Voice is vital in fiction. It’s often the inspiration to start writing: a new voice arrives. Yet the voice(s) in any story or novel must also develop, shift tones, serve the plot, evoke the larger world. How do you sustain a powerful convincing voice throughout a work of fiction? How does voice help create setting, conflict, politics, the passage of time, all while sounding and feeling like a person? This lecture will explore the possibilities and challenges of voice. We'll discuss Hilary Plum’s new novel State Champ as a case study, and we’ll look at some lyrics by Peaches that helped in writing the novel.

Hilary Plum’s recent books include the novel State Champ (Bloomsbury, 2025), the poetry chapbook Important Groups (Community Mausoleum, 2025), and the essay collection Hole Studies (Fonograf Editions, 2022). She co-edits the Open Prose Series at Rescue Press and co-hosts the podcast Index for Continuance. She lives and teaches in Cleveland and works at the CSU Poetry Center.