Episode 249 with Jesse Katz, Author of The Rent Collectors, Ardent Researcher and Thorough and Thoughtful Researcher

Notes and Links to Jesse Katz’s Work

 

   For Episode 249, Pete welcomes Jesse Katz, and the two discuss, among other topics, his childhood love of baseball, formative and transformative books and writers, lessons learned from early writing, LA and MacArthur Park lore, and salient themes and issues in the book like poverty and the punitive nature of powerful interests, grief, and various forms of violence, as well as larger narratives about the immigration system, family units, and traumas and silences.

 

   Jesse Katz is a former Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Magazine writer whose honors include the James Beard Foundation’s M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award, PEN Center USA’s Literary Journalism Award, a National Magazine Award nomination, and two shared Pulitzer Prizes. As a volunteer with InsideOUT Writers, he has mentored incarcerated teenagers at Central Juvenile Hall and the former California Youth Authority. 

 

Buy The Rent Collectors

 

Jesse Katz's Website

 

New York Times Review of The Rent Collectors

 

At about 2:00, the two discuss Jesse’s recent book launch at Skylight Books, which Pete was lucky to attend

At about 4:10, Jesse talks about generous feedback, including from those featured in the book

At about 6:30, Jesse discusses the experience of recording the audio for his book

At about 9:45, Jesse gives background on his relationship with language growing up

At about 12:15, The two share memories of reading formative works on Jackie Robinson

At about 14:30, Jesse describes takeaways from his adolescent readings of Hemingway, Kerouac, and immersive writers, and college reading that “flipped the switch,” including Joe McGinniss and Hunter Thompson

At about 18:15, Jesse talks about his relationship with his alma mater, Bennington College, and Bret Easton Ellis and other standout alumni

At about 19:55, Jesse highlights Matthew Desmond and Susan Orlean as contemporary writers (especially Orlean with her The Library Book and Desmond with his Poverty by América, an inspiration for The Rent Collectors) who inspire and thrill

At about 22:55, Pete makes a connection between American Psycho and The Rent Collectors, especially with regards to litanies, and Jesse expands on “the cost of being poor”

At about 24:50, Pete and Jesse talk about Jesse’s book, The Opposite Field, and connections to the great Luis J. Rodriguez

At about 27:50, Jesse responds to Pete’s questions about how he sees the book now, speaking about The Opposite Field

At about 29:00, Pete highlights a generous blurb from hector Tobar, and Jesse outlines how Hector’s support propelled Jesse to get to work on realizing the book’s finish

At about 32:00, Jesse cites Giovanni’s (Macedo, the book’s protagonist) own healing and his generosity in sharing his story

At about 34:00, Pete and Jesse discuss the book’s opening, and why Jesse decided to start the book in the middle of the story with Giovanni “rising from the dead”

At about 38:50, Jesse gives background on Giovanni’s backstory, especially with regard to his father, and not knowing the reason for his father’s death

At about 42:10, Jesse expands upon the setting of MacArthur Park, the focus of the book’s Chapter Two, and its denseness and uniqueness in LA

At about 43:30, The two discuss Giovanni’s early forays into gang life and some members of the clique featured in the book

At about 45:30, Jesse speaks about Reyna, Giovanni’s mother, and how she felt powerless in keeping her son from gangs

At about 47:40, Jesse speaks to the staying power of gangs and how they “[fill] a void,” and Pete quotes Father Greg Boyle and his thoughts on hopelessness 

At about 49:45, Jesse replies to Pete’s question about Francisco Clemente, who survived the targeted shooting by Giovanni and how he stood up against the rent collectors

At about 51:20, Jesse describes the “older, savvier gang members” who were sought out by Giovanni

At about 54:30, Pete and Jesse talk about how he sets the scene in the book for the horrendous events perpetuated by the gang and Giovanni; Jesse also details how he used court transcripts and written correspondence with Giovanni to piece together Giovanni’s thoughts before and after the shooting

At about 58:30, The backlash and early investigations about the homicide are discussed

At about 1:00:45, Pete charts Giovanni’s life in the immediate aftermath of the murder, and Jesse responds to a question about his a key decision 

At about 1:04:10, Jesse speaks to the naivete of Giovanni’s dialogue with Holmes, the investigator 

At about 1:05:40, The two discuss sentencing for Giovanni and his reflection on his crimes and aftermath

At about 1:07:00, Jesse talks about Daniela, the mother of Luis Angel, and how he tried and failed to find her to speak with for the book, and why it was maybe for the good that she didn’t have to relive the trauma

At about 1:09:45, Jesse ruminates on Giovanni’s future

At about 1:11:15, Jesse reflects on how the book may help him with his parole

At about 1:13:00, Pete and Jesse trade quotes and meditate on the book’s hopeful lessons

At about 1:14:50, Jesse gives contact info and book buying information

 

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    Please tune in for Episode 249 with Ben Tanzer. He is an Emmy-award winning coach, creative strategist, podcaster, writer, teacher and social worker who has been helping nonprofits, publishers, authors, small business and career changers tell their stories for 20 plus years. 

   He produces and hosts This Podcast Will Change Your Life, which was launched in February 2010, focuses on authors and changemakers from around the country and the world, and was named by Elephant Journal as one of "The 10 Best Podcasts to Help you Change your Life.”

   His written work includes the short story collection UPSTATE, the science fiction novel Orphans and the essay collections Lost in Space and Be Cool. His most recent novel is The Missing.

   The episode will go live on August 27.

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