Episode 237 with Ghassan Zeinnedine, Author of Dearborn and Creator of Singular Communities and Universal Communities with Humor and Emotional Resonance

Notes and Links to Ghassan Zeineddine’s Work

 

   For Episode 237, Pete welcomes Ghassan Zeineddine, and the two discuss, among other topics, his childhood in Saudi Arabia and Washington, D.C., his experiences with multilingualism, formative and transformative reading and his reading “obsession,” the resonance of Dearborn, Michigan, seeds for Dearborn, “Speedoman,” and salient themes in his collection like masculinity, grief, trauma, reinvention, and ideas of home.

 

   Ghassan Zeineddine was born in Washington, DC, and raised in the Middle East. He is an assistant professor of creative writing at Oberlin College, and co-editor of the creative nonfiction anthology Hadha Baladuna: Arab American Narratives of Boundary and Belonging. His debut short story collection is Dearborn.

 

Buy Dearborn

 

 

Ghassan's Bio for Oberlin College

 

Dearborn Playlist from Ghassan from Largehearted Boy

 

At about 1:30, Ghassan talks about creative nonfiction as “a huge umbrella for many types of writing” and the anthology he edited

At about 3:40, Ghassan talks about the diversity of Arab ethnicities in Dearborn, Michigan, and its connections to his short story collection of the same name

At about 6:05, Ghassan talks about his childhood in Saudi Arabia, and how his Lebanese family ended up there

At about 10:55, Ghassan discusses his early relationships with reading

At about 13:20, Ghassan talks about the differences in dialects in Arabic, including accents of Lebanese-Americans from different Lebanese regions 

At about 14:35, Ghassan describes the evolution of his “healthy obsession” with reading, including his DC schooling and how the “isolating experience” affected his tastes and led to wrestling and John Irving

At about 21:05, Ghassan highlights Percival Everett and James McBride as contemporary writers who thrills and inspires and challenges him 

At about 24:00, Ghassan reflects on how teaching informs his writing, and vice versa; he highlights Morgan Talty’s Night of the Living Rez as a great teaching tool

At about 27:10, Ghassan shouts out places to buy his book, including Literati, and his contact/social media 

At about 28:30, Ghassan and Pete marvel over the lives and practices of voice actors, and Pete shouts out the transcendent Edoardo Ballerini

At about 30:30, Ghassan responds to Pete’s questions about conceiving the book as a collection of stories

At about 32:40, Pete remarks on the coolness of shared characters in multiple stories; Ghassan gives background on these story connections and shouts out Elizabeth DeMeo as an incredible editor

At about 35:10, Pete lays out the collection’s first story and Ghassan talks about the story’s seeds from 2018-ish

At about 38:05, the two discuss ideas of masculinity and ambition and generational differences and the use of “Bro” as seen in the beginning story 

At about 40:30, the two discuss the resonant and unique and heckuva lotta fun “Speedoman,” both the man himself, and the inclement themes and background connected to the story

At about 41:40, Pete shouts out Marquez’s “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” in comparing “Speedoman” to the magnificent Marquez story

At about 42:50, Ghassan talks about longing in the story and his use of the collective voices

At about 48:00, The two discuss the story “Marseilles” and attendant themes of masculinity and gender agency

At about 51:18, Ghassan provides background on the above story and the history of many Arab passengers on the Titanic

At about 52:20, Pete and Ghassan discuss meaningful female friendships and attempted mentorships in the collection

At about 55:25, Ghassan explains why “I Have Reason to Believe My Neighbor Is a Terrorist” was such a hard story to write

At about 57:00, Ghassan gives background on the above story that connects to government surveillance after 9/11

At about 58:40, Pete lays out themes of grief and trauma featured in the collection, including the memorable, “In Memoriam,” as well art as career versus practical professions, including through the memorable character Zizou

At about 1:02:10, Ghassan describes his experience growing up hearing stories, often tragic, of Lebanon

At about 1:04:05, Pete discusses the resonant and singular character of Ramzy in the resonant and visceral “Rabbit Stew”

At about 1:06:45, Reinvention as a throughline in the collection is discussed

At about 1:10:30, Ghassan talks about exciting future projects and writing about “obsessions”

At about 1:13:00, Ghassan points out to Percival Everett as an example of a writer who “has fun on the page,” as Ghassan endeavors to do

At about 1:13:45, Ghassan and Pete highlight some awards and nominations for Dearborn, as well as positive feedback from literary journals and readers

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   I am very excited about having one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review-I’m looking forward to the partnership! Look out for my interview with Ghassan soon.

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    Please tune in for Episode 238 with Nina St. Pierre. The episode is from a live conversation at Capital Books in Sacramento on May 31. Nina is a queer essayist and culture writer whose work has appeared in Elle, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Gossamer, and many more publications. Her dazzling and resonant memoir, Love is a Burning Thing, is now out to rave reviews.

   The episode will go live on June 11. 

   Lastly, please go to https://ceasefiretoday.com/, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.