The Chills at Will Podcast

Episode 75 with Marcos Bretón, Veteran Sportswriter, Insightful, Strong-Willed, and Honest Sacramento Bee Columnist, and McClatchy Company’s California Opinion Editor.

Notes and Links Referenced on Episode 75 with Marcos Bretón

 

          On Episode 75, Pete and The McClatchy Company’s new California Opinion Editor, Marcos Bretón, talk about his upbringing in Northern California, ideas of representation in media, formative reading, his singular writing style and opinions, his covering of Major League Baseball-including his Hall of Fame voting philosophy- and Caribbean baseball cultures, and much more. 

Marcos Bretón’s Sacramento Bee writer page says that he is “Connecting the dots on issues, people and news in the Sacramento region.” He is a journalist and columnist who was awarded the Guillermo Martinez-Marquez Award by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists for “Fields of Pain,” a series of stories about the exploitation of migrant farmworkers in California.

He is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience covering California. The son of Mexican immigrants, Bretón is married and is the father of two daughters. Breton has worked at The Bee since 1989; first as a news reporter, then as a sports columnist, and then as a news columnist. He was recently named The McClatchy Company’s new California Opinion Editor.

 

Marcos Bretón's Sacramento Bee Page

 

Marcos Bretón’s Article: “I am Mexican American with no hyphen and no apologies – and am haunted by a history of hate”

 

Marcos Breton’s July 7, 2021 article- “A leader we haven’t appreciated enough: ‘I had the audacity to be a Black woman with a voice.’ ”

 

Buy Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Baseball Player

At about 2:50, Marcos talks about bilingualism and his relationship with language as a child

 

At about 4:25, Marcos talks about his other Mexican-Americans’ experiences in his childhood and beyond

 

At about 7:30, Marcos talks about the images (or lack thereof) that were used to portray immigrants as he grew up and saw a “hijacked” narrative

 

At about 9:45, Marcos reflects on learning the “Reader’s Digest version” of our history and the need to “embrace the complexity of the story,” including the current need to redress past wrongs in the local and national media narratives and identify and teach current history without “looking away”

 

At about 15:35, Marcos discusses his thoughts on the term “pocho” in connection to the great book of the same name by Villarreal, and Marcos discusses the idea of “ni de aquí, ni de alla” 

 

At about 20:30, Pete asks Marcos if he felt represented in what he read growing up, and how reading Richard Rodriguez

 

At about 22:50, Marcos lists John Steinbeck and local journalists like Ron Fimrite and Sports Illustrated, with its longform writers like Steve Wolff, who gave/give him “chills at will” 

 

At about 27:30, Marcos explains his philosophy on “reading less of what other people were writing” in developing his own voice; he relates it to Rodriguez’s Hunger of Memory

 

At about 30:10, Marcos pinpoints a combination of his childhood, his well-read and opinionated parents, and his reading as making him want to be an opinión writer

 

At about 32:05, Marcos describes more subtle “Eureka moments” in becoming the writer he wanted to be, and how he ended up in Sacramento to stay

 

At about 34:05, Marcos discusses his personal circumstances and political circumstances that led to the award-winning and personally-satisfying series done with Genaro Molina and Mike Wagner-he was awarded the Guillermo Martinez-Marquez Award by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists for the “Fields of Pain” series

 

At about 38:30, Marcos talks about his differing views of interacting with readers online and in real life and some of his provocative takes over the years

 

At about 42:40, Marcos talks about his book Away Games that started with a series for The Sacramento Bee and was written with José Luis Villegas and focused on Miguel Tejada

 

At about 45:30, Marcos talks about the culture and milieu of baseball in the Caribbean, as evidenced through his research for his book

 

At around 51:00, Marcos responds to Pete’s question about ignorance versus malice in dealing with players from Latin America as the generations have gone on

 

At about 53:25, Marcos talks about the ways in which Latin American baseball players have changed the culture of baseball 

 

At about 53:55, Marcos details the process of voting for The Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and how he plans his own voting

 

At about 55:50, Marcos and Pete discuss the merits of performance versus character when it comes to who gets into The MLB Hall of Fame, especially regarding players like Barry Bonds from the “Steroid Era”

 

At about 1:00:30, Pete asks Marcos how he balances objectivity and subjectivity in his writing

 

At about 1:04:40, Marcos discusses his visceral reaction and heartfelt column written after the racist El Paso shootings

 

At about 1:10:45, Marcos describes a recent article on Yvonne Walker, local SEIU head

 

At about 1:11:20, Marcos talks about future projects, as he now is focused on California stories for McClatchy

 

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.

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.

I’m excited to share my next episode with Mirin Fader on Aug 31. Mirin has written for The Bleacher Report and The Ringer, and is The New York Times-bestselling author of 2021’s, Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP.

Episode 74 with Memoirist and Journalist and Dogged Pursuer of the Truth, Jean Guerrero, Author of Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, and Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir

Episode Notes and Links for Episode 74 with Jean Guerrero

 

      In this episode, Pete speaks with award-winning journalist and author, Jean Guerrero. The two talk about her writing and life inspirations, her charismatic and intellectually-curious parents, her work on her incredible memoir, and writing an in-depth piece on white nationalist Stephen Miller.

Jean Guerrero is an award-winning investigative journalist and author of Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump and the White Nationalist Agenda. Her first book, Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir, won a PEN Literary Award. Her writing is featured in The Best American Essays 2019. She is an Emmy-winning border reporter, contributing to NPR, the PBS NewsHour and more. Months before Trump’s family separations captured national attention, her reporting on the practice was cited by members of Congress. She started her career at the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires as a foreign correspondent in Mexico and Central America, trekking through mountains with coffee smugglers, opium poppy producers and more. She was the 2019 “Journalist of the Year” (Society for Professional Journalists, San Diego) and one of the California Chicano News Media Association’s most influential Latina journalists in the region.

 

Buy Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir

 

Buy  Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda

 

Jean Guerrero's Personal Website

 

Jean Guerrero Interview with Terri Gross and NPR’s Fresh Air

 

“Stephen Miller’s Dystopian America” from March 2020 in the New York Times

 

At about 2:30, Jean discusses her childhood in San Diego, specifically her relationship with language, including how speaking Spanish was often maligned in political circles

 

At about 6:15, Jean and Pete connect Jean’s seemingly disparate books and shout out former Chills at Will guest Gustavo Arellano’s well-made LA Times’ podcast on Prop 187

 

At about 6:50, Jean responds to Pete asking about how her father influenced her learning and writing

 

At about 10:30, Pete and Jean reflect on the loss of language and cultural connections due to restrictions against speaking foreign languages in schools, which leads to Jean quoting the great Reyna Grande’s ideas on “subtractive bilingualism”

 

At about 12:20, Jean references a pivotal event in Maria Hinojosa’s memoir that connects to a similar “crossroads” for Jean 

 

At about 14:00, Jean details how she is a combination of both of her parents’ philosophies and skills

 

At about 15:55, Pete asks Jean if she “saw herself” in what she read as a kid; Jean talks about how white male-centric literature has influenced her-she mentions the article she’s currently writing that examines this “premium the culture places won white male perspectives”

 

At about 18:40, Jean discusses fantasy and sci-fi reading as a “refuge” and connecting with outcasts

 

At about 20:05, Pete connects the ideas expressed by Jean about books as refuge, as he discussed in a bonus episode of the podcast-an addendum to Episode 32

 

At about 21:15, Jean discusses the formative The Liars' Club by Mary Karr and The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea, read in her teacher Steve Brown’s class

 

At about 23:15, Pete and Jean hone in on the unforgettable scenes that depict deaths in the desert of those trying to enter the United States, as depicted in Urrea’s book

 

At about 24:10, Jean further lists some writers and texts that have given her “chills at will,” including Isabel Allende’s Paula

 

At about 27:10, Jean describes the structure/format of her book in relation to the Popul Vuh

 

At about 28:55, Jean describes the cultivation of her writing skills and interests that eventually led to her becoming a stellar journalist and writer, including great boosts from

 

At about 31:45, Jean talks about Hatemonger and its inspiration, particularly US’ policies regarding the border and immigration  

 

At about 35:35, Jean delves into Stephen Miller's need to exclude and exact revenge, as evidenced in her book, including the opening; this leads to her outlining his childhood and adolescent behavior and ideology 

 

At about 40:50, Jean touches upon discussions with psychologists about Stephen Miller and why she didn’t choose to include those interviews

 

At about 42:30, Jean discusses the special significance and obsession of 9/11 for Stephen Miller and the “refuge of white identity” that came with listening to and communicating with David Horowitz, Rush Limbaugh, Larry Elder, etc.

 

At about 44:40, Pete compares Tony Soprano to Stephen Miller (yes, you read correctly)

 

At about 46:30, Jean recounts the statistics about crimes committed by undocumented immigrants that belie the false premise that American Renaissance and Stephen Miller put forth about the immigrants being more prone to crime

 

At about 47:45, Pete asks Jean her thoughts on the “normalization” of Stephen Miller; Jean talks about him being covered as either an “aberration” without historical context, and/or not calling his views what they are-white racist, nationalist views

 

At about 52:30, Jean examines Stephen Miller as the logical extensión of Richard Spencer and similar people “mainstreaming” white supremacy through their dress and use of “dog whistles”

 

At about 56:35, Pete asks about who needs whom more-Stephen Miller or Donald Trump

 

At about 57:55, Pete wonders what questions Jean would have asked Stephen Miller if she had been able to interview him

 

At about 59:20, Jean and Pete discuss Stephen’s family situation, in which his great-grandmother railed against forgetting the family’s US’ origins as refugees; this leads to a discussion of the vile Camp of the Saints that Stephen continues to push 

 

At about 1:01:25, Jean describes the coldblooded phone call Stephen made as a kid to former friend Jason Islas

 

At about 1:03:20, Jean discusses Crux and its origins and challenges in terms of the quote “to ignore the truth is to deny oneself”; this leads to Jean describing the process and emotions associated with jumping into such personal subject matter, including hard, but necessary, work at Goucher College with mentor Suzannah Lessard

 

At about 1:06:25, Pete talks about Crux as, “in the best sense of the word, ‘unclassifiable’ ”

 

At about 1:07:00, Pete and Jean discuss the moving scenes in which Jean’s grandmother details traumas in her life

 

At about 1:09:10, Jean outlines self-discovery in connection to the origins and history of her family, as well as the power of writing the memoir and her gratitude to her teacher Steve Brown for inspiring her

 

At about 1:11:00, Pete details some masterful writing by Jean regarding existentialism and “nothingness” and the distinctive experiences of children (especially the girls) of divorced parents

 

At about 1:14:50, Pete notes the second-person usage of Part IV of the book, and Jean explains the rationale for the usage 

 

At about 1:17:30, Jean gives the background and rationale for the title of her memoir

 

At about 1:19:43, Jean reads an excerpt from Crux, a second-person address to her father

 

At about 1:21:06, Jean reads an excerpt from Hatemonger

 

At about 1:22:55, Jean talks about her exciting work upcoming for The Los Angeles Times as a new columnist, including her desire to debunk misinformation, as she’s seen how it has hurt her father so badly

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.

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.

You can watch this episode and other episodes on

I’m excited to share my next episode with Marcos Breton on Aug 28. Marcos writes for the Sacramento Bee, and is California Opinion Editor for McClatchy Newspapers.

Episode 73 with Roberto Lovato: Lightshiner and Truthteller-The Brilliant Excavator of Past Travesties and Author of the Incredible Memoir, Unforgetting

Show Notes and Links to Roberto Lovato’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 73 

 

      On Episode 73, Pete talks with Roberto Lovato about his outstanding, moving, and illuminating memoir, Unforgetting. Using the book as a foundation, the two talk about US foreign policy in El Salvador and beyond, media and propaganda, connections between the past and today, “La Matanza” and other traumatic events in El Salvador’s history, the importance of “unforgetting” and “re-membering,” and hope as embodied by the Salvadoran resolve and beauty shown despite great tragedies.

 

      Roberto Lovato is the author of Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs and Revolution in the Americas (Harper Collins), a memoir picked by the New York Times as an “Editor’s Choice” that the paper also hailed as “Groundbreaking…. A kaleidoscopic montage that is at once a family saga, a coming-of-age story and a meditation on the vicissitudes of history, community and, most of all for [Lovato], identity.”  Newsweek listed Lovato’s memoir as a “must read” 2020 book and the Los Angeles Times listed it as one of its 20 Best Books of 2020. Lovato is also an educator, journalist and writer based at The Writers Grotto in San Francisco, California. As a Co-Founder of #DignidadLiteraria, he helped build a movement advocating for equity and literary justice for the more than 60 million Latinx persons left off of bookshelves in the United States and out of the national dialogue. A recipient of a reporting grant from the Pulitzer Center, Lovato has reported on numerous issues—violence, terrorism, the drug war and the refugee crisis—from Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Haiti, France and the United States, among other countries.

Buy Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs, and Revolution in the Americas (Bookshop.org)

 

Roberto Lovato Personal Website

 

"When reporting on a nation’s civil war erases the truths of a beautiful people" from October 1, 2020 in San Francisco Chronicle Datebook

 

At about 2:30, Roberto talks about the journey that his book takes him on, and how it’s an investigation of secret history and 

At about 4:30, Roberto talks about his literary childhood, including his connection with Danny Dunn, The Bible, and Piri Thomas, among others; he connects his reading to Carl Jung’s quote-”The gold is in the dark” and talks about his extensive lifetime habit of writing in journals

At about 7:00, Roberto discusses education’s history in his family and gives background on his father's childhood in El Salvador; this leads to an outline

At about 10:10, Roberto explains the feeling of being “half-dead” as a Salvadoran-American and ideas of post-traumatic stress and the connections felt to his story by those of the Salvadoran and Jewish diasporas

At about 11:40, Roberto talks about obstacles to his intellectual growth, though he was identified as a “gifted” child, and he gives a summary of the book through a description of his relationships with people and places throughout 

At about 12:45, Roberto talks about early reading and refuge through reading The Bible, and believing that “words had the power of God”

At about 14:20, Roberto talks about the different religious organizations he’s been part of in his life, with his love for The Word being the one constant

At about 15:30, Pete references the universal and hyper-specific references to trauma and fascism and quotes the wise Hannah Arendt, saying “terror forces oblivion”; Roberto reverses the Arendt quote and connects it to US government policies of Central American child separation and “normalization of fascist tendencies” in the US

At about 21:00, Roberto explains the path he took to becoming a writer/journalist and the path to Unforgetting that crystallized  around age 50, including visits to Karnes, Texas and learning about migration stories and jailing and separation of Central American children and America’s historically-destructive role in Él Salvador

At about 25:10, Pete compliments the ways in which Roberto seamlessly builds pathos through the nonlinear narrative, and this leads to talk of earlier Salvadoran immigration caused by Reagan and US policies in the region, as evidenced by what was once called The School of the Americas

At about 28:30, Roberto talks about the ways in which Salvadorans and Central Americans are erased from telling their own stories and how organizations like FAIR have found disturbing patterns in diction that paints Central Americans as two-dimensional; Roberto also cites his own research on media narratives, written for The Columbia Journalism Review 

At about 35:00, Roberto discusses the interests of the United States, especially economic ones, as catalysts in backing horrible governments in Central America and beyond, in particular in backing the Salvadoran military dictator who enacted “La Matanza,” in which 10-40,000 are said to have been killed

At about 37:00, Roberto cites his book as an “only” among the “Big Four Publishers” and he talks about how hard he had to work to tell his Central American stories, as opposed to those writers who are not Central American and often tell one-sided, surface-level stories for which they are often lauded 

At about 39:20, Roberto talks about his book as an exploration at the way he and other Americans look at their country and at themselves; he explicates by talking about ideas of “American exceptionalism” in movies and media

At about 42:40, Roberto and Pete delve into Salvadoran “Conradesque” depictions by mainstream writers, especially the famous/infamous quote by Joan Didion-Roberto’s article about her words is here

At about 47:00, Pete asks Roberto about the flipside of negative and simplistic portrayals of Salvadorans-the failure to know them in society as a whole AND the lack of knowledge within the Salvadoran communities of past history and atrocities; Roberto quotes Roque Dalton and interesting poll numbers

At about 48:55, Roberto’s interesting take on important parts of the Salvadoran experience being “lost in translation” reminds Pete of an anecdote from the book about a well-read Salvadoran gang leader and leads to discussions of retelling and stories’ and their differing context and Roberto’s takes on being bilingual and bicultural

At about 51:50, Roberto talks about the significance of the book’s title and its connection to ancient Greek and Hannah Arendt

At about 56:25, Roberto discusses his use of “re-membering” in the book and its implications and the power of rebellion in his life 

At about 59:50, Roberto talks about various meanings of apocalypse and its connections to the book

At about 1:02:30, Roberto explains the statistics from various institutes that place the Salvadoran “La Matanza” of 1932 as one of, or possible, the worst concentrated massacre in 20th century

At about 1:04:15, Roberto discusses the Salvadoran indigenous people as by far the biggest victims in state violence and connections between Vietnam and El Salvador

At about 1:05:25, Pete compliments the beautiful ending of the book with its beautiful sewing metaphor

 

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 Spotify, Stitcher,  and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this episode and other episodes on YouTube-you can watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.

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.

I’m excited to welcome the intrepid, thoughtful, and profound journalist, Jean Guerrero, for my next episode, so be sure to check out that episode on August 25.

Episode 72 with Precise and Impassioned Poet, Creative, Radio Host, Teacher, and Founder of Southern Collective Experience, Clifford Brooks

Show Notes and Links to Clifford Brooks’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 72 

 

      On Episode 72, Pete welcomes Clifford Brooks, poet supreme, passionate creative, and founder of Southern Collective Experience, which publishes the fabulous journal of culture, Blue Mountain Review. They talk about Cliff’s idyllic childhood of curiosity and wonder, his faith in continuing to channel this wonder and passion into his work, his coming relatively late into poetry, music and its inspiration for his writing, resonant lines, myth as a muse, consistent themes in his work, and much more. 

 

         Clifford Brooks was born in Athens, Georgia. His first poetry collection, The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysic, was re-issued by Southern Collective Experience in August 2018. His second full-length poetry volume, Athena Departs: Gospel of a Man Apart, as well as a limited-edition poetry chapbook, Exiles of Eden, were published by Southern Collective Experience in 2017. Clifford is the founder of The Southern Collective Experience, a cooperative of writers, musicians and visual artists, which publishes the journal of culture The Blue Mountain Review and hosts the NPR show Dante’s Old South. He is on the faculty of The Company of Writers, and provides tutorials on poetry through the Noetic teaching application.

Clifford Brooks' Website

 

The Southern Collective Experience Website

 

Buy The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysics

 

"A Bookshop Interview with Clifford Brooks"

 

CLIFFORD BROOKS
IN CONVERSATION WITH
TERENCE HAWKINS

 

Dante's Old South NPR Radio Show on Spotify

 

 

 

At about 1:45, Clifford Brooks talks about the methods in which his work has been published-re: rights, second edition, etc.

 

At about 3:30, Cliff talks about his childhood relationship with reading and the written word and how he was encouraged to explore his curiosity

 

At about 7:00, Cliff talks about the power and importance of play in his childhood, being on the autism spectrum

 

At about 8:40, Cliff talks about the connections between the playful, curious, imaginative kid and his creative power as an adult poet

 

At about 10:40, Cliff talks about writers who have given, and continue to give, “chills at will,” like Pinsky, Kelli Russell Agodon, Chen Chen, Langston Hughes, Louise Gluck, and Dante, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Rilke; Cliff expands on Rilke’s pull

 

At about 14:20, Cliff talks about the outsized pull of music in his life, including its effect on him becoming a poet; Pete shouts out three music recs he received and loved from Cliff’s show, Dante’s Old South Radio Show-Cutso, Lyrics Born, and Turkuaz

 

At about 17:40, Cliff and Pete discuss the mythological “Easter eggs” in Cliff’s work, as well as references of “haunting” with Robert Johnson and connections to addiction and “Old Scratch”

 

At about 21:25, Pete asks Cliff to tell the audience about his “ ‘Eureka’ moment” that impelled him to continue writing, as well as how an agent pointed Cliff to poetry over the other genres

 

At about 30:45, Cliff talks about the difference between imitation and inspiration and his early days “learning to write” poetry after having written other styles

 

At about 32:45, Cliff talks about the importance of truth in poetry and how seriously he takes it in his own writing

 

At about 35:00, Cliff details his editing process and it being essential for him and creating connections; Pete follows up with a questions about the connection between catharsis and editing

 

At about 37:00, Clifford denies the importance of “decoding poetry” and trumpets the power of subjectivity 

 

At about 39:30, Cliff discusses purpose in his poem, as epitomized by a Jericho Brown quote

 

At about 41:40, Pete outlines some thematic and stylistic “throughlines” in Cliff’s poetry, including passion and wanderlust, which leads Cliff to talk about the seeking of travel, both literal and metaphorical

 

At about 43:30, Pete asks Cliff about the Nietzche epigraph

 

At about 45:50, Cliff and Pete agree on the connectivity that paradoxically comes with solitude and the quiet of writing poetry

 

At about 47:00, Clifford talks about the magic of the twilight hours and his kinship with past guest of both Cliff and Pete, standout prose poet José Hernández Diaz 

 

At about 48:40, Pete identifies the poem “In the Beginning” and some resonant lines  

 

At about 50:35, Pete and Cliff discuss abandonment/restlessness through a poem that references Alice in Wonderland  

 

At about 53:15, Cliff touches on themes like moderation from “The Transparent Mess of an Unbalanced Man”

 

At about 54:10, “A Father Sits with a Son” brings about resonant lines and discussion of “Live and Let Live” and beautiful “moments in time” with his father

 

At about 55:55, “The Last Wispy Gypsy” provides a thrill-inducing line

 

At about 56:30, Cliff references Kid Cudi in talking about “night terrors” and “childlike quality” in his work

 

At about 58:30, Pete quotes some of Cliff’s work as the two discuss regret and the temporal nature of happiness as a consistent theme in Cliff’s work

 

At about 59:55, Pete and Cliff add to their playlist of songs that correspond to the poetry’s subject matter, including “Everlong”

 

At about 1:00:30, Cliff and Pete discuss amicable breakups “with no malice” and the consequences of life decisions like starting a family, etc.

 

At about 1:03:00, Pete quotes the “Scotch, Scuffles, and Sermons” and a “musical” line from the piece that leads into discussions of spirituality and the connection between spirit and flesh

 

At about 1:08:00, Cliff dissects some of his “methodical, but not contrived” rhymes and syntax that work to enhance the ethereal quality of the words

 

At about 1:10:50, Cliff talks about mythology and its connection to his inspirations

 

At about 1:12:55, Cliff introduces and reads from “The Original Title Failed Me”

 

At about 1:17:15, Cliff introduces and reads from “Colors of Parish, Sex, and Essence” 

 

At about 1:19:30, Cliff gives some info on his myriad projects, including the fabulous Blue Mountain Review and contact info

 

At about 1:22:20, Cliff talks about upcoming projects, including fiction and poetry publications

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 Spotify and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can find this and other episodes on The Chills at Will Podcast YouTube Channel. Please subscribe while you’re there.

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.

Episode 71 with Music and Book Reviewer Extraordinaire and Author of the Dynamic, Educational, and Deeply-Researched Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded

Show Notes and Links to Jason Heller’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode

 

        On Episode 71, Pete talks with Jason Heller about his early influences, turning points in his writing life, his book Taft 2012 and its legacy, his deep dive into sci-fi music with Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded, his view on writing reviews of subjective art forms, and exciting upcoming projects (a 90s punk-rock story mixed with magic and ideas of belonging!). 

Jason Heller is the author of STRANGE STARS, a book about science fiction's influence on ’70s music (David Bowie, P-Funk, Hawkwind, Rush, Kraftwerk, Devo, and everything in between). It was published in hardcover and paperback by Melville House Publishing and is available everywhere books are sold. Jason is also the author of the alternate history novel TAFT 2012 (Quirk), the Goosebumps book SLAPPY'S REVENGE (Scholastic), the Pirates of the Caribbean book THE CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW HANDBOOK (Quirk), and numerous short stories in magazines and anthologies. He’s the former nonfiction editor of CLARKESWORLD and won a Hugo Award in 2013 as part of that editing team, and he also penned a chapter of Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s THE TIME TRAVELER'S ALMANAC (Tor). He’s written about pop culture for THE NEW YORKER, THE ATLANTIC, ROLLING STONE, PITCHFORK, NPR, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, THE A.V. CLUB, and many others. His next novel REPEATER, an urban fantasy set in the '90s punk scene, will be published in 2021 by Saga Press/Simon & Schuster; his memoir EXTRATERRESTRIAL SUMMER will be published in 2022 by Melville House. His most recent band was the internationally-touring post-punk outfit WEATHERED STATUES (Svart Records). He is represented by Eddie Schneider, Vice President of JABberwocky Literary Agency, and he lives in Denver with his wife.

 

Buy Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded (Amazon)

 

Buy Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded (Bookshop)

 

NPR Review of Holly George Warren’s Janis, about Janis Joplin     

 

Jason Heller's Pitchfork Writer Page

 

At about 3:00, Jason talks about J.G. Ballard and the idea of being a “geek” and “a 

At about 5:10, Jason discusses his childhood relationship with the written word and reading and writing as ways of combating anxiety; he also references his huge fandom for Star Wars and Star Trek and other science fiction and fantasy 

At about 9:05, Jason outlines the pop culture boom in his later childhood and his dive into unorthodox music (Queen, etc.) as“survival mechanisms”

At about 12:00, Jason describes the pull of David Bowie for him and like minded friends

At about 12:55, Jason lists writers who have given, and continue to give him, “chills at will”-including J.G. Ballard and the band The Buzzcocks

At about 18:10, Jason describes the particular ethos of Pete Shelley of The Buzzcocks

At about 20:45, Jason talks about inspiration from music critics and reviews that sent him more and more into the world of writing as a profession, including his start with the world of “zines.”

At about 23:20, Jason talks about a “Eureka moment” in his budding writing career in which forged a connection with Westword Magazine in Denver, getting notice due to a review of a favorite of Jason’s, Jonathan Richman

At about 27:40, Jason talks about music writers like Lester Bangs and Greil Marcus and others who “energized” him as a young writer

At about 30:30, Jason talks about his book Taft 2012-its genesis and subject matter, as well as his classification of it as “alternate history”

At about 40:15, Jason and Pete discuss the “butterfly effect” and its many iterations in pop culture and how he turned the trope on its face in Taft 2012

At about 41:30, Jason talks about his use, or lack thereof or “magical realism” and how he used folklore and folktales in his book on Taft

At about 44:40, Jason talks about salient themes in the book, especially the lionizing of our US leaders

At about 50:00, Jason talks about the beginning of his book, Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded and its emphasis on the 1970s music scene and how the sci-fi-inflected music inspired the book

At about 53:35, Jason talks about the book’s circular nature, “bookend[ed]” by David Bowie songs

At about 55:20, Jason and Pete discuss the 1969 moon landing and its influence on the music of the age

At about 59:00, Jason and Pete trace the connections in Jason’s book to the changing American landscape/technology and the changes in sci-fi music, from 

At about 1:01:30, Jason and Pete talk about Star Wars and Star Trek and their consistent pull on Jason and their parts in the sci-fi pop culture zeitgeist

At about 1:06:10, Jason discusses the ways in which sci-fi music evolved with the evolution 

At about 1:07:25, Jason is asked if he thinks sci-fi music has gotten a bad rap in the tiers of “high art” in pop culture; he references strong sci-fi writers like Charlie Jane Anders and also talks about how standouts like Sun-Ra and Parliament-Funkadelic and David Bowie often had their music examined through any genre but sci-fi

At about 1:14:20, Pete compliments Jason’s portrayal of David Bowie and how Jason traces the “family tree” of sci-fi music in a nonlinear, interesting way

At about 1:15:20, Jason discusses his writing of reviews and Pete asks him what it is like to judge someone’s art, as art is so subjective; he gives an interesting take on how he approaches writing and reading reviews

At about 1:18:40, Jason explains the changing mores in terms of writing cruel and “savage” music reviews, including by Pitchfork Magazine

At about 1:24:15, Jason talks about his upcoming book projects, including an evolving book idea and Repeater, a novel set in the 1990s punk rock scene

 

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 Spotify, Stitcher,  and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this episode and other episodes on YouTube-you can watch and subscribe on The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.

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

I’m excited to share Episode 72 on August 17. The episode is with Clifford Brooks, poet, writer of, most recently,  Athena Departs: Gospel of a Man Apart, founder of The Southern Collective Experience, a cooperative of writers, musicians and visual artists, which publishes the journal of culture The Blue Mountain Review and hosts the NPR show Dante’s Old South. 

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.

Episode 70 with The "Master Craftsman with Astonishing Depth," and "Writer of the World," John Domini, the Author of 2021's The Archeology of a Good Ragù

Show Notes and Links to John Domini’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 70

 

On Episode 70, Pete welcomes John Domini, author of 2021’s The Archaeology of a Good Ragú. The two talk about the structure of John’s book, his precise and beautiful writing, his father in both his Neapolitan and American lives, Napoli as a character with a tumultuous and joyous history and fraught present, and Napoli and John’s father and the ways in which they have shaped John. 

 

John Domini  is an Italian-American author, translator and critic who has been widely published in literary and news magazines, including The Paris Review,The New York Times, Ploughshares,The Washington Post, and Literary Hub. He is the author of three short story collections, four novels, and a memoir, The Archeology of a Good Ragu: Discovering Naples, My Father and Myself, available now wherever you buy books. Domini has also published one book of criticism, one book of poetry, and a memoir translated from Italian. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. Domini lives in Des Moines with his wife, the science fiction writer Lettie Prell.

Domini has taught American Literature and Creative Writing at many places, including Harvard University and Northwestern University. His work has earned praise from Richard Ford and Salman Rushdie, among many others.

Buy The Archaeology of a Good Ragú Through Amazon 

 

Buy The Archaeology of a Good Ragú Through Bookshop

 

John Domini’s “Cooking the Octopus” from Zone 3 Magazine, 2013-an excerpt from The Archaeology of a Good Ragú

 

John Domini’s Website

 

 

At about 2:00, John talks about his mindset and the experience of releasing a book during the pandemic

 

At about 7:10, John talks about the great gifts bestowed by his father, and the ways in which he allowed his son John to carve his own path and find his own calling; also, John talks about his father and the ways in which he was and wasn’t “Hollywood”

 

At about 9:50, Pete and John discuss John’s book, and great literature in general, as being

 

At about 12:25-14:00, Pete and John discuss their own experience with Italian men, like John’s father and Pete’s grandfather, who buck the trope of the domineering Italian patriarch

 

At about 14:00, John talks about how Stanley Tucci and his CNN show as representative of the shift in understanding of Italian masculinity

 

At about 15:00, John talks about his childhood reading and relationship with the written word, including a huge interest in Roger Angell and Kafka and Hemingway and the magic that mythology held for him

 

At about 18:55, John talks about studying with the great Donald Barthelme, John Barth, Stanley Elkin, and Anne Sexton

 

At about 21:20, John explains the meaning of “dietrologia” and its connections to his life and his book; he also describes why and how he uses Neapolitan aphorisms as chapter titles, and the abundance of Italian dialect 

 

At about 25:35, Pete and John talk about bilingualism and its helpful effect on the speaker’s English vocabulary; the two focus on the etymology and contemporary usage of “mammone”

 

At about 28:40, Pete asks John the connections between bilingualism and one’s writing in his primary language; John cites Nabakov and his views on the “flexibility” of bilingualism

 

At about 36:20, John talks about various times in which he discovered that his writing skills could make him a living and make for a fulfilling career 

 

At about 39:30, John talks about working with the great Susan Orlean at The Boston Globe

 

At about 41:25, Pete and John talk about Naples itself and its vitality and energetic nature, including the tough time Naples has had with COVID-19

 

At about 46:00, John reads and discusses the beginning of the book, including the epigraph from W.S. DiPiero and the first chapter aphorism: “Mo Lo Facc’ ”

 

At about 48:45, John reads from the first chapter

 

At about 51:25, Pete notes beautiful and compelling phrasing from John’s reading and John’s notes 

 

At about 55:30, John shows and describes Pulcinella, a representative of Naples and its ethos

 

At about 56:30, John and Pete discuss the book’s structure and the flashbacks and aphorisms and how they add to the greatness of the book

 

At about 57:55, John talks about “pulling a story out of a mass of material” in deciding that the book would be a memoir

 

At about 1:01:05, Pete and John laugh over an anecdote from the section on “love” in the book, and then talk about John’s father and his view of romance 

 

Pete links the book to the writing of Roberto Saviano, especially his epic Gomorrah

 

At about 1:07:35, John talks about an aphorism used in the book that concerns the octopus

 

At about 1:09:10, John describes the section of the book (the excerpt was published in LitHub) that relates to the aphorism about laughing and crying in relation to the Neapolitan Camorra 

 

At about 1:10:20, John explains his interactions with the artistic side of Naples and his encounter with Paolo Sorrentino 

 

At about 1:15:40, Pete talks about the cornuto being “lost in translation”

 

At about 1:17:00, John discusses the section of the book dealing with the quiet but pervasive reach of the Camorra, even within the lives of John’s relatives

 

At about 1:22:00, John explains the section of the book that deals with the aphorism “Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi” and connects it to contemporary immigration to Italy and his father’s own past and immigration story

 

At about 1:26:00, Pete and John connect the book’s immigration section to the classic Italian movie Lamerica

 

At about 1:28:00, John reflects on what he sees as visits/messages from his father after his father’s passing

 

At about 1:29:05, John discusses on Part V of the book

 

At about 1:30:35, John gives background on the Four Days, an uprising in Naples that left a huge impression on his father and on Naples as a whole; John talks about the experience of seeing the movie with his father, and recommends some good Rossellini post-war movies

 

At about 1:33:45, John connects Los Angeles and Naples and their immigrant histories in talking about his father, him, and his daughter

 

At about 1:35:00, John talks about his family’s religious history, his last name, and the iteration it took on when his father immigrated

 

At about 1:39:00, John talks about future projects and his continuing work

You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify and on Amazon Music. Follow The Chills at Will Podcast on IG,, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can find this and other episodes on The Chills at Will Podcast YouTube Channel. Please subscribe while you’re there.

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.

Episode 69 with Observant Veteran Sportswriter Based in Tokyo and Author of the Well-Researched and Engrossing Going 15 Rounds with Jerry Izenberg, Ed Odeven

Show Notes and Links to Ed Odeven’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 

 

On Episode 69, Pete talks with Ed Odeven about the Tokyo Olympics, Ed’s interesting writing history and work in Japan, and his well-researched and engrossing biography of the great writer Jerry Izenberg.

 

Ed Odeven is a veteran sportswriter based in Tokyo. Currently writing for JAPAN Forward, he spent nearly 14 years at The Japan Times. Odeven, who reported from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Games, served as the sports editor for Arizona State University's State Press and the Arizona Daily Sun.

 

Buy Going 15 Rounds with Jerry Izenberg  (Amazon)

Buy Going 15 Rounds with Jerry Izenberg (Bookshop)

Ed Odeven’s Website

Ed Odeven’s Twitter Page

‘I’m old, not dead’: Columnist Jerry Izenberg’s historic streak of 53 Super Bowls comes to an end - nj.com

Jerry's nj.com archive 

News flashback: Track meet at LBCC in October 1993 – Ed Odeven Reporting

Promoting ‘Going 15 Rounds With Jerry Izenberg’ – Ed Odeven Reporting

 

At about 2:20, Ed talks about covering the Olympics and what stories to write, as well as efforts to postpone/cancel the Olympics (the episode was recorded on June 7), and Pete and Ed talk about the uncertainties

At about 6:35, Ed talks about his relationship with sports and reading as a kid, including his love of daily news in the press; Pete and Ed talk about Dickens’ greatness, Hemingway, particularly his masterful “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” and Roots and The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley

At about 14:25, Ed talks about his interests in reading books that were purely about sports and about books that featured sports in tandem with social issues

At about 15:40, Ed talks about moments in which he realized that he loved and was good at writing 

At about 20:25, Ed details how he began writing in Japan and connections to the great Hideo Nomo

At about 24:00, Ed discusses the ways in which his physical distance from the US has changed his views of sports in society and its importance, as well as the culture of “Wa”, as shown in the book that Ed recommends-You Gotta Have Wa, by Robert Whiting

At about 28:10, Ed explains the genesis of his book idea about Jerry Izenberg, as well some of the writers, like Peter Vecsey and Peter Kerasotis, Linda Robertson, and Marc Stein, who have inspired him throughout his career and even before

At about 32:45, Ed outlines the book and its first and second part delineations and the blog articles which make up the bulk of the first half of the book

At about 34:20, Pete and Ed discuss some legends who influenced and were influenced by Jerry Izenberg, like Dick Schaap, Stanley Woodward, and Shirley Povich; this leads to Pete asking Ed his thoughts on “old journalism” versus “new journalism” 

At about 40:45, Ed puts Jerry’s writing style into perspective, with respect to a famous quote from Stanley Woodward about “newspaper men” versus journalists and how this phi

At about 43:30, Ed describes how part of Jerry’s greatness comes from the fact that he has straddled different eras and writes with so much depth

At about 45:20, Ed gives background on the connection between Jerry’s religious and ethical concerns and his writing and Project Pride

At about 50:00, Ed speaks about the unique relationship that Jerry had with Muhammad Ali and some of the interesting stories related in Ed’s book

At about 52:00, Pete and Ed discuss Jeremy Schaap, Wallace Matthews, and others and the ways that they praise Jerry in Ed’s book

At about 53:20, Ed recounts incredible Jerry’s Super Bowl streak

At about 57:40, Ed talks about Jerry’s relationship with boxing, as recounted by Wallace Matthews, and how and why Jerry’s obituary written for Muhammad Ali went viral

At about 1:01:55, Ed is asked to speak to Jerry’s legacy and mentions even more lasting relationships that weren’t extremely well-known, including with Roberto Clemente, Yogi Berra, as well as the importance of Larry Doby

At about 1:06:10, Ed talks about the balance of the book being a labor of love but also a long grind

At about 1:08:30, Ed quotes Alex Belth as calling Jerry a “Zelig” in a sporting sense

At about 1:10:00, Ed describes the book’s iconic cover photo and some background 

At about 1:11:00, Ed talks about post-publishing plans and gives contact information for him and for buying 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 Spotify, Stitcher,  and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this episode and other episodes on YouTube-you can watch and subscribe on The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.

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.

Episode 68 with The Hilarious, Profound, and Talented Writer of the Standout Debut Short Story Collection, Give My Love to the Savages, Chris Stuck

Show Notes and Links to Chris Stuck’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 68

On Episode 68, Pete welcomes Chris Stuck, author of 2021’s Give my Love to the Savages. Chris and Pete discuss, among other topics, Chris’ standout debut short story collection, Give My Love to the Savages, the line between “writing what you know” and its opposite, art and its connection to social justice, themes of identity, privilege, and loneliness, and Chris’ aptitude with humor and place.

Buy Give my Love to the Savages Through Amazon 

 

Buy Give my Love to the Savages Through Bookshop

 

Chris L. Terry’s Interview with Chris Stuck for Electric Lit

 

At about 2:25, Chris talks about his experience in the run-up to the July 6 publication of his short story collection

 

At about 3:50, Chris gives background on his childhood relationship with the written word-both in what he read and what he 

 

At about 6:15, Chris reflects on ways in which he did and didn’t feel represented in what he read as a kid

 

At about 7:30, Chris discusses his hip-hop influences and how they, as well as comedians, have impacted his writing and reading 

 

At about 10:30, Chris talks about writers and texts that have given him “chills at will,” including James Alan McPherson, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Jamel Brinkley, Robert Stone, Roxane Gay, and Charles D’Ambrosio

 

At about 13:00, Chris details what it means on a daily basis to be a writer

 

At about 14:45, Pete asks Chris about his views of art and social justice

 

At about 17:55, Chris explains why he sees James Baldwin’s work as chill-inducing

 

At about 20:00, Chris outlines his journey to published writer, including his time under fellowships and at George Mason University

 

At about 27:35, Chris talks about humor on the page and seeing it as as organic process

 

At about 29:20, Chris discusses any inspirations for his short story collections in connection with the adage “Write what you know”

 

At about 31:55, Chris and Pete fanboy out about epigraphs and Chris explains the significance of his book’s epigraph

 

At about 36:00, Chris talks about the first short story of his collection, as well as why he choose to use second-person 

 

At about 46:30, Chris and Pete discuss identity as a theme in the story collection, including the story “Lake of No Negro” and its connections to Get Out

 

At about 56:35, Chris and Pete talk about privilege and guilt and make connections to Dave Chappelle’s Clayton Bigsby while discussing two stories from Chris’ collection; Chris talks about trope expectations that are often foisted on works by writers of color

 

At about 1:02:45, Pete details some standout lines-both funny, poignant, and thought-provoking-from the collection, and Chris comments on themes that are connected to these stories, especially the titular story

 

At about 1:07:00, Chris discusses the standout story “Cowboys” and one haunting scene

 

At about 1:08:20, Chris and Pete talk “And Then We Were the Norisses” and “This is Music” and their connections, to loneliness and alienation and Pete’s remembrance of Andre Dubus’ “Girls Unpopular Together”

 

At about 1:12:30, Chris explains his grasp of place in his writing

 

At about 1:15:00, Chris reads from his story “Give My Love to the Savages”

 

At about 1:21:00, Chris talks about 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 Spotify and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1.

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.

 

Episode 67 with Keen Observer, Fearless Fighter for Justice, and Food and Culture Writer, Esther Tseng

Show Notes and Links to Esther Tseng’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 67 

 

On Episode 67, Pete talks with Esther Tseng about her freelance writing, her inspirations, seeing herself and her cultures represented in what she has read and continues to read, her profound article from May 2021 after the Atlanta racist spa murders, how her work centers itself in intersections of food, culture, and much more.

 

Esther Tseng is a Los Angeles-based food, drinks and culture writer available for reported and editorial assignments as well as ghost-written, branded content. She has contributed to the LA Times, Food & Wine, Eater, Civil Eats, LAist, VICE, Time Out, Los Angeleno, and more.

Esther Tseng’s Personal Website

 

Article for Shondaland from July 30, 2020, "Food Justice Impacts Who Eats and Who Thrives"

 

Esther Tseng’s Article from May 20, 2021- “The Silence of my White Friends after Atlanta” for Catapult Magazine 

 

Esther Tseng’s Article from January 28, 2021 in Rsey: LosAngeles-"Uyghurs in America Want to Share Food and Culture. For Them, It’s a Matter of Survival."

 

At about 1:45, Esther talks about her childhood relationships with food and with the written word, including the interesting ways in which Taiwanese and English and assimilation played roles in her early life

At about 8:30, Esther talks about the fraught relationship of Taiwanese to Chinese governing and how her parents came from a time of censorship/language policing

At about 9:45, Esther is asked if she felt represented in what she read as a kid, and she

At about 11:25, Esther discusses her reading list from when she was a kid

At about 12:35, Esther outlines her journey to becoming a writer, with her start on a food blog, inspired by Jonathan Gold’s “Counter Intelligence” and others

At about 14:55, Esther explains why Jonathan Gold was so inspirational for her, and Pete and Esther trace some of his powerful writing to his patented second-person style

At about 17:20, Esther talks about chill-inducing literature for her, including Cathy Park Hong

At about 19:15, Esther talks about “Eureka” moments in believing in her writing talents

At about 20:20, Esther talks about contemporary food and culture writers who thrill her, including Tejal Rao, Bettina Makalintal, Nicole Clark, and Alicia Kennedy

At about 21:40, Esther discusses how she “pitches” articles and comes up with writing ideas 

At about 23:50, Esther responds to Pete’s inquiries about maintaining objectivity in her writing, especially in doing food reviews

At about 27:20, Esther discusses the “Yelp Effect”

At about 28:55, Esther responds to Pete’s questions about if and how food is an unifying item that brings people and cultures together

At about 31:00, Esther and Pete discuss Esther’s writing about intersections of food and other topics and if she ever gets resistance to writing about these supposedly-disparate topics

At about 33:10, Esther talks about her writing that deals almost exclusively with food

At about 34:10, Esther explains the background and details of her enlightening article about Dolan’s, a rare Uighur restaurant in the United States, and the amazing stories associated with it

At about 39:35, Esther and Pete chat about her article dealing with “food justice” and its disparate meanings 

At about 43:30, Esther discusses her recent personal essay that she wrote for Catapult, “The Silence of My White Friends After Atlanta”

At about 50:05, Pete and Esther discuss her writing about indifference and how recent pieces by R.O. Kwon and Nicole Chung illustrate Esther’s focus on the importance of building coalitions to minimize emotional labor

At about 53:30, Esther reads an excerpt from “The Silence of My White Friends After Atlanta”

At about 1:00:00, Esther reads her article about Dolan’s Restaurant, and Uighurs in America

At about 1:03:20, Esther talks about future projects, including an article that highlights mezcal grown outside of Oaxaca

At about 1:04:26, Esther shouts out a restaurant that she’s been excited about recently in the LA-area: Nossa, a Southern Brazilian restaurant  

 

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 Spotify, Stitcher,  and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this episode and other episodes on YouTube-you can watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.

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.

Please check back in for Episode 68 on July 27, with Chris Stuck, whose debut short story collection, Give My Love to the Savages, has been recently released to rave reviews.

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.

Episode 66 with Deep-Thinker, Aesthete, and Passionate Poet and Podcaster, Gabrielle Bates

On Episode 66 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete has the pleasure to speak with Gabrielle Bates, poet and podcast host. The two discuss the voracious reading that has characterized her life, allegory and symbolism and “deciphering” poetry. Gabrielle also reads and discusses two of her stunning poems and talks about The Poet Salon, the dynamic podcast she co hosts. 

 

Gabrielle Bates is a writer and visual artist originally from Birmingham, Alabama. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Poetry Magazine, Virginia Quarterly Review, New England Review, jubilat, Gulf Coast, Mississippi Review, Black Warrior Review, the Best of the Net anthology, and BAX: Best American Experimental Writing, and her poetry comics have been featured internationally in a variety of exhibitions, festivals, and conferences.

Formerly the managing editor of the Seattle Review and a contributing editor for Poetry Northwest, Gabrielle currently serves as the Social Media Manager of Open Books: A Poem Emporium, a contributing editor for Bull City Press, and a University of Washington teaching fellow. She also volunteers as a poetry mentor through the Adroit teen mentorship program and teaches occasionally as a spotlight author through Seattle's Writers in the Schools. With Luther Hughes and Dujie Tahat, she co hosts the podcast The Poet Salon.

Show Notes and Links to Gabrielle Bates’s Work

 

Gabrielle Bates's Personal Website

 

"In the Circus" Poetry Comic from Poetry Foundation

 

Assorted Poems from Adroit Journal

 

Subscribe and listen to The Poet Salon Podcast!

 

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 Spotify and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1.

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

I’m excited to share Episode 66 on July 20 with Esther Tseng. Esther is a freelance writer who covers the intersection of food and culture, and food justice.

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.

Talking Points/Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:

At about 2:20, Gabrielle talks about being a recent finalist for the Bergman Prize, judged by Louise Gluck and Gabrielle’s poem being published in The New Yorker

 

At about 4:10, Gabrielle discusses her childhood and literary influences, including early formative readings of Zora Neale Hurston and being transfixed by poetry starting in college; she explains that her grandparents  

 

At about 6:45, Gabrielle posits on how much her early spiritual reading has influenced her later reading and writing; allegory and symbolism are clear

 

At about 8:15, Gabrielle focuses on how she was shaped and inspired by Zora Neale Hurston, and Pete brings up an amazing work by Zora about her childhood in Eatonville, Florida-“How it Feels to be Colored Me”

 

At about 10:35, Gabrielle discusses works and writers that have given her “chills at will,” including Brigit Pegeen Kelly, Linda Gregg (All of It Singing), and Vievee Francis

 

At about 14:20, Gabrielle talks about the genres she works in, and how she would define herself as an artist

 

At about 15:25, Gabrielle talks about her reading habits and reading for pleasure and for craft

 

At about 17:20, Gabrielle outlines her trajectory to professional and acclaimed writer and some “Eureka” moments along the way that convinced her that she was a talented writer; this includes her really exploring poetry for one of the first time in class  through Richard Siken’s Crush, introduced by Keetje Kuipers

 

At about 22:20, Gabrielle responds to questions about her being labeled as a writer, how her two main “homes” of AL/WA complement each other, and who she feels her audience(s) is

 

At about 26:20, Gabrielle talks about common themes in her work and any tangential or not connections to Southern writers like William Faulkner

 

At about 28:30, Gabrielle shouts out contemporary Southern writers who are “knocking it out of the park,” including Jericho Brown, Natasha Trethewey, Rickey Laurentiis, Derrick Austin, Tiana Clark

 

At about 30:40, Gabrielle responds to Pete’s question about her thoughts on “deciphering” poetry

 

At about 35:05, Gabrielle explains the concept of “poetry comics” and the work she does in the genre

 

At about 38:30, Gabrielle reads her poem “Little Lamb” and discusses the unique formatting

 

At about 45:35, Gabrielle reads her poem “In the Dream in Which I am a Widow” and discusses its genesis and the idea of “pre-elegy” as done by Natasha Trethewey

 

At about 56:30, Gabrielle discusses the background, format, incredible guests, etc. of the awesome poetry podcast she hosts with Luther Hughes and Dujie Tahat, The Poet Salon 

 

At about 1:03:35, Gabrielle outlines some future projects

Episode 65, with Natalie Lima, Master Essayist and Chronicler of the Universal and the Personal

          On Episode 65 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete has the pleasure to speak with Natalie Lima. The two discuss Natalie’s childhood, her relationship to language and the always-welcoming library, A Separate Peace, Song of Solomon, We the Animals, and other chill-inducing literature, the writers who have inspired her, and the inspirations behind some of her most well-known works.

 

Show Notes and Links to Natalie Lima’s Work

 

Natalie Lima's Personal Website

 

 For a Good Time, Call,” essay for Guernica, September 2020

 

“Snowbound,” essay for Brevity, September 2019

 

“Men Paid Me To Eat,” fiction for The Offing, June 2019

 

“Fly”-Fiction from Paper Darts, May 2017

Talking Points/Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:

 

At about 2:35, Natalie talks about influences growing up, including her experience speaking Spanish and her ideas of “home”

 

At about 4:50, Natalie talks about her relationship with the written word growing up and into adolescence, including her love of the public library 

 

At about 6:50, Natalie discusses the pivotal high school reading years, including a favorite of Pete and Natalie’s, A Separate Peace by John Knowles

 

At about 10:40, Pete asks Natalie if she saw herself and her various cultures/subcultures in what she read growing up 

 

At about 12:45, Natalie describes a few of her favorite books, including Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street and White Oleander by Janet Fitch

 

At about 13:35, Natalie outlines Song of Solomon and Toni Morrison’s impression on Natalie

 

At about 15:25, Natalie talks about contemporary writers who continue to thrill her, including Roxane Gay and her Bad Feminist and Justin Torres and his We the Animals, Myriam Gurba, Jhumpa Lahiri, T Kira Madden, Esmé Weijun Wang, Michelle Tea, Lindy West, Samantha Irby, and Jaquira Diaz

 

At about 20:10, Natalie details the moment(s) that made her believe in her ability to write professionally and successfully, including how Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Julia Cameron’s The Right to Write helped her rekindle her writing passion and how her professor Colette Sartor gave feedback that energized Natalie

 

At about 28:35, Natalie discusses her target audience(s) and the success and how she was surprised how many people were moved by “Fat Girl Cries Herself to Sleep” 

 

At about 30:45, Natalie talks about sharing personal information in her writing, as well as how certain works of her have affected her and her readers

 

At about 34:35, Natalie discusses “For a Good Time, Call,” her powerful essay about the “party line” and the essay’s many layers; Pete and Natalie make connections to teenage chaos/malaise and to an NPR article about avatars and Walter Thompson Hernández and Yesika Salgado on California Love

 

At about 42:35, Natalie discusses the background and events and writing of “Snowbound” from Brevity Magazine and the event where college dorm gossip upset Natalie 

 

At about 49:25, Natalie discusses her fiction piece, “Men Paid Me to Eat” and its inspiration, including its genesis with a class writing prompt

 

At about 53:10, Natalie reads from “Snowbound” and  “For a Good Time, Call”

 

At about 58:40, Natalie outlines her upcoming 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 Spotify and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this episode and other episodes on The Chills at Will Podcast YouTube Channel. Please like, subscribe, and share while you’re there.

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.

Be sure to check out the next episode on July 13 with poet extraordinaire Gabrielle Bates.

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.

Episode 64 with Director, Producer, Writer and Passionate, Award-Winning Storyteller for ESPN's 30 for 30 and E60, Martin Khodabakhshian

Show Notes and Links to Martin Khodabakshian’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 64

On Episode 64, Pete welcomes Martin Khodabaskshian, an award-winning senior producer at ESPN. The two talk about the process of writing for the medium of television/documentary, Martin’s incredible work with E60 and 30 for 30, the craft of building tension/interest, some of his trademark stories, and what drives him to continue bringing profound and emotional stories to the screen.

30 for 30: War Eagle/Roll Tide Trailer

 

Star Wars, Evolution of the Lightsaber Duel from SC Presents on ESPN

 

Martin Khodabakshian’s IMDB Page

 

E60: Silent Night Lights 

At about 4:45, Martin talks about his childhood and family history in Iran, London, and Minnesota, before coming to Jesuit High School, as well as his reading life in adolescence 

 

At about 9:00, Martin talks about his language background, growing up with Armenian as his first language, and how he gravitated towards powerful storytellers in his family and English class

 

At about 13:30, Pete and Martin talk about great storytelling and how it draws people in, even if the subject matter does not seem to be an immediate hook, such as Strongman: Beyond the Mountain on E60

 

At about 19:30, Martin talks about the idea of “the big revealing” as a storytelling technique

 

At about 22:40, Pete and Martin talk about in medias res, and the similar idea of giving away the ending at the beginning; Martin gives examples of films that played with narrative like Pulp Fiction and ESPN’s documentary on wrestler Richard Jensen

 

At about 26:40, Martin talks about chill-inducing texts in his life, including Star Wars, Tom Rinaldi’s Red Bandanna, and “The Falling Man” by Tom Junod-Pete and Martin talk about the brilliance of the piece, and Martin about the passion that comes from working with incredible subjects and colleagues 

 

At about 32:00, Pete talks about the phenomenon of remembering where you were when you read an influential piece

 

At about 33:00, Martin shouts out the influential teacher, Mr. Ed Trafton, and remembering the incredible experience of reading Catcher in the Rye

 

At about 37:30, Martin discusses the power of collaboration, as well as how difficult it can be at times to not take constructive criticism and input as personal

 

At about 41:05, Martin talks about his current duties and proper nomenclature for his job

 

At about 44:15, Martin shares his “origin story” about how he got into writing and producing and directing, with an assist from a UC Davis professor and his internship at KOVR 13 in Sacramento

 

At about 48:30, Martin explains his Roll Tide, War Eagle experience, as he made this documentary in award-winning fashion after working together on the self-funded Breathe

 

At about 54:50, Martin gives background on Silent Night Lights, the engaging film about California’s School for the Deaf’s powerhouse football team that was done virtually with dialogue or sound of any type

 

At about 1:02:45, Martin talks about upcoming projects, including follow-ups with Drew Robinson and work in promoting Black Widow and a story on the Moneymaker sisters, some of the most sought-after stuntwomen

 

At about 1:04:45, Martin gives a little tour of his cool awards and toys that he’s received through his work

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 Spotify and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1.

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.

Episode 63 with Detail-Oriented, Master Storyteller about Sports and Beyond, and Author of Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between, Eric Nusbaum

Show Notes and Links to Eric Nusbaum’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 63

 

On Episode 63, Pete talks with Eric Nusbaum about his freelance writing for such publications as VICE, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN the Magazine. The two then talk in great detail about Eric’s powerful new book, Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between, which deals with the communities forced to move to make room for Dodger Stadium. This discussion

 

Eric Nusbaum is a writer and former editor at VICE.  His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, The Daily Beast, Deadspin, and the Best American Sports Writing anthology. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he has also lived and worked in Mexico City, New York, and Seattle. He now lives in Tacoma, Washington with his family.

Buy Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between (Bookshop.org)

 

Stealing Home Book and Eric Nusbaum Personal Website

 

August 2020 Eric Nusbaum NPR Interview about Book

 

"Dodger Stadium's Shameful Origin Story"-Interesting Info and Background on Abrana and Manuel Aréchiga 

 

At about 1:45, Eric talks about his early days writing for Deadspin

At about 3:00, Eric talks about his reading life as a child, living in a “print-rich environment” and reading local and legendary Los Angeles Times writers like Jim Murray and Bill Plaschke and Sports Illustrated for Kids and Sports Illustrated

At about 6:10, Eric discusses formative moments that led to him becoming a writer

At about 6:55, Eric discusses texts and writers that have given him “chills at will,” including the USA trilogy of John Dos Passos

At about 8:30, Eric details his Dodger fandom

At about 10:45, Eric traces his evolution into a professional writer; he recognizes some of his great and inspiring professors/teachers along the way, including Richard Kenney and Lou Matthews; he also references a huge building block in his writing life-his and Ted Walker and Patrick Dubuque’s baseball blog-Pitchers and Poets

At about 13:10, Eric describes the piece he wrote that was included in 2010’s The Best American Sports Writing-the essay was “The Death of a Pitcher”

At about 13:45, Eric discusses the balance between reading for a pleasure and reading with a critical eye

At about 15:00, Eric describes the “surreal” feeling of writing for magazines that he idolized as a kid

At about 16:25, a random note about language and “realizarse”

At about 17:00, Eric talks about his book Stealing Home and the importance of a descriptive subtitle

At about 18:00, Eric details how a school visit by Frank Wilkinson and other events started the wheels in motion for Eric to write and publish Stealing Home

At about 21:00, Eric outlines some background and history from the book, especially the three neighborhoods-La Loma, Bishop, and Palo Verde-that make up “Chavez Ravine”

At about 21:50, Eric explains ideas of trust, burden, trauma, and responsibility in making sure that he got the important story correct

At about 24:00, Eric talks about the research process and talking to family and friends of those involved in the book’s events/history, as well as reconstructing dialogue and events from the 1940s/50s, etc.

At about 27:00, Pete and Eric discuss the skillful ways in which Eric wove together so many apparently disparate stories-from that of General Santa Anna, Veracruz, MX, Abner Doubleday, etc.

At about 28:45, Eric details the myriad connections between the events of the book and today’s world

At about 29:50, Eric recounts the anecdotes that link baseball, its origins, and General Santa Anna

At about 32:20, Eric gives the rationale for his successful usage of 72 (!) chapters, mostly about “creating tension” and why he decided to avoid using academic-style footnotes

At about 34:20, Eric reads from page five, the last paragraph in the book’s Preface

At about 36:50, Eric and Pete discuss the relationship between sports fandom and the need to acknowledge how society’s inequities play out in sports as well-i.e., the shameful treatment of Colin Kaepernick, the shameful ways in which Dodger Stadium was built on others’ homes

At about 41:00, Pete and Eric discuss the shameful and racist histories often associated with early Los Angeles figures, many of whom are still memorialized today in street names, and in the book; Pete shouts out a book about 1900s LA-John Fante’s Ask the Dust

At about 43:00, Eric and Pete discuss the lack of salient villains in the book’s storyline, and Eric discusses his focus on people’s motivations in writing the book

At about 45:00, Eric talks about the complicated legacy of Frank Wilkinson

At about 49:00, Eric details the life in the three neighborhoods razed to make room for Dodger Stadium before the team even thought of moving them

At about 52:00, Eric reads the end of the book, focused on Abrana Aréchiga, the matriarch of the pioneering family, and a symbol of the neighborhood pre-Dodger Stadium

At about 54:25, reads from the last paragraph of Page 208, which serves as a wonderful summary of the myth of sport and its connection to the book

At about 56:00, Pete recounts some great recent books, like Eric’s, like Pete Croatto’s From Hang Time to Primetime: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA and Bradford Pearson’s The Eagles of Heart Mountain: A True Story of Football, Incarceration, and Resistance in World War II America, that are not just about sports

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 Spotify, Stitcher,  and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this episode and other episodes on YouTube-you can watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.

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.

Episode 62 with Poet, Activist, Actor and Powerful Performer, Donté Clark, Inspiration for Romeo is Bleeding

On Episode 62 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete has the pleasure to speak with Donté Clark. Donté and Pete discuss Donte’s growing up in North Richmond, CA, his childhood memories-both beautiful and traumatic, his work in the movie Romeo is Bleeding, his poetry, his teaching, and his poetry collection, Close Caskets.

 

Donté Clark is a poet, actor, and community activist from unincorporated North Richmond, California who works with youth organizations throughout the Richmond area.

As a student in high school, Clark was recruited by his English teacher Molly Raynor who was founding a youth arts program, RAW Talent. Clark became the artistic lead of the program's first play, Té's Harmony, which examined local issues through the structure of Romeo and Juliet. The performance was introduced by poet Luis J. Rodriguez. The 2015 documentary Romeo Is Bleeding follows Clark in the process of writing and performing Té's Harmony.

In July 2014, Donté Clark and two others, Lincoln Bergman and Brenda Quintanilla, were made poets laureate of Richmond for a two year period. They were preceded as poet laureate by Dwayne Parish, and succeeded by Daniel Ari, Ciera-Jevai Gordon and Rob Lipton.

Clark's mentoring of the community's youth has led to some becoming mentors and teachers themselves, including poet and actor DeAndre Evans who appeared with Clark and Will Hartfield reciting poetry for a PBS story about housing in Richmond.

Clark has a supporting role in the 2016 film Kicks, the 2018 film Code Switch, and stars in the web series The North Pole. 

 

 

 

Show Notes and Links to Donté Clark’s Work

 

Buy Donté ’s Close Caskets Here

 

Donté Clark's Wikipedia

 

The Creative Independent Interview with Donté by Ambrose Mary Gallagher

 

Close Caskets Interview with Richmond Pulse

 

Edutopia Article about Romeo is Bleeding

 

Donté Clark Discusses Romeo is Bleeding

 

Romeo is Bleeding Trailer

 

Watch Romeo is Bleeding through YouTube

 

Donté performs his work, “Let Me Breathe” in 2014

 

Donté in Season 1, Episode 1 of Series The North Pole

Talking Points/Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:

 

At about 2:50, Donté talks about Richmond, CA, and his background there, and how he sees it as a “small city” and its interconnectedness and history of families

 

At about 5:30, Donté talks about one of his poems “600 Banks Drive” and its connection to the innocent days of his childhood

 

At about 10:40, Donté talks about shifts in his life, where innocence was lessened through his middle school days and looking back at possible traumas, and how he felt forced to make adult/serious decisions at a young ages

 

At about 14:35, Donté talks about the idea of “growing up too fast” and “growing up backwards”

 

At about 17:30, Donté talks about the dynamics between certain parts of Richmond

 

At about 23:40, Donté talks about his poem “Bus Stop” and how “exhausting” life can often be when you have to be vigilant so much of the time and how this hypervigilance has impacted Donté in his later life

 

At about 28:20, Donté talks about how he got into the Renaissance Man life-being an actor, poet, performer, etc., when he had at one time, according to Romeo is Bleeding, wanted to “be the best dope dealer.”

 

At about 35:20, Pete asks Donté about chill-inducing writers, and Donté references several, including Amir Sulaiman, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Jesmyn Ward, Chinaka Hodge, Lauren Whitehead, and Molly Raynor 

 

At about 39:45, Donté talks about Molly Raynor and how she gained his respect when he was 17 and how the two began working together 

 

At about 47:50, Donté describes reactions from him and others when he did his first poetry performances and his thoughts on the subject matter and how when he’s teaching, checking in with students comes first

 

At about 54:25, Pete and Donté discuss some powerful lines from the documentary Romeo is Bleeding and Donte and “being in tune” with the words he reads and with the audience

 

At about 57:20, Donté discusses the Romeo and Juliet links to Romeo is Bleeding and the incredible feelings after presenting the work to an audience; he also talks about early casting 

 

At about 1:06:40, Donté talks about Luis Rodriguez’s help and support for Romeo is Bleeding and Donté’s work as Poet Laureate of Richmond

 

At about 1:14:25, Donté talks about some of his acting work, including The North Pole YouTube series

 

At about 1:16:55, Donté explains the meanings and background of the title of his poetry collection, Close Caskets, as well as how Karla Brundage and Pacific Raven Press became the publishers

 

At about 1:20:00, Pete reads an excerpt of the poetry collection’s foreword from Dr. Khalid White

 

At about 1:24:00, Pete and Donté discuss themes from the poetry collection, including loss, poverty, hunger, as seen in “33 Reasons,” “Gimme,” “Today, I…”

 

At about 1:26:25. Donté talks about the poem “Orgy” and its inspiration from the history of white America’s obsession with and violation of black bodies, as well as from the murder of George Floyd and the slow and public way in which he was killed

 

At about 1:32:40, Donté connects “Orgy” to some of his other work and discusses the deep-seat racism that exists 

 

At about 1:35:05, Donté discusses the rationale behind the form, style, and structure in some of his poetry, including in “Before Becoming,” “Hell is All I Know,” and “The Math”

 

At about 1:38:50, Donté reads his poem from Close Caskets-“Studying Don’t Solve Sorrows”

 

At about 1:41:00, Donté reads his poem from Close Caskets-“Today, I”

 

At about 1:43:30, Donté reads “Blessed Be”-his poem from Close Caskets

 

At about 1:44:20, Donté talks about his future ideas and projects

Episode 61 with Humor Writer for The Onion, Mad Magazine, and More: Funnyman, Dave Croatto

 

 

Show Notes and Links to Dave Croatto’s Work

On Episode 61, Pete is honored to talk with Dave Croatto about writing for The Onion, Mad Magazine, and many other publications. Dave talks about the freelance writing life, his literary and comedy influences, and what makes good humor writing.

Dave Croatto is a freelance writer who has contributed to Mad Magazine, The Onion, The New Yorker, and many other publications.

 

 

The Onion article from 2008-“Al Gore Places Infant Son In Rocket To Escape Dying Planet”

 

Buy Dave Croatto’s Books on Amazon

 

Dave Croatto’s Mad Magazine Page with Links

At about 2:10, Dave talks about his childhood reading loves, particularly comic strips, and later, authors like Dave Barry

 

At about 5:00, Pete uses an anecdote about a Simpsons episode to ask Dave about how he looks at “childish” and adult humor as he has gotten older and watched his son confront the humor

 

At about 7:00, Dave talks about his connections and background in appreciating and absorbing and mimicking comics

 

At about 8:10, Dave talks about his reading interests as a kid

 

At about 10:40, Dave talks about comedy and “punching up and down”/mean spirited humor; he talks about wanting to “laugh with” and not “laugh at”

 

At about 13:30, Pete and Dave talk about satire and irony in the current era

 

At about 14:30, Dave talks about the feeling a person gets, the “high” he has gotten when people are enjoying his laughter and the encouragement he received to keep doing humor, 

 

At about 16:50, Dave talks about his work for Mad Magazine, including his start as an intern as a college freshman

 

At about 18:10, Dave talks about the experience of editing in the humor writing world and Mad Magazine’s ethic/philosophy-he calls the publication “the fun uncle”

 

At about 24:20, Dave talks about his experience writing for the vaunted The Onion, including his contribution- article from 2008-“Al Gore Places Infant Son In Rocket To Escape Dying Planet”

 

At about 30:30, Dave talks about the times when 

 

At about 32:45, Dave talks about The Onion and its serious headline and article that has come around gun violence and its work after 9/11

 

At about 33:30, Dave talks about his writing for children, particularly superhero-themed work

 

At about 34:10, Dave talks about being published in The New Yorker

 

At about 36:30, Dave talks about his TGIF Friday’s parody for Mad Magazine and his Batman/Joker work in The Bystander

 

At about 39:35, Dave talks about shows and humorists he enjoys in 2021-including John Mulaney, Desus & Mero, Bob’s Burgers, and Drunk History

 

At about 43:00, Dave talks about the balance between art and commerce in doing his work, as well as future projects

 

If you have enjoyed The Chills at Will Podcast, go to Apple Podcasts to leave me a nice review, and subscribe, subscribe, subscribe! 

You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify, Stitcher, and on Amazon Music. Also, The Chills at Will Podcast YouTube Channel has this episode and other episodes-please subscribe to my channel. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1.

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.