The Chills at Will Podcast

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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

Saturday Jun 01, 2024

Episode 236 with John Glionna: Author of Buy No Friday Night Lights: Reservation Football on the Edge of America and Keen Observer of Rural Life, Dynamic Real-Life Characters, and the Underdog

Saturday Jun 01, 2024

Notes and Links to John Glionna’s Work

For Episode 236, Pete welcomes John Glionna, and the two discuss, among other topics, his journalistic awakenings and the writers who influenced him, his kinship with renegades and underdogs, what it was like embedding with a small town football team, the interesting characters and rich lives lived in rural areas, and salient themes like Native traumas, pride, declining enrollments in schools and on sports teams and the rises and falls of life in small-town América.

John M. Glionna is an award-winning journalist who has traveled the world as a newspaper and magazine writer. After twenty-six years at the Los Angeles Times he now works as a freelance writer. He is the author of Outback Nevada: Real Stories from the Silver State. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, and Outside and has been included in Best American Sports Writing and Best Los Angeles Times Foreign Reporting.

Buy No Friday Night Lights: Reservation Football on the Edge of America

John's Website

At about 2:20, John talks about his winding road to becoming a big reader-a “lover of the word,” and some inspirational words that put him on the path to journalism

At about 9:00, John talks about formative and transformative writers for him, including Hemingway, Hunter S. Thompson, and Rick Bass

At about 13:00, John gives some tips on clever title choices

At about 14:10, John details connections to Ernest Hemingway and lessons learned

At about 16:10, John explains the greatness of Hunter Thompson, and talks about “being in the mind” of the great writers

At about 17:30-don’t follow the Hunter S. Thompson diet!

At about 18:55, John charts his viewing of Brown Buffalo and his own “Gonzo Journalism”

At about 20:00, John charts his time at The Los Angeles Times, including what made a “Glionna story”

At about 24:00, Pete lays out the book’s Preface and the two discuss Glenn Stout’s influence and support for John

At about 28:40, John talks about seeds for the book

At about 31:20, Pete and John discuss McDermitt, Nevada, and John’s connections to it and how the book developed

At about 35:00, John highlights Coach Egan and Coach Smith and his admiration for them that led him to continue embedding with the McDermitt High School Football Team

At about 37:40, John quotes Jane Smiley in talking about the vagaries of small town America-, including its true isolation and “Shakespearean” likeness

At about 40:00, John charts how his book progressed, including real-time blogs and controversy that followed in the town

At about 41:45, Pete and John lay out some of the book’s plotline and exposition and complicating factors

At about 47:15, Pete and John talk about some dynamic characters in the book: real-life coaches and players

At about 48:30, John responds to Pete’s question about writing about winners

At about 51:10, Pete and John discuss the ways in which the football team coaches had to be accommodating

At about 56:10, Herman Herford is discussed as an early chronicler of McDermitt, which helped John in his work,

At about 58:50, “Cowboy Bob” is discussed

At about 1:01:20, Jack Smith, coach, is discussed

At about 1:02:25, Pete and John talk about the book’s Epilogue and Native sites and the fight to restore dignity

At about 1:06:25, The Crutcher family and their strength and contemporary changes in Paiute-Shoshone reservation life are highlighted

At about 1:09:50, John describes giving each person in the book their “own story”

At about 1:12:10, John gives out contact info and encourages readers to be in dialogue

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

I am very excited about having one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review-I’m looking forward to the partnership! Look out for my interview with José Vadi, my most recent.

Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!

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

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

Please tune in for Episode 237 with Ghassan Zeinnedine, professor of creative writing at Oberlin College, and co-editor of the creative nonfiction anthology Hadha Baladuna: Arab American Narratives of Boundary and Belonging. His standout debut story collection is Dearborn.

The episode will go live on June 4.

Lastly, please go to https://ceasefiretoday.com/, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Saturday Jun 01, 2024

Episode 235 with Jesse Tovar, Creative and Innovative Editor of Mobile Data Mag on Substack, and Dynamic Performer and Promoter of Standout Poetry

Saturday Jun 01, 2024

Notes and Links to Jesse Tovar’s Work

For Episode 235, Pete welcomes Jesse Tovar, and the two discuss, among other topics, his role as editor and poet, influences and inspirations in his own work, digital collections and his dynamic Substack, themes in his poetry, what he looks for in submissions, and his co-sponsoring of the reading series “Voices of California.”

Jesse Tovar is the founding editor of Mobile Data Mag on Substack and Systemic Dreaming on Threads. Tovar's work can be found in various anthologies, including Zzyzx (Size-icks) Writerz Podcast.

Jesse's Substack-Mobile Data Mag

Jesse’s Work with Los Angeles Literature

At about 2:25, Jesse discusses his early reading and relationship with the written word, and his bilingual childhood

At about 6:20, Jesse talks about transformative and formative works for him

At about 8:50, Jesse details his work at bookstore and promoting poetry

At about 11:00, Jesse cites Kazuo Ishiguro as a contemporary writer who inspires and thrills

At about 12:20, Jesse talks about how Chen Chen has inspired his own Substack and his goals with the project

At about 13:30, Pete and Jesse shout out Andrew Liu, a shared friend and standout

At about 14:10, Jesse describes the benefits of his digital journal

At about 15:30, Jesse responds to Pete’s question about what it’s like to be a submitter and a publisher

At about 17:20, Pete and Jesse read and discuss a poem from his digital journal-by Sacred Mami

At about 21:00, “Rackets and Grammy Origins,” a poem from Jesse, is read and explored

At about 26:35, The two read and discuss “Inner City,” a piece by Jesse, emulating José Vadi’s work for a prompt

At about 33:15, Pete and Jesse discuss October 2024’s “Voices of California, Part V,” set to be held at Medicine for Nightmares in San Francisco, the two shout out past guests and events, and shout out 2024’s performers

At about 38:40, Poetry and activism as inseparable is discussed by the two

At about 41:00, Jesse talks about upcoming projects

At about 42:20, Jesse discusses his recent collection as “super niche”

At about 43:10, Jesse shouts out his projects and contact info and social media

At about 46:25, Libros in Lincoln Heights and Pages Against the Machine are shouted out

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 tune in for Episode 236 with John Glionna, an award-winning journalist who has traveled the world as both a newspaperman and magazine writer; work has been included in such national anthologies as “Best American Sports Writing” and “Best Los Angeles Times Foreign Reporting”; author of No Friday Night Lights: Reservation Football on the Edge of America, was published today, June 1.

The episode will go live today, June 1.

Lastly, please go to https://ceasefiretoday.com/, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Thursday May 16, 2024

Episode 234 with Sasha Vasilyuk, Author of Your Presence is Mandatory, and Master Chronicler of Fiction that Parallels and Expands Upon Real-Life Secrecy, Grief, Trauma, and Shared Humanity

Thursday May 16, 2024

Notes and Links to Sasha Vasilyuk’s Work

For Episode 234, Pete welcomes Sasha Vasilyuk, and the two discuss, among other topics, her childhood in Ukraine, Russia, and then San Francisco, her experiences with multilingualism, early formative and transformative reading, seeds for Your Presence is Mandatory, including the ways in which Ukrainian Jewish grandfather’s experiences informed the book, gender balances in the USSR post-WWII, humanity and the ways it’s expressed in the book, connections between contemporary separatist movements and World War II, and salient themes like grief, trauma, and the ways in which secrecy affects generations.

Sasha Vasilyuk is a journalist and author of the debut novel Your Presence is Mandatory about a Ukrainian Jewish WWII soldier and his family who reckon with his lifelong secrecy, which is coming out in 2024.

Sasha has written a lot about Eastern Europe, art, culture, travel and business. Her nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, TIME, NBC, Harper’s Bazaar, BBC Radio, USA Today, KQED, San Francisco Chronicle, The Telegraph, Los Angeles Times, and Narrative. She has won several writing awards, including the Solas Award for Best Travel Writing and the NATJA award.

Besides writing, she has founded a leading wedding PR company, the first coworking space in San Francisco, and the first U.S. magazine for Russian-speaking emigre teens. She also spent a year traveling alone around the world.

Sasha is a graduate of Lowell High School, UC Berkeley (BA in Comparative Literature and Italian Studies), and New York University (MA in Journalism). She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children.

Buy Your Presence is Mandatory

Sasha's Website

Review of Your Presence is Mandatory in Los Angeles Review of Books

At about 2:55, Sasha talks about her language background, early life

At about 6:00, Sasha talks about early reading through talking about a trip to her San Francisco childhood home

At about 9:00, Pete tests Sasha’s British English and NorCal slang and Sasha talks about her experiences in ESL in school

At about 10:40, Sasha responds to Pete’s questions about if and how Russian enhances/affects her English writing

At about 13:15, Sasha shares her thoughts on A Woman Warrior and other formative and transformative texts

At about 16:20, Sasha highlights contemporary and not so contemporary books that challenge and inspire her, including Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate and Yaa Gaasi’s Homegoing

At about 19:10, Sasha shares a cool story about the origin of her cover

At about 21:35, Sasha gives background on the book’s seeds

At about 26:20, Sasha shares how Masha and other voices are important in the book

At about 27:20, Pete provides some of the book’s exposition and how a famous Yevtushenko poem is related

At about 28:45, Pete wonders about atheism and its connection to the Soviet Jews and Christians featured in her book

At about 32:10, Pete provides information on key characters in the book, especially Yefim and Niña, and Sasha addresses the note from the book that is a catalyst for important events in the book

At about 34:00, The two discuss Baltic/Soviet Union history that informs a lot of the book’s key events

At about 38:45, Sasha discusses the peculiarities of gender balance (due to the massive death from the WWII-era) that inform the relationship between Yefim and Nina and so many in the book and in real-life

At about 42:55, The two discuss Stalino/Donetsk, which features in the book prominently

At about 44:20, Pete reflects on how a possible extramarital affair is so suggestive of the secrecy of the post WWII Soviet Union

At about 45:00, Pete’s wondering about Yefim’s avoiding admittance of his Jewishness and how it paralleled Sasha’s grandfather; her response deals with a key question that propelled

At about 50:20, Pete compliments Sasha’s fresh take on the events of history/the book

At about 51:40, Pete highlights a key and well-drawn scene that takes place within Germany, and Sasha recounts her experiences in traveling in Berlin and Germany as a whole, and how humanity and nuance come into play

At about 57:20, Pete brings up The Book Thief in praising the ways in which Sasha portrays humanity and the closeness of history

At about 59:15, Sasha discusses her “post-pub weird mental state” and future projects

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 tune in for Episode 235 with Lindsay Hunter, whose novel, DON’T KISS ME, was published by FSG Originals in 2013 and was named one of Amazon’s 10 Best Books of the Year: Short Stories; her latest novel, Eat Only When You’re Hungry, was a Book of the Month Club selection, a finalist for the 2017 Chicago Review of Books Fiction Award, and a 2017 NPR Great Read. She has been a great help to me as the marvelous host of the podcast I’m a Writer But; her fifth book, 2023’s Hot Springs Drive, was named one of the 12 Best Thrillers of the Year by the Washington Post.

The episode will go live on May 22.

Lastly, please go to https://ceasefiretoday.com/, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Wednesday May 01, 2024

Episode 233 with Jazmina Barrera Velázquez, Author of Cross-Stitch/Punto de Cruz, and Wise Chronicler of the Vagaries of Friendship and History and their Effects on the World

Wednesday May 01, 2024

Notes and Links to Jazmina Barrera Velázquez’s Work

For Episode 233, Pete welcomes Jazmina Barrera Velásquez, and the two discuss, among other topics, her idyllic early childhood reading, her love for British, American, and Latin American authors, the ways in which Mexico City and Yucatán have informed her work, translation as an art, a craft, and a deep methods of editing, as well as salient themes from the story collection like evolving friendships, memory and tangibility, women’s agency, and one’s connection with her forebears and the sensitivities that come with living in a fragile world.

Jazmina Barrera was born in Mexico City in 1988. She was a fellow at the Foundation for Mexican Letters and at Mexico’s Fonca’s Program for young writers and she’s a member of the SNCA (National System of Art Creators in Mexico). She was a beneficiary of the residencies at Casa Estudio Cien años de Soledad. She has published work in various print and digital media, such as The Paris Review, El Malpensante, Words Without Borders, El País andThe New York Times. She has a Master's Degree in Creative Writing in Spanish from New York University, which she completed with the support of a Fulbright grant. She is the author of four books in Spanish: Cuerpo extraño, Cuaderno de faros, Linea nigra and the children’s book, Los nombres de los animales and Punto de cruz. Her books have been published in nine countries and translated to English, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese and French. Her book of essays Cuerpo extraño (Foreign Body) was awarded the Latin American Voices prize by Literal Publishing in 2013. Cuaderno de faros (On Lighthouses) was long listed for the von Rezzori award and chosen for the Indie Next list by Indie Bound. Linea Nigra was a finalist for the National Book Critics Cricle’s Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Autobiography Prize, the CANIEM’s Book of the year award and the Amazon Primera Novela (First Novel) Award. Punto de cruz (Cross-Stitch) was a finalist in the Calamo Awards and long-listed for the Republic of Consciousness Prize. She is editor and co-founder of Ediciones Antílope. She lives in Mexico City.

Jazmina Barrera (Ciudad de México, 1988) fue becaria de la Fundación para las Letras Mexicanas y beneficiaria de las residencias de la Casa Estudio Cien Años de Soledad. Fue becaria del programa de Jóvenes Creadores del Fonca y es miembro del Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte. Estudió la maestría en Escritura Creativa en Español en NYU con el apoyo de la beca Fullbright. Sus textos han sido publicados en revistas como The Paris Review, El País, Words Without Borders, Malpensante y The New York Times, entre otras. Es autora de Cuerpo extraño, Cuaderno de faros, Linea nigra, Los nombres de los animales y Punto de Cruz. Su libro de ensayos Cuerpo extraño / Foreign Body ganó el premio Latin American Voices 2013. Linea nigra fue finalista del premio CANIEM al libro del año, del premio Primera Novela, del National Book Critics Circle Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize y del National Book Critics Circle Autobiography Prize. Cuaderno de faros fue parte de la longlist del premio Von Rezzori. Punto de cruz fue finalista del premio Cálamo y parte de la longlist del premio The Republic of Consciousness. Sus libros han sido publicados en nueve países y traducidos al inglés, italiano, holandés, portugués y francés. Es socia fundadora de Ediciones Antílope. Vive en la Ciudad de México.

Buy Cross-Stitch

Jazmina's Website

Review of Cross-Stitch in The New York Times

At about 3:00, Jazmina talks about her early reading and writing life, including experiential coolness and professional-style printed books

At about 8:45, Jazmina’s reciting of her first short story leads to her making an astute observation about the famous Ernest Hemingway quote

At about 10:40, Jazmina recounts some of the books and writers that ignited her love of reading

At about 12:00, Jazmina describes Harry Potter as a gateway to learning English

At about 13:05, Jazmina talks about her studying English literature at UNAM, and discovering many contemporary Latin American writers at NYU

At about 15:10, The two talk about the ways in which American literature is often translated abroad, but not the other way around as much

At about 17:05, Jazmina shares cool connections in her writing life to Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s former writing haunts

At about 18:10, The two discuss Garcia Marquez legends about time in Mexico City

At about 19:20, Jazmina highlights “so many” Latin American standout contemporaries, including Mariana Enriquez, Dolores Reyes, Marta Jimenez Serrano, and Marina Azahua, Astrid López Méndez, Isabel Zapata, César Tejeda, Irad León, Paula Abramo, Mariana Oliver, Veronica Murguia, and of course, her husband, the brilliant Alejandro Zambra

At about 21:40-a cool Chilean word is introduced-”fome”

At about 22:35, Jazmina reflects on the gendered language of “padre” and other expressions that seem to speak negatively about women

At about 23:40, Jazmina speaks about the unique literary culture of Mexico City (en español),

At about 26:25, Jazmina discusses Ediciones Antílope as a place to publish more eccentric, daring books and poetry

At about 27:30, The two discuss translation, specifically with regard to Juan Rulfo’s work, and the ways in which titles are rendered

At about 28:45, Jazmina responds to Pete’s questions about how she sees the art of translation, and she responds through talking about “untranslatable” words, diminutive words, and the power of translators as “the closest readers”

At about 33:10, Jazmina provides background information on the book’s title and her experience with needlework/embroidery

At about 36:10, Jazmina talks about seeds for the book

At about 37:50, The two lay out the book’s exposition

At about 39:00, Jazmina responds to Pete wondering about the narrator, Mina’s, frustration/anger with her friend after a tragedy

At about 42:20, Jazmina describes the main character of Dalia

At about 44:35, Historical and mythical ideas of rebirth and needles bringing health and connection are discussed

At about 47:30, Jazmina talks about a “genealogy of women” that is connected to embroidery

At about 48:50, Jazmina responds to Pete’s questions about her family history with embroidery and her family connections to Yucatan and her interest in xmanikben

At about 51:20, Jazmina gives background on the indigenous communities of México and their rich history around textiles

At about 54:15, Jazmina gives background on the literacy program in Queretaro in the book and her real experience with it

At about 57:20, Pete traces some of the final scenes of the book and asks Jazmina about Citali’s world view

At about 1:01:35, Discussion of “empath” leads to discussion of “emos” and a shoutout to Daniel Hernández’s Down and Delirious in México City

At about 1:02:40, Pete points out an uncomfortable and well-written scene that highlights traumas in Citlali’s life

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 tune in for Episode 234 with Sasha Vasilyuk, a journalist and the author of the debut novel Your Presence is Mandatory, which came out to great acclaim on April 23 of this year. Sasha has won several writing awards, including the Solas Award for Best Travel Writing and the NATJA award.

The episode will go live on May 7.

Please go to https://ceasefiretoday.com/, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Wednesday Apr 24, 2024

Episode 232 with Kate Brody, Author of Rabbit Hole and Master of Writing Intriguing and Flawed Characters and Crackling Plotlines

Wednesday Apr 24, 2024

Notes and Links to Kate Brody’s Work

For Episode 232, Pete welcomes Kate Brody, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early love of, and interest in, writing and reading, The Dave Matthews Band, formative and transformative teachers in grad school and 2nd grade, and salient themes and topics and craft decisions from her novel, Rabbit Hole, including online sleuthing, true crime, moralizing or lack thereof in fiction, and grieving.

Kate Brody lives in Los Angeles, California. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Lit Hub, CrimeReads, Electric Lit, The Rumpus, and The Literary Review, among other publications. She holds an MFA from NYU. Rabbit Hole is her debut.

Buy Rabbit Hole

Review of Rabbit Hole in Alta Journal by Jessica Blough

Kate Brody's Website

At about 1:50, Lukewarm/Warm Dave Matthews Band takes!

At about 3:40, Kate talks about growing in New Jersey and about her childhood relationship with the written word, as well as her connections to Maine, a setting for her book

At about 7:00, Pete and Kate reflect on beautiful, long reading days

At about 8:00, Kate gives background on her reading and writing life in adolescence and beyond

At about 10:00, Kate discusses the transformative short story and writing classes and texts at NYU, including inspiration from Mary Gaitskill’s work and teaching and Professor David Edenbach's guidance

At about 13:00, Tali Axelrod’s (Doctor Axelrod) influence on Kate’s writing trajectory is highlighted

At about 14:25, Kate shouts out Lindsay Hunter, Alexandra Tanner, and Jennifer Bell as contemporary writers who thrill her

At about 16:55, Kate discusses how teaching informs her writing and vice versa

At about 20:50, Pete shouts out Rabbit Hole’s dynamic first line, as given kudos by Jean Kyoung Frazier on the book blurb, and Kate provides background on the line’s genesis and her choice to use present tense right away

At about 24:30, Pete remarks on the “banality of grief” done so well

At about 25:30, Angie is characterized and the book’s exposition discussed; Kate remarks on the memories and objects left behind by Angie, while speaking to experiences in her life that connect to the book’s events

At about 29:30, The two discuss ideas of legacy and remembrance, as shown through the characters in the book

At about 30:15, Clare’s marital situations and the unique family background of the Angstroms is highlighted and explained by Kate

At about 33:35-Pete asks for casting suggestions for Teddy, the narrator’s mother, Clare

At about 34:10-Kate discusses research and connections for the parts of the book on Reddit and true crime and crime fiction

At about 39:25, Pete brings up ideas of secrets that Teddy held about his sister and the rearrangement of memory that comes after loss

At about 40:30, Michaela, “Mickey,” is characterized

At about 46:00, Kate responds to Pete’s asking about Bill and how she sees him; she expands on ideas of moralizing in literature

At about 49:30, Kate outlines some “detours” in the plot

At about 50:25, Pete highlights a chaotic and funny scene that involves a dinner scene

At about 52:00, Kate talks about the scenes involving Teddy and the gun range and the importance of her having a gun

At about 56:10, The two discuss a cringeworthy and craftily-drawn and hilarious school dance scene

At about 59:15, Pete makes points about loneliness as a theme running throughout the book, and Kate reflects on this throughline

At about 1:04:00, Kate discusses ways of coping with trauma in the book

At about 1:05:00, Pete highlights Kate keen writing regarding unfulfilled potential and shares a moving

At about 1:08:50, Kate talks about her exciting next book

At about 1:10:55, P&T Knitwear, Skylight Books, and Vroman’s are highlighted as good places to buy her book

I am very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review-I’m looking forward to the partnership! Check out my recent interview with Gina Chung on the website.

I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

Thanks to new Patreon member, Jessica Cuello, herself a talented poet and former podcast guest.

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 tune in for Episode 233 with Jazmina Barrera Velasquez, who is a fellow at the Foundation for Mexican Letters. Her book of essays, Cuerpo extraño, was awarded the Latin American Voices prize from Literal Publishing in 2013, and she is the editor and co-founder of Ediciones Antílope, and author of, most recently, Cross-Stitch.

The episode will go live on April 30 or May 1.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, where you will find 10+ ways to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Monday Apr 15, 2024

Episode 231-April 13, 2024 Live Event to Launch Jose Vadi's Chipped, a reflective, creative, subtly brilliant essay collection

Monday Apr 15, 2024

Notes and Links to José Vadi’s Work

For Episode 231, Pete welcomes José Vadi, in Pete’s first in-store, live interview, as José launches his essay collection at Capital Books on K in Sacramento. It was a blast, due to José’s reflective, thoughtful, and witty answers, and the event featured great questions from the audience.

José Vadi is an award-winning essayist, poet, playwright and film producer. He is the author of Inter State: Essays from California and Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder’s Lens.

His work has been featured by the Paris Review, The Atlantic, ***the PBS NewsHour, the San Francisco Chronicle, Free Skate Magazine, Quartersnacks, Alta Journal of California, and the Yale Review***.

Buy Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder's Lense

Los Angeles Times Review for Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder's Lens

Chipped Book Tour Details

Jose's Website

At about 2:30, José talks about his book tour and initial days of publishing

At about 4:15, José talks about his mindset as the book comes out and the initial feedback he’s gotten, as well

At about 7:00, José responds to Pete’s questions about perspective and how he looks back at what he has written, particularly after having moved a few times

At about 9:15, José shouts out great Sacramento skate spots

At about 10:15, Jsoe talks about making his book about skateboarding “accessible” to non-skaters also

At about 11:45, José, freshly-hydrated, reads the book’s titular essay

At about 16:45, José’s reading leads to a discussion of the quote from the book “documentation is domination” from Ed Templeton, and José discusses the power of one’s board as an “extensión of [a person]”

At about 18:55, The two compare the destroyed boards with the raggedy basketball, and José alludes to Hanif Abdurraqib’s writing

At about 21:05, José talks about the adage from the book of “Time is a skater’s worst enemy” and attendant ideas of aging and obsession and pride

At about 23:20, José narrates and explores his essay about a big injury on the night on which Jake Phelps died, and José responds to Pete’s questions about “respecting the game [skating]” and its relation to injuries

At about 28:30, José and Pete discuss the frenzied and wonderful “Wild and Crazy” essay

At about 31:15, José discusses the phenomenon of skate videos and the DIY documentation of the 90s and early 2000s

At about 34:00, Pete asks José about what music he most identifies with his own skating history

At about 35:15, José discusses musical connections with his parents that came from the music scene in skating

At about 37:50, Pete asks José to discuss how he looked at the thrills and dangers of skateboarding and being “policed” by those in power as an adolescent

At about 40:05, José replies to Pete’s wondering about José’s view of progressive and inclusive cultures within skateboarding, especially with regards to contrasting the “old days” and more recent times

At about 42:20, Pete and José fanboy about Sun Ra-Pete regarding José’s brilliant essay about Sun Ra’s style and music and skateboarding, and José about Sun Ra’s prodigious brilliance

At about 44:00, Pete wonders about the process for José in creating Sun Ra as an imagined skateboarder in the essay

At about 45:10, Pete and José discuss José’s time with Youth Speaks, and Pete uses one scene as a metaphor for José’s stellar writing

At about 47:35, Pete highlights a story involving “power” as indicative of José’s successful writing style, and José tells an incredible story about losing the mic and then hugging Michael Franti

At about 49:20, “Never meet your heroes” is discussed in relation to Ed Templeton and his support for José and skating as a whole, as well as Ed’s major injury; José discusses how Ed’s example gave José agency to write and create and skate

At about 53:10-Lazer Round! Kings, Warriors, Lakers? Shout outs to Iain Bordem, Kyle Beachy, Molly Schiot, Percival Everett, and more!

At about 56:10, José talks about an exciting new project, an “East Coast version of Inter State”

At about 56:45, Audience questions!

I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

Thanks to new Patreon member, Jessica Cuello, herself a talented poet and former podcast guest.

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 tune in for Episode 232 with Jazmina Barrera Velasquez, who is a fellow at the Foundation for Mexican Letters. Her book of essays, Cuerpo extraño, was awarded the Latin American Voices prize from Literal Publishing in 2013, and she is the editor and co-founder of Ediciones Antílope, and author of, most recently, Cross-Stitch.

The episode will go live on April 16 or 17.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org for 10+ ways to make your voice heard regarding a necessary ceasefire in Gaza.

Friday Apr 05, 2024

Episode 230 with Chelsea T. Hicks, Author of the Story Collection, A Calm & Normal Heart, Revitalizer and Student of the Osage Language, and Crafter of Poetic, Timely, and Timeless Stories

Friday Apr 05, 2024

Notes and Links to Chelsea Hicks’ Work

For Episode 230, Pete welcomes Chelsea Hicks, and the two discuss, among other topics, her language journey and how she came to study and work to help revitalize the Osage language, her feelings about being named “5 Under 35,” mentors and inspirations like Louise Erdrich and N. Scott Momaday, her writing as alternately “MFA-ish” and experimental, her nuanced view of “The Movie,” and salient themes from her story collection, including identity, celebrations and traumas, rematriation, agency, and family ties.

Chelsea T. Hicks is a Wazhazhe writer with an MA from UC Davis and an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Her writing has been published in The Paris Review, Poetry, McSweeney’s, and elsewhere. She was selected as a 5 Under 35 honoree by Louise Erdrich for the National Book Award, and her first book, A Calm and Normal Heart, was longlisted for the PEN America Robert W. Bingham Prize.

Buy A Calm and Normal Heart: Stories

Review of A Calm and Normal Heart in The Southern Review of Books

At about 1:30, Chelsea gives kudos to mentors at UCDavis for her MA

At about 2:25, Chelsea discusses her mindset and joy in being named one of the “5 Under 35” by Louise Erdrich for the National Book Foundation

At about 7:15, Chelsea talks about her childhood relationship with language, and she provides a personal language background and a historical context for the loss and revitalization of the Osage language

At about 11:55, Chelsea shouts out Inés Hernández-Ávila and a language challenge through Ines’ connections in Oaxaca

At about 14:50, Chelsea gives background on some teaching and mentoring and promoting of language acceleration that she’s done

At about 17:40-20:10, Chelsea responds to Pete’s question about innate connections to her Osage culture, particularly with regard to the language

At about 20:35, Chelsea provides interesting information about the Osage language, including “masculine” and “feminine” ways of speaking and gendered pronouns

At about 22:40, The two discuss a cool phrase regarding the moon in Wažáže ie

At about 23:50, The two commiserate over linguistics classes

At about 24:45, Chelsea gives background on early favorite books and her literary journey, as well as how Peter Pan, other books, and her classmates and friends shone light on the way she and others in society saw her Native culture

At about 28:35, Chelsea traces her path as a writer, including early, self-guided poetry

At about 30:25, Chelsea describes an “opening of [her] eyes” in reading N. Scott Momaday

At about 32:30, Chelsea references some particular insights of Momdaday from House of Dawn and gives background on a Paris Review article she wrote about his work; Chelsea discusses “rematriation” and land care, while discussing important work by Natalie Diaz and Sogorea Te’ Land Trust

At about 35:50, Pete and Chelsea discuss the book’s introduction and including indigenous language in the book, especially the titles; Pete shouts out a dynamic

At about 37:30, Chelsea responds to Pete’s question about connections in the collection’s opening story to Killers of The Flower Moon and how she sees the movie

At about 43:10, Pete lays out some salient themes and plotlines covered in the story collection

At about 44:25, Chelsea wants to clarify how her work comes off- “direct” and “experimental,” etc.

At about 46:25, Chelsea talks about her writing philosophy, craft, love of poetry, and future academic work

At about 47:30, Pete enumerates some creative methods used by Chelsea

At about 49:50, Pete cites an important and poignant quote from the book

I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

Thanks to new Patreon member, Jessica Cuello, herself a talented poet and former podcast guest.

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 tune in for Episode 231 with Jazmina Barrera Velasquez, who is a fellow at the Foundation for Mexican Letters. Her book of essays, Cuerpo extraño, was awarded the Latin American Voices prize from Literal Publishing in 2013, and she is the editor and co-founder of Ediciones Antílope, and author of, most recently, Cross-Stitch.

The episode will go live on April 16 or 17.

Friday Mar 29, 2024

Episode 229 with Will Sommer, Author of Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Reshaped America, and Keen and Thorough Chronicler of the QAnon Movement Through The Washington Post

Friday Mar 29, 2024

Notes and Links to Will Sommer’s Work

For Episode 229, Pete welcomes Will Sommers, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early relationship with the written word, his all-encompassing relationships with and love for student journalism, formative times at Georgetown, his lifelong interest in conservative media, and salient themes in his book, including the growth of QAnon through 4chan and 8chan and Trump’s rise to power, QAnon’s pop culture connections, questions of true believers and grifters in QAnon, key personalities in the movement, as well as possible remedies for loosening the hold QAnon has on some many people featured in his book.

Will Sommer covers right-wing media, political radicalization and right-wing conspiracy theories in the United States. His 2023 book is Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Reshaped América. He is also featured as an expert on QAnon in HBO's Q: Into the Storm. He has previously written for The Daily Beast, and now works as a media reporter for The Washington Post.

Buy Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America

Will's Wikipedia Page

Review of Trust the Plan in The New York Times

Review of Trust the Plan in The Guardian

Will Discusses his Book with Terri Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air

At about 1:50, Will gives background on the inspiration for QAnon’s motto, derived from the movie White Squall

At about 3:20, Will talks about being “bookish and into writing,” unspooling stories,” high school and college newspapers, and his early love for journalism

At about 6:25, Will talks about inspiring and formative texts and writers, including Patrick Radden Keefe, Janet Malcolm, Charles Bowden, and Mike Sager

At about 10:00, Pete shouts out Mark Arax and a particularly unforgettable piece

At about 10:50, Will responds to Pete’s questions about his upbringing in Texas and Will expounds upon his appetite for conservative media and trends and feuds that he has observed over the years

At about 14:10, Will traces his career journey from Georgetown to The Patch and on

At about 17:20, Pete and Will discuss the book’s Introduction, set during the January 6 rallies and riots; Will expounds upon his mindset during the day, the incredible things he heard rioters say, and the importance of his attendance for his research

At about 21:00, Pete asks about QAnon’s beginnings, its placement in the Trump presidency, and Will gives background on Q’s connections to 4chan

At about 24:05, Will gives a summary of QAnon’s beliefs and the idea of “The Storm”

At about 24:45, Will provides history on “Pizzagate” and its early connections to QAnon

At about 26:05, Will replies to Pete’s questions about QAnon representation at the January 6 rally, and Pete cites a telling quote from the book by Will at the January 6 rally

At about 29:00, Will gives examples of feedback and conversation with QAnon believers, as well as many of their mindsets/motivations and targets for their anger/frustrations

At about 30:20, Pete cites Chapter One’s “Easter eggs” for QAnon, and Will talks about “Q Proofs” and other indicators, according to the believers

At about 32:10, Will points to a definition of “conspiracy theory” from the book and connects to real-life theories passed on by QAnon believers

At about 33:05, Will puts into perspectives some statistics about QAnon tenets and American beliefs in these, as measured by polls from the last few years

At about 35:55, Will gives some history of 4chan and more connections to QAnon

At about 38:15, Will opines on Trump’s ignorance of QAnon versus his manipulating and using their support for him

At about 41:25, Pete asks Will about his views on people who believe in QAnon tenets and about those who promote QAnon

At about 44:00. Pete traces social media’s connections to QAnon and Will describes how Covid led to a resurgence of QAnon

At about 46:00-QAnon Anonymous Podcast shout out-incredible episode regarding Jim Caviezel

At about 47:00, Pete and Will focus on stories of individuals from the book and on QAnon’s future based on its move outside the borders of the United States

At about 49:50, Will, while not extremely optimistic, talks about remedies for breaking the QAnon hold

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.

I am very excited to be able to share one or two podcast episodes per month on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review-I’m looking forward to the partnership!

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 tune in for Episode 230 with Chelsea T. Hicks, a Wazhazhe writer with an MA from UC Davis and an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Her writing has been published in The Paris Review, Poetry, McSweeney’s, and elsewhere. She was selected as a 5 Under 35 honoree by Louise Erdrich for the National Book Award, and her first book, A Calm and Normal Heart, was longlisted for the PEN America Robert W. Bingham Prize.

The episode will air on April 2.

Wednesday Mar 27, 2024

Episode 228 with Jennifer Croft, Author of The Extinction of Irena Rey and Award-Winning Translator, and Master of Worldbuilding, Highly-Allegorical Yet Masterfully-Plotted Fiction, and Nuance

Wednesday Mar 27, 2024

Notes and Links to Jennifer Croft’s Work

For Episode 228, Pete welcomes Jennifer Croft, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early relationship with words and geography and later, multilingualism, formative colleagues and teachers who guided and inspired her love of languages and literary translation, her serendipitous path to focusing on Polish and Spanish translations, connections between cultural nuances and translation, and literal and allegorical signposts in her book, including climate change and celebrity “brands,” the fluidity of translation, the relationships between translators and original writing, the intriguing phenomenon that is amadou, and time and perspective and their connections to translation.

Jennifer Croft won a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship for her novel The Extinction of Irena Rey, the 2020 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing for her illustrated memoir Homesick, and the 2018 International Booker Prize for her translation of Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights. A two-time National Book Award–honoree, Croft is Presidential Professor of English & Creative Writing at the University of Tulsa.

Buy The Extinction of Irena Rey

Jennifer's Wikipedia Page

Review of The Extinction of Irena Rey in The New York Times

Jennifer Discusses her Book with Scott Simon on NPR’s Weekend Edition

At about 2:40, Jennifer discusses the feedback she’s gotten, and the overall experience that has governed the weeks since the book’s March 6 publication

At about 3:40, Shout out to the coolest envelope ever, and to Emily Fishman at Bloomsbury Publishing

At about 4:20, Jennifer talks about the influences that led to her curiosity about reading and geography and knowledge

At about 5:55, Jennifer lays out the books that she was reading in her childhood, and talks about books and writing as ways of “traveling”

At about 8:15, Jennifer talks about inspirations from her reading, including working with Yevgeny Yevtushenko

At about 10:15, Jennifer expounds upon her journey in learning new languages, and how learning Spanish and Polish were connected

At about 13:15, Jennifer and Pete talk about the greatness of Jorge Luis Borges, and Pete shouts out the unforgettable “The Gospel According to Mark”

At about 14:15, Jennifer charts what makes her MFA in Literary Translation different than translation on its own

At about 15:30, Jennifer recounts her experiences in Poland when she was there during the time of Pope John Paul II’s death

At about 17:35, Jennifer talks about the art of translation and how she has evolved in her craft over the years

At about 20:45, Pete uses a Marquez translation as an example of a seemingly-absurd rendering, while Jennifer provides a balanced view of translation challenges

At about 22:30, Pete cites some of the gushing blurbs for the book and asks Jennifer about seeds for the book; she cites a genesis in a nonfiction idea

At about 28:15, Pete reads a plot summary from the book jacket/promotional materials

At about 29:10, Pete and Jennifer discuss the book’s two narrators-Emilia the writer, and Alexis, her English translator-and their conflicts and devolutions

At about 33:40, Pete remarks on the strategic and highly-successful structure of the book

At about 34:20, Jennifer responds to Pete’s questions about her use of images throughout the book

At about 37:30, Jennifer discusses the “dishonest[y] of subjectivity” in discussing translation and the author/translator’s role in the writing

At about 38:20, Pete reads a few key lines from the book, including the powerful opening lines and gives some exposition of the book

At about 40:50, Jennifer responds to Pete’s questions about the importance of amadou in the book, and she expands on its many uses and history

At about 45:35, Jennifer expounds on ideas of the “mother tongue” as posited in the book, and uses examples from her own life to further reflect

At about 48:00, Incredibly-cute twin content!

At about 48:35, Chloe, a character from the book, and shifting alliances are discussed

At about 50:50, Amalia, the “climate-change artist,” a main character in Irena’s Grey Eminence, is discussed, and the two point out similarities to fado singer Amália Rodrigues

At about 53:15, Pete asks Jennifer about the process of writing stories within stories

At about 54:10, The two discuss some of the plot-the book’s unfurling

At about 55:55, The two discuss a cool “Easter Egg” and meta-reference in the book

At about 57:20, Jennifer discusses the connections between fungi, the natural world, and translators

At about 59:30, Art and destruction, as featured in the book, is discussed

At about 1:02:00, Jennifer responds to Pete wandering about what is lost/gained through translation, in connection to the book’s translator Alexis

At about 1:03:40, Jennifer speaks to time and perspective as their forms of “translations”

At about 1:05:10, Jennifer speaks about exciting new projects, including a translation of Federico Falco's work

I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

Thanks to new Patreon member, Jessica Cuello, herself a talented poet and former podcast guest.

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 tune in for Episode 229 with Will Sommer, who covers right-wing media, political radicalization and right-wing conspiracy theories in the United States. His 2023 book is Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Reshaped América. He is also featured as an expert on QAnon in HBO's Q: Into the Storm

The episode will go live on March 28 or 29.

Lastly, please go to https://ceasefiretoday.com/, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Monday Mar 11, 2024

Episode 227 with Gina Chung, Author of Green Frog, a Dazzling Collection of Poignant, Offbeat, Chillingly-Realistic and Fantastical Stories

Monday Mar 11, 2024

Notes and Links to Gina Chung’s Work

For Episode 227, Pete welcomes Gina Chung, and the two discuss, among other topics, The Babysitters Club’s lasting impact, her early relationship with words and bilingualism, finding great storytelling in her parents’ example and in folktales and animal myths, her master touch with disparate stories and characters, and salient topics from the story collection like parental/child relationships and expectations, grief and memory, and one’s connection with her forebears.

Gina Chung is a Korean American writer from New Jersey currently living in New York City. She is the author of the novel SEA CHANGE (Vintage, March 28, 2023; Picador, April 13, 2023 in the Commonwealth and in the UK on August 10, 2023), which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, an Asian/Pacific American Award for Adult Fiction Honor, a 2023 B&N Discover Pick, and a New York Times Most Anticipated Book, and the short story collection GREEN FROG (Vintage, March 12, 2024; out in the UK/Commonwealth from Picador on June 6, 2024). A recipient of the Pushcart Prize, she is a 2021-2022 Center for Fiction/Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellow and holds an MFA in fiction from The New School's Creative Writing Program and a BA in literary studies from Williams College. Her work appears or is forthcoming in One Story, BOMB, The Kenyon Review, Literary Hub, Catapult, Electric Literature, Gulf Coast, Indiana Review, Idaho Review, The Rumpus, ***Pleiades, and F(r)iction*, among others.**

Buy Green Frog

Gina's Website

Review of Green Frog-Kirkus

At about 2:35, Gina shouts places to buy her book, Green Frog, and about her feelings a few weeks before the book’s release

At about 4:25, Gina recounts what she’s heard from early readers of her collection

At about 6:05, Gina responds to Pete’s questions about storytellers in her life and her early language and reading life

At about 10:10, Gina talks about her early reading delights

At about 12:10, Babysitters Club love!

At about 13:15, Gina talks about her writing journey and her confidence peaks and valleys

At about 16:40, Gina shouts out “amazing” contemporary writers, such as Rebecca K. Riley and Jiaming Tang

At about 18:40-21:25, Gina talks about seeds for her collection and gives background on the title story and the “Green Frog” folktale

At about 21:25-22:40, Gina talks about daily and informal observation that inspired “Mantis” and other stories in the collection

At about 24:40, Gina speaks to her rationale and the background in picking the Emily Jungmin Yoon-inspired epigraph

At about 26:25, Pete and Gina discuss “How to Eat Your Own Heart,” the collection’s first story, including profound quotes (27:10-30:20)

At about 31:00, Gina speaks to ideas of regeneration in the above story and gives some background on how the story came from a Zoom “Knife Skills” course

At about 34:25, The two further discuss the title story of the collection

At about 36:20, Pete asks Gina about the meanings of “here” in the title story

At about 39:30, Themes of community in “The Fruits of Sin” are discussed

At about 40:35, Belief is discussed in conjunc

At about 41:15, Grief and the importance of rabbits in Korean culture and beyond are discussed in connection to a moving story from the collection

At about 43:40, Pete quotes an important and universal passage as he and Gina talk about memory’s throughline in the collection; the two ruminate on connections to The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

At about 50:20, Gina reflects on a moving story that deals with memory and technology

At about 54:00, The two talk about mother-daughter and parent-child relationships in the collection

At about 57:40, Pete quotes a poignant and skillfully crafted passage

At about 59:15, Gina gives a ballpark for how long of a range the stories were written in and throughlines that she has identified in her collection

At about 1:03:00, Gina talks change in characters and its external and internal characteristics

I am very excited that starting in February with Episode 220 with Neef Ekpoudom and this episode, I will have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review-I’m looking forward to the partnership!

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 tune in for Episode 228 with Jazmina Barrera Velásquez, who is a fellow at the Foundation for Mexican Letters. Her book of essays, Cuerpo extraño, was awarded the Latin American Voices prize from Literal Publishing in 2013, and she is the editor and co-founder of Ediciones Antílope, and author of, most recently, Cross-Stitch.

The episode will air on March 19.

10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza

Tuesday Mar 05, 2024

Episode 226 with Priscilla Gilman, Author of The Critic's Daughter and Skilled and Thoughtful Chronicler of the Universal and the Intimately Personal

Tuesday Mar 05, 2024

Notes and Links to Priscilla Gilman’s Work

For Episode 226, Pete welcomes Priscilla Gilman, and the two discuss, among other topics, her famous and accomplished parents, and the perks and drawbacks that came with running in circles with dynamic writers and creatives, her voracious appetite for art and media and books, formational and informative works of art, books and not, her father’s wonderful work, belief in the sanctity of childhood, grief and its manifestations, the ways in which her relationships were nurturing and not, and how she managed to write lovingly and honestly about such a towering and beloved figure.

Priscilla Gilman is the author of the memoir, The Anti-Romantic Child, and a former professor of English literature at Yale University and Vassar College. The Anti-Romantic Child received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist, was selected as one the Best Books of 2011 by the Leonard Lopate Show and The Chicago Tribune, and was one of five nominees for a Books for a Better Life Award for Best First Book. Gilman’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, O, the Oprah Magazine, and elsewhere. She lives in New York City.

Buy The Critic's Daughter: A Memoir

Priscilla's Wikipedia Page

WYNC Episode: "The Critic's Daughter' Explores the Marriage of Lynn Nesbit and Richard Gilman"

New York Times Review of The Critic’s Daughter

At about 2:00, Priscilla shouts out bookstores at which to buy her book and book events

At about 3:00, Pete and Priscilla fanboy and fangirl about Episode 42 guest Edoardo Ballerini

At about 5:00, Priscila talks about early reading, texts, and authors who “enraptured” her

At about 7:05, Priscilla and Pete talk about how her reading and writing life was shaped by her literary and artistic parents, Richard Gilman and Lynn Nesbit

At about 10:50, Priscilla responds to Pete’s questions about what it has been like to know some many literary and artistic giants on a personal level

At about 15:30, Priscilla speaks to early writing and reading and her path to academia and literature, including the wonderful role played by Brearley High School

At about 19:10, Priscilla references some of many contemporary writers like Sarah Watters, Ishiguro, Louise Erdrich, Strout, Leslie Jamison, Claire Keegan, Rachel Cusk, Lore Siegal, and Yaa Gaasi, who inspire and thrill her

At about 22:55, Pete and Priscilla discuss the book’s epigraphs and their significances

At about 28:10, The two geek out about Priscilla’s talented sister

At about 28:40, Pete wonders about

At about 32:20, Shaina Taub is shouted out, as Priscilla talks about a cool collaboration with her son and his high school drama

At about 33:05, Pete points out an interesting opening excerpt that compares and contrasts Priscilla’s father and the NYC oeuvre he lived in; Priscilla also discusses the book’s universality

At about 35:30, Priscilla discusses the old days of being able to live comfortably as an artist/critic and the book as a sort of lament for long-gone neighborhoods

At about 37:45, Priscilla compliments Joan Didion as a wonderful, “kind, thoughtful sweetheart and incredible genius”

At about 38:45, The two discuss ideas of public intellectuals and Wolff’s Old School

At about 40:20, Pete asks Priscilla about being true to her father and to herself in writing her book-the two refer to a memorable George Bernard Shaw quote

At about 44:15, Priscilla alludes to an often-quoted line from her book that speaks to ideas of “moving on” and grief

At about 45:10, The two further discuss Richard Gilman’s public life and fame

At about 48:00, Pete cites a disappointing workshop experience in connecting to a powerful and poignant story that Priscilla relates-her first memory-that is a microcosm of so much in her and her father’s lives

At about 50:40, The two discuss how Richard Gilman “believed in childhood”

At about 54:30, Pete references excerpts about Priscilla’s mindset after her parents’ separation and her father’s as well

At about 55:30, Priscilla reference her father’s vivaciousness and physical and mental frailties

At about 58:30, The two discuss some wonderful years late in Richard’s life with his wife Yasuko

At about 59:40, Priscilla underscores ideas of universality in her writing and beyond

At about 1:02:15, Priscilla talks about “tak[ing] the long view” and a wondrous and moving line about the grieving process and hope

I am very excited that starting in February with Episode 220 with Neef Ekpoudom and Episode 222 with Andrew Leland, I will have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review-I’m looking forward to the partnership!

Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. New as of this week is the opportunity to be a "Well-Wisher and Cheerleader"-which is just $1 per month.

Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!

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 tune in for Episode 227 with Gina Chung, author of the novel SEA CHANGE, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a 2023 B&N Discover Pick, and a New York Times Most Anticipated Book. The episode drops on March 12, Pub Day for her dynamic short story collection GREEN FROG.

Wednesday Feb 28, 2024

Episode 225 with Andrés N Ordorica, Author of How We Named the Stars and Generous Creator of Poignant, Resonant "Love and Loss" Scenes and Utterly Memorable Characters

Wednesday Feb 28, 2024

Notes and Links to Andrés Ordorica’s Work

For Episode 225, Pete welcomes Andrés Ordorica, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early relationship to the written word, formative and transformative writers and writing, wonderful trips to Borders Books, moments and people that shaped his sensibilities, Shakespeare comparisons, and seeds for and salient themes related to How We Named the Stars, including love and loss, the intensity of young love and first love and college, longing and grief.

Andrés N. Ordorica is a queer Latinx writer based in Edinburgh. Drawing on his family’s immigrant history and third culture upbringing, his writing maps the journey of diaspora and unpacks what it means to be from ni de aquí, ni de allá (neither here, nor there). He is the author of the poetry collection At Least This I Know and novel How We Named the Stars. He has been shortlisted for the Morley Lit Prize, the Mo Siewcharran Prize and the Saltire Society’s Poetry Book of The Year. In 2024, he was selected as one of The Observer’s 10 Best Debut Novelists.

Buy How We Named the Stars

Andres' Website

New York Times Review of How We Named the Stars from Maxwell Gilmer

At about 2:15, Andrés talks about the “surreal” experiences he’s had since the book has been out in the world

At about 3:20, Andrés shouts out Douglas Stuart and advice on dealing with multiple projects

At about 5:40, Andrés calls his new project “part of a similar world” as that of How We Named the Stars

At about 8:15, Andrés fill Pete in on his childhood relationship with libraries and the written word, including how his mother’s storytelling influenced and inspired him

At about 11:00, Andrés shouts out NorCal reading spots and how he “fell in love with the idea of books”

At about 13:05, Andrés discusses writers and writing that catapulted him into writing and reading even more seriously-Cristina Garcia, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Susan Lori Parks, Sandra Cisneros, and Marquez

At about 19:30, Andrés shouts out Jackie Kay and Griffin Hansbury and other contemporaries he’s reading in 2024

At about 22:45, Andrés discusses the stellar work of Jackie Kay’s time as Maker of Scotland

At about 24:10, GoodReads discourse!

At about 25:20, Andrés discusses seeds for the book and its epigraph

At about 28:55, Andrés reflects on love and loss as important themes in general and in his book in particular

At about 30:00, Andrés shouts out places to buy his book, and mentions that his book is a Barnes and Noble Pick of the Month

At about 32:20, Andrés breaks down his “pragmatic” and “poetic” decisions to write the book in the epistolary form and let the trader know very quickly about a shattering death

At about 34:35, Pete and Andrés discuss the Prologue and the cosmos and axolotls being referenced

At about 39:40, Andrés gives history on how Elizabeth DeMeo helped him choose his dynamic title

At about 41:00, Pete references ideas of light and darkness and tells a story about a mistaken symbol in Reyna Grande’s Across a Hundred Mountains

At about 43:55, Andrés talks about how even a novelist “doesn’t have all of the answers” regarding the letter/book that constitutes the book

At about 45:30, Pete makes a controversial comparison, re: Shakespeare

At about 47:15, Andrés gives background on a deleted scene from the book alluding to As You Like It

At about 48:45, Pete references Karim new book on Shakespeare by Farah Karim-Cooper

At about 51:30, The two discuss the intensity of college and “the transitory” experience that characterizes the beginning of college

At about 54:50, Pete asks Andrés about the first interactions between Sam and Daniel in the book and about an early scene as a balancing act

At about 1:00:20, Pete lays out early scenes from the book that deal with ignorant and racist comments and the “generous” Sam-Andrés expands upon the former scene’s significance

At about 1:06:00, The two discuss Andrés’ homesickness and family connections and “family” at college

At about 1:07:00, Themes of masculinity and genuine selfhood are discussed, and Andrés talks about how he shaped parts of the book as an “homage” to figures in his life

At about 1:09:50, Pete highlights Andrés incredible touch in rendering the immediate aftermath of a crushing death on the page

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 tune in for Episode 226 with Priscila Gilman, author of the memoir, The Anti-Romantic Child, and former professor of English literature at Yale University and Vassar College; Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, O, the Oprah Magazine, and elsewhere. Her memoir, A Critic’s Daughter, was released to critical acclaim in Feb 2023

The episode will air on March 5.

Tuesday Feb 20, 2024

Episode 224 with Peter Coviello, Enthusiastic and Deeply Knowledgeable Critic and Celebrator of Moving Art, and Author of the Essay Collection, Is There God After Prince

Tuesday Feb 20, 2024

Notes and Links to Peter Coviello’s Work

For Episode 224, Pete welcomes Peter Coviello, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early relationship with music and bands that led him on a circuitous route to reading and writing, favorite individual and shared writers, the ways in which fandom and passion for books and music and the like grows and cements friendships, and salient topics from the book like The Sopranos as comfort watching and bringing Peter closer to his Covid-isolated family, the tonic and “jolt” that is passionate and talented artist, Prince as of this world and totally otherworldly somehow, and the visceral pleasures that come with love of the arts and love for the people who make and enjoy these arts.

Peter Coviello is a scholar of American literature and queer theory, whose work addresses the entangled histories of sex, devotion, and intimate life in imperial modernity.

A writer of criticism, scholarship, and literary nonfiction, he is the author of six books, including Make Yourselves Gods: Mormonism and the Unfinished Business of American Secularism (Chicago), a finalist for the 2020 John Whitmer Historical Association Best Book Prize; Long Players (Penguin), a memoir selected as one of ARTFORUM’s Ten Best Books of 2018; and Tomorrow’s Parties: Sex and the Untimely in Nineteenth-Century America (NYU), a 2013 finalist for a Lambda Literary Award in LGBT Studies.

His book, Vineland Reread (Columbia), was listed among the New York Times’s “New and Noteworthy” titles for January of 2021. He taught for sixteen years at Bowdoin College, where he was Chair of the departments of Gay and Lesbian Studies, Africana Studies, and English, and since 2014 has been at UIC, where he is Professor and Head of English. His newest book Is There God After Prince?: Dispatches from an Age of Last Things (Chicago), was selected for The Millions’ “Most Anticipated” list for 2023.

He advises work on 19th- and 20th-century American literatures and queer studies, as well as literary theory, religion and secularism, the history of sexuality, gender studies, poetry and poetics, modernism, and creative nonfiction.

Buy Is There God After Prince: Dispatches from an Age of Last Things

Peter's Website with University of Chicago

New City Lit Review of Is There God After Prince

At about 3:00, Cavatelli! Italian last names! Goodfellas references!

At about 5:00, Peter Coviello talks about his early relationship with the written word, and particularly how “worlds of music and imagination” got him into Rolling Stone and William Faulkner and other wonderful and catchy writing

At about 9:10, Peter highlights the “jolt” and “discovery” of young people/students and coins (?) the term “quotidian miraculousness” that comes with teaching literature

At about 10:50, Pete references the liner notes of Rage Against the Machine albums, as he and Peter discuss talking about great books and other artistic appraisals

At about 12:20, Peter responds to Pete’s question about which writers have influenced him over the years, including more recent writers like Jessica Hopper and Helen Macdonald

At about 15:20, Peter talks about tangential connections to David Foster Wallace

At about 16:20, Peter talks about who he is reading in 2024, including Anna Burns and Sam Lipsyte

At about 19:00, Peter talks about seeds for his essay collections

At about 21:10, Pete and Peter nerd out about a favorite writer of Peter’s and a favorite professor of Pete’s

At about 24:15, Peter discusses love and sorrow and the ways in which critique is intertwined with love, especially when discussing art of all types

At about 25:55, The two discuss contrasts in love of art, and little victories in reading and fandom

At about 28:10, Pete highlights “not nothing” and “and yet” as so crucial and telling in the book

At about 29:20, Pete shouts out the book’s Introduction and he and Peter fanboy again over the Wussy song mentioned in the Intro, “Teenage Wasteland”

At about 31:10, The two talk about fandom and sharing great art, including Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance

At about 33:20, Peter sees grief in some well-known art and talks

At about 34:30, Peter explains what he sees as so beneficial and magic about discussions and “fights” about art

At about 39:00, The two discuss the collection’s title essay and the freedom and camaraderie and joy that came with Prince dance parties from 1999 Maine

At about 41:00, Peter speaks to the “otherworldliness” of Prince and gives background on his greatness and iconic status and how he was also of “carnality”

At about 42:30-Prince and Chappelle Show reference!

At about 43:30, The two discuss lively writing that comes off as funny and/or electrifying, like that of Paul Beatty

At about 46:00, The discussion revolves around the book’s second essay and Pavement , especially their song “Unfair”

At about 47:30, Peter connects the above song with a telling and profound and prophetic quote from Paul Beatty’s Slumberland

At about 48:50, Peter and Pete discuss algorithms and a chapter on a fun discussion/argument over Gladys Knight's "Midnight Train to Georgia"

At about 50:00, Pete highlights Peter’s complimentary writing about current songwriters and the two discuss Steely Dan as treated in the book, and the ways in which strong feelings on either side is mostly a healthy thing

At about 52:50, Peter gives background on how much of the book deals with his relationship with his stepdaughters and the “adjacency” of love and sorrow and how much art

At about 54:45, The two reflect on a meaningful essay about Derek Jeter’s “moment in time”

At about 56:15, The two discuss the three “John’s” of an important chapter and the “terrible double discovery of adolescence”

At about 58:00-Third Eye Blind and Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper and other music is discussed for aesthetic qualities and connections to Peter’s relationships with his daughters

At about 1:00:05, My So-Called Life is referenced in connection with father-daughter conversations

At about 1:01:50, Chicago is highlighted and Anthony Wa Gwendolyn Brooks

At about 1:02:40, Peter reflects on how The Sopranos’ and its treatment in the book kept him close to his family in Covid lockdown

At about 1:05:10, Peter gives book information and ordering information

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 tune in for Episode 225 with Andrés N. Ordorica, author of the poetry collection At Least This I Know; his writing has been shortlisted for the Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour and the Saltire Society’s Poetry Book of The Year. How We Named the Stars, his first novel, was published on January 30.

The episode will air on February 27.

Wednesday Feb 14, 2024

Episode 223 with Sarah Rose Etter, Master Balancer of Surrealism, Realism, Dark Humor, and Themes of Grief and Anxiety that are Timely and Timeless

Wednesday Feb 14, 2024

Notes and Links to Sarah Rose Etter’s Work

For Episode 223, Pete welcomes Sarah Rose Etter, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early relationship to the written word, formative and transformative writers and writing, her love of writing in translation, her and Pete’s shared love of Hemingway’s short stories, and seeds for and salient themes related to Ripe, including housing and economic inequalities and realities, depression and anxiety as represented by the book’s “black hole,” parental/child relationships, and grief.

Sarah Rose Etter is the author of RIPE (published by Scribner), and The Book of X, winner of the 2019 Shirley Jackson Award. Her short fiction collection, Tongue Party, was selected by Deb Olin Unferth to be published as the winner of the 2011 Caketrain Award.

Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in TIME, Guernica, BOMB, Gulf Coast, The Cut, VICE, and more.

She has been awarded residences at the Jack Kerouac House, the Disquiet International program in Portugal, and the Gullkistan Writing Residency in Iceland.

In 2017, she was the keynote speaker at the Society for the Study of American Women Writers conference in Bordeaux, France, where she presented on surrealist writing as a mode of feminism.

She earned her B.A. in English from Pennsylvania State University and her M.F.A. in Fiction from Rosemont College. She lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Buy Ripe

Sarah's Website

New York Times Review of Ripe by Alexandra Chang

NPR Interview

At about 2:00, Sarah shouts out the literary landscape and physical landscape

At about 2:45, Sarah talks about her childhood relationship with the written word

At about 4:30, Pete and Sarah exchange formative stories and writing that opened up analytical and emotional taps, including Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and “Cat in the Rain,” as well as Plath’s “Metaphors”

At about 5:40, Sarah talks about how and why she started writing with short stories

At about 6:50, Sarah reflects on ideas of obsession with subject matter when writing

At about 7:22, Sarah shares a few examples of chill-inducing writing for her as a reader

At about 8:55, Sarah discusses contemporary writers who thrill and challenge her: Carmen Maria Machado, Hallie Butler, Kristen Arnett, Melissa Broder, and many works in translation, like Olga T

At about 15:00, Sarah discusses seeds for Ripe, including how her personal life and the world’s recent issues informed the book

At about 19:00, Pete and Sarah talk about grief and sharing

At about 22:10, Pete sets the book’s exposition, and Sarah gives background on the powerful and meaningful first line of the book

At about 25:30, Sarah and Pete compare notes on first draft and heavy editing

At about 27:15, The two discuss the black hole, a common symbol in the book

At about 29:50, Pete compliments the ways in which Sarah presents the narrator Cassie and the frenzied Silicon Valley lifestyle

At about 30:55, Sarah discusses the ways in which Cassie is the person she is due to her parents’ influences

At about 33:00, Sarah charts and breaks down a bit of her writing outlook and style and schedule

At about 34:30, Sarah references Parasite and Uncut Gems as examples of storytelling and escalating tensions as so powerful

At about 35:50, Sarah talks about her black hole research and earlier permutations of the black hole and its place in the book

At about 37:50, Sarah responds to Pete’s questions about a possible history of depression within Cassie's family and without

At about 40:10, Sarah discusses the strengths and beauty of Cassie’s relationship with her father, as well as some of his toxic qualities

At about 41:20, Sarah discusses the issues revolving around money and the high cost of living

At about 43:10, The two discuss the book’s title and the symbolism of the pomegranate and ideas of mythical connections and underworlds

At about 45:25, The two shout out Stephanie Feldman and connections between Ripe and Stephanie’s Saturnalia

At about 46:05, Pete references some cringy and skillful scenes involving the workplace

At about 47:10, Sarah speaks on the often-unchecked CEOs and bigshots in tech companies

At about 50:05, Pete cites a few moments worthy of Cassie’s “crystal jar”

At about 50:40, Pete reads and heaps praise upon a particularly profound and apt passage

At about 52:20, Sarah reacts to Pete’s question about the staying power of her book

At about 54:45, Pete and Sarah discuss the book’s ending

At about 59:00, Sarah talks about exciting new projects

I am very excited that starting in February with Episode 220 with Neef Ekpoudom, I will have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review-I’m looking forward to the partnership!

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 tune in for Episode 224 with Peter Coviello, a scholar of American literature and queer theory, whose work addresses the entangled histories of sex, devotion, and intimate life in imperial modernity. He’s also the author of six books, including Is There God After Prince?: Dispatches from an Age of Last Things, which was selected for The Millions’ “Most Anticipated” list for 2023.

The episode will air on February 20.

Thursday Feb 01, 2024

Episode 222 with Andrew Leland, Author of The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight, and Masterful Chronicler of His and Other Journeys with Blindness and its Intersections with our World

Thursday Feb 01, 2024

Notes and Links to Andrew Leland’s Work

For Episode 222, Pete welcomes Andrew Leland, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early balance of technology and art and creativity that continues to govern his writing and careers, early formative reading, the philosophy of “going blind” versus “becoming blind,” the spectrum of blindness, and salient themes in his book like intersectionality, ableism, and differing ideas of how society sees the blind and disabled, and how this affects Andrew and others in similar situations.

Andrew Leland is a writer, audio producer, editor, and teacher living in Western Massachusetts.

His first book, The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight, about the world of blindness (and figuring out his place in it), was published in July 2023 by Penguin Press.

He has produced audio for a range of entities, including an interview with the DeafBlind poet John Lee Clark for the New Yorker Radio Hour; a story about disabled astronauts for Radiolab; and a story about reading technologies for the blind for 99 Percent Invisible.

From 2013–2019, he hosted and produced the Organist, an arts-and-culture podcast, for KCRW.

He has taught nonfiction writing, radio, and “digital storytelling” (?) at Smith College, UMass-Amherst, and the University of Missouri, he’s been an editor at the Believer since 2003, and he’s edited books for McSweeney’s and Chronicle Books.

Buy The Country of the Blind

Andrew's Website

New York Times Review of The Country of the Blind

NPR Article on The Country of the Blind

At about 3:15, Andrew details his background with reading and writing, including how he was influenced by his parents in different ways, as well as how he was indirectly influenced by his uncle, the playwright Neil Simon

At about 6:25, Andrew talks about a towering gift from his aunt that really energized his reading and writing journeys

At about 9:30, Pete and Andrew discuss David Foster Wallace, his lasting literary legacy, and his marred legacy outside of writing

At about 11:15, Andrew responds to Pete’s questions about how his background in audio engineering, and how it has affected his writing

At about 15:15, Pete reflects on the reading experience and Andrew reflects on how the book moved along due to his audio background, and Andrew shouts out Rachel Cunningham at Penguin Random House as being extremely helpful with structuring his book

At about 17:10, Andrew discusses seeds for his book

At about 21:00, The two lay out some exposition of the book and discuss the book’s opening lines and contradictions; Andrew expands upon Will Butler’s ideas of “going blind” vs. “becoming blind”

At about 25:20, Andrew gives background on the book’s title, and how it’s based on a HG Wells’ book

At about 27:30, Andrew talks about long-held ideas or stereotypes of blind people and the consequences of same

At about 30:05, Andrew discusses the myriad ways in which blindness has been used as metaphor, and shouts out a book that explores these tropes, There Plant Eyes, by M. Leona Godin

At about 32:45, Andrew explains the difficulties he had with a meetup in Missouri that is featured in the book, as well as some immediate and later revelations that came from this

At about 37:30, Andrew delves into his travels and conventions attended that adjusted his mindset and provided many beautiful moments and learning moments

At about 41:55, Andrew discusses genetic testing for his medical condition, and how he and his wife decided whether or not to have their son tested

At about 44:00, The two discuss ideas of intersectionality and in Andrew’s research and reporting and what he found regarding racism and the strong work put forth by queer women of color in disabled communities

At about 48:10, Andrew and Pete reflect on the history of the Bay Area in the fight for disability justice

At about 51:00, The two discuss the medical advancements and artificial sight that are coming to the forefront and the ways in which Andrew writes and thinks about them

At about 54:20, Andrew details the importance of Ben McFall, the legendary bookseller, and how his obituary connects to how Andrew feels as he started to use a screen reader

At about 58:25, Andrew juxtaposes the Carroll Center for the Blind’s philosophy versus that of other organizations that work for and with the blind

At about 1:01:10, Pete and Andrew analyze an important set of encounters with a fellow guest at The Colorado Center for the Blind and the implications of their attitudes and philosophies and experiences

At about 1:05:30, Andrew talks about exciting new projects

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 tune in for Episode 224 with Sarah Rose Etter, the author of 2023’s Ripe, and The Book of X, which was the winner of the 2019 Shirley Jackson Award. Her short fiction collection, Tongue Party, was selected by Deb Olin Unferth to be published as the winner of the 2011 Caketrain Award.

The episode will air on February 13.

Episodes

José Vadi is an award-winning essayist, poet, playwright and film producer. He is the author of Inter State: Essays from California and Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder’s Lens.

His work has been featured by the Paris Review, The Atlantic, the PBS NewsHour, the San Francisco Chronicle, Free Skate Magazine, Quartersnacks, Alta Journal of California, and the Yale Review.

His work has been featured by the Paris Review, The Atlantic, ***the PBS NewsHour, the San Francisco Chronicle, Free Skate Magazine, Quartersnacks, Alta Journal of California, and the Yale Review***.