Each semester, the Writing University hosts the 5Q Interview series with authors from the University of Iowa Press. We sit down with UI Press authors to ask about their work, their process, their reading lists and events. Today we are speaking with Samsun Knight, the author of Likeness (University of Iowa Press, 2025.)

Samsun Knight is assistant professor in the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. He is author of Likeness and The Diver, both from the University of Iowa Press. He lives in Toronto, Canada.

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1. Can you tell us a little bit about your new book Likeness?

In so many words, it's about what happens when two partners in an open relationship get pregnant at the same time.

2. What was the inspiration for this work?

My own family; I'm the child of an open marriage, and this occurred with my mother and one of my dad's other partners. (My half-brother and I are now very close.)

3. Do you have any plans for readings or events for this book, either in person or virtual?

Yes, I'll be reading at P&T Knitwear in Manhattan on August 6.

4. What are you reading right now? Any books from other university or independent presses?

I'm reading Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit from Oxford University Press. I'm hardly the first to say this, but it's very good, would highly recommend.

5. What is your writing routine? Do you have a daily routine?

I write whenever I can! I'm a tenure-track professor and a new dad, so daily routines are hard to come by, but I write whenever possible.