Podcasts about all be dead

Sucker Punch by Scaachi Koul is a witty and wise collection of essays on family, love, divorce and healing. Koul joins us to talk about what lead her to telling this story now, the vulnerability of writing a memoir, exploring challenging themes and more with cohost Jenna Seery.   This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang.                      New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app.  Featured Books (Episode):  Sucker Punch by Scaachi Koul  One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul  No Fault by Haley Mlotek  This American Ex-Wife by Lyz Lenz  You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith   Heartburn by Nora Ephron 

Scaachi Koul joins Jeff to talk about her new book, Sucker Punch with a new little format for First Edition called "10 Notecards With..." Jeff has picked out 10 things from the new book — words, ideas, stories, etc. — written them on notecards, and then has Saachi pick them at random (at least at the start order). Turned out to be a lot of fun, so expect to hear more of these. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Discussed in This Episode: The Book Riot Podcast Live at Powell's on March 13th Sucker Punch by Scaachi Koul One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Cody sits down with @Hospicehalley, a Hospice Social Worker and co-host of the Death Happens, An Insider's Guide to Dying podcast with @hospicenursepenny. She previously hosted the Someday We'll All Be Dead podcast from 2018–2024. Halley tells the story of the very first time a patient of hers took Medical Aid In Dying (M.A.I.D.) and how despite her strongly held beliefs on personal agency and the right to die with dignity...it was still a difficult experience for her to witness. A NOTE OF CAUTION: There is a brief mention of suicide as it relates to this subject. Halley is an Army veteran, Pacific Northwest native, and licensed clinical social worker. She has been in hospice doing direct patient care for nearly ten years. In her free time, Halley enjoys spending time with her family and animals, watching movies, and listening to audiobooks. You can find her @HospiceHalley on most platforms. --- Dying To Tell You: The Caring Perspective is a series of interviews with healthcare professionals who sit down with Cody to share stories of patients and experiences that have changed how they practice, how they view death, and how they live their lives.

Renée read 3 chapters of her upcoming book titled If Germs Alone Caused Disease, We'd All Be Dead!, David Copperfield Medicine and The Seven Stages of Disease. She also explained the importance of our Creator's 21-Day Cellular Cleanse and feels everyone should share this very important wisdom with everyone they know!

Do you feel like your enthusiasm for reading has gone into a downward spiral, creating an un-awesome urge to turn away from books? Don't worry - we get it! This week, Meg is joined by books and reading regular Katie Proctor who is here to help lift your spirits and show you how book-lovers can avoid the dreaded reading slump. So grab your favorite reading snack and journey with us down this literary rabbit hole of tips, tricks, and inspiration! This is the PERFECT time to become a Super Star Awesome! Earlier this month, Super Stars Live featured a Spicy Book Show & Tell and hilarity ensued. You can catch up with the video and audio replays PLUS get access to hundreds of hours of bonus material, an exclusive Facebook group, and the texting number to reach out to the Sorta Awesome team! It's a GREAT day to become a Super Star! THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: *Prose: Take your FREE in-depth hair consultation and get 15% off your first order today! Go to prose.com/awesome! *Babbel: Get up to 55% off your subscription when you go to BABBEL.com/awesome SHOW NOTES: Katie's AotW: The Source of Self Regard by Toni Morrison Inciting Joy by Ross Gay One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul Meg's AotW: AD Open Door Celebrity Home Tours on YouTube Liv Tyler's home tour BOOKS The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser (whole series) Cinder by Marissa Meyer (whole Lunar Chronicles series) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schafer A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving The Salt Path by Raynor Winn AUDIOBOOKS Sign up for audiobooks.com using our link and get 3 audiobooks with a 30-day free trial! The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Amazon | Audible Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile Amazon | Audible I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt Amazon | Audible Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir Amazon | Audible Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders Amazon | Audible Daisy Jones and the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid Amazon | Audible MORE EPISODES FROM SORTA AWESOME: Ep. 408: The books that shaped who we are Ep. 385: Ten favorite middle grade reads Ep. 366: Best in books & reading in 2021! Ep. 279: The Enneagram explains your reading life You can find Meg on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can find Katie at her website or on Facebook and Instagram! And be sure to check out her latest book Hand in Hand! Visit sortaawesomeshow.com for show notes on this and every episode. And don't forget to find us in the Sorta Awesome Hangout on Facebook or @sortaawesomeshow on Instagram, and @sortaawesomepod on Twitter! This post may contain affiliate links, which means we receive a tiny commission from the seller at no additional cost to you, if you purchase from them. We only share products and services we have used, tested, and love ourselves! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We love independent bookstores and try to feature one each season, but this can be difficult. As small business owners, it is often difficult to carve time out of their weeks to speak with us. So we are always grateful when the stars align and we can make it happen.    This week's episode features Michelle Haring, owner of Cupboard Maker Books in Enola, PA. She tells us about how she first sold rare books, then more widely used books, then new books. And the bookstore has also joined forces with a local nonprofit to “carry” (yes, we're putting this in air quotes), adoptable cats. There are three store cats that visitors can always see–Mouse, Annika, and Zak. And what goes better with a cozy book than a cat on your lap (at least in Carrie's estimation).    Books Mentioned in this Episode: 1- Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 2- One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul 3- Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words by Annika Sharma 4- Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score 5- Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score 6- Riley Thorn series by Lucy Score 7- Notes on an Execution by Danya Kufafka 8- Death Motor series by Michelle Haring   Shows mentioned-- Stranger Things, Season 4 (2022) Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)   You can find Cupboard Maker Books on Instagram and FB at Cupboard Maker Books and at their  website www.CupboardMaker.com                                                                                                                                                                                 Follow us on Facebook at The Perks of Being a Book Lover Instagram at @perksofbeingabookoverpod  For show notes for any episode, go to our website at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.          

We love independent bookstores and try to feature one each season, but this can be difficult. As small business owners, it is often difficult to carve time out of their weeks to speak with us. So we are always grateful when the stars align and we can make it happen.  This week's episode features Michelle Haring, owner of Cupboard Maker Books in Enola, PA. She tells us about how she first sold rare books, then more widely used books, then new books. And the bookstore has also joined forces with a local nonprofit to “carry” (yes, we're putting this in air quotes), adoptable cats. There are three store cats that visitors can always see–Mouse, Annika, and Zak. And what goes better with a cozy book than a cat on your lap (at least in Carrie's estimation).  Books Mentioned in this Episode: 1- Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 2- One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul 3- Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words by Annika Sharma 4- Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score 5- Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score 6- Riley Thorn series by Lucy Score 7- Notes on an Execution by Danya Kufafka 8- Death Motor series by Michelle Haring Shows mentioned-- 1- Stranger Things, Season 4 (2022) 2- Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) You can find Cupboard Maker Books on Instagram and FB at Cupboard Maker Books and at their  website www.CupboardMaker.com                                                                                                                         Follow us on Facebook at The Perks of Being a Book Lover Instagram at @perksofbeingabookoverpod  For show notes for any episode, go to our website at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com.

If these days you answer the question "How are you?" with an emphatic "Not great!", Scaachi Koul hosts just the podcast for you. Scaachi is a culture writer for BuzzFeed and author of the essay collection One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter. She hosts the aptly titled Not Great With Scaachi Koul, a podcast covering politics, culture and society through interviews and comedy. She also happens to be a good pal of of our host Elamin. She recently joined Elamin from her home in New York City to introduce us to her favourite podcasts. These two had such a good chat we couldn't put it all into one show. Part 2 of Scaachi's favourites will be online and on your radio next week! This week we're featuring: Not Great with Scaachi Koul, Swindled, This Matters and Reply All. For more podcast recommendations, check out: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastplaylist

Scaachi Koul is an Indo-Canadian culture writer at Buzzfeed and the author of the 2017 book of essays, “One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter.” For those of you who spend any time on social media, you will know Scaachi is a force of nature--dishing out sharp-witted takes on cultural and political issues from Kamala Harris to the Netflix show Indian Matchmaking. But she’s also written extensively about her Kashmiri identity and her life as an Indian woman growing up in Canada. This week on the podcast, Scaachi joins Milan to discuss her Indo-Canadian upbringing, how politics in Kashmir stirs up family conflict, and the cultural import of “Indian Matchmaking.” She also talks about her unique relationship with her father--a frequent (and humorous) presence in her writing and on her social media feed. Episode notes:Scaachi’s article on the Kamala Harris VP pick.Scaachi’s essay on how Kashmir is dividing her familyScaachi’s 2017 book of essaysScaachi’s take on the Netflix show, “Indian Matchmaking”

Welcome to the the third episode of The Friday Nightmares Podcast where your hosts Heather and Scott talk about what they've been watching and listening to before jumping into the main topic, Nature Run Amok: A In-Depth Look at Ecohorror. After that they discuss what they are looking forward to with trailers for upcoming movies and Motor City Comic-Con.   Intro - 00:35   What we've been watching - 08:50          After Midnight - 09:55          Jessica Forever - 13:59          A Wakefield Project - 18:54          Insidious franchise - 22:55          Saw franchise - 25:42          Late Phases - 29:57          Livescream - 35:05          VFW - 39:46   What we have listened to - 43:16          Bay of Blood Podcast 43:50          The Horror Returns Podcast - 46:16          Horror for Dummies Podcast - 48:57          Double Edged Double Bill - 51:00   Main topic: Nature Run Amok - 53:53   Spoilers for Orca: The Killer Whale, Grizzly, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Birds, Jaws, Day of the Animals, Anaconda, Arachnaphobia, Alligator.   Spoilers for Crawl, The Shallows, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged - 1:27:07   What makes a good Ecohorror film - 1:36:05     Mild spoilers for The Nest, Ticks, Backcountry, 47 Meters Down, Cujo   What we are looking forward to - 2:07:33 Upcoming movie trailers: The Platform - 2:07:49 PG Psycho Goreman - 2:08:42 Candyman - 2:10:57 Saint Maud - 2:13:50 Scare Package - 2:15:06   Motor City Comic Con - 2:16:42   Upcoming Guest Spots - 2:18:26   Outro Music - 2:21:14     Podcast links   Bay of Blood   https://open.spotify.com/show/10qymL4cpHfugZtc32B2WL?si=F-ZM6BxXTqixQuEUX_SQNQ   The Horror Returns Podcast   https://open.spotify.com/show/3Rx0jIgNnItgJiYVzfN3lj?si=iSL53HLXTCmJsUbb6IiL1Q   https://www.podbean.com/ea/pb-c3xvq-d61986   Horror For Dummies Podcast   https://open.spotify.com/show/4wqmjbGCK42iDslcvNKv7V?si=0vqulb8uQo2TT3Uoz1GWGg   https://www.podbean.com/ea/pb-j8r8t-d60b56   Double Edged Double Bill   https://open.spotify.com/show/1uPo1gcjdBPWRav213vwck?si=SrM1PDq1TVqjG8RoRDBw_w   https://www.podbean.com/ea/pb-i4scg-d5dee0     Works cited   A., Stephen, and Carter. “Ecohorror Special Cluster: ‘Living in Fear, Living in Dread, Pretty Soon We'll All Be Dead.’” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 9 Aug. 2014, academic.oup.com/isle/article/21/3/509/773263. Burbage, Megan. “What Is Hitchcock's The Birds Really about?” Medium, Medium, 6 Apr. 2018,medium.com/@meganxburbage/comparison-in-the-film-adaptations-of-the-birds-and-the-hunger-games-ef1b84c013e6. Carson, Rachel, 1907-1964. Silent Spring. Boston :Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Fink, Jenni. “As Another Shark Week Begins, Here's the History of Everyone's Favorite Discovery Channel Event.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 28 July 2019, www.newsweek.com/shark-week-history-what-it-when-did-it-start-how-long-has-it-been-1451333. “How 'Jaws' Forever Changed Our View of Great White Sharks.” LiveScience, Purch, www.livescience.com/8309-jaws-changed-view-great-white-sharks.html.

Brea and Mallory talk about essays and essay collections and interview author Anne H. Donahue! Use the hashtag #ReadingGlassesPodcast to participate in online discussion! Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!   Reading Glasses Merch Links -   Anne T. Donahue https://twitter.com/annetdonahue Nobody Cares by Anne T Donahue       Reading Glasses Facebook Group Reading Glasses Goodreads Group   Apex Magazine Page Advice Article   Amazon Wish List   Books Mentioned - Gods Monsters and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson   Borderline by Mishell Baker Wicked by Gregory Maguire Grendel by John Gardner The Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley   They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib   Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? By Mindy Kaling   100 Essays I Don’t Have Time To Write by Sarah Ruhl   You Don’t Have to Like Me by Alida Nugent One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul   The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman   Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan   Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton   Ctrl Alt Delete by Emma Gannon  

Scaachi Koul joins us to discuss her book One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter. Allie, Evan, Kristina, and Max discuss the difference between the memoir and the essay collection (:32); about that friend who drinks too much (2:35); eating fried chicken at weddings in India (8:11); being friends with your mom, aka Gilmore Girls (15:39); author Scaachi Koul joins the conversation (18:11); Indian traditions whilst having a white boyfriend (21:14); watching Dr. Phil whilst writing (28:32); just listen to Courtney Love (31:46)

Jeff and Rebecca kick off this year's holiday recommendation extravaganza... This episode is sponsored by: Men & Dogs Penguin Random House Audio   Books recommended in this episode: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown What If by Randall Munroe Schott's Original Miscellany by Ben Schott Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat and Wendy McNaughton The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern History of the World in Six Cups by Tom Standige Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books The Fate of the West by Bill Emmott, No Is Not Enough by Naomi Klein We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-nehisi Coates Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit Wisdom of Sundays by Oprah Winfrey When Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Yoga Bodies by Laura Lipton and Jamie Beard Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan The Changeling by Victor Lavalle Dark Matter by Blake Crouch Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughn Bec McMaster Psy Changeling by Nalini Singh The Woman Next Door by Yewende Omatoso Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman Liane Moriarty Negroland by Margo Jefferson A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow Radiance of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah Out of Africa by Karen Blixen This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett In the Language of Miracles by Rajia Hassib Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri  Bright Lines by Tanwin Nadini Islam 2am at the Cat’s Pajamas by Marie-Helena Bertino One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley

TWICE a month, the librarians are in, with their favorite recommendations in Two Book Minimum, a toe-to-toe discussion on a book or topic, as well as news from the book world, updates from Lawrence Public Library, and beyond. TWO BOOK MINIMUM: Unwind by Neal Shusterman When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (and Mudbound by the same) One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made A Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life by Ayelet Waldman SHE SAID/SHE SAID: THE DILEMMA. The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison Show notes: https://lplks.org/blogs/post/014-better-living-though-dystopia/ This episode was produced by Jim Barnes in the Sound & Vision studio. Our theme song is by Heidi Lynne Gluck. You can find the Book Squad Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or SoundCloud. Please subscribe and leave us comments – we’d love to know what you think, and your comments make it easier for other people to find our podcast. Happy reading and listening! xo, Polli & Kate

This week, we get caught with our pants off, drag rude people in the streets, & dish on never growing up. Plus, Lady Gaga, One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, & three's company with your ex. All that, plus the usual nonsense. Show Notes00:00 -- INTRO / SHOW OPEN / Discussing Ruby's tweet: “Chicken wings taste better with no pants.” #parenting / Kodi encounters “manslamming” from a dog walking woman11:37 -- WEEKLY TOPIC — Does adulthood suck? We discuss the study about teens who increasingly put off traditional markers of adulthood24:45 -- HERE FOR IT — Lady Gaga's doc Five Foot Two (Ruby) / Scaachi Koul's book One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter (Kodi)32:30 -- Q&HEY — Stuck in the Middle asks, “How can I get over my jealousy and move on?” (Ruby's pick)38:22 -- THE GOOD WORD — “I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers which can't be questioned.” — Richard Feynman (Kodi's pick)40:45 -- SHOW CLOSE / CREDITSARTICLES REFERENCED IN EPISODEhttp://www.refinery29.com/2017/08/167417/manslamming-experiment-personal-story#http://www.post-gazette.com/news/nation/2017/09/20/Not-drinking-or-driving-teens-increasingly-put-off-traditional-markers-of-adulthood/stories/201709200116http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-lady-gaga-documentary-five-foot-two-20170920-story.html

Scaachi Koul, a writer for BuzzFeed, talks about growing up as a brown girl in Canada’s “Cowtown,” and how she set off a tweetstorm by soliciting job applications from writers who are “not white and not male.” Koul’s book of essays is One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter.  In the Spiel, legislative and executive reaction to the healthcare bill.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scaachi Koul, a writer for BuzzFeed, talks about growing up as a brown girl in Canada’s “Cowtown,” and how she set off a tweetstorm by soliciting job applications from writers who are “not white and not male.” Koul’s book of essays is One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter.  In the Spiel, legislative and executive reaction to the healthcare bill.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 85 of the KWL Podcast contains an interview with Scacchi Koul conducted by Johanna Schneller about Scacchi's new book One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter. Please note that this interview contains adult language which might not be appropriate for all listening audiences. In the interview, Johanna and Scaachi talk about: The story behind Scacchi's Twitter profile picture How Scacchi inherited her sense of humor from her father and the role humor has played in her life How men always get to be “complicated” while women are “difficult” The sixth grade writing assignment that might have been the spark to Scacchi's writing career How “sitting in a room pouring out bitterness” might be the only possible job she could have based on her skill set How most of the content of the book is taboo to her family The topic of “shaking up complacent white media” and a discussion about the fiery debate in the Canadian literary community over race, representation and free speech after a short column titled “Winning the Appropriation Prize” was published in early May The right amount of time required before writing something; the concept of comedy being just tragedy after time. Scacchi's concern over having just the right balance of humor for this book and the interesting back and forths between writer and editor The use of “being arranged” as a verb when referring to arranged marriages How The Walrus was a magazine that changed Scaachi's life and made her want to be a writer, and how, with recent events, all that has changed in a significant way The writers who mattered to Scaachi How Scaachi went into writing because she thought it might help other people feel less lonely   Scaachi Koul's Website: scaachi.com/odwabdanotwm Scaachi Koul on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Scaachi Scaachi Koul at BuzzFeed - scaachi.koul@buzzfeed.com   Other Links of Interest:  The Appropriation Prize Controversy

In Part Two of this interview the senior culture writer for Buzzfeed News and author of the debut novel Startup, Doree Shafrir, took a few minutes to talk with me about the early days at Gawker, her highly-anticipated fiction debut, and her tips for getting words onto the page. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! The veteran online journalist started out at the Philadelphia Weekly before taking a position at Gawker in 2006. She went on to work as an editor and staff writer for Rolling Stone, The New York Observer, and has contributed to publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Slate, The Awl, New York Magazine, The Daily Beast, and WIRED. Her whip-smart debut novel is Startup, a satirical skewering of startup culture in New York City “…that proves there are some dilemmas that no app can solve.” Vanity Fair’s Nick Bilton, former tech and business columnist for the New York Times, said of the book, “I was hooked from the first page and found myself lost in a beautifully-written fiction that so succinctly echoes today’s bizarre reality.” Doree also co-hosts a podcast with husband and Nerdist alum, TV writer Matt Mira, titled “Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure,” described as an “…unintentionally hilarious journey through the world of infertility.” If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. If you missed the first half you can find it right here. In Part Two of this file Doree Shafrir and I discuss: The reality and frustration of writer’s block Why she made the revelatory move from Microsoft Word to Scrivener How the author manages stress (hint: HGTV) The city as muse Why done is sometimes better than good Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 200,000 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress How Senior BuzzFeed Writer and Author of Startup Doree Shafrir Writes: Part One Doree-Shafrir.com Meet Startup Author Doree Shafrir – Tour Dates Startup: A Novel – Doree Shafrir Doree Shafrir is a culture writer for BuzzFeed Sex, Lies and Tech: How New Novel Skewers Startup Culture – Rolling Stone Episode 865: Nerdist Podcast – Doree Shafrir 24 Quotes That Will Inspire You To Write More – Doree Shafrir Doree Shafrir on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter The Transcript How Senior BuzzFeed Writer and Author of Startup Doree Shafrir Writes: Part Two Voiceover: Rainmaker FM. Kelton Reid: Hey. Welcome back to the Writer Files. I’m your host, Kelton Reid, here to take you on another tour of the habits, habitats, and brands of renowned writers. In part two of this interview, the Senior Culture Writer for BuzzFeed News and author of the debut novel Startup, Doree Shafrir, took a few minutes to talk with me about the early days at Gawker, her highly anticipated fiction debut, and her tips for getting words onto the page. The veteran online journalist started out at the Philadelphia Weekly before taking a position at Gawker in 2006. She went on to work as an editor and staff writer for The Rolling Stone and the New York Observer and has contributed to publications including The New York Times, New Yorker, Slate, The Awl, New York Magazine, the Daily Beast, and WIRED. Her whip smart debut novel is Startup,” a satirical skewering of startup culture in New York City that proves there are some dilemmas that no app can solve. Vanity Fair’s Nick Bilton, former tech and business columnist for The New York Times, said of the book, “I was hooked from the first page and found myself lost in a beautifully written fiction that so succinctly echoes today’s bizarre reality.” Doree also cohosts a podcast with husband and nerdist alum TV writer Matt Mira, titled Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure, described as an unintentionally hilarious journey through the world of infertility. In part two of this file, Doree and I discuss the reality and frustration of writer’s block, why she made the revelatory move from Microsoft Word to Scrivener, how the author manages stress (hint: HGTV), the city as muse, and why done is sometimes better than good. If you missed the first half of this show, you can find it in the archives on iTunes on WriterFiles.FM and in the show notes. The Writer Files is brought to you by the all the new StudioPress Sites, a turnkey solution that combines the ease of an all-in-one website builder with the flexible power of WordPress. It’s perfect for authors, bloggers, podcasters, and affiliate marketers, as well as those selling physical products, digital downloads, and membership programs. If you’re ready to take your WordPress site to the next level, see for yourself why over 200,000 website owners trust StudioPress. Go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress now. That’s Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress. And if you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews as soon as they’re published. The Reality and Frustration of Writer s Block Kelton Reid: Have you ever run up against writer’s block? Is that something you believe in or is it a myth? Doree Shafrir: I think writer’s block is totally real. Yeah. I mean there were … I went on book leave for two months from BuzzFeed. I really wanted to make the best use of my time because I knew I only had two months. The days during those two months that I wasn’t able to write anything were so frustrating because I was like, “Ugh, I have this time.” Some days, I would just sit in front of the computer, and I was like, “I don’t know where this is going, what to write.” I just felt so stuck. People say like, “If you’re stuck, you should just try to free write.” I think that that can be helpful. I also often find it helpful to just go on a really long walk, do something that takes you away from the actual writing. I find that it is very rare that just staring at a computer or being in front of the computer and surfing the Internet, that does not tend to break writer’s block. Kelton Reid: No. All right. Well, let’s talk about your workflow as a journalist and fictionist. Now, are you a Mac or a PC user? Doree Shafrir: I am a Mac user. Why She Made the Revelatory Move from Microsoft Word to Scrivener Kelton Reid: When you were writing the book, were you doing it in Word or Scrivener or something else? Doree Shafrir: Actually a combination. I started the book in Word, and then, probably … I was quite far along in the book when a friend told me about Scrivener. It changed my life. I don’t think I would’ve been able to finish the book if I hadn’t switched everything over to Scrivener. I was kind of a pain in the ass to switch everything, because in Word, it was one big document. Scrivener doesn’t detect chapter separations from a big document in Word, so I had to kind of manually put each chapter in, but once I did that, and I could have a split screen and have an outline and also be working on the actual text at the same time, that was very revelatory. Kelton Reid: I’ve heard this before that getting up to speed with Scrivener at first is a little painful, but then, it’s, again, like you said, a kind of a revelation. Do you have some best practices for beating that dreaded procrastination when you’re on a deadline? Doree Shafrir: I am a big proponent of I guess it’s the Pomodoro method where you set a timer for … I forget what Pomodoro actually … Pomodoro has a specific amount of time. It might be like half an hour, but I find it very useful to set a timer for a specified amount of time and turn off the Internet. I use the Freedom app and just focus. That can be in as small a chunk of time as 15 minutes. If I have a dedicated amount of time that I know at the end I will be allowed to look at Twitter and check my email, then I can focus, but I find it very difficult to focus with large unstructured blocks of free time. Kelton Reid: I forgot to ask you before, but do you stick on headphones or are you someone who prefers silence? Doree Shafrir: It depends where I am. When I’m working in my house, I usually don’t wear headphones. If I’m in a public place, like if I go to a coffee shop or somewhere else, I will listen to … There’s a Spotify playlist called Deep Focus that I listen to. I can’t listen to anything with words, so that music is sort of calming, like vaguely electronica, not stuff I would ever really listen to just on my own. But, I find this kind of ambient noise of it to be very helpful. How the Author Manages Stress (Hint: HGTV) Kelton Reid: I’m with you on the ambient. How does Doree Shafrir unplug at the end of a long writing day? Besides blackjack. Doree Shafrir: If you ask my husband, he would say I can’t unplug. I’m not great at relaxing. I find it very hard to relax. Although last night, I was like, “Okay, I just need to just chill out and not get … ” I was feeling very anxious, so I just watched a couple of episodes of House Hunters, and that calmed me down. Kelton Reid: It is very calming that the … I actually don’t find that calming. The house hunting is cool. I’m very jealous of every home on those shows. That makes me kind of anxious, because I’m like, “Oh, man. Look at that cool place.” Doree Shafrir: I also watch Tiny House Hunters. I’m not jealous of those living spaces. I also do yoga. I do Pilates. I try to stay active, and that definitely helps with stress and kind of unwinding. I also read a lot. That is also just kind of like getting lost in a good book is like very … It’s good to take myself out of the world for a little while. Kelton Reid: For sure, for sure. How would you define creativity in your own words? Doree Shafrir: I would say being imaginative, being curious, being expressive. Those are all hallmarks of creativity, I think. The City as Muse Kelton Reid: I think for a lot of writers, creativity is kind of the bedrock of what you do, but do you have something that makes you feel most creative or like a creative muse right now? Doree Shafrir: Hmm. A creative muse … Kelton Reid: Something that spurs your interest. Doree Shafrir: For Startup, New York was a muse for me. Because I live in Los Angeles now, it was interesting for me to have that distance on New York and to be able to romanticize it a little bit, which I was not really able to do while I was living there. Los Angeles, I kind of want Los Angeles to be a muse in a similar way, but I’m not quite there yet. I love living here, but I … Yeah. I’m not totally there yet. Kelton Reid: Interesting, interesting. I’ve heard the New York muse story often, actually, by some story fictionists such as Jay McInerney for instance. That is his muse, for sure. Just kind of plugging into the city. And it seems like when you’re in Manhattan or really anywhere in New York, but especially in Manhattan, there’s that … I don’t know, there’s that kind of spirit of New York that you don’t sense in LA. I mean I did live in LA myself. Doree Shafrir: Totally. Oh, okay. Kelton Reid: This vast sprawling mini-mall, but … Manhattan has this history and these ghosts that you don’t sense in LA, but … Doree Shafrir: Yeah. I mean I guess if I were like living at the Chateau Marmont, I might feel differently, but I am not, and that’s probably not going to happen. Kelton Reid: Is that why every cool rock star lives at the Chateau Marmont? Doree Shafrir: Yeah because I think it is one of the places in Los Angeles that has that kind of mystique and feels old even though compared to stuff in New York, it’s not that old, but it has that kind of mysterious, cool vibe. Kelton Reid: Yeah. And the ghost of John Belushi … Doree Shafrir: Yeah. Exactly, exactly. Kelton Reid:The Sunset Strip is probably the beating heart of that weird universe. Doree Shafrir: Totally. What Makes a Writer Great Kelton Reid: What do you think makes a writer great? Doree Shafrir: Oh, boy. What do I think makes a writer great? Certainly having imagination and being able to create characters and worlds and narratives that take people out of their worlds, like kind of what I was just saying. I think it’s really hard to write a book that people feel completely engrossed in. I always admire writers in any genre who are able to do that. Of course, unlike a purely mechanical prose level, there is a way of writing prose that I think is instantly recognizable to people who appreciate good writing. You want someone who feels original, who has their own voice, who doesn’t resort to clichés or standard writing tropes, and who has an original story to tell. Kelton Reid: Do you have a couple faves that are sitting on your nightstand right now? Or in your Kindle, I should’ve said? Doree Shafrir: I actually I’m one of those people who has been going back and forth, ebook and paper. I kind of appreciate both of them for different reasons. Certainly, traveling is a lot easier with an ebook. There’s just no question about that. Often, when I’m traveling, I will load up my Kindle with long books that I would not want to lug around. I also really appreciate a hardcover book. I think especially now that I have written a novel, I appreciate a hardcover book even more. There is something really powerful about being able to hold a book, a physical object in your hands. For someone like me who has worked on the Internet for so long, that was really powerful when I first was able to hold my book in my hands. It had this power that I wasn’t expecting. To answer your question, some books that I really liked recently. I loved Jami Attenberg’s last book, All Grown Up. I just thought it was so smart and funny and poignant, really well done. I really liked Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer. I thought that was such an amazing book. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s book, Americanah, I loved. What else have I … My colleague, Scaachi Koul has a book of essays coming out called One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, which in my opinion is like the best title for a book of essays ever. Not just because I know Scaachi, but her book is just so good. I’m always a little bit skeptical of people in their 20s who write books of essays or memoirs, but she is so talented and so funny and so sharp. It’s such a good book. She is the daughter of Indian immigrants and grew up in Canada and has really smart things to say about race, and it’s in immigration, and Canada. It’s a really, really great book. Timeless Inspirational Quotes for Writers Kelton Reid: Nice, nice. All right. Before we wrap it up here, I could keep you all afternoon, I’m sure, but you have places to be. As most writers do, do you have a best love quote kind of floating over your desk or in your mind? Doree Shafrir: I don’t really have a quote like that, but I did … No, I saw that question on your list, and I was like, “Huh. Nothing really comes to mind,” But, I did once do a post for BuzzFeed called 24 Quotes That Will Inspire You to Write More. I actually worked pretty hard to find these quotes, but … Kelton Reid: I’m looking it up now. All right. We got it. I’ll link to it. Doree Shafrir: Okay. Cool. There’s Harper Lee saying, “I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent, he would be wise to develop a thick hide.” Kelton Reid: I love it. Doree Shafrir: Ray Bradbury, “Just write every day of your life, read intensely, then see what happens. Most of my friends who were put on that diet have very pleasant careers. Toni Morrison, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” So yeah, you know. All those kinds of quotes, I appreciate. Kelton Reid: I love it. I will link to it. I will link to it often. Before we wrap up with some advice to your fellow scribes, maybe we’ll do one fun one here. If you could choose any author from any era for an all expense paid dinner to your favorite spot in the world, who would you take and where would you take them? Doree Shafrir: It would definitely be Dorothy Parker because she’s just so fascinating and so funny and of a New York that I am fascinated by. I think I would take her to Keens Steakhouse in New York City, which is a very classic New York steakhouse. I would just kind of want to see what she was like in that environment. I think we would have a great time and probably get very drunk. Kelton Reid: That’s awesome. All right, I can picture it. Before you offer advice to your fellow scribes, we will mention the novel one more time. Startup. One of the most anticipated books of this year or any year, really, a hilarious debut novel that proves there are some dilemmas that no app can solve. It’s a lot of fun. I’m enjoying it, get sucked right in, and it’s definitely a page turner. Doree Shafrir: Thank you. Why Done is Sometimes Better than Good Kelton Reid: Listeners, find Startup: A Novel. Can you offer some advice to your fellow writers on how to keep going, how to keep the ink flowing, how to keep the cursor moving? Doree Shafrir: I think really writing everyday, which is something that I don’t always do, but I try to do is really important. I think that quantity influences quality. I think that if you are so concerned with always having everything perfect, you’re never going to write anything. It’s better to finish something than to not finish something because you’re worried that it’s not good. Kelton Reid: Very good, very good. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. Best of luck with finishing up your tour out there. Doree Shafrir: Thank you. Kelton Reid: We hope you come back and chat with us again sometime. Doree Shafrir: Yeah, I’d love to. Thanks for having me. Kelton Reid: All right. Cheers. Thanks so much for joining me for this half of a tour through the writer’s process. If you enjoy The Writer Files podcast, please subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating or a review on iTunes to help other writers find us. For more episodes, or to just leave a comment or a question, you can drop by WriterFiles.FM. And you can always chat with me on Twitter @KeltonReid. Cheers. Talk to you next week.

Allison and Vass discuss the Aga Khan Museum’s new contemporary art exhibition “Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet” with art critic Joobin Bakhard. TD senior economist Brian DePratto joins us to discuss whether it’s really such a bad thing that millennials are stuck subsidizing seniors. Then bestselling author Scaachi Koul drops in to chat about her new book of essays One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter. Allison is reading “Operation London Bridge: the secret plan for the days after the Queen’s death” by Sam Knight. Vass is reading Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. TUNES: Pleasure by Fiest Baby by Devendra Banhart Be True to Your Bar by The Magnetic Fields

Despite some sound quality issues (sorry!), we’re back from our hiatus and ready to tell you what you’ll be reading this spring! As always, we’ll end with what we’re reading this week. Books and other media mentioned in this episode: Ann’s picks: White Tears by Hari Kunzru (releases March 14, 2017) The Gargoyle Hunters by John Freeman Gill (releases March 21, 2017) American War by Omar El Akkad (releases April 4, 2017) The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova (releases April 11, 2017)– The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova– Episode 8 – Back to School– The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova If We Were Villains by M.L.Rio (releases April 11, 2017)– The Secret History by Donna Tartt The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown (releases April 25, 2017) Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (releases May 9, 2017) York: The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby (releases May 16, 2017)– Bone Gap by Laura Ruby– York series by Laura Ruby– The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin Halle’s picks: The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (releases March 7, 2017)– Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul (releases March 7, 2017)– Lindy West books– Roxane Gay books– Jenny Lawson books Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (releases March 7, 2017) The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck (releases March 28, 2017)– The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah– Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay– The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn (releases May 2, 2017)– Jane Austen books– Lost in Austen (TV) Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan (releases May 9, 2017)– Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan– Commencements by J. Courtney Sullivan– The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner (releases May 16, 2017)– The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner– Episode 4 – Young Adult Books for Adults– George R.R. Martin books– A Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon What We’re Reading This Week: Ann: I See You by Clare Mackintosh– Tana French books– I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh Halle: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (releases April 11, 2017)