The Chills at Will Podcast

Episode 94: Lasting Literary Images with Naomi Shihab Nye and Francisco Goldman

Episode 94 Show Notes and Links

 

 

Francisco Goldman’s Wikipedia Page

 

Buy Francisco Goldman’s Work

 

Preview/Buy The Beacon Best of 2001…, Where “México, D.F.” Appears

 

Naomi Shihab Nye’s “Shoulders” (with reading by the writer)

 

Buy Naomi Shihab Nye’s 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 Stitcher, 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.

Please tune in for the next episode, a conversation with Sara Borjas. SARA BORJAS is a Xicanx pocha, is from the Americas before it was stolen and its people were colonized, and is a Fresno poet. Her debut collection of poetry, Heart Like a Window, Mouth Like a Cliff was published by Noemi Press in 2019 and won a 2020 American Book Award. Sara was named one of Poets & Writers 2019 Debut Poets, is a 2017 CantoMundo Fellow, and the recipient of the 2014 Blue Mesa Poetry Prize. She teaches innovative undergraduates at UC Riverside, believes that all Black lives matter and will resist white supremacy until Black liberation is realized, lives in Los Angeles, and stays rooted in Fresno. The episode with Sara Borjas will air on December 14.

Episode 93 with Steph Cha, Food Writer, Book Reviewer, and Author of the Award-Winning Juniper Song Series and Your House Will Pay

Episode 93 Notes and Links to Steph Cha’s Work 

 

 

    On Episode 93 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Steph Cha, as the two discuss her work as an “Elite Yelper,” book reviewer, mystery writer, and award-winning novelist. The two discuss, among other topics, her early relationship with words, her inspiration for food writing and Yelp-ing, as well as her mystery writing and its connections to escape and/or reality. The two finish by discussing the historical fiction/mystery/character-driven modern classic Your House Will Pay and its vivid characters and prose. 

     Steph Cha is the author of Your House Will Pay, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the California Book Award, and the Juniper Song crime trilogy. She’s a critic whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, where she served as noir editor, and is the current series editor of the Best American Mystery & Suspense anthology. A native of the San Fernando Valley, she lives in Los Angeles with her family.

 

Buy Steph Cha's Your House Will Pay

 

Buy Steph Cha's Follow Her Home

 

Buy Steph Cha's Dead Soon Enough: A Juniper Song Mystery

 

Buy Steph Cha's Beware Beware: A Juniper Song Mystery

 

Review: Kirkus Review for Beware Beware

 

Los Angeles Times Review of Books Review for Your House Will Pay

 

Your House Will Pay: A Conversation with Author Steph Cha on Race Relations-hosted by LA Public Library

 

The Rumpus Interview with Steph Cha from 2015 

 

Steph Cha’s Yelp Reviews

 

 

At about 1:40, Steph talks about growing up in the San Fernando Valley and her early love of reading, as well as interesting anecdotes about her mother’s role in encouraging her reading

 

At about 5:30, Steph discusses her relationship with bilingualism, growing up with Korean as her first language

 

At about 7:00, Steph outlines her early reading loves, including reading Jane Eyre at eight or nine and The Phantom Tollbooth, among others; she relates a funny early reading of Catch 22

and her voracious appetite for manga

 

At about 11:20, Steph is asked about representation in what she read as a adolescent, and she talks about what she was used to missing

 

At about 12:15, Steph talks about Maurene Goo and her standout work that makes Steph wish she had been able to read such work when she was a kid

 

At about 13:15, Pete asks Steph about inspiring writers and “ ‘Eureka’ moments in her writing career path, including examples of what to and what not to do

 

At about 16:50, Pete wonders how law school and her high-level Stanford and Ivy League education informed her later writing

 

At about 19:55, Steph talks about any connections between her and a protagonist of Your House Will Pay

 

At about 21:00, Steph talks about her prolific Yelp reviews and the Yelp-ing lifestyle 

 

At about 22:00, Steph recounts an incredible anecdote that coincides with the early days of the legendary Kogi food truck

 

At about 24:00, Steph talks about her early work with Yelp and how it connected to other work and life events

 

At about 26:30, Pete asks for a few LA taco recs-Steph mentions Tacos 1986, Guisado’s, and Mexicali, among so many others

 

At about 28:20, Steph talks about her days working with the legendary writer, the late Jonathan Gold 

 

At about 33:00, Steph and Pete discuss Jonathan Gold’s sense of generosity and how she was a scout with young standouts like Javier Cabral

 

At about 35:50, Pete asks Steph if there is ever a need or a benefit to “ripping” a book or restaurant in a review if the quality is low

 

At about 38:50, Steph discusses tropes and themes from her noir writing, as well as the seeds for her Juniper Song trilogy 

 

At about 42:40, Pete wonders about the balance between realism and “escape” in Steph’s writing, in her mysteries and in Your House Will Pay

 

At about 44:20, Pete and Steph discuss her masterful usage of Los Angeles as almost a character in its own right in her writing

 

At about 46:50, Pete recounts his visceral experience at reading the marvelous and profound Your House Will Pay

 

At about 47:30, Steph’s son joins the chat!

 

At about 47:45, Pete and Steph discuss two marvelous works that have informed their reading and knowledge of the events regarding the 1992 Rebellion and Latasha Harlins’ murder, Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles, and Brenda Stevenson’s The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins

 

At about 48:10, Steph discusses the seeds for Your House Will Pay

 

At about 49:50, Steph explains why and when she uses “Uprising”/ “Riot”/ “Rebellion” with regard to the events of 1992 after Rodney King’s police beating and in the book

 

At about 51:35, Pete inquires into the background on the book’s title and the use of “house”; she references a 1985 rap song that gave her the title-Toddy Tee’s “Batterram”

 

At about 52:30, Steph explains how Your House Will Pay, being her fourth book, plays with and avoids the “white gaze”

 

At about 54:30, Pete wonders about Steph’s writing process regarding the book’s flashbacks and nonlinear narrative

 

At about 57:00, Pete and Steph discuss the memorable main characters of the book and their significance, including LaTasha Harlins and the infamous Soon Ja Du

 

At about 59:45, Pete’s compliments about Steph’s book bring up a discussion of how topical the so-called “history” of the ‘92 Uprising and Lastasha Harlins are-”how cyclical violence is”

 

At about 1:01:40, Pete wonders about any evolution of the characters of the book, especially Grace and Shawn

 

At about 1:03:45, Pete and Steph discuss salient and profound themes from the book and Pete wonders about some positive feedback that stands out for Steph

At about 1:07:35, Steph discusses upcoming projects and works-in-progress, including some screenwriting (!)

 

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 the next episode, a conversation with Sara Borjas. SARA BORJAS is a Xicanx pocha, is from the Americas before it was stolen and its people were colonized, and is a Fresno poet. Her debut collection of poetry, Heart Like a Window, Mouth Like a Cliff was published by Noemi Press in 2019 and won a 2020 American Book Award. Sara was named one of Poets & Writers 2019 Debut Poets, is a 2017 CantoMundo Fellow, and the recipient of the 2014 Blue Mesa Poetry Prize. She teaches innovative undergraduates at UC Riverside, believes that all Black lives matter and will resist white supremacy until Black liberation is realized, lives in Los Angeles, and stays rooted in Fresno. The episode with Sara Borjas will air on December 7.

 

Episode 92 with Alan Chazaro, Hip Hop Head, Baller, Aesthete, and Writer of the Prize-Winning This is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album and Piñata Theory

Episode 92 Notes and Links to Alan Chazaro’s Work    

 

   

    On Episode 92 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Alan Chazaro, poet, hip hop head, baller, and artist in the truest sense of the word. The two talk about Alan’s childhood in the Bay Area, the importance of music and hip hop in his work, as well as ideas of identity, cross-culturalism, pochismo, and gentrification, among other topics. The two discuss Alan’s eccentric and diverse interests in arts of all types, and the inspiration for, and themes behind, his prize-winning This a Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album and Piñata Theory. 

 

        After nine years as a public high school teacher in Louisiana, Massachusetts, and California, Alan Chazaro decided to pursue his creative writing more seriously and has been living as a freelance writer who travels and enjoys new cultures around the world. He’s a San Francisco Bay Area local but also has been finalizing his paperwork as a Mexican dual-citizen, so he’s jumping between both countries while he continues to write, edit, teach, and grow. In 2018, he graduated with his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of San Francisco where he was a Lawrence Ferlinghetti Poetry Fellow, which is awarded to a writer “whose work embodies a concern for social justice and freedom of expression.” Previously, he attended Foothill Community College, and later UC Berkeley, where he participated in June Jordan's Poetry for the People program. He also got some game from Patricia Smith, among others, at the Voices Of Our Nations summer workshops. His first poetry collection, This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album, was the winner of the 2018 Black River Chapbook Competition and his second, Piñata Theory, was given the 2018 Hudson Prize. They are both available with Black Lawrence Press. Currently, he’s working as an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco, managing his online NBA zine HeadFake, moonlighting as an assistant poetry editor at AGNI Magazine, and raising money for NBA arena workers during COVID-19. For more info, find him on Twitter @alan_chazaro.

Buy Alan Chazaro's Piñata Theory

 

Buy Alan Chazaro's This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album

 

Pinata Theory: A Conversation with Alan Chazaro from The Adroit Journal

 

Review: This is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album-done by José Hernández Diaz for Diode Poetry

 

Reviews: Identity as the Fractured Thing: Gustavo Barahona-López on Alan Chazaro’s Piñata Theory-For Honey Literary Magazine

 

Buy Alan's Notes from the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge

At about 3:30, Alan talks about his upbringing in the California Bay Area and his family’s story, as well as how gentrification has affected his city and neighborhood

 

At about 8:10, Alan talks about his relationship with language and reading in his adolescent years,  as well as his family’s experiences with assimilation

 

At about 9:45, Alan talks about the importance of sports and stereotypically-masculine pursuits in his life and in his writing

 

At about 10:50, Alan talks about a overwhelmingly-positive influence from his surrogate grandfather in his exploration of literature and art

 

At about 14:30, Alan talks about Bay Area music and its influence on him and his work

 

At about 15:55, Pete comes with two hot Bay Area hip hop takes 

 

At about 16:55, Pete asks Alan about his usage of “pocho,” such as its used in his Twitter handle

 

At about 18:00, Alan shouts out Sara Borjas for her work in reclaiming the term “pocho/pocha,” which inspired him and his work-Sara will be in conversation with Pete in a few weeks!

 

At about 19:15, Pete and Alan discuss the book Pocho by Villarreal

 

At about 20:00, Alan highlights some chill-inducing literature in high school and college after being “academically , and he responds to Pete’s question about representation 

 

At about 21:20, Alan talks about merging different art forms and knowledge in community college in conjunction with formative texts like those of Martin Espada and the music of Lateef the Truthspeaker

 

At about 23:25, Alan discusses his evolving understanding of how representation was tied to his reading and artistic development

 

At about 27:20, Alan talks about his contemporary reading habits and listening habits, including Oakland’s Ovrkast. and Offset Jim

 

At about 29:10, Pete wonders about any “ ‘Eureka’ moments” for Alan in his artistic endeavors

 

At about 30:20, Alan talks about his unique and varied experiences growing up melded into the book he wanted to write

 

At about 31:50, Alan talks about his musical output and how “being a person of words and ideation” found a natural fit in hip hop and poetry

 

At about 34:05, Pete drop bar(s)

 

At about 35:00, Alan lays out the timeline that led to the publishing of Frank Ocean and Piñata Theory

 

At about 36:50, Alan discusses  some “seeds” that led him to put his publishing ideas into action and shouts out The June Jordan Poetry for the People program 

 

At about 39:20, Alan discusses some of his motivations 

 

At about 40:25, Pete asks Alan about his views on form, titles, and themes/concepts in poetry

 

At about 44:20, Pete wonders about Alan’s philosophy on language and translation in his work, and Alan gives background on his poem written solely in Spanish

 

At about 46:20, Alan discusses identity and cross-culture, as well as music’s thread through his life, including different genres

 

At about 50:35, Pete highlights love in its many forms as shown in some of Alan’s poems

 

At about 52:10, Pete and Alan discuss themes of “home” and identity and love and belonging in some of Alan's Piñata Theory

 

At about 54:30, Alan shouts out his incredible grandfather and his appearances in Alan’s poetry

 

At about 57:10, Pete and Alan discuss father/son relationships and ideas of masculinity, as well how searching for poetry ideas and threads  

 

At about 59:45, the two discuss Alan’s poem about watching the 1996 Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar De la Hoya fight and its ramifications and metaphors

 

At about 1:01:55, Pete and Alan discuss themes of innocence and youth in Alan’s poetry, with Alan shouting out Outkast as one of his many muses

 

At about 1:04:40, Alan describes the poetry collection’s title and its “many cores”

 

At about 1:08:45, Alan shouts out East Bay Booksellers, Walden Pond Books, Pegasus Books as some local indie stores to support

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 the next episode, a conversation with Steph Cha. She is the author of Your House Will Pay, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the California Book Award, and the Juniper Song crime trilogy. She’s a critic whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, where she served as noir editor, and is the current series editor of the Best American Mystery & Suspense anthology.  The episode will air on November 30.

Episode 91 with Annie McDermott, Passionate Translator of the Eccentric and Magnificent The Luminous Novel by Mario Levrero

Episode 91 Notes and Links to Annie McDermott’s Work 

 

 

      On Episode 91 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Annie McDermott, translator extraordinaire. The two talk about, among other things, Annie’s early reading inspirations, her journey to professional translator, and her excellent translation of Mario Levrero’s The Luminous Novel, in addition to details of her trip to Montevideo to learn more about him, and the books baffling and intriguing themes and ruminations.

      Annie McDermott’s published and forthcoming translations include Mario Levrero’s Empty Words and The Luminous Novel (And Other Stories and Coffee House Press), Feebleminded by Ariana Harwicz (co-translation with Carolina Orloff, Charco Press) and City of Ulysses by Teolinda Gersão (co-translation with Jethro Soutar, Dalkey Archive Press).  She has previously lived in Mexico City and São Paulo, Brazil, and is now based in London.

Buy Annie McDermott's Translation of The Luminous Novel

 

“Levrero Hunting” by Annie McDermott

 

New York Times Review- “This Novel Is a Record of Its Own Failure. Somehow It Succeeds.”

 

Review in The Guardian: “The Luminous Novel by Mario Levrero review – an extraordinary autofictional diary”

 

Asymptote, July, 2021- “The Full Spectrum of Phrases: An Interview with Annie McDermott”

At about 2:15, Annie McDermott talks about the immediate aftermath of the translation being published recently 

 

At about 4:00, Annie responds to Pete’s questions about her relationship with words and reading as a kid; she points out Samuel Beckett and Virgina Woolff as writers who “floored her”

 

At about 8:15, Annie talks about her immersion into Spanish and English

 

At about 10:30, Annie talks about her experience in México City and some particular “Chilongo” slang

 

At about 11:45, Annie talks about “ ‘Eureka’ moments” in deciding to become a professional translator

 

At about 13:55, Annie is asked about “standard” Spanish and English and how she takes these into account when she translates 

 

At about 16:05, Annie discusses her evolution as a translator from her beginnings to now

At about 17:45, Pete wonders how Annie manages to “fill in the gaps” with idioms, contemporary events, etc., that are very specifically located in a certain time and place

 

At about 21:50, Pete and Annie discuss particular idioms from The Luminous Novel and how Annie engineered particular ones to fit in English

 

At about 24:05, Pete asks Annie how she measures “success” in translating

 

At about 25:25, Pete and Annie summarize The Luminous Novel in its format and background, and Pete asks Annie to describe her trip to Montevideo and what she learned about Mario Levrero

 

At about 27:20, Annie talks about the singular independence of Mario Levrero

 

At about 31:00, Annie looks back on the year she spent doing the translation of Levrero’s writing and the parallels between her work and Levrero’s

 

At about 33:00, Annie discusses Leverero’s younger years and his natural eccentricities 

 

At about 34:30, Pete and Annie ruminate on the book and its connection to Levrero’s perspective on mortality

 

At about 36:00, Annie discusses the inspired writing that Levrero was constantly searching for and its connection to mortality 

 

At about 38:30, Annie and Pete emphasize the understated mindfulness that is featured in the book

 

At about 40:00, Annie talks about Levrero’s cycle of inertia as described in the book, as well as his dreams and subconscious 

 

At about 41:40, Annie analyzes the telltale pigeon of the book

 

At about 44:30, Pete and Annie remark about Levero’s prescient thoughts on climate change

 

At about 46:10, Pete and Annie discuss the intangibility of Levrero’s dreams, both for him and for his translators 

 

At about 49:20, Pete and Annie discuss the theme of intimacy as covered in the book, both with women and outside of these relationships, in addition to procrastination and the “subjective”

 

At about 52:00, Pete and Annie point out some highlights in Levrero’s life chronicled by him in his book

 

At about 53:05, Annie juxtaposes the original Spanish with her English translations and she and Pete discuss the process and wording

 

At about 56:30, Pete asks Annie how she knows that her translations are done and are ready for publication

 

At about 57:20, Annie gives out her contact info

 

At about 57:55, Pete asks Annie about future projects, and she mentions an upcoming translation of No Es Un Río by Selva Almada

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 the next episode, a conversation with Alan Chazaro, the author of the highly-praised poetry collection Piñata Theory. He is currently a creative writing adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco, and is a writer and editor of NBA stories at HeadFake. The episode will air on November 23.

Episode 90 with Bill Esparza, Writer for Eater LA, Fixer, Professional Musician, and Food Ambassador

Episode 90 Notes and Links to Bill Esparza’s Work 

 

     On Episode 90 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Bill Esparza, as the two discuss, among other topics, ideas of Chicanismo, representation in popular culture and literature, the repression of the speaking of Spanish, and Mexican food as hyper regional and incredibly-varied, with its rich histories shown in Bill’s book and in his recent series about California’s “barbacoa trail.”

 

       Bill Esparza is a professional musician, writer, and fixer whose travels throughout Latin America have made him a leading expert on Latin American cuisines. He fell in love with Mexican cooking at his grandmother's table and on childhood trips to his family's hometown of Aguascalientes, Mexico, where he was introduced to street food. His original style of writing and passion for culture have made Esparza a go-to source for magazines, newspapers, and food travel shows. His knowledge has been acquired the old-fashioned way, from firsthand experience on the streets and at the stands and markets of Los Angeles, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.

Buy Bill Esparza’s LA Mexicano: Recipes, People, and Places

 

Bill and Andrew Zimmern on Bizarre Foods in San Diego, including a visit to Aquí es Texcoco

 

Bill's “California’s Barbacoa Trail” series for Eater LA

 

Bill’s 2021 series about “The 20 Essential Restaurants in Valle de Guadalupe”

 

At about 1:25, Bill Esparza talks about his role as a “fixer”

 

At about 2:50, Bill talks about growing up in Stockton, CA, and how he, like many Chicanos in the 70s did not learn a lot of Spanish due to anti-Mexican and anti-Spanish-speaking racism; he also talks about his overall relationship with language and the library

 

At about 6:30, Bill talks about his early love of music, fostered by his father and the soul and rock music scenes

 

At about 8:25, Bill talks about the implications of the term “Chicano” and its generational and cultural connections

 

At about 11:15, Pete asks Bill about what defines “Chicano Soul”

 

At about 14:45, Bill responds to Pete’s question about Bill’s views on repreentation

 

At about 17:50, Pete references standout writer Kali Fajardo-Anstine and her recent social media as an example of the hugely-varied experiences of those who speak and don’t speak Spanish 

 

At about 19:50, Bill describes his relationship with food, and “homebase” at his grandmother’s house and his “pocho” experience through food and Spanish-language televisión; he describes his childhood visits to Aguascalientes as “profound” and how they had “awakened” him

 

At about 23:45, Bill describes how his unofficial food critic and food student sensibility began on the road, particularly touring with Marisela

 

At about 25:10, Pete wonders how Bill began writing about food

 

At about 28:20, Bill explains the significance of his visit to pyramids in Mexican, and the idea of making sure that he didn’t lose his connections to México after his father’s passing

 

At about 30:35, Bill talks about feeling a responsibility to have Mexican and Mexican-American and others traditionally-underrepresented as chefs and food writers up front, telling their stories 

 

At about 32:30, Pete asks Bill about his time working with Andrew Zimmern and what it’s like to be a food “ambassador”

 

At about 36:20, Pete expresses his undying love for La Cocina de Doña Esthela in Baja California and thanks Bill for greatly boosting its popularity

 

At about 38:35, Bill differentiates between birria and barbacoa and their countless iterations and styles of cooking

 

At about 40:20, Pete and Bill talk about his “California’s Barbacoa Trail” series for Eater LA and the hyper regionality of Mexican food

 

At about 45:10, Pete and Bill discuss the incredible diversity of Mexican food in Los Angeles

 

At about 46:45, Pete wonders quixotically about why LA can’t sell Ensenada-style fresh mariscos, and Bill informs him about why it wouldn’t sustainable 

 

At about 49:45, Pete notes how Bill’s “California’s Barbacoa Trail” article series brought up interesting ideas of “home” and the ways of community life in rural towns

 

At about 52:00, Bill talks about pulque’s significance in connection with barbacoa 

 

At about 54:00, Pete and Bill highlight some of the cooks spotlighted in Bill’s series

 

At about 55:00, Bill highlights Barbacoa Mejia in Richmond, CA and its incredible ximbó 

 

At about 55:45, Bill and Pete discuss his book, LA Mexicano: Recipes, People, and Places and Bill’s aims in writing the book

 

At about 58:30, Pete shouts out Madre Oaxacan cuisine in Los Angeles, which Bill notes has the world’s biggest selection of mezcal

 

At about 59:30, Bill describes why and how he sees his book as a “sequel” to Gustavo Arellano’s classic Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered the USA

 

At about 1:01:50, Pete asks Bill about the idea of “authentic” food

 

At about 1:03:20, Bill cites Enrique Olvera and his idea that even the term “Mexican food” is incredibly limiting and a misnomer really

 

At about 1:04:25, Bill discusses what different regions and towns value as indicators

 

At about 1:07:20, Bill responds to Pete’s questions about the future of Mexican food-its commercialization, developments, the influx of restaurants from México City coming to LA, etc.

 

At about 1:10:30, Bill explains why Nixtaco in the Sacramento area is doing so well

 

At about 1:12:00, Bill shouts out a great spot in Valle de Guadalupe, Wa Kumiai Tabita (check Number 4) 

 

     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 the next episode, a conversation with Annie McDermott, translator of works in Spanish and Portuguese, including Mario Levrero’s The Luminous Novel. The episode will air starting November 16.

Episode 89 with Luke Epplin, Writer of Nonfiction with the Best Qualities of Fiction, and Author of Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball

Episode 89 Notes and Links to Luke Epplin’s Work 

 

 

      On Episode 89 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Luke Epplin, writer of Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball. The two talk about, among other things, Luke’s early relationship with language, his admiration for certain writers who have shaped his sensibility and philosophy of writing, and his purpose in writing nonfiction that has the best qualities of fiction. They also discuss his dazzling book about four intriguing members of The Cleveland Indians and their 1948 World Series victory and rollercoaster season. 

      Luke Epplin, whose writing has appeared in The Atlantic, the New Yorker Page-Turner, The Washington Post, GQ, Slate, Salon, The Daily Beast, among others, and he has appeared in such places as NPR’s “Weekend Edition,“  The New York Times, the MLB Network, and ESPN. He is the author of Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball about Bob Feller, Larry Doby, Bill Veeck, Satchel Paige, and the Cleveland Indians of the 1940s.

Buy Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball

 

“How Black Players Propelled Cleveland's Baseball Team To Win The 1948 World Series” from NPR, March 2021

 

Luke Epplin’s MacMillan Page

 

“Virtual Author Series” with Bruce Markusen-Video from National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum-Luke talks about the book on the Anniversary of Larry Doby's MLB Debut

At about 2:00, Luke talks about growing up in a small town outside of St. Louis, including how he was a voracious reader and was exposed to great baseball writing, including David Halberstram and his October 1964 book as an influence for Our Team, his own novel

 

At about 5:00, Luke talks about his fandom for the St. Louis Cardinals, and how the team’s fortune has made the fanbase different than the fans of the hard-luck

 

At about 7:20, Luke cites David Halberstram’s Summer of ‘49 as an inspiration for his book’s narrative

 

At about 9:00, Luke talks about chill-inducing literature, including William Saroyan, Alice Munro, and Deborah Eisenberg, and William Trevor

 

At about 10:10, Luke describes being into “lyrical realism” and how he would read aloud short stories and/or copy short stories word for word to help him “locate a voice that [was] wholly [his] own”

 

At about 12:25, Luke talks about Gay Talese, David Halberstram, and others whose nonfiction read like fiction in the best possible ways and inspired Luke’s own aesthetic 

 

At about 13:30, Luke talks about his appreciation of John Cheever and spiritual ancestors and descendants

 

At about 15:30, Luke details great phrasing from Gay Talese’s famous piece on Joe DiMaggio, and how he used “the rhythm” of the diction as inspiration fro his own book

 

At about 18:00-Luke references Mark Harris’ Pictures at a Revolution as a big source of inspiration and thrill and Erik Larson as well

 

At about 20:05-Luke points out the lack of stats and numbers used in his Our Team book, and his rationale for this

 

At about 21:40, Pete and Luke join the Laura Hillenbrand Mutual Admiration Society

 

At about 24:00, Luke discusses the ways in which he balanced archive footage and interviews in “piecing together” his storyline for Our Team

 

At about 25:20, Luke talks about the challenges of telling Larry Doby’s story, as he was a reticent person for the most part

 

At about 26:55, Pete asks Luke for his “ ‘Eureka’ moments” and Luke shares an interesting anecdote about his grandfather, the St. Louis Browns, and Bill Veeck that were seeds for his book

 

At about 30:50, Pete references Luke as part of a group of writers in recent years like Bradford Pearson and Eric Nusbaum, among many others, who have written a certain type of “sports book” that is not wholly a sports book; Pete’s joke about the epically long titles so popular these days leads to Luke

 

At about 33:15, Luke gives background on Bill Veeck, one of the four main characters of Luke’s book

 

At about 36:10, Luke gives background on Larry Doby, one of the four main characters of Luke’s book

 

At about 38:20, Pete and Luke discuss the unfair expectations for Larry Doby as a “pioneer,” and Eric juxtaposes Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby’s experiences

 

At about 43:00, Luke talks about the book’s Epilogue that details the blatant racism that Larry Doby experienced, including after his heroic 1948 World Series, and some of the ways in which white writers didn’t fully take into account the hardships he faced 

 

At about 46:00, Luke discusses the intriguing and singular Satchel Paige, one of the “Big Four” from the book

 

At about 49:50, Pete and Luke discuss Larry Doby and Satchel Paige’s relationship, as well as the latter’s persona and its connection to the ugly history of racism, minstrel shows, etc.

 

At about 52:10, Luke traces the modern frowning upon “showy baseball” in contemporary times

 

At about 53:30, Pete and Luke discuss the brainstorming tours undertaken by Bob Feller, Satchel Paige described in great detail in the book 

 

At about 53:25, Pete proudly shares stories involving his grandfather, Joe Albanese, and how he got two hits off Satchel Paige in a barnstorming exhibition

 

At about 56:25, Luke details Satchel Paige in juxtaposition to Bob Feller and to Jackie Robinson, as well as how Paige’s legendary confidence and independence-he is, Luke says, “fully himself”

 

At about 1:00:00, Luke talks of the absolute legend that Satchel Paige was and how his pitching was an absolute scene for spectators

 

At about 1:00:40, Pete asks Luke to dispel (hehe) rumors that Pope Francis recently cited Luke’s book while talking to Joe Biden, and Luke continues in talking about Satchel’s LONG and illustrious career

 

At about 1:03:10, Luke discusses the phenom Luke discusses the intriguing and singular Satchel Paige, one of the “Big Four” from the book, one of the “Big Four” from the book; Luke cites Feller’s bona fides as someone who built himself up by himself, the “ ‘American Dream’ writ large” post-Depression and Roaring 20s

 

At about 1:08:55, Pete and Luke discuss the book’s ending-the glorious victory in the 1948 World Series-including the letdown experienced by various characters in the book; Luke cites “loneliness” as a central theme of the book

 

At about 1:11:00, Pete and Luke discuss Luke’s meaningful focus on a certain pivotal August

 

At about 1:12:35, Luke talks about future projects, including an exciting and intriguing basketball story he will be telling, and possibly writing in Spanish (pues, tal vez…)

 

At about 1:14:17, Pete and Luke talk about the glorious “sic” and Luke’s experience with the “colorful” sportswriting that he used to build his book

 

At about 1:15:20, Effa Manley is discussed and why she needs her story to be written

 

At about 1:15:55, Luke reads an excerpt from the book that deals with the legendarily energetic Bill Veeck

 

At about 1:21:00, Luke gives out his contact information and shouts out his local favorite, The Astoria Bookshop

     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 the next episode, a conversation with Bill Esparza. Esparza is a professional musician, writer, and blogger whose travels throughout Latin America have made him a leading expert on Latin American cuisines. He fell in love with Mexican cooking at his grandmother's table and on childhood trips to his family's hometown of Aguascalientes, Mexico, where he was introduced to street food. His original style of writing and passion for culture have made Esparza a go-to source for magazines, newspapers, and food travel shows. His knowledge has been acquired the old-fashioned way, from firsthand experience on the streets and at the stands and markets of Los Angeles, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. The episode will air starting November 9.

Episode 88 with Father Greg Boyle, S.J., Founder and Director of Homeboy Industries, the World‘s Largest Gang-Intervention and Rehabilitation Program

Episode 88 Notes and Links to Father Greg Boyle’s Work 

 

 

 

      On Episode 88 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Father Greg Boyle, S.J., founder and director of Homeboy Industries. The two discuss Father’s growing up in Los Angeles, his formative days in the Jesuit order, his life-changing time in Bolivia, and the breathtakingly-inspiring work he has done in the almost 40 years that he has worked at Dolores Mission Church and Homeboy Industries. The two discuss Father’s transcendent books, Tattoos on the Heart, Barking to the Choir, and his newest stunner, The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness.

 

 

       A native Angeleno and Jesuit priest, from 1986 to 1992, Father Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights, then the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles that also had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city. 

Father Boyle witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence on his community during the so-called “decade of death” that began in the late 1980s and peaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992.  In the face of law enforcement tactics and criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration as the means to end gang violence, he and parish and community members adopted what was a radical approach at the time: treat gang members as human beings. 

In 1988 they started what would eventually become Homeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang Fathemembers in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of men and women who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life. 

Father Boyle is the author of the 2010 New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. His book, Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship, was published in 2017. 

He has received the California Peace Prize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame.  In 2014, President Obama named Father Boyle a Champion of Change.   He received the University of Notre Dame’s 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics. Currently, he serves as a committee member of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Economic and Job Recovery Task Force as a response to COVID-19.

Last week, his latest book, The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness came out with Simon & Schuster. 

 

Support and Learn about Homeboy Industries!

 

Father Greg’s Story 

 

Buy G-Dog and the Homeboys: Father Greg Boyle and the Gangs of East Los Angeles (All proceeds go to Homeboy Industries!) 

 

Buy Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion (All proceeds go to Homeboy Industries!) 

 

Buy Barking to the Choir: The Power of the Radical Kinship (All proceeds go to Homeboy Industries!) 

 

Buy The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness (All proceeds go to Homeboy Industries!)

 

Support the Incredible Community of Dolores Mission Parish! 

 

At about 2:05, Father Greg talks about how Homeboy Industries is doing in the midst of COVID, including how it has pivoted to working with HOPE Ministries, how inequality has been exacerbated since COVID

 

At about 7:45, Father Greg talks about his childhood in LA, calling his upbringing and his family  “out of a Norman Rockwell painting,” with big families all over his block, altar serving and Mass, and other “glorious” experiences like riding bikes all throughout a downtown LA that was “a ghost town”

 

At about 12:10, Father gives background on his admiration for the Jesuits growing up, including the legendary activist Father Daniel Berrigan and other smart and joyful Jesuits who inspired him

 

At about 17:05, Father describes how his time in Bolivia “ruined [him]” and how his time at Dolores Mission began, becoming the youngest pastor in the history of the 

 

At about 18:45, Father shares some beautiful anecdotes about transformative experiences in Cochabamba and surrounding areas in Bolivia

 

At about 22:45, Father and Pete talk about Father’s earliest days at Dolores Mission, especially the 1988-1998 “Decade of Death,” with much of this chronicled in Celeste Fremon’s G-Dog and the Homeboys: Father Greg Boyle and the Gangs of East Los Angeles

 

At about 29:20, Pete and Father discuss the incredible women who have done such incredible things at Dolores Mission Parish

 

At about 30:20, Pete asks Father about how he finds rest while being in charge of such an important and bustling sets of organizations; Father cites the incredible Homies and how everyone “has keys to the place”

 

At about 32:50, Pete recounts an example of Father’s incredible sense of calm in the face of pressure

 

At about 34:00, Father responds to Pete’s question about Father’s experience that has led him to often say and write that “no hopeful kid has ever joined a gang”

 

At about 35:50, Pete notes some themes from Father’s books, starting with ideas of guilt and shame that accompanies great trauma, as well as ideas of victims and victimizers and how “elastic our hearts are”

 

At about 39:10, Father talks about ideas of redemption and “becoming”

 

At about 39:40, Father disavows the idea of him “transforming lives”

 

At about 41:00, Father talks about the “secret sauce” of Homeboy Industries

 

At about 42:00, Father explains his idea that he doesn’t want “volunteers” who plan to “reach” those they work with

 

At about 42:50, Father and Pete reflect on an incredible story about Carlos from Father’s Barking to the Choir and the importance of attention and personalized affection

 

At about 46:00, Father talks about the ACE index and its huge impact on adolescents and adults, as well as how a failure to appreciate and treat trauma leads to societal divisions 

 

At about 48:20, Father and Pete discuss the “slow work of God,” as described in Father’s books

 

At about 51:00, the two discuss love and kinship and their intricate relationship and their importance in the books; they recount a telling story about the church and its sense of community 

 

At about 52:45, Pete wonders how Father gets former and current enemies to work together

 

At about 56:30, Father and Pete reflect on a few heartbreaking, beautiful, and telling stories from his books

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 the next episode, a conversation with Luke Epplin, whose writing has appeared in The Atlantic, the New Yorker Page-Turner, The Washington Post, GQ, Slate, Salon, The Daily Beast, among others, and he has appeared in such places as NPR’s “Weekend Edition,“  The New York Times, the MLB Network, and ESPN. He is the author of Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball about Bob Feller, Satchel Paige, and the Cleveland Indians of the 1940s. The episode will air on November 2.

Episode 87 with Natalia Sylvester, Heartfelt Writer of Stirring Works for Kids, Teens, and Adults

Episode 87 Notes and Links to Natalia Sylvester’s Work 

 

On Episode 87 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Natalia Sylvester and talks to her about her stellar writing for kids, young adults, and adults. The two talk about, among other topics, her inspirations, her love of “I Love Lucy,” and her dynamic topical, and moving award-winning book, 2020’s Running.

 

Natalia Sylvester is the award-winning author of several novels for adults and young adults. CHASING THE SUN was named the Best Debut Book of 2014 by Latinidad and EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME won an International Latino Book Award and the 2018 Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters.

 

Natalia's debut YA novel, RUNNING, was a 2020 Junior Library Guild Selection, and her next novel for young adults, BREATHE AND COUNT BACK FROM TEN, is forthcoming in May 2022 from Clarion Books/HarperCollins. A MALETA FULL OF TREASURES, Natalia's first picture book (illustrated by Juana Medina), will be published by Dial Books in 2024.

 

Natalia's non-fiction has appeared in the New York Times, Bustle, Catapult, Electric Literature, Latina magazine, and McSweeney's Publishing. Her essays have been anthologized in collections such as A MAP IS ONLY ONE STORY and A MEASURE OF BELONGING: WRITERS OF COLOR ON THE NEW AMERICAN SOUTH.

 

Born in Lima, Peru, Natalia came to the US at age four and grew up in Florida and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. She received a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Miami, was a 2021 Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and was formerly a faculty member at the Mile-High MFA program at Regis University.

 

Buy Running from Bookshop.org

Buy Everyone Knows You Go Home from Bookshop

Preorder Breathe and Count Back from Ten

 

“Natalia Sylvester is Changing the Narrative” from July 2020 in Austin Woman Magazine

 

From Buzzfeed, 2020: “30 YA Books By Latinx Authors We Can't Wait To Read In 2020”

 

“Abuelito: Natalia shares the story of her grandmother's poetic influence on her as a child with NPR's Latino USA.

 

Everyone Knows You Go Home review on Latino Book Review

 

At about 2:10, Natalia talks about having work included on the legendary “Latino USA” show

 

At about 3:30, Pete and Natalia talk about her prolific nature, with her stellar works coming in quick fashion in recent years; Natalia talks about the process as “surprising at every turn”

 

At about 5:30, Natalia talks about the challenges of writing for children and young adults

 

At about 6:40, Natalia responds to Pete’s questions about her relationship with language in her youth, as a young immigrant to the US

 

At about 10:00, Natalia talks about what she loved reading as a child, especially Dahl’s Matilda and comics, and she and Pete bond over their shared love of The Babysitters’ Club

 

At about 12:40, Pete asks Natalia if she “saw herself” in what she read as a younger person

 

At about 16:40, Natalia discusses formative texts that resonate(d) with her and were “completely revolutionary,” such as Cristina Garcia’s Dreaming in Cuban, and Natalia notes how it was surreal to meet and speak with Cristina Garcia in later years

 

At about 20:25, Natalia lists Isabel Quintero, the stellar writing duo Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra, Taherer Mafi as "giants of YA"-writers who inspire and thrill her

 

At about 23:50, Natalia reflects on whether or not becoming a successful writer has affected her pleasure reading

 

At about 25:05, Natalia notes that storytelling is widespread, and talks about how Breaking Bad and other media inform her writing, and Pete and Natalia talk about “ripple effects” in stories 

 

At about 27:05, Natalia talks about “ ‘Eureka’ moment” that have given her the impetus to continue; she cites supportive teachers 

 

At about 29:45, Natalia responds to Pete’s questions about nonfiction and fiction, and she talks about lessons learned from both and how she honed her craft using both

 

At about 33:20, Pete shares a borrowed quote that speaks to the power of fiction

 

At about 33:45, Pete asks Natalia about how she did so well writing about the Mexican-American experience in Everyone Knows You Go Home, as well as feedback about the book and her research for the book

 

At about 38:45, Natalia summarizes her 2020 YA book, Running

 

At about 39:40, Natalia and Pete discuss YA books, Natalia’s light touch with slang, and banned books “mature themes” in YA literature like her book

 

At about 43:55, Pete and Natalia discuss Anthony Ruiz, the father and POTUS candidate from the book; Natalia discusses the spark for the book

 

At about 46:30, Natalia outlines the real-life connections between events of the book and happenings in Florida around 2018

 

At about 48:25, Natalia talks about “research” for the book, some of which was intentional and some was simply “drawing from experiences”

 

At about 50:55, Pete and Natalia discuss the younger characters of the book, especially the protagonist Mariana/Mari  and their connections to injustice and political decisions as Pete compliments Natalia for not “dumbing it down” for young readers

 

At about 52:55, Natalia expands upon the background of Juliana Ruiz, Mari’s mother, and including the ways in which she was present in early drafts of the book

 

At about 56:45, the two discuss Mari and her gaining of strength and “positive mob mentality” as Pete reads some dynamic quotes from the book that illustrate this and other themes like independence; especially action/inaction as key in the book

 

At about 58:30, Natalia reads an excerpt from the book that deals with Mari’s favorite memory with her father

 

At about 1:03:00, Natalia sets up a reading of an excerpt that deals with “I Love Lucy” by talking about her own love for and connections to the show

 

At about 1:06:45, Natalia talks about upcoming work, including the book set to be published in 2022, Breathe and Count Back from Ten, and themes of fitting in that excite Natalia about writing for the youth of today and her younger self

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 the next episode, a conversation with Father Greg Boyle, the legendary yet humble Jesuit priest who has been lauded worldwide as the founder and director of Homeboy Industries, the world's largest gang-intervention and rehabilitation program, and for his transcendent talks and books. The former pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Los Angeles, his latest book is The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness, and it came out on October 19. The episode will air on October 26.

Episode 86 with Mark Athitakis, Inquisitive Writer, Critic, and Chronicler of Literature for The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Many More

Episode 86 Notes and Links to Mark Athitakis’ Work 

 

        On Episode 86 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Mark Athitakis, and the two talk about Mark’s varied reading, his various writing and editing jobs, his role as book critic and literary reviewer, ideas of the critic as objective chronicler, and his work that highlights underappreciated writers and Midwestern writers.

 

 

 

       Mark Athitakis is a writer, editor, critic, blogger, reporter, essayist, white-paper-ist. He has written short and long pieces for publications like The New York Times and Washington Post, published two books, and provided editorial assistance from basic proofreading to deeper guidance on book-length projects. He has taught, consulted, and generally helped people tell their stories better. His particular expertise is in association/nonprofit content and literary criticism, but he delivers professional work in a variety of contexts.

 

October 4, 2021 Review in USA Today of Jonathan Franzen’s Crossroads

September 13, 2021 Review in The Los Angeles Times of Rabih Alameddine's The Wrong End of the Telescope -“This Refugee Novel Knows it Can’t Change the World” 

 

Authory.com Page for Mark-links to 300+ past publications

 

Buy The New Midwest at Bookshop.org

 

At about 2:00, Mark discusses his multifaceted career and the different types of writing he does as a “white paper-ist”

At about 4:25, Mark talks about his childhood, as a child of immigrants from Crete, Greece, and the ways in which language and reading and immigrant tradition affected his later expertise with writing 

At about 7:30, Mark talks about his early reading and having his “head turned sideways” by writers like Nelson Algren and Harry Mark Petrakis who wrote about place, and immigrant communities such as he knew growing up in Chicago; he also references Paul Fussell’s Class and its impact on him

At about 13:30, Mark talks about more recent reading that has informed his love of literature and his own writing, including William Faulkner, Phillip Roth, Marilyn Robisnon, and admired critics like Parul Sehgal, Patricia Lockwood, Laura Miller, Leslie Jamison, and Elizabeth Nelson

At about 18:20, Mark responds to Pete’s question about moments in which he felt that his work resonated, and he talks about “really [taking] to it” when he began doing portraits of artists like Brian Wilson

At about 21:00, Mark talks about the importance of the alt-weekly in nurturing young writers, and the declining impact of these alt-weeklies

At about 22:25, Pete asks Mark about editing others’ work, especially with writing as a supposed solitary activity; Mark talks about his recent role as a writer-in-residence at the public library and what he learned from it

At about 26:40, Pete wonders about objectivity when it comes to criticism 

At about 30:05, Pete inquires into if and how reading as a critic affects Mark’s reading for pleasure; he also asks Mark about the philosophy of “bashing” and negative reviews

At about 36:25, Mark responds to the Pete’s musings about the “democratization of reviews” and how this affects him

At about 38:00, Pete and Mark discuss Jonathan Franzen and his role as “controversial”; Pete cites parts of Mark’s recent positive review of Franzen’s Crossroads

At about 42:15, Pete asks Mark about the portrait he wrote for the LA Times about Rabih Alameddine and if Mark sees a need to be an evangelist or activist with a book like this one

At about 49:30, Pete and Mark discuss The New Midwest, Mark’s book, and Mark talks about the genesis and aim of the book, with Belt Magazine providing impetus

At about 54:00, Mark discusses his desire to avoid putting Chicago and Midwestern literature in opposition to other literary scenes in his book, but instead to celebrate the Midwestern scene

At about 57:00, Mark salutes Marilynne Robinson in citing her as a true Midwest writer and underappreciated student and chronicler of the region

At about 59:30, the two discuss David Foster Wallace’s work as Pete asks Mark if he is a “Midwest writer” and Mark’s thoughts about his work

At about 1:03:20, Mark reads a piece of his that he deems a bit different from his usual-a piece from The Washington Post about “quarantine reading”; Pete and Mark discuss the article’s ideas

At about 1:08:00, Mark gives his 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 the next episode, a conversation with Natalia Sylvester, YA author extraordinaire. She has written, among other books, the award-winning Running, and her upcoming book is Breathe and Count Back from Ten, comes out in May 2022. The episode will air on October 22.

Episode 85 with Brett Marie, Multifaceted Artist, Aesthete, and Brilliant Writer of the Brilliant and Beautiful The Upsetter Blog

Episode 85 Notes and Links to Brett Marie’s Work 

 

       On Episode 85 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Brett Marie, and the two talk like old friends about inspiring and chill-inducing literature and music, Brett’s journey to music and writing greatness, and his compelling and beautiful novel released in 2021, The Upsetter Blog.

       The literary alter ego of American rock 'n' roll musician Mat Treiber, Brett Marie is a contributing editor for the online literary journal Bookanista, and a staff writer for the website PopMatters. His short fiction and other writing has appeared in various magazines, including New Plains Review, Words + Images Press, and The Impressment Gang, and PopMatters. His story “If It Had Happened to You” was shortlisted for LoveReading UK’s first Very Short Story Award in 2019. He currently lives in England with his wife and daughter.

 

Buy The Upsetter Blog at Owl Canyon Press

 

Buy The Upsetter Blog at Bookshop.org

 

His shortlisted very short story “If It Had Happened to You” 

His first Bookanista short story, “Sex Education”

His first Bookanista essay (which touched heavily on TUB), 'Shouting at a River'

His review of Broken River, by his writing hero J. Robert Lennon

His review of Jenn Ashworth's Ghosted, the ending of which he mentioned rereading over and over

An essay he wrote for PopMatters when Francoise Hardy's memoir came out in English 

A Bookanista essay about the creation of TUB

The Intro to TUB, excerpted in Bookanista

His website

 

 

At about 2:00, Bret talks about his feelings and impressions now that his book The Upsetter Blog has been out for a month, including some positive and interesting feedback that he has received

 

At about 5:45, Brett talks about his international background and his relationship with language as a kid, including precocious reading and his movie from fantasy and sci-fi to literary fiction

 

At about 7:30, Brett talks about discovering AC/DC and developing his music life and exploring the great music that came before him as he became a guitarist in a successful band

 

At about 9:20, Brett talks about the books and writers that he read in more recent years as he (re)discovered literary fiction, including more modern works like J. Robert Lennon’s Mailman

 

At about 12:25, Pete points out an “Easter Egg” inspired by Brett’s favorite literature that he added to his novel

 

At about 13:00, Pete asks Brett about how music has informed his writing and vice versa and Brett talks about his work in writing lyrics for The Durangos and The Scramblers and other bands

 

At about 15:35, Pete and Brett discuss some of their reading histories with David Foster Wallace-Pete recommends “A Supposedly Fun 

 

At about 17:20, Pete asks Brett about the concurrent music and writing careers, and his creation alongside his talented wife

 

At about 19:25, Brett talks about the formation and seeds of his book, The Upsetter Blog 

 

At about 21:45, Brett describes his roles and responsibilities with, and love for, Bookanista, as well as how he became involved with the favorite of his

 

At about 24:40, Pete wonders when Brett knew that his writing resonated with others and could do the work for a living

 

At about 27:00, Brett describes the writing techniques he used in writing his award-winning short story, “If It Happened to You” and how he attempted to stretch his skills

 

At about 29:45, Pete and Brett begin to discuss the specifics of The Upsetter Blog, and Brett describes the “cinematic” experience he hoped to convey, with the classic idea of the performer starting off in front of a crowd before flashbacks kick in

 

At about 31:25, Pete compliments Brett on the interesting setting for the book, and Brett describes why the book unfolds in 2003 and in various places

 

At about 35:20, Pete and Brett muse about the theme of the vagaries of fate that is salient throughout the book  

 

At about 37:45, Pete and Brett lay out some of the basics of the book, including descriptions of the characters; Brett describes the functions and backgrounds of the characters

 

At about 43:00, Pete and Brett discuss the book’s allusions and their connections to the plot and themes

 

At about 44:00, Brett gives background on the incredible and sad stories of Gram Parsons’ life

 

At about 45:45, Brett sketches the characters of Henry, the protagonist and narrator, and Patrick, Henry’s son, whose self-given nickname is “The Fan”

 

At about 49:30, Brett explains how Marty from the book functions as an important character and is a composite of people who Brett knew in his LA days, and how Marty is representative of the time-the early 2000s

 

At about 52:45, Brett and Pete discuss the romantic relationship between Jack and Wendy that propels much of the storyline

 

At about 54:20, Pete asks Brett about what connects the protagonist Henry to Wendy, and Brett links Henry’s past to his motivations

 

At about 56:25, Pete and Brett discuss fate and faith as seen in the book

 

At about 59:45, Pete points out some interest timing from the book, and Brett explains the real-life inspiration for an ill-fated show in the book

 

At about 1:02:00, Brett and Pete outline an important interlude in the book for the reader and for Henry

 

At about 1:03:00, Brett and Pete talk about the beginning of the second part of the tour, with an instructive flashback for Henry and Jack’s continuing spiral 

 

At about 1:06:00, Pete compliments the ending and beautiful coda that is a retrospective and cathartic and asks Brett about how he arrived at the end result, including the book in iterations as much longer and shorter

 

At about 1:10:00, Brett and Pete talk about the emotional, visceral, heartbreaking work that they seek out, including Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory,” The Rolling Stones “I Got the Blues,” “Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff, Ghosted by Jen Ashworth, which Brett is reviewing for Bookanista 

 

At about 1:13:05, Brett reads an excerpt from The Upsetter Blog-a scene with the narrator and Caleb driving and discussing music and faith and life

 

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 the the next episode, a conversation with Mark Athitakis, a writer, editor, critic, blogger, reporter, and essayist who has written short and long pieces for publications like The New York Times and Washington Post, published two books, and provided editorial assistance from basic proofreading to deeper guidance on book-length projects. The episode will air on October 19.

Episode 84 with Noah Hurowitz, Curious Reader, Journalist, and Author of 2021‘s El Chapo: The Untold Story Of The World‘s Most Infamous Drug Lord

Episode 84 Notes and Links to Noah Hurowitz’s Work 

  Noah Hurowitz is a journalist based in New York City. He covered the trial of El Chapo for Rolling Stone, and his work has also appeared in The Village Voice, The Baffler, New York magazine, and many more. El Chapo: The Untold Story of the World's Most Infamous Drug Lord is his first book.

 

      On Episode 84 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Noah Hurowitz, passionate reader, journalist, and the author of El Chapo: The Untold Story of the World’s Most Infamous Drug Lord. The two talk about, among other topics, Noah’s varied reading, his process in seeking out and writing stories, the way in which he was approached to write his book, and the specifics of the well-researched book and Noah’s purpose in writing the book about a seemingly-never-ending “War on Drugs.”

 

 

Buy El Chapo: The Untold Story of the World's Most Infamous Drug Lord

 

Subscribe Here to Noah’s Substack

 

From September 13, 2021, Yahoo News: “The little-known story of how Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán tried to bring down friends and enemies from behind bars”

 

At about 1:15, Noah talks about his recently-published book and his purpose and thesis for the book

 

At about 3:40, Noah talks about why he calls his book a “popular history” and shouts out Benjamin Smith’s writing

 

At about 6:30, Noah outlines his early relationship with language and reading

 

At about 10:30, Noah discusses being energized and inspired by other works, with a special admiration for and love of Roberto Bolano’s work

 

At about 12:20, Pete and Noah converse about unassigned reading and the love of reading and ways to foster it

 

At about 14:20, Noah lays out his recent reading habits and purpose in reading

 

At about 17:10, Pete asks Noah about his process in looking for story ideas, and Noah talks about the way in which he reads

 

At about 21:20, Noah discusses a “vague idea to write” and how he started thinking of writing as a concrete possibility through his time at The University of Southern Maine, and how he thought of himself as a “writer, not a reporter” for a while

 

At about 23:00, Noah responds to Pete’s question about the genesis of Noah’s book about Él Chapo

 

At about 25:45, Noah reads an excerpt from his book that juxtaposes Jesus Malverde and El Chapo Guzman

 

At about 32:00, Noah discusses the excerpt and some of the historical context that surrounds the writing, including some history of Sinaloa

 

At about 33:40, Noah explains the setting of small-town Sinaloa, especially Badiriguato and El Chapo’s La Tuna hometown and what Noah was hoping to accomplish when he traveled there three times

 

At about 35:20, Noah recounts an interesting anecdote in which a young kid asked him about El Chapo and its connection to the people of Sinaloa and their relationship with El Chapo and the effects of the drug trade

 

At about 39:40, Noah discusses the pull of big drug money for residents in Sinaloa

 

At about 42:15, Noah restates his thesis statement from the book, in response to a question posed in the book by an associate/family member of El Chapo; Noah thinks about how he would respond to the question if he were asked again today

 

At about 46:05, Pete wonders about a “starting point” or “turning point” of the drug war, and Noah discusses pivotal points and the huge uptick in violence; this includes bubbling violence in Nuevo Laredo around 2003

 

At about 53:00, Noah talks about the uptick in violence with Felipe Calderón’s installation as the Mexican President in 2006/2007, with Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez seeing “intense, public violence”

 

At about 58:15, Pete asks Noah about the circumstances of the murder of Mexican Archbishop Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo

 

At about 1:01:00, Noah talks about the state working in tandem with El Chapo

 

At about 1:02:15, Noah explains the ways in which violence unfolded around 2007 in Ciudad Juarez and the specific conditions and context that made the violence so brutal 

 

At about 1:06:55, Noah talks about the incredible story of Christian Rodriguez, a cyber security expert, and his connection to El Chapo

 

At about 1:10:10, Noah gives background on El Chapo’s prison situation

 

At about 1:11:40, Noah discusses the new generation of drug traffickers, including El Chapo’s son and “Los Chapitos” and shouts out The Underworld Podcast, which discusses the connection between Instagram and social media and the younger, flashier traffickers

 

At about 1:17:15, Pete points out the idea that there are multiple drug wars, in that the policies of the military and the narcotraffickers continues to evolve/devolve; this leads Noah to discuss the amazing, cinematic arrest and subsequent release of Ovidio Guzmán López in Culiacán  

 

At about 1:22:00, Pete wonders about the United States’ responsibility/blame for the drug war, and Noah gives a nuanced answer while talking about the politics of government spending, capitalism, etc., in connection to the flow of drugs

 

At about 1:27:00, Noah reads from the book’s Epilogue

 

At about 1:37:00, Pete and Noah muse hopefully on future conversations about a much-improved security situation in México

 

At about 1:40:10, Noah gives out his contact info and future Substack work, and shouts out places to buy his book, including indie bookstores like Greenlight in Brooklyn

 

     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.

I’m excited to share my next episode with Mat Treiber, writer of The Upsetter Blog, an incredibly visceral work of art. The episode will air on Oct 15.

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

Episode 83 Notes and Links to Larry Strauss’ Work

 

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

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

 

 

Larry Strauss' Amazon Page

 

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

 

Larry Strauss’ HuffPost Page with Previous Articles

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

      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.

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

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

 

Episode 82 with Sara Elkamel, Passionate and Profound Poet with an Artist‘s Soul and a Journalist‘s Eye for Detail

Show Notes from Episode 82 and Links to Sara Elkamel’s Work

 

        On Episode 82 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete has the pleasure to speak with Sara Elkamel, poet and journalist, about her passion for the form, her work with surrealism, and her eye for detail. The two delve into three of Sara’s profound and lush poems, with Sara generously sharing the background and thought process in creating the work.  

 

Sara Elkamel is a poet and journalist living between her hometown, Cairo, and New York City. She holds an MA in arts journalism from Columbia University, and is currently an MFA candidate in poetry at New York University, where she teaches in the undergraduate Creative Writing Program.

 

Elkamel's poems have appeared in The Common, Michigan Quarterly Review, Four Way Review, The Boiler, Memorious, wildness, Nimrod International Journal, The Rumpus, Jet Fuel Review, etc. Her work has also been featured as part of the anthologies Best New Poets 2020, Best of the Net 2020, The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 3: Halal If You Hear Me, and 20.35 Africa: Vol. 2. She was named a 2020 Gregory Djanikian Scholar by The Adroit Journal, and a finalist in Narrative Magazine's 30 Below Contest in the same year. Elkamel’s debut chapbook “Field of No Justice” will be published by the African Poetry Book Fund & Akashic Books in 2021.

 

Elkamel has designed and facilitated (often collaboratively) a number of creative writing workshops in art spaces and cultural intuitions in Cairo, Alexandria and Amman, Jordan, including at the Cairo Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CILAS), The Townhouse Gallery, Medrar for Contemporary Art, and at the Mohammad and Mahera Abu Ghazaleh Foundation (MMAG).

 

 

Sara Elkamel's Personal Website

 

Interview with Washington Square: Sara Elkamel on Surrealism, Myth, and Gender in “Field of No Justice”

 

Sara Elkamel’s “Heaven”

 

Four Way Review-Three Poems by Sara Elkamel

 

At about 2:40, Sara discusses what she is working on currently, as she has recently returned from Cairo after more than a year; she discusses how a collection of poems becomes a thesis when poetry is not inherently ordered

 

At about 6:30, Sara talks about her childhood in Cairo and her relationship with the written word, including her love of the book fair (!) and some early introductions to symbolism and 

 

At about 10:30, Pete asks Sara about the connections between the familiarity of the US upon Sara’s starting to live here and what she read in Egypt about the US

 

At about 12:00, Sara responds to Pete’s question about the influence of the Koran on her writing

 

At about 13:00, Sara responds to Pete’s question of how Arabic as a language lend itself to poetry, as seen through the proud traditions of poetry written in the language 

 

At about 15:10, Sara relates a fitting Anne Carson quote

 

At about 15:50, Sara discusses some transformative texts that she read as she got older, including “A Little Sugar” from Hussein Jelaad in Beirut 89 and Alan Ziegler’s class, where she read formative work from Ben Lerner and Carl Phillips, as well as work from Anne Carson-a gift from her boss 

 

At about 19:25, Sara discusses her personal views on form, as she writes prose poetry for the most part, as well as form in contemporary poetry

 

At about 22:40, Sara glowingly explains her philosophy and process of editing    

 

At about 26:05, Sara explains her views of “deciphering poetry”

 

At about 28:45, Pete quotes Sara from a previous interview and asks her what she means about the connection between poetry and “collage”

 

At about 31:35, Pete and Sara discuss “Field of No Justice” and the idea of the speaker as the poet

 

At about 32:50, Sara gives background on some themes and references/inspiration for “Field of No Justice”

 

At about 34:40, Pete highlights some intriguing lines from the above poem and asks Sara about her use of the bird as motif

 

At about 35:50, Pete asks Sara about surrealism and its connection to Egypt in both “older times” and in contemporary times

 

At about 38:20, Sara details Wadi Rum and its natural beauty and her connection to it, used as muse for her poem “The Language of the Body”

 

At about 39:25, Sara reads “The Language of the Body”

 

At about 41:25, Pete asks Sara about the poem-its repetition and “sinning out in the open,” for one, and Sara talks about the poem as a response to a prompt from Professor Catherine Barnett and more of its genesis

 

At about 45:20, Sara reads “Heaven”

 

At about 46:05, Sara responds to Pete’s question, in response to the poem “Heaven” about challenges in writing shorter pieces and Pete recounts some profound lines as he and Sara discuss specific word and craft choices

 

At about 50:45, Sara talks about future projects and her impressive editing process

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 83 with Larry Strauss on October 5. I hope you can tune in, as I talk to the novelist, teacher, student advocate and freelance writer who has been published in USA Today and many other prestigious publications. Larry’s newest novel, Light Man, is an engrossing read and is out in November 2021. 

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 81 with Cerise Castle, Producer, Podcaster, Journalist, and Intrepid Writer of The Important Series ”A Tradition of Violence: The History of Deputy Gangs...” for KnockLA

Show Notes and Links to Cerise Castle’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 81 

    On Episode 81, Pete talks with Cerise Castle about her lifelong love of reading, her early mature engagement with literature and the world, her work as a podcaster and producer and reporter, and the issues and exhaustive research surrounding her 15-part series on deputy gangs with The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, entitled “A Tradition of Violence: The History of Deputy Gangs in The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.”

     Cerise Castle is a Los Angeles-based multimedia journalist specializing in arts & culture, civil rights, crime, and human interest stories. She has several years of experience as a multi-media journalist across print, television, and audio.

She has produced and hosted segments for the Emmy-award winning nightly news program, VICE News Tonight, Los Angeles NPR affiliate KCRW, and nationally syndicated radio program Marketplace. She has also produced two series for the podcasting giant, Wondery. Her reporting and commentary have been featured in publications like The Daily Beast, The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine and MTV. 

In her free time, she is an avid hiker and stargazer.

       

Cerise Castle's Personal Website

 

I Hate My Boss Podcast 

 

"A Tradition of Violence The History of Deputy Gangs in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department"

 

Cerise Castle’s KnockLA Website

At about 2:25, Cerise talks about her relationship with language and her lifelong love of reading, including her love of historical fiction, history, Zora Neale Hurston, Roald Dahl, and Walter Dean Myers (maybe at too young of an age!), Mike Davis, and Brenda Stevenson

At about 6:00, Cerise responds to Pete’s question about her exposure to news and politics as a kid

At about 7:50, Cerise gives a mixed response to Pete’s question about her feelings on representation in what she read growing up

 

At about 9:00, Cerise is asked about contemporary writers and works that have thrilled her, and she shouts out Kiley Reid’s Such a Fun Age and Brandon Taylor’s Real Life

At about 10:50, Pete asks Cerise about how she comes up with story ideas

At about 12:00, Pete asks Cerise about “light bulb moments” in which she realized that journalism was for her, including a transformational meeting with Ann Curry in 8th grade

At about 14:45, Cerise talks about her experience writing at Vice as a freelance writer and as on-camera reporter

At about 15:35, Cerise shouts out Kai Rysdaal

At about 16:15, Cerise talks about her experience with Wondery podcasting, such as I Hate My Boss

At about 17:15, Pete asks Cerise about the genesis of her series about gangs within the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, as well as the exhaustive research (she read about 100,000 pages!) needed to complete the writing

At about 18:45, Cerise notes that “people are talking about it” and using the story for promising legal purposes

At about 19:30, Cerise recounts some compliments that she has received from the series, and responds to Pete’s question about how much the average LA County resident knows about the deputy gangs

At about 22:40, Cerise and Pete discuss the amount of money paid out by taxpayers and the violence and murders carried out in the last four or five decades due to LASD gangs

At about 25:10, Pete points out one section of the series and the repeated lack of accountability for those who have committed crime while wearing a badge, and she talks about the legacy of Peter Pitchess

*EDIT* Cerise notes that she was referring to Sheriff Sherman Block**

At about 29:00, Cerise traces some of the early deputy gangs and Pete notes the chilling quote by David Lynn and the “Vietnam Mentality,” 

At about 30:20, Cerise notes an interesting article by Lexis-Olivier Ray with LA Taco that notes the number of LAPD officers who live outside the communities they serve, even outside of the state at times

At about 31:20, Pete asks Cerise if he sees LASD gang members as being inherently drawn to the gangs, or if they are corrupted once they join; Cerise notes that her research has shown that those who don’t join are ostracized and threatened with job loss and physical violence 

At about 33:30, Pete and Cerise know the perversity of the sheriffs who commit flagrant acts getting, at maximum, a slap on the wrist, while those who report misconduct are shunned and written up and sometimes prosecuted  

At about 34:10, Cerise notes the people she has interviewed who have compared the LASD gang situation with Training Day

At about 35:10, Cerise talks about the proliferation of sheriff gangs, moving from the Lynwood Vikings to The Century Station to the LA Central Jail

About 36:20, Pete asks Cerise about the fact that the Sheriff’s Department even in 2021 has a leadership with extensive gang ties and histories 

About 38:30, Pete wonders about the major obstacles that haven’t allowed extensive prosecution and punishment of sheriffs’ misconduct, and Cerise talks about how seriously deputies take “The Blue Code of Silence”

About 40:00, Cerise explains a phrase favored by Paul Tanaka, the #2 in the LASD about “work[ing] in the gray area”

About 41:00, Pete asks Cerise about any desire for change and support for change after George Floyd’s police murder

 

 

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 other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe via 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 my next episode, Episode 82 with Sara Elkamel, a poet and journalist living between her hometown, Cairo, and New York City. She holds an MA in arts journalism from Columbia University, and is currently an MFA candidate in poetry at New York University, where she taught in the undergraduate Creative Writing Program. Her poems have appeared in The Common, Michigan Quarterly Review, Four Way Review, and The Boiler, among others.  The episode airs on October 1.

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 80 with Dave Zirin, Journalist, Activist, Host of The Edge of Sports for The Nation, and Author of 2021‘s Important The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee and Changing the World

Show Notes and Links to Dave Zirin’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 80

 

      On Episode 80, Pete talks with Dave Zirin about his work as an activist and journalist, his early influences in reading and civic engagement, “ ‘Eureka’ moments,” his fine work with The Nation and book publishing, and his 2021 release, the important book, The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee and Changing the World. With discussion of the book comes conversation about some of the forces repressing change, but more importantly, famous people and not-so-famous people enacting change through educating others and through direct action. 

 

Dave Zirin, The Nation’s sports editor, is the author of ten books on the politics of sports, most recently, The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World. Named one of UTNE Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World,” Zirin is a frequent guest on ESPN, MSNBC, and Democracy Now! He also hosts The Nation’s Edge of Sports podcast. You can find all his work or contact him through his website EdgeofSports.com. Follow him on twitter @EdgeofSports.

Buy The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World

 

Dave Zirin’s Personal Website

 

Dave Zirin's Wikipedia Page

 

"Dave Zirin is The Kaepernick Whisperer" (The Ringer, 2018)

 

Support organization to which book proceeds go-Serve Your City DC

 

At about 2:00, Dave talks about his feelings as The Kaepernick Effect is a few days away from being published, and the mission he feels in publishing a book on such an important and underrepresented movement inspired by Colin Kaepernick; Dave highlights that proceeds from the book go to serveyourcitydc.org

 

At about 4:15, Pete asks Dave about his childhood relationship with the written word, including his love of sports and his older sister’s outsized impact on him, especially with the fact that she was a heavy reader; he also mentions his love of books like Season on the Brink by John Feinstein

 

At about 7:00, Dave highlights James Baldwin as a writer who has thrilled him throughout his life, leading Dave to talk about his love for rereading great books like Baldwin’s

 

At about 8:25, Dave talks about sportswriters like Frank DeFord, Leigh Montville, Selena Roberts, Ralph Wiley at Sports Illustrated and its power in his life, as well as his mother’s providing the family access to local news

 

At about 10:40, Pete asks Dave about starting points for him as a journalist and an activist, 

 

At about 12:30, Dave talks about turning points and how he came to write about sports and politics

 

At about 15:10, Pete asks Dave about his current reading, and Dave highlights David Maraniss and Howard Bryant, as well as Lindsey Adler

At about 16:30, Howard and Pete talk about tennis and Howard Bryant’s promotion of it and the text that Dave sent about playing on a tennis grass court

At about 18:10, Pete asks Dave about connections between “older” athlete/activists and what he has seen in his years at The Nation regarding current activist-athletes 

At about 20:45, Dave talks about the titanic changes that have come around regarding athlete/activism, due to 

At about 23:20, Dave talks about The People’s History of Sports in the United States and its genesis, as well as great interactions with his inspirations like Jim Bouton and Howard Zinn

At about 26:20, Pete and Dave discuss his book, The Kaepernick Effect, and its genesis, and Dave’s concern in summarizing and memorializing so much recent history; he talks about his inspiration by Howard Zinn’s curating

At about 30:15, Dave talks about how the largest protests in US history-regarding the police murder of George Floyd-changed the focus of his book

At about 32:15, Pete asks Dave about the revisionist history of Colin Kaepernick as “simply not being a good quarterback”

At about 34:20, Pete points to the juxtaposition of knees that starts off Dave’s book

At about 34:55, Dave talks about Steve Wyche’s perspective five years after being the first to cover the Kaepernick kneeling

At about 36:40, Dave and Pete discuss a few individual like April Parkerson and Rodney Axson who were the first athletes to follow Kaepernick’s lead; Dave puts these courageous acts into context, including the fallout in Beaumont, Texas

At about 39:50, Dave discusses the vitriol directed at Denby High School as discussed in the book

At about 40:50, Dave highlights a coach in Minnesota, Marjaan Siddar, who educates his players and keeps them working for progressive causes

At about 42:20, Pete asks Dave how he weighs and balances the future of the high school generation and their activism, as laid out in the book

At about 44:30, Dave discusses the book’s section about college player activists, as Pete and he highlight Alexis Bazen and the message that dave says “pays it forward”  

At about 48:15, Dave is asked about the idea of an “ally” and how one acts in solidarity, and its connection to Megan Rapinoe and others discussed in his book who 

At about 50:00, Pete asks Dave his thoughts on recent NCAA bylaws changing regarding selling one’s likeness and how this affects the rights of college athletes

At about 51:00, Pete and Dave highlight and discuss changemakers in the NFL and other pro sports, as outlined in the last chapter of the book, including Gwen Berry, Eric Reid, Kenny Stills, and Bruce Maxwell

At about 53:15, Dave points to Howard Bryant’s book, The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism, in explaining the expanded conflation of patriotism and sports, especially since 9/11

At about 55:00, Dave talks about Michael Bennett’s worldview and work for change

At about 56:00, Pete and Dave highlight Dr. John Carlos’ inspiring words from the Epilogue, as well as his inspiring work for justice

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.

 

Please tune in for the next episode, Episode 81 with Cerise Castle, who has written for NPR, LAMag, and Vice News, among others, and has recently written an incredibly well-done history of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department gangs and cliques. The episode will air on September 28.