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The Chills at Will Podcast is a celebration of the visceral beauty of literature. This beauty will be examined through close reads of phrases and lines and passages from fiction and nonfiction that thrills the reader, so much so that he wants to read again and again to replicate that thrill. Each episode will focus on a different theme, such as "The Power of Flashback," "Understatement," "Cats in the Cradle," and "Chills at Will: Origin Story."
Episodes
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
Episode 131 Notes and Links to Alice Elliott Dark’s Work
On Episode 131 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Alice Elliott Dark, and the two discuss, among other topics, Alice’s upbringing and schooling that provided much room for intellectual growth and inquiry, her poetry writing days and gradual transfer to writing prose, her electrifying short story that made all-century lists, the story’s presentation on the big screen, and the “saga” of her latest novel and its accompanying themes.
Alice Elliott Dark, author of the novels Fellowship Point and Think of England, and whose story "In the Gloaming” was chosen by John Updike for inclusion in The Best American Short Stories of The Century and made into films by HBO and Trinity Playhouse. Her non-fiction reviews and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and many anthologies. She is a recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and an Associate Professor at Rutgers-Newark in the English department and the MFA program.
Publisher’s Weekly Review of Fellowship Point
Kirkus Reviews Review of Fellowship Point
At about 2:00, Alice details her childhood and adolescent relationship with language and reading
At about 4:40, Alice describes a formative experience where she realized that she, too, could become a professional writer
At about 5:20, Alice describes the books and writers who she loved as a kid, including A Stone for Danny Fisher and work by Irwin Shaw
At about 9:30, Alice responds to Pete’s questions about what it was like growing up in Philadelphia and its cultures and ethos, including the Quaker influences
At about 13:35, Alice talks about her early days of writing poetry and how she read widely, particularly poetry
At about 14:30, Alice discusses how her college Asian Studies major happily upset her ideas of form
At about 17:00, Alice responds to Pete’s question about any “ ‘Eureka’ moments” that convinced her of her writing prowess, as well as how watching a lot of 1970s UK punk helped her shift to writing prose
At about 19:40, Alice gives background on the origins of her legendary short story “In the Gloaming”
At about 22:15, Alice explains the meanings of the iconic first line of the short story
At about 24:00, Alice defines “gloaming” and Pete and Alice discuss the story’s beginning as Laird perks up around twilight
At about 25:20, Alice describes how she “step[s] aside” to let her characters develop and communication between mother and son
At about 28:40, Alice talks about her writing process and the importance of “picturing” the storyline, characters, etc.
At about 29:35, Pete and Alice discuss Martin, the father in the story, and his isolation, as well as intimacy between mother and son
At about 31:30, Pete and Alice talk about Laird’s illness in terms of an AIDS diagnosis
At about 33:15, Alice and Pete compare ideas of anonymity/Everyman/Everywoman in Alice’s writing and Chekhov’s
At about 34:25, Laird’s friend’s letter is referenced as juxtaposition with Laird’s deteriorating physical condition, and comparisons between Covid and AIDS are mentioned
At about 36:20, Pete reads and compliments the second-to-last sentence of the story
At about 37:40, Alice details the processes in which her story became a film and her experiences in watching the process unfold and witnessing the final product
At about 39:20, Alice discusses Christopher Reeve’s role in making the movie
At about 40:35, Pete wonders about Alice’s experience in having the story as part of
At about 41:50, Pete and Alice discuss the critical acclaim for Fellowship Point and the “saga” of the book’s long life before being finished and published
At about 45:45, Alice details themes and aims for the book, and how some subtleties of herself came through, though the book is truly fiction
At about 46:40, Alice replies to Pete’s questions about perspectives shifting as the book’s saga played out
At about 48:35, Alice responds to Pete’s question about if the characters are/were real to her
At about 50:45, Alice examines Covid’s impact on her and others’ writing
At about 52:25, Pete wonders how Alice saw and sees the finished product of Fellowship Point, and Alice highlights Mary Sue Rucci’s great help in editing and revising
At about 54:45, Pete and Alice discuss the characteristics of the book’s main characters
At about 58:10, The relationship between main character Agnes and an editor, Maud is discussed
At about 58:50, Ideas of land ownership and parallel themes are discussed in context of the book
At about 1:01:45, The theme of feminism is discussed, with regard to Agnes, and how the term is limiting for her
At about 1:03:50, Alice discusses what she has to say in the book about themes of aging (particularly with older women being ignored/underestimated) and
At about 1:05:50-friendship lasting and love as shown in different ways
At about 1:07:00-Alice gives her contact info, and highlights great work by Mary Sue Rucci Books, Scribner, and Cassandra Campbell for the reading of the audiobook
1:08:50-Alice provides her social media info
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 132 with Morgan Talty, a citizen of the Penobscot Indian Nation where he grew up. Morgan teaches courses in both English and Native American Studies, and he is on the faculty at the Stonecoast MFA in creative writing. His highly-anticipated short story collection, Night of the Living Rez, is forthcoming from Tin House Books, on July 5.
The episode will air on July 11.
Saturday Jul 02, 2022
Saturday Jul 02, 2022
Episode 130 Notes and Links to Dan Grunfeld’s Work
On Episode 130 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Dan Grunfeld, and the two discuss, among other topics, Dan’s connection to the NBA through his father, Dan’s pressures-internal and external-in playing basketball, his philosophy/mission in writing his book, his love and admiration for his heroic and inspirational grandmother, Dan’s family’s incredible, triumphant, and tragic stories involving the Holocaust, and basketball’s role in healing and publicizing the incredible saga of the Grunfeld family.
Dan Grunfeld is a former professional basketball player, an accomplished writer, and a proud graduate of Stanford University. An Academic All-American and All-Conference basketball selection at Stanford, Dan played professionally for eight seasons in top leagues around the world, including in Germany, Spain, and Israel. Dan’s writing has been published more than 40 times in media outlets such as Sports Illustrated, The Jerusalem Post, and NBC News. Dan earned his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2017 and lives with his wife and son in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he works in venture capital.
Dan and His Book Featured on TMJ4 News
At about 2:05, Dan details his relationship with languages and reading-a fellow Matt Christopher
At about 3:50, Dan connects storytelling’s importance and growing up as the child of immigrants
At about 5:00, Dan gives info on where to buy his book, his “true labor of love” and the process of writing and publishing and the appearances he has made since the book was published
At about 7:30, Dan highlights his grandmother
At about 7:55, Dan is highly complimentary of the legendary Ray Allen, who wrote the book’s Foreword
At about 10:50, Dan gives background on what it was like to be the son of a NBA general manager
At about 13:25, Dan gives background on how the book was thought up
At about 15:15, Dan details his writing process, specifically how his formal and informal interviews took place
At about 16:30, Dan talks about food as a “vessel of love” and its importance in his book and in his life
At about 17:40, Pete parallels Dan’s love of his grandmother’s cooking
At about 18:55, Dan emphasizes the fact that his father and family stressed Dan’s academic excellence over putting pressure on him to be a basketball star
At about 20:05, Dan explains the internal pressure to “make it as a basketball player” and how his family’s histories brought on pressure
At about 21:05, Pete and Dan discuss connections between Anyu’s idyllic childhood and events from the iconic Night by Elie Wiesel
At about 23:10, Pete details, to Dan’s point about the importance of telling individual stories to better understand the unfathomable histories, the power of LA’s Museum of Tolerance
At about 24:35, Dan talks about the symbolism and importance of a family heirloom, a silver spoon
At about 26:25, Dan talks about pressures put upon him and connections to a NBA decision maker
At about 27:40, Dan recounts details of “the greatest game [he] ever played”
At about 29:30, Dan talks about the intersections of Adolf Eichmann, Raoul Wallenberg and Dan’s grandmother, Anyu, in Budapest
At about 31:55, Pete and Dan talk about chapters detailing Dan’s improvements in college hoops and the importance of the 1936 Olympics and Jewish NBA players
At about 32:50, Dan highlights the sad story of his uncle
At about 33:35, Pete and Dan talk about Dan’s huge leap in his Stanford career and the connection between his improvement and workouts with the eccentric and iconic genius, Frank Matrisciano, “Hell’s Trainer”
At about 40:10, Pete asks Dan to describe the “highs and lows” involved with his huge success his junior year that was interrupted by a devastating ACL injury; Dan connects the injury to bigger themes in the book
At about 44:05, Dan recounts an amazing link between comedian/actor Buddy Hackett and the Grunfeld’s exit from Romania and their voyage to America
At about 47:30, Dan discusses the importance of a team mile run upon his return to Stanford’s team and his grueling rehab process
At about 50:45, Dan responds to Pete’s questions about his father’s loss of his brother Lutzi and interviews that brought out more of Ernie’s remembrances of his beloved brother; additionally, connections to Ernie’s motivations for basketball success and Anyu’s mourning process are explored
At about 53:50, Dan recounts the story of his grandparents and their realization that their son Ernie was a basketball phenom
At about 56:00, Dan tells about “asking for permission from [his] grandmother” to play in his first pro league, in Germany
At about 56:55, Dan discusses his experience trying out for the New York Knicks and talks about some legendary players whom he played against
At about 59:05, Dan and Pete discuss Ernie’s 1976 Olympics appearance, his NBA career, and his connections with Bernard King- “Ernie and Bernie”
At about 1:01:50, Dan discusses the end of his own playing career and changing perspective
At about 1:03:20, Dan talks about his current basketball-playing philosophy and performance
At about 1:05:10, Pete and Dan discuss the ending of the book and ideas of legacy and love, as Dan reflects on the fact that stories like those of his families “need” to be passed on to future generations
At about 1:09:35, Dan gives his contact information and encourages people to connect with him
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 131 with Alice Elliott Dark, author of the novels Fellowship Point and Think of England, and whose story "In the Gloaming” was chosen by John Updike for inclusion in The Best American Short Stories of The Century and made into films by HBO and Trinity Playhouse
The episode will air on July 5.
Wednesday Jun 29, 2022
Wednesday Jun 29, 2022
Episode 129 Notes and Links to Sam Quinones’ Work
On Episode 129 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Sam Quinones, and the two discuss, among other topics, growing up in a house that exalted reading, Sam’s freelance writing training, his time living and writing in México, his love of storytelling in its myriad forms, and his insights gleaned from his reporting for his amazing recent books on the opiate and meth and fentanyl epidemics.
Sam Quinones is a journalist, storyteller, former LA Times reporter, and author of three acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction, including The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth, released in 2021, and his 2015 release, Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic.
Sam on C-SPAN BookTV’s In Depth
REVIEWS: The Least of Us in Christianity Today & Plough Quarterly
At about 1:30, Sam discusses his upbringing as the son of two teachers, and how his parents fostered his love of reading
At about 4:20, Pete and Sam discuss The Godfather and its themes, in connection to Sam’s father having taught Shakespeare by making parallels between these seemingly-disparate works, as well as parallels between Appalachia and Sicily and México
At about 9:15, Sam explains migration patterns from small Appalachian towns
At about 10:00, Sam talks about his high school years and early adulthood and how they were without formal journalism training but rich on experience and story ideas
At about 12:30, Sam recounts the tale of his first formal interview and its transformative power on him
At about 13:40, Sam gives background on his time covering the punk rock scene and how freelance writing connects to the punk rock ethos
At about 15:30, Sam discusses his time covering crime in Stockton, CA
At about 17:00, Sam talks about is ten-year stint in Mexico
At about 18:00, Sam references writers who have inspired him, including Calvin Trillin, Edna Buchanan, and Alma Guillermoprieto, and Elaine Shannon
At about 22:10, Sam and Pete talk about the community of writers, with people like Gustavo Arellano who aspire to, and concentrate on, “human stories”
At about 31:40, Pete highlights the greatness of True Tales from Another México and its diverse and interesting stories
At about 33:00, Sam gives background on the beginnings of the Mexican Drug War
At about 36:00, Sam talks about the “scariest moment of [his] life” in researching and dealing with the Mennonite drug traffickers of Mexico
At about 37:40, Sam traces the story of Chalino Sánchez that is featured in True Tales from Another México
At about 41:00, Sam draws parallels between the “punk rock” and “DIY” ethos that brought together music movements of the 70s/80s/90s
At about 42:40, Pete and Sam recount the themes and details of a few pieces from the collection
At about 43:45, Sam expounds upon the incredible lasting power of the PRI and its connections to his writing
At about 45:45, Pete discusses some “rabbit holes” that Sam’s writing has led him down, and Sam expounds upon the story of the lynching in Hidalgo
At about 48:50, Sam connects the theme of “impunity” to Mexican immigrant stories, especially the impunity of political figures
At about 50:40, Pete talks about the theme of rural living and immigration/migration
At about 52:35, Sam uses “La Jaula de Oro” by Los Tigres del Norte as an example of a mindset regarding immigration flows from Mexico
At about 53:40, Pete gives his personal connection to some of the stories regarding Michoacán
At about 54:10, Tocumbo and La Michoacana are mentioned as a happy story of innovation, and Sam mentions a cool future book idea
At about 55:30, Sam talks about the seeds/genesis for Dreamland
At about 59:40, Sam talks about free market and its connection to the opioid epidemic, and how Dreamland became a book about “deeper roots of community that we have destroyed”
At about 1:01:00, Sam gives background on the book’s title and talks about the hidden opiate epidemic in past years
At about 1:03:15, Sam details an incredibly influential letter and incomplete science that provided fodder for Purdue Pharma and its quest to ramp up pill production and promotion
At about 1:09:15, Sam responds to Pete’s question about his experiences with the feedback, community changes, and speaking appearances that came with the publication of Dreamland
At about 1:10:10, Sam highlights the high incidences of communities rising up and building grassroots support for change with the opiate epidemic
At about 1:15:00, Pete starts at the end of The Least of Us with Portsmouth’s recovery and asks Sam why he ends the book that way
At about 1:18:55, Pete and Sam highlight ideas of isolation and alienation that dovetails with drugs and other solitary addictions
At about 1:21:15, Pete recaps Sam’s thesis as laid out on Page Nine of the book and compliments Sam’s craft in writing about neuroscience, history, etc., in the book
At about 1:22:25, Sam talks about the brain chemistry and “reward pathways” that have exacerbated addiction
At about 1:25:10, Sam gives background on the ways in which fentanyl can be successful, talking about his own heart surgery
At about 1:27:55, Sam provides details on the specific links between the rise in P2P meth and the growing homelessness crisis in the country
At about 1:33:10, Pete emphasizes the strength of Starla and Bella and Angie Odom and Rob Burd and Mike McKissick and some amazing personal stories from the book
At about 1:38:05, Sam replies to Pete’s question about whether or not he is hopeful after the past epidemics
At about 1:41:25, Sam gives contact info and book purchasing info
At about 1:42:25, Sam discusses exciting future projects
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 130 with Dan Grunfeld, a former professional basketball player, an accomplished writer, and a proud graduate of Stanford University. An Academic All-American and All-Conference basketball selection at Stanford, Dan played professionally for eight seasons in top leagues around the world, including in Germany, Spain, and Israel. Dan’s writing has been published more than 40 times in media outlets such as Sports Illustrated, The Jerusalem Post, and NBC News, and we will talk about and the amazing family stories behind his recent publication, By The Grace of the Game: The Holocaust, A Basketball Legacy, and an Unprecedented American Dream.
The episode will air on July 2.
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
Episode 128 Notes and Links to Vania Patino’s Work
On Episode 128 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Vania Patino, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early love of reading in Spanish and English, Twilight, a formative experience for Vania as a high school reporter, her busy and educational college years, the power of Chicano Studies and Ethnic Studies classes, and ideas of objectivity and balance in journalism.
Vania Patino is a news reporter for KERO-TV in Bakersfield, CA, a former reporter for KFDA in Amarillo, Texas, and a former standout student in Pete’s English 10 honors class.
For Latino Reporter: “After El Paso shooting, Texans seem divided over looser gun laws”
Video from Cal State Fullerton's Al Dia Newsmagazine
Video and Article by Vania: "In Tex-Mex country, ‘el sabor’ helps Boricua culture thrive"
At about 1:40, Vania gives background on her relationship with language, learning English as a second language, and her early love of reading, including her love of a particular teen series
At about 5:00, Pete and Vania discuss the phenomenon that was the Twilight series
At about 7:00, Vania describes how Spanish specifically calls to her, interests her, etc., as well as how she re-embraced the beauty of speaking Spanish
At about 10:00, Vania wows with an amazing story from her third day on the job in Amarillo that highlights
At about 12:50, Vania highlights important lessons learned in college ethnic studies and Chicano history courses
At about 14:40, Vania discusses interesting conversations around identity that came up during her enjoyable college years
At about 16:25, Vania responds to Pete’s questions
At about 18:20-27:30, Vania recounts an incredibly impactful experience in covering a 2015 Donald Trump speech in San Pedro
At about 27:35, Vania talks about her time in Amarillo, Texas, including covering a different political arena than she was used to
At about 29:50, Vania talks about formative experiences from her busy college days, and shouts out mentor Inez Gonzalez
At about 32:00, Vania recounts a funny anecdote about interning with NBC News with Lester Holt
At about 37:00, Vania gives the story of the horrific tragedy in Thousand Oaks, sadly the first of many mass shootings that she has covered
At about 42:30, Vania tells a story that is emblematic of being innovative and dogged in pursuing a local angle to a national story
At about 46:15, Vania explains the writing and background work for a news “package”
At about 50:55, Vania responds to Pete wondering about how she balances formal and informal presentations of the news
At about 53:30, Vania discusses ideas of objectivity in reporting, particularly post-Trump as POTUS
At about 57:30, Vania answers Pete’s question about which tv shows/movies “get it right” with regard to a realistic view of the newsroom
At about 59:40, Vania responds to Pete’s question about the responsibilities that come with doing translation in news
At about 1:04:30, Vania discusses future projects
At about 1:08:40, Vania gives contact information/social media info
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 129 with Sam Quinones, a journalist, storyteller, former LA Times reporter, and author of three acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction, including The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth, released in 2021, and his 2015 release, Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic.
The episode will air on June 28.
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Episode 127 Notes and Links to Raina Kelley’s Work
On Episode 127 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Raina Kelley, and the two discuss, among other topics, their shared love of the Oxford Comma, Raina’s single mindedness in reading widely, her circuitous route from studying theater to journalism, cultural criticism, and editorship, the intricacies of keeping a multimedia presence, Andscape’s mission and goals and structure, and political activism in sport.
Raina Kelley is Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of Andscape, formerly The Undefeated, a Black media platform dedicated to creating, highlighting, and uplifting the diverse stories of Black identity. She is also a former deputy editor at ESPN The Magazine.
ESPN Press Room Bio for Raina Kelley
Raina on ESPN PRod Pod in March 2022
February 2022 Article from New York Times: “ESPN Rebrands Black-Focused Undefeated Site as Andscape”
At about 1:25, Raina talks about her “superpower” of always reading
At about 3:40, Raina discusses One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as an indicator of grade-level reading
At about 5:00, Raina discusses favorite books
At about 6:45, Pete and Raina investigate Castaway and its a passive/proactive protagonist
At about 7:45, Raina responds to Pete’s questions about Raina’s writing and reading journey, and Raina gives background on her formidable drama base
At about 10:20, Pete and Raina geek out over Anna Deavere Smith’s “magnificent” Twilight: Los Angeles
At about 12:30, Raina keeps it cool about her alma mater Yale’s Skull and Bones, and how her career path took shape after college
At about 15:20, Raina talks about her “long and winding road” to journalism, and how “storytelling” was always her highest priority
At about 16:10, Pete asks Raina to compare and contrast theater writing and journalism
At about 17:50, Raina and Pete reminisce and lament over 2008-2022 in talking about the drastically-different worlds of Obama and Trump
At about 20:20, Raina talks about ideas of “authenticity” and inclusion in contemporary society
At about 21:00, Pete uses James Patterson’s recent comments as a springboard to ask Raina questions about her experiences as a Black woman in worlds often heavy on white men’s influence
At about 25:50, Raina explains her role at ESPN: The Magazine, including a detailed explanation of what a “deputy editor” does
At about 28:00, Raina responds to Pete’s questions about an editor’s balancing act in respecting a writer’s autonomy and voice while performing one’s editing duties
At about 31:00, Pete wonders about Raina’s sports fandom/interest
At about 33:05, Raina shouts out the Best American anthology and its collections of great sportswriting
At about 35:00, Raina is asked about reasons for the rise or perception of the rise of players as activists
At about 37:50, Raina talks about multimedia’s rise in line with the decline of physical newspapers and magazines
At about 41:25, Raina talks about what drew her to The Undefeated
At about 43:30, Raina discusses the audiences for The Undefeated and Andscape and “fine-tuning” voice and inclusion
At about 44:40, Raina talks about a dream collaboration with Hamilton and The Undefeated, under the care of Kelley L. Carter
At about 45:40, Raina further discusses Andscape’s name origin and its changing role in 2022
At about 47:50, Pete and Raina talk about the idea of the diversity within and among Black points-of-view
At about 49:10, Pete highlights three representative articles from the week’s Andscape that show a diversity of thought and subject matter
At about 50:00, Raina discusses future projects for Andscape, including Jason Reid’s book, The Rise of the Black Quarterback, being published through the company’s imprint
At about 51:30, Pete’s son and his jaguar toy make an appearance!
At about 52:20, Raina gives contact/social media info
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 128 with Vania Patino. Vania is a news reporter for KERO-TV in Bakersfield, CA, a former reporter for KFDA in Amarillo, Texas, and a former standout student in Pete’s English 10 honors class. This is going to be quite a treat for Pete!
The episode will air on June 21.
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Episode 126 Notes and Links to Kevin Owens’ Work
Kevin Owens is a veteran of overseas professional basketball and a current teacher and basketball coach. He is an entrepreneur and founder of Overseas Famous LLC, a multimedia platform created to give athletes playing abroad a voice. These stories provide a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on with overseas sports. His 2021 book is called Overseas Famous. While he had the name first, he is now the second most popular Kevin Owens in the world.
Buy Overseas Famous: The Travels and Tribulations of a Basketball Globetrotter
“BEHIND THE SCENES OF OVERSEAS PRO BASKETBALL WITH KEVIN OWENS” in Joker Mag-Written by Tyler O’Shea
Thank you for listening to Episode 126 with Kevin Owens. You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 127 with Raina Kelley, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of Andscape, formerly The Undefeated, a Black media platform dedicated to creating, highlighting, and uplifting the diverse stories of Black identity. She is also a former deputy editor at ESPN The Magazine.
The episode will air on June 14.
For now, thanks again for listening, and I hope that these quarantine days bring you texts by writers with MAD Skills, like Kevin Owens, whose works, like Overseas Famous, gives you laughs, and chills at will.
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Episode 125 Notes and Links to Jamil Jan Kochai’s Work
On Episode 125 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Jamil Jan Kochai, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early relationship with languages and reading, an early fascination with Harry Potter, his family’s proud histories and storytelling legacies, Jamil’s hoop skills, his book 99 Nights and Logar and its allegory and realism, its connections to contemporary Afghan history, as well as his recent “love letter to his father” in The New Yorker.
Jamil Jan Kochai is the author of 99 Nights in Logar (Viking, 2019), a finalist for the Pen/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. He was born in an Afghan refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, but he originally hails from Logar, Afghanistan. His short stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Ploughshares, and The O. Henry Prize Stories 2018. Currently, he is a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University.
Preorder The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories
“Jamil Jan Kochai on Résumés as Stories” from The New Yorker, May 2022
“Occupational Hazards”-Short Story-from May 2022, The New Yorker
At about 1:40, Jamil and Pete discuss NBA loyalties as fellow Sacramentans
At about 2:30, Pete shouts out some unique description from Jamil’s 99 Nights in Logar
At about 4:05, Jamil gives background on his family roots in Logar, Afghanistan and Peshawar, Pakistán, as well as how amorphous borders have affected loyalties and pride
At about 7:00, Jamil describes his childhood moves and family circumstances that led to his family laying down roots in California, as well as his relationship with language
At about 9:15, Alice Norman Elementary and Mrs. Long are shouted out as huge parts of Jamil learning and loving the English language
At about 10:20, Jamil responds to Pete’s questions about the roles of lore, stories, and storytellers in his life
At about 12:30, Jamil lists books and writers that captivated and inspired him from an early age, as well as ideas of escape and fantasy-entering a “new world”
At about 16:25, Pete wonders about “generations” of Afghan immigrants, Khaled Hosseini’s impact on a younger Jamil, and Jamil’s current view of The Kite Runner
At about 19:30, Jamil compares The Kite Runner to a seminal book in his life, One Hundred Years of Solitude
At about 21:20, Jamil discusses ideas of pressure that may come with being seen as a representative of Afghan/Afghan-American cultures
At about 24:00, Pete asks Jamil about “the white gaze” and feedback and thought process that went along with not translating many words from the book
At about 29:35, Pete and Jamil fanboy about Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Jamil details One Hundred Years of Solitude importance to him, in addition to listing 1984 and Native Son and other formative texts
At about 31:40, Jamil does an almost perfect job in recounting the iconic opening line of One Hundred Years of Solitude
At about 34:10-35:50, Pete and Jamil sing the praises of Jess Walter, as both a writer and baller
At about 35:50, Jamil diagnoses his own basketball game in a detailed scouting report
At about 36:50, Pete asks a followup question regarding Jamil’s growth and awareness as a writer and “ ‘Eureka’ moments,” including early work done in high school English classes
At about 41:40, Jamil shouts out some standout Italo Calvino work
At about 43:10, Pete speaks of pitch for a future article
At about 43:40, Pete fanboys over “The Gospel According to Mark” by Borges
At about 45:25, Jamil responds to Pete’s questions about the two epigraphs for 99 Nights in Logar
At about 50:00, Jamil focuses on the Kipling epigraph in describing his objectives and challenges in writing 99 Nights in Logar
At about 51:40, Jamil traces the evolution of Budabash as a character and symbol in
At about 54:00, Jamil responds to Pete’s questions about Marwand as a musafir and the book as charting an ephemeral journey
At about 56:00, Jamil explains his mindset about giving Marwand “agency,” including how his writing training prepared him for writing about agency
At about 59:40, Pete summarizes the moving story of Marwand’s uncle
At about 1:00:50, Jamil provides background on the genesis and role of “The Thief,” an intriguing character from the book
At about 1:06:00, Jamil and Pete discuss the history of Afghanistan that is incorporated into the novel, including how Jamil finessed this history in a way that “benefited the story itself”
At about 1:09:05, Jamil describes the significance and real-world links to a scene from the book involving an uncovering of bones
At about 1:10:40, Pete and Jamil ruminate on praise for his writing from Jesmyn Ward
At about 1:11:10, Pete and Jamil discuss Jamil’s recent publication from The New Yorker, “Occupational Hazards”
At about 1:14:50, Jamil highlights his upcoming collection of short stories and highlights local bookstores as great places to buy his books-Bookshop.org and The Indie Book Store, among others
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 126 with Kevin Owens, a veteran of overseas professional basketball and a current teacher and basketball coach. He is an entrepreneur and founder of Overseas Famous LLC, a multimedia platform created to give athletes playing abroad a voice. These stories provide a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on with overseas sports. His 2021 book is called Overseas Famous. While he had the name first, he is now the second most popular Kevin Owens in the world.
The episode will air on June 7.
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Episode 124 Notes and Links to Robin Peguero’s Work
On Episode 124 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Robin Peguero, and the two discuss, among other topics, Robin’s early writing and reading influences, Pete and Robin’s shared love for, and awe of, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Robin’s experience in government and law that have influenced his worldviews and writing, and the background, real-life parallels, and themes featured in Robin’s With Prejudice.
An Afro-Latino and the son of immigrants, Robin Peguero graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He has written for the Miami Herald, the Harvard Crimson, and the Harvard Law Review, and he served as a press spokesman in the U.S. House and as a speechwriter in the U.S. Senate before becoming a lawyer. He is currently a U.S. House investigative counsel working on domestic terrorism.
Buy With Prejudice by Robin Peguero
Shelf Awareness: Interview with Robin Peguero
The Big Thrill: “Up Close: Robin Peguero”
At about 1:30, Robin describes the festivities for the first week of publication, describes the feeling as “surreal,” and talks about his
At about 3:00, Robin gives background on his childhood relationship with language and literature and growing up in Hialeah, outside of Miami
At about 5:35-a Natalie Lima shout out!
At about 6:10, Robin details his early reading favorites and the background for his early writing, in “creating a world and making it how [you] want it to exist”
At about 7:45, Robin responds to Pete’s wondering about moments of discovery and influence on his road to writing, including how Garcia Marquez and Faulkner’s work influenced and inspired, and Robin’s time on the school newspaper
At about 11:50, Pete and Robin commiserate on the difficulty of The Sound and the Fury
At about 12:20, Robin details his love of Marquez’s work, including his blockbuster and iconic novels
At about 13:15, Robin describes some early birthday parties that were perfect for a literary teenage crowd, and his friend as his “first beta reader”
At about 14:50, Robin talks about early jobs in government, and how his experience with the “slow-moving” government entities affected his worldview and his move to law
At about 17:10, Robin details his experience with the defense and prosecution sides of the criminal justice, all the while writing on the side
At about 18:20, Robin traces the journey of the book from origin to publication
At about 19:35-21:32, Robin summarizes the book with an “elevator pitch” and emphasizes the importance of the jury in the legal system
At about 21:35-25:03, Robin discusses the significance of the book’s title
At about 25:20, Robin responds to Pete’s questions about his views of the criminal justice
At about 26:25, Robin details a finding about the death penalty that comes from less of a value of Black lives
At about 29:40, Pete highlights strengths of book and outlines some main characters and their views of the pragmatic issues of jury selection
At about 30:50, Robin discusses the intriguing and powerful character of Sandy as an archetype of the legal profession, and how
At about 34:15, Robin and Pete discuss the relationship between opposing lawyers, collegiality (or lack thereof) among the competing lawyers, and Robin’s experience with these issues
At about 37:35, Robin responds to Pete’s compliments about his seamless dialogue and balance of legal jargon and common speech to capture a wide audience
At about 40:35, Robin compares the legal system as represented in TV and movies to the real legal system, with Defending Jacob as one that he references as sufficiently realistic
At about 42:30, Robin discusses the mechanics of the backstories and past/present tense as used in his book
At about 44:40, Pete lays out the backstories of several important characters, and emphasizes the understated character of Gabriel Soto, the case’s defendant
At about 46:15, Robin discusses the unfortunate way in which the defendant and victim sometimes become “wallpaper” and responds to Pete’s wondering about victim Melina Mora and double standards regarding women as victims
At about 52:00, Pete homes in on important flashback scenes, particularly regarding Melina Mora
At about 53:10, the two highlight effusive blurbs from Scott Turow and Harlan Coben and Robin talks about genre and how the book will be classified/marketed
At about 54:10, Pete asks about future projects for Robin
At about 56:20, Pete highlights a realistic and intriguing character from the book
At about 57:45, Robin highlights social media and contact info, and shouts out Books and Books as one of many great places to buy his book
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 125 with Jamil Jan Kochai, the author of 99 Nights in Logar (Viking, 2019), a finalist for the Pen/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. He was born in an Afghan refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, but he originally hails from Logar, Afghanistan. His short stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Ploughshares, and The O. Henry Prize Stories 2018. Currently, he is a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University.
The episode will air on May 31.
Tuesday May 17, 2022
Tuesday May 17, 2022
Episode 123 Notes and Links to Zach Harper’s Work
On Episode 123 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Zach Harper, and the two discuss, among other topics, Zach’s “taking the leap” in leaving a previous job to write professionally about basketball, his versatility in writing and podcasting about sometimes disparate topics, how he watches basketball differently now, interesting stories involving him and interesting people, his lifelong zeal for hoops and great sportswriting, how basketball and sports should be fun, and “good” bad movies.
Zach Harper is a Staff Writer for The Athletic, covering the NBA. Zach joined The Athletic after covering the NBA for ESPN.com, CBS Sports, and FRS Sports since 2009. He also hosts radio for SiriusXM NBA and SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio.
Featured Writing by Zach Harper on Muck Rack
Featured Writing by Zach Harper for The Athletic
At about 2:00, Pete gives poor Zach a tough and random question as Pete
At about 3:35, Pete asks about Chris Paul’s legacy and Zach gives his thoughts on his place in today’s NBA and NBA history
At about 6:15, Zach talks about Patrick Beverley’s recent comments and his
At about 7:20, Zach discusses his ideas of team fandom as a sportswriter and his childhood fandom for the Minnesota Timberwolves
At about 10:30, Pete and Zach discuss the propensity for predictions and rankings and the like and Zach’s perspective on them
At about 13:20, Zach responds to Pete’s questions about the connection between the fairly-new openness of the sports betting scene
At about 16:50, Zach gives background on his journey that took him from the court of appeals to starting a basketball website and the road to professional writing
At about 19:05, Zach gives background on his reading and writing background, as well as his overall relationship with language and sportswriting from great publications like Slam and Sports Illustrated
At about 20:40, Zach details his affinity for the “inside” stories that he has heard from cohosts-former players like Sam Mitchell
At about 21:10, Pete and Zach reminisce about great ads from the Slam Magazine days
At about 22:00, Zach responds to Pete’s questions about cohost Rick Mahorn
At about 23:05, Zach highlights an article in SÍ about Greg Maddux that changed his perspective on sports and athletes
At about 25:00, Pete gives Zach room to give his own scouting report on his hoops skills-present and past
At about 28:50, Pete shouts out a winning basketball team from Sacramento (hint: it’s not the Kings)
At about 29:30, Zach shouts out Tom Ziller, Kelly Dwyer, and the Basketball Jones, among others as role models and inspirations as he got started writing about basketball
At about 31:10, Zach talks about being open to learning and Kevin Arnowitz and Henry Abbott their mentorship in linking Zach with True Hoop
At about 33:45, The Daily Dime is referenced as a place where Zach’s hard work helped him further his career
At about 34:20, Zach describes his “baptism by fire” in being fairly new to ESPN when “The Decision” happened
At about 35:20, Zack explains the surrealism of working for ESPN
At about 37:40, Pete asks Zach about “personas” that may come with working in so many different media, including writing and podcasting about basketball and cohosting the movie podcast, Cinephobe
At about 42;25, Pete and Zach focus on a series of articles from the summer of 2021 for The Athletic, and Zach responds to Pete’s questions about surprising/disappointing teams from 2021-2022
At about 44:20, Zach uses the surprising and fun Memphis Grizzlies team to make a larger point about trash talk and fun in the league
At about 46:10, Pete picks the greatest dunk of all-time
At about 48:45, Pete and Zach discuss ideas of the NBA as a distraction, and specifically the scenario
At about 50:45, Zach describes the situation where he and Amin Elhassan went on the air with very little notice after the Bucks and Magic boycotted a game in the aftermath of the Jacob Blake murder
At about 52:45, Pete and Zach highlight the greatness of Amin Elhassan
At about 54:30, Zach charts the ethos and origins of Cinephobe
At about 57:00, in discussing the Rocky IV Cinephobe episode, Carl Weathers is given his just due
At about 58:40, Zach highlights the way the podcast views The Room
At about 59:50, Zach “fantasizes” about future projects, and shouts out inspiring ideas from friend Ian Karmel
At about 1:02:00, Zach responds to Pete’s questions regarding how he watches basketball now that he writes about the game as a professional
At about 1:04:25, Zach gives his NBA Finals predictions
At about 1:05:15, Zach outlines his radio and audio episode info, as well as his social media
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 124 with Robin Peguero. An Afro-Latino and the son of immigrants, he graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He has written for the Miami Herald, the Harvard Crimson, and the Harvard Law Review, and he served as a press spokesman in the U.S. House and as a speechwriter in the U.S. Senate before becoming a lawyer. He is currently a U.S. House investigative counsel working on domestic terrorism.
The episode will air on May 24.
Tuesday May 10, 2022
Tuesday May 10, 2022
Episode 122 Notes and Links to Sonora Reyes’ Work
On Episode 122 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Sonora Reyes, and the two discuss, among other topics, Sonora’s early reading and writing of fan fiction, their reading and life experiences that inspired their soon-to-be-released young adult novel, and themes like masculinity and homophobia that are evident in The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School. Sonora also talks about their 2023 release!
Born and raised in Arizona, Sonora Reyes is the author of the forthcoming contemporary young adult novel, THE LESBIANA'S GUIDE TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL. They write fiction full of queer and Latinx characters in a variety of genres, with current projects in both kidlit and adult categories. Sonora is also the creator and host of the Twitter chat #QPOCChat, a monthly community-building chat for queer writers of color.
Sonora currently lives in Arizona in a multi-generational family home with a small pack of dogs who run the place. Outside of writing, Sonora loves dancing, singing karaoke, and playing with their baby nephew.
Buy The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School
¡Vamos a hablar! | Let's Talk! — Interview with Sonora Reyes from Boricua Reads/Adriana M. Martínez Figueroa
At about 1:55, Pete shouts out a great Ace Ventura reference from Sonora’s book
At about 2:30, Sonora talks about her early reading and writing, including her love of fan fiction (specifically Young Justice), poetry, and her early foray into writing
At about 4:50, Sonora Reyes responds to Pete’s question about feelings associated with creation of characters and fiction
At about 6:00, Sonora discusses her reading habits as she has gotten older, including inspiration for her book coming through Zoraida Cordova’s Labyrinth Lost and Niña Moreno’s Don’t Date Rosa Santos
At about 7:40, Sonora discusses advantages and disadvantages of not having read much of the YA/teen genres and writing her own book in the genres
At about 9:00, Sonora explains NaNo WriMo and its connections to her book
At about 10:00, Sonora discusses the links between her experiences at Catholic school and her writing, including how catharsis and therapy were involved
At about 11:00, Pete asks Sonora about her connections to speaking Spanish and its usage in her writing
At about 12:20, Pete wonders about “representation” in what Sonora read; she responds by talking about the pull and limitations of Jaime Reyes, and the coolness of
At about 14:20, Sonora talks about seeds for the book and the title’s genesis
At about 15:40, Sonora shouts out Jessie Gang for her beautiful cover work
At about 16:20, Pete asks about the chapter titles and their connections to religion and The Ten Commandments
At about 17:00, Pete and Sonora talks about the book’s opening, as well as ideas of Catholic school as an “escape” and religiosity from Yami’s mother
At about 19:10, Sonora discusses Yami as the oldest, and the oldest girl, and the extra expectations and responsibilities that come with the role
At about 20:30, Sonora describes the end of the friendship between her and Bianca, and how Yami’s self-realization is affected by the “outing” by Bianca that broke up the friendship
At about 22:15, Sonora gives the significance of The Mayan Code of the Heart in her life and in the lives of her characters
At about 23:45, the two discuss ideas of rebellion and resistance as shown by Bo and other characters in the book
At about 26:00, the two explore ideas of “passing” and “emotional exercise
At about 27:30, Sonora gives background on the important character of Bo and her parents
At about 30:00, the two discuss the significance of a ballet folklorico scene in the book
At about 32:15, Sonora talks about her own experience with ballet folklorico, and Pete talks of hopes for his daughter
At about 33:00, Sonora breaks down Catholicism’s connection to events in the book, including with regards to homosexuality, and outlines a possible book spin-off
At about 34:55, Cesar and ideas of masculinity are explored
At about 35:40, Pete is complimentary of Sonora’s light touch with the idea of constant “comings-out” and Sonora shares
At about 37:30, Sonora sets up and reads an excerpt from the book-the ballet folklorico scene
At about 40:30, Sonora shares upcoming projects, including an exciting book that comes out in 2023, and shouts out Changing Hands Bookstores as great places to buy her book
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 123 with Zach Harper. Zach is a Staff Writer for The Athletic, covering the NBA. Zach joined The Athletic after covering the NBA for ESPN.com, CBS Sports, and FRS Sports since 2009. He also hosts radio for SiriusXM NBA and SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio. And…Zach and I have a shared alma mater-go Big Red!
The episode will air on May 17.
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Episode 121 Notes and Links to Michael Torres’ Work
On Episode 121 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Michael Torres, and the two discuss, among other topics, his growing up in Pomona, CA, and his childhood and adolescence influences on his work, the speaker as poet and vice versa, his early reading prompted by a generous older sister, works and writers that have thrilled him and impelled him to write, his poetry collection’s themes of identity and masculinity, and the real-life background of his dynamite lines and strong images.
Michael Torres is a VONA distinguished alum and CantoMundo fellow. In 2016 he received his MFA in creative writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato, was a winner of the Loft Mentor Series, received an Individual Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, and was awarded a Jerome Foundation Research and Travel Grant to visit the pueblo in Jalisco, Mexico where his father grew up. In 2019 he received fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and The Loft Literary Center for the Mirrors & Windows Program. A former Artist-in-Residence at the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France as well as a McKnight Writing Fellow, he is currently a 2021-22 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow.
His first collection of poems, AN INCOMPLETE LIST OF NAMES, (Beacon Press, 2020) was selected by Raquel Salas Rivera for the National Poetry Series, named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020, and was featured on the podcast Code Switch.
His writing has been featured or is forthcoming in Best New Poets 2020, The New Yorker, POETRY, Ploughshares, Smartish Pace, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Georgia Review, The Sun, Water~Stone Review, Southern Indiana Review, Ninth Letter, Poetry Northwest, Copper Nickel, Fifth Wednesday Journal, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, The McNeese Review, MIRAMAR, Green Mountains Review, Forklift, Ohio, Hot Metal Bridge, The Boiler Journal, Paper Darts, River Teeth, The Acentos Review, Okey-Panky, Sycamore Review, SALT, Huizache, online as The Missouri Review’s Poem of the Week, on The Slowdown with Tracy K. Smith.
Michael was born and brought up in Pomona, CA, where he spent his adolescence as a graffiti artist. Currently, he teaches in the MFA program at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and through the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop.
Buy An Incomplete List of Names
Michael’s Appearance on NPR’s Code Switch
"In The Field: Conversations With Our Contributors–Michael Torres"
At about 3:20, Michael talks about growing up in Pomona, CA, and his relationship with language and literature
At about 6:00, Michael highlights his older sister’s contributions in introducing him to great literature, and Michael details being immediately intrigued by Luis Rodriguez’s Always Running
At about 10:00, Pete connects Luis Rodriguez and getting attention through his nickname and Michael’s views of tagging and identity
At about 13:50, Michael responds to Pete’s questions about connections between peer pressure and growing up, including how Michael’s “Down” was inspired by Kendrick Lamar’s “The Art of Peer Pressure”
At about 18:00, Pete flits from A Bronx Tale to a phenomenon with students’ writing their full names in past years as the two “discuss the “desire to leave something behind”
At about 20:10, Pete cites profound and interesting lines from An Incomplete List of Names
that deal with identity, and Pete asks about “Michael” and the delineation between his name and “Remek”
At about 22:00, Michael discusses what reading and writers inspired and thrilled him as he got into late high school and college, including 2Pac and The Rose that Grew From Concrete, Charles Bukowski, Gary Soto’s The Elements of San Joaquin, and Albert Camus’ The Stranger
At about 26:40, Michael further explains hip-hop’s influence on him, including from groups like Dilated Peoples, A Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde, Jurassic 5
At about 30:00, Michael lays out events and people who helped him find his writing voice and skill and community
At about 32:00, Michael highlights moments that convinced him of his love for poetry
At about 34:00, Michael highlights John Bramingham and others who helped him learn about the publication process
At about 35:30, A Mic and Dim Lights is highlighted as a open mic spot that fostered Michael’s skills and confidence
At about 37:00, Pete asks about the transition from student to teacher/mentor for Michael, as Michael shouts out UC Riverside and Freddy Lopez
At about 40:10, Pete asks Michael about “Stop Looking My Name Like That” and ideas of the speaker as the poet
At about 42:40, Michael describes “writing in resistance” to conversations had at a conference he attended
At about 44:30, Pete talks about his favorite scene in moviedom, and its connections to innocence and nostalgia and Michael’s writing
At about 45:30, Pete quotes some dynamite lines and asks Michael about ideas of identity
At about 49:30, Michael analyzes a profound line and connects it to memory and nostalgia
At about 51:00, Michael discusses community and connections to a “transaction” and the moving (no pun intended) poem “Push”
At about 52:10, Michael gives background on his father and perspectives on his dad’s background and its connection to their relationship
At about 54:15, ideas of masculinity are explored through standout lines, including “Down” and its three iterations
At about 56:45, Michael talks about “masks” and tough exteriors and acting tough as ways of getting by and not getting “clowned”
At about 58:45, Michael gives background on an interesting and fitting phrase he uses in his poetry
At about 1:00:25, Pete and Michael discuss a tender line from “Down/II” as Michael gives background on the line as a mix of moments in his life
At about 1:03:30, Michael discusses ideas of youth valuing themselves as touched upon in his work
At about 1:05:20, Pete highlights a line from the collection that is representative of the whole
At about 1:07:00, Pete asks about Michael’s community of writers and who moves him in 2022; Michael cites Willie Perdomo, Mary Szybist and “Incarnadine,” Patricia Smith, Paul Tran, Dustin Pearson, Emily Yoon, Chris McCormick, Eduardo Corral, and Chen Chen
At about 1:09:10, Michael reads from “Down/I”
At about 1:15:00, Michael reads Part VI and X of “Elegy Roll Call”
At about 1:17:00, Michael details upcoming projects
At about 1:21:00, Michael gives out social media/contact info
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 122 with Sonora Reyes, the author of the forthcoming contemporary young adult novel, THE LESBIANA'S GUIDE TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL. They write fiction full of queer and Latinx characters in a variety of genres, with current projects in both kidlit and adult categories. Sonora is also the creator and host of the Twitter chat #QPOCChat, a monthly community-building chat for queer writers of color.
The episode will air on May 10.
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
Episode 120 Notes and Links to traci kato-kiriyama’s Work
On Episode 120 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes traci kato-kiriyama, and the two discuss, among other topics, traci’s upbringing with her thoughtful and well-read curators of history and art-her parents-her life as a creative, both as an individual and in collective spaces, themes from her work that are inspired by various muses within and without her family and her local communities, racism against Japanese and Japanese-American and other marginalized communities, and her creative and thought-provoking Navigating With(out) Instruments.
traci kato-kiriyama (they+she), author of Navigating With(out) Instruments--based on unceded Tongva land in the south bay of Los Angeles-- is an award-winning multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary artist, recognized for their work as a writer/performer, theatre deviser, cultural producer, and community organizer. As a storyteller and Artivist, tkk is grounded in collaborative process, collective self-determination, and art+community as intrinsically tied and a critical means toward connection and healing. She is a performer & principal writer for PULLproject Ensemble, two-time NET recipient; NEFA 2021-22 finalist for their show TALES OF CLAMOR. tkk —presented for over 25 years in hundreds of venues throughout North America as a writer, actor, poet, speaker, guest lecturer, facilitator, Artist-in-Residence, and organizing / arts & culture consultant— has come to appreciate a wildly hybrid career (w/ presenters incl. LaMaMa Cabaret; Enwave Theatre; The Smithsonian; The Getty; Skirball Cultural Center; and Hammer Museum, to Zero Gravity; Grand Park; Whisky a Go Go; Hotel Cafe; House Of Blues Foundation Room; and countless universities, arts spaces, and community centers across the country). Their work is also featured in a wide swath of media and print publications (incl. NPR; PBS; Elle.com; Entropy; Chapparal Canyon Press; Tia Chucha Press; Bamboo Ridge Press; Heyday Books; Regent Press).
tkk is a core artist of Vigilant Love, member of the H.R. 40 Coalition and organizer with the Nikkei Progressives & NCRR joint Reparations Committee, and Director/Co-Founder of Tuesday Night Project (presenter of the Tea & Letterwriting initiative and Tuesday Night Cafe series in Little Tokyo).
Buy Navigating with(out) Instruments
traci’s profile on DiscoverNikkei.org
traci’s bio for Tuesday Night Project
traci reads "Remember All the Children Who Were Never Born to Me" for Poetry Lab
At about 4:00, Pete asks traci about notions of the “writer as speaker,” including a profound quote from Zora Satchell
At about 6:20, traci’s cat makes an appearance!
At about 6:30, traci talks about her background and her parents’ focus on education and intellectual and historical curiosity, including how The Japanese American Historical Society was founded by her parents
At about 8:30, traci discusses what stories drew her interest in adolescence, including song lyrics, theater, and art of all types
At about 11:30, Pete and traci freak out over their collective love and admiration for Tori Amos
At about 12:25, traci describes the artists and writers-often playwrights-who thrilled her through high school into college and beyond, such as Wakako Yamauchi, Rumi, Yusuf, Adrienne Rich, Nikki Giovanni, and Janice Mirikitani
At about 15:30, Pete wonders about the connection between natural sociability and performance for traci
At about 17:30, traci responds to Pete’s question about which artists and creatives inspires her Nancy Keystone and Kennedy Kabasares, Howard Ho, and LA and West Coast standouts Writ Large Press, Not a Cult, Kaia Press, The Accomplices
At about 21:20, traci discusses ideas of “representation,” especially with regard to her childhood and the Japanese-American communities of which she was part
At about 23:15, traci recounts her experience in seeing Sixteen Candles and the thought process that followed the viewing-regarding racist representations in Hollywood and beyond
At about 27:45, traci gives background knowledge on a poem from her collection that references her mother and Dec. 7; it is instructive about the ways in which memory works
At about 30:35, traci talks about the aforementioned incident in the school and connections to Michi Weglyn’s book/if and how the story was a microcosm
At about 33:35, traci gives background on the book, includiing an impetus from Ed Lin that didn’t exactly bring immediate publication
At about 34:40, traci discusses inspiration for the book’s title
At about 38:00, traci discusses the idea of the “muse,” including inspiration from her grandfather, Taz Ahmed, her mom, and others
At about 40:00, traci responds to Pete’s questions about the rationale for the many different forms used in her collection
At about 45:50, Pete and traci discuss “Where We Would Have Gone” and the ideas of “what if” and “predicting the past”
At about 48:10, the two talk about the spectrum of sexuality as a theme in traci’s collection, as well as meanings of “queer” and pronoun usage and comfortability with names
At about 51:20, traci references her longest acronym and ideas of a “collective coming out” that comes from real life and a poem of hers
At about 53:20, traci explains some background on “Death Notes” that are featured in the collection, as well as ideas/themes associated with being close to death; she highlights editor Chiwan Choi’s great help in sharing difficult and “heavy and important” moments
At about 58:00, traci discusses her use of “bury” throughout her work
At about 59:25, the two explore ideas of racism, family, and resistance in traci’s family; traci shows the photo of her bearded grandfather and talks of discovering his rebellion, which is instructive in many ways
At about 1:02:55, traci talks about her mother’s political awareness and Yuri Kochiyama’s “massive impact”; she talks about how traci spoke at a Los Angeles memorial
At about 1:06:00, traci connects the “collectivity” of art with artists and the “continuum” of the world’s people and the world’s artists and activists; traci cites WorldMeter as an addictive and important website
At about 1:07:45, traci talks about the poems/letters in the collection that serve as conversations between her and Taz Ahmed, including conversations where the subject matter evolved
At about 1:09:45, traci and Pete discuss ideas of “eminent domain” that populate her work
At about 1:10:50, traci reads a poem about her grandfather/reparations after reminding listeners about the annual visits/pilgrimages to Manzanar
At about 1:14:25, traci reads “Remember All the Children who were Never Born to Me”
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 121 with Michael Torres, a VONA distinguished alum and CantoMundo fellow. His first collection of poems, AN INCOMPLETE LIST OF NAMES, (Beacon Press, 2020) was selected by Raquel Salas Rivera for the National Poetry Series, named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020, and was featured on the podcast Code Switch. He teaches in the MFA program at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and through the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop.
The episode will air on May 3.
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
Episode 119 Notes and Links to Deesha Philyaw’s Work
On Episode 119 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Deesha Philyaw, and the two discuss, among other topics, Deesha’s love of and obsession with books as a kid, her reading books above her age level, the shakeup she received in reading the “singular” James Baldwin, outstanding and innovative and inspirational contemporary writers, her college and post-college years loving literature but aiming for corporate work, her compulsion to write full-time, and themes and parallels between contemporary life and events from her standout short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.
Deesha Philyaw’s debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the 2020/2021 Story Prize, and the 2020 LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies focuses on Black women, sex, and the Black church, and is being adapted for television by HBO Max with Tessa Thompson executive producing. Deesha is also a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and will be the 2022-2023 John and Renée Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi.
Renee Simms Reviews The Secret Lives of Church Ladies for Los Angeles Review of Books
Buy the Award-Winning The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
Nadia Owusu’s Article for Slate: “The Secret Life of Deesha Philyaw”
Exciting News about the Upcoming HBO Series Based on the Story Collection!
At about 2:00, Sara Giorgi is shouted out as a strong editor, as Pete and Deesha talk about some fact-checking for her short story collection
At about 3:00, Deesha discusses early iterations of her short story collection
At about 4:35, Deesha responds to Pete’s wondering about ideas of “finished” and “unfinished” stories
At about 6:25, Deesha details her love of books and having her family nurture her love of words
At about 10:00, Deesha recounts stories of “obsessing” over books and school in her childhood
At about 11:45, Deesha talks about a favorite writer, James Baldwin, and his multifaceted and intersectional legacies
At about 15:40, Pete wonders about Deesha’s reading habits in her adolescent years
At about 19:00, Deesha talks about meaningful books, including The Autobiography of Malcolm X, that she read in high school and college, and about how writing for a career seemed so foreign to her
At about 21:50, Deesha references (very discreetly) the secret societies of Yale
At about 22:10, Deesha discusses her writing career developing slowly-starting as a hobby-in her late 20s, before accelerating with novel and short story writing
At about 23:45, Deesha mentions contemporary writers who inspire and challenge her, including Robert Jones, Jr., Maurice Ruffin, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Dantiel W. Moniz, and Dawnie Walton
At about 26:20, Deesha details how Robert Jones, Jr. has “revolutionized slave narratives”; Jabari Asim and Yonder is also mentioned as a book that does similar standout things
At about 29:35, Pete and Deesha discuss Deesha’s varied interests and varied styles of writing, and how her life experiences have informed her writing; this includes how focusing on writing helps her “keep perspective”
At about 32:45, Deesha discusses seeds for the short story collection, including how the book draws upon many childhood experiences with church
At about 35:00, Deesha gives the secret about hearing stories as a kid, and cites Toni Morrison’s “Imagination as bound up in memory” in explaining inspirations
At about 36:50, Deesha discusses connections between the collection’s epigraph and the stories themselves
At about 39:00, Deesha connects dots between two stories from the collection and Olivia’s role in them
At about 40:00, Pete and Deesha discuss the female gaze that is centered in much of the collection, and Deesha talks about how women are held to different standards, including ideas of “respectable women”
At about 43:20, the two discuss the iconic “Peach Cobbler” and ideas of godliness
At about 45:00, Deesha responds to Pete’s musings about the mother in “Peach Cobbler” by talking about ways of showing love
At about 48:00, Pete brings up ideas of pleasing others as a theme of “Peach Cobbler,” and Deesha expands on the ideas with regard to Olivia and wanting love and connection
At about 50:30, Pete mentions his connections to Eddie Levert with regard to his wedding, and Pete cites Kiese Laymon’s wise words about many of Deesha’s stories having “revelation rather than resolution”
At about 53:00, Deesha gives background on familial connections to the story “Eddie Levert is Coming”
At about 56:00, the two discuss themes and family from “Dear Sister”
At about 57:15, Deesha gives backstory on “Dear Sister” and the reality of the events
At about 59:10, the two discuss “Eula” and ideas of binaries with regards to ideas of sexual purity and Christianity/religiosity
At about 1:04:15, Pete compliments “Jael” and its intrigue and action
At about 1:05:40-1:11:00, Deesha reads a beautiful excerpt from “Snowfall”
At about 1:11:25, Pete asks about the upcoming HBO series based on her story collection-so exciting!
At about 1:13:15, Deesha gives her social media/contact information
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 120 with traci kato-kiriyama, a multi-disciplinary artist, writer/author, actor, arts educator & community organizer. They have most recently released their book Navigating With(out) Instruments. Since 1996, she has performed and written for theatre tours, productions, artist residencies, and performance collaborations in hundreds of venues throughout the country, incl. LaMaMa Cabaret (NY); Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (SF); A writer, actor, and theatre devisor, she is one half of the award-winning PULLproject Ensemble with actor/aerial artist, Kennedy Kabasares.
traci is the Co-Founder and Director for Tuesday Night Project, presenter of the Tuesday Night Cafe Series now in its 18th year and the longest-running Asian American mic series in the country.
The episode will air on April 26.
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Episode 118 Notes and Links to SJ Sindu’s Work
On Episode 118 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes SJ Sindu, and the two discuss, among other things, her early days of reading and writing (fan fic!) after immigrating to the States from Sri Lanka, the ways in which the books she read and the writing she did as an adolescent informed her later work, encouraging professors and formative moments and texts read, Tamil and its lyricism, her early writing that came from her thesis, and themes and myth and religious texts connected to her standout novel Blue Skinned Gods.
SJ Sindu, a Tamil diaspora author of two literary novels, two hybrid chapbooks, and a forthcoming graphic novel. Her first novel, Marriage of a Thousand Lies, won the Publishing Triangle Edmund White Award and was a Stonewall Honor Book and a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. Sindu’s second novel, Blue-Skinned Gods, was published to high praise in November 2021 by Soho Press. A 2013 Lambda Literary Fellow, Sindu teaches at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
Article on "The Blue Fugates of Kentucky"
At about 2:20, Sindu talks about moving to the US from Sri Lanka, and how cable and the library helped her learn English and explore her reading and writing skills
At about 4:30, Sindu talks about moving on to "adult reading" after finding kids lit a bit lacking
At about 5:40, Sindu talks about her fan fiction writing for LiveJournal and the “addiction” and “tunnel vision”
At about 7:00, Sindu discusses the Disney fare that informed her early years
At about 7:55, Pete recounts bad memories associated with The Lion King-ha!
At about 8:30, Sindu responds to Pete’s questions about how her fan fiction writing affected the ways she sees audience and informed her later writing
At about 10:30, Sindu explains the qualities of the Tamil language, especially the beauty that comes in listening to it, its lyricism, etc.
At about 14:05, Pete and Sindu discuss an anticlimactic scene from Blue Skinned Gods that’s successful for this fact
At about 14:45, Sindu discusses connections between the Tamil people and Tamil languages of southern India and Sri Lanka
At about 18:20, Sindu explores connections between fantasy, escape and reading in her childhood and adolescence, including her love of the Cam Jensen Mysteries
At about 21:05, Pete recommends Severance from HBO-you, Gentle Reader-watch it!
At about 21:30, Sindu outlines ways in which she did and did not feel represented in the characters and books she read as a kid
At about 23:40, Sindu describes motivation for tailoring her writing to younger readers, as she and Pete discuss “mirrors” and “windows”
At about 24:30, Sindu shouts out transformational works, like Tanuja Desai Hidier’s
Born Confused and Interpreter of Maladies, that changed the way she saw herself and saw literature
At about 26:45, Sindu details moments in high school and college that put her on the path to becoming a professional writer, including reading The Things They Carried and having the pleasure to have class with Timothy Schaffert
At about 29:30, Sindu gives background on early publications and encouraging professors and high school teachers
At about 31:30, Sindu provides background for Marriage of a Thousand Lies, and talks of encouragement from Jonis Agee
At about 33:20, Sindu ruminates on whether her unique jobs she formerly held may make their way into her writing
At about 34:35, Sindu responds to Pete’s questions about the genesis of Blue Skinned Gods,
At about 38:50, the two discuss various meanings of “blue” and Sindu talks about the balance between the title and the subject matter
At about 40:00, Sindu discusses research that went into the book
At about 41:30, Sindu gives background on the evolution of the blue-skinned gods
At about 43:45, Kalki, the main character of the book, is discussed in terms of his early tests as a budding god, as is Ayya, the conniving father
At about 45:30, Kalki’s “test” with Roopa is described
At about 47:35, Kalki and Lakshman’s relationship, and the connection between Rama and Lakshman in the epics are discussed; Pete makes a comparison between the cousin’s relationship
At about 52:30, the two explore the narrative structure, and Sindu explains her process in writing in different perspectives
At about 57:10, Pete and SJ discuss the importance of the character, Sita, and Kalki’s later “awakening”
At about 1:01:10, Sindu describes how the conniving father from the book came about as an amalgamation of Trump and modern-day religious cults
At about 1:04:40, Pete and Sindu discuss connections between the book and cognitive dissonance in faith and in politics
At about 1:08:20, themes of guilt and fealty and sexual from the book discussed
At about 1:10:28, Pete geeks out about the book’s last line, and Sindu discusses the process of arriving with that last line
At about 1:13:20, Pete reads a few complimentary lines from The Guardian review of her book
At about 1:14:00, Sindu reads from page 238-239 of the book
At about 1:19:50, Sindu critiques the Blue Skinned Gods band
At about 1:20:55, SJ discusses upcoming projects, including Shakti, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 119 with Deesha Philyaw. Her debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction The Secret Lives of Church Ladies focuses on Black women, sex, and the Black church, and is being adapted for television by HBO Max with Tessa Thompson executive producing. Deesha is also a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and will be the 2022-2023 John and Renée Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi.
The episode will air on April 19.
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Episode 117 Notes and Links to Nadia Owusu’s Work
On Episode 117 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Nadia Owusu, and the discuss, among other topics, her early love of language and her experiences living in multiple countries, her relationship with her parents and her parents’ families, aftershocks both literal and figurative, colonialism and trauma, tradition, and coming to terms with her past and all of our pasts.
NADIA OWUSU is a Ghanaian and Armenian-American writer and urbanist. Her debut memoir, Aftershocks, was selected as a best book of 2021 by Time, Vogue, Esquire, The Guardian, NPR, and others. It was one of President Barack Obama’s favorite books of the year, a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice, and a 2021 Goodreads Choice Award nominee.
In 2019, Nadia was the recipient of a Whiting Award. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in The New York Times, Orion, Granta, The Paris Review Daily, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Literary Review, Slate, Bon Appétit, Travel + Leisure, and others.
Nadia is the Director of Storytelling at Frontline Solutions, a Black-owned consulting firm that helps social-change organizations to define goals, execute plans, and evaluate impact. She is a graduate of Pace University (BA) and Hunter College (MS). She earned her MFA in creative nonfiction at the Mountainview low-residency program where she currently teaches. She lives in Brooklyn.
From The Guardian, Feb 2021: "Nadia Owusu: 'I wrote as a way to process trauma' "
Buy the Award-Winning Aftershocks
Aftershocks Review in The New York Times
At about 2:50, Nadia describes her childhood reading interests and relationship with language, including the “important” Their Eyes Were Watching God and Things Fall Apart
At about 4:20, Nadia discusses books as constants in her life as the family moved often in her childhood
At about 5:00, Nadia responds to Pete’s question about Achebe’s book and its significance in African countries today
At about 6:40, Pete wonders about texts that were thrilling/transformational for Nadia as a high school/college student
At about 7:55, Pete and Nadia discuss the many places in which Nadia grew up, and she explores how reading connected to this upbringing, including ideas of empathy
At about 10:00, Pete asks Nadia about James Baldwin and his connection to Pan-Africanism
At about 12:00, Pete and Nadia discuss the implications of the Anansi and the African diaspora, and Nadia details the meaning of the term “bush” as used by her father and in the Ashanti culture as a whole
At about 14:35, Pete and Nadia discuss narrative and ideas of time in her book, and Nadia gives more insight into the significance of a family trip to Ghana and ideas of “double-consciousness”
At about 16:40, Nadia talks about not having a lot of information about, and connection to, her Armenian heritage, and how being Ghanaian and Armenian-American informed her life and the trip mentioned above
At about 18:30, Nadia describes the familial and political structures of Ghanaian peoples, and how they were and have been affected by colonialism
At about 20:20, Pete remarks on the specifics of “aftershocks” of the book’s title, as well as the skillful ways in which Nadia writes about how much of African life is still affected by European colonialism
At about 21:10, Nadia expands on the ways in which colonialism continues to
At about 22:30, the two talk about colonialism’s specific legacy in Tanzania, particularly with regards to oppression coming from organized religion and the horrid debacle with George Bush’s
At about 25:50, Pete and Nadia trace the book’s beginnings and the earliest “aftershock” that came in 1988 with the disastrous Armenian earthquake
At about 28:50, Pete and Nadia parse the usage of the word “aftershock” and trauma’s everlasting effects
At about 30:15, Nadia responds to Pete’s questions about her exploration of her Armenian family
At about 32:50, Pete wonders about the circumstances of Nadia’s mother leaving the family and its connections to misogyny and internalized misogyny
At about 35:05, Pete makes a request regarding beloved Aunt Harriet
At about 36:45, Nadia responds to Pete’s questions about difficulties and challenges in writing a memoir, especially with regards to public and unfiltered exposure for her and those in her life
At about 40:45, Nadia discusses the importance of the book’s blue chair motif and the history of the chair
At about 44:50, Nadia talks about her father and the term of endearment “Baba”
At about 45:30, Nadia explains her process in writing about Kwame, her half-brother, and how his case mirrored that of many victimized by racist law enforcement practices
At about 48:00, Nadia talks about her first-hand experience in New York City during 9/11
At about 49:30, Nadia explains how listening to Coltrane and allowing herself “madness” led to breakthroughs during her tough times
At about 51:20, Nadia discusses her ideas of her father as “man-god” and his contradictions and ideas of faith
At about 52:00, Shout out to the great Malala and her father!
At about 53:55, Pete shouts out the creative and meaningful ending chapters of “Libations” and “Home,” and Nadia gives her rationale for these two chapters, including her interest in ceremony
At about 56:10, Pete makes comparisons between Aftershocks and Jean Guerrero’s Crux, in that books work
At about 57:20, Nadia shouts out contemporary writers who thrill, including Caleb Azumah Nelson, Hanif Abdurraqib, David Diop
At about 58:15, Pete highlights the interesting variety of work that Nadia does, and Nadia talks about future projects
At about 59:55, Pete asks Nadia about meaningful feedback from readers of her book
At about 1:02:00, Nadia gives out her social media and contact information, and shouts out Café Con Libros, The Word is Change as cool booksellers to buy her book
At about 1:03:10, Nadia reads from “Failures of a Language,” a chapter from her book
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
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.
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.
Please tune in for Episode 118 with SJ Sindu, a Tamil diaspora author of two literary novels, two hybrid chapbooks, and a forthcoming graphic novel. Her first novel, Marriage of a Thousand Lies, won the Publishing Triangle Edmund White Award and was a Stonewall Honor Book and a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. Sindu’s second novel, Blue-Skinned Gods, was published to high praise in November 2021 by Soho Press. A 2013 Lambda Literary Fellow, Sindu teaches at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
The episode will air on April 13.