The Chills at Will Podcast

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

 

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

  

   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.

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 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.

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

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

   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.

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 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.

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

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

 

   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.

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 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.

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

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

  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.

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 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.

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

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 

   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.

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 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.

 

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

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

   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.

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 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.

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

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

   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.

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 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.

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

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

   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.

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 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.

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

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

   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.

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 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.

EPISODE 200 with Adam Vitcavage, Raconteur, Skilled Writer of Literary and Music Criticism, and Charismatic Advocate for Debut Authors Through his Podcast Debutiful: Discover Debut Authors

Notes and Links to Adam Vitcavage’s Work

 

   For Episode 200, Pete welcomes Adam Vitcavage, and the two discuss, among other topics, Adam’s early reading and writing and the spark provided by writers like Jesmyn Ward, his early writing in the world of music criticism and literary criticism, the background on his penchant for working with debut authors, a lot of sports analogies, dream guests he’s worked with and still hopes to work with, The Babysitters Club, and shared experiences in the world of literary podcasting.

 

 

   Adam Vitcavage is the founder of Debutiful, a website and podcast where readers can discover debut authors. The podcast was named one of the Best Book Podcasts by Book Riot, Town and Country, and Los Angeles Review of Books in 2022. His criticism and interviews have also been featured in Electric Literature, Paste Magazine, Literary Hub, Phoenix New Times, among others. He currently lives in Denver. 

Listen to Debutiful

 

Debutiful Website

 

“A Mix of Paean and Elegy: The Millions Interviews Jamel Brinkley” by Adam

 

For Electric Literature: "Is Iceland the Most Literary Country in the World?"

At about 4:30, Adam responds to Pete’s questions about his early relationship with the written word

 

At about 6:15, Adam gives background on his studies of literature, and how he began to compile bylines 

 

At about 7:45, Adam talks about covering bands in his early writing career

 

At about 8:30, Adam talks about formational and transformational reading, like Salinger, Roth, and Salvage the Bones and how changed he was after reading it, and Jesmyn Ward as his “favorite living writer”

 

At about 11:30, Pete and Adam fanboy about Brandon Taylor

 

At about 12:20, Pete and Adam talk podcast shop, editing and what they leave in and take out

 

At about 14:55, Adam talks about how his writing/criticism is informed by his podcast, and vice versa

 

At about 16:40, Pete asks Adam to describe his podcast and about its seeds

 

At about 21:55, Adam provides interesting feedback received from learners

 

At about 23:55, Pete wonders why Adam chose to home in on debuts, and Adam responds

 

At about 24:30, Pete makes the analogy involving one’s first book/sports championship and asks Adam about “hunger”

 

At about 26:10, Adam discusses what it’s like to read for pleasure/business/the podcast and then poses the same question to Pete

 

At about 29:45, Pete asks Adam which genre is his favorite and how he would handle one last episode; he shouts out Jesmyn Ward 

 

At about 31:00, The two discuss dream guests

 

At about 31:50, The two discuss interview guests of Adam’s, including George Saunders and his telltale book blurbs, and a vast array of non-literary guests 

 

At about 35:20, Adam shouts out his two favorite NBA players of all-time

 

At about 37:00, Some love for Alanis Morrisette!

 

At about 38:25, Pete asks Adam about any plans for his own writing and any future projects/formatting

 

At about 41:40, Adam gives out social media and contact info

   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.

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 201 with Erica Berry, a writer and teacher based in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Her essays appear in The Guardian, Wired, Outside, The Atlantic, Guernica, and others. Winner of the Steinberg Essay Prize and Kurt Brown Prize in Nonfiction, her book Wolfish came out in Feb 2023 to great acclaim. 

   The episode will air on August 29.

Episode 199 with Jared Beloff, Reflective Thinker, Painter of Beautiful Imagery and Debut Standout Author of the Climate Change-Themed Poetry Collection, Who Will Cradle Your Head

Notes and Links to Jared Beloff’s Work

 

   For Episode 198, Pete welcomes Jared Beloff, and the two discuss, among other topics, an early reading challenge that supercharged his voraciousness, contemporary and not-so contemporary writers who left an imprint on him with their visceral work and distinctive worldbuilding, his quick rise to published and acclaimed poet, and pertinent themes in his collection, including nostalgia, indifference, a fading and changing ecosystem, and the myriad effects of climate change.

 

 

    Jared Beloff is the author of the Who Will Cradle Your Head (ELJ Editions, 2023).

   He earned degrees at Rutgers University (BA in English) Johns Hopkins University (MA in English Literature, specializing in the novel and Romantic/18th Century Literature).

   Jared has been an adjunct professor at Queensborough Community College, an English teacher and a teacher mentor in NYC public schools for 16 years.

   Jared is currently a peer reviewer for The Whale Road Review. His poetry can be found in Contrary Magazine, Barren Magazine, KGB Bar Lit, The Shore, Rise Up Review, Bending Genres and elsewhere. His work has been nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Queens, NY.

Buy Who Will Cradle Your Head

 

Jared's Website

 

From Identity Theory: “Cracking Open Clams: A Conversation Between Jared Beloff and Candice Kelsey”

At about 2:35, Jared talks about a reading challenge that put his reading intake into high-gear

 

At about 4:25, Jared updates on his reading this summer/including The Sealey Challenge

 

At about 5:25, Jared reflects on the psychological/philosophical roots of his reading, especially his early reading

 

At about 7:35, Jared lists some formational and transformational works and writers, like Angels in América and English Patient, as well as Pablo Neruda, Bishop, and Forche’s work

 

At about 10:00, Jared reflects on how his own work reflects that which he has read and enjoyed throughout his life

 

At about 11:30, Jared responds to Pete’s questions about how he has been inspired and moved

by fiction and poetry written about climate change; he cites Allegra Hyde’s impressive work, as well as work by Hila Ratzabi, Craig Santos-Perez, and Claire Wahmanholm; 

 

At about 14:40, Jared shouts out Diane Seuss, who blurbed his collection, and how her work informs his, as well as how Obit and its metaphors “blew [him] away”

 

At about 15:20, Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky is highlighted as a stimulus for Jared’s writing

 

At about 16:25, Pete highlights Mai Der Vang’s Yellow Rain, and Nguyen and Anthony Cody are shouted out by Jared as influential in his work

 

At about 17:35, Jared talks about seeds for his collection, especially the “Swamp Thing” poems by Jack Bedell and the ways Todd Dillard uses “wonder”

 

At about 23:05, Pete highlights the collection’s first poem, one “After” Aimee Nezhukumatathil; Jared discusses the methodology of these “After” poems, the ideas of a “muse,” and how he often writes after what/who he teaches

 

At about 27:50, Jared discusses the background and content of “Animal Crackers”

 

At about 30:45, Pete compliments Jared on his work regarding his children, and Jared talks about thinking through poems and “allowing wonder to stay” despite “grief-laden” poems

 

At about 34:30, Jared explains how he used climate change as a proxy a(or vice versa?) for other types of grief both personal and societal 

 

At about 35:40, Pete highlights profound lines and asks about Sasquatch’s importance throughout the collection

 

At about 39:50, Pete and Jared talk structure in Jared’s collection, including the diamond/pyramid structure and its uniqueness and power 

 

At about 41:30, Jared shouts out Diana Khoi Nguyen’s work and using some structural stimuli

 

At about 45:05, Pete cites meaningful lines revolving around nostalgia and ideas of energy; he asks Jared about a cool and clever and depressing poem involving the Golden Girls

 

At about 48:15, Pete asks Jared his views on nostalgia in his work; Jared connects nostalgia with climate change circumstances 

 

At about 51:15, Indifference in the face of climate emergencies is discussed, and Jared discusses “complic[ity]” and political choices

 

At about 53:00, Jared responds to Pete’s questions about climate change advocacy in the system  “tied/tired” as used in a poem

 

At about 54:00, Jared gives history on Freshkills and its history and eccentric future

 

At about 55:30, Jared reads the portion of the above poem that features the collection’s title and explains the title’s genesis 

 

At about 59:00, Jared discusses exciting new projects 

 

At about 1:01:30, Jared shouts out places to buy his book

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

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 200 with Adam Vitcavage, who is the founder of Debutiful, a website and podcast where readers can discover debut authors. The podcast was named one of the Best Book Podcasts by Book Riot, Town and Country, and Los Angeles Review of Books in 2022. His criticism and interviews have also been featured in Electric Literature, Paste Magazine, Literary Hub, Phoenix New Times, among others. 

   The episode will air on August 22.

 

Episode 198 with Sarah Thankam Mathews, Master of the Visceral and Rational, Beautiful Sentence and Sentiment Creator, and Author of 2022’s National Book Award Shortlisted All This Could Be Different

Notes and Links to Sarah Thankam Mathews’ Work

   

   For Episode 198, Pete welcomes Sarah Thankam Mathews, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and writing and experience with multilingualism, contemporary and not-so contemporary writers who left an imprint on her with their visceral work and distinctive worldbuilding, “seeds and fertilizer” for her standout novel, including the vagaries of post-college life and the tragedies and communal love that came with the COVID pandemic, and pertinent themes in her book, like alienation, sexual trauma, “found family” and community building, and problematic capitalism.

 

 

   Sarah Thankam Mathews grew up between Oman and India, immigrating to the US at seventeen. She is author of the novel All This Could Be Different, shortlisted for the 2022 National Book Award and the 2022 Discover Prize, nominated for the Aspen Literary Prize.

Formerly a Rona Jaffe Fellow in fiction at the Iowa Writer's Workshop, and a Margins Fellow at The Asian American Writers Workshop, she has work in Best American Short Stories 2020 and other places. A proud product of public schools, she lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Buy All This Could Be Different

 

Sarah's Website

 

Sarah's Substack

 

Review of All This Could Be Different from Los Angeles Review of Books

At about 1:35, Sarah discusses her current paperback tour and what she’s heard about the book from readers and observations she has after a year of publication for All This Could Be Different

 

At about 4:50, Sarah gives background on her early relationship with languages, particularly Hindi, English, and Mayalalam

 

At about 7:30, Sarah discusses early reading that was influenced by living in what she calls a “tertiary” book market; she mentions transformational and formational books like The Bluest Eye and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things as books that left her “profoundly rearranged”

 

At about 10:20, Sarah shouts out Jamaica Kincaid’s Luck as a helpful companion as she wrote All This Could Be Different

 

At about 12:20, Sarah responds to Pete’s question about how Sarah saw her early reading in terms of representation; she points to ideas of visceral pleasure with that reading  

 

At about 14:20, Sarah expands on ideas of pathos as a driving force at times as she wrote her book

 

At about 15:30, Sarah cites C Pam Zhang, Isle McElroy, Lydia Kiesling,  as some of the many contemporary writers who she admires and is thrilled by

 

At about 17:45, Sarah coins the cool term “proprietary physics” and how Lydia Kiesling exemplifies the phrase

 

At about 19:15, Sarah highlights Cohen’s The Netanyahus and Homeland Elegies from Ayad Akhtar

 

At about 20:15, Sarah drops a haunting and amazing fact about publishing from 9/11

 

At about 20:40, Sarah provides seeds for the book, both in the immediate past and the thought process from the more distant past

 

At about 23:20, Sarah talks about Bed Stuy Strong, a mutual aid organization she started in 2020, and how the “seeds and fertilizer” for the book came from this time 

 

At about 29:10, Pete lays out the book’s exposition and Sarah responds to why she chose to set the book in 2012 or so

 

At about 32:30, The two discuss the book’s pivot point, which happened before the book’s main chronology; Sarah expands on the ways in which Sarah’s relationships and ethic and view on her previous life in India come from this pivotal and traumatic event

 

At about 37:30, Sarah speaks to the importance of Milwaukee and its history and her knowledge of it, and why she made the setting what it was 

 

At about 42:10, Sarah responds to Pete’s asking about Sneha’s complicated relationship with her parents

 

At about 46:30, Sarah talks about the “absolutely bonkers act” that leads to a misunderstanding between Marina and the smitten Sneha

 

At about 49:40, Sarah gives background on Sneha’s boss and how his character evolved in her various drafts

 

At about 51:15, The two discuss the idea of “The Pink House” and its significance

 

At about 54:00, Sarah discusses her book as a coming of age story and her desire to portray deep friendships and love

 

At about 58:40, Pete notes the success of the well-drawn flashbacks and flashforwards and fanboys over the fabulous and eminently memorable last scene and last line of the book, and Sarah describes what the “page [was] revealing to her” as the book’s ending morphed

 

At about 1:02:05, Sarah discuss the book as (perhaps subtly) hopeful

 

At about 1:03:10, Pete asks Sarah about future projects

 

At about 1:04:00, Sarah drops some important insights that are useful advice for young (and old) writers

 

At about 1:04:50, Sarah shares contact info, social media, and bookstores where to buy her book, including The Word is Change in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn

   You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch 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.

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 199 with Jared Beloff. He is the author of Who Will Cradle Your Head and the microchap This is how we say “I love you.” He is also a peer reviewer for The Whale Road Review, and his work has been nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize.

   The episode will air on August 15.

Episode 197 with Chloe Cooper Jones, Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Nominee, Master of Melding Seemingly-Disparate Ideas and Themes, and Author of the Masterful and Profound Easy Beauty

Notes and Links to Chloé Cooper Jones’ Work

   

   Chloé Cooper Jones is a professor, journalist, and the author of the memoir Easy Beauty, which was named a best book of 2022 by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, TIME Magazine, and was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Memoir. She was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Feature Writing in 2020. She is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, a Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant recipient and a Howard Foundation Fellow. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

 

   For Episode 197 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Chloé Cooper Jones, and the two discuss, among other things, her early relationship with reading, writing, seeking beauty, her parents’ influences on her world views, formative and transformative writers (and “fun trash” she read), and salient topics from her powerful memoir, such as muses and aesthetes, pop culture and philosophy, bigoted views on women as those with disabilities, and the pertinent trips that Chloé took in seeking beauty, catharsis, and hope. 

 

 

Buy Easy Beauty: A Memoir

 

Chloe's Website

 

Chloe’s Pulitzer-Prize Nominated Article for The Verge- “Fearing for His Life”

 

People Magazine 2022 Article about Easy Beauty-“Author Chloé Cooper Jones, Who Has a Visible Disability, On Deciding to Claim Space For Herself and Her Son”

At about 1:35, Chloe lets the listener in on her mindset in hearing about her second Pulitzer Prize nomination, including the beauty of combining family pursuits and career 

 

At about 6:55, Chloe gives out information regarding where to buy her book, and her contact information, including Greenlight and Books are Magic, and Lawrence, KS’ The Raven Bookstore

 

At about 8:45, Chloe talks about her childhood and its focus on beauty as impressed upon her by her parents in their different ways; she calls “having a rich interior life a survival mechanism” 

 

At about 13:15, Pete shouts out a short story idea from Chloe’s father that was emblematic of his mind

 

At about 14:00, Chloe details some of the reading that excited and challenged her as she grew up, and “the fun trash” too

 

At about 16:40, Chloe lists Diane Williams and Cormac McCarthy, among many others, as formative writers

 

At about 17:30, Pete asks Chloe about David Foster Wallace and some other nonfiction she may have read; she notes how “exciting” his sportswriting was, and Janet Malcolm and John McPhee as other great influences

 

At about 20:20, Chloe shouts out the recently-released and incredibly versatile work of Andrew Leland-The Country of the Blind, Rachel Aviv’s work, and Jessamine Chan’s School for Good Mothers

 

At about 22:10, Chloe responds to Pete’s question about if she felt represented in what she read growing up, and she answers the question using Coming Home as one anomaly

 

At about 26:30, Chloe reflects on the use of the word “disabled” and its myriad meanings 

 

At about 28:05, Chloe answers Pete’s questions about the balance between disabled people educating others and well-meaning people and possible dehumanizing actions; she cites a telling excerpt from Andrew Leland’s book

 

At about 33:30, Pete cites Elaine Scarry and how Chloe connects ideas of processing beauty and ignorance

 

At about 34:15, Pete lays out the structure for the book as based on trips Chloe took, and he and Chloe discuss the importance and circumstances of the first trip chronicled, the trip to see Beyonce at San Siro; Chloe builds on the idea and definitions of “easy beauty”

 

At about 41:55, Pete compliments Chloe’s genuine writing about her son and motherhood

 

At about 42:55, Chloe explains the power of Beyonce and her “radical presence”

 

At about 45:50, The two discuss the freeing nature of Chloe’s reporting trip to see Roger Federer, which leads to further discussion of how Chloe’s melds philosophy and more aesthetic ideals with a more pop(ular) sensibility

 

At about 51:10, Chloe discusses an opening scene from the book that engendered strong feelings for her, as well as pervasive beliefs 

 

At about 54:45, Chloe reflects on what was different about her reaction to the above conversation and the phenomenon of “The Neutral Room”

 

At about 56:35, The two discuss the book’s “Indifferent Man”

 

At about 59:20, Chloe gives background on her trip to Rome and seeking beauty and connections to her father’s philosophies 

 

At about 1:04:15, The two discuss Chloe’s trip to Cambodia, and she discusses the evolving nature of her research and searching questions, as catharsis and society’s desire for witnessing violence become topics

 

At about 1:13:10, Pete notes the emphasis on capitalism in “dark tourism” and the seeming normality of dark tourism sites

 

At about 1:14:35, The two discuss a final scene dealing with perspective and Chloe’s mother and a trip to Miami

 

At about 1:19:25, Chloe responds to Pete’s question about how she deals with writing on profound and deeply painful and tragic topics

 

At about 1:23:45, Chloe talks about upcoming events and projects, including working with Matty Davis in Bentonville, AR

   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.

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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 198 with Sarah Thankam Mathews, who is the author of the novel All This Could Be Different, which was shortlisted for the 2022 National Book Award and the 2022 Discover Prize, and nominated for the Aspen Literary Prize. She is formerly a Rona Jaffe Fellow in fiction at the Iowa Writers Workshop, and a Margins Fellow at The Asian American Writers Workshop. 

Episode 196 with Rachel Howzell Hall, Painter of Worlds Both Familiar and Unknown, Creator of Psychological Thrillers, Master Crime Writer, and Author of What Never Happened

Episode 196 Notes and Links to Rachel Howzell Hall’s Work

 

    On Episode 196 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Rachel Howzell Hall and the two discuss, among other things, her devotion to reading throughout her life, her love of crime writing and thrillers, the draw of her favorite writers, and ideas raised and dealt with in her writing, including themes of loneliness, identity, racism, traumas both historical and individual, gentrification, and fear.

 

   Rachel Howzell Hall’’s debut novel, A Quiet Storm, was published in 2002 by Scribner to great notice, and was chosen as a “Rory’s Book Club” selection, the must-read book list for fictional television character Rory Gilmore of The Gilmore Girls.

   She is the critically acclaimed author and Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist for And Now She’s Gone, which was also nominated for the Lefty-, Barry- and Anthony Awards. A New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister with James Patterson, Rachel is an Anthony-, International Thriller Writers- and Lefty Award nominee and the author of They All Fall Down, Land of Shadows, Skies of Ash, Trail of Echoes and City of Saviors in the Detective Elouise Norton series as well as the author of the bestselling Audible Original, How It Ends.

   Rachel is a former member of the board of directors for Mystery Writers of America and has been a featured writer on NPR’s acclaimed Crime in the City series and the National Endowment for the Arts weekly podcast; she has also served as a mentor in Pitch Wars and the Association of Writers Programs.

   She lives in L.A. with her husband and daughter.

 

 

 

Buy What Never Happened

 

Rachel's Website

 

Review of What Never Happened from Kirkus Reviews 

At about 1:20, Rachel talks about her mindset in the days leading up to the publication of What Never Happened on August 1, 2023; she also 

 

At about 4:20, Rachel talks about the realism she seeks in her writing, particularly the book’s ending

 

At about 5:30, The two discuss the book’s bold opening

 

At about 6:15, Rachel gives background on her early reading and writing and love for LA, as well as her lifelong fascination with crime

 

At about 8:55, Rachel talks about the power of Stephen King’s work, particularly It

 

At about 10:20, Rachel talks about her experience at UC Santa Cruz

 

At about 11:00, Rachel discusses representation in the work she read growing up, and her desire to reflect different realities in her work in her specific way

 

At about 13:30, Rachel cites Laura Lippman, Megan Abbott and Gillian Flynn as writers whose treatment of “complex female characters” inspires her and her own work; she also cites Dennis Lehane and his “twists”; Eric Larson (telegraphs) and Jon Krakeur, too, are nonfiction writers who have influenced her 

 

At about 16:30, Rachel responds to Pete’s question about how she sees genre and she highlights “sense of place” by Jordan Harper and Tod Goldberg

 

At about 19:20, Rachel talks in general and specifically about What Never Happened regarding writing the balance between plot/theme/allegory, etc.

 

At about 22:05, Rachel discusses the book’s setting and seeds for the book, including the draw of Catalina Island for someone who grew up in Los Angeles 

 

At about 24:15, Rachel talks about the pandemic and obituaries and their effects on the books

 

At about 25:15, 

 

At about 26:40, Pete and Rachel discuss Southland and their shared love for the show, as Pete connects the show’s in medias res to the book’s beginning

 

At about 29:00, The two discuss complications in the book and important characters in Coco’s life, including her spurned and threatening ex-husband

 

At about 31:55, Rachel talks about how the tragedies that Coco experienced affects her as a “people pleaser”

 

At about 33:45, Rachel and Pete give a little historical background on Catalina Island, its landscape and unique social climate; Rachel shares some interesting historical anecdotes and trivia based on her research and some of her rationale in building upon themes in the book with regard to the island

 

At about 39:50, Rachel vouches for the historical veracity of the racist wording used in the Avalon newspapers in the archives Coco searches in the book

 

At about 42:00, The two shout out Gwen, who Rachel calls “everyone’s sassy aunty” 

 

At about 43:00, Pete quotes a great line from Gwen

 

At about 44:00, Rachel characterizes Noah, and how he views Coco

 

At about 46:30, Pete lays out a series of crimes that terrorize the island in the book, in tandem with the beginning of the Covid epidemic; Rachel expands upon ideas of the despicable things done in quarantine

 

At about 49:00, Pete highlights the cascading problems and scares that complicate Coco’s life as the book goes on

 

At about 50:15, Pete recounts an early scene with a cab driver that is prophetic

 

At about 51:30, Pete outlines some key themes of the book-racism, gentrification, etc.: and Rachel expands on ideas of classicism and ideas of loneliness, as well as Garden of Eden

 

At about 54:10, Pete and Rachel

 

At about 55:40, Pete asks Rachel about writing in different voices-obituary, narration, etc.,-as well as the genesis of the book’s title

 

At about 58:50, Rachel imagines who would play Coco if a movie of What Never Happened took place

 

At about 59:35, Rachel talks about exciting future projects

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

   Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl

    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.

   Check out the next episode, which airs on August 1 Chloe Cooper Jones is a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine; She is also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Feature Writing for “Fearing for His Life,” a profile of Ramsey Orta, the man who filmed the killing of Eric Garner, and the recipient of the 2020 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant and the 2021 Howard Foundation Grant from Brown University, with both grants in support of her 2023 book, Easy Beauty.

   The episode will air on August 1.

Episode 195 with Jessica Cuello, Keen Observer of the Connections Between Classical and the Modern, and Painter of Resonant Imagery in the Poetry Collection Yours, Creature

Notes and Links to Jessica Cuello’s Work

 

   In Episode 195, Pete welcomes Jessica Cuello, and the two discuss, among other topics, her deep love for poetry and the French language, the power of libraries, transformational work by Jamaica Kincaid, the history of Mary Shelley, her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, and the chaotic and amazon lives led by the family members, ideas of guilt, trauma, misogyny, feminist power, death, doomed love, and identity. 

   Jessica Cuello’s most recent book is Yours, Creature (JackLeg Press, 2023). Her book Liar, selected by Dorianne Laux for The 2020 Barrow Street Book Prize, was honored with The Eugene Nassar Prize, The CNY Book Award, a finalist nod for The Housatonic Book Award, and a longlist mention for The Julie Suk Award. Cuello is also the author of Hunt (The Word Works, 2017) and Pricking (Tiger Bark Press, 2016). Cuello has been awarded The 2022 Nina Riggs Poetry Prize, two CNY Book Awards, The 2016 Washington Prize, The New Letters Poetry Prize, a Saltonstall Fellowship, and The New Ohio Review Poetry Prize. In addition, Cuello has published three chapbooks: My Father’s Bargain (2015), By Fire (2013), and Curie (2011). In 2014 she was awarded The Decker Award from Hollins University for outstanding secondary teaching. She is poetry editor at Tahoma Literary Review and teaches French in CNY. 

   

Buy Yours, Creature

 

Jess' Website

 

Review of Yours, Creature

At about 2:30, Jessica responds to Pete asking about where to buy Yours, Creature, and her social media/contact information

 

At about 3:40, Jessica talks about her relationship with language and literature, as well as books like Jamaica Kincaid’s that changed her trajectory, and her relationships with libraries, small towns, and urban areas

 

At about 11:10, The two discuss teaching foreign language and evolving pedagogy

 

At about 12:05, Jessica answers Pete’s questions about any links between French-which she teaches-and her own writing 

 

At about 14:30, Pete talks about Mary Wollstonecraft and his knowledge or lack thereof in asking Mary about the links between her and her daughter, Mary Shelley; Jessica talks about seeds for her interest in the Marys

 

At about 20:10, The two discuss the frenetic life, particularly her teens and 20s, of Mary Shelley

 

At about 21:20, Pete asks about the rationale for the poetry collection’s title; Jessica speaks to its significance 

 

At about 22:55, Pete speaks about the epistolary form of the letters and wonders about the formality of much of the work

 

At about 24:10, Jessica gives background on her structure for the book and its iterations 

 

At about 25:50, Pete lays out the book’s first poem and birth and death; he reads from Page 4 and asks Jessica about ideas of revenge; she speaks of an evocative image

 

At about 28:30, Jessica cites evidence of Shelley’s father, Godwin, and the stories he wrote about her life and the violence he perpetrated 

 

At about 30:25, Pete reads from some early poems, laying out the divide between mother and stepdaughter

 

At about 31:00, The theme of loss is discussed

 

At about 31:50, Jessica reflects on her usage of initials for the males in the collection, particularly Godwin

 

At about 34:50, The two concentrate on a poem that deals with “threes” and the family dynamic after Mary Wollstonecraft’s death and ideas of guilt

 

At about 37:10, Jessica explains a blank in a poem and its meanings and her rationale

 

At about 38:40, Jessica explains a legend about Mary Shelley and Percy’s trysts 

 

At about 40:25, Pete reads telling and moving lines about grief from the collection

 

At about 41:20, Men in Shelley’s life are discussed in their flightiness, and Pete asks Jess about what shone through for Mary in loving Percy

 

At about 44:15, Pete highlights strong imagery, and Jess talks about Fanny, a half-sister of Mary, and ideas of women not wanting to “inconvenience” others

 

At about 47:25, Traumas of many types are discussed 

 

At about 49:00, Jessica responds to Pete’s wondering about “the creature” and its origins and meanings; Jessica and Pete reflect on the creature as “feminine” 

 

At about 52:30, The two discuss the ways women’s bodies are viewed, as Pete cites important lines from the collection

 

At about 54:00, Pete asks about any future project that Jessica is working on 

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   Check out the next episode, which airs on August 1. Chloe Cooper Jones is a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine; She is also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Feature Writing for “Fearing for His Life,” a profile of Ramsey Orta, the man who filmed the killing of Eric Garner, and the recipient of the 2020 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant and the 2021 Howard Foundation Grant from Brown University, with both grants in support of her 2023 book, Easy Beauty.

   The episode will air on August 1.