James Janko
81
James Janko's Novels
Novelist, Poet, Veteran | Author of ‘The Clubhouse Thief’ and ‘What We Don’t Talk About’ | New book ‘The Wire-Walker’ out September 23, 2025
I will read from The Wire-Walker at Town Hall Seattle on Wednesday, October 15, at 7:30 p.m. Event location: 1119 8th Ave., the Mehdi Reading Room. ![]()
![]()
Some quotes about The Wire-Walker:![]()
“James Janko is a marvelous writer whose compassionate imagination spans worlds.”![]()
––Naomi Shihab Nye ![]()
![]()
“Amal [the narrator of The Wire-Walker] is Palestine’s Anne Frank. The ending is breath-taking.”![]()
—Maxine Hong Kingston![]()
![]()
“James Janko’s The Wire-Walker is a powerfully imagined and lithely executed tale of moral clarity.” ––IndieReader (starred review) August 27, 2025![]()
![]()
“The Wire-Walker is an aching, heartbreaking novel about a girl whose sky-high dreams cannot be contained.”![]()
––Forword Reviews September / October 2025![]()
![]()
“A poetic combination of beauty and horror, disillusionment and hope. This novel provides an unforgettable perspective to a centuries-old conflict. I hope to read more novels from this author, a singular voice, a remarkable talent.”![]()
— Gabriel Bump, author of Everywhere You Don’t Belong
A BookTok video by Tatia Dumbadse [see link below] includes The Wire-Walker as a must-read in her September round-up. The Wire-Walker is the second book featured in the round-up. The Wire-Walker takes place primarily in Nablus, Palestine, and also in Tel Aviv. An unlikely friendship between two circus girls, a Palestinian wire-walker and a Jewish Israeli juggler are at the heart of the story. ![]()
![]()
www.tiktok.com/@tatis_corner/video/7555941654323072269
We were delighted to sit down with James Janko, the author of The Wire-Walker, to talk about life, literary pursuits, languages, science, and the value of meditation. The link is below:![]()
![]()
regalhousepublishing.com/2025/09/19/thats-my-story-regal-house-publishing-rhp-interviews-novelist...
That’s My Story: Regal House Publishing (RHP) Interviews Novelist James Janko
regalhousepublishing.com
We were delighted to sit down with James Janko, the author of The Wire-Walker, to talk about life, literary pursuits, languages, science, and the value of meditation. RHP: When did you start to wri...
These words of Palestinian poet Rasha Abdulhadi are in my heart and mind: ‘Wherever you are, whatever sand you can throw on the gears of genocide, do it now. If it’s a handful, throw it. If it’s a fingernail full, scrape it out and throw. Get in the way however you can.’
I'll be reading with Maxine Hong Kingston at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco on September 23, 2025. ![]()
Details are below:![]()
Time: 7 p.m. Pacific (in-person and online)![]()
Venue: 261 Columbus Ave. San Francisco, CA 94133 ![]()
Event description: James Janko will read from his novel, The Wire-Walker, and be in conversation with Maxine Hong Kingston. Those who attend online will need to preregister, using the link on City Lights Bookstore's website.