Mississippi Expat: Jimmy Cajoleas

"Mississippi built me from the ground up. I don’t know myself without it."

What does it mean to call Mississippi home? Why do people choose to leave or live in this weird, wonderful, and sometimes infuriating place? Today we hear from author Jimmy Cajoleas, whose books include Goldeline, The Good Demon, and most recently, Gussy. Jimmy now lives in New York City, but he credits growing up in Jackson, outside of the “larger cultural discourse,” as helping him to shape his own distinct identity and voice.

Featured contributor Jimmy Cajoleas now lives in New York.

Where are you from?

I was born in Jackson, Mississippi, where I lived until I moved to Oxford when I was eighteen to attend the University of Mississippi for undergrad. After a brief stint in Austin, Texas, I moved back to Jackson, then back Oxford for graduate school. Altogether, I lived in Mississippi for around twenty-eight years. 

When did you move to New York and why did you move there?

Eight and a half years ago. It seemed like an adventure. 

What does “home” mean to you? How does Mississippi fit into that definition?

Home is where I know I’m loved and accepted. In some ways, Mississippi will always be my home. I’ve found a nice life up here, one where I have good friends and people I love, but there’s something about the place you’re from, where your family is, where every street and tree and empty building has a memory. 

What do you miss most about Mississippi?

I miss my family and my friends. I miss the trees. I miss the food. I miss servers at restaurants who will sit down and talk to you about life and show you pictures of their grandkids before even taking your drink order. I miss the tight-knit crew of artists and musicians I had back when I was growing up and all this writing and art and music stuff meant everything in the world. More than anything I miss the sound of the bugs and the tree frogs on hot summer nights. That’s probably the best sound in the world.

Jimmy’s debut novel, Goldeline, follows a young girl named Goldeline on an adventure through a fairy tale forest filled with dark and wondrous magic. The book was a Booklist Top 10 First Novel for Youth Pick of 2017, and a 2018 Southern Book Prize Finalist.