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

Monday Dec 04, 2023

Episode 215 with Nick Fuller Googins, Reflective and Dynamic Worldbuilder, Educator, and Creator of the ”Hopeful” Climate Crisis Novel, The Great Transition

Monday Dec 04, 2023

Notes and Links to Nick Fuller Googins’ Work

For Episode 215, Pete welcomes Nick Fuller Googins, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early reading and writing and love of fellow Mainer Stephen King, the joys of unabated and carefree reading, how teaching informs his writing and vice versa, making climate fiction that is inherently hopeful, the “Green New Deal” and other seeds for prominent themes in his wonderful novel, including community and mutual aid, optimism, retribution, collective action, and more.

Nick Fuller Googins is the author of the novel, The Great Transition (Atria Books). His short fiction and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Men’s Health, The Sun, The Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He lives in Maine, and works as an elementary school teacher. He is a member of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, as well as the National Education Association, the largest labor union in the United States.

Buy The Great Transition

Nick's Website

“A ‘Hopeful Climate Change Novel’ ”-An Interview with Chicago Review of Books

At about 1:30, Nick talks about his previously-published work in Men’s Health

At about 3:30, Nick discusses his feelings of IGAM, an acronym used in his book for music

At about 4:20, Nick talks about his early reading and writing

At about 5:20, Nick talks about recreating the lazy and beautiful childhood days consumed with reading this past summer

At about 6:15, Nick talks about early writing-”happy stuff” for local Santa Monica papers, like The Santa Monica Mirror

At about 7:25, Nick talks about books and writers that were his “gateway into real adult literature,” including Stephen King

At about 9:20, Nick reflects on how his writing affects his teaching, and vice versa

At about 12:00, Nick shares how he was able to do unboxing of his book with his students and share his journey with his students

At about 15:00, Nick shares how he is able to talk climate crisis with his 4th graders

At about 16:00, Nick talks about the “challenge” of involving “such a unique figure” as Greta Thunberg in his book

At about 17:25, Pete gives background on Nick’s novel, compliments its greatness, and shares blurb

At about 18:30, Nick gives seeds on the book’s genesis, including how working with Los Angeles’ GRID Alternatives was a huge moment

At about 22:50, Nick responds to Pete’s questions about “taking the long view” and opening up any creativity

At about 26:50, Pete lays out the book’s opening scene and asks Nick why he decided to start the book he did

At about 28:15, Pete traces some of the book’s opening scenes, leading Nick to give background on Christina’s character

At about 31:50, Nick discusses the “spectrum” of justice and injustice that propelled him forward in writing his book

At about 32:15, The two discuss discussions of guilt and burdens and expectations of successive generations as featured in the novel; Nick mentions recent migrants to his school and quick transitions and the work of Svetalana Alexievich

At about 36:50 (38:20), Pete talks about a parallel storyline and asks Nick his thoughts about optimism and pessimism as expressed in the novel and outside of the novel

At about 42:00, The two discuss the differing world views of Larch and Christina in the novel, and Pete wonders if the two were a “good match,” and Nick expands upon their shared history and individual histories

At about 46:20, Pete cites the book’s creative and skillful narration choices

At about 47:20, Nick references Toni Early and her quote on “lighting fuses” in how he wrote his book

At about 48:00, Pete compares the reading experience of The Great Transition

At about 49:00, Pete asks Nick about the theme of community and expressed in the book

At about 53:50, Nick shares a story of a very hopeful time, and muses that similar movements will happen again

At about 57:00, Nick talks about exciting upcoming projects

You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on 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.

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!

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 216 with Kate Maruyama, whose novel, Harrowgate was published by 47North in 2013. Her novella Family Solstice was named Best Fiction Book of 2021 by Rue Morgue Magazine, and her short work has appeared in Asimov's Magazine, Analog SF among other journals.

The episode will air on December 12.

Monday Nov 27, 2023

Episode 214 with Leah Myers, Chronicler of the Heartfelt, the Specific, the Universal, and the Myth and Proud History of the Jamestown S’Klallam in the Memoir, Thinning Blood

Monday Nov 27, 2023

Notes and Links to Leah Myers’s Work

For Episode 214, Pete welcomes Leah Myers, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and inspirations, formative experiences in writing and self-growth, the ways in which she has seen Native Americans represented and misrepresented in literature and cinema, the rage and despair-inducing Pocahontas, and salient themes from her memoir, including US governmental neglect and violence toward Native Americans, blood quantum and other terminology, ideas of external and internal prejudices, as well as writing about sensitive personal experiences and about family members.

Leah Myers is a member of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe of the Pacific Northwest. She earned her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of New Orleans, where she won the Samuel Mockbee Award for Nonfiction two years in a row. She now lives in Alabama, with roots in Georgia, Arizona, and Washington. Her work has previously appeared in The Atlantic, Craft Literary Magazine, Fugue Journal, and elsewhere. Her debut memoir, THINNING BLOOD, is published by W.W. Norton, and received a rave review in the New York Times.

Leah's Website

Buy Thinning Blood

Maud Newton Reviews Thinning Blood for New York Times

At about 1:40, Leah discusses her childhood relationship with the written word, “surrounded by books”

At about 3:10, Leah discusses the power in reading Natalie Diaz and Joy Harjo and ideas of representation

At about 5:05, Leah references the writers and writing that challenges and inspires her in the present day, including Natalie Diaz, anthologies like Never Whistle at Night (edited by Shane Hawk) and Jordan Peele’s Out There Screaming

At about 6:55, Leah responds to Pete’s question about the genesis of the writing bug for her

At about 8:45, The two wax poetic about the great Tommy Orange and

At about 9:55, Leah expounds upon the significance of wise words from an MFA professor

At about 12:00, Leah outlines some seeds for her memoir

At about 13:10, Leah discusses the usage of terms like “tribe” and “Native American” and “indigenous” and the evolving ways in which they’re used

At about 15:10, Leah discusses the book’s introductions and rationale in using the totem poles as structural

At about 17:55, Leah responds to Pete’s questions about the title’s significance and the effects of blood quantum

At about 20:05, Pete uses a quote from the memoir that enumerates each of the preceding women in Leah’s family and transitions into talking with Leah about the book’s opening called “Real Live Indians”

At about 22:00, Leah replies to Pete’s questions about the significance of the Mother Bear/Bear totem in her memoir

At about 24:00, The two discuss the ways in which Leah writes about family members and her mindset in handling “mixed feelings”

At about 27:50, Leah discusses the salmon and its significance as a totem in the book and connections to her identity

At about 29:40, The two discuss government actions referenced in the memoir

At about 32:40, Pete gives background information on Leah’s early days in her ancestral home and asks Leah about the metaphor of her grandmother Vivían “swimming upriver” like the salmon

At about 35:20, Part III, with the totem of the hummingbird, is discussed, and Leah speaks about the painful ways in which she has processed the Disney movie Pocahontas over the years

At about 39:25, The two discuss the gradual loss of the S’Klallam language

At about 41:55, Leah responds to Pete wondering about the ways in which she sees the Raven as part of the S’Klallam myths

At about 44:00, Forced adoptions of Native Americans and stats around misogynistic violence are referenced as written about in the book

At about 45:30, Leah discusses writing about a painful personal experience and bringing a human story to complement/highlight the statistics

At about 46:35, Leah gives her rationale and mindset in writing a part of the book that is a letter to her prospective future relative

At about 49:10, Leah defines “infrasound” and she and Pete detail its power and connection to her memoir

At about 50:55, The two discuss the myriad ways in which the Raven can be viewed and its connection to Leah’s identity

At about 54:10, Leah gives some idea of upcoming projects

At about 55:25, Leah gives contact and social media information

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 215 with Nick Fuller Googins. Nick is the author of the novel, The Great Transition, and his short fiction and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Men’s Health, The Sun, The Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He works as an elementary school teacher.

The episode will air on December 5.

Monday Nov 20, 2023

Episode 213 with Andrew Porter, Reflective and Genius of the Understated and Resonant, Creator of Unforgettable Characters, and Author of the Story Collection, The Disappeared

Monday Nov 20, 2023

Notes and Links to Andrew Porter’s Work

For Episode 213, Pete welcomes Andrew Porter, and the two discuss, among other topics, his lifelong love of art and creativity, his pivotal short story classes in college, wonderful writing mentors, the stories that continue to thrill and inspire him and his students, and salient themes from his most recent collection, such as the ephemeral nature of life, fatherhood, aging and nostalgia, and friendship triangles and squares.

Andrew Porter is the author of the short story collection The Theory of Light and Matter (Vintage/Penguin Random House), which won the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, the novel In Between Days (Knopf), which was a Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers” selection and an IndieBound “Indie Next” selection, and the short story collection The Disappeared (Knopf), which was recently published in April 2023. Porter’s books have been published in foreign editions in the UK and Australia and translated into numerous languages, including French, Spanish, Dutch, Bulgarian, and Korean.

In addition to winning the Flannery O’Connor Award, his collection, The Theory of Light and Matter, received Foreword Magazine’s “Book of the Year” Award for Short Fiction, was a finalist for The Steven Turner Award, The Paterson Prize and The WLT Book Award, was shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing, and was selected by both The Kansas City Star and The San Antonio Express-News as one of the “Best Books of the Year.”

The recipient of a Pushcart Prize and fellowships from the James Michener-Copernicus Foundation, the W.K. Rose Foundation, and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, Porter’s short stories have appeared in One Story, Ploughshares, The Southern Review, The Threepenny Review, The Missouri Review, Narrative Magazine, Epoch, Story, The Colorado Review, and Prairie Schooner, among others. He has had his work read on NPR’s Selected Shorts and twice selected as one of the Distinguished Stories of the Year by Best American Short Stories.

A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Porter is currently a Professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Trinity University in San Antonio.

Andrew's Website

Buy The Disappeared

The Disappeared Review from Chicago Review of Books

New York Times Shoutout for The Disappeared

At about 1:50, Pete asks Andrew about the Spurs and breakfast tacos in San Antonio

At about 2:40, Andrew discusses his artistic loves as a kid and growing up and his picking up a love for the short story in college

At about 5:20, Andrew cites Bausch, Carver, Richard Ford, Amy Hempel, Lorrie Moore, and Joyce Carol Oates’ story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” as formative and transformative

At about 8:40, Andrew responds to Pete’s question about whom he is reading these days-writers including Annie Ernauex, Rachel Cusk, and Jamel Brinkley

At about 10:00, Andrew traces the evolution of his writing career, including how he received wonderful mentorship from Dean Crawford and the “hugely” influential David Wong Louie

At about 12:15, Pete asks Andrew what feedback he has gotten since his short story collection The Disappeared has received, and what his students have said as well

At about 13:50, Pete highlights Andrew’s wonderful and resonant endings and he and Andrew discuss the powerful opening story of the collection, “Austin”

At about 17:55, Pete puts the flash fiction piece “Cigarettes” into context regarding the book’s theme of aging and nostalgia

At about 19:00, Pete laments his predicament as he readies to play in the high school Students vs. Faculty Game (plot spoiler: he played well, and the faculty won)

At about 19:40, The two discuss the engrossing and echoing “Vines” short story, including themes within, and Andrew discusses the art life

At about 23:00, “Cello” is discussed in the vein of a life lived with(out) art

At about 24:20, The story “Chili” is discussed with regards to the theme of aging, and Andrew expounds about including foods he likes and that he identifies with San Antonio and Austin

At about 26:40, Pete stumbles through remembering details of a favorite canceled show and talks glowingly about “Rhinebeck” and its characters and themes; Andrew discusses the topics that interest him and inspired the story

At about 30:20, Pete and Andrew discuss “in-betweeners” in the collection, including Jimena and others who complicate romantic and friend relationships

At about 32:50, Pete cites the collection’s titular story and the “netherworld” in which the characters exist; Andrew collects the story with the previously-mentioned ones in exploring “triangulation”

At about 34:20, The two discussed what Pete dubs “men unmoored” in the collection

At about 35:15, The two discuss art as a collection theme, and Anthony speaks on presenting different levels of art and different representations of the creative life and past versions of ourselves

At about 37:15, Andrew replies to Pete asking about art/writing as a “restorative process”

At about 38:25, The two discuss the ways in which fatherhood is discussed in the collection, especially in the story “Breathe”

At about 43:15, The two continue to talk about the ephemeral nature of so much of the book, including in the titular story

At about 44:25, Andrew responds to Pete’s asking about the ephemeral nature of the book and how he wanted the titular story’s ending to be a sort of an answer to the collection’s first story

At about 46:20, Pete refers to the delightful ambiguity in the book

At about 47:15, Pete asks Andrew about future projects

At about 50:00, Andrew shouts out publishing info, social media contacts

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 214 with Leah Myers. Leah is a member of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe of the Pacific Northwest, and she earned her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of New Orleans, where she won the Samuel Mockbee Award for Nonfiction two years in a row. Her debut memoir, THINNING BLOOD, is published by W.W. Norton and received a rave review in the New York Times.

The episode will air on November 28.

Monday Nov 13, 2023

Episode 212 with Theresa Rundstedtler, Savvy, Reflective, Thorough Researcher on Race and Sport, and Author of Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood and the Generation that Saved the Game

Monday Nov 13, 2023

Notes and Links to Theresa Rundstedtler’s Work

For Episode 212, Pete welcomes Theresa Rundstedtler, and the two discuss, among other things, her early love of sports and reading, her work as a Raptors dancer, and the ways in which her voracious reading gave rise to her further exploring sports and race, as well as salient themes like free agency, racist stereotypes and white paternalism and intriguing people like Simon Gourdine and Connie Hawkins and Wali Jones from the 1970s era of the NBA.

Theresa Runstedtler, PhD is an award-winning scholar of African American history whose research focuses on the intersection of race, masculinity, labor, and sport. Her most recent book, Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA (Bold Type Books, 2023), examines how Black players transformed the professional hoops game, both on and off the court, in the 1970s. She is also the author of Jack Johnson, Rebel Sojourner: Boxing in the Shadow of the Global Color Line (UC Press, 2012), a transnational biography that explores the first African American world heavyweight champion’s legacy as a Black sporting hero and anti-colonial icon in places as far-flung as Sydney, London, Cape Town, Manila, Paris, Havana, and Mexico City. Jack Johnson, Rebel Sojourner won the 2013 Phillis Wheatley Book Prize from the Northeast Black Studies Association. Runstedtler has written for Time.com and the LA Review of Books, and shared her expertise on the History Channel, Al Jazeera America, Vox.com, NPR, and international radio outlets including the BBC and CBC. Originally from Ontario, Canada, she is a professor at American University and lives in Baltimore with her husband and son.

Theresa's Website

Buy Black Ball

Black Ball Review from Los Angeles Review of Books

At about 2:35, Theresa discusses her appearance on The History Channel in discussing Jack Johnson’s

At about 4:35, Theresa discusses her childhood sporting career, especially her time in figure skating and dance

At about 7:15, Theresa discusses her reading interests growing up

At about 10:30, Theresa discusses her time working as a dancer for the Toronto Raptors

At about 14:00, Theresa talks about what she saw during her years the lives of so many involved with the NBA on a regular basis

At about 15:15, Theresa discusses her reading and writing interests and the ways in which she became a historian

At about 18:00, Theresa explains how and why she got into writing about sport

At about 18:50, Pete notes multiple parallels between the book and today’s world and sporting world, and Thersa follows up by talking about how she found people in some ways more open to talking about race through sports

At about 24:35, The two talk about a pivotal and faulty newspaper story by Chris Cobbs, and Theresa explains why she chose to start the book referencing it

At about 28:20, Pete cites Donovan X. Ramsey’s research on an erroneous story that exacerbated views on the crack epidemic

At about 29:00, Theresa discusses seeds for her book, especially her research into Len Bias’ death and how he became a “symbol of a greater moral panic”

At about 31:20, Pete alludes to Maurice Stokes’ mistreatment and the early days of player labor organization

At about 32:10, Theresa responds to Pete’s question and lays out why the 70s of the NBA has been “overlooked”

At about 33:05-35:20, Theresa talks about the book as a sort of redress

At about 35:40, The two discuss the difference between the “cultural associations” of fighting in 1970s

At about 36:30, Pete details the book’s first part involving monopoly, and he and Theresa discuss Connie Hawkins’ importance in the time period and beyond; Theresa gives background on seeds for the book coming upon her connecting Hawkins and Colin Kaepernick’s stories

At about 40:40, Spencer Haywood is referenced, and Theresa expands on his story, especially his connection to players’ right and the ABA/MBA merger

At about 47:20, Pete references the clash between conservative sportswriters of the early 1970s and socially active and aware players like Wali Jones and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, especially with regards to flimsy investigations regarding drug use in the NBA

At about 53:25, Pete cites advancements for Black coaches like K.C. Jones and Lenny Wilkens and Theresa discusses the ways in which the coaches were judged differently and how they were calm and collected as a rule

At about 55:30, Theresa expounds upon early Black coaches and their often “democratic” ways of coaching in opposition to some of the archetypal drill sergeant-type coaches

At about 57:25, Theresa details the intriguing story of Simon Gourdine and speculates on reasons why he was turned down for NBA Commissioner and what might have been…

At about 1:00:25, The two discuss thoughts of the time and as the years have gone on regarding players like Kermit Washington and Bernard King

At about 1:01:30, Pete asks Theresa about ending the book with an Epilogue revolving around Larry Bird and Magic Johnson’s impacts

At about 1:05:50, Theresa talks about exciting future projects

At about 1:06:40, Theresa recommends Jumpman by Johnny Smith and The Cap by Joshua Mendelsohn

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 213 with Andrew Porter, the author of, among other work, the short story collection The Theory of Light and Matter, which won the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, and the short story collection The Disappeared, published in April 2023.

The episode will air on November 21.

Monday Nov 06, 2023

Episode 211 with Chris L. Terry and James Spooner, Passionate Researchers, Veteran Punk Rockers, and Stewards and Proponents of Black Punk Excellence for Future Generations

Monday Nov 06, 2023

Notes and Links to Chris L. Terry’s and James Spooner’s Work

For Episode 211, Pete welcomes Chris L. Terry and James Spooner, and the two discuss, among other topics, the exciting release of Black Punk Now and reader response, the seeds for the book and the rationale for certain structures in the book, the balance between a punk aesthetic and fair treatment and pay for artists, Black punk as joy and liberation and catharsis, exciting new movements and artists in Black Punk and its attendant creative pursuits, and what Chris and James wish for the book’s future.

Chris L. Terry is the author of the novels Black Card (Catapult, 2019) and Zero Fade (Curbside Splendor, 2013), which was named Best Book of the Year by Slate and Kirkus Reviews. Mr. Terry’s short work has appeared in PANK, Razorcake, Very Smart Brothas, and more. He has taught for PEN America, Writing Workshops LA, and Storycatchers Theatre.

James Spooner is an American film director, tattoo artist, and graphic novelist. He is best known for his 2003 documentary film Afro-Punk, and for co-founding the Afropunk Festival. He also directed the 2007 narrative film White Lies, Black Sheep. His first graphic novel, titled The High Desert, was published in 2022.

Buy Black Punk Now!

Read an Excerpt from Black Punk Now

James’ Website

Buy The High Desert by James

Buy Black Card by Chris

Read about Afro-Punk Documentary

At about 2:20, Pete welcomes back Chris-the first two-time guest! and asks about seeds for the book and about the initial reaction to the book’s publication

At about 6:00, James responds to the same questions as above: seeds for the book and the book’s connections to his work with AfroPunk

At about 11:10, Chris shouts out Cecilia Flores at SoftSkull and the use of the tattoo framing in one interview in the book; he also discusses “creating Black spaces” with joy

At about 11:50, James mentions the cover of the book, “having the time of their lives” and Black Joy

At about 12:40-14:50, Chris responds to Pete’s questions about the book’s title’s genesis and the “timeliness” of the book

At about 14:50, Pete cites James’ Introduction to the book and James responds to Pete’s question about Black Punk’s rise with regard to concerts and exposure and its connection to corporatization

At about 19:15, Chris talks about the balance between the DIY ethos of punk and the newer generation’s keen ways of valuing their work and including more interested people

At about 22:30, James reminisces on the different scenes in punk circles when he was doing concerts

At about 25:05, Pete and Chris highlight the book’s Roundtables and interviews, particularly with Bobby Hackney, Jr., and key quotes that show Blackness and punk to be inextricable, as well as the openness of the book’s contributors

At about 28:15, Pete asks about punk rock and how it came from rock-originated by Black musicians and became associated with white musicians; Chris describes this

At about 30:30, James describes “major” Black figures and Black bands who were and are at the forefront of so many movements; he shouts out Soul Glo and Zulu and draws connections between the older and newer

At about 34:15, Chris uses his West Coast tour from 2002 as an example of how

At about 34:40, The three talk about the great Fishbone and The Last Action Hero soundtrack

At about 36:15, Pete asks about Blank punk and compliments the book’s variety and its politics and discussion of gender fluidity and other important issues; Chris speaks on punk as a lifestyle, and not just a style of music

At about 39:20, Pete wonders about any evolution in the ways in which women and nonbinary people have been treated in recent years of punk; Chris and James discuss challenges that still remain, as well as what they list as incremental victories

At about 44:05, Pete highlights quotes and interviews from the anthology and the ways in which catharsis is demonstrated through Black punk lifestyles

At about 46:05, Pete asks James and Chris about their process in picking a favorite Black punk songlist

At about 47:25, James and Chris respond to Pete’s questions about how they want the book to survive and thrive in coming years, and the rationale on having the book softcover right away

At about 49:15, Pete highlights engaging work from James and Chris in the anthology

At about 50:20, James and Chris talk about exciting future projects

At about 52:30, James and Chris give out their contact info and social media

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 212 with Theresa Runstedtler, award-winning scholar of African American history. Her work focused on intersection of race/masculinity/ labor/sport, and her recent: Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA.

The episode will air on November 14.

Monday Oct 23, 2023

Episode 210 with Dan Sinykin, Wise, Thorough Chronicler of The Publishing Industry’s Changing Mores, & Author of Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature

Monday Oct 23, 2023

Notes and Links to Dan Sinykin’s Work

For Episode 210, Pete welcomes Dan Sinykin, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early reading and how it showed a sort of rebellion and also spurred him on to a life of books and inspired Big Fiction, as well as salient issues and themes from the book, including mass market populism versus literary aesthetics, autofiction and its connection to marginalized writers of color and women, and the evolving role of editors and the colophon in the continuing conglomeration of book publishing.

Dan Sinykin is an assistant professor of English at Emory University with a courtesy appointment in quantitative theory and methods. He is the author of American Literature and the Long Downturn: Neoliberal Apocalypse (2020). His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Rumpus, Dissent, and other publications. Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature, is out now through Columbia University Press.

Buy Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature

Dan's Website with Emory University

Interview about Big Fiction with Lincoln Michel

At about 2:40, Dan discusses the intricacies of his book and its October publishing

At about 5:10, Dan highlights early feedback he’s gotten from readers

At about 7:05, Dan gives background on his childhood reading habits and some of his favorite books, series, and writers; he also talks about his father’s reading habits influenced him

At about 11:45, Dan responds to Pete’s questions about the draws of “East Coast” writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald

At about 14:30, Dan cites the greatness and pull of Gravity’s Rainbow

At about 16:55, Pete asks Dan about his connection to David Foster Wallace and other formative writers, who included Wittgenstein

At about 19:40, Pete gives a recommendation about which David Foster Wallace book NOT to read

At about 20:00, Pete wonders about how Dan’s job and research areas for his book has affected his “pleasure reading”

At about 21:45, Dan shouts out Martin Riker’s The Guest Lecture, Dan Kois’ Vintage Contemporaries as current standout reads

At about 23:00, Dan highlights the novels enjoyed by his students, including work by Fernanda Melchor, Jon Fosse, and Rachel Cusk

At about 24:25, Dan discusses the genesis of his book

At about 25:50, Pete and Dan discuss a pivotal event for publishing that Dan focuses on in the book’s Introduction-the firing of Andre Schiffrin

At about 30:15, The Program Era and The Economy of Prestige is highlighted and

At about 32:45, Dan discusses his book as a “continuation of his [Schiffrin’s] work” and how Dan sees value in avoiding labels of conglomeration as “good” or “bad”

At about 34:30, Dan breaks down the importance and symbolism of the colophon; he gives an example from the process of Wallace’s Infinite Jest as representative of the collaborative model

At about 43:30, Pete lays out the book’s five chapters’ structure and asks Dan about “high-brow” and “low-brow”; Dan speaks about the ways these books have been mass-marketed

At about 48:40, Dan traces the rise of romance books and speaks about the incredibly-interesting Danielle Steel and how she and others have become “brands”

At about 52:20, Pete asks Dan about the ways in which historical fiction and other books began to be geared toward literary prizes; he also traces the fairly-recent development of the term “literary fiction”

At about 55:15, Dan speaks to E.L. Doctorow as straddling the lines between the old and newer worlds of publishing

At about 59:40, The two discuss the chapters on trade publishers and autofiction’s importance, especially for female writers

At about 1:03:30, Pete cites Toni Morrison’s experiences and a quandary she ran into, as well as the experiences of many writers of color and “performance,” and Dan speaks to the story of Karen Tei Yamashita as a microcosm of writers of color in publishing

At about 1:10:30, Pete compliments the far-reaching and insightful book and Dan recommends buying the book at a local bookstore, including A Cappella Books, Eagle Eye Books, and Bookish in the Atlanta

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 211 with Theresa Runstedtler, award-winning scholar of African American history. Her work focused on intersection of race/masculinity/ labor/sport, and her recent: Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA.

The episode will air on October 31.

Monday Oct 16, 2023

Episode 209 with Julie Carrick Dalton, Standout Worldbuilder and Crafter of Plot Twists, Memorable Characters, Salient Storylines, and Author of The Last Beekeeper

Monday Oct 16, 2023

Notes and Links to Julie Carrick Dalton’s Work

For Episode 209, Pete welcomes Julie Carrick Dalton, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early relationship with nature and reading, formative and transformative teachers, how her journalism career informs her fiction and vice versa, the wondrous bee, and salient themes and topics from her book, including ecology, loss and love, climate change and hope, and whether the book is a call to action.

Julie Carrick Dalton is the author of The Last Beekeeper and Waiting for the Night Song, a CNN, USA Today, Parade, and Newsweek Most Anticipated novel. Her writing has appeared in BusinessWeek, The Boston Globe, The Hollywood Reporter, Orion, Chicago Review of Books, Lit Hub, Electric Literature, and other publications. An adjunct writing instructor for Drexel University’s MFA program, Julie is currently working on her third novel, slated for publication in 2025.

Julie's Website

Buy The Last Beekeeper

Book Review from New York Journal of Books

At about 1:30, the two discuss Philadelphia

At about 3:00, Julie discusses her upcoming novel, slated for 2025 publication

At about 4:40, Julie describes her experiences as a child with story-including puppeteering!-and nature

At about 6:45, Squirrels and chipmunks-which are which?

At about 7:45, More discussion of puppets shows and foibles!

At about 8:30, Julie and Pete discuss loss of innocence and awe and wonder, and Julie expands on some of her writing that deals with these topics

At about 10:05, Julie discusses formative and transformative reading-including work about “mysterious events”

At about 11:05-12:40, Julie shares experiences with two inspirational teachers of hers and the ways in which her writing skill and affection grew

At about 12:45, Julie responds to Pete’s questions about the ways in which journalism affects her fiction writing and vice versa

At about 15:00, When asked to name some current writing that moves and challenges her, Julie shouts out the “engaging” climate reporting from The New York Times, and Charlotte McConaghy

At about 17:15, Julie shares an anecdote about how teaching and parenting have influenced her writing, including a boat trip that led to a book

At about 20:15, Julie responds to Pete’s question about seeds for the book by referencing a real-life loss of 40,000 bees

At about 22:00, Julie speaks about bees’ importance and how food security and honeybees’ pollination

At about 25:45, Pete and Julie discuss the book’s opening scene and the ways in which fictional and real bees are in tune with the “G” note and ideas of “harmony”

At about 28:20, Pete marvels at ideas of notes and harmonizing in music, and Julie as a violinist and pianist explains a bit further

At about 29:30, Pete sets the book’s exposition and asks Julie to summarize the state of the world in the book’s adult timeline

At about 33:00, Julie explains why she chose to omit any mentions of time/years/etc.

At about 33:40, The two discuss and characterize some people in the book, including the protagonist's family and her housemates/squatters, and Julie explains some motivations for the “found family” members

At about 36:15, Julie responds to Pete’s wondering about the world of the story and homophobia

At about 37:30, Pete refers to the book’s apiary and inquires about any psychological insights Julie might have in the father’s actions and choices

At about 40:25, Julie discusses Sasha’s relationships with the bees and her deceased mother

At about 43:10, Julie expands upon the character of Uncle Chuck, “a complicated guy”

At about 45:50, Another Sopranos’ reference from Pete!

At about 47:00, Julie tiptoes around some plot spoilers in describing the book’s pivotal 11th birthday for Sasha

At about 48:25, Pete and Julie discuss some intriguing characters in the book

At about 50:10, Pete compliments the book’s ending and asks Julie about the book as a “call to action”; she talks about the book as allegory and as story

At about 52:00, Julie brings forth some hopeful ideas in the book regarding nature/climate change and she and Pete discuss her elimination of oil and gas in the future

At about 53:55, Pete notes interesting ideas of nature as cyclical and points to “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Bradbury

At about 55:40, Julie gives out social media information and recommends indie stores to buy her book, as well as Bookshop.org

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 210 with Dan Sinykin. He is assistant professor of English at Emory University with a courtesy appointment in Quantitative Theory and Methods whose book, Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature, comes out with Columbia University Press on October 24, the date the episode airs.

Monday Oct 09, 2023

Episode 208 with Sowmya Krishnamurthy, Author of Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion, and Keen Chronicler and Thoughtful Observer of Hip Hop, Pop Culture, and Fashion

Monday Oct 09, 2023

Notes and Links to Sowmya Krishnamurthy’s Work

For Episode 208, Pete welcomes Sowmya Krishnamurthy, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early love of hip hop and fashion, and the ways in which the two have always played off one another, her experiences in hip hop journalism and interning with Sean Combs and Bad Boy Records, trends in hip hop fashion and the ways in which they have been in response to racist laws and practice in the past, the power of ambassadors like Jay Z and Aaliyah, hip hop clothing lines, the power of designers from Versace to Virgil Abloh, and the evolution of more inclusive practices and views in the industry.

Sowmya Krishnamurthy is a music journalist and pop culture expert. Her work can be found in publications like Rolling Stone, Billboard, XXL, Playboy, High Snobiety, Complex, New York Magazine, Village Voice and Time. She has interviewed artists from J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar to Ariana Grande, Travis $cott and Alicia Keys.

As an on-air host, she has appeared on MTV, MSNBC, VH1, Hot 97, Build Series, E!, BET, CNN, NPR, BBC, and more. Her work has been aired in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Israel.

She hosted and programmed SiriusXM’s The Look Out radio show.

Her first book: Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion comes out October 10, 2023 (Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster).

Sowmya began her career at William Morris Endeavor’s Agent Training Program, CNN and Bad Boy Records.

She is a graduate of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Sowmya on Twitter

Buy Fashion Killa

Excerpt from Fashion Killa in Rolling Stone, October 3, 2023: "How Lil' Kim's Left Boob Symbolized a Shift High Fashion"

At about 2:00, Sowmya talks about the “surreal” run-up to the October 10 publication date for her book

At about 3:20-3:57, Sowmya gives some seeds for the book’s genesis

At about 4:00, Sowmya talks about the book’s process and research, including how the pandemic provided time for the book’s writing

At about 7:30, Sowmya reflects on how to sum up 50 years of hip hop and the difficulty of doing a chapter outline

At about 9:15, Sowmya talks about her focus on various topics in the books, including representing all regions of the country, international voices, and women

At about 11:00, Sowmya notes the arbitrariness of the 1973 “birthdate” for hip hop, not taking into account African traditions-call-and-response, etc.-and also how hip hop’s origin with DJ Herc and Sidney Campbell came partly through fashion

At about 12:45, Sowmya highlights Dapper Dan and the importance of logos and “social signaling,” who gets to wear what, “sumptuary laws,” etc.

At about 15:20, Sowmya recounts the story of how Google Images started after Jennifer Lopez wore her iconic dress

At about 16:50, Pete fanboys over Pharrell, and Sowmya recounts how Jay Z’s shift to a more formal clothing style and Pharrell and others bringing in skinny jeans were in some ways revolutionary

At about 20:20, Sowmya reflects on the outsized influence that 90s hip hop had on pop culture

At about 23:10, Sowmya talks about her upbringing in Kalamazoo, Michigan, especially her connections to music and 90s culture and things like Page Six

At about 27:00, Pete quotes from Sowmya’s book-she cites a beautifully chaotic scene in the passage-and she expands upon the importance of these type of scenes pre-social media

At about 29:00, Pete wonders about Cam’ron inventing a color, and Sowmya talks about his and Kanye West and others wearing pink as a bold choice

At about 31:30, Pete shouts out some early hip hop purchases, and Sowmya describes her early hip hop influences and purchases

At about 33:50, Sowmya discusses some of her early writing opportunities in the hip hop and pop culture space

At about 34:20, Pete and Sowmya rate the verses from Drake’s “Forever”

At about 35:20, Sowmya gives background on how she got a job with Sean Combs and Bad Boy Records

At about 41:30, Sowmya charts a surreal first experience in the Bad Boy offices

At about 45:00, Sowmya discusses the famous “Making the Band” skit from Chappelle Show, being that she worked with Sean Combs, and she shouts out his unceasing work ethic

At about 47:00, Sowmya talks about her work ethic and the era in which she started her work career

At about 48:35, Sowmya shouts out places to buy her book, including Rizzoli Bookstore in NYC, and she talks about the importance of the cover aesthetics

At about 50:50, Sowmya talks about the importance of the book’s subject matter and books as “luxury items”

At about 52:15, Sowmya discusses the importance of her book’s blurber, Slick Rick, and his importance in hip hop and fashion; additionally, she shouts out other “heartening” blurbs

At about 54:20, Sowmya talks about the title’s genesis and she and Pete discuss the book’s opening and early hip hop and self-expression

At about 55:40, Sowmya recounts the experience of buying a new CD in the 90s and early 2000s-the “connection” to the music

At about 58:30, Pete cites the book’s opening and ending and its “bookend” quality; Sowmya expounds on “the walking billboard” that was the big logos of Hilfiger, etc., as well as the ways in which people do and don’t show off wealth

At about 1:03:10, The two discuss the importance of The Source and Vibe as game-changers in representation and how much of hip hop fashion went against racist clothing laws of the past

At about 1:04:15, Sowmya gives some background on “backpack rap” in response to Pete’s questions

At about 1:07:10, Pete reflects on interesting anecdotes and interviews

At about 1:08:10, The two discuss the clothing brand battles of the 90s and beyond-Sean John, ENYCE, etc., and Pete laments the loss of a treasured sweater

At about 1:09:00, Pete asks Sowmya to talk about what she sees happening in the future, involving hip hop/pop culture and fashion

At about 1:12:10, The two highlight some amazing photos in the book, including an heretofore obscure photo of Tupac in Milan

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 209 with Julie Carrick Dalton. She is the author of The Last Beekeeper and Waiting for the Night Song, named a Most Anticipated 2021 novel by CNN, Newsweek, USA Today, Parade, and others, and an Amazon Editor’s pick for Best Books of the Month. Julie is also a frequent speaker and contributor to multiple magazines about Fiction in the Age of Climate Crisis.

The episode will air on October 17.

Wednesday Oct 04, 2023

Episode 207 with Ursula Villarreal-Moura, Master of Flash Fiction, Short, Powerful Stories, and Prose that Explores Intricate Emotions in Clever and Profound Ways

Wednesday Oct 04, 2023

Notes and Links to Ursula Villarreal-Moura’s Work

For Episode 207, Pete welcomes Ursula Villarreal-Moura, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early San Antonio Spurs’ education, her omnivorous reading habits, particularly in her childhood, a formative writing contest and reading event, her transitioning from poetry to short stories and flash fiction, and salient themes addressed in her collection, including mental health issues, trauma, delusion, ideas of identity and self-perception, and imagination and story.

Ursula Villarreal-Moura is the author of Math for the Self-Crippling (2022), selected by Zinzi Clemmons as the Gold Line Press fiction contest winner, and Like Happiness (Celadon Books, 2024). A graduate of Middlebury College, she received her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and was a VONA/Voices fellow. Her stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in numerous magazines including Tin House, Catapult, Prairie Schooner, Midnight Breakfast, Washington Square, Story, Bennington Review, Wigleaf Top 50, and Gulf Coast. She contributed to Forward: 21st Century Flash Fiction, a flash anthology by writers of color, and in 2012, she won the CutBank Big Fish Flash Fiction/Prose Poetry Contest. Her writing has been nominated for Best of the Net, Best Small Fictions, a Pushcart Prize, and longlisted for Best American Short Stories 2015.

Ursula Villarreal-Moura's Website

Buy Math for the Self-Crippling

Interview in Tri-Quarterly

At about 2:20, Ursula shares her love of the Spurs and the ways in which the Spurs culture was infused in her schooling

At about 5:00, Ursula talks about the ways in which she became an omnivorous reader, and how a Judy Blume book really flipped the reading switch

At about 7:10, Ursula describes her first writing as “exotic,” including stories set in boarding schools

At about 10:00, Ursula describes being “receptive” and maybe not as “expressive” in Spanish, and ideas of representations, including as an “Ursula”

At about 13:30, Ursula talks about the “beautiful readings” she witnessed from Sandra Cisneros and the big impact

At about 15:30, Ursula talks about the beginnings of her writing and writing career, including a memorable writing contest that she placed well in at a young age

At about 20:55, Ursula responds to Pete’s questions about genre and how Ursula sees her work in terms of flash fiction, short stories, poetry, etc.

At about 23:45, Ursula describes short stories, including from Denis Johnson, Roberto Bolaño, Jeffrey Eugenides, Sandra Cisneros, Donald Barthelme, Tobias Wolff, and Amy Bloom that inspired her

At about 26:00, Ursula

At about 27:00, Ursula speaks to the idea that her work, like that of many women, is more likely assumed to be autobiographical

At about 27:50, Ursula answers Pete’s questions about the chronology of her book, and she describes how much of it was written in the library

At about 29:35, Pete cites the collection’s first story in asking Ursula about ideas of truth in storytelling and imagination

At about 31:00, Ursula and Pete shout out past guest Oscar Hokeah’s Calling for a Blanket Dance and an example of things being “true but unreal”

At about 32:35, Pete cites an example of a story having to do with self-discovery and personas, and Ursula expands upon these ideas

At about 33:55, The two reflect on the power of a story about mental health and Sophia Loren

At about 36:20, Ursula reflects on meanings for the book’s title, and Pete cites a Cherry Valance example from The Outsiders in connection to ruminations on seemingly life-changing experiences

At about 39:30, Ursula reflects on the narrator’s disappointment and despair after a nonchalant comment from a possible boyfriend

At about 41:50, Ursula describes the ways in which therapy is featured in the book and differing ways in which it can be delivered in the real world

At about 43:00, Ursula expands on items of “totems”

At about 45:00, Pete highlights an important quote about “the power of suggestion” and Ursula describes how real-life events and ideas of “delusion” inspired a story in her collection

At about 45:52-Ursula’s cat makes an appearance!

At about 47:10, Ideas of trauma affecting adult experiences and relationships is discussed

At about 50:55, The two reflect on ideas of observers and how Ursula skillfully uses second and third-person

At about 52:25, Ursula shares exciting new projects

At about 54:50, Ursula gives out contact info and social media info and recommends Bookshop.org, Powell’s, and McNally-Jackson as places to buy her book

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 208 with Sowmya Krishnamurthy, a music journalist and pop culture expert whose work can be found in publications like Rolling Stone, Billboard, XXL, and Time. Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion comes out on October 10, which is the date the book will be published! Also, look out for a late October/early November print conversation with me and Sowmya that will be in Chicago Review of Books.

Again, this episode will air on October 10.

Friday Sep 29, 2023

Episode 206 with David Mura, Thoughtful, Thorough, Wise Student and Chronicler of the Ills of White Supremacy and the Ways in Which Racism Works, and Author of The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself

Friday Sep 29, 2023

Notes and Links to David Mura’s Work

For Episode 206, Pete welcomes David Mura, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early reading and writing and the ways in which his parents’ imprisonment as Japanese-Americans affected their and his views of being an American, his more expansive reading as he matured that changed world views, the prescience and fullness and profundity of James Baldwin’s writing, ideas of shame/guilt and white supremacy, the stories told about ”great” white men, and blind spots-unintentional and intentional-that have led to racism in policing, schooling, medical care, and so many other parts of American life.

David Mura's memoirs, poems, essays, plays and performances have won wide critical praise and numerous awards. Their topics range from contemporary Japan to the legacy of the internment camps and the history of Japanese Americans to critical explorations of an increasingly diverse America. He gives presentations at educational institutions, businesses and other organizations throughout the country.

David's Website

David’s Wikipedia Page

Buy The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself

Review for The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself from The Star Tribune

At about 1:45, David discusses the ways in which Japanese-American concentration camps, language and ethnicity shaped his reading and family’s life

At about 6:30, David discusses the ways in which he now looks back at work that was trumpeted as about “great (white) Americans” that he read in the past, including a sharper view of Abraham Lincoln

At about 11:00, David talks about the ways in which white Americans have failed to learn from past wrongdoing

At about 13:00, David expands upon a meaningful and emblematic meeting between James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, Robert F. Kennedy, and others

At about 14:55, David describes the ways in which James Baldwin was prophetic in his depiction of the moral/spiritual emptiness of white racism

At about 16:55, David responds to Pete’s question about texts and quotes and passages and writers that thrilled and challenged him-he quotes (verbatim!) from an excerpt of a profound text from Baldwin-"The Devil Finds Work"

At about 21:45, David recounts racist and transformative experiences that shaped James Baldwin’s world view

At about 24:35, David reflects on ideas of forgiveness and how Baldwin’s views on Black and white people and myths and stories were shaped by experiences in New Jersey, the American South, and elsewhere

At about 28:25, Pete details a memorable example of hypocrisy involving Tom Tancredo and past guest Gustavo Arellano

At about 29:30, Pete asks David to further explain shame/guilt as it mentioned with regards to white racism in David’s book

At about 30:35, David reads a telling passage from his book related to the above question, and he references Tom Cotton and Ron DeSantis as two of many examples of denial of racism and white backlash

At about 33:15, David continues talking about shame and guilt and likens reactions to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ work

At about 37:00, David deals with the hypocrisy and white supremacy shown by Ron DeSantis’ takedown of AP African-American history and ideas of white validation

At about 40:00, Pete wonders if David sees any improvements and hope coming with younger generations and a more inclusive story; he brings up the ways in which Ruby Bridges’ story is emblematic of conservative, Moms for Liberty backlash

At about 44:45, The two discuss an infamous photo featuring Jerry Jones, and Pete cites a stunning story from the book involving Kiese Laymon and a racist incident with a future politician

At about 47:30, David provides historical background on “blackness” and “whiteness” and the ways in which the white elite has promoted these ideas to working-class whites

At about 49:40, Pete talks about ideas of reading and empathy, and he asks David about burdens and learning and working against ignorance

At about 52:30, David tells a story of learning about different perspectives from Alexs Pate and from Black artists “laughing with pain” from DWB (Driving While Black) experiences

At about 55:20, David relates a telling anecdote related to the movie and novelization of Amistad and the ways in which these two works of art showed disparate understandings of race and racism

At about 1:00:30, David describes the potency of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

At about 1:03:15, Pete cites a moving specific and universal story from Douglas Kearney in the book, and David homes in on ideas of “what American means” to students of color in the Minneapolis area and connections to Black men killed by police and systemic racism

At about 1:09:40, David cites medical racism and ignorant and regressive ideas cited in a 2016 study of white medical students; he cites connections

At about 1:12:05, Pete and David wonder about the NRA’s lack of action in support of the Black Panthers and Philando Castile

At about 1:13:40, Moon Palace, Birchwood Books, and Magers & Quinn as good places to buy his book

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 207 with Ursula Villarreal-Moura, the author of Math for the Self-Crippling, Gold Line Press fiction contest winner; writing has been nominated for Best of the Net, Best Small Fictions, a Pushcart Prize, and longlisted for Best American Short Stories 2015

The episode will air on October 3.

Monday Sep 25, 2023

Episode 205 with Josh Riedel, Author of Please Report Your Bug Here, Standout Worldbuilder, and Sage Observer and Chronicler of the Evolution/Devolution of Tech and its Impact on Our Society/Ourselves

Monday Sep 25, 2023

Notes and Links to Josh Riedel’s Work

For Episode 205, Pete welcomes Josh Riedel, and the two discuss, among other topics, his Midwestern upbringing and early reading and writing, his love of Choose Your Own Adventure books, his evolving reading tastes, the experiences in early tech-at Facebook and as Employee #1 for Instagram-that inspired much of his book, and throughlines in the book like intimacy and connections, the free and not so free exchange of ideas, and the ways in which social media and Big Tech has altered our world and ourselves.

Josh Riedel was the first employee at Instagram, where he worked for several years before earning his MFA from the University of Arizona. His short stories have appeared in One Story, Passages North, and Sycamore Review. Please Report Your Bug Here is his first novel. He lives in San Francisco, California.

Josh Riedel's Website

Buy Please Report Your Bug Here

Chicago Review of Books Review of Please Report Your Bug Here

At about 1:45, Josh discusses his childhood reading and writing and Midwest upbringing in response to Pete citing an intriguing quote from

At about 5:20, The two discuss Josh’s writing style and his reading and understanding of fellow Illinoisian David Foster Wallace and the power of Dave Eggers’ work

At about 7:50, Peter Rock and Tony Early and Tin House are highlighted as helpful in shaping Josh’s love of writing and writing and writing style

At about 9:30, Josh discusses his early days of working at Facebook and seeing working in tech as an aesthetic pursuit

At about 12:40, Josh gives background on how he became Instagram Employee #1

At about 16:20, Josh discusses what drew him to early tech worlds, and what he still respects about the industry

At about 20:45, Josh shares seeds for the book

At about 22:10, Josh talks about how time and physical distance helped him to better write his book

At about 23:40, Johs defines and explains the meanings of “bug” in the tech world and provides some examples

At about 24:45, Pete relates some of the book’s exposition and Josh replies to Pete’s questions about NDA’s in tech and the ways they affect the consumer

At about 26:35, Josh speaks about the ways in which he characterizes The Founder in the book

At about 30:30, Josh speaks about the book’s mission statement scenes and the possible naivete of the protagonist Ethan

At about 33:15, Josh and Pete speak about the work/rest balance in tech companies and the ways in which it has changed/evolved

At about 37:40, Pete wonders who Noma is to Ethan in the book and Josh responds

At about 38:50, Pete sets up what happens early in the book with Ethan’s 100% match; Josh describes how this scene pushes the book in a surreal direction

At about 42:15, Josh and Pete describe how Noma takes Ethan out of his work bubble

At about 43:20, The two sum up the startup’s roster and lay out The Corporation’s machinations

At about 44:30, Yarbo is described by Josh in its makeup and philosophy

At about 46:00, Pete charts the Portals and surrealism of the book that becomes a/the main conflict

At about 49:00, Josh talks about bigger issues of connection that have changed since the book’s main setting of 2010 ish

At about 52:10, The two discuss “curated profiles” based on a profound quote from the book

At about 53:45, Josh responds to Pete’s questions on the unique and successful ending

At about 55:45, Josh discusses interesting upcoming projects and mentions a different topic about which he recently wrote for Esquire

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 206 with David Mura, whose memoirs, poems, essays, plays and performances have won wide critical praise and numerous awards. The topics range from contemporary Japan to the legacy of the internment camps and the history of Japanese Americans to critical explorations of an increasingly diverse America. His most recent standout is The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself.

The episode will air on September 29.

Tuesday Sep 19, 2023

Episode 204 with Kara H.L. Chen, Standout YA Writer of Love and Resistance and Crafter of Believable and Relatable and Empathy-Inducing Characters

Tuesday Sep 19, 2023

Notes and Links to Kara H.L. Chen’s Work

For Episode 204, Pete welcomes Kara H.L. Chen, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and constant desire to write, the ways in which law has affected her writing, YA and its pull for her, seeds for Love and Resistance, and salient themes and related real-world issues from the book like racism and anti-Asian hate, cliques and social media and high school culture, and keeping a book fresh in the world of rapidly-advancing technology.

Kara H.L. Chen grew up near Cleveland, Ohio, where she once had to shovel snow off her car with a plastic trashcan. She now lives on the West Coast with her husband and daughters, and is learning how to use an Instapot. She has undergraduate degrees in English and economics, a J.D., and a MFA in fiction. She has used her economics degree exactly once, when she tried to make a joke about marginal costs and marginal returns. It did not go well.

Kara's Website

Buy Love and Resistance

Nerd Daily Interview

At about 2:25, Kara discusses languages and reading and writing in her early days

At about 4:00, Kara relates the ways, subtle and not, that Taiwanese spoken in her family makes its way into her writing

At about 5:00, Pete and Kara geek out about their kids reading the new generation of The Babysitters’ Club and Kara discusses books and writers that influenced her-including more recent ones by Anthony Doerr, RF Kuang, Shawna Yang Ryan, and Ann Liang

At about 8:15, Kara responds to Pete’s asking about how her path in law and other life experiences dovetailed with writing for a profession

At about 9:30, Pete wonders about using different parts of the brain in writing for law and writing YA

At about 11:00, Kara speaks to the times in which she felt pulled/pushed into writing a novel/writing in general

At about 11:45, Kara shares her experience with representation and mentorship and care from Jen Ung

At about 14:15, Kara traces her interest in writing YA

At about 17:10, Kara talks about the years of work and querying that led to the book’s publication and the affirming feedback she’s received

At about 18:45, Kara gives a little summary of the book and discusses seeds for the book

At about 20:10, Pete cites important lines from the book’s beginning and Kara talks to protagonist Livvy’s ideas of school as a type of combat

At about 21:40, The two discuss Mitzi’s “in crowd” and microaggressions that come from the group, including an inciting incident when peers make racist comments

At about 23:00, Kara responds to Pete’s laying out some early and formative experiences in Livvy’s family

At about 25:10, The two discuss the light touch and lack of patronizing that makes Livvy’s mother a loving one, and Kara emphasizes the importance of the mother as a mentor figure and one who bridges generational/cultural gaps

At about 29:45, The Nerd Net and Livvy’s budding relationships are traced

At about 31:15, Peter, a pivotal character is discussed, in his purity, and Pete wonders if we or Kara should feel sorry for Mitzi due to some misfortunes

At about 34:30, Kara talks about the “Ocean’s Eleven” crew and the connections between Griff and Livvy and how the crew balances each other out and how Livvy is herself challenged in her assumptions about others

At about 37:18-39:43, Kara speaks about the racism in the micro-the book-and talks about how its subject matter has evolved over time and unfortunately been in line with a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes

At about 40:00, Kara and Pete discuss the universality of the book and how to chart the quick changes in technology

At about 41:12, Kara talks about the spoken word venue in the book and its connection to ideas of self-expression

At about 44:05, The two discuss feelings of “something else” and its connection to the adolescent years and racism in Livvy’s case

At about 48:30, Kara shares news on Asking for a Friend, her exciting new book set to be published in 2024

At about 50:00, Kara recommends Books, Inc., Keppler’s and others as places that have signed copies of her book and shares contact information/social media info

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 205 with Josh Riedel. He was Instagram Employee #1, and he is the author of the novel Please Report Your Bug Here; his essays and short stories have appeared in Esquire, Slate, LitHub, One Story, Joyland, and elsewhere.

The episode will air on September 26.

Monday Sep 11, 2023

Episode 203 with V.V. (Sugi) Ganeshananthan, Master Craftswoman of Tender and Gutting Storylines and Characters, and Author of the Modern Classic, Brotherless Night

Monday Sep 11, 2023

Notes and Links to VV Ganeshananthan’s Work

For Episode 203, Pete welcomes VV Ganeshananthan, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and writing and the ways in which Tamil has influenced her English writing, formative and transformative writing and writers, the ways in which her podcasting influences her writing and vice versa, the writing that resonates with her college students, and the towering achievement that is Brotherless Night-background and seeds for the book, cultural subtleties and nuances featured in the book, the complicated ways in which various groups interacted in the Sri Lankan conflicts, writing tenderness into such darkness, and the ways in which the storyline affected VV emotionally.

V. V. Ganeshananthan (she/her) is the author of the novels Brotherless Night, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, and Love Marriage, which was longlisted for the Women's Prize and named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post. Her work has appeared in Granta, The New York Times, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading, among other publications.

A former vice president of the South Asian Journalists Association, she has also served on the board of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, and is presently a member of the boards of the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies and the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop. The National Endowment for the Arts, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, Yaddo, MacDowell, and the American Academy in Berlin have awarded her fellowships. She has served as visiting faculty at the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan and at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and now teaches in the MFA program at the University of Minnesota, where she is a McKnight Presidential Fellow and associate professor of English. She co-hosts the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast on Literary Hub, which is about the intersection of literature and the news.

VV's Website

Buy Brotherless Night

"Terrorist to Whom"-New York Times Review of Brotherless Night

Listen to the fiction/non/fiction Podcast

At about 3:00, VV discusses her busy and productive schedule

At about 4:00, VV responds to Pete wondering about her early relationship with language

At about 5:20, VV reflects on Brotherless Night bering referred to as having a Tamil feel, and expands on how the language of Tamil may figure in to her English

At about 8:15, VV speaks about early reading and literary influences

At about 10:30, Pete gives a pop spelling quiz

At about 11:15, VV discusses formative writers and works that put her on the path to becoming a writer, as well as an unforgettable visit from Gregory Maguire

At about 14:00, VV talks about the secret clubs she wasn’t (allegedly) part of at Harvard

At about 15:15, VV outlines the ethic and style of the podcast she cohosts with Whitney Terrell

At about 17:30, VV talks about the writers and writing that resonates with her college students, including the work of Carmen Maria Machado and Yiyun Li

At about 19:45, VV responds to Pete’s question about working on Brotherless Night for 20 years (?!), and she shares seeds for the book, including a class with Ethan Canin

At about 22:30, VV describes the emotional impact the book had on her

At about 24:00, Pete runneth over with compliments for the novel

At about 24:55, Pete speaks on the book’s Prologue and highlights meaningful lines at the beginning

At about 26:15-29:45, Pete wonders about the usage of only an initial for a main character, K, and VV gives some insight

At about 29:45, VV describes the ways in which Sasha looks at K

At about 32:15, The two discuss the town of Jaffna and ist makeup and early scenes involving a pivotal political rally

At about 34:20, VV gives background on Jaffna, how political Sashi’s family was and why she decided to set the novel there

At about 37:30, VV responds to Pete’s questions about how much colonialism’s shadow and aftereffects play in to the book’s events and traumas

At about 39:40, VV speaks about Indian forces and their role in the Sri Lanka

At about 41:00, VV reflects on the ways in which she was prompted to include rare, but meaningful, direct address in the book

At about 46:30, Pete tiptoes around plot spoilers while he and VV discuss a pivotal death in the book and the resulting action, or lack thereof, by Sashi’s father

At about 49:00, The two discuss aftereffects of the pivotal death and ideas of empathy, sympathy, and judgment for the actions of those involved in the conflicts

At about 50:35, VV responds to Pete’s questions about the ways in which she presented a multifaceted view of the complicated conflict in Sri Lanka

At about 54:15, Pete remarks on the book’s tenderness in the midst

At about 55:55, Pete cites a right-on blurb from Brit Bennett

At about 56:10, VV shouts out Magers & Quinn as one of many places to buy the book

At about 57:10, VV shares future exciting projects and shouts out Julie Schumacher and Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfield

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 204 with Kara HL Chen. Kara has undergraduate degrees in English and economics, a J.D., and a MFA in fiction. Love and Resistance, published in July 2023, is her YA debut.

The episode will air on September 19.

Monday Sep 04, 2023

Episode 202 with Dennis J. Sweeney, Reflective and Persistently Profound Thinker and Craftsman of Poems Both Abstract and Concrete and Author of You’re the Woods Too

Monday Sep 04, 2023

Notes and Links to Dennis Sweeney’s Work

For Episode 202, Pete welcomes Dennis Sweeney, and the two discuss, among other topics, Dennis’ early relationship with books and almost-averse view of nature, some formational and transformational writers and writing, DFW and his outsized footprint, the power of small press poetry and other resonant books for Dennis and his students, as well as salient themes in his poetry collection, like patriarchy, emptiness versus fullness, isolation, change, retreat and escape in the modern world.

Dennis James Sweeney is the author of You’re the Woods Too and In the Antarctic Circle, as well as four chapbooks of poetry and prose, including Ghost/Home: A Beginner’s Guide to Being Haunted.

His first book, In the Antarctic Circle, won the Autumn House Rising Writer Prize and was a Debut Poetry Book of 2021 in Poets & Writers, as well as a finalist for the National Poetry Series and the Big Other Book Award. His second book, You’re the Woods Too, is a Small Press Distribution bestseller and a finalist for the Deborah Tall Lyric Essay Prize.

His fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared in Ecotone, Ninth Letter, The New York Times, The Southern Review, and Witness, among others. Formerly a Small Press Editor at Entropy and Assistant Editor at Denver Quarterly, he has an MFA from Oregon State University and a PhD from the University of Denver.

His writing has been supported by residencies from Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, I-Park Foundation, and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. He is the recipient of a Fulbright grant to Malta.

Originally from Cincinnati, he lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he teaches at Amherst College.

Dennis' Website

Buy You're the Woods Too

“You’re the Woods Too by Dennis James Sweeney

Review by Xander Gershberg” for Mayday Magazine

At about 2:55, Dennis talks about his early reading and writing, exploring “fantastical” worlds, and

At about 4:35, Dennis follows up on some of his early reading experiences, including reading his fellow bandana-wearer David Foster Wallace and he expands on revisionism

At about 6:50, Pete shouts out Wallace’s amazing “A Supposedly Fun Thing…” and the two discuss maximalism and minimalism and Wallace’s place among white male writers who have often been excused for wrongdoing

At about 8:00, Dennis talks about how some enjoyable reading differed from Wallace’s

At about 12:15, Dennis talks about retreat and escape and implications

At about 13:00, Dennis shouts out some favorite contemporary writers that thrill and challenge him, including Emilia Gray and her AM PM, Lynn Xu, Sawako Nakayasu, Toni Morrison, and Billy-Ray Belcourt

At about 15:00, Dennis discusses Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Petina Gappah, and other writers whose resonates with her students

At about 16:25, Dennis responds to Pete’s questions about searching for muses

At about 18:20, Pete and Dennis discuss changes in life and writing life with the advent of fatherhood

At about 20:00, Dennis breaks down the title’s pronunciation and origins of the collection

At about 22:35, Pete cites Erica Berry’s work and asks Dennis about the natural setting of Oregon that inspired his work

At about 23:30, Dennis expands on moss and its importance and symbolism while citing Gathering Moss by Robin Kimmerer

At about 26:00, Is Dennis a believer in birds not being real??

At about 26:20, Dennis responds to Pete’s asking about any individual importance of the varied mosses that title the collection’s poems

At about 28:40, Pete and Dennis talk about ideas of nature being uncontrollable and the importance of “GREEN” and the use of “we” in the collection

At about 31:20, The two discuss the cabin setting for the second poem and beyond and Dennis responds to Pete’s thoughts on the pen and its significance

At about 34:20, Dennis speaks about ideas of emptiness versus fullness and their myriad meanings

At about 38:55, Pete muses on ideas of Paradise and “The Fall” and asks Dennis about ideas of God and spiritual ideas from the collection

At about 42:30, The two discuss ideas of travel and men as the exalted travelers and ideas of “theater” and who’s telling the stories

At about 47:15, Pete poses questions to Dennis about any changes from the retreat charted in the collection

At about 50:30, Pete makes yet another “Everlong” reference and compares it to ideas from later poems of Dennis’ and finding peace

At about 53:50, Dennis discusses exciting new writing he’s been working on

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 203 with V.V. Ganeshananthan, the author of the novels Brotherless Night, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, and Love Marriage, which was longlisted for the Women's Prize and named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post. She also co-hosts the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast on Literary Hub. Brotherless Night is one of the most memorable books Pete has read in years, if not ever.

The episode will air on September 12.

Monday Aug 28, 2023

Episode 201 with Erica J Berry, Thoughtful and Thorough Writer Who Seamlessly Combines Multiple Disciplines and Genres in Her Enthralling Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear

Monday Aug 28, 2023

Notes and Links to Erica Berry’s Work

For Episode 201, Pete welcomes Erica Berry, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and writing and generational traumas and anxieties that have colored her life and many of our lives, her move from poetry into nonfiction and an eventual embrace of many different types of writing and lenses, the “ecology of fear,” travel and confronting fears, and making storylines about seemingly disparate topics-land rights, myth, wolves, fear-into a coherent and superb book.

Erica Berry’s nonfiction debut, Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear, was published in February 2023 by Flatiron/Macmillan (US+Canada), and Canongate (UK+Commonwealth) in March 2023.

Her essays and journalism appear in Outside, Catapult, Wired,. Winner of the Steinberg Essay Prize, she has received grants and fellowships from the Ucross Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources, and Tin House.

She teaches workshops for teenagers and adults through the Attic Institute, Literary Arts, the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, the New York Times Student Journeys, and Oxford Academia. She was the 2019-2020 National Writers’ Series Writer-in-Residence and Teaching Fellow at Front Street Writers in Traverse City, Michigan.

She graduated from Bowdoin College in 2014, and received her MFA from the University of Minnesota as a College of Liberal Arts Fellow in 2018. She now lives in her hometown of Portland, Oregon, where she is a Writer-in-the-Schools and an Associate Fellow at the Attic Institute of Arts and Letters.

Buy Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear

Erica's Website

Review of Wolfish for The Atlantic: “The Book That Teaches Us to Live With Our Fears”

"Why Do We Fear Wolves?" from LitHub, 2017

At about 2:15, Erica reps The Chills at Will swag!

At about 2:55: Erica quotes Rebecca Solnit in describing her early reading and writing and the relationships to anxiety and ease and pleasure

At about 4:20, Erica focuses in on some favorite readings and writers from growing up, including Cornelia Funke, in addition to the importance and shortcomings of journaling in her life

At about 8:55, Erica talks about her early connections to farms in her family, as well as poetry and nonfiction and her views of them as she got into high school and college

At about 13:05, Pete asks Erica about traumas and fears and how generational traumas have affected her family, her, and her writing

At about 17:15, Pete shouts out his son’s soccer debut in asking Erica about confronting fears; Erica quotes a telling example from Rachel Cusk’s work

At about 19:45, Erica responds to Pete’s questions about the connections between travel and exploration as imperatives for writers

At about 23:00, Pete shouts out Jean Guerrero’s top-notch Crux in asking Erica about her multidimensional writing style; Erica speaks about the background and rationale for her “interdisciplinary omnivorousness”

At about 26:00, Erica replies to Pete’s questions about what helped her to solidify seemingly-disparate topics into Wolfish; she discusses how early iterations of the book didn’t feature fear so prominently

At about 29:30, Pete sets the scene for the book’s opening, the start featuring the discovery of a wolf corpse, as well as further exploration by Erica of “crying wolf” and the many permutations of Little Red Riding Hood

At about 31:20, Erica speaks of ways in investigating the wolf’s effect on society’s consciousness through various expressions across the world involving the wolf

At about 33:00, Erica reads from Page 6 of her book, an excerpt involving false perceptions about worldwide wolf attacks on humans

At about 35:45, Erica discusses myths and stories and cultures that don’t always match up with perceptions of wolves, as well as ideas of indigenous’ connections to wolves and ideas of boundaries

At about 39:10, Pete and Erica chart the journeys of OR-7 and other wolves

At about 40:15, Pete cites Oregon’s horrific laws of the past involving Black people in asking Erica about how she brought together seemingly-unrelated issues and histories

At about 43:45, Erica and Pete discuss binaries and how Erica wrote against them

At about 44:45, The two discuss real-life tragedies and rational fears, and Erica discuss the implications of the “ecology of fear”

At about 49:20, Erica discusses her time at a wolf sanctuary in England and its aftereffects

At about 52:40, Erica discusses her heightened understanding of ranchers and food systems and the “stewards of the land” in eastern Oregon and beyond

At about 57:00, Erica discusses “connecting with the land” and ranchland

At about 58:15, The two discuss Erica’s trip to Sicily and ideas of getting past fears/living with minimized fear

At about 1:02:20, Erica discusses exciting upcoming projects

At about 1:04:00, Pete shares two pertinent quotes paraphrased by Erica’s teachers and she highlights their importance and genesis

At about 1:04:50, Broadway Books and Powell’s in Portland are highlighted as indie bookstores at which to but Erica’s book

NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast

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 202 with Dennis J. Sweeney, a cross-genre writer and the author of You’re the Woods Too and In the Antarctic Circle, as well as four chapbooks of poetry and prose. He has been a finalist for the National Poetry Series and the Big Other Book Award.

The episode will air on September 5.