Irish-American journalist and writer Kevin Ryan, whose family roots lie in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, has published Sunbather, a short story collection shaped by more than a decade of writing and revision.
A former member of the White House press corps, Kevin lives in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, with his wife, Caroline. He is the son of Seanie Ryan, formerly of Kennedy Park and Fianna Road, Thurles, a professional soccer referee in America and former drummer with bands ‘Tweed’ and ‘The Kenny Ryder Superband’.
Kevin’s Irish heritage runs through the collection, with many stories set in Ireland or featuring Irish characters. He credits both his family background and his appreciation of Irish literature with influencing his fiction.
Reflecting on the book, he says: “My loftiest goal is to create a piece of art, a spiritual and cultural force that comes to life when it’s read. Sunbather is the closest I’ve gotten.”
The collection emerged from two decades of experimenting with different forms and styles. Some stories appeared in journals that have since closed, while others underwent repeated workshopping and editing.
Among those who helped shape his writing was George Getschow, the Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist and former Wall Street Journal bureau chief, under whom Ryan trained as part of the Archer City writing community.
The selection process was demanding. At least 30 other stories and two abandoned novels did not make the final cut. Ryan spent more than ten years working on individual stories, including “Sunbather”, “Isidro, Our Friend”, “Visitations” and “Marianne”.
“The scenes, the words, the setting, the characters’ voices and mannerisms: They live in my head like a world of their own,” he says.
Through years of revision, Ryan sought to create characters who would stay with readers long after the final page. He also describes the collection as containing some of his funniest and most poetic writing.
“I only ever wanted to be a poet, but verse doesn’t pay the bills,” he says.
The road to publication brought numerous rejections, but Ryan now regards those setbacks as valuable.
“I pitched the collection many times, to many different publishers, and thankfully, they all declined. It needed time to grow, and so did I.”
Life experience also brought new material. “Thoughts While Holding The Newborn” followed his becoming a father, while “Expatriations” drew on his years in politically charged journalism.
A journalist, essayist, podcaster and feature writer, Ryan spent nearly a decade at Glenn Beck’s media company. He now writes for Bridget Phetasy’s Dumpster Fire podcast alongside his magazine work and his Substack publication, FREEDRIFT.
His reporting has covered subjects as varied as strongman competitions, experimental hip-hop, quantum mechanics, philosopher Simone Weil, stand-up comedy, the Chili Bowl Nationals and American politics.
Despite concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on creative work, Ryan remains optimistic about literature’s future.
“In fact, I think we’re on the verge of a whole new literary movement, a whole new way to tell stories,” he says. “AI slop be damned, no algorithm could ever dream something as weird and visceral and compassionate as ‘Sunbather’.”
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