, the rise of Trump in the USA, and the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s. ![]()
Here's the link:![]()
A Conversation between Deena Metzger and James Janko
youtu.be
Authors James Janko and Deena Metzger discuss their latest books, The Wire Walker and The Story That Must Not Be Told, as well as the power and wisdom of the...
I am deeply honored to be presenting alongside Deena Metzger on Sunday, March 15, at noon Pacific. Registration is required; the details are below:![]()
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Deena Metzger and James Janko are two writers of moral integrity and ethical concern bearing unflinching witness to the extremities of international and national violence. This is a conversation you don't want to miss! Register at tinyurl.com/storyofresist
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In this interview with Larry Wood of the Veterans Breakfast Club, I talk about my experience as a combat medic in Vietnam (1970) and the origins and development of my most recent novel, The Wire-Walker, which primarily takes place in Nablus, Palestine. I talk about the Balata Refugee Camp, the Nablus Circus School, and discuss the current situation in Palestine and Israel. I praise several organizations that have steadfastly advanced the cause of peace, including Combatants for Peace, Standing Together, and the Parents Circle. I close by talking about Alcatraz Island, where I worked as a solitary night watchman for thirteen years (1979-1992). Photo credit of Alcatraz Island: Don Ramey Logan