Podcast appearances and mentions of Roxane Gay

In this Write Big session of the #amwriting podcast, host Jennie Nash welcomes Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jennifer Senior for a powerful conversation about finding, knowing, and claiming your voice.Jennifer shares how a medication once stripped away her ability to think in metaphor—the very heart of her writing—and what it was like to get that voice back. She and Jennie talk about how voice strengthens over time, why confidence and ruthless editing matter, and what it feels like when you're truly writing in flow.It's an inspiring reminder that your voice is your greatest strength—and worth honoring every time you sit down to write.TRANSCRIPT BELOW!THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:* Jennifer's Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross: Can't Sleep? You're Not Alone* Atlantic feature story: What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind* Atlantic feature story: The Ones We Sent Away* Atlantic feature story: It's Your Friends Who Break Your Heart* The New York Times article: Happiness Won't Save You* Heavyweight the podcastSPONSORSHIP MESSAGEHey, it's Jennie Nash. And at Author Accelerator, we believe that the skills required to become a great book coach and build a successful book coaching business can be taught to people who come from all kinds of backgrounds and who bring all kinds of experiences to the work. But we also know that there are certain core characteristics that our most successful book coaches share. If you've been curious about becoming a book coach, and 2026 might be the year for you, come take our quiz to see how many of those core characteristics you have. You can find it at bookcoaches.com/characteristics-quiz.EPISODE TRANSCRIPTJennie NashHi, I'm Jennie Nash, and you're listening to the Hashtag AmWriting Podcast. This is a Write Big Session, where I'm bringing you short episodes about the mindset shifts that help you stop playing small and write like it matters. This one might not actually be that short, because today I'm talking to journalist Jennifer Senior about the idea of finding and knowing and claiming your voice—a rather big part of writing big. Jennifer Senior is a staff writer at The Atlantic. She won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 2022 and was a finalist again in 2024. Before that, she spent five years at The New York Times as both a daily book critic and a columnist for the opinion page, and nearly two decades at New York Magazine. She's also the author of a bestselling parenting book, and frequently appears on NPR and other news shows. Welcome, Jennifer. Thanks for joining us.Jennifer SeniorThank you for having me. Hey, I got to clarify just one thing.Jennie NashOh, no.Jennifer SeniorAll Joy and No Fun is by no means a parenting book. I can't tell you the first thing about how to raise your kids. It is all about how kids change their parents. It's all like a sociological look at who we become and why we are—so our lives become so vexed. I like, I would do these book talks, and at the end, everybody would raise their hand and be like, “How do I get my kid into Harvard?” You know, like, the equivalent obviously—they wouldn't say it that way. I'd be like; I don't really have any idea, or how to get your kid to eat vegetables, or how to get your kid to, like, stop talking back. But anyway, I just have to clarify that, because every time...Jennie NashPlease, please—Jennifer SeniorSomeone says that, I'm like, “Noooo.” Anyway, it's a sociology book. Ah, it's an ethnography, you know. But anyway, it doesn't matter.Jennie NashAll right, like she said, you guys—not what I said.Jennifer SeniorI'm not correcting you. It came out 11 years ago. There were no iPads then, or social media. I mean, forget it. It's so dated anyway. But like, I just...Jennie NashThat's so funny. So the reason that we're speaking is that I heard you recently on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, where you were talking about an Atlantic feature story that you wrote called “Why Can't Americans Sleep?” And this was obviously a reported piece, but also a really personal piece and you're talking about your futile attempts to fall asleep and the latest research into insomnia and medication and therapy that you used to treat it, and we'll link to that article and interview in the show notes. But the reason that we're talking, and that in the middle of this conversation, which—which I'm listening to and I'm riveted by—you made this comment, and it was a little bit of a throwaway comment in the conversation, and, you know, then the conversation moved on. But you talked about how you were taking a particular antidepressant you'd been prescribed, and this was the quote you said: “It blew out all the circuitry that was responsible for generating metaphors, which is what I do as a writer. So it made my writing really flat.” And I was just like, hold up. What was that like? What happened? What—everything? So that's why we're talking. So… can we go back to the very beginning? If you can remember—Jess Lahey actually told me that when she was teaching fifth and sixth grade, that's around the time that kids begin to grasp this idea of figurative language and metaphor and such. Do you remember learning how to write like that, like write in metaphor and simile and all such things?Jennifer SeniorOh, that's funny. Do I remember it? I remember them starting to sort of come unbidden in my—like they would come unbidden in my head starting maybe in my—the minute I entered college, or maybe in my teens. Actually, I had that thing where some people have this—people who become writers have, like, a narrator's voice in their head where they're actually looking at things and describing them in the third person. They're writing them as they witness the world. That went away, that narrator's voice, which I also find sort of fascinating. But, like, I would say that it sort of emerged concurrently. I guess I was scribbling a little bit of, like, short story stuff, or I tried at least one when I was a senior in high school. So that was the first time maybe that, like, I started realizing that I had a flair for it. I also—once I noticed that, I know in college I would make, you know, when I started writing for the alternative weekly and I was reviewing things, particularly theater, I would make a conscientious effort to come up with good metaphors, and, like, 50% of them worked and 50% of them didn't, because if you ever labor over a metaphor, there's a much lower chance of it working. I mean, if you come—if you revisit it and go, oh, that's not—you know, that you can tell if it's too precious. But now if I labor over a metaphor, I don't bother. I stop. You know, it has to come instantaneously or...Jennie NashOr that reminds me of people who write with the thesaurus open, like that's going to be good, right? That's not going to work. So I want to stick with this, you know, so that they come into your head, you recognize that, and just this idea of knowing, back in the day, that you could write like that—you… this was a thing you had, like you used the word “flair,” like had a flair for this. Were there other signs or things that led you to the work, like knowing you were good, or knowing when something was on the page that it was right, like, what—what is that?Jennifer SeniorIt's that feeling of exhilaration, but it's also that feeling of total bewilderment, like you've been struck by something—something just blew through you and you had nothing to do with it. I mean, it's the cliché: here I am saying the metaphors are my superpower, which my editors were telling me, and I'm about to use a cliché, which is that you feel like you're a conduit for something and you have absolutely nothing to do with it. So I would have that sense that it had almost come without conscious thought. That was sort of when I knew it was working. It's also part of being in a flow state. It's when you're losing track of time and you're just in it. And the metaphors are—yeah, they're effortless. By the way, my brain is not entirely fogged in from long COVID, but I have noticed—and at first I didn't really notice any decrements in cognition—but recently, I have. So I'm wondering now if I'm having problems with spontaneous metaphor generation. It's a little bit disconcerting. And I do feel like all SSRIs—and I'm taking one now, just because, not just because long COVID is depressing, but because I have POTS, which is like a—it's Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, and that's a very common sequela from long COVID, and it wipes out your plasma serotonin. So we have to take one anyway, we POTS patients. So I found that nicotine often helped with my long COVID, which is a thing—like a nicotine patch—and that made up for it. It almost felt like I was doping [laughing]. It made my writing so much better. But it's been...Jennie NashWait, wait, wait, this is so interesting.Jennifer SeniorI know…it's really weird. I would never have guessed that so much of my writing would be dampened by Big Pharma. I mean—but now with the nicotine patches, I was like, oh, now I get why writers are smoking until into the night, writing. Like, I mean, and I always wished that I did, just because it looked cool, you know? I could have just been one of those people with their Gitanes, or however you pronounce it, but, yeah.Jennie NashWow. So I want to come—I want to circle back to this in a minute, but let's get to the first time—well, it sounds like the first time that happened where you were prescribed an antidepressant and—and you recognized that you lost the ability to write in metaphor. Can you talk about—well, first of all, can you tell us what the medication was?Jennifer SeniorYeah, it was Paxil, which is actually notorious for that. And at the top—which I only subsequently discovered—those were in the days where there were no such things as Reddit threads or anything like that. It was 1999… I guess, no, eight, but so really early. That was the bespoke antidepressant at the time, thought to be more nuanced. I think it's now fallen out of favor, because it's also a b***h to wean off of. But it was kind of awful, just—I would think, and nothing would come. It was the strangest thing. For—there's all this static electricity usually when you write, right? And there's a lot of free associating that goes on that, again, feels a little involuntary. You know, you start thinking—it's like you've pulled back the spring in the pinball machine, and suddenly the thing is just bouncing around everywhere, and the ball wasn't bouncing around. Nothing was lighting up. It was like a dis… it just was strange, to be able to summon nothing.Jennie NashWow. So you—you just used this killer metaphor to describe that.Jennifer SeniorYeah, that was spontaneous.Jennie NashRight? So—so you said first, you said static, static energy, which—which is interesting.Jennifer SeniorYeah, it's... [buzzing sound]Jennie NashYeah. Yeah. Because it's noisy. You're talking about...Jennie SeniorOh, but it's not disruptive noise. Sorry, that might seem like it's like unwanted crackling, like on your television. I didn't really—yeah, maybe that's the wrong metaphor, actually, maybe the pinball is sort of better, that all you need is to, you know, psych yourself up, sit down, have your caffeine, and then bam, you know? But I didn't mean static in that way.Jennie NashI understood what you meant. There's like a buzzy energy.Jennifer SeniorYeah, right. It's fizz.Jennie NashFizz... that's so good. So you—you recognized that this was gone.Jennifer SeniorSo gone! Like the TV was off, you know?Jennie NashAnd did you...?Jennifer SeniorOr the machine, you know, was unplugged? I mean, it's—Jennie NashYeah, and did you? I'm just so curious about the part of your brain that was watching another part of your brain.Jennifer Senior[Laughing] You know what? I think... oh, that's really interesting. But are you watching, or are you just despairing because there's nothing—I mean, I'm trying to think if that's the right...Jennie NashBut there's a part of your brain that's like, this part of my brain isn't working.Jennifer SeniorRight. I'm just thinking how much metacognition is involved in— I mean, if you forget a word, are you really, like, staring at that very hard, or are you just like, s**t, what's the word? If you're staring at Jack Nicholson on TV, and you're like, why can't I remember that dude's name?Multiple speakers[Both laughing]Jennifer SeniorWhich happens to me far more regularly now, [unintelligible]… than it used to, you know? I mean, I don't know. There is a part of you that's completely alarmed, but, like, I guess you're right. There did come a point where I—you're right, where I suddenly realized, oh, there's just been a total breakdown here. It's never happening. Like, what is going on? Also, you know what would happen? Every sentence was a grind, like...Jennie NashOkay, so—okay, so...Jennifer Senior[Unintelligible]... Why is this so effortful? When you can't hold the previous sentence in your head, suddenly there's been this lapse in voice, right? Because, like, if every sentence is an effort and you're starting from nothing again, there's no continuity in how you sound. So, I mean, it was really dreadful. And by the way, if I can just say one thing, sorry now that—Jennie NashNo, I love it!Jennifer SeniorYeah. Sorry. I'm just—now you really got me going. I'm just like, yeah, I know. I'm sort of on a tear and a partial rant, which is Prozac—there came a point where, like, every single SSRI was too activating for me to sleep. But it was, of course, a problem, because being sleepless makes you depressed, so you need something to get at your depression. And SNRIs, like the Effexor's and the Cymbalta's, are out of the question, because those are known to be activating. So I kept vainly searching for SSRIs, and Prozac was the only one that didn't—that wound up not being terribly activating, besides Paxil, but it, too, was somewhat deadening, and I wrote my whole book on it.Jennie NashWow!Jennifer SeniorIt's not all metaphor.Multiple Speakers[both laughing]Jennifer SeniorIt's not all me and no—nothing memorable, you know? I mean, it's—it's kind of a problem. It was—I can't really bear to go back and look at it.Jennie NashWow.Jennie NashSo—so the feeling...Jennifer SeniorI'm really giving my book the hard sell, like it's really a B plus in terms of its pro…—I mean, you know, it wasn't.Jennie NashSo you—you—you recognize its happening, and what you recognize is a lack of fizzy, buzzy energy and a lack of flow. So I just have to ask now, presumably—well, there's long COVID now, but when you don't have—when you're writing in your full powers, do you—is it always in a state of flow? Like, if you're not in a state of flow, do you get up and go do something else? Like, what—how does that function in the life of a writer on a deadline?Jennifer SeniorOK. Well, am I always in a state of flow? No! I mean, flow is not—I don't know anyone who's good at something who just immediately can be in flow every time.Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorIt's still magic when it happens. You know, when I was in flow almost out of the gate every day—the McIlvaine stories—like, I knew when I hit send, this thing is damn good. I knew when I hit send on a piece that was not as well read, but is like my second or third favorite story. I wrote something for The New York Times called “Happiness Wont Save You,” about a pioneer in—he wrote one of the foundational studies in positive psychology about lottery winners and paraplegics, and how lottery winners are pretty much no happier than random controls found in a phone book, and paraplegics are much less unhappy than you might think, compared to controls. It was really poorly designed. It would never withstand the scrutiny of peer review today. But anyway, this guy was, like, a very innovative thinker. His name was Philip Brickman, and in 1982 at 38 years old, he climbed—he got—went—he found his way to the roof of the tallest building in Ann Arbor and jumped, and took his own life. And I was in flow pretty much throughout writing that one too.Jennie NashWow. So the piece you're referring to, that you referred to previous to that, is What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind, which was a feature story in The Atlantic. It's the one you won the—Pul…Pulitzer for? It's now made into a book. It has, like...Jennifer SeniorAlthough all it is like, you know, the story between...Jennie NashCovers, right?Jennifer SeniorYeah. Yeah. Because—yeah, yeah.Jennie NashBut—Jennifer SeniorWhich is great, because then people can have it, rather than look at it online, which—and it goes on forever—so yeah.Jennie NashSo this is a piece—the subtitle is Grief, Conspiracy Theories, and One Family's Search for Meaning in the Two Decades Since 9/11—and I actually pulled a couple of metaphors from that piece, because I re-read it knowing I was going to speak to you… and I mean, it was just so beautifully written. It's—it's so beautifully structured, everything, everything. But here's a couple of examples for our listeners. You're describing Bobby, who was a 26-year-old who died in 9/11, who was your brother's college roommate.Jennifer SeniorAnd at that young adult—they—you can't afford New York. They were living together for eight years. It was four in college, and four—Jennie NashWow.Jennifer SeniorIn New York City. They had a two-bedroom... yeah, in a cheaper part... well, to the extent that there are cheaper parts in...Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorThe way over near York Avenue, east side, yeah.Jennie NashSo you write, “When he smiled, it looked for all the world like he'd swallowed the moon.” And you wrote, “But for all Bobby's hunger and swagger, what he mainly exuded, even during his college years, was warmth, decency, a corkscrew quirkiness.” So just that kind of language—a corkscrew quirkiness, like he'd swallowed the moon—that, it's that the piece is full of that. So that's interesting, that you felt in flow with this other piece you described and this one. So how would you describe—so you describe metaphors as things that just come—it just—it just happens. You're not forcing it—you can't force it. Do you think that's true of whatever this ineffable thing of voice—voices—as well?Jennifer SeniorOh, that's a good question. My voice got more distinct as I got older—it gets better. I think a lot of people's—writers'—powers wax. Philip Roth is a great example of that. Colette? I mean, there are people whose powers really get better and better, and I've gotten better with more experience. But do you start with the voice? I think you do. I don't know if you can teach someone a voice.Jennie NashSo when you say you've gotten better, what does that mean to you?Jennifer SeniorYeah. Um, I'm trying to think, like, do I write with more swing? Do I—just with more confidence because I'm older? Being a columnist…which is the least creative medium…Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorSeven hundred and fifty words to fit onto—I had a dedicated space in print. When David Leonhardt left, I took over the Monday spot, during COVID. So it's really, really—but what it forces you to do is to be very—your writing becomes lean, and it becomes—and structure is everything. So this does not relate to voice, but my—I was always pretty good at structure anyway. I think if you—I think movies and radio, podcasts, are, like, great for structure. Storytelling podcasts are the best thing to—I think I unconsciously emulate them. The McIlvaine story has a three-act structure. There's also—I think the podcast Heavyweight is sublime in that way.Jennie NashIs that Roxane Gay?Jennifer SeniorNo, no, no, no.Jennie NashOh, it's, um—Jennifer SeniorIt's Jonathan Goldstein.Jennie NashYes, got it. I'm going to write that down and link to that in our show notes.Jennifer SeniorIt's... I'm trying to think of—because, you know, his is, like, narratives, and it's—it's got a very unusual premise. But voice, voice, voice—well, I, you know, I worked on making my metaphors better in the beginning. I worked on noticing things, you know, and I worked on—I have the—I'm the least visual person alive. I mean, this is what's so interesting. Like, I failed to notice once that I had sat for an hour and a half with a woman who was missing an arm. I mean, I came back to the office and was talking—this is Barbara Epstein, who was a storied editor of The New York Review of Books, the story editor, along with Bob Silver. And I was talking to Mike Tomasky, who was our, like, city politic editor at the time. And I said to him, I just had this one—I knew she knew her. And he said, was it awkward? Was—you know, with her having one arm and everything? And I just stared at him and went one arm? I—I am really oblivious to stuff. And yet visual metaphors are no problem with me. Riddle me that, Batman. I don't know why that is. But I can, like, summon them in my head, and so I worked at it for a while, when my editors were responsive to it. Now they come more easily, so that seems to maybe just be a facility. I started noticing them in other people's writing. So Michael Ondaatje —in, I think it was In the Skin of a Lion, but maybe it was The English Patient. I've read, like, every book of his, like I've, you know— Running… was it Running in the Family? Running with the Family? I think it was Running in the—his memoir. And, I mean, doesn't—everything. Anil's Ghost—he— you know, that was it The Ballad of Billy the Kid? [The Collected Works of Billy the Kid] Anyway, I can go on and on. He had one metaphor talking about the evening being as serene as ink. And it was then that I realized that metaphors without effort often—and—or is that a simile? That's a simile.Jennie NashLike—or if it's “like” or “as,” it's a simile.Jennifer SeniorYeah. So I'm pretty good with similes, maybe more than metaphors. But... serene as ink. I realized that what made that work is that ink is one syllable. There is something about landing on a word with one syllable that sounds like you did not work particularly hard at it. You just look at it and keep going. And I know that I made a real effort to make my metaphors do that for a while, and I still do sometimes. Anything more than that can seem labored.Jennie NashOh, but that's so interesting. So you—you noticed in other people what worked and what you liked, and then tried to fold that into your own work.Jennifer SeniorYeah.Jennie NashSo does that mean you might noodle on—like, you have the structure of the metaphor or simile, but you might noodle on the word—Jennifer SeniorThe final word?Jennie NashThe final word.Jennifer SeniorYeah. Yeah, the actual simile, or whatever—yeah, I guess it's a simile—yeah, sometimes. Sometimes they—like I said, they come unbidden. I think I have enough experience now—which may make my voice better—to know what's crap. And I also, by the way, I'll tell you what makes your voice better: just being very willing to hit Select Alt, Delete. You know, there's more where that came from. I am a monster of self-editing. I just—I have no problem doing it. I like to do it. I like to be told when things are s**t. I think that improves your voice, because you can see it on the page.Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorAnd also, I think paying attention to other people's writing, you know, I did more and more of that, you know, reverse engineering stuff, looking at how they did stuff as I got older, so...Jennie NashSo I was going to ask a question, which now maybe you already answered, but the question was going to be… you said that you're—you feel like you're getting better as a writer as you got older. And you—you said that was due to experience. And I was going to ask, is it, or is it due to getting older? You know, is there something about literally living more years that makes you better, or, you know, like, is wisdom something that you just get, or is it something you work for? But I think what I'm hearing is you're saying you have worked to become the kind of writer who knows, you know, what you just said—you delete stuff, it comes again. But tell me if—you know, you welcome the kind of tough feedback, because you know that makes you better. You know, this sort of real effort to become better, it sounds like that's a practice you have. Is that—is that right?Jennifer SeniorOh yeah. I mean, well, let's do two things on that, please. I so easily lose my juju these days that, like, you've got to—if you can put a, you know, oh God, I'm going to use a cliché again—if you can put a pin in or bookmark that, the observation about, you know, harsh feedback. I want to come back to that. But yes, one of the things that I was going to keep—when I said that I have the confidence now, I also was going to say that I have the wisdom, but I had too many kind of competing—Jennie NashYeah. Yeah.Jennifer SeniorYou know, were running at once, and I, you know, many trains on many tracks—Jennie NashYeah, yeah.Jennifer Senior…about to leave, so…, Like, I had to sort of hop on one. But, like, the—the confidence and wisdom, yes, and also, like, I'll tell you something: in the McIlvaine piece, it may have been the first time I did, like, a narrative nonfiction. I told a story. There was a time when I would have hid behind research on that one.Jennie NashOoh, and did you tell a story. It was the—I remember reading that piece when it first came out, and there you're introducing, you know, this—the situation. And then there's a moment, and it comes very quickly at the top of the piece, where you explain your relationship to the protagonist of the story. And there's a—there's just a moment of like, oh, we're—we're really in something different here. There's really—is that feel of, this is not a reported story, this is a lived story, and that there's so many layers of power, I mean, to the story itself, but obviously the way that you—you present it, so I know exactly what you're talking about.Jennifer SeniorYeah, and by the way, I think writing in the first person, which I've been doing a lot of lately, is not something I would have done until now. Probably because I am older and I feel like I've earned it. I have more to say. I've been through more stuff. It's not, like, with the same kind of narcissism or adolescent—like, I want to get this out, you know. It's more searching, I think, and because I've seen more, and also because I've had these pent up stories that I've wanted to tell for a long time. And also I just don't think I would have had the balls, you know.Jennie NashRight.Jennifer SeniorSo some of it is—and I think that that's part of—you can write better in your own voice. If it's you writing about you, you're—there's no better authority, you know? So your voice comes out.Jennie NashRight.Jennifer SeniorBut I'm trying to think of also—I would have hid behind research and talked about theories of grief. And when I wrote, “It's the damnedest thing, the dead abandon you, and then you abandon the dead,” I had blurted that out loud when I was talking to, actually, not Bobby's brother, which is the context in which I wrote it, but to Bobby's—I said that, it's, like, right there on the tape—to his former almost fiancée. And I was thinking about that line, that I let it stand. I didn't actually then rush off and see if there was a body of literature that talked about the guilt that the living feel about letting go of their memories. But I would have done that at one point. I would have turned it into this... because I was too afraid to just let my own observations stand. But you get older and you're like, you know what? I'm smart enough to just let that be mine. Like, assume...Jennie NashRight.Jennifer SeniorIt's got to be right. But can we go back, also, before I forget?Jennie NashYeah, we're going to go back to harsh, but—but I would just want to use your cliché, put a pin in what you said, because you've said so many important things— that there's actual practice of getting better, and then there's also wisdom of—of just owning, growing into, embracing, which are two different things, both so important. So I just wanted to highlight that you've gone through those two things. So yes, let's go back to—I said harsh, and maybe I miss—can...misrepresenting what you meant.Jennifer SeniorYou may not have said that. I don't know what you said.Jennie NashNo, I did, I did.Jennifer SeniorYou did, okay, yeah, because I just know that it was processed as a harsh—oh no, totally. Like, I was going to say to you that—so there was a part of my book, my book, eventually, I just gave one chapter to each person in my life whom I thought could, like, assess it best, and one of them, so this friend—I did it on paper. He circled three paragraphs, and he wrote, and I quote, “Is this just a shitty way of saying...?” And then I was like, thank God someone caught it, if it was shitty. Oh my God. And then—and I was totally old enough to handle it, you know, I was like 44, whatever, 43. And then, who was it? Someone else—oh, I think I gave my husband the intro, and he wrote—he circled a paragraph and just wrote, “Ugh.” Okay, Select Alt, Delete, redo. You know, like, what are you going to do with that? That's so unambiguous. It's like, you know—and also, I mean, when you're younger, you argue. When you're older, you never quarrel with Ugh. Or Is this...Jennie NashRight, you're just like, okay, yep.Jennifer SeniorYeah. And again, you—you've done it enough that, you know, there's so much more where that came from.Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorWhy cling to anything that someone just, I don't know, had this totally allergic reaction to? Like, you know, if my husband broke out in a hive.Jennie NashYeah. So, circling back to the—the storyline of—you took this medication, you lost your ability to write in this way, you changed medications, presumably, you got it back. What did it feel like to get it back? Did you—do you remember that?Jennifer SeniorOh God, yes, it was glorious.Jennie NashReally?!Jennifer SeniorOh, you don't feel like yourself. I think that—I mean, I think there are many professions that are intertwined with identity. They may be the more professional—I'm sorry, the more creative professions. But not always, you know. And so if your writing voice is gone, and it's—I mean, so much of writing is an expression of your interior, if not life, then, I don't know some kind of thought process and something that you're working out. To have that drained out of you, for someone to just decant all the life out of your—or something to decant all the life out of your writing, it's—it's, I wouldn't say it's traumatic, that's totally overstating it, but it's—it's a huge bummer. It's, you know, it's depressing.Jennie NashWell, the word glorious, that's so cool. So to feel that you got back your—the you-ness of your voice was—was glorious. I mean, that's—that's amazing.Jennifer SeniorWhat—if I can just say, I wrote a feature, right, that then, like, I remember coming off of it, and then I wrote a feature that won the News Women's Club of New York story for best feature that year. Like, I didn't realize that those are kind of hard to win, and not like I won... I think I've won one since. But, like, that was in, like, 99 or something. I mean, like, you know, I don't write a whole lot of things that win stuff, until recently, you know. There was, like, a real kind of blackout period where, you know, I mean, but like—which I think, it probably didn't have to do with the quality of my writing. I mean, there was—but, I mean, you know, I wasn't writing any of the stuff that floated to the tippy top, and, like, I think that there was some kind of explosion thereof, like, all the, again, stuff that was just desperate to come out. I think there was just this volcanic outpouring.Jennie NashSo you're saying now you are winning things, which is indeed true. I mean, Pulitzer Prizes among them. Do you think that that has to do with this getting better? The wisdom, the practice, the glorious having of your abilities? Or, I guess what I'm asking is, like, is luck a part of—a part of all that? Is it just, it just happens? Or do you think there's some reason that it's happening? You feel that your writing is that powerful now?Jennifer SeniorWell, luck is definitely a part of it, because The Atlantic is the greatest place to showcase your feature writing. It gets so much attention, even though I think fewer people probably read that piece about Bobby McIlvaine than would have read any of my columns on any given day. The kind of attention was just so different. And it makes sense in a funny way, because it was 13,600 words or something. I mean, it was so long, and columns are 750 words. But, like, I think that I just lucked out in terms of the showcase. So that's definitely a part of it. And The Atlantic has the machinery to, you know, and all these dedicated, wonderful publicity people who will make it possible for people to read it, blah, blah, blah. So there's that. If you're older, you know everyone in the business, so you have people amplifying your work, they're suddenly reading it and saying, hey, everybody read it. It was before Twitter turned to garbage. Media was still a way to amplify it. It's much harder now, so passing things along through social media has become a real problem. But at that moment, it was not—Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorSo that was totally luck. Also, I wonder if it was because I was suddenly writing something from in the first person, and my voice was just better that way. And I wouldn't have had, like, the courage, you know?Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorAnd also, you're a book critic, which is what I was at The Times. And you certainly are not writing from the first person. And as a columnist, you're not either.Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorSo, you know, those are very kind of constricted forms, and they're also not—there are certainly critics who win Pulitzers. I don't think I was good enough at it. I was good, but it was not good enough. I could name off the top of my head, like, so many critics who were—who are—who haven't even won anything yet. Like Dwight Garner really deserves one. Why has he not won a Pulitzer? He's, I think, the best writer—him and Sophie Gilbert, who keeps coming close. I don't get it, like, what the hell?Jennie NashDo you—as a—as a reader of other people's work, I know you—you mentioned Michael Ondaatje that you'd studied—study him. But do you just recognize when somebody else is on their game? Like, do you recognize the voice or the gloriousness of somebody else's work? Can you just be like, yeah, that...?Jennifer SeniorWell, Philip Roth, sentence for sentence. Martin Amis, even more so—I cannot get over the originality of each of his sentences and the wide vocabulary from which he recruits his words, and, like, maybe some of that is just being English. I think they just get better, kind of more comprehensive. They read more comprehensively. And I always tell people, if they want to improve their voice, they should read the Victorians, like that [unintelligible]. His also facility with metaphor, I don't think, is without equal. The thing is, I can't stand his fiction. I just find it repellent. But his criticism is bangers and his memoirs are great, so I love them.Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorSo I really—I read him very attentively, trying to think of, like, other people whose kind of...Jennie NashI guess I was—I was getting at more... like, genius recognizes genius, that con... that concept, like, when you know you can do this and write in this way from time to time anyway, you can pull it off.Jennifer SeniorYeah, genius as in—I wouldn't—we can't go there.Jennie NashWell, that's the—that's the cliché, right? But, like...Jennifer SeniorOh no, I know, I know. Game—game, game recognizes game.Jennie NashGame recognizes game is a better way of saying it. Like, do you see—that's actually what the phrase is. I don't know where I came up with genius, but...Jennifer SeniorNo, it's fine. You can stick anything in that template, you know—evil recognizes evil, I mean, you know, it's like a...Jennie NashYeah. Do you see it? Do you see it? Like, you can see it in other people?Jennifer SeniorSure. Oh yeah, I see it.Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorI mean, you're just talking about among my contemporaries, or just as it...Jennie NashJust like anything, like when you pick up a book or you read an article or even listen to a storytelling pack podcast, that sense of being in the hands of somebody who's on it.Jennifer SeniorYeah, I think that Jonathan Goldstein—I mean, I think that the—the Heavyweight Podcast, for sure, is something—and more than that, it's—it's storytelling structure, it's just that—I think that anybody who's a master at structure would just look at that show and be like, yeah, that show nails it each and every time.Jennie NashI've not listened, but I feel like I should end our time together. I would talk to you forever about this, but I always like to leave our listeners with something specific to reflect or practice or do. And is there anything related to metaphor or practicing, finding your voice, owning your voice, that you would suggest for—for folks? You've already suggested a lot.Jennifer SeniorRead the Victorians.Jennie NashAwesome. Any particular one that you would say start with?Jennifer SeniorYeah, you know what? I find Dickens rough sledding. I like his, you know, dear friend Wilkie Collins. I think No Name is one of the greatest books ever. I would read No Name.Jennie NashAmazing. And I will add, go read Jennifer's work. We'll link to a bunch of it in the show notes. Study her and—and watch what she does and learn what she does—that there it is, a master at work, and that's what I would suggest. So thank you for joining us and having this amazing discussion.Jennifer SeniorThis has been super fun.Jennie NashAnd for our listeners, until next time, stop playing small and write like it matters.NarratorThe Hashtag AmWriting Podcast is produced by Andrew Perrella. Our intro music, aptly titled Unemployed Monday, was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Drawing from her experience as an author and cultural critic who consistently challenges predictable opinions, Roxane Gay urges us to embrace the danger and discomfort of dissent. But in an age of polarised opinion warfare, this comes at a personal and professional cost. Courage is an essential ingredient in this strategy, but it can only take you so far. When the tide of viral criticism, is both toxic and overwhelming, it can seem rational either to give up on nuance or withdraw. What does it take to stand your ground and fight for complex and difficult ideas?    Roxane Gay's writing appears in Best American Nonrequired Reading 2018, Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, Harper's Bazaar, A Public Space, McSweeney's, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many others. She is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times where she also writes the "Work Friend" column. She is the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, The New York Times' bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Bad Feminist and The New York Times' bestselling Hunger: A Memoir of My Body and the nationally bestselling Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business. She is also the author of the Eisner Award winning World of Wakanda for Marvel and the editor of Best American Short Stories 2018. She is currently at work on film and television projects, a book of writing advice, an essay collection about television and culture, and a YA novel entitled The Year I Learned Everything. In 2018, she won a Guggenheim fellowship. She is also the Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

Notes and Links to Kaila Yu's Work       Kaila Yu is a singer, songwriter, former model, and freelance journalist for Rolling Stone, CNN, Glamour, and more.    She was formerly the lead singer for the all-Asian-American, female rock band Nylon Pink. Yu is also one of the founders of the jewelry/fashion line "Hello Drama" which is affiliated with the Nylon Pink band and style. Buy Fetishized: A Reckoning With Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty   Kaila's Instagram   Review of Fetishized for The New York Times   At about 1:10, Kaila responds to Pete's questions about feedback she has gotten on the book, and how she sees the book now, post-publication  At about 3:15, Pete asks Kaila to share background information on her reading and language life At about 4:45, Kaila talks about how writing as a profession developed and shouts out Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong and Melissa Febos and Roxane Gay's greatness At about 7:05, Kaila talks about the catalysts for her writing her book, largely around the beginning of the Covid pandemic At about 10:20, Kaila talks about distinctions, or lack thereof, between “fetish” and preference  At about 11:45, Kaila and Pete discuss the book's opening and hurtful and harmful comments towards Kaila, some in recent years  At about 13:20, Kaila reflects on “mainstreamed objectification” and an observation from the book that “objectification was better than invisibility” At about 16:35, the two discuss halting attempts at Asian representation in the 90s and early 2000s At about 18:10, Kaila discusses the evolution of Asian and Asian-American stars and their ability to “make their own lane” At about 19:05, Kaila talks about ideas of personal “diminish[ment]” growing up in comparison to media portrayals  At about 20:30, Kaila responds to Pete's questions about the effects of Memoirs of a Geisha and perpetuation of harmful tropes At about 22:30, more examples of problematic representation of Asian women in pop culture and in Kaila's schooling are discussed At about 23:00, Kaila talks about the evolution of “ABGs” At about 25:30, Kaila talks about the “groundbreaking” Joy Luck Club and also ways that it could have been better in minimizing stereotypes At about 26:30, Kaila gives background on the start of her pinup model, as well as how rife the industry is with sexualization and sexual crimes At about 27:45, Kaila gives background on a contemporary San Diego “modeling gig” agency that led to sexual crimes, showing how her experience was sadly not unique  At about 30:05, Kaila responds to Pete's question about online and in-person hateful and misogynistic comments and how she and bandmates  At about 31:50, Kaila talks about she didn't connect at the time, but does now, about how she dealt with traumas  At about 33:00, Shoutout to Allen Carr and his anti-smoking books At about 33:45, Pete asks Kaila about the pitfalls of fame, and her ceaseless battle to remove a defamatory video At about 35:35, Kaila talks about ideas of a "separation" and the impetus for her name change At about 36:40, The two discuss ideas of interchangeability and the history of blepharoplasty At about 38:50, Afong Moy and other exoticism and inhumane conditions for Asian women are discussed, and how this led to a sexualization of these women  At about 41:15, Kaila and Pete discuss some acting and entertainment highlights and struggles; included is some reminiscing about MySpace! At about 43:50, Kaila responds to Pete's questions about the end of her music career and performing in multiple ways At about 45:15, Kaila talks about recent iterations of KPop and patriarchal and feminism in more current music  At about 46:55, Kaila reflects on positive feedback and the legacy involving Nylon Pink At about 47:10, Kaila talks Guns n Roses and “classic” songs and concerts At about 49:15, Kaila forecasts what she will be writing about in the future       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 Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you're checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Hannah Pittard, a recent guest, is up at Chicago Review.     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 Pete's one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of flawed characters, protagonists who are too real in their actions, and horror and noir as being where so much good and realistic writing takes place. Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.     This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he's convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 310 with Stephanie Elizondo Griest, a globetrotting author from the Texas/Mexico borderlands. Her six books include Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana; Mexican Enough; All the Agents and Saints; and Art Above Everything: One Woman's Global Exploration of the Joys and Torments of a Creative Life. The latter will be the main conversation piece. This episode airs on November 20. Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.  

I'm so excited to share the audio from my very first live recording, held on October 28 at M.M.LaFleur Georgetown. I had the pleasure of interviewing Ally Kirkpatrick, owner of Old Town Books, about The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating a story that deeply influenced her decision to open her bookstore.A huge thank you to M.M.LaFleur and their wonderful Georgetown staff for being so kind, supportive, and making this event possible, and to Ally for being such a generous guest and collaborator.Since we recorded in an open space, I made a few audio adjustments to smooth out background noise. While it sounds crisp and clear overall, you might notice a few spots that move a bit quickly as I balanced the levels.BookThe Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey is a quiet, meditative memoir that finds wonder in the smallest details of life. As the bedridden author observes a snail living beside her, she discovers unexpected lessons about resilience, curiosity, and the beauty of slowing down.GuestAlly Kirkpatrick, an Alexandria native, founded Old Town Books in 2018 to create space for her love of reading, writing, and community. She also loves her family, shop dog Scout, and gardening. Ally's current picks include happy-ending thrillers, journalist-written nonfiction, reimagined history, and beautiful gardening books. Recently her debut essay Gnawing was featured in Roxane Gays's The Audacity, learn more about her writing at allykirkpatrick.com.Drink For our drink this week we had two options, the first was “The MM Spritz”, a white wine spritzer named in honor of our lovely host, MM LaFleur Georgetown. The second was a NA option, Herb & Orchid dealconized wine alternative, which was so tasty, and the connection to nature paired perfectly with the book.In this EpisodeCommunity Bookstore Brooklyn NYElisabeth Tova Bailey's website - where you can listen to a snail eating Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - check out the DITL episode on this book!The Governeses by Anne SerreGnawing by Ally Kirkpatrick on Roxane Gay's The AudacityAlly Kirkpatrick's YouTubeThe John Burroughs MedalFabled Ice Cream These Truths by Jill LeporeBooks by Lindsey Chervinsky, presidential historianYou Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe

In honor of Novel November and every writer who needs 1000 Words, I'm republishing author Jami Attenberg's interview. Keep calm and write on ... New York Times bestselling author, Jami Attenberg, spoke with me about documenting the process of being a writer online and off, building a global literary movement, and her latest, 1000 Words: A Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All-Year Round. Jami Attenberg is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books of fiction, including The Middlesteins, All Grown Up, and her recent memoir, I Came All This Way to Meet You. Her work has been published in 16 languages, she is the founder of the annual #1000WordsofSummer project and maintains the popular Craft Talk newsletter. Jami Attenberg's latest is 1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round. “Inspired by [her] wildly popular literary movement #1000WordsofSummer, this writer's guide features encouraging essays on creativity, productivity, and writing from [over 50] acclaimed authors including Roxane Gay, Lauren Groff, Celeste Ng, Meg Wolitzer, and Carmen Maria Machado.” Lit Hub said of the book, “It will be the new Bird by Bird, you heard it here first.” A Booklist, Starred Review called it “A fantastic set of essays… Readers of this collection will feel surrounded and bolstered by like-minded people who have been in the trenches.” [Discover ⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠writerfiles.fm⁠] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Jami Attenberg and I discussed: The blessing and the curse of knowing you're a writer  How she built an online writing community into a literary movement Her tongue-in-cheek approach to the craft The reason she uses the seasons as a metaphor for writers How to harness the power of write-alongs And a lot more! Show Notes: ⁠JamiAttenberg.com⁠ ⁠1000wordsofsummer.substack.com⁠ ⁠1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round⁠ by Jami Attenberg (Amazon) ⁠Jami Attenberg Amazon Author Page⁠ ⁠Jami Attenberg on Twitter⁠ ⁠Jami Attenberg on Instagram⁠ ⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

‘I would rather be a bad feminist than no feminist at all', has been the adage Roxane Gay has upheld for more than ten years. In conversation with Roxane Gay about feminism not as a dogma, but as a practice, rooted in asking the right questions rather than finding perfect answers.Ten years ago, Roxane Gay's essay collection Bad Feminist became a landmark for a generation that chafed against the idea of being the right kind of feminist. Her following book Hunger was an emphatic exploration of what it means to be fat in modern day society. As a cultural critic Gay covers a wide range of topics: from abortion rights to Chris Brown.In a time where the feminist movement is at times divided over what to fight for, who to fight for, Roxane Gay remains an influential freethinker. Stepping away from dogma's, rigid ideological packages and pretensions of moral purity, Gay encourages her audience to ask a more urgent question: what kind of change are you willing to fight for?In her recent anthology, The Portable Feminist Reader (2025), Gay brings together a chorus of voices – from Henricus Cornelius Agrippa to Sara Ahmed – that reflect the complexities and contradictions of feminism. Tonight we'll explore those questions further with, alongside Gay, Dutch writer Tatjana Almuli and Cameroonian journalist Eliza Anyangwe.About Vrijdenkersfestival During the sixth edition of Vrijdenkersfestival, we will honor, question, and continue the Amsterdam tradition of liberal-mindedness. With online echo chambers growing louder and public debate is increasingly about choosing sides, we offer the stage to contemporary free thinkers who prefer doubt over certainty. Who would rather ask good questions than give the right answers. Who dare to assume they might be wrong. And in doing so, chart their own course—free from dogma, labels, and authority. Or, as Annie M.G. Schmidt perhaps captured the spirit of free thinking best: ‘Never do as your mother said, and all will turn out fine instead.'Programme editor and moderator: Rosalie Dielesen Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

First, the El Cajon City Council made it clear on Tuesday that it has no intention of stopping the sharing of license plate surveillance data with out of state agencies. Then, Governor Newsom is not supporting a ban on glitter, we tell you why. Next, California is taking a closer look at exactly what it would take to bring a university to Chula Vista. Plus, a big change is coming to the registrar of voters office, we tell you its possible impact. Finally, a conversation with author and social commentator Roxane Gay.

What is civility? Who does it serve? When, if ever, is incivility called for? New York Times bestselling author Roxane Gay joins Alex Wagner to discuss the right's recent calls for political civility and why Roxane believes those calls are based on a fantasy of our politics. The two unpack the political discourse in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination and the ongoing government shutdown, talk about Roxane's belief that the "manosphere" has always been with us, and debate whether there's a perfect, polite way to communicate about our differences.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Leslie Barker talks with writer and teacher, Catherine Simone Gray. An Emerging Writer in Roxane Gay's The Audacity, her work has been published in The Bitter Southerner and The Michigan Quarterly Review: Mixtape. Catherine is the creator of the blog Unsilenced Woman and recently released her first book, PROUD FLESH: A MEMOIR OF MOTHERHOOD, INTIMATE VIOLENCE, AND RECLAIMING PLEASURE. In the interview, Catherine will discuss how she came to write this book, her creative process, and what it means to be a Mississippi writer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What a treat to connect with Roxane Gay about memoir. We cover topics of oversharing and boundaries, as well as when memoir becomes manifesto. Today's show covers vulnerability and writing about shame, and how Roxane's success and visibility has impacted her writing. Plus, we get Roxane's take on Elizabeth Gilbert's new memoir, and why she thinks it's “not good.” Much worth listening to this week, including Brooke's celebration of having Roxane on the show in the first place after having been declined a couple times. A lesson for all that a no is not a forever no. Tune in! Roxane Gay's writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney's, Tin House, Oxford American, and many others. She is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, The New York Times-bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women, and The New York Times-bestselling Hunger. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. And don't miss out on her Substack newsletter, The Audacity.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What a treat to connect with Roxane Gay about memoir. We cover topics of oversharing and boundaries, as well as when memoir becomes manifesto. Today's show covers vulnerability and writing about shame, and how Roxane's success and visibility has impacted her writing. Plus, we get Roxane's take on Elizabeth Gilbert's new memoir, and why she thinks it's “not good.” Much worth listening to this week, including Brooke's celebration of having Roxane on the show in the first place after having been declined a couple times. A lesson for all that a no is not a forever no. Tune in! Roxane Gay's writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney's, Tin House, Oxford American, and many others. She is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, The New York Times-bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women, and The New York Times-bestselling Hunger. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. And don't miss out on her Substack newsletter, The Audacity.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This story was read as a part of a live show hosted by the great Judy Blume, on the subject of banned books, something she personally knows about. This story hasn't been banned on its own, but many of Roxane Gay's works have, including Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture and Hunger: A Memoir of My Body. Because these bans are so prevalent, and so pernicious, we wanted to talk about that cultural argument, too. Surprising to absolutely no one, we at Too Hot are free speech boosters; so after the reading, we feature a fascinating talk with Amanda Jones, the author of That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America, who is on the frontline of this culture war in Louisiana. The story was read by actress Jessica Hecht. Our host is Aparna Nancherla.

Dr. Dan sits down with the incomparable Debbie Millman – acclaimed designer, illustrator, author of Love Letter to a Garden (foreword by Roxane Gay), and host of the groundbreaking podcast Design Matters. This moving episode is a conversation about creativity and a profound reflection on resilience, self-awareness, and the courage to heal and grow. Debbie shares the story of her nonlinear journey into design, the trauma that shaped her early years, and how creativity and advocacy became paths to her empowerment. From working alongside Mariska Hargitay at the Joyful Heart Foundation to exploring the intersections of art, activism, and authenticity, Debbie opens up to Dr. Dan and listeners with vulnerability and wisdom. Dr. Dan and Debbie also discuss the healing power of purpose and design; gardening as a metaphor for creativity, resilience, and existence; and embracing imperfection and aging. Whether you're a creative, a leader, or someone on a path of growth and healing, this conversation offers insight, inspiration, and hope. For more information debbiemillman.com and  designmattersmedia.com, and follow @debbiemillman on Instagram. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let's make it a great one. – Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feminist author Roxane Gay has put together a compendium of notable feminist works, but even she says it's not the last word. The contributing opinion writer for The New York Times joins host Krys Boyd to talk about editing a new collection that looks at hundreds of years of feminist writers and why the ideas around women's rights are always evolving. She's the editor of “The Portable Feminist Reader.”This episode originally aired April 11th, 2025. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Author and cultural critic Roxane Gay unpacks the power of truth-telling in an age of censorship and backlash. With wit and candor, she explores how honesty—especially from marginalized voices—is both radical and necessary.

Roxane Gay is a super storyteller. She creates characters who are brave and bold, just like herself! Through storytelling, she helps writers and readers grow and heal. This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It's based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This story was produced by Haley Dapkus with sound design and mixing by Mumble Media. It was written by Jestine Ware and edited by Abby Sher. Fact-checking by Joe Rhatigan with sensitivity read by Schuyler Swenson. Narration by Marisha Tapera. Executive Producers are Jes Wolfe and Anjelika Temple. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. Thank you to the whole Rebel Girls team who make this podcast possible. Stay rebel! [This story originally aired in September 2022]

The new novel Great Black Hope follows Smith, a wealthy Black Stanford graduate, who discovers that his class can only protect him so much after he is arrested for cocaine possession. Author Rob Franklin discusses the novel, his debut. Franklin will be speaking with Katie Kitamura at PUBLIC Hotel on June 10 and with Roxane Gay at Word Up Community Bookstore on June 25.

Dating is hard, but when your brand promise is the dating app "designed to be deleted,” the advertising might arguably be slightly more challenging.And yet, the Hinge marketing team is here to keep the app's promise. In this episode of Campaign Chemistry, Hinge president and CMO Jackie Jantos discusses the unique approach of Hinge in the dating app landscape, emphasizing its mission to encourage real-life connections, especially among Gen Z. She shares the importance of storytelling at Hinge headquarters, as seen in No Ordinary Love, a literary storytelling series featuring five real Hinge love stories reimagined by contemporary writers. The stories alternate between both partners' perspectives, showcasing the overthinking, miscommunications and unexpected connections during the early stages of dating. The campaign includes weekly releases on Substack with a foreword by Roxane Gay. Starting in June, the stories will be available as a limited-edition hardcover book for book clubs in New York and London. Jantos also highlights Hinge's social impact initiatives aimed at combating loneliness following the pandemic, the balance between technology and human interaction in dating and her thoughts on emerging talent in the industry. campaignlive.com What we know about advertising, you should know about advertising. Start your 1-month FREE trial to Campaign US.

Growth sounds beautiful—until you're knee-deep in failure, self-doubt, and a garden full of dead plants. Amy gets real with Debbie Millman—design legend, branding expert, and accidental gardener—to unpack the not-so-glamorous side of creativity, leadership, and learning to suck at something new. Debbie shares how screwing up (repeatedly) can actually make you better at just about everything and why success can kill your spark, how confidence actually works (spoiler: it's not magic), and what gardening taught her about patience, failure, and asking for help. Her new book Love Letter to a Garden isn't just about flowers—it's about finding hope in the mess and meaning in the mistakes. Oh, and her wife, Roxane Gay, included a killer tomato sauce recipe. If you've ever felt stuck, scared, or unsure where to begin, this is your reminder to grab a shovel and just plant something already. Get all of the show notes at ⁠⁠RadicalCandor.com/podcast⁠⁠. Episode Links: ⁠⁠Transcript⁠⁠ ⁠Debbie Millman  Debbie Millman: Creativity, Leadership And The Courage To Tend | Radical Candor Design Matters Love Letter to a Garden Connect: ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠ Chapters: (00:00:00) Introduction Amy introduces guest Debbie Millman, designer, author, and host of Design Matters. (00:04:05) Starting Design Matters How Debbie started the podcast to reconnect with creative purpose. (00:07:17) From Maker to Manager The tough transition from doing creative work to leading others. (00:09:28) Communicating with Impact Why how you show up matters as much as what you say. (00:12:00) Feedback & Growth Learning to receive criticism and evolve from it. (00:16:48) Confidence Through Repetition Why confidence comes after doing — not before. (00:19:05) A Gardener's Beginning How one creative experiment led to Love Letter to a Garden. (00:24:54) Learning to Ask for Help A turning point in accepting guidance and sharing vulnerability. (00:27:51) Hope Over Shame Choosing to keep going — one molecule of hope at a time. (00:31:20) Processing Emotions The value of feeling your feelings, not rushing past them. (00:34:40) Fulfillment in the Process Why lasting joy is found in the act of creating, not accolades. (00:38:06) Control & Chaos Using design and gardening as ways to find agency. (00:41:11) Harvesting and Sharing Turning garden bounty into nourishment and love. (00:42:55) Something to Plant Debbie's parting wisdom: plant something—and let go. (00:45:54) Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Debbie Millman and Roxane Gay know a thing or two about building creative lives. Debbie is a legendary designer, writer, and podcast host. Roxane is a bestselling author and cultural critic. Together, they've built a partnership rooted in discipline, love, and slow growth. On this week's episode of Hello Monday, Jessi Hempel welcomes the couple back to the studio to talk about their new book, and what it really takes to live a meaningful creative life. Their book, Love Letter to a Garden, is both literal and metaphorical. It's about vegetables, sure. But it's also about how we learn, how we fail, and how we grow. Debbie shares stories of her journey from struggling gardener to seasoned grower, an arc that mirrors her creative life. Roxane contributes recipes she's crafted using the produce Debbie grows.  Jessi, Debbie, and Roxane dig into the kind of growth that takes time, and the work required to nurture it. They discuss: • The invisible years behind every “overnight” success • How to keep going when you fail again and again • Why your hope must be slightly bigger than your shame • What it means to save your best energy for what matters most • The difference between meaningful work and making work your meaning Continue the conversation with us at Hello Monday Office Hours! Join us here, on the LinkedIn News page, this Wednesday at 3 PM EST.

  Dr. Roxane Gay is writer, editor, social commentator and a professor of media, culture and feminist studies at Rutgers University. She has written many best-sellers, including her essay collection Bad Feminist, Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body, and the novel An Untamed State. Today we'll be discussing her latest release, The Portable Feminist Reader, which is published by Penguin Classics. 

In this powerful episode of Verbally Effective, American writer, professor, editor, and social commentator Roxane Gay joins Ena Esco for an intimate conversation that spans identity, intellect, and influence. Roxane reflects on her upbringing in Omaha, Nebraska as the daughter of Haitian immigrants, and how those roots shaped her voice as a writer and cultural critic. We dive into the evolution of feminism, her current role as a professor at Rutgers University, and why she believes HBCUs are more vital than ever. Roxane also shares bold thoughts on artificial intelligence—and why she's not impressed—plus details on her exciting new romance novel project with none other than Channing Tatum. 

On Episode 233, we are thrilled to welcome back, MATTHEW GOODMAN! We are so grateful that Zoom and, before them, Skype (remember them?) opened up the world to conversations with authors. That said, there's still nothing like sitting in the same room with other humans talking about books, ideas, and historic happenings. Matthew joined us at Book Cougars HQ here in Connecticut to discuss his new book, PARIS UNDERCOVER: A WARTIME STORY OF COURAGE, FRIENDSHIP, AND BETRAYAL, now available from Ballantine Books. The book is a narrative history about Etta Shiber and Kate Bonnefous, two middle-aged women who smuggled out British servicemen from behind enemy lines, their arrest, Etta's best-selling memoir about their efforts, and the price Kate paid for that book. Don't miss our conversation with Matthew at the end of this episode. Paris Undercover is about history, but it speaks to our current time. Some highlights in this episode: We both have started reading around in THE PORTABLE FEMINIST READER, edited by Roxane Gay, starting with “If Men Could Menstruate” by Gloria Steinem. Chris also read “Being Female” by Eileen Myles. Emily finished the novel FOOD PERSON by Adam Roberts, and Chris read the graphic memoir EPHEMERA by Briana Loewinsohn. It was also time for another ghost story from THE PENGUIN BOOK OF GHOST STORIES: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce. We both thought “The Signal Man” by Charles Dickens was “meh,” although it had some good lines and moments. In Biblio Adventures, we recap seeing Maura Casey at Bank Square Books in Mystic, our Independent Bookstore Day jaunts to Breakwater Books in Guilford and R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT, and Emily's volunteer experience at Cherry Jubilee in NYC. We had such a fun time recording this episode and hope you enjoy it. Happy Reading! https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode233

Host Jason Blitman sits down with bestselling author Fredrik Backman (My Friends) to discuss his love of films, why he could win a Taylor Swift lyric competition, and the exact moment he recalls where his humor originated. Fredrik shares why he doesn't call himself an "author," how he's struggled with confidence, and much more. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader Erika J. Simpson (This is Your Mother), who discusses her recent reading, while Jason explains why experiencing her memoir was particularly unique.Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, Anxious People, The Winners, My Friends, as well as two novellas and one work of nonfiction. His books are published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children. Connect with him on Facebook and X @BackmanLand and on Instagram @Backmansk.Erika J. Simpson is a Southern girl living in Denver, Colorado, with her partner and their black cat. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Kentucky and is the recipient of the 2021 MFA Award in Nonfiction. Her essay “If You Ever Find Yourself” was published in Roxane Gay's The Audacity and featured in Best American Essays 2022, edited by Alexander Chee. This Is Your Mother is her debut memoir, and she also writes fiction for the page and screen.SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby is joined by award-winning artist, designer, and host of the podcast Design Matters, Debbie Millman, to discuss LOVE LETTER TO A GARDEN, her beautifully illustrated gem of a book with recipes by her wife, Roxane Gay. Together, they explore Debbie's unlikely journey into gardening and how it became a powerful metaphor for healing, growth, peace, and transformation. She also shares the personal stories that shaped her creative life, touching on moments of love, loss, resilience, and joy.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4di1Si5Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! Now there's more! Subscribe to Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books on Acast+ and get ad-free episodes. https://plus.acast.com/s/moms-dont-have-time-to-read-books. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to Annie Hartnett (The Road to Tender Hearts) about the roots of her humor, why no one can sit in the backseat of her car, and her short-lived foray into greeting card writing. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader Debbie Millman, who shares what she's been reading, why she had to stop listening to the audiobook of Barbra Streisand's memoir, and the story behind her new book, Love Letter to a Garden--which includes recipes from her wife, Roxane Gay. Debbie's TED "Love Letters" can be found here:https://www.ted.com/talks/debbie_millman_love_letters_to_what_we_hold_dearAnnie Hartnett is the author of Unlikely Animals, which won the Julia Ward Howe Prize for fiction and was longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. She is also the author of Rabbit Cake, a finalist for the New England Book Award and a Kirkus Reviews best book of the year. Hartnett has been awarded fellowships and residencies from the MacDowell Colony, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, and the Associates of the Boston Public Library. Along with writer Tessa Fontaine, she co-runs the Accountability Workshops for writers, helping them commit to routines and embrace the long, slow, joyful, terrible process of doing the work. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and dog.Debbie Millman has been named “one of the most creative people in business” by Fast Company, and “one of the most influential designers working today” by GDUSA. Millman is an illustrator, author, educator, and host of the podcast Design Matters. Broadcasting for 19 years, Design Matters is one of the first and longest running podcasts in the world. The show won a Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in 2011, and Apple has named it one of their “All Time Favorites” three times. In 2023 the show won two Webby's, three Communicator Awards, a Signal Award, three awards from The Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, and earned an Ambie nomination.SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Roxane Gay is one of the greatest writers in the world today. Everyone knows this. We're so thrilled that she agreed to be on our show. Roxane is the author of books like Bad Feminist and Hunger, writes for the New York Times, is a respected social critic and noted professor. All this means that she travels a lot and she joins us, using a very soothing voice, to share her opinions on air travel. Hear about her favorite airports, such as Indianapolis, and her least favorite airports, like JFK in New York. We even get some book recommendations from Roxane since we had her on the line and she is Roxane Gay, after all. You'll drift off to sleep dreaming of travel without ever waiting in a TSA line.Learn more about Roxane Gay and her excellent work by visiting her website, www.RoxaneGay.com.Go to www.maximumfun.org/join and select Sleeping with Celebrities to support our show.Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you'd like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber? Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org.Follow the Show on:Instagram @sleepwcelebsBluesky @sleepwithcelebsTikTok @SleepWithCelebsJohn is on Bluesky @JohnMoeJohn's acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback.

Debbie Millman, host of the Design Matters podcast, another podcast in the TED Audio Collective, doesn't have a natural green thumb. But when the pandemic hit, she embraced the challenge and picked up gardening as a new hobby. As she learned to grow vegetables in her home garden, she realized the earth had much to teach her about growing as a human being, too.Debbie documents this journey in her new book, “Love Letter to a Garden” — a visual story with bright illustrations and recipes from her partner, Roxane Gay. Joining host Elise Hu for this TED Talks Daily Book Club interview, Debbie shares the lessons she learned from her failures and successes in the garden. She also digs into reconnecting with the earth amid a climate crisis and getting inspired by the resilience of nature growing all around us. The TED Talks Daily Book Club series features TED speakers discussing their latest books and exploring their ideas beyond the page. Stay tuned to our feed for more interviews like this one and for special live book club events open exclusively to TED members. This interview was recorded live as part of the TED Membership program. TED Members are invited to attend our live recordings and participate in Q&As with authors. To join in on the fun, sign up at go.ted.com/membership Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feminist author Roxane Gay has put together a compendium of notable feminist works, but even she says it's not the last word. The contributing opinion writer for The New York Times joins host Krys Boyd to talk about editing a new collection that looks at hundreds of years of feminist writers and why the ideas around women's rights are always evolving. She's the editor of “The Portable Feminist Reader.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Professor, culture critic, noted writer, and editor Roxane Gay joins Tavis to talk about her new anthology, "The Portable Feminist Reader," her award-winning comic book series "Black Panther: World of Wakanda," and her new ownership of the literary magazine, The Rumpus.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Doree and Elise speak with Debbie Millman about learning how to garden and the steps that led to her latest book, Love Letter to a Garden, which features recipes from her wife Roxane Gay. The design legend and podcaster also shares how she has learned to embrace growth through discomfort, the thrilling yet difficult moments of teaching, and the decision to just start something new, even if it means looking foolish.To leave a voicemail or text for a future episode, reach Doree & Elise at 781-591-0390. You can also email the podcast at forever35podcast@gmail.com.Take our listener survey and help us make our show better!Visit forever35podcast.com for links to everything they mention on the show or visit shopmyshelf.us/forever35.Follow the podcast on Instagram (@Forever35Podcast) and sign up for the newsletter at forever35podcast.com/newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In her new book, The Portable Feminist Reader, writer and cultural critic Roxane Gay has compiled writings by ancient, historic and modern feminist voices. It explores the state of American feminism, its successes and failures, and what feminism looks like in practice. Gay recently joined Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons to discuss the anthology in front of a live audience at the Athenaeum Center in Chicago. Here's their full, unedited conversation, which includes some strong language. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

In this episode, we bring you a talk from Ava Homa, the first Kurdish woman writer to publish a novel in English. In September 2024, Homa spoke at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey. Professor Sharad Joshi provides an introduction.  Homa is an acclaimed author, speaker, activist, and faculty member at California State University, Monterey Bay. Her debut novel, Daughters of Smoke and Fire (HarperCollins & Abrams, 2020), was featured in Roxane Gay's Book Club, the Unplugged Book Box, and Women for Women International. Learn more here: https://www.avahoma.com/bio  This event was co-sponsored by BIPOC Voices at MIIS and the CT Collaborative.

Award-winning writer Roxane Gay reflects on what she has learned from the young women in her life, and tells Stephen Colbert why her new anthology contains works by feminist writers stretching all the way back to the 1500s. "The Portable Feminist Reader" is available everywhere now. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode, both of our storytellers experience a shift in how they see themselves. Part 1: Fangfang Ruose fears that her prosthetic legs will exclude her from becoming a fashion model. Part 2: When engineering student Devan Sandiford runs into an old friend from his former college, he desperately wants her to think he's cool. Fangfang Ruose is originally from a small village in China and grew up in a Chinese Catholic orphanage, where she received her first prosthetics at the age of three. Later, she was adopted by an American father and a Spanish mother, and moved to Miami as a teenager. She graduated from FIU with a Bachelor's in Finance and is now pursuing a Master's in International Real Estate and Finance, focusing on development. Alongside her studies, she models, proudly showcasing her prosthetics and embracing her unique journey to advocate for body positivity and self-acceptance. Devan Sandiford is a published writer, award-winning storyteller, and community activist. His stories have been featured in The Washington Post, NPR, The Moth Podcast, Story Collider, Simple Families Podcast, Speak Up Storytelling, and elsewhere. He is an alumni of and former writer-in-residence at the Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation (VONA), a finalist for The Kenyon Review Developmental Editing Fellowship for Emerging Writers, and a recipient of the Corporeal Writing Scholarship for Writing Trauma Toward Healing and Joy with Terese Maria Mailhot. He has a poem in the anthology Excitement and Talisman (2023) and an essay in the anthology Bodies of Stories (2022). Devan has contributed his opinions on race, identity, grief, parenting, and storytelling for articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Slate Magazine. He has received acclaim from multiple New York Times bestselling authors, including Roxane Gay, who called him "an excellent writer who will be endlessly interesting to his readers." Devan lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and their two sons and works as a story developer at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He loves brunch, biking in a morning chill, bookstore crawls, and being roasted on his birthday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, both of our storytellers experience a shift in how they see themselves.Part 1: Fangfang Ruose fears that her prosthetic legs will exclude her from becoming a fashion model.Part 2: When engineering student Devan Sandiford runs into an old friend from his former college, he desperately wants her to think he's cool.Fangfang Ruose is originally from a small village in China and grew up in a Chinese Catholic orphanage, where she received her first prosthetics at the age of three. Later, she was adopted by an American father and a Spanish mother, and moved to Miami as a teenager. She graduated from FIU with a Bachelor's in Finance and is now pursuing a Master's in International Real Estate and Finance, focusing on development. Alongside her studies, she models, proudly showcasing her prosthetics and embracing her unique journey to advocate for body positivity and self-acceptance.Devan Sandiford is a published writer, award-winning storyteller, and community activist. His stories have been featured in The Washington Post, NPR, The Moth Podcast, Story Collider, Simple Families Podcast, Speak Up Storytelling, and elsewhere. He is an alumni of and former writer-in-residence at the Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation (VONA), a finalist for The Kenyon Review Developmental Editing Fellowship for Emerging Writers, and a recipient of the Corporeal Writing Scholarship for Writing Trauma Toward Healing and Joy with Terese Maria Mailhot. He has a poem in the anthology Excitement and Talisman (2023) and an essay in the anthology Bodies of Stories (2022). Devan has contributed his opinions on race, identity, grief, parenting, and storytelling for articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Slate Magazine. He has received acclaim from multiple New York Times bestselling authors, including Roxane Gay, who called him "an excellent writer who will be endlessly interesting to his readers." Devan lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and their two sons and works as a story developer at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He loves brunch, biking in a morning chill, bookstore crawls, and being roasted on his birthday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We have THE Nicole Cuffy on today's episode. Her upcoming novel O Sinners!, our March 18, 2025 needs to be on your TBR asap. In O Sinners! a young journalist, reeling from loss, investigates a mysterious cult in the California redwoods, only to be drawn in by its charismatic leader—an addictive novel that asks why people give up control and what it takes, ultimately, to find your place in the world. Cuffy is the author of Dances, longlisted for the Carol Shields prize for fiction and the Pen/Hemingway award. Cuffy has a MFA from The New School. She is a lecturer at the University of Maryland and American University. Her work can be found in Mason's Road, The Master's Review Volume VI (curated by Roxane Gay), Chautauqua, and Blue Mesa Review, and her chapbook, Atlas of the Body, won the Chautauqua Janus Prize and was a finalist for the Black River Chapbook Competition. Follow Nicole on instagram: @nikk2cole Songs recommended by Nicole when working on O Sinners! Fortunate Son by Credence Clearwater Revival Marvin Gaye A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan Watch on Netflix: Wild Wild Country Books Nicole recommends: Lone Women by Victor Lavalle Model Home by River Solomon ______________________________________________________________________ Make sure to subscribe and rate the Bubbles & Books Podcast. And don't forget to share it with your friends. Learn more about a Dog-Eared Books book subscription HERE. Follow us on Instagram: @bubblesandbookspodcast Follow Dog-Eared Books on Instagram: @dogearedbooksames Interested in audiobooks? Listen while supporting Dog-Eared Books HERE. Visit us! www.dogearedbooksames.com  

A new Craftwork episode featuring a conversation with John Kaag, a philosopher and author who is also now the co-founder and chief creative officer of Rebind, a company that creates interactive reading experiences using AI and featuring leading authors and scholars like Margaret Atwood, Clancy Martin, John Banville, Roxane Gay, Deepak Chopra, and others. Kaag is professor of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Kaag specializes in American philosophy and is the Donohue Professor of Ethics and the Arts at UMass Lowell, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute and Advisor at Outlier.org. In February 2023, Kaag delivered the lecture "William James and the Sick Soul" for Harvard Divinity School's William James Lectures on Religious Experience series. He lives in Carlisle, MA with his wife, Kathleen, and their two children. *** Otherppl with Brad Listi is a weekly literary podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Subscribe to Brad Listi's email newsletter. Support the show on Patreon Merch Instagram  TikTok Bluesky Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Sarah and Stef welcome Laura Khoudari, a trauma-informed personal trainer, writer, and the author of "Lifting Heavy Things." Laura shares her unique approach to strength training, which prioritizes the nervous system and emotional well-being over traditional fitness goals. Throughout the interview, Laura opens up about her personal journey from dealing with chronic pain and binge eating disorder to finding empowerment through strength training. She also discusses what it means to be a trauma-informed personal trainer and how this differs from conventional personal training methods. Listeners will gain insights into the importance of creating a safe and supportive environment for exercise, recognizing the signs of hyperarousal and hypoarousal, and the role of mindfulness in physical training. Laura offers practical tips for individuals seeking empowerment and safety through movement. The episode also explores Laura's relationship with food and body image, her recovery process, and how she finds joy and safety in cooking by breaking down food-related rules and finding balance in wellness. Finally, Laura talks about her Substack newsletter, "A Tender at the Desk and Stove," where she shares personal essays and wellness tips. She encourages listeners to find nourishment and well-being in ways that feel right for them. Whether you're looking to transform your approach to fitness or gain a deeper understanding of trauma-informed practices, this episode is packed with valuable insights and heartfelt stories. Laura Khoudari is a writer and speaker. Her work as a leader in trauma-informed weight lifting and her book, Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at Time, have been recognized across the fitness and mental health industries as well as by NPR and The New York Times. She was a runner-up in Roxane Gay's Audacious Book Club Essay Writing Contest and her personal essays have appeared in Archetype and Human Shift.  Learn more about her and her work at laurakhoudari.com, on Instagram @laurakhoudari, and through her newsletter Tender at The Desk and Stove. Join our growing support community. This community is for you if you want a safe space to work through your daily struggles with food and body image. Community membership includes livestream episode recordings (online), monthly Zoom support meetings, a private Facebook group and member-only Q&A episodes. For more information go to: https://www.patreon.com/lifeafterdiets Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast Email – hello@lifeafterdietspod.com Connect with Stefanie Michele, ED Recovery Coach, Somatic Therapist IT Stef's Binge Recovery Course -- www.iamstefaniemichele.com/iamstefaniemichelecourse Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com Instagram – www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele Connect with Sarah Dosanjh, Author & Psychotherapist Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com Instagram – www.instagram.com/the_binge_eating_therapist YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist Sarah's book I Can't Stop Eating is available on Amazon If you find this episode helpful, you can subscribe to the Life After Diets podcast, leave us a review, and share your thoughts with us on Instagram and YouTube (@lifeafterdietspodcast). Your feedback helps us create content that matters to you.

In this full episode of Story Pirates' brand new show, Nimene creates a stirring hip-hop track about the civil rights activist Claudette Colvin, who, as a teenager, refused to give up her seat on an Alabama city bus months before Rosa Parks' famous protest. Featuring an interview between New York Times bestselling author Roxane Gay and a 6 year old named Stella. Every episode of Historical Records features a free extension activity at storypirates.com/historicalrecords If you like what you hear, subscribe to Historical Records today and tell a friend!

What is braver than sharing your own story with the world? Nothing. This episode of the Velshi Banned Book Club will examine two true stories: “Hunger” by Roxane Gay and “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls. While these two memoirs are windows into two vastly different worlds, they are both masterclasses in the age-old tradition of storytelling as a warning, as a lesson, and as a means to understand oneself. “Hunger” is a breathtaking examination of the societal demands of appearance and a salient reminder of how radical self-acceptance is. “The Glass Castle” is a searing examination of poverty, the intricacies of family, and the all-encompassing nature of mental health struggles. Together, they're cultural touchstones and contemporary classics that need to be read.

I talk with one of my favorite cultural critics, Roxane Gay, about her long-form essay on Black gun ownership. We discuss how the gun industry frames women as victims in waiting and the importance of dismantling the trope of the “good man with a gun." We also delve into the societal cost of our resisting, rejecting, and resenting nuance and the importance of holding the tension of competing ideas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

MSNBC's Ali Velshi brings you a second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club.” Book banning is happening more and more. Removing literature from library shelves, school syllabi, and summer reading lists isn't just blatant censorship; it is the tip of the sword that threatens American democracy itself. Featuring critically acclaimed and culturally impactful literature – including work by Tim O'Brien, Roxane Gay, Lois Lowry, and Stephen Chbosky – the second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club” puts the booking banning epidemic into necessary context. Read along with Ali Velshi and follow now to listen to the first two episodes on Thursday, September 12th . Subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access to every episode the week before it drops, ad-free listening, and bonus content: https://link.chtbl.com/vbbcs2_fdtw

MSNBC's Ali Velshi brings you a second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club.” Book banning is happening more and more. Removing literature from library shelves, school syllabi, and summer reading lists isn't just blatant censorship; it is the tip of the sword that threatens American democracy itself. Featuring critically acclaimed and culturally impactful literature – including work by Tim O'Brien, Roxane Gay, Lois Lowry, and Stephen Chbosky – the second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club” puts the booking banning epidemic into necessary context. Read along with Ali Velshi and follow now to listen to the first two episodes on Thursday, September 12th . Subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access to every episode the week before it drops, ad-free listening, and bonus content: https://link.chtbl.com/vbbcs2_fdtw

MSNBC's Ali Velshi brings you a second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club.” Book banning is happening more and more. Removing literature from library shelves, school syllabi, and summer reading lists isn't just blatant censorship; it is the tip of the sword that threatens American democracy itself. Featuring critically acclaimed and culturally impactful literature – including work by Tim O'Brien, Roxane Gay, Lois Lowry, and Stephen Chbosky – the second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club” puts the booking banning epidemic into necessary context. Read along with Ali Velshi and follow now to listen to the first two episodes on Thursday, September 12th . Subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access to every episode the week before it drops, ad-free listening, and bonus content: https://link.chtbl.com/vbbcs2_fdtw

MSNBC's Ali Velshi brings you a second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club.” Book banning is happening more and more. Removing literature from library shelves, school syllabi, and summer reading lists isn't just blatant censorship; it is the tip of the sword that threatens American democracy itself. Featuring critically acclaimed and culturally impactful literature – including work by Tim O'Brien, Roxane Gay, Lois Lowry, and Stephen Chbosky – the second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club” puts the booking banning epidemic into necessary context. Read along with Ali Velshi and follow now to listen to the first two episodes on Thursday, September 12th . Subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access to every episode the week before it drops, ad-free listening, and bonus content: https://link.chtbl.com/vbbcs2_fdtw Want more of Chris? Download and subscribe to his podcast, “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes podcast” wherever you get your podcasts.

Best-selling author & cultural critic Roxane Gay (Bad Feminist, Hunger) joins the Con-gregation to help break down the fraud-filled downfall of MoviePass, the subscription service that offered users unlimited movies for the wildly unsustainable price of $10 a month. You might know how MoviePass eventually collapsed, but its problems actually first began when a rich white guy stole the company from its two black founders. Oh and in case you're wondering, we also learn that, yes, you can in fact throw ass to the Succession theme song. Stay schemin'! Read Roxane's latest long-form piece, "Stand Your Ground: A Black Feminist Reckoning with America's Gun Problem": https://www.everand.com/book/755164376/Roxane-Gay-Everand-Originals-Stand-Your-Ground-A-Black-Feminist-Reckoning-with-America-s-Gun-Problem Pre-Order Laci's book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press Follow on Instagram:Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspodLaci Mosley: @divalaciRoxane Gay: @roxanegay74 Research by Kaelyn Brandt. Want a free 3-month trial of the SiriusXM app? Go to: siriusxm.com/scam SOURCES:MoviePass, MovieCrash dir. by Muta'Ali Muhammadhttps://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/moviepass-moviecrash-documentaryhttps://www.thestreet.com/entertainment/what-happened-to-moviepass-rise-fall-and-resurrectionhttps://www.businessinsider.com/moviepass-co-founder-stacy-spikes-interview-on-rise-troubles-firing-2019-4https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/moviepass-executive-guilty-embezzling-coachella-1235895696/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katienotopoulos/everyone-loves-moviepass-just-not-the-customer-servicehttps://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/moviepass-confusion-isnt-new-here-are-all-the-times-it-altered-the-deal/

Roxane Gay never envisioned herself as gun owner, until increasing threats forced her to reconsider what it means to be a Black feminist in a country where gun violence is rampant. From the historic role of armed resistance in Black liberation to the modern-day realities of misogynoir and the indifference toward Black women's safety, Roxane confronts the complexities of gun culture, feminism and who is deemed worthy of self-defense. Her essay "Stand Your Ground" is the final installment of the Roxane Gay & series from Everand Originals. . . . Catch new episodes of Conspiracy, She Wrote every Thursday Follow Unladylike on Instagram and TikTok Join the Unladies' Room Patreon Shop merch Advertise with Multitude Productions Use code UNLADYLIKE30 for 30% off at nulastin.com/unladylike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roxane Gay never envisioned herself as gun owner, until increasing threats forced her to reconsider what it means to be a Black feminist in a country where gun violence is rampant. From the historic role of armed resistance in Black liberation to the modern-day realities of misogynoir and the indifference toward Black women's safety, Roxane confronts the complexities of gun culture, feminism and who is deemed worthy of self-defense.Her essay "Stand Your Ground" is the final installment of the Roxane Gay & series from Everand Originals.. . .Catch new episodes of Conspiracy, She Wrote every ThursdayFollow Unladylike on Instagram and TikTokJoin the Unladies' Room PatreonShop merchAdvertise with Multitude ProductionsUse code UNLADYLIKE30 for 30% off at nulastin.com/unladylike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Another week, another round of deeply off-putting JD Vance clips. Roxane Gay addresses gun rights and gun wrongs. Simon Rex and Ashley Ray dwell on some very sexy residences.  And the Rant Wheel spins once again.Tour dates & cities: crooked.com/events For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.