TYPORAMA
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Author’s satirical novel on censorship in the silent film era resonates with today’s book banning climate.
September 29, 2026
Koehler Books
Historical Fiction
Humor/Satire
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ABOUT ROUGH CUTS:
It’s 1926 and the world of film is about to change forever. On the cusp of “talkies,” directors and actors fear their greatest days might soon be behind them.
Patrick J. Shepard, a director at the end of his career, has just completed his masterpiece, his vehicle for eternal fame. But there’s one problem: Ohio.
Harold Dawdry, the young, second-string minister at a small church in a corner of Ohio, has been appointed to the State Film Censorship Board.
He regards this appointment as his ticket to the power and relevance he desperately craves.
There is one director who has particularly rankled his delicate sensibilities: Patrick J. Shepard.
The minister feels Ohio is best served if Shepard makes drastic cuts to his final film. The silent era is about to get loud.
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An Interview with
Glenn Miller
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1. What inspired you to write “Rough Cuts”
My mother-in-law told me that she was going through her grandfather’s archives, which included original notecards of film edits that needed to be made by Hollywood studios. The fact that he, as a small-town Ohio minister, was instructing Hollywood directors and producers what needed to be changed in their films intrigued me, to say the least. The more I investigated this situation, the more I could see a story forming – a director trying to protect his “legacy” film going up against a minister/censor who sees his position as one of power.
2. How did you learn about the state censorship movement, and what was the research process like for you?
Once I committed myself to writing this book (humorous story behind that), I spent a week in Marietta, Ohio (my mother-in-law had donated the cards to the Marietta College archives), carefully examining these notecards and comparing the requested/demanded changes to the original films (where I could find them). In addition to that original research, I have gone over dozens of books which help explain that period in history, including an unintentionally amusing one from 1930, entitled “Censored: The Private Life of the Movie,” which, in great detail, describes the credentials of the individuals appointed to the various state censorship boards.
3. How did your career at NBC studios influence your portrayal of the director?
In addition to looking at creative censorship, I wanted “Rough Cuts” to be a love note to the world of artistic creation, specifically, cinema. Beyond the product itself, however, there is the element of teamwork that is required to create a film, a television show, or a corporate video. With that artistic teamwork come drama, challenges, disagreements, and, in many cases, deep friendships and relationships. That was an element that I wanted to hit upon with the director as he nears the completion of his final film and, as it turns out, his life. The scene in which he is walking through the empty studios on a Sunday morning is a recreation of a walk I took as I was leaving NBC, closing what I knew was a wonderful (8-year) chapter in my life. He is looking back on his product, but also, and perhaps more importantly, the friendships he made along the way.
4. “Doorman Wanted” solidified your satirical voice in fiction. How does “Rough Cuts” relate to, or diverge from, your signature style? What role does humor play in the book?
When I speak to book clubs or make presentations, I describe the humor in “Doorman Wanted” as “gentle,” but the humor in “Rough Cuts” has “sharper elbows.” So many readers and book club attendees tell me how much they love the gentleness and kindness in “Doorman Wanted,” which makes me slightly nervous for “Rough Cuts.” There is a different tone in “Rough Cuts” – it’s right there in the title, it’s a little rougher. Beyond looking at censorship, it also looks dead-on at hypocrisy, demonstrated, certainly, by the minister, but also, to a lesser degree, by the director. I regard humor as the “sugar” that makes the medicine go down. In “Doorman Wanted,” it was used as a means to examine our perceptions and misperceptions around wealth; in “Rough Cuts,” it looks at our impulses around censoring creative expression.
5. Why does arts censorship persist, and how do these events from the 1920s remain relevant to us, even 100 years later?
As long as there are people creatively expressing themselves, there will be others trying to shut them down. There is a vast gulf between somebody criticizing an artistic work and somebody trying to prevent others from watching or reading that artistic work. This is explored within “Rough Cuts.” I also would like to give context to the censorship of the 1910s and 1920s – it came out of America’s progressive movement of that era. State censors regarded their work as being consistent with meat inspections, imported goods inspections, etc. That is, they saw themselves as protecting end consumers. Initially, they proudly wore the title of “Censor.” That changed fairly quickly. We are currently living in an era in which censors are emboldened and mobilization around censorship efforts, specifically book banning, is made easier through social media and digital communications.
6. Do you believe that censorship in the arts will always exist in one form or another?
Without a doubt.
7. How can book clubs get in touch with you, and what can they expect from a meeting with you?
Book clubs can reach out directly via the “Contact” button on my website (glenn-r-miller.com). I am happy to talk about plot points, my writing process, etc. Typically, a good time is had by all! Within the Twin Cities metro area, I will attend in person, if possible. I have also Zoomed numerous times with book clubs throughout the U.S.
8. What are you working on next?
Every book club I have attended (70+) have asked about a “Doorman” sequel, so, give ‘em what they want. I am about 3/4s of the way through my initial rough draft.
GLENN R. MILLER: is the author of the critically acclaimed and award-winning novel “Doorman Wanted” which was named 2026 Plymouth Reads Book of the Year.
“Rough Cuts” is his second novel, forthcoming from Koehler Books.
Miller launched his professional career by working on television soap operas and game shows on the back lots of NBC Burbank.
He holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and has served as a CBS-affiliate news producer, public television producer, and creative director at production agencies within the Twin Cities.
Glenn and his wife live in Minneapolis, and are the parents of two grown sons.
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