SEMO grad delves into personal conflicts in story collection

Jackson native Caleb Tankersley says he used his upbringing in crafting the short stories in his award winning collection, "Sin Eaters."

Jackson native and Southeast Missouri State University graduate Caleb Tankersley's first full-length book, "Sin Eaters, was published March 1 and was awarded the 2021 Permafrost Prize. Tankersley currently resides in Seattle.Submitted photo

"'Sin Eaters' is a book of short stories, so by nature, it covers a lot of different themes and not every story fits into a category. I think that is part of the reason I like the title 'Sin Eaters.' If you want to get analytical, it sort of breaks the two things down. 'Sin Eaters' is sort of like talking about religion and desire and sort of denying yourself those things," Tankersley said.

Historically, sin-eating was a ritual practiced mainly in Wales where an individual would ritualistically take on the sins of a deceased person by placing bread or other food on the body and then consuming the food. Sin-eaters would carry the burden of all the sins for the deceased individuals they performed the ritual for. The tradition continued until at least 1906. "Sin Eaters" consists of short stories and "paints a tumultuous picture of religion and repression, while hinting at the love and connection that comes with healing," according to Tankersley's website. He said the collection of stories is somewhat based on being raised in a religious family and the conflict he felt as being the gay son of a pastor.

"Sin Eaters," which was published March 1, won the 2021 Permafrost Prize for fiction, awarded by University of Alaska Fairbanks's Permafrost literary magazine.

In giving the book the award, judge Julie Iromuanya said, "Sin Eaters uses an off-kilter approach to explore religion, faith, and the oddities of what it means to be human in vast world beyond our grasp. These rich, highly imagined stories are deeply felt and emotionally resonant with a humor that sneaks up on you," according to the magazine's website.

After graduating from Jackson High School, Tankersley attended Southeast Missouri State University where he studied English for his undergraduate and master's degrees. His parents and sister are still residents of Jackson, Tankersley has lived in Seattle for three and a half years with his partner.

Tankersley said he had a positive experience while attending SEMO and during his time there he began to find his voice as a writer and gain experience in the industry.

"Susan Swartwout was my early college writing champion. She really put in my head the idea that writing could be more than a hobby, for sure," Tankersley said. "I did a lot of good writing there, just the experience of being in the writing classes and doing readings, even if sometimes they were embarrassing, like a lot are in the early stages, but even those were really great, valuable experiences."

"Sin Eaters" is Tankersley's first full-length book, but he now has his sights set on completing his first novel, while also pursuing his other hobbies of running, cooking and reading as much as he can. He said anyone who is interested in starting a career in writing needs to have extreme perseverance.

"You're going to get told 'no' a thousand times and you always lose more than you'll ever win. You have to be able to sustain yourself through that," Tankersley said. "With a lot of early writers, there is a temptation to copy other writers, but it's very important to find your own voice. No one can write the stuff in the way you can write it. The key to really taking off is figuring out what you can do that nobody else can do."

"Sin Eaters" is available for purchase wherever books are sold.