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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
Friday Jan 15, 2021
Friday Jan 15, 2021
Show Notes and Links to Daniel Ruiz’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode
On Episode 36, Pete welcomes the well-read author of Coconut Versus and professor extraordinaire at Los Angeles City College, Daniel José Ruiz. The conversation is rich, as the two discuss Daniel’s transitory childhood, code-switching, masculinity, Octavia Butler’s greatness, teaching literature, Daniel’s gripping Coconut Versus, and much more.
Daniel’s Website
Buy Coconut Versus! Through Amazon
Buy Coconut Versus through Floricanto Press!
Daniel talks about mentors and the origin of his children’s unique and stellar names-at about 2:00
Daniel talks about his upcoming novel, which is currently in galley form-at about 5:10
Daniel talks about his childhood in which he moved often-at about 5:40
Daniel talks about CA’s Central Valley as a bedrock for him and a formative location in his development-at about 8:50
Daniel talks about always being the “new kid” and how that affected his development, a tendency to be proficient at “code-switching” and how being an observer helped his writing-at about 10:30
Daniel talks about his interesting approach to writing strong dialogue-at about 12:30
Daniel talks about language and literacy in his youth-at about 14:00
Daniel talks about childhood reading choices-at about 17:30
Daniel discusses some stalwarts of his adult reading, starts like Luis Rodriguez, Zora Neale Hurston, Octavia Butler, and Toni Morrison-at about 19:20
Daniel discusses Octavia Butler as his #1 favorite and how she was “incredibly prescient” in writing about power-at about 19:45
Pete and Daniel discuss sci-fi and fantasy as escapism, a refuge for people who consider themselves “outsiders” in some way-at about 21:30
Daniel quotes Butler’s Kindred and a line from Pablo Neruda as chill-inducing for him-at about 23:50
Daniel talks about The Autobiography of Malcolm X as a “seminal text” in his life-at about 25:50
Daniel discusses art and his particular writing and reading as “always [inherently] political”-at about 27:40
Daniel discusses his wife’s art and art’s place in the couple’s life-at about 31:00
Daniel talks about his recent appearance at the open mic night at Mi Espresso Cultura-at about 36:00
Daniel talks about the state of “publish or perish” in 2021 academia-at about 38:35
Daniel discusses the impact of Common Core as he sees it in his classroom-at about 40:22
Pete and Daniel discuss “engag[ing] the word on the page” with difficult-at about 44:00
Daniel and Pete discuss texts that energize and interest his students, including V for Vendetta, 1984, World War Z and Octavia Butler’s trilogy which leads to rich discussion with their realistic depictions of race, climate change, pandemic, and the vagaries of power-at about 46:20
Shout out to the LACC student favorite, Daniel’s friend Scott Creley, and his Digging a Hole to the Moon-at about 50:30
Pete and Daniel discuss The Inland Empire, described adroitly by Daniel as a “collection of contradictions”-at about 52:25
Pete and Daniel discuss the latter’s book, Coconut Versus, and its seeds, including a professor who inspired him to put his thoughts on Chicanismo on paper-at about 53:35
Daniel talks about the epigraph’s importance and his want of writing about his unique culture(s)-at about 57:00
Pete talks about his love of the book Pocho, and how Daniel sees the term “pocho,” including its connection to W.E.B. Dubois’ “double consciousness”-at about 57:55
Daniel talks about how peers often saw a need to act in a certain way as “Latino” or “Mexican”-at about 1:00:00
Daniel and Pete discuss masculinity as seen in Coconut Versus, and in society in general-at about 1:02:20
Daniel discusses the “coming-of-age- qualities of Coconut Versus-at about 1:08:30
Daniel and Pete discuss the cultural markers that make Coconut Versus authentic-at about 1:09:45
Daniel reads from Coconut Versus-at about 1:10:50
Daniel discusses the significance of the book’s title-at 1:14:45
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.
Monday Jan 11, 2021
Monday Jan 11, 2021
Show Notes and Links to Jess Walter’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode
On Episode 35, Pete talks with Jess Walter about his incredible fiction, his nonfiction roots, basketball, writing genres, chill-inducing lines, Jess’ masterpieces Beautiful Ruins and The Cold Millions, and much more.
Jess Walter is the author of nine books, most recently the national bestseller The Cold Millions and #1 New York Times bestseller, Beautiful Ruins; The Zero, finalist for the National Book Award; and Citizen Vince, winner of the Edgar Award. His short story collection, We Live in Water, was selected by Barack Obama as one of his favorite reads of 2019. His work has been published in 32 languages and his short fiction has appeared three times in Best American Short Stories.
Article on Background of Beautiful Ruins
Jess Walter’s Personal Website
Jess Writes about His “Esquire Magazine” Credentials and Interviewing Kurt Vonnegut
Article about POTUS Barack Obama listing We Live in Water as one of his favorite reads of 2019
Jess Walter describes the thrill of his short-story collection We Live in Water being listed by former POTUS Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of 2019-at around 3:10
Jess describes his place among the greatest basketball players of all-time (and among writers-”for a writer, [he’s] decent-at around 5:15
So cool! Jess describes playing on a basketball team with great writers Sherman Alexie, Shann Ray, Natalie Diaz, called “The Spokane Dirty Realists”-at around 6:15
Jess talks Gonzaga hoops (Go Zags!)-at around 7:10
Jess describes the cool 1-on-1 game that he has played throughout much of the pandemic with his brother-at around 7:55
Jess and Pete talk about the pandemic’s impact on aging basketball players-at around 9:40
Jess talks about wanting to play basketball into his 60s and 70s, maybe playing against Slick Watts or some great Seattle legends; Pete references upcoming guest Jon Finkel’s excellent book, Hoops Heist, about the insular and special basketball community that is Seattle-at around 10:45
Jess describes the importance of growing up in Spokane in a blue-collar family and literary influences-at around 12:05
Jess discusses the childhood injury that led to his “falling in love with books” and later getting into science-fiction and loving the inventiveness and play of Kurt Vonnegut-at around 12:45
Jess discusses some formative writers in his own journey to becoming a writer-”1970s cinematic realism” like Dog Day Afternoon, Raymond Carver, Hemingway, and in discovering that he loved nonfiction and journalism, Joan Didion-at around 14:00
Jess talks about “stalking” writers as a fan, writing letters and bugging them, and -at around 14:50
Jess talks about getting press credentials to set up a one-on-one meeting with Kurt Vonnegut at Gonzaga University in the mid-80s, memorialized in this article-at around 15:30
Pete and Jess discuss the similarity between Jess’ fandom of Kurt Vonnegut, and scenes from Tobias Wolff’s Old School in which poet Robert Frost is a visitor to a prep school; this leads to a broader discussion about writers and celebrity-at around 17:40
Pete and Jess discuss “Bullet in the Brain,” Tobias Wolff’s epic short story that has inspired the podcast and its title-at around 21:45
Jess, off the top of his head (!), reads the opening line of One Hundred Years of Solitude and talks about its significance as a “chill-inducing line” for him-at around 23:45
Jess talks about trusting himself as a reader to give himself the inspiration for writing, pointing to truisms from his short story “Wheelbarrow Kings”-at around 25:50
Jess talks about his early writing: journalism and his first book, based on Ruby Ridge-The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family-at around 28:00
Pete and Jess talk about the common link of many great writers, such as Jeff Pearlman, guest on Episode 33, and their formative years in crime reporting-at around 29:15
Jess talks about Beautiful Ruins and his distaste for classifying literature, particularly “historical fiction”-at around 31:20
Jess reads and discusses the importance of his epigraph for Beautiful Ruins-at around 33:00
Jess talks about the importance of the title of Beautiful Ruins, discovered in a thrilling fashion many years after he’d started the book, and how it informs a throughline of the novel-at around 34:25
Jess talks about and reads from The Cold Millions and reflects on its title’s importance-at around 35:40
Jess and Pete talk about the masterful ways in which Jess uses flashback/flashforward/juxtaposition in his last two novels to craft incredible storylines; this leads to a shared appreciation of the last scene of The Godfather Part II, discussed on Episode 25-at around 37:40
Jess discusses the non-linear construction of The Cold Millions and Beautiful Ruins-at around 40:00
Jess talks about the line between fiction and history in his writing of The Cold Millions-at around 42:00
Pete talks about the power of the ending-due to its structure-of The Cold Millions-at around 43:45
Jess talks about the parallelism of War and Peace and The Cold Millions and its ending-at around 45:00
Jess reads from the ending of Beautiful Ruins-CHILLS!-at around 44:40 (POSSIBLE PLOT SPOILER-if you don’t want to know the last part of the book, skip this part: 48:10 to 49:15
Friday Jan 08, 2021
Friday Jan 08, 2021
Show Notes and Links to Megan and Jorge Lacera’s Work
On Episode 34, Pete is honored to speak with talented writers and artists and creators, Megan and Jorge Lacera.
Artist Jorge Lacera was born in Colombia, and grew up in Miami, Florida drawing in sketchbooks, on napkins, on walls, and anywhere his parents would let him.
After graduating with honors from Ringling College of Art and Design, Jorge worked as a visual development and concept artist for major gaming studios and entertainment companies.
As a big fan of pop culture, comics, and zombie movies, Jorge rarely saw Latinx kids as the heroes or leads. He is committed to changing that, especially now that he has a son.
Jorge is currently helping to create the next chapter in the Bioshock franchise as the Associate Art Director at Cloud Chamber Studios in Montreal, Quebec.
Writer Megan Lacera grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, with a book always in her hands. She became a writer and creator of characters and worlds for entertainment companies like American Greetings, Hasbro, and Goldieblox and later formed her own creative company where she creates original content and consults on marketing, social media, and strategic direction for start-ups and large corporations.
After reading many stories to their son, Megan realized that very few books reflected a family like theirs--multicultural, bilingual, funny, and imperfect. She decided to change that by writing her own stories.
Storyline Online Reading of Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies! By Jamie Camil
Storyline Online Reading of ¡Los Zombis no Comen Verduras! By Jamie Camil (en Español)
Jorge talks about growing up with Spanish as his first language after moving from Barranquilla, Colombia, as a toddler, as well being a heavy reader of all books, and especially comic books as a kid; he also discusses solidifying his English reading abilities due to his older cousins’ influence on his reading material and how his parents joked that they had to tear books out of their print-curious young son’s hands-at around 3:00
Pete and Jorge bond over Batman: The Animated Series-at around 7:30
Jorge talks about going from children’s books and comic books to supernatural books to Star Wars and Animal Farm, which “blew [him] away”-at around 8:30
Jorge talks about Frank Miller and lines that provide him “chill at will”; and he does it off the top of his head!-at around 10:30
Megan talks about her childhood in Ohio and her love of reading sports books, particularly sports history-at around 11:40
Jorge talks about Gabriel García Márquez’s influence in his life-at around 15:30
Pete hopes to manifest the appearance of Marquez’s son, a writer himself, on a future podcast episode-at around 17:40
Jorge talks about his art-heavy education from middle school on-at around 18:00
Jorge talks about the intricacies of art education-fine art/illustration, storytelling etc.-at around 19:30
Jorge talks about the lack of representation in picture books and similar content as he was growing up-at about 21:40
Jorge talks about his college thesis and his conscious decision to create more diverse characters in response to the lack of diversity in so many areas of literature and pop culture-at about 24:00
Megan talks about writers and writing that have given her “chills at will”-at around 24:50
They begin to discuss their children’s book, Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies!, and its background in the shared job that Jorge and Megan had and their desire to create more inclusive stories-at around 27:05
Jorge and Megan talk about their desire to create fun and silly multicultural/bilingual books for children-at around 29:20
Megan talks about the increased appeal of zombies in recent years and the impetus for creating a book about zombies and as a vessel for a lot of topics they had wanted to include-at around 30:00
Megan and Jorge talk about their separate and shared duties as writers/illustrators-at around 32:00
Jorge talks about the pitching process for the book-at around 32:40
Jorge and Megan discuss the thought process of writing the book using Spanglish-at around 33:30
Jorge talks about the “balancing act” between commerce and art and the seeking out of the proper audiences, and Megan talks about the importance of creating interesting content-at around 36:50
Jorge talks about the vegetarianism theme of the book and the dining habits of young children-at around 40:22
Jorge discusses the themes of the book and how to avoid bringing these themes in a heavy-handed manner; he discusses the importance of “authenticity”-at around 44:15
Jorge discusses the structure of the book and Pete, as a reader, affirms the power of the cliffhanger set up by Jorge and Megan-at around 46:20
Jorge and Megan read from Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies!-at around 47:30
Jorge and Megan shout some smaller bookstores from which the book can be bought: Book Shop, Drawn and Quarterly in Montreal, Lee and Low Publishing, Blue Willow Books in Houston, Mrs. Dalloway’s in Berkeley--at around 50:35
Megan and Jorge talk about the first time seeing their finished, published book-at around 51:50
Jorge and Megan talk about Storyline Online and how Jamie Camil got involved-at around 53:35
Jorge and Megan talk about balancing life and writing and how they complement each other-at around 58:00
Jorge and Megan talk about their The Wild Ones book, set to be published in 2022, as well as themes/ideas therein-at around 1:02:30
Pete and Jorge and Megan talk -at around 1:06:50
Thursday Jan 07, 2021
Thursday Jan 07, 2021
Monday Jan 04, 2021
Monday Jan 04, 2021
Show Notes and Links to Jeff Pearlman’s Work
On Episode 33,Pete is honored to speak with sportswriter Jeff Pearlman. Jeff is the New York Times best-selling author of nine books, including 2020s Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaw, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty. He has written for Sports Illustrated as a senior writer, ESPN.com as a columnist and for Newsday as a staff writer. He contributes to Bleacher Report and CNN.com, and blogs regularly at www.jeffpearlman.com. He hosts the informative podcast "Two Writers Slingin' Yang."
Pete and Jeff talk about a range of subjects from Jeff's early days of reading sports page-turners, chill-inducing texts and inspiring writers, his days at Sports Illustrated, some incredible anecdotes from Jeff's writing days, Bo Jackson, Kobe, Magic, Barry Bonds, Shaq, J.R. Rider and many more standout athletes, Tupac, Donald Trump and the USFL, and much more.
Buy Three Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty
Excerpt from Football for a Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL.
Excerpt from Three-Ring Circus, via ESPN.com
Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:
Jeff Pearlman talks about his early days of being a bibliophile and an avid reader of the newspaper and how this early reading was an antidote for parochialism-at around 2:30
Jeff talks about the importance of Zander Hollander’s annual sport journals and their outsized impact on Jeff’s writing dreams-at around 7:15
Jeff talks about writers who have given him “chills at will,” including University of Delaware's Mike Freeman and his “conversational style of writing” and Pat Jordan and his great masterpiece, A False Spring, one of Jeff’s all-time favorites -at around 9:35
Pete embarasses himself by mixing up mascots for University of Delawarwe -at around 12:10
Jeff talks about the transformative power of The Autobiography of Malcolm X-at around 12:30
Jeff talks about the distinction between books that are “good”/”great”/and “important”-at around 13:50
Jeff talks about how his Jets’ fandom began-at around 15:00
A nice shout out to Sacramento’s own Ken O’Brien-at around 17:00
The discussion moves to Jeff’s impressive nine books, starting with his book about the New York Mets, after Jeff gives some background on his earliest writing jobs, including writing for The Nashville Tennessean-at around 18:10
Jeff gives his Sports Illustrated origin story, including his unsuccessful bid at becoming an NBA draftee-at around 20:00
Jeff talks about the personal turning point that was the 2001 World Series-at around 22:55
Jeff and Pete talk about the importance and gravitas of Sports Illustrated, with Jeff telling a story about how overwhelmed he was at being a part of such a legendary writing staff -at around 24:00
Pete and Jeff discuss the singular thrill of the SÍ cover, and Jeff talks about his own work gracing the cover with his story on Ichiro Suzuki-at around 27:10
Jeff discusses Donald Trump’s involvement in the USFL, as so skillfully chronicled in Jeff’s book, Football for a Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL, excerpted here-at around 28:30
Pete and Jeff discuss his Barry Bonds book and Jeff’s impressions of Bonds, Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the making of an Antihero-at around 35:25
Pete and Jeff discusses Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, Jeff’s incredible book on the late 70s and 80s Lakers juggernaut and the behind-the-scenes imbroglios-at around 38:40 and intermittently throughout
Jeff talks about the idea of a sports writer as a “fan”-at around 38:45
Jeff discusses his detailed research regimen for his writing and the importance of details and description-at around 40:45
Jeff talks about the sometimes complementary players who often make for great storylines and character sketches in his books-at around 42:45
Pete shouts out his high school crush, Vanessa Marcil, mentioned in passing by Jeff in his most recent book-at around 44:30
Jeff discusses his latest book, Three Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty-an incredible read!-and his interesting and successful choice to start the book with Magic Johnson’s 1996 comeback that may have set the Lakers back a bit in their development-at around 45:30
Jeff discusses his Author’s Note regarding Kobe Bryant’s death that begins Three Ring Circus...-at around 46:25
Jeff discusses why he started book with the Epigraph that he did and its connection to young Kobe Bryant-at around 48:10
Jeff and Pete discuss an interesting anecdote from the book, relayed by Jon Finkel, regarding Kobe’s being “coached” into social norms-at around 49:10
Jeff discusses how his initial fears about his latest book (he calls it the “hardest book [he’s] ever written) not being received favorably have been completely put to rest, still a bit to his surprise-at around 49:50
Jeff talks about the seeming disconnect between the trudging work and not-so-glitzy parts of writing a book and the reviews that come later-at around 50:55
Jeff and Pete hone in on Kobe’s personality/history as described in the book and beyond-at around 51:15
Pete asks Jeff what he would have asked Kobe about had Kobe been interviewed for the book and Jeff talks about the human condition of “youth [being] wasted on the young”-at around 51:45
Jeff talks about the reporting regarding Kobe’s sexual assault case from 2003-at around 54:00
Jeff and Pete shout out Isaac Fontaine, local hero of Pete’s, who makes a cameo in Jeff’s recent book-at around 55:30
Jeff shares his mid-1990s NBA Scouting Report-at around 57:30
Jeff shares the incredible story behind interviewing J.R. Rider for the book-at around 58:00
Jeff quotes the great Jack McCallum in talking about writing’s great payoff being in the great stories that come with the writing life-at around 1:00:14
Jeff talks about his podcast, “Two Writers Slingin’ Yang,” and his belief that writers should not be treated like royalty for being “generous with their appearances” and that he does podcasts and talks writing simply because he loves writing and good conversation -at around 1:10:10
Jeff explains the genesis of the podcast’s name-at around 1:03:50
Jeff talks about Bo Jackson and his upcoming book about Bo Jackson-at about 1:06:10
Jeff talks about his desire to write a Tupac biography-at about 1:08:10
Jeff Pearlman’s bio, from his website: “I’m the New York Times best-selling author of nine books. My latest release, Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaw, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty, came out in hardcover in September 2020 and is available now in myriad places. I am a former Sports Illustrated senior writer, a former ESPN.com columnist and a former staff writer for Newsday and The (Nashville) Tennessean. I wrote a weekly column for The Athletic, and contributed to a whole bunch of places, ranging from Bleacher Report to the Wall Street Journal to Sports Illustrated to CNN.com. I also co-host the “Two Writers Slinging Yang Podcast” as a solo artist. I’m a habitual blogger, an addicted Tweeter and a guy who knows how lucky and fortunate he is to make his career as a writer/author/Tom Cruise lookalike. There are plenty of people in this world who hate their jobs; hate starting the day; hate what they do and dream of retirement. That’s not me. I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I do what I love.”
If you have enjoyed The Chills at Will Podcast, please go to Apple Podcasts to leave me a nice review. LIKE, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE!
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.
Thursday Dec 31, 2020
Thursday Dec 31, 2020
Show Notes and Web Links
On Episode 32, Pete discusses “Extended Metaphor in Music,” through Simon and Garfunkel’s “I am a Rock,” Bob Marley’s “Cornerstone,” and Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R.”
The extended metaphors throughout the songs lead to discussion of family ties, pain and loss, commercialism, “authenticity,” and much more. The songs are deepened by the skillful figurative language used by the artists.
All of these songs can be heard in almost all, if not all, streaming platforms, by asking Alexa, on YouTube, etc.
“I am a Rock” was released in 1965 by CBS on the album Sounds of Silence.. Music. “Cornerstone” was released in 1970 on the album Soul Rebels. “I Used to Love H.E.R.’ is from the 1994 album Resurrection, on Relativity Records.
You can subscribe to The Chills at Will 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.
“Cornerstone” by Bob Marley, as analyzed on Genius.com.
Authors/Texts Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:
“All The World’s a Stage…” Discussion
Psalm 118-”The stone that the builder refused…”
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Show Notes and Links to Pete Croatto’s Work
On Episode 31, Pete is honored to talk with Pete Croatto about freelance writing, chill-inducing texts and lines, the importance of the David Stern and Larry O’Brien years in the growth of the modern NBA, athletes and activism, and much more. The bulk of the discussion is centered around Pete Croatto’s recently-published From Hang Time to Prime Time, Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA, an impeccably-researched and engrossing read.
Pete Croatto is a freelance writer in Ithaca, New York. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Grantland, SI.com, VICE Sports, and Publishers Weekly. His first book, From Hang Time to Prime Time, Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA, about the revolutionary change in the NBA between the years 1975-1989, is published by Atria Books and is out now.
Buy From Hang Time to Prime Time, Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA!
Pete Croatto’s Twitter Account
Marvin Gaye’s 1983 National Anthem at the NBA All-Star Game-video
Pete Croatto’s 2013 Grantland Article about the Marvin Gaye National Performance
Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:
*unless otherwise noted, "Pete" refers to Pete Croatto
*Pete shouts out Linkedin and talks about the incredible writing connections he has taken of advantage through the website-at around 3:30
Pete talks about the evolving and open definition of “journalist” and how there is so much room at the writing table for committed and persistent writers-at around 7:30
Pete talks about his word-rich household and his childhood surrounded by books and voracious readers-at around 12:00
Pete talks about his early days of writing, prompted by the groundbreaking work of Roger Ebert, Phillip Roth, James Thurber, sports biographies, and the great annual Complete Handbook of Pro Basketball written by Zander Holland and Fred Kerber, and talks about how he loved the basketball handbook so much that the book became two halves-at around 13:30
Pete talks about being nominated as a “Noble Selection” for Best American Sportswriting 2020, featured with heroes of his like Howard Bryant-at around 20:40
Pete talks about the love of writing and the subjectivity of accolades and the need to be persistent in the writing business, and shouts our fabulous writer from Slam Magazine, Russ Bengston-at around 23:00
Pete talks about being let down as a kid by Pete Rose, yet the “Never meet your heroes” cliche, he says, doesn’t apply to the writing world; he talks about writing heroes like Susan Orlean and Jancee Dunn and how they were overwhelmingly nice and accommodating-at around 27:30
Pete talks about chill-inducing writers and texts in his life, particularly lines from Jonathan Lethem’s The Fortress of Solitude and Curtis Sittenfield’s Prep -at around 28:30
Pete and Pete Riehl talk about great writing trumping the supposed genre (i.e. the best sports books can always “stand on their own”) and Pete reads from writing hero’s Roger Ebert’s writing advice-its chill-inducing nature stands out for him-at around 31:25
Pete Riehl talks about a memorable anecdote from The Jordan Rules-at around 36:40
Pete notes which interesting and unique stories he remembers from the impeccably-researched Showtime by favorite Jeff Pearlman-at around 37:00
Pete talks about wanting to write a substantive story that will be of interest to sports fan and non-sports fans alike-at around 38:00
Pete talks about his book, which is available in autographed form from Odyssey Books in Syracuse-at around 40:40
Pete “pitches” his book-at about 42:50
Pete talks about the choices in starting the book off as he does, with a scene from 2017’s Dancing with the Stars juxtaposed with Marvin Gaye’s famous (infamous?) singing of the national anthem at 1983’s national anthem-at about 46:15
Shout out to rap legend Kurtis Blow and his reaction to the 2017 Derek Fisher routine-at about 49:30
Pete talks about the chronological beginning of his book, with the “heroic” Larry O’Brien, transitioning into a discussion of David Stern as “the best commissioner in the history of professional sports”-at about 51:00
Pete and Pete talk about David Stern’s fastidiousness as part of his greatness, leading to a comparison to the famous “blueberry” scene from DeNiro’s Casino -at about 57:00
Pete talks about his persistence in trying to talk with David Stern for the book, and shouts out helpful writer friend, Shawn Fury-at about 1:01:45
Pete talks about the connections between Marvin Gaye’s 1983 performance and the recent activism in the sports world around Black Lives Matter, “I Can’t Breathe,” etc., as shown through the -at about 1:11:00
LeBron James, activist, as seen through the eyes of the brilliant sociologist Harry Edwards-at about 1:13:40
Pete and Pete talk about the connections between being open to listening and being a voracious reader-at about 1:23:40
Pete and Pete gush about Beautiful Ruins by author/baller Jess Walter-at about 1:27:30
Pete reads the Introduction from Hang Time to Prime Time-at about 1:29:40
Pete talks about his book as literary fiction and subtly irreverent and humorous, showing influences from James Thurber to Mad Magazine to his father-1:35:40
Pete talks about how tenuous writing for humor can be-at about 1:37:00
Pete talks about future projects and the recent article he wrote (Pete Riehl truly enjoyed it!) about Tom Chambers and Jeff Wells’ YouTube channel devoted to Chambers and crusade to get him into the Basketball Hall of Fame-at about 1:44:00
If you have enjoyed The Chills at Will Podcast, pause your podcast player right now, and go to Apple Podcasts to leave me a nice 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.
Monday Dec 07, 2020
Monday Dec 07, 2020
Show Notes and Links to Kai Adia’s Work
The Depths of Anima-buy Kai’s poetry collection!
Talking Points/Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:
Kai talks about the beautiful diversity and vibrancy of LA, and how growing up in LA has informed her writing-at about 2:20
Kai talks about her parents’ encouraging her artistic and cultural experiences through trips to museums and being artists themselves-at about 3:10
Kai talks about “art” in her life-its meanings, its iterations, and some artists who have inspired her-at about 4:30
Kai talks about her artistry in terms of visual arts/fine arts/writing-at about 6:00
Kai talks about gravitating towards science-fiction and fantasy and surrealism in arts of all types, and her gradual shift to-about 7:15
Pete and Kai talks unibrows and the genius of Frida Kahlo-at about 8:35
Kai talks about reading inside and outside of school in finding great works of literature-at about 9:15
Kai talks about discovering the wondrous Octavia Butler in middle school, first through Fledgling, and how Kai herself came to discover through reading Butler’s works that she “had many stories inside of [her]-at about 10:15
Kai shouts out Cathy’s Key, a fun text in Kai’s life-at about 11:15
Shout out to the great Lynell George and her recent portrait of Octavia Butler, A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia Butler-at about 12:00
Kai continues to talk about the “chills at will” that come from Octavia Butler, who “can take you so many places” and what is now known as Afrofuturism; Kai loves how she could “imagine the story with a person that looked like [me].”-at about 13:30
Kai talks about the tender and beautiful and complex sci-fi of Tracey K. Smith, especially Life on Mars-at about 15:15
Kai talks about Afrofuturism and its meanings and its connections to the arts of all types-at about 16:30
Pete asks Kai to convince him, a sci-fi dissenter, that sci-fi is worth reading; and she succeeds!-at about 18:10
Kai references Lovecraft Country and The Watchmen as examples of the vast array of themes available in a more open-ended view of science fiction’s possibilities-at about 21:00
Kai explains the sci-fi power of the two shows above and Get Out’s (perhaps tangential) link to sci-fi/Afrofuturism/speculative fiction-at about 22:10
Pete and Kai talk Get Out and Star Wars and allegory and Lovecraft Country and their thematic/genre-based flexibility-at about 23:50
Kai shouts out the chill-inducing and weird and original writing of Haruki Murakami, especially Norwegian Wood-at around 26:00
Kai cites the tremendous work of Tomi Adeyemi, especially Children of Blood and Bone, and Laney Taylor’s work, like Strange the Dreamer, which deals with intergenerational trauma-at around 27:40
Kai talks about the wonderful writing of N.K. Jemisin and her “fun” book from the disastrous 2020, The City We Became
Kai talks about Writegirl, the incredible LA-based organization which both Pete and Kai have great experiences with-at around 30:40
Kai talks about the importance of the mentorship and female-centric ethic of Writegirl and how it opened so many possibilities in her mind-at around 38:10
Pete asks about the meaning of The Depths of Anima, Kai’s poetry collection-at around 40:50
Kai talks about the poetry collection, including its history as a set of ideas and its construction, including the culture of the “zine,” as she experienced at Claremont-at around 43:00
Kai talks about balancing the solitude needed to write well with the idea of workshopping and sharing work in social situations-at around 44:20
Kai talks about the importance of a writing “safe space” that she learned throughout her life, particularly with Writegirl-at around 45:25
Pete asks Kai if she has a target audience, and if so, who?-at around 48:00
Kai talks about some of the positive feedback she has received about her poetry collection, including from the great Keren Taylor, the founder of Writegirl, and Nia McAllister, dynamic poet and museum professional-at around 49:50
Kai reads from her poetry collection, The Depths of Anima-at around 52:25
Pete talks about cenotes with connection to Jean Guerrero’s incredible work, Crux-at about 59:00
Kai talks about the challenges and triumphs of being a writer in 2020-at about 1:01:20
Kai talks about future projects for her and Bee Infinite Publishing, which she co founded, including challenging future writers to add to an upcoming anthology from the lens of “What kind of future do you want for our world?”-at about 1:04:15
If you have enjoyed The Chills at Will Podcast, pause your podcast player right now, and go to Apple Podcasts to leave me a nice 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.
Friday Dec 04, 2020
Friday Dec 04, 2020
Show Notes and Links to A.C. Quintero’s Work
On Episode 29, Pete is happy to welcome accomplished teacher, writer of books in Spanish for the classroom, and lifelong learner, A.C. Quintero. Profesora Quintero and Pete talk about her early reading, writing, her influences, Colombia, favorite authors and books from Isabel Allende and Ernesto Sabato to Where the Red Fern Grows, teaching Spanish through CI (Comprehensible Input) strategies, Spanish-language idioms and slang, her strategies in writing and teaching, and much more!
A.C. Quintero Personal Website
Instagram: a.c. quintero
Twitter: @klasekastellano
Facebook/TPT: Teaching Spanish Made Easy
Novels and Resources by A.C. Quintero
Teaching from The Trenches FB Teacher Resource Group
Catalog: Unlocking potential, one story at a time
Talking Points/Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:
Where the Red Fern Grows :( -Mentioned at around 8:20 and at 11:00
A.C. talks about Colombia’s influence on her-at around 22:00
A.C. talks about formative texts and writers in Spanish: Isabel Allende, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Ernesto Sabato, and his book El Túnel-at around 24:00
Pete and A.C. discuss Gabriel Garcia Marquez -at around 27:15
A.C. talks about how she got started writing books in Spanish-at around 28:30
A.C. talks about her trilogy, Las Apariencias Engañan-at around 36:00
A.C. talks about the necessary grittiness of El Escape that will captivate students and be a “page-turner”-at around 41:00
A.C. and Pete talk about Youtube, Worldstar, and the double-meaning of “Mafioso”-at around 44:50
A.C. and Pete talk about “CI” (Comprehensible Input), and how A.C. uses it in her writing-at around 45:40
A.C. talks about how she started using CI in her teaching, spurred by her teaching in an IB program-around 49:20
Like “Beyonce/Madonna/Kanye, recognizable by just one name, the great “Bryce” (Hedstrom), a giant in CI innovation, is mentioned-at around 50:50
A.C. talks about “La Persona Especial” and “A.C Quintero: Teaching from the Trenches,” her Facebook group with La Persona Especial and other CI strategies-at around 51:40
Pete and A.C. do three questions as an example of “La Persona Especial” interviews, which are a big part of CI’s efficacy and student engagement-at around 56:00
Pete talks about the importance of “game-changer/extender” words and phrases; for him, learning “agarrar” was crucial-at around 1:00:40
Pete and A.C. talk about their shared love for idioms/slangs in teaching Spanish-at about 1:01:30
Pete and A.C. talk about translating literally between Spanish and English and how to help students avoid that-at about 1:03:45
A.C. reads from her book La Clase de Confesiones-at about 1:05:30
A.C. talks about La Pasajera Misteriosa and other future projects-at about 1:08:00
If you have enjoyed The Chills at Will Podcast, pause your podcast player right now, and go to Apple Podcasts to leave me a nice 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.
Monday Nov 30, 2020
Monday Nov 30, 2020
Show Notes and Links to Christian Kiefer's Work
On Episode 28, Part II, Pete is thrilled to speak with Christian Kiefer, master author of among other masterpieces, Phantoms, a 2019 tour de force novel. Pete and Christian discuss Phantoms in greater detail, including the characters' motivations and origins, the book's impeccable ending, the "community of writers"/being a mentor and being mentored, what Christian is reading and writing these days, and much more. The listeners are also gifted by hearing Christian read from the ending of Phantoms.
Dr. Christian Kiefer grew up in the foothills of California (Auburn).
Director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
- Joined Ashland University as the new director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in January 2017
- He is the author of The Infinite Tides (Bloomsbury), The Animals (W.W. Norton), One Day Soon Time Will Have No Place Left to Hide (Nouvella Books), and 2019s Phantoms: A Novel (Liveright/W.W. Norton), in addition to other works in poetry, fiction, and drama
- Kiefer's scholarly publications focus on American literature
- As a professional musician, has released a number of albums primarily in the folk rock and avant garde traditions
- Came to Ashland from American River College in Sacramento, California, and has taught fiction in the Sierra Nevada College low-residency MFA
Christian Kiefer's Author Page
Interview with Four Way Review
Dr. Christian Kiefer's Homepage for Ashland
Twitter and IG: @xiankiefer-Twitter and IG
Christian discusses the research and background on the Vietnam War needed to make John Frazier, the narrator of Phantoms, and his experience ring true -at beginning of episode
Christian discusses the generosity and kindness of The OG/Il Padrino of The Chills at Will Podcast, Tobias Wolff-at about 1:20 (and Pete tries to play it cool when Christian says that Pete should have Tobias Wolff as a guest on the podcast)
Pete and Christian discuss Ray Takahashi from Phantoms, and the ironically beautiful writing about war in the novel-at around 3:15
Slight plot spoilers (but not really) about Homer Wilson and others from Phantoms-from around 4:15 to about 7:40
Christian discusses how an innocuous choice about enchiladas speaks to a larger point about full-bodied characters-at around 7:40
Pete asks Christian about the balancing of art and commerce-at around 11:15
Shouts out Katie Adams, his wonderful editor, for cutting some 30K words considered to be “extraneous”-at around 13:30
Pete and Christian talk about the “community of writers” and how he is simply a fan of so many writers who are part of this “Golden Age of Writing,” including Lauren Groff, C. Pam Zhang, Garth Greenwell, Michelle de Kretser, Leslie Jamison, and Michael Ondaaatje-at around 14:45
Christian talks about being mentored and being a mentor-at around 17:40
Christian reads from Phantoms-at around 19:40
Christian discusses his thought process regarding the book’s ending and the interesting idea of
writers as being “in the business of breaking hearts”-at around 22:25
Christian discusses epiphanies and ignorance displayed by John Frazier, narrator of Phantoms, and quotes Viet Thanh Nguyen in describing how John Frazier “fails up” as a white man-at around 24:15
Christian talks about teaching writing/literature-at around 26:55
Chrsitian shouts out American River College and its diversity and wonderful staff and student body-at around 30:15
Christian talks about what he’s reading and writing these days, including work by Timothy Morton and Michelle de Kretser, Old Gringo by Carlos Fuentes, and a manuscript by Reyna Grande, who has written an interesting book about the Irish in Mexico-at around 33:05
Pete talks about his connection to excellent writer and generous spirit, Reyna Grande, who often visited Pete’s SoCal high school to speak to his students after they read her page-turner, Across a Hundred Mountains-at around 34:10
Christian talks about the four novels he is currently editing/shopping around-at around 35:10
Monday Nov 30, 2020
Monday Nov 30, 2020
Show Notes and Links to Christian Kiefer's Work
On Episode 28, Part I, Pete is thrilled to speak with Christian Kiefer, master author of among other masterpieces, Phantoms, a 2019 tour de force novel. Pete and Christian discuss Christian's childhood in Auburn, CA, his writing background, great writers who were also jerks and sometimes horrible men, the bustling and exciting literary scene of 2020, Christian's research into the disgusting racism and xenophobia that frames Phantoms, and much more.
Dr. Christian Kiefer grew up in the foothills of California (Auburn).
Director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
- Joined Ashland University as the new director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in January 2017
- He is the author of The Infinite Tides (Bloomsbury), The Animals (W.W. Norton), One Day Soon Time Will Have No Place Left to Hide (Nouvella Books), and 2019s Phantoms: A Novel (Liveright/W.W. Norton), in addition to other works in poetry, fiction, and drama
- Kiefer's scholarly publications focus on American literature
- As a professional musician, has released a number of albums primarily in the folk rock and avant garde traditions
- Came to Ashland from American River College in Sacramento, California, and has taught fiction in the Sierra Nevada College low-residency MFA
Christian Kiefer's Author Page
Interview with Four Way Review
Dr. Christian Kiefer's Homepage for Ashland
Twitter and IG: @xiankiefer-Twitter and IG
Christian speaks about growing up in Auburn, CA, and how the area has influenced him as a person and as a writer-at about 3:00
Christian talks about small towns like Auburn and Newcastle and their transformation into “driveby towns”-at about 10:00
Christian talks about the formerly-thriving Chinatown/Japantown in Newcastle and about our society’s collective ineptitude at commemorating and learning from historical failures-at about 11:15
Christian talks about his origins as a reader and a writer, and those writers and familial figures who inspired him as a kid and adolescent-at about 14:00
The importance of William Faulkner’s writing in Christian’s life-at about 15:10
Christian shouts out two formative teachers of his, Michael Madden and Michael Duda-at about 15:50
Christian discusses his view of “Clarity of expression” and its lower end priority for him-at about 16:45
Christian discusses his friend Ben Percy, who writes Wolverine for Marvel Comics, and how he wants the reader to “lean forward” into the reading, while Christian wants the reader to “lean back”-at about 17:25
Christian discusses Thomas Wolfe and how “he brings the entire world” into the text-at about 18:25
Pete talks about Old Man and the Sea and its importance in his life as a “lean back book” that stimulates great memories, and how Christian’s Phantoms is a book that will now occupy that same space-at about 19:00
Christian and Pete discuss some strategies of Christian’s writing-the use of “and,” for example, and Christian’s desire to write compound sentences well, as Hemingway did-at about 20:20
Christian teaches a master class on the strategies of using coordinating and subordinating phrases in writing-at about 20:40
Pete cites an example of Christian’s above explanation on pg. 186 of Phantoms-at around 23:45
Christian discusses the reckoning with racism and misogyny in the “classic” and modern literary worlds-at around 24:45
Christian discusses the modern literary “renaissance,” with its incredible diversity and talent-at around 26:50
Christian discusses his admiration for C. Pam Zhang and her incredible 2020 novel, How Much of These Hills is Gold-at around 27:20
Pete and Christian talk about the great Tobias Wolff, a huge inspiration, the inspiration for the podcast, leading to a discussion of writers as “celebrities,” as seen in Wolff’s Old School-at about 28:50
Christian talks about the brilliant Rebecca Solnit-at around 31:55
Christian and Pete discuss some reprehensible characters, who happened to be great artists/innovators, like John Muir -how do we reckon with the art AND the artist?-at around 33:00
Christian summarizes Phantoms-at around 37:35
Christian discusses the impetus and inspiration for writing the book, including the research needed and the America and Placer County racist policies that led to a huge decrease in Japanese and Asian-Americans in the county-at around 40:00
Christian discusses his need to be precise on linguistic and cultural frameworks for novel and needing to have prospective blurb authors (Luis Alberto Urrea, Jesmyn Ward, Kirstin Chen, Claire Vaye Watkins) give him their green light-at around 43:00
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Show Notes and Links to Karla Brundage’s Work
On Episode 27, Pete is honored to speak with Karla Brundage, who he has been lucky enough to meet through Nervous Ghost Press and the virtual open mics that have coincided with the release of Writing for Life, an anthology in which Karla is featured. Karla Brundage is a Bay Area based poet, activist, and educator with a passion for social justice. Born in Berkeley, California, Karla spent most of her childhood in Hawaii where she developed a deep love of nature. She is the founder of West Oakland to West Africa Poetry Exchange (WO2WA), which has facilitated cross-cultural exchange between Oakland and West African poets. Karla is a board member of the Before Columbus Foundation, which provides recognition and a wider audience for the wealth of cultural and ethnic diversity that constitutes American writing. Her editorial experience includes a pan-Africanist WO2WA poetry collection, Our Spirits Carry Our Voices, published by Pacific Raven Press in 2020; Oakland Out Loud (2007); and Words Upon the Waters (2006) both by Jukebox Press. Her poetry book, Swallowing Watermelons, was published by Ishmael Reed Publishing Company in 2006. Her poetry, short stories and essays have been widely anthologized and can be found in Hip Mama, Literary Kitchen, Lotus Press, Bamboo Ridge Press, Vibe and Konch Literary Magazine. She holds an MA in Education from San Francisco State University and an MFA from Mills College.
About her collection of poetry, Swallowing Watermelons, Ariel Gore, Editor Hip Mama Magazine, wrote, “Karla Brundage's poetic voice is just what the world needs now. She writes truths too often silenced—truths familiar and truths unheard. Lucky you if you are holding this volume. Open it and read on! It may be just what you need now.”
West Oakland to West Africa: Connecting the African diaspora with creative writing
Karla Reads Five Poems at October 2nd, 2020 Event: “Voices of California” Through Tia Chucha’s Bookstore and Centro Cultural
Swallowing Watermelons, Karla’s book of poetry-buy it here!
Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:
Kwame Ture/Stokely Carmichael-at around 3:30
The Anderson Valley Advertiser, a place where Karla's father often published-at around 5:45
Sammy Younge Jr., first cousin of Karla’s mother, and a tragic victim of Jim Crow racism-at around 9:14
Sammy Younge was first murder victim from SNCC-at around 9:30
Book about Sammy Younge, Jr., written by James Forman-at around 12:00
The Black Panthers and their Ten Point Program-at around 15:00
Danzy Senna, a writer who has inspired Karla-at around 16:00
Toni, Morrison, particularly her The Bluest Eye, as an inspiration for Karla: a writer who gave her “chills at will”-at around 18:50
Christopher Okigbo, a source of learning for Karla, particularly with his exploration of what it means to write in a colonial language-at around 20:30
Lawrence Mamiya, formative teacher in Karla’s life-at around 20:30
The Autobiography of Malcolm X, a book that has “changed [Karla’s] life”-at around 21:10
Ishmael Reed, “family friend and mentor” and publisher of Karla’s Swallowing Watermelons-discussed at about 22:00
Karla’s rec for an Ishmael Reed piece to read: Japanese by Spring-at about 23:00
Chinua Achebe and his contribution to the dialogue around writing in English about Africa-at around 23:45
Half of a Yellow Sun by Adichie -at around 25:30
Maya Angelou and her influence on Karla-at around 27:15
2019 Citizenship Order-Ghana orders citizenship to all Black Americans-at about 39:20
The Cool Origin Story and Incredible Growth of Nervous Ghost Press-at around 43:00
Shouts out to progressive and activist poetry greats, Kim Shuck and Tongo Eisen-Martin-at about 50:55
Karla reads “Underneath”-at about 58:00
Karla reads “Why do Black people Protest”-at about 1:03:10
“I am a man” allusion explained-at about 1:04:50
Karla explains the Buffalo Soldiers connection to her family-at about 1:05:15
Tuesday Nov 17, 2020
Tuesday Nov 17, 2020
Show Notes and Links to Huda Al-Marashi's Work
On Episode 26, Pete is honored to speak with Huda Al-Marashi, fellow Santa Clara Bronco alum and writer extraordinaire. They discuss, among other topics, the process of writing and publishing her novel, the writer's daily life, target audiences in writing, the "white gaze," and Huda's inspirations in life and in literature.
Huda Al-Marashi is the Iraqi-American author of First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story, a book the Washington Post called "a charming, funny, heartbreaking memoir of faith, family, and the journey to love. If Jane Austen had grown up as a first-gen daughter of Iraqi parents in the 1990s, she might have written this.”
Excerpts from this memoir have also been anthologized in Love Inshallah: The Secret Love Lives of Muslim American Women, Becoming: What Makes a Woman, and Beyond Belief: The Secret Lives of Women and Extreme Religion.
Her other writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, al Jazeera, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of a Cuyahoga County Creative Workforce Fellowship and an Aspen Summer Words Emerging Writer Fellowship. First Comes Marriage was longlisted for the Chautauqua Prize and a finalist for the Southern California Independent Booksellers’ Award.
Huda currently resides in California with her husband and three children.
“A Birthday at the Cemetery” Huda’s essay published in 2020 in The New York Times
Pete discusses the chill-inducing ending of “A Birthday at the Cemetery” on Episode 16
Huda reads “An Index of Small Stings,” Oct. 2, 2020, as part of “Voices of California”
Buy Huda’s Wonderful Book Here-First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story
Buzzfeed Video Features Huda Discussing Debunking Stereotypes about Arranged Marriages
Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:
Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz, Writer of The Cairo Trilogy
Friday Nov 06, 2020
Friday Nov 06, 2020
SHOW NOTES:
On Episode 25, Pete discusses his favorite movie scene of all time, the ending flashback scene of The Godfather, Part II, as well as wrenching and profound flashbacks from Lorenzo Carcaterra’s books Sleepers and A Safe Place. The chills produced by these flashbacks largely come from the juxtaposition of carefree and innocent days put up against traumatic and fraught ones.
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, as of this week, on Amazon Music! Follow Pete on IG, where he's @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1.
This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he's 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 cool song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental Version”) by Matt Weidauer, used through Arches Audio. Matt’s artist page can be found here.
Authors Mentioned and Allusions and Songs Referenced During the Episode:
Michael Corleone: “I have my own plans…” and part of flashback scene
Tuesday Oct 27, 2020
Tuesday Oct 27, 2020
Camden Ostrander teaches high school English in Maryland, and he is a writer on the Dissect Podcast, Season 7, which is about artist Childish Gambino’s 2013 album, Because the Internet. He has written about the album for years through a metamodern lens, replete with a content guide, intricate and voluminous Reddit threads, and "Internet Age" contextual analysis.
SHOW NOTES:
On Episode 24, Pete talks with the brilliant Camden Ostrander, a metamodern scholar and keen observer and student of Childish Gambino, about whom he writes for Dissect Podcast's Season Seven, which is focused on Gambino's Because the Internet.
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, as of this week, 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.
You can find Camden on social media: @metamodernCam (IG and Twitter)
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.
Thanks again for listening, and I hope that these quarantine days bring you texts by writers with MAD Skills whose work gives you chills at will.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other cool song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental Version”) by Matt Weidauer, used through Arches Audio. Matt’s artist page can be found here.
Authors Mentioned and Allusions and Songs Referenced During the Episode:
Culdesac-mixtape by Donald Glover
The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Alex Haley
Malcolm X's Letter Written after Revelatory Hajj
"There's nothing new under the sun" and its meaning/connection to art
The Screenplay for Childish Gambino's Because the Internet
Shia LaBeouf and Metamodernism
Transmedia (Camden's field of study in college), its definition, and its usage in modern times
Metamodernism-its definition, usage, etc. This theory is a huge part of Camden's study of Donald Glover/Childish Gambino.
Donald Glover on Old-School Hip Hop: Hilarious