Jeanne Murray Walker was born in Parkers Prairie, Minnesota, a village of about 1,000. Her recent memoir, Leaping From the Burning Train: A Poet’s Journey of Faith (Slant Books, 232 pages), details her departure from that fundamentalist community in search of what lies beyond the walls of Protestant Christianity. Now a resident of Merion Station, the author, playwright and former University of Delaware professor is also an award-winning poet.
MLT: Leaping From the Burning Train is about a “girl who left home without quite meaning to.” What does that mean?
JMW: When I was young, I only felt safe in a conservative family structure and church. It felt like my home. As I got older, I began to see that new options were not only possible, but some of them were exciting. I wanted to see where they would take me. It took courage to let go of my friends and family to venture into new relationships and explore new experiences, but it’s been worth every minute of uncertainty and fear.
MLT: Why the “burning train” reference?
JMW: I’m a poet who thinks in terms of images. When I realized I was losing my ability to believe that things will go on running faithfully along a safe track, I became deeply alarmed. The book’s early chapter describing the train wreck is a metaphor for that experience of failure.
MLT: How does your story unfold throughout the book?
JMW: Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the way my life changed as I grew up and saw exhilarating new options—friendships, books, subjects to explore, a wealth of new foods and music.
MLT: How would you describe your relationship to Protestantism now?
JMW: I’m comfortable with friends and family who follow different rituals—even rituals that vary significantly from mine. Interestingly enough, I’m much more willing to explore and try to understand the spiritual journeys of friends and family now. It seems to me that even people who don’t think about it much are on a spiritual journey.
Visit jeannemurraywalker.com.
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