WE WERE THE UNIVERSE INTERVIEWS AND PROFILES

  • “Hilarious, profane, and profound all at once… Horny and haunted…. Parsons has written one of my favorite short story collections ever, and now one of my favorite novels.”
    —Ruth Madievsky, Vanity Fair

  • "Parsons has created a world that feels deeply rooted in Texas culture, but mercifully devoid of any old-school, cliched descriptions of the state… The book’s inclusion of bisexual moms, LGBTQ+ characters, and psychedelic cactus connoisseurs expands the notion of what a modern-day Texan looks and sounds like... The book is about mourning a sibling, but it’s also hilarious at times, especially when it comes to Kit’s hot takes about modern motherhood… Made me laugh out loud. It’s easy to fall in love with the character. She’s a mess, but she’s trying her damnedest… Parsons’s depictions of grief, parenthood, and loving an addict ring so true."
    —Dina Gachman, Texas Monthly

  • “Stunning, a testament to the power of prose, a portal… We Were the Universe is a novel of contradictions and confluences, a novel of language and experience… Reading [Parsons] is like taking a drug that amps you up and calms you down, somehow all at once.”
    —Allie Rowbottom, Forever Magazine

  • Writer Kimberly King Parsons discusses how parenthood influenced her process, the value of intuition, and taking breaks without losing momentum: “I try to do nothing for as long as possible. In my life in general, whenever there’s a problem or some challenge, I’m like, ‘Do nothing, and then the answers will be revealed.’ It hasn’t let me down yet.”
    —Elle Nash, The Creative Independent

  • “As a woman, as a daughter, as the sister of an addict, as a new mom, as a human being living on planet earth during the anthropocene, this book ripped me open, turned me inside out, and then spat me out somehow more whole than before.”
    —Brittany Ackerman, Write or Die

  • “I admire so many aspects of this novel and your writing—the self-deprecating yet sharply observant humor, the way you weave disparate elements into a cohesive whole, and of course, your unforgettably chaotic main character, whose palpable memories, desires, and fears destabilize her everyday existence.”
    —Rowena Leong Singer, CRAFT

  • “Smart and heartbreaking, We Were the Universe soars past our expectations of the form…This novel has received so much well deserved acclaim and we’re so happy to have Kimberly King Parsons here.”
    —Kelley Vick, Literary Prospects

  • “We Were the Universe is a surreal and transcendent examination of grief, sex, motherhood, and sisterhood, and one of the year’s best books.”
    —David Gutowski, Largehearted Boy

  • “Kimberly King Parsons, author of We Were the Universe, joins Debutiful to discuss what advice she gives her students, how she sets goals, and the business side of publishing.”
    —Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful Podcast

  • “Kit narrates the vicissitudes of motherhood with both a sense of humor and a stirring eye for detail…Not only had Parsons provided us all with a window into motherhood; she had also illuminated the wonders of vicarious discovery, a process that underscores parenting and fiction-writing alike.”
    —Brittany Menjivar, Los Angeles Review of Books

  • “Plenty of novels have been written celebrating heroic Texas archetypes. But Lubbock-born Kimberly King Parsons’ latest tracks a more modern and everyday archetypal Texan: A new mother named Kit navigating love and grief in the Dallas suburbs.”
    —Sarah Asch, Texas Standard

  • “We Were the Universe is a wonderfully vivid novel with a great cast of characters…It’s psychologically astute, deeply moving and funny.”
    —Brad Listi, Otherppl

  • “A knockout…told in the most unique and hilarious interior voice. The novel [has a] vulnerable heart and razor sharp teeth. At turns quiet and melancholy and raucous and vividly alive, We Were the Universe makes for an unforgettable read.”
    —Chris Holmes, Burned by Books

  • “Parsons talks about her debut novel, a mother’s right to disassociate, drugs, horny moms, ‘a quick squirt,’ her painstaking sentence-making, Garielle Lutz, her favorite music, deserving her novel’s ending and more!”
    —Lindsay Hunter, I’m a Writer But: Live from Exile in Bookville

  • “Kimberly King Parsons captured the attention of the literary world in 2019 when her short story collection titled Black Light was longlisted for the National Book Award. And now she has penned her debut novel, We Were the Universe, full of subtle humor, sarcasm and laugh-out-loud moments.”
    —Beth Golay, Marginalia KMUW/NPR

  • “LitCit’s host chats with guest Kimberly King Parsons about her journey as a writer, the differences between crafting short stories and novels, and how motherhood and psychedelia play a central part in We Were the Universe.”
    —Bo Thomas Newman, LitCit: Antioch’s Literary Citizen Podcast