Behind The Blue

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 7, 2025) – Fiction has long offered writers a veil—an opportunity to tell deeply personal stories while maintaining a layer of narrative distance. But what happens when that veil is intentionally thin? When the boundaries between memory and imagination, fact and fiction, are not just blurred but teased and twisted? That’s the space explored in If You Love It, Let It Kill You, the latest novel from Hannah Pittard, acclaimed author and professor in the University of Kentucky’s Department of English. Drawing from autobiographical threads, Pittard uses fiction to explore truths that might feel too complex—or too personal—for straightforward memoir.  On this episode of Behind the Blue, Pittard talks about the freedom and risk of writing autobiographical fiction, the influence of teaching and mentorship on her work, and the role that humor and discomfort play in crafting emotionally resonant stories. ‘Behind the Blue’ is available via a variety of podcast providers, including iTunes and