Episode 83 with Larry Strauss, High School Educator, Mentor, Basketball Coach, and Writer for HuffPost, USA Today, and Author of November‘s Light Man novel and Many Other Books

Episode 83 Notes and Links to Larry Strauss’ Work

 

        On Episode 83 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Larry Strauss, who he formerly coached high school against (!), and the two talk about Larry’s childhood in New York City, his early success in writing for television and for film, inspiration from his family, his coaching and teaching and mentoring at the high school level, and his latest stellar work, Light Man, coming out in November of this year. 

          A former subway graffiti artist, stand-up comic, television writer, ghost writer, and corporate poet, Larry Strauss writes the kind of fiction he likes to read: funny, surprising, insightful, and poignant. He teaches high school English and coaches basketball in South Central Los Angeles, and tries to recruit kids out of materialism, violence and despair and into the world of ideas. Strauss grew up on the Upper Westside of Manhattan, then attended high school and college in Los Angeles. He wrote for television in his twenties, including three episodes of the first season of Transformers, then ghost-wrote and co-authored books with a doctor, nutritionist, financial planner, and two psychologists. He also wrote The Magic Man, a biography of Magic Johnson for the mid-grade audience. His first three novels, Fake Out, One Man One Vote, and Unfinished Business were published by Holloway House Books, now a subsidiary of Kennsington. His fourth novel, Now's the Time, was published by Kearney Street Books. Strauss lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Eleanor, and their son. See more about him @ Larrystrauss.net

 

 

Larry Strauss' Amazon Page

 

" ‘My mother never gave up on my brother. Because of her, I never give up on my students.’ " Mother's Day 2019 for USA Today

 

Larry Strauss’ HuffPost Page with Previous Articles

 

At about 2:55, Larry discusses his childhood growing up in New York City and his early relationship with words

 

At about 8:15, Larry discusses some early triumphs in writing at a young age, followed by a bit of humbling and Hollywood fickleness before he found his place as a writer

 

At about 11:10, Larry describes an early project that drew Hollywood interest in the late 80s/early 90s

 

At about 12:40, Larry describes his work in writing for the Transformers’ series, including the “stretch” in writing for different genres and audiences

 

At about 15:50, Larry is asked about balancing writing and teaching, with both pulling a great amount of time

 

At about 17:10, Larry talks about writing and thinking and their close connections, as well as his process for stimulating ideas 

 

At about 20:00, Larry discusses his editing process and his “I’m almost done” attitude that impels him to keep working

 

At about 23:45, Pete asks Larry what his high school students are reading and enjoying, as well as what Larry himself is enjoying-he mentions Bryan Stephenson’s Just Mercy and Richard Russo and the fiction from The New Yorker

 

At about 26:00, Larry describes his feelings upon writing a tribute to his mother in 2019, and how his mother was someone who didn’t ask for and seek credit for the TV characters, especially Mrs. Garrett on Facts of Life, that she played, and how hard she worked at her craft 

 

At about 28:55, Larry talks about her mother and father’s devotion to their special needs’ child, in times where services and resources were often lacking

 

At about 31:15, Larry talks about how he learned from his parents skills that have helped him in his teaching/mentorship

 

At about 32:10, Larry outlines his upcoming book, due in November, Light Man, and the opening scene that serves as the inciting incident

 

At about 35:55, Pete compliments Larry on his world building in the way that he creates an environment reminiscent of 1970s New York City

 

At about 37:54, Pete wonders if Al, the book’s narrator and protagonist, was intended as an “Everyman”

 

At about 41:35, Larry outlines Trudy’s story, with Trudy being a major character in the book as Al’s girlfriend and someone who is “walking wounded”

 

At about 43:50, Pete and Larry talk about Al’s relationship with Mike, and Mike’s enigmatic personality 

 

At about 46:50, Larry explains the links between real life and the conspiratorial thinking of Mike from the book

 

At about 48:45, Pete and Larry analyze the importance of “The Roach Lady” in the book as a woman who feels wronged by the world and by her family

 

At about 50:28, Larry recounts a few anecdotes from his own life that parallel the book’s idea of celebrities as public figures who can be abused at will by society’s idea of entitlement  

 

At about 55:35, Pete references Heath Ledger’s role in Batman in comparison to Arlene “The Roach Lady” and channeling emotions

 

At about 56:35, Pete wonders what draws Trudy to Arlene in the book

 

At about 58:15, Pete and Larry discuss the book’s ending and the balance between optimism and pessimism, and Larry talks about the rays of optimism and how he felt upon finishing writing the book

 

At about 1:01:00, Larry reads an excerpt from the book’s first chapter

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This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

I’m excited to share my next episode with Noah Hurowitz, a journalist based in New York City. He covered the trial of El Chapo for Rolling Stone, and his first book, El Chapo, The Untold Story of the World's Most Infamous Drug Lord, was published in July. The episode will air on October 8. 

The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.