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The Chills at Will Podcast is a celebration of the visceral beauty of literature. This beauty will be examined through close reads of phrases and lines and passages from fiction and nonfiction that thrills the reader, so much so that he wants to read again and again to replicate that thrill. Each episode will focus on a different theme, such as "The Power of Flashback," "Understatement," "Cats in the Cradle," and "Chills at Will: Origin Story."
Episodes
Tuesday Sep 14, 2021
Tuesday Sep 14, 2021
Episode Notes and Links for Episode 79 with Matt Ortile
In this episode, Pete speaks with Matt Ortile about, among other things, his upbringing in Manila and the United States, his relationship with language and identity, his writing and reading journeys, and themes around queer identity, colonization and the colonized, and writing as “catharsis,” as illustrated in his stellar essay collection.
Matt Ortile is the author of the essay collection The Groom Will Keep His Name. The Groom Will Keep His Name is an essay collection about sex, power, and the myths of American society. BuzzFeed called the book “witty and insightful.” Oprah said it’s one of many queer books that are “changing the literary landscape in 2020.”
Matt is also the managing editor of Catapult magazine, and a contributing writer at Condé Nast Traveler. Previously, he was the founding editor of BuzzFeed Philippines. He is a MacDowell Fellow and has written for Vogue, Self, Out, Into, and BuzzFeed News, among others. He is a graduate of Vassar College, which means he now lives in Brooklyn.
Buy The Groom Will Keep His Name: And Other Vows I've Made About Race, Resistance, and Romance
Matt Ortile's Personal Website
“Why I Ended a Perfectly Fine Relationship” from Buzzfeed, 2014
At about 1:50, Matt answers Pete’s questions regarding the Vassar/Simpsons’ connections
At about 3:00, Matt talks about growing up with both English and Tagalog (and a little in his Manila hometown and its connections to Filipino history and the effects of colonialism
At about 5:40, Matt talks about his childhood reading fare, including the importance of the Harry Potter series in both his time in the Philippines and the US, and the shift to reading nonfiction/memoir with David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs
At about 8:15, Matt talks about the draw of David Sedaris and his work
At about 10:55, Pete asks Matt about “representation” in what he read growing up
At about 13:00, Pete asks Matt about fiction that has thrilled him
At about 14:30, Matt shouts out Mia Alvar and the work she does that resonates with him
At about 16:00, Matt talks about the expectations that come with art that is touted as representing a certain group
At about 19:00, Pete asks Matt if Tagalog specifically has informed his writing in English
At about 22:45, Matt discusses “ ‘Eureka’ moments,” especially when his work was recognized through a lot of traffic for a Buzzfeed article connecting his own relationship with a Barthes piece
At about 27:20, Pete wonders what it’s like for Matt to “put himself out there” in writing honestly about his life and the people in it, and this leads Matt to talk craft and about writers succeeding when they stop keeping readers at “arms length”
At about 31:30, Matt talks about his mother’s beautiful legacy and how he found the balance between their shared lives by asking her to read any page in the book where she was mentioned, pre-publication
At about 34:25, Matt responds to Pete asking about the experience being “cathartic” or emotionally cleansing
At about 40:00, Matt talks about the idea of memory and how his book is a part of him and his mom and others, at a certain time, memorialized
At about 41:15, Matt and Pete discuss the bookend stories of Matt’s collection
At about 41:45, Matt explains his personal usage and larger communities’ usage of “queer” and its connection to the fluidity of identity
At about 44:15, Matt talks about the “Americana” and decolonization and colonial attitudes of the Philippines
At about 45:15, Matt expands upon his reference to the Romans “weapon[izing] oblivion” and its implications, including “erasure” with regards to American colonization and Filipino history
At about 48:00, Matt talks about questions of identity for him and others who are Filipino or Filipino-American
At about 51:30, Pete references an ignorant comment from one of Matt’s teacher regarding his English proficiency, as described in his book
At about 52:00, Matt talks about the concept of kapwa, in the context of community and safety and family
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
I’m excited to share my next episode with 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. The episode will be published on September 21. I hope you can tune in.
Friday Sep 10, 2021
Friday Sep 10, 2021
Episode 78 Notes and Links to Adam O’Fallon Price’s Work
On Episode 78 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes master of narrative and integrating multiple voices, Adam O’Fallon Price. Adam and Pete discuss, among other topics, his unique path to professional writerdom, “ ‘Eureka’ ” moments on the way, his interesting take on “sentence writers” versus “paragraph writers,” and the skillful ways in which Adam built in slow dread and pathos into his award-winning The Hotel Neversink.
Adam O’Fallon Price is the author of two novels, The Grand Tour (Doubleday, 2016) and The Hotel Neversink (Tin House Books, 2019). His short fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, VICE, The Kenyon Review Online, Glimmer Train, Narrative, EPOCH, The Iowa Review, and many other places. His essay and criticism have appeared in The Paris Review Daily, Ploughshares, Electric Literature, and The Millions, where he is a staff writer.
An Interview with Adam O’Fallon Price
About 3:00, Adam talks about his North Carolina allegiance and the die-hard basketball fans of the state
About 6:00, Adam talks about his relationship with the written word and his circuitous route through music to writing screenplays, which helped him improve his narrative style before getting into the creative writing
About 8:15, Adam talks about the idea of “transportive” literature, especially experienced in childhood
About 9:30, Adam talks about the interesting idea of “sentence writers and readers” and “paragraph readers and writers,” fleshed out in group chats with fellow writers
About 12:20, Pete asks Adam about how seeing himself as a “paragraph writer” affects his editing process
At about 14:05, Pete asks Adam how the screenwriter student in him comes out in his fiction
At about 17:15, Pete and Adam discuss the cliched On The Road, referencing Adam’s appearance on the great I’m a Writer But
At about 18:35, Adam compares and contrasts music and writing, taking into consideration his many years of band experience
At about 19:25, Adam discusses a “ ‘Eureka’ moment” involving a short story that he felt was complete and gave him a sense of accomplishment
At about 21:55, Pete wonders if Adam can trace an evolution/change from his early writing to his current writing
At about 23:55, Adam reflects on his initial thoughts on early publishing and the subjective nature of publishing
At about 26:10, Adam speaks about “seeking out stories”
At about 29:00, Adam responds to Pete’s question about which writing/writers his college students respond to, including Erin Somers, Brandon Taylor, and other great work from Joyland Magazine
At about 33:05, Adam talks about ideas of art versus commercialism and failure as themes in his 2016 book, The Grand Tour
At about 34:30, Adam juxtaposes the euphoria of publishing his first book versus the anxiety that comes with the book being out in the world
At about 37:10, Adam responds to questions about The Hotel Neversink and how the award-winning book doesn't fit a horror genre and the seeds of the book and how he started it
At about 42:00, Pete highlights some understated dynamite lines from Adam’s book
At about 43:15, Pete asks Adam about the genesis of the family arc as a story of a Jewish family
At about 46:35, Pete and Adam discuss the basis of success hardened by hardship and sin as a major theme of the book
At about 49:15, Pete describes Adam’s skill with taking on different voices for the book, and Adam discusses how he unified the book with all of the voices, including some fun comedy
At about 52:20, Pete asks Adam about the ease of writing a dark text that touched upon horror, and how his agent asked him to make a collection of linked stories into a novel
At about 56:55, the two discuss the saying “It’s always scarier before the monster shows up” in relation to the novel, and how Adam looks to create a “slow sense of dread”
At about 58:35, Pete recommends a movie poster possibility for The Hotel Neversink
At about 59:05, Pete connects the sense of dread from Adam’s novel to the classic story “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?”
At about 1:01:00, Pete and Adam discuss the ending as possibly a happy one
At about 1:02:55, Pete talks about a crazy connection to flashlights and the novel
At about 1:03:35, Adam talks about upcoming projects, including a “more conventional mystery” novel
At about 1:04:50, Adam discusses his penchant for silence when he writes
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.
Tuesday Sep 07, 2021
Tuesday Sep 07, 2021
Notes and Links to References from Episode 77 with Danielle Fuentes Morgan
On Episode 77, Pete is happy to welcome Danielle Fuentes Morgan, and the two talk about her reading and writing influences, and go into great detail about her nuanced and interesting and important book, Laughing to Keep from Dying: African American Satire in the Twenty-First Century.
Dr. Danielle Fuentes Morgan is an assistant professor in the Department of English at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. She specializes in African American literature and culture in the 20th and 21st centuries and is interested in the ways that literature, popular culture, and humor shape identity formation. In particular, her research and teaching reflect her interests in African American satire and comedy, literature and the arts as activism, and the continuing influence of history on contemporary articulations of Black selfhood.
Danielle has written a variety of both scholarly and popular articles and has been interviewed on topics as varied as Black Lives Matter, the dangers of the “Karen” figure, race and sexuality on the Broadway stage, and Beyoncé. Her book, Laughing to Keep from Dying: African American Satire in the Twenty-First Century (published Fall 2020 by University of Illinois Press as a part of the New Black Studies Series), addresses the contemporary role of African American satire as a critical realm for social justice.
Her writing has appeared in a variety of publications including on Racialicious and Al Jazeera, in Post-Soul Satire: Black Identity after Civil Rights, Humanities, Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly, Pre/Text: A Journal of Rhetorical Theory, Journal of Science Fiction, College Literature, and Post45 Contemporaries. She is a member of the Center for the Arts and Humanities Faculty Advisory Board and has served as the Frank Sinatra Faculty Fellow for the Center working with W. Kamau Bell and Taye Diggs.
Danielle earned her B.A. in English with a minor in African American studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.A.T. in secondary English education at Duke University. After teaching high school English, she returned to school and received an M.A. in English literature from North Carolina State University. She earned her Ph.D. in English literature from Cornell University with focuses in African American literature, African American studies, and American literature. She hails from Durham, North Carolina.
Buy Laughing to Keep from Dying: African American Satire in the Twenty-First Century
Danielle Fuentes Morgan’s Writer Website
At about 3:20, Danielle talks about her allegiances to The University of North Carolina
At about 5:10, Danielle describes the myriad ways in which she was a “bookworm” as a kid, and how her daughter shares this love for words
At about 7:45, Danielle details the books that thrilled her as a kid, including The Outsiders and Anne of Green Gables, and works by Lois Duncan, Nikki Giovanni, and Eleanor E. Tate
At about 10:00, Danielle lists contemporary writers like Sharon Draper, and texts about kids of various backgrounds, Radiant Child about Basquiat and Front Desk by Kelly Yang, that she has enjoyed with her children
At about 15:00, Danielle talks about the eternal pull for her of Ponyboy Curtis and The Outsiders
At about 17:15, Pete asks Danielle about her relationship with pop culture as a kid, and her Uncle Kevin’s outsized impact on her pop culture experiences; she describes watching tv as an “active experience”
At about 21:00, Pete asks Danielle about moments in which her desire to write for a living became manifest, including her reading of Their Eyes Were Watching God during her junior year in college and her future dissertation advisor asked a key question
At about 23:45, Pete and
At about 24:15, Pete notes Zora Neale Hurston’s puré sense of individuality as described in Scott Ellsworth’s writing, and Danielle notes Zora’s inspiration to her, especially in the ways that Hurston wrote as an anthropologist
At about 26:10, Pete and Danielle discuss the power of Hurston’s “How it Feels to be Colored Me”
At about 27:20, Danielle talks about writers and texts who thrill her these days, including James Baldwin, Danielle Evans and her The Office of Historical Corrections, and R. Eric Thomas
At about 30:30, Danielle and Pete discuss the iconic A Separate Peace and Romeo and Juliet, texts that Danielle says really spoke to her high school students
At about 33:30, Pete references Natalie Lima and he discussing A Separate Peace and asks Danielle her thoughts on the book’s climactic event
At about 34:25, Pete asks Danielle to describe her “average” writing and teaching day
At about 37:00, Pete shouts out Danielle’s colleague and Pete’s first guest, fabulous SCU prof Claudia Monpere McIsaac, in asking Danielle about the status of “publish or perish” in 2021 academia
At about 39:10, Pete asks Danielle about her thoughts on seeing her name on a book jacket, and she describes the two events of Dave Chappelle having disappeared and Barack Obama just having been elected as the beginning of a long, serpentine process in publishing the book
At about 43:10, Pete and Danielle discuss satire and Danielle’s take on satire in her book
At about 47:10, Danielle explains the significance of the book’s title and its connection the famous saying, “laughing to keep from crying”
At about 47:58, Pete’s son makes a short appearance!
At about 49:15, Danielle responds to hearing her introduction, including the book’s thesis
At about 50:50, Danielle defines and describes “post-black” as used in the book and how it differs from “post-racial”
At about 52:45, Danielle discusses the reexamination of minstrel shows and blackface in earlier times, as now often seen as winking, nodding
At about 55:00, Danielle and Pete reflect on Richard Pryor’s stunning and profound ending for his comedy album, the ending of Danielle’s introduction
At about 57:00, Pete points out a parallel in a Dave Chappelle skit in which there is a moment of seriousness juxtaposed against a comedic scene
At about 58:25, Danielle and Pete discuss the first chapter of the book, which brings in Tarantino’s Django, (and he shouts out Traci and The Stacks Podcast and its strong interview of Quentin Tarantino) discussed by Danielle for the film’s misses
At about 1:03:15, Pete asks Danielle if the premise was flawed from the beginning for Django, and Danielle talks about ways in which slaves were given humanity in Octavia Butler’s work and Key and Peele
At about 1:05:20, Danielle describes Jordan Anderson’s stunning work and post-slavery story, a part of the book
At about 1:07:20, Danielle talks about ayo’s work in satire, “How tas described in the book
At about 1:08:40, Danielle talks about her book’s second chapter and ideas about race as a construct, including “Blackness” being put up for sale on EBay by Keith Obadike as performance and activist art
At about 1:10:40, Danielle juxtaposes the book and movie versions of Precious and how satire fell a little flat in the movie (lesser so in the book)
At around 1:13:35,
At about 1:14:00, Pete and Danielle discuss her chapter on the performative, which touches upon Erasure by Percival Everett, an episode of Atlanta, and Barack Obama’s “dad jeans,” as well as a piece by Touré
At about 1:16:10, Chapter Three is discussed, with its focus on satirical misfires, and when “keeping it real goes wrong”; Danielle details Chris Rock and Leslie Jones and their hiccups; “in group” and “out group” is probed
At about 1:19:55, Pete and Danielle discuss Chapter Four, starting with Get Out and its connection to Bell’s 1992 poetry; Danielle discusses her visceral reaction to her first viewing of the movie
At about 1:23:10, Danielle highlights the standout points from Issa Rae’s Insecure and its focus on agency and platonic love with and among Black women
At about 1:24:55, Danielle discusses the last chapter of her book, its focus on Dave Chappelle and his SNL skit (with Chris Rock) and statement right after Donald Trump’s election victory, as well as the future of African-American satire and humor
At about 1:30:10, Danielle explains “just jokes” and the idea of doing satire in the chaotic world of 2021-the basis of the end of the book-with some reflections on what can be done to continue productive satire in the future
At about 1:31:55, Danielle details future projects, including the ever-decreasing line between comedy and horror in the 21st century
At about 1:33:10, Danielle shouts out Brian Tyree Henry and Donald Glover and their greatness
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 Adam O’Fallon Price on September 10. Adam is the author of much great work, including 2020 Edgar Award Winner THE HOTEL NEVERSINK. I hope you can tune in.
Tuesday Aug 31, 2021
Tuesday Aug 31, 2021
Episode Notes and Links for Episode 76 with
Mirin Fader
In this episode, Pete speaks with award-winning journalist and author, Mirin Fader about her hoop-playing days and love for the game, her heartfelt and important articles about Tyler Skaggs and Gigi Bryant, and her deeply-researched and touching and honest book. They talk about Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP, the 2021 biography of an absolute gem of a human being, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and his close-knit, loving, and beautiful family and the extreme poverty and racism that they have faced.
Buy Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP
Mirin Fader's Personal Website
“What Tyler Skaggs Left Behind” Article from The Ringer
LitHub Article: “Two Brothers, One Pair of Sneakers”-excerpt from Giannis
“The Legacy of Mambacita” from The Ringer about Gigi Bryant
To begin the episode, the two talk about the amazing circumstances that Mirin is currently in with her book on The New York Times bestseller list
At about 3:20, Mirin talks about writers like Wright Thompson, Jeff Pearlman, guest on Episode 33, Jackie McMullen, Jack McCollum, and John Feinstein who have inspired her throughout the years, from young basketball player to professional
At about 4:10, Mirin talks about her basketball career and her skills at this point of the pandemic
At about 5:35, Mirin discusses “ ‘Eureka’ ” moments in a “Women Writers Class” at Lewis and Clark College that put her on the track to professional writing
At about 6:55, Mirin discusses the formative writers like Toni Morrison and Virginia Wolff from the college course who helped her feel okay about becoming
At about 8:55, Pete asks Mirin about her touching piece for The Ringer on Gigi Bryant and how the structure added to the article’s pathos
At about 9:40, Mirin further explains the mechanisms of the article, her rationale on writing the article as she did, and some further information on Kobe and his connection to his daughters and Team Mamba
At about 12:25, Mirin talks about her reporting for the Tyler Skaggs Bleacher Report story and about how she wanted to avoid any reductive stories regarding a beloved father, husband, friend, and son
At about 15:15, Pete and Mirin begin talking about Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP and the automatic love and admiration felt for Giannis after reading the book and how far back Mirin’s research goes
At about 17:15, Pete compliments Mirin and asks about the Prologue and the Epigraph and the rationale for starting the book in such a way
At about 18:15, Mirin details an opening story
At about 19:00, Mirin gives some background on Giannis and his family and being without official documents and Greek citizenship
At about 20:00, Mirin and Pete discuss Victoria and Charles Antetokounmpo and the “hunger” of the family from its days in Sepolia, Athens, and the ways in which the family is so hardworking and close-knit and loving
At about 23:00, Mirin describes the painting that she references in the book as incredibly meaningful to the Antetokounmpo family
At about 24:10, Pete asks Mirin how she squares the generosity and kindness shown to Giannis in his days in Greece with the virulent and ongoing racism shown to him by Golden Dawn and other Greeks
At about 27:15, Mirin and Pete discuss WI/American parallels to Greek racism that Mirin writes about so skillfully in the book
At about 28:00, Mirin talks about Giannis’ innocence and some stories of his fun-loving and childlike behavior, particularly revolving around food
At about 29:10: Pete and Mirin talk about Giannis’ wellspring of desire and hunger, how he consistently works as hard as someone trying to make their high school team, and these qualities in the context of the quote he and his brothers constantly repeat, “What if we all went to sleep and woke up and we were back to where we started?”
At about 30:00, Mirin puts Giannis’ work ethic and attitude in perspective, relative to his parents’ unselfishness
At about 32:15, Mirin sums up the lack of jealousy between the brothers and Pete notes how each family’s member’s story is rendered so beautifully by Mirin
At about 34:05, Mirin talks about her ongoing connection to Giannis through the book, and how he is impossible to root against
At about 36:10, Pete asks Mirin if she knows if Giannis and the Antetokounmpos have read the book
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
You can watch this episode and other episodes on The Chills at Will Podcast YouTube Channel.
I’m excited to share my next episode with Danielle Morgan, professor at SCU (Go, Broncos!) and author of Laughing to Keep from Dying: African American Satire in the Twenty-First Century. We had a lot of fun. The episode airs on September 7.
Saturday Aug 28, 2021
Saturday Aug 28, 2021
Notes and Links Referenced on Episode 75 with Marcos Bretón
On Episode 75, Pete and The McClatchy Company’s new California Opinion Editor, Marcos Bretón, talk about his upbringing in Northern California, ideas of representation in media, formative reading, his singular writing style and opinions, his covering of Major League Baseball-including his Hall of Fame voting philosophy- and Caribbean baseball cultures, and much more.
Marcos Bretón’s Sacramento Bee writer page says that he is “Connecting the dots on issues, people and news in the Sacramento region.” He is a journalist and columnist who was awarded the Guillermo Martinez-Marquez Award by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists for “Fields of Pain,” a series of stories about the exploitation of migrant farmworkers in California.
He is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience covering California. The son of Mexican immigrants, Bretón is married and is the father of two daughters. Breton has worked at The Bee since 1989; first as a news reporter, then as a sports columnist, and then as a news columnist. He was recently named The McClatchy Company’s new California Opinion Editor.
Marcos Bretón's Sacramento Bee Page
Buy Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Baseball Player
At about 2:50, Marcos talks about bilingualism and his relationship with language as a child
At about 4:25, Marcos talks about his other Mexican-Americans’ experiences in his childhood and beyond
At about 7:30, Marcos talks about the images (or lack thereof) that were used to portray immigrants as he grew up and saw a “hijacked” narrative
At about 9:45, Marcos reflects on learning the “Reader’s Digest version” of our history and the need to “embrace the complexity of the story,” including the current need to redress past wrongs in the local and national media narratives and identify and teach current history without “looking away”
At about 15:35, Marcos discusses his thoughts on the term “pocho” in connection to the great book of the same name by Villarreal, and Marcos discusses the idea of “ni de aquí, ni de alla”
At about 20:30, Pete asks Marcos if he felt represented in what he read growing up, and how reading Richard Rodriguez
At about 22:50, Marcos lists John Steinbeck and local journalists like Ron Fimrite and Sports Illustrated, with its longform writers like Steve Wolff, who gave/give him “chills at will”
At about 27:30, Marcos explains his philosophy on “reading less of what other people were writing” in developing his own voice; he relates it to Rodriguez’s Hunger of Memory
At about 30:10, Marcos pinpoints a combination of his childhood, his well-read and opinionated parents, and his reading as making him want to be an opinión writer
At about 32:05, Marcos describes more subtle “Eureka moments” in becoming the writer he wanted to be, and how he ended up in Sacramento to stay
At about 34:05, Marcos discusses his personal circumstances and political circumstances that led to the award-winning and personally-satisfying series done with Genaro Molina and Mike Wagner-he was awarded the Guillermo Martinez-Marquez Award by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists for the “Fields of Pain” series
At about 38:30, Marcos talks about his differing views of interacting with readers online and in real life and some of his provocative takes over the years
At about 42:40, Marcos talks about his book Away Games that started with a series for The Sacramento Bee and was written with José Luis Villegas and focused on Miguel Tejada
At about 45:30, Marcos talks about the culture and milieu of baseball in the Caribbean, as evidenced through his research for his book
At around 51:00, Marcos responds to Pete’s question about ignorance versus malice in dealing with players from Latin America as the generations have gone on
At about 53:25, Marcos talks about the ways in which Latin American baseball players have changed the culture of baseball
At about 53:55, Marcos details the process of voting for The Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and how he plans his own voting
At about 55:50, Marcos and Pete discuss the merits of performance versus character when it comes to who gets into The MLB Hall of Fame, especially regarding players like Barry Bonds from the “Steroid Era”
At about 1:00:30, Pete asks Marcos how he balances objectivity and subjectivity in his writing
At about 1:04:40, Marcos discusses his visceral reaction and heartfelt column written after the racist El Paso shootings
At about 1:10:45, Marcos describes a recent article on Yvonne Walker, local SEIU head
At about 1:11:20, Marcos talks about future projects, as he now is focused on California stories for McClatchy
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
I’m excited to share my next episode with Mirin Fader on Aug 31. Mirin has written for The Bleacher Report and The Ringer, and is The New York Times-bestselling author of 2021’s, Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP.
Wednesday Aug 25, 2021
Wednesday Aug 25, 2021
Episode Notes and Links for Episode 74 with Jean Guerrero
In this episode, Pete speaks with award-winning journalist and author, Jean Guerrero. The two talk about her writing and life inspirations, her charismatic and intellectually-curious parents, her work on her incredible memoir, and writing an in-depth piece on white nationalist Stephen Miller.
Jean Guerrero is an award-winning investigative journalist and author of Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump and the White Nationalist Agenda. Her first book, Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir, won a PEN Literary Award. Her writing is featured in The Best American Essays 2019. She is an Emmy-winning border reporter, contributing to NPR, the PBS NewsHour and more. Months before Trump’s family separations captured national attention, her reporting on the practice was cited by members of Congress. She started her career at the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires as a foreign correspondent in Mexico and Central America, trekking through mountains with coffee smugglers, opium poppy producers and more. She was the 2019 “Journalist of the Year” (Society for Professional Journalists, San Diego) and one of the California Chicano News Media Association’s most influential Latina journalists in the region.
Buy Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir
Buy Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda
Jean Guerrero's Personal Website
Jean Guerrero Interview with Terri Gross and NPR’s Fresh Air
“Stephen Miller’s Dystopian America” from March 2020 in the New York Times
At about 2:30, Jean discusses her childhood in San Diego, specifically her relationship with language, including how speaking Spanish was often maligned in political circles
At about 6:15, Jean and Pete connect Jean’s seemingly disparate books and shout out former Chills at Will guest Gustavo Arellano’s well-made LA Times’ podcast on Prop 187
At about 6:50, Jean responds to Pete asking about how her father influenced her learning and writing
At about 10:30, Pete and Jean reflect on the loss of language and cultural connections due to restrictions against speaking foreign languages in schools, which leads to Jean quoting the great Reyna Grande’s ideas on “subtractive bilingualism”
At about 12:20, Jean references a pivotal event in Maria Hinojosa’s memoir that connects to a similar “crossroads” for Jean
At about 14:00, Jean details how she is a combination of both of her parents’ philosophies and skills
At about 15:55, Pete asks Jean if she “saw herself” in what she read as a kid; Jean talks about how white male-centric literature has influenced her-she mentions the article she’s currently writing that examines this “premium the culture places won white male perspectives”
At about 18:40, Jean discusses fantasy and sci-fi reading as a “refuge” and connecting with outcasts
At about 20:05, Pete connects the ideas expressed by Jean about books as refuge, as he discussed in a bonus episode of the podcast-an addendum to Episode 32
At about 21:15, Jean discusses the formative The Liars' Club by Mary Karr and The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea, read in her teacher Steve Brown’s class
At about 23:15, Pete and Jean hone in on the unforgettable scenes that depict deaths in the desert of those trying to enter the United States, as depicted in Urrea’s book
At about 24:10, Jean further lists some writers and texts that have given her “chills at will,” including Isabel Allende’s Paula
At about 27:10, Jean describes the structure/format of her book in relation to the Popul Vuh
At about 28:55, Jean describes the cultivation of her writing skills and interests that eventually led to her becoming a stellar journalist and writer, including great boosts from
At about 31:45, Jean talks about Hatemonger and its inspiration, particularly US’ policies regarding the border and immigration
At about 35:35, Jean delves into Stephen Miller's need to exclude and exact revenge, as evidenced in her book, including the opening; this leads to her outlining his childhood and adolescent behavior and ideology
At about 40:50, Jean touches upon discussions with psychologists about Stephen Miller and why she didn’t choose to include those interviews
At about 42:30, Jean discusses the special significance and obsession of 9/11 for Stephen Miller and the “refuge of white identity” that came with listening to and communicating with David Horowitz, Rush Limbaugh, Larry Elder, etc.
At about 44:40, Pete compares Tony Soprano to Stephen Miller (yes, you read correctly)
At about 47:45, Pete asks Jean her thoughts on the “normalization” of Stephen Miller; Jean talks about him being covered as either an “aberration” without historical context, and/or not calling his views what they are-white racist, nationalist views
At about 52:30, Jean examines Stephen Miller as the logical extensión of Richard Spencer and similar people “mainstreaming” white supremacy through their dress and use of “dog whistles”
At about 56:35, Pete asks about who needs whom more-Stephen Miller or Donald Trump
At about 57:55, Pete wonders what questions Jean would have asked Stephen Miller if she had been able to interview him
At about 59:20, Jean and Pete discuss Stephen’s family situation, in which his great-grandmother railed against forgetting the family’s US’ origins as refugees; this leads to a discussion of the vile Camp of the Saints that Stephen continues to push
At about 1:01:25, Jean describes the coldblooded phone call Stephen made as a kid to former friend Jason Islas
At about 1:03:20, Jean discusses Crux and its origins and challenges in terms of the quote “to ignore the truth is to deny oneself”; this leads to Jean describing the process and emotions associated with jumping into such personal subject matter, including hard, but necessary, work at Goucher College with mentor Suzannah Lessard
At about 1:06:25, Pete talks about Crux as, “in the best sense of the word, ‘unclassifiable’ ”
At about 1:07:00, Pete and Jean discuss the moving scenes in which Jean’s grandmother details traumas in her life
At about 1:09:10, Jean outlines self-discovery in connection to the origins and history of her family, as well as the power of writing the memoir and her gratitude to her teacher Steve Brown for inspiring her
At about 1:11:00, Pete details some masterful writing by Jean regarding existentialism and “nothingness” and the distinctive experiences of children (especially the girls) of divorced parents
At about 1:14:50, Pete notes the second-person usage of Part IV of the book, and Jean explains the rationale for the usage
At about 1:17:30, Jean gives the background and rationale for the title of her memoir
At about 1:19:43, Jean reads an excerpt from Crux, a second-person address to her father
At about 1:21:06, Jean reads an excerpt from Hatemonger
At about 1:22:55, Jean talks about her exciting work upcoming for The Los Angeles Times as a new columnist, including her desire to debunk misinformation, as she’s seen how it has hurt her father so badly
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
You can watch this episode and other episodes on
I’m excited to share my next episode with Marcos Breton on Aug 28. Marcos writes for the Sacramento Bee, and is California Opinion Editor for McClatchy Newspapers.
Saturday Aug 21, 2021
Saturday Aug 21, 2021
Show Notes and Links to Roberto Lovato’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 73
On Episode 73, Pete talks with Roberto Lovato about his outstanding, moving, and illuminating memoir, Unforgetting. Using the book as a foundation, the two talk about US foreign policy in El Salvador and beyond, media and propaganda, connections between the past and today, “La Matanza” and other traumatic events in El Salvador’s history, the importance of “unforgetting” and “re-membering,” and hope as embodied by the Salvadoran resolve and beauty shown despite great tragedies.
Roberto Lovato is the author of Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs and Revolution in the Americas (Harper Collins), a memoir picked by the New York Times as an “Editor’s Choice” that the paper also hailed as “Groundbreaking…. A kaleidoscopic montage that is at once a family saga, a coming-of-age story and a meditation on the vicissitudes of history, community and, most of all for [Lovato], identity.” Newsweek listed Lovato’s memoir as a “must read” 2020 book and the Los Angeles Times listed it as one of its 20 Best Books of 2020. Lovato is also an educator, journalist and writer based at The Writers Grotto in San Francisco, California. As a Co-Founder of #DignidadLiteraria, he helped build a movement advocating for equity and literary justice for the more than 60 million Latinx persons left off of bookshelves in the United States and out of the national dialogue. A recipient of a reporting grant from the Pulitzer Center, Lovato has reported on numerous issues—violence, terrorism, the drug war and the refugee crisis—from Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Haiti, France and the United States, among other countries.
Roberto Lovato Personal Website
At about 2:30, Roberto talks about the journey that his book takes him on, and how it’s an investigation of secret history and
At about 4:30, Roberto talks about his literary childhood, including his connection with Danny Dunn, The Bible, and Piri Thomas, among others; he connects his reading to Carl Jung’s quote-”The gold is in the dark” and talks about his extensive lifetime habit of writing in journals
At about 7:00, Roberto discusses education’s history in his family and gives background on his father's childhood in El Salvador; this leads to an outline
At about 10:10, Roberto explains the feeling of being “half-dead” as a Salvadoran-American and ideas of post-traumatic stress and the connections felt to his story by those of the Salvadoran and Jewish diasporas
At about 11:40, Roberto talks about obstacles to his intellectual growth, though he was identified as a “gifted” child, and he gives a summary of the book through a description of his relationships with people and places throughout
At about 12:45, Roberto talks about early reading and refuge through reading The Bible, and believing that “words had the power of God”
At about 14:20, Roberto talks about the different religious organizations he’s been part of in his life, with his love for The Word being the one constant
At about 15:30, Pete references the universal and hyper-specific references to trauma and fascism and quotes the wise Hannah Arendt, saying “terror forces oblivion”; Roberto reverses the Arendt quote and connects it to US government policies of Central American child separation and “normalization of fascist tendencies” in the US
At about 21:00, Roberto explains the path he took to becoming a writer/journalist and the path to Unforgetting that crystallized around age 50, including visits to Karnes, Texas and learning about migration stories and jailing and separation of Central American children and America’s historically-destructive role in Él Salvador
At about 25:10, Pete compliments the ways in which Roberto seamlessly builds pathos through the nonlinear narrative, and this leads to talk of earlier Salvadoran immigration caused by Reagan and US policies in the region, as evidenced by what was once called The School of the Americas
At about 28:30, Roberto talks about the ways in which Salvadorans and Central Americans are erased from telling their own stories and how organizations like FAIR have found disturbing patterns in diction that paints Central Americans as two-dimensional; Roberto also cites his own research on media narratives, written for The Columbia Journalism Review
At about 35:00, Roberto discusses the interests of the United States, especially economic ones, as catalysts in backing horrible governments in Central America and beyond, in particular in backing the Salvadoran military dictator who enacted “La Matanza,” in which 10-40,000 are said to have been killed
At about 37:00, Roberto cites his book as an “only” among the “Big Four Publishers” and he talks about how hard he had to work to tell his Central American stories, as opposed to those writers who are not Central American and often tell one-sided, surface-level stories for which they are often lauded
At about 39:20, Roberto talks about his book as an exploration at the way he and other Americans look at their country and at themselves; he explicates by talking about ideas of “American exceptionalism” in movies and media
At about 42:40, Roberto and Pete delve into Salvadoran “Conradesque” depictions by mainstream writers, especially the famous/infamous quote by Joan Didion-Roberto’s article about her words is here
At about 47:00, Pete asks Roberto about the flipside of negative and simplistic portrayals of Salvadorans-the failure to know them in society as a whole AND the lack of knowledge within the Salvadoran communities of past history and atrocities; Roberto quotes Roque Dalton and interesting poll numbers
At about 48:55, Roberto’s interesting take on important parts of the Salvadoran experience being “lost in translation” reminds Pete of an anecdote from the book about a well-read Salvadoran gang leader and leads to discussions of retelling and stories’ and their differing context and Roberto’s takes on being bilingual and bicultural
At about 51:50, Roberto talks about the significance of the book’s title and its connection to ancient Greek and Hannah Arendt
At about 56:25, Roberto discusses his use of “re-membering” in the book and its implications and the power of rebellion in his life
At about 59:50, Roberto talks about various meanings of apocalypse and its connections to the book
At about 1:02:30, Roberto explains the statistics from various institutes that place the Salvadoran “La Matanza” of 1932 as one of, or possible, the worst concentrated massacre in 20th century
At about 1:04:15, Roberto discusses the Salvadoran indigenous people as by far the biggest victims in state violence and connections between Vietnam and El Salvador
At about 1:05:25, Pete compliments the beautiful ending of the book with its beautiful sewing metaphor
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a
five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify, Stitcher, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this episode and other episodes on YouTube-you can watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
I’m excited to welcome the intrepid, thoughtful, and profound journalist, Jean Guerrero, for my next episode, so be sure to check out that episode on August 25.
Tuesday Aug 17, 2021
Tuesday Aug 17, 2021
Show Notes and Links to Clifford Brooks’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 72
On Episode 72, Pete welcomes Clifford Brooks, poet supreme, passionate creative, and founder of Southern Collective Experience, which publishes the fabulous journal of culture, Blue Mountain Review. They talk about Cliff’s idyllic childhood of curiosity and wonder, his faith in continuing to channel this wonder and passion into his work, his coming relatively late into poetry, music and its inspiration for his writing, resonant lines, myth as a muse, consistent themes in his work, and much more.
Clifford Brooks was born in Athens, Georgia. His first poetry collection, The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysic, was re-issued by Southern Collective Experience in August 2018. His second full-length poetry volume, Athena Departs: Gospel of a Man Apart, as well as a limited-edition poetry chapbook, Exiles of Eden, were published by Southern Collective Experience in 2017. Clifford is the founder of The Southern Collective Experience, a cooperative of writers, musicians and visual artists, which publishes the journal of culture The Blue Mountain Review and hosts the NPR show Dante’s Old South. He is on the faculty of The Company of Writers, and provides tutorials on poetry through the Noetic teaching application.
The Southern Collective Experience Website
Buy The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysics
"A Bookshop Interview with Clifford Brooks"
CLIFFORD BROOKS
IN CONVERSATION WITH
TERENCE HAWKINS
Dante's Old South NPR Radio Show on Spotify
At about 1:45, Clifford Brooks talks about the methods in which his work has been published-re: rights, second edition, etc.
At about 3:30, Cliff talks about his childhood relationship with reading and the written word and how he was encouraged to explore his curiosity
At about 7:00, Cliff talks about the power and importance of play in his childhood, being on the autism spectrum
At about 8:40, Cliff talks about the connections between the playful, curious, imaginative kid and his creative power as an adult poet
At about 10:40, Cliff talks about writers who have given, and continue to give, “chills at will,” like Pinsky, Kelli Russell Agodon, Chen Chen, Langston Hughes, Louise Gluck, and Dante, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Rilke; Cliff expands on Rilke’s pull
At about 14:20, Cliff talks about the outsized pull of music in his life, including its effect on him becoming a poet; Pete shouts out three music recs he received and loved from Cliff’s show, Dante’s Old South Radio Show-Cutso, Lyrics Born, and Turkuaz
At about 17:40, Cliff and Pete discuss the mythological “Easter eggs” in Cliff’s work, as well as references of “haunting” with Robert Johnson and connections to addiction and “Old Scratch”
At about 21:25, Pete asks Cliff to tell the audience about his “ ‘Eureka’ moment” that impelled him to continue writing, as well as how an agent pointed Cliff to poetry over the other genres
At about 30:45, Cliff talks about the difference between imitation and inspiration and his early days “learning to write” poetry after having written other styles
At about 32:45, Cliff talks about the importance of truth in poetry and how seriously he takes it in his own writing
At about 35:00, Cliff details his editing process and it being essential for him and creating connections; Pete follows up with a questions about the connection between catharsis and editing
At about 37:00, Clifford denies the importance of “decoding poetry” and trumpets the power of subjectivity
At about 39:30, Cliff discusses purpose in his poem, as epitomized by a Jericho Brown quote
At about 41:40, Pete outlines some thematic and stylistic “throughlines” in Cliff’s poetry, including passion and wanderlust, which leads Cliff to talk about the seeking of travel, both literal and metaphorical
At about 43:30, Pete asks Cliff about the Nietzche epigraph
At about 45:50, Cliff and Pete agree on the connectivity that paradoxically comes with solitude and the quiet of writing poetry
At about 47:00, Clifford talks about the magic of the twilight hours and his kinship with past guest of both Cliff and Pete, standout prose poet José Hernández Diaz
At about 48:40, Pete identifies the poem “In the Beginning” and some resonant lines
At about 50:35, Pete and Cliff discuss abandonment/restlessness through a poem that references Alice in Wonderland
At about 53:15, Cliff touches on themes like moderation from “The Transparent Mess of an Unbalanced Man”
At about 54:10, “A Father Sits with a Son” brings about resonant lines and discussion of “Live and Let Live” and beautiful “moments in time” with his father
At about 55:55, “The Last Wispy Gypsy” provides a thrill-inducing line
At about 56:30, Cliff references Kid Cudi in talking about “night terrors” and “childlike quality” in his work
At about 58:30, Pete quotes some of Cliff’s work as the two discuss regret and the temporal nature of happiness as a consistent theme in Cliff’s work
At about 59:55, Pete and Cliff add to their playlist of songs that correspond to the poetry’s subject matter, including “Everlong”
At about 1:00:30, Cliff and Pete discuss amicable breakups “with no malice” and the consequences of life decisions like starting a family, etc.
At about 1:03:00, Pete quotes the “Scotch, Scuffles, and Sermons” and a “musical” line from the piece that leads into discussions of spirituality and the connection between spirit and flesh
At about 1:08:00, Cliff dissects some of his “methodical, but not contrived” rhymes and syntax that work to enhance the ethereal quality of the words
At about 1:10:50, Cliff talks about mythology and its connection to his inspirations
At about 1:12:55, Cliff introduces and reads from “The Original Title Failed Me”
At about 1:17:15, Cliff introduces and reads from “Colors of Parish, Sex, and Essence”
At about 1:19:30, Cliff gives some info on his myriad projects, including the fabulous Blue Mountain Review and contact info
At about 1:22:20, Cliff talks about upcoming projects, including fiction and poetry publications
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can find this and other episodes on The Chills at Will Podcast YouTube Channel. Please subscribe while you’re there.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
Friday Aug 13, 2021
Friday Aug 13, 2021
Show Notes and Links to Jason Heller’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode
On Episode 71, Pete talks with Jason Heller about his early influences, turning points in his writing life, his book Taft 2012 and its legacy, his deep dive into sci-fi music with Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded, his view on writing reviews of subjective art forms, and exciting upcoming projects (a 90s punk-rock story mixed with magic and ideas of belonging!).
Jason Heller is the author of STRANGE STARS, a book about science fiction's influence on ’70s music (David Bowie, P-Funk, Hawkwind, Rush, Kraftwerk, Devo, and everything in between). It was published in hardcover and paperback by Melville House Publishing and is available everywhere books are sold. Jason is also the author of the alternate history novel TAFT 2012 (Quirk), the Goosebumps book SLAPPY'S REVENGE (Scholastic), the Pirates of the Caribbean book THE CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW HANDBOOK (Quirk), and numerous short stories in magazines and anthologies. He’s the former nonfiction editor of CLARKESWORLD and won a Hugo Award in 2013 as part of that editing team, and he also penned a chapter of Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s THE TIME TRAVELER'S ALMANAC (Tor). He’s written about pop culture for THE NEW YORKER, THE ATLANTIC, ROLLING STONE, PITCHFORK, NPR, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, THE A.V. CLUB, and many others. His next novel REPEATER, an urban fantasy set in the '90s punk scene, will be published in 2021 by Saga Press/Simon & Schuster; his memoir EXTRATERRESTRIAL SUMMER will be published in 2022 by Melville House. His most recent band was the internationally-touring post-punk outfit WEATHERED STATUES (Svart Records). He is represented by Eddie Schneider, Vice President of JABberwocky Literary Agency, and he lives in Denver with his wife.
Buy Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded (Amazon)
Buy Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded (Bookshop)
NPR Review of Holly George Warren’s Janis, about Janis Joplin
Jason Heller's Pitchfork Writer Page
At about 3:00, Jason talks about J.G. Ballard and the idea of being a “geek” and “a
At about 5:10, Jason discusses his childhood relationship with the written word and reading and writing as ways of combating anxiety; he also references his huge fandom for Star Wars and Star Trek and other science fiction and fantasy
At about 9:05, Jason outlines the pop culture boom in his later childhood and his dive into unorthodox music (Queen, etc.) as“survival mechanisms”
At about 12:00, Jason describes the pull of David Bowie for him and like minded friends
At about 12:55, Jason lists writers who have given, and continue to give him, “chills at will”-including J.G. Ballard and the band The Buzzcocks
At about 18:10, Jason describes the particular ethos of Pete Shelley of The Buzzcocks
At about 20:45, Jason talks about inspiration from music critics and reviews that sent him more and more into the world of writing as a profession, including his start with the world of “zines.”
At about 23:20, Jason talks about a “Eureka moment” in his budding writing career in which forged a connection with Westword Magazine in Denver, getting notice due to a review of a favorite of Jason’s, Jonathan Richman
At about 27:40, Jason talks about music writers like Lester Bangs and Greil Marcus and others who “energized” him as a young writer
At about 30:30, Jason talks about his book Taft 2012-its genesis and subject matter, as well as his classification of it as “alternate history”
At about 40:15, Jason and Pete discuss the “butterfly effect” and its many iterations in pop culture and how he turned the trope on its face in Taft 2012
At about 41:30, Jason talks about his use, or lack thereof or “magical realism” and how he used folklore and folktales in his book on Taft
At about 44:40, Jason talks about salient themes in the book, especially the lionizing of our US leaders
At about 50:00, Jason talks about the beginning of his book, Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded and its emphasis on the 1970s music scene and how the sci-fi-inflected music inspired the book
At about 53:35, Jason talks about the book’s circular nature, “bookend[ed]” by David Bowie songs
At about 55:20, Jason and Pete discuss the 1969 moon landing and its influence on the music of the age
At about 59:00, Jason and Pete trace the connections in Jason’s book to the changing American landscape/technology and the changes in sci-fi music, from
At about 1:01:30, Jason and Pete talk about Star Wars and Star Trek and their consistent pull on Jason and their parts in the sci-fi pop culture zeitgeist
At about 1:06:10, Jason discusses the ways in which sci-fi music evolved with the evolution
At about 1:07:25, Jason is asked if he thinks sci-fi music has gotten a bad rap in the tiers of “high art” in pop culture; he references strong sci-fi writers like Charlie Jane Anders and also talks about how standouts like Sun-Ra and Parliament-Funkadelic and David Bowie often had their music examined through any genre but sci-fi
At about 1:14:20, Pete compliments Jason’s portrayal of David Bowie and how Jason traces the “family tree” of sci-fi music in a nonlinear, interesting way
At about 1:15:20, Jason discusses his writing of reviews and Pete asks him what it is like to judge someone’s art, as art is so subjective; he gives an interesting take on how he approaches writing and reading reviews
At about 1:18:40, Jason explains the changing mores in terms of writing cruel and “savage” music reviews, including by Pitchfork Magazine
At about 1:24:15, Jason talks about his upcoming book projects, including an evolving book idea and Repeater, a novel set in the 1990s punk rock scene
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a
five-star review.
You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify, Stitcher, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this episode and other episodes on YouTube-you can watch and subscribe on The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
I’m excited to share Episode 72 on August 17. The episode is with Clifford Brooks, poet, writer of, most recently, Athena Departs: Gospel of a Man Apart, founder of The Southern Collective Experience, a cooperative of writers, musicians and visual artists, which publishes the journal of culture The Blue Mountain Review and hosts the NPR show Dante’s Old South.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
Tuesday Aug 10, 2021
Tuesday Aug 10, 2021
Show Notes and Links to John Domini’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 70
On Episode 70, Pete welcomes John Domini, author of 2021’s The Archaeology of a Good Ragú. The two talk about the structure of John’s book, his precise and beautiful writing, his father in both his Neapolitan and American lives, Napoli as a character with a tumultuous and joyous history and fraught present, and Napoli and John’s father and the ways in which they have shaped John.
John Domini is an Italian-American author, translator and critic who has been widely published in literary and news magazines, including The Paris Review,The New York Times, Ploughshares,The Washington Post, and Literary Hub. He is the author of three short story collections, four novels, and a memoir, The Archeology of a Good Ragu: Discovering Naples, My Father and Myself, available now wherever you buy books. Domini has also published one book of criticism, one book of poetry, and a memoir translated from Italian. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. Domini lives in Des Moines with his wife, the science fiction writer Lettie Prell.
Domini has taught American Literature and Creative Writing at many places, including Harvard University and Northwestern University. His work has earned praise from Richard Ford and Salman Rushdie, among many others.
Buy The Archaeology of a Good Ragú Through Amazon
Buy The Archaeology of a Good Ragú Through Bookshop
At about 2:00, John talks about his mindset and the experience of releasing a book during the pandemic
At about 7:10, John talks about the great gifts bestowed by his father, and the ways in which he allowed his son John to carve his own path and find his own calling; also, John talks about his father and the ways in which he was and wasn’t “Hollywood”
At about 9:50, Pete and John discuss John’s book, and great literature in general, as being
At about 12:25-14:00, Pete and John discuss their own experience with Italian men, like John’s father and Pete’s grandfather, who buck the trope of the domineering Italian patriarch
At about 14:00, John talks about how Stanley Tucci and his CNN show as representative of the shift in understanding of Italian masculinity
At about 15:00, John talks about his childhood reading and relationship with the written word, including a huge interest in Roger Angell and Kafka and Hemingway and the magic that mythology held for him
At about 18:55, John talks about studying with the great Donald Barthelme, John Barth, Stanley Elkin, and Anne Sexton
At about 21:20, John explains the meaning of “dietrologia” and its connections to his life and his book; he also describes why and how he uses Neapolitan aphorisms as chapter titles, and the abundance of Italian dialect
At about 25:35, Pete and John talk about bilingualism and its helpful effect on the speaker’s English vocabulary; the two focus on the etymology and contemporary usage of “mammone”
At about 28:40, Pete asks John the connections between bilingualism and one’s writing in his primary language; John cites Nabakov and his views on the “flexibility” of bilingualism
At about 36:20, John talks about various times in which he discovered that his writing skills could make him a living and make for a fulfilling career
At about 39:30, John talks about working with the great Susan Orlean at The Boston Globe
At about 41:25, Pete and John talk about Naples itself and its vitality and energetic nature, including the tough time Naples has had with COVID-19
At about 46:00, John reads and discusses the beginning of the book, including the epigraph from W.S. DiPiero and the first chapter aphorism: “Mo Lo Facc’ ”
At about 48:45, John reads from the first chapter
At about 51:25, Pete notes beautiful and compelling phrasing from John’s reading and John’s notes
At about 55:30, John shows and describes Pulcinella, a representative of Naples and its ethos
At about 56:30, John and Pete discuss the book’s structure and the flashbacks and aphorisms and how they add to the greatness of the book
At about 57:55, John talks about “pulling a story out of a mass of material” in deciding that the book would be a memoir
At about 1:01:05, Pete and John laugh over an anecdote from the section on “love” in the book, and then talk about John’s father and his view of romance
Pete links the book to the writing of Roberto Saviano, especially his epic Gomorrah
At about 1:07:35, John talks about an aphorism used in the book that concerns the octopus
At about 1:09:10, John describes the section of the book (the excerpt was published in LitHub) that relates to the aphorism about laughing and crying in relation to the Neapolitan Camorra
At about 1:10:20, John explains his interactions with the artistic side of Naples and his encounter with Paolo Sorrentino
At about 1:15:40, Pete talks about the cornuto being “lost in translation”
At about 1:17:00, John discusses the section of the book dealing with the quiet but pervasive reach of the Camorra, even within the lives of John’s relatives
At about 1:22:00, John explains the section of the book that deals with the aphorism “Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi” and connects it to contemporary immigration to Italy and his father’s own past and immigration story
At about 1:26:00, Pete and John connect the book’s immigration section to the classic Italian movie Lamerica
At about 1:28:00, John reflects on what he sees as visits/messages from his father after his father’s passing
At about 1:29:05, John discusses on Part V of the book
At about 1:30:35, John gives background on the Four Days, an uprising in Naples that left a huge impression on his father and on Naples as a whole; John talks about the experience of seeing the movie with his father, and recommends some good Rossellini post-war movies
At about 1:33:45, John connects Los Angeles and Naples and their immigrant histories in talking about his father, him, and his daughter
At about 1:35:00, John talks about his family’s religious history, his last name, and the iteration it took on when his father immigrated
At about 1:39:00, John talks about future projects and his continuing work
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify and on Amazon Music. Follow The Chills at Will Podcast on IG,, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can find this and other episodes on The Chills at Will Podcast YouTube Channel. Please subscribe while you’re there.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
Show Notes and Links to Ed Odeven’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode
On Episode 69, Pete talks with Ed Odeven about the Tokyo Olympics, Ed’s interesting writing history and work in Japan, and his well-researched and engrossing biography of the great writer Jerry Izenberg.
Ed Odeven is a veteran sportswriter based in Tokyo. Currently writing for JAPAN Forward, he spent nearly 14 years at The Japan Times. Odeven, who reported from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Games, served as the sports editor for Arizona State University's State Press and the Arizona Daily Sun.
Buy Going 15 Rounds with Jerry Izenberg (Amazon)
Buy Going 15 Rounds with Jerry Izenberg (Bookshop)
News flashback: Track meet at LBCC in October 1993 – Ed Odeven Reporting
Promoting ‘Going 15 Rounds With Jerry Izenberg’ – Ed Odeven Reporting
At about 2:20, Ed talks about covering the Olympics and what stories to write, as well as efforts to postpone/cancel the Olympics (the episode was recorded on June 7), and Pete and Ed talk about the uncertainties
At about 6:35, Ed talks about his relationship with sports and reading as a kid, including his love of daily news in the press; Pete and Ed talk about Dickens’ greatness, Hemingway, particularly his masterful “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” and Roots and The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley
At about 14:25, Ed talks about his interests in reading books that were purely about sports and about books that featured sports in tandem with social issues
At about 15:40, Ed talks about moments in which he realized that he loved and was good at writing
At about 20:25, Ed details how he began writing in Japan and connections to the great Hideo Nomo
At about 24:00, Ed discusses the ways in which his physical distance from the US has changed his views of sports in society and its importance, as well as the culture of “Wa”, as shown in the book that Ed recommends-You Gotta Have Wa, by Robert Whiting
At about 28:10, Ed explains the genesis of his book idea about Jerry Izenberg, as well some of the writers, like Peter Vecsey and Peter Kerasotis, Linda Robertson, and Marc Stein, who have inspired him throughout his career and even before
At about 32:45, Ed outlines the book and its first and second part delineations and the blog articles which make up the bulk of the first half of the book
At about 34:20, Pete and Ed discuss some legends who influenced and were influenced by Jerry Izenberg, like Dick Schaap, Stanley Woodward, and Shirley Povich; this leads to Pete asking Ed his thoughts on “old journalism” versus “new journalism”
At about 40:45, Ed puts Jerry’s writing style into perspective, with respect to a famous quote from Stanley Woodward about “newspaper men” versus journalists and how this phi
At about 43:30, Ed describes how part of Jerry’s greatness comes from the fact that he has straddled different eras and writes with so much depth
At about 45:20, Ed gives background on the connection between Jerry’s religious and ethical concerns and his writing and Project Pride
At about 50:00, Ed speaks about the unique relationship that Jerry had with Muhammad Ali and some of the interesting stories related in Ed’s book
At about 52:00, Pete and Ed discuss Jeremy Schaap, Wallace Matthews, and others and the ways that they praise Jerry in Ed’s book
At about 53:20, Ed recounts incredible Jerry’s Super Bowl streak
At about 57:40, Ed talks about Jerry’s relationship with boxing, as recounted by Wallace Matthews, and how and why Jerry’s obituary written for Muhammad Ali went viral
At about 1:01:55, Ed is asked to speak to Jerry’s legacy and mentions even more lasting relationships that weren’t extremely well-known, including with Roberto Clemente, Yogi Berra, as well as the importance of Larry Doby
At about 1:06:10, Ed talks about the balance of the book being a labor of love but also a long grind
At about 1:08:30, Ed quotes Alex Belth as calling Jerry a “Zelig” in a sporting sense
At about 1:10:00, Ed describes the book’s iconic cover photo and some background
At about 1:11:00, Ed talks about post-publishing plans and gives contact information for him and for buying his book
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a
five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify, Stitcher, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this episode and other episodes on YouTube-you can watch and subscribe on The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
Show Notes and Links to Chris Stuck’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 68
On Episode 68, Pete welcomes Chris Stuck, author of 2021’s Give my Love to the Savages. Chris and Pete discuss, among other topics, Chris’ standout debut short story collection, Give My Love to the Savages, the line between “writing what you know” and its opposite, art and its connection to social justice, themes of identity, privilege, and loneliness, and Chris’ aptitude with humor and place.
Buy Give my Love to the Savages Through Amazon
Buy Give my Love to the Savages Through Bookshop
Chris L. Terry’s Interview with Chris Stuck for Electric Lit
At about 2:25, Chris talks about his experience in the run-up to the July 6 publication of his short story collection
At about 3:50, Chris gives background on his childhood relationship with the written word-both in what he read and what he
At about 6:15, Chris reflects on ways in which he did and didn’t feel represented in what he read as a kid
At about 7:30, Chris discusses his hip-hop influences and how they, as well as comedians, have impacted his writing and reading
At about 10:30, Chris talks about writers and texts that have given him “chills at will,” including James Alan McPherson, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Jamel Brinkley, Robert Stone, Roxane Gay, and Charles D’Ambrosio
At about 13:00, Chris details what it means on a daily basis to be a writer
At about 14:45, Pete asks Chris about his views of art and social justice
At about 17:55, Chris explains why he sees James Baldwin’s work as chill-inducing
At about 20:00, Chris outlines his journey to published writer, including his time under fellowships and at George Mason University
At about 27:35, Chris talks about humor on the page and seeing it as as organic process
At about 29:20, Chris discusses any inspirations for his short story collections in connection with the adage “Write what you know”
At about 31:55, Chris and Pete fanboy out about epigraphs and Chris explains the significance of his book’s epigraph
At about 36:00, Chris talks about the first short story of his collection, as well as why he choose to use second-person
At about 46:30, Chris and Pete discuss identity as a theme in the story collection, including the story “Lake of No Negro” and its connections to Get Out
At about 56:35, Chris and Pete talk about privilege and guilt and make connections to Dave Chappelle’s Clayton Bigsby while discussing two stories from Chris’ collection; Chris talks about trope expectations that are often foisted on works by writers of color
At about 1:02:45, Pete details some standout lines-both funny, poignant, and thought-provoking-from the collection, and Chris comments on themes that are connected to these stories, especially the titular story
At about 1:07:00, Chris discusses the standout story “Cowboys” and one haunting scene
At about 1:08:20, Chris and Pete talk “And Then We Were the Norisses” and “This is Music” and their connections, to loneliness and alienation and Pete’s remembrance of Andre Dubus’ “Girls Unpopular Together”
At about 1:12:30, Chris explains his grasp of place in his writing
At about 1:15:00, Chris reads from his story “Give My Love to the Savages”
At about 1:21:00, Chris talks about future projects
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
Tuesday Jul 20, 2021
Tuesday Jul 20, 2021
Show Notes and Links to Esther Tseng’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 67
On Episode 67, Pete talks with Esther Tseng about her freelance writing, her inspirations, seeing herself and her cultures represented in what she has read and continues to read, her profound article from May 2021 after the Atlanta racist spa murders, how her work centers itself in intersections of food, culture, and much more.
Esther Tseng is a Los Angeles-based food, drinks and culture writer available for reported and editorial assignments as well as ghost-written, branded content. She has contributed to the LA Times, Food & Wine, Eater, Civil Eats, LAist, VICE, Time Out, Los Angeleno, and more.
Esther Tseng’s Personal Website
Article for Shondaland from July 30, 2020, "Food Justice Impacts Who Eats and Who Thrives"
At about 1:45, Esther talks about her childhood relationships with food and with the written word, including the interesting ways in which Taiwanese and English and assimilation played roles in her early life
At about 8:30, Esther talks about the fraught relationship of Taiwanese to Chinese governing and how her parents came from a time of censorship/language policing
At about 9:45, Esther is asked if she felt represented in what she read as a kid, and she
At about 11:25, Esther discusses her reading list from when she was a kid
At about 12:35, Esther outlines her journey to becoming a writer, with her start on a food blog, inspired by Jonathan Gold’s “Counter Intelligence” and others
At about 14:55, Esther explains why Jonathan Gold was so inspirational for her, and Pete and Esther trace some of his powerful writing to his patented second-person style
At about 17:20, Esther talks about chill-inducing literature for her, including Cathy Park Hong
At about 19:15, Esther talks about “Eureka” moments in believing in her writing talents
At about 20:20, Esther talks about contemporary food and culture writers who thrill her, including Tejal Rao, Bettina Makalintal, Nicole Clark, and Alicia Kennedy
At about 21:40, Esther discusses how she “pitches” articles and comes up with writing ideas
At about 23:50, Esther responds to Pete’s inquiries about maintaining objectivity in her writing, especially in doing food reviews
At about 27:20, Esther discusses the “Yelp Effect”
At about 28:55, Esther responds to Pete’s questions about if and how food is an unifying item that brings people and cultures together
At about 31:00, Esther and Pete discuss Esther’s writing about intersections of food and other topics and if she ever gets resistance to writing about these supposedly-disparate topics
At about 33:10, Esther talks about her writing that deals almost exclusively with food
At about 34:10, Esther explains the background and details of her enlightening article about Dolan’s, a rare Uighur restaurant in the United States, and the amazing stories associated with it
At about 39:35, Esther and Pete chat about her article dealing with “food justice” and its disparate meanings
At about 43:30, Esther discusses her recent personal essay that she wrote for Catapult, “The Silence of My White Friends After Atlanta”
At about 50:05, Pete and Esther discuss her writing about indifference and how recent pieces by R.O. Kwon and Nicole Chung illustrate Esther’s focus on the importance of building coalitions to minimize emotional labor
At about 53:30, Esther reads an excerpt from “The Silence of My White Friends After Atlanta”
At about 1:00:00, Esther reads her article about Dolan’s Restaurant, and Uighurs in America
At about 1:03:20, Esther talks about future projects, including an article that highlights mezcal grown outside of Oaxaca
At about 1:04:26, Esther shouts out a restaurant that she’s been excited about recently in the LA-area: Nossa, a Southern Brazilian restaurant
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a
five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify, Stitcher, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this episode and other episodes on YouTube-you can watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
Please check back in for Episode 68 on July 27, with Chris Stuck, whose debut short story collection, Give My Love to the Savages, has been recently released to rave reviews.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
Tuesday Jul 13, 2021
Tuesday Jul 13, 2021
On Episode 66 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete has the pleasure to speak with Gabrielle Bates, poet and podcast host. The two discuss the voracious reading that has characterized her life, allegory and symbolism and “deciphering” poetry. Gabrielle also reads and discusses two of her stunning poems and talks about The Poet Salon, the dynamic podcast she co hosts.
Gabrielle Bates is a writer and visual artist originally from Birmingham, Alabama. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Poetry Magazine, Virginia Quarterly Review, New England Review, jubilat, Gulf Coast, Mississippi Review, Black Warrior Review, the Best of the Net anthology, and BAX: Best American Experimental Writing, and her poetry comics have been featured internationally in a variety of exhibitions, festivals, and conferences.
Formerly the managing editor of the Seattle Review and a contributing editor for Poetry Northwest, Gabrielle currently serves as the Social Media Manager of Open Books: A Poem Emporium, a contributing editor for Bull City Press, and a University of Washington teaching fellow. She also volunteers as a poetry mentor through the Adroit teen mentorship program and teaches occasionally as a spotlight author through Seattle's Writers in the Schools. With Luther Hughes and Dujie Tahat, she co hosts the podcast The Poet Salon.
Show Notes and Links to Gabrielle Bates’s Work
Gabrielle Bates's Personal Website
"In the Circus" Poetry Comic from Poetry Foundation
Assorted Poems from Adroit Journal
Subscribe and listen to The Poet Salon Podcast!
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
I’m excited to share Episode 66 on July 20 with Esther Tseng. Esther is a freelance writer who covers the intersection of food and culture, and food justice.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
Talking Points/Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:
At about 2:20, Gabrielle talks about being a recent finalist for the Bergman Prize, judged by Louise Gluck and Gabrielle’s poem being published in The New Yorker
At about 4:10, Gabrielle discusses her childhood and literary influences, including early formative readings of Zora Neale Hurston and being transfixed by poetry starting in college; she explains that her grandparents
At about 6:45, Gabrielle posits on how much her early spiritual reading has influenced her later reading and writing; allegory and symbolism are clear
At about 8:15, Gabrielle focuses on how she was shaped and inspired by Zora Neale Hurston, and Pete brings up an amazing work by Zora about her childhood in Eatonville, Florida-“How it Feels to be Colored Me”
At about 10:35, Gabrielle discusses works and writers that have given her “chills at will,” including Brigit Pegeen Kelly, Linda Gregg (All of It Singing), and Vievee Francis
At about 14:20, Gabrielle talks about the genres she works in, and how she would define herself as an artist
At about 15:25, Gabrielle talks about her reading habits and reading for pleasure and for craft
At about 17:20, Gabrielle outlines her trajectory to professional and acclaimed writer and some “Eureka” moments along the way that convinced her that she was a talented writer; this includes her really exploring poetry for one of the first time in class through Richard Siken’s Crush, introduced by Keetje Kuipers
At about 22:20, Gabrielle responds to questions about her being labeled as a writer, how her two main “homes” of AL/WA complement each other, and who she feels her audience(s) is
At about 26:20, Gabrielle talks about common themes in her work and any tangential or not connections to Southern writers like William Faulkner
At about 28:30, Gabrielle shouts out contemporary Southern writers who are “knocking it out of the park,” including Jericho Brown, Natasha Trethewey, Rickey Laurentiis, Derrick Austin, Tiana Clark
At about 30:40, Gabrielle responds to Pete’s question about her thoughts on “deciphering” poetry
At about 35:05, Gabrielle explains the concept of “poetry comics” and the work she does in the genre
At about 38:30, Gabrielle reads her poem “Little Lamb” and discusses the unique formatting
At about 45:35, Gabrielle reads her poem “In the Dream in Which I am a Widow” and discusses its genesis and the idea of “pre-elegy” as done by Natasha Trethewey
At about 56:30, Gabrielle discusses the background, format, incredible guests, etc. of the awesome poetry podcast she hosts with Luther Hughes and Dujie Tahat, The Poet Salon
At about 1:03:35, Gabrielle outlines some future projects
Tuesday Jul 06, 2021
Tuesday Jul 06, 2021
On Episode 65 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete has the pleasure to speak with Natalie Lima. The two discuss Natalie’s childhood, her relationship to language and the always-welcoming library, A Separate Peace, Song of Solomon, We the Animals, and other chill-inducing literature, the writers who have inspired her, and the inspirations behind some of her most well-known works.
Show Notes and Links to Natalie Lima’s Work
Natalie Lima's Personal Website
For a Good Time, Call,” essay for Guernica, September 2020
“Snowbound,” essay for Brevity, September 2019
“Men Paid Me To Eat,” fiction for The Offing, June 2019
“Fly”-Fiction from Paper Darts, May 2017
Talking Points/Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:
At about 2:35, Natalie talks about influences growing up, including her experience speaking Spanish and her ideas of “home”
At about 4:50, Natalie talks about her relationship with the written word growing up and into adolescence, including her love of the public library
At about 6:50, Natalie discusses the pivotal high school reading years, including a favorite of Pete and Natalie’s, A Separate Peace by John Knowles
At about 10:40, Pete asks Natalie if she saw herself and her various cultures/subcultures in what she read growing up
At about 12:45, Natalie describes a few of her favorite books, including Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street and White Oleander by Janet Fitch
At about 13:35, Natalie outlines Song of Solomon and Toni Morrison’s impression on Natalie
At about 15:25, Natalie talks about contemporary writers who continue to thrill her, including Roxane Gay and her Bad Feminist and Justin Torres and his We the Animals, Myriam Gurba, Jhumpa Lahiri, T Kira Madden, Esmé Weijun Wang, Michelle Tea, Lindy West, Samantha Irby, and Jaquira Diaz
At about 20:10, Natalie details the moment(s) that made her believe in her ability to write professionally and successfully, including how Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Julia Cameron’s The Right to Write helped her rekindle her writing passion and how her professor Colette Sartor gave feedback that energized Natalie
At about 28:35, Natalie discusses her target audience(s) and the success and how she was surprised how many people were moved by “Fat Girl Cries Herself to Sleep”
At about 30:45, Natalie talks about sharing personal information in her writing, as well as how certain works of her have affected her and her readers
At about 34:35, Natalie discusses “For a Good Time, Call,” her powerful essay about the “party line” and the essay’s many layers; Pete and Natalie make connections to teenage chaos/malaise and to an NPR article about avatars and Walter Thompson Hernández and Yesika Salgado on California Love
At about 42:35, Natalie discusses the background and events and writing of “Snowbound” from Brevity Magazine and the event where college dorm gossip upset Natalie
At about 49:25, Natalie discusses her fiction piece, “Men Paid Me to Eat” and its inspiration, including its genesis with a class writing prompt
At about 53:10, Natalie reads from “Snowbound” and “For a Good Time, Call”
At about 58:40, Natalie outlines her upcoming projects
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this episode and other episodes on The Chills at Will Podcast YouTube Channel. Please like, subscribe, and share while you’re there.
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
Be sure to check out the next episode on July 13 with poet extraordinaire Gabrielle Bates.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.