Podcasts about Chicago Review

Notes and Links to Ursula Villarreal-Moura's Work     A native of San Antonio, Texas, Ursula Villarreal-Moura is the author of two works of fiction. Her debut novel Like Happiness is a finalist for The Rudolfo Anaya Fiction Award, longlisted for The Crook's Corner Book Prize, selected as an Indie Next Pick, and was named a Best Book of 2024 by NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, ELLE, and Them. Math for the Self-Crippling, her flash fiction story collection, was a small press bestseller and has been taught at numerous universities. Her stories, essays, and interviews can be found in Lit Hub, Electric Literature, Story, Alta Journal, and The Rumpus, among others. She is a longtime advocate of reading diversely and of Land Back.    Buy Like Happiness   Ursula's Website   Book Review for Like Happiness from NPR   At about 30:50, Ursula expands on “subverting” ideas of teenage rebelliousness and daughter/parent relationships At about 34:40, Pete talks about Happiness, M. Dominguez's book, as an “oasis”  At about 35:15, Ursula responds to Pete's questions about Tatum “using her voice” and revisiting past events with Mateo At about 36:20, The two discuss the initial email correspondence between Tatum and Mateo At about 37:40, Ursula responds to Pete's question about At about 39:40, Pete remarks on the literary world's idiosyncrasies, and Ursula shares an amazing story about the National Book Awards and some writing industry “slipper[iness]” At about 42:05, Pete and Ursula reflect on book readings and their myriad crowds; Ursula shares a cool summary of seeing Sigrid Nuñez speak   At about 44:00, Ursula expands on Pete's wondering and asking about Mateo and Tatum's early relationship and ideas of a platonic and perhaps unequal relationship At about 47:35, Ursula gives background on real-life parallels to the nunnery portrayed in the novel  At about 49:00, Ursula talks about the juxtaposition of Mayumi and Valeria as reflections of Tatum's naivete and growth At about 51:10, Ursula talks about the “limbo” that governs Tatum's reaction to early indications of Mateo's possible womanizing At about 54:05, Pete wonders about Tatum being in denial and also aware that Mateo may be guilty of charges, and Ursula talks about the Kitty Genovese story and it “always staying with [her]” At about 55:15, Ursula expands on her interest in the “bystander effect” and how this phenomenon has played out with outreach for Gaza At about 56:50, Pete asks Ursula about the importance of Tatum staying in New York At about 59:00, Ursula responds to Pete's question about the pull of teachers and teaching in Tatum's life At about 1:01:30, the two discuss the phases of life and subtleties of the Mateo and Tatum relationship At about 1:02:10, Pete talks about Tatum reading Maria Luz's account of the abuse inflicted by Mateo At about 1:3:00, Pete asks Ursula about writing the phases of the relationship  At about 1:06:00, Pete and Ursula talk about Tatum's writing her own account of his time with Mateo and if her “ ‘complicated feelings' ” are helping to “sanitize” Mateo's behaviors      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 297 with Cynthia Miller-Idriss, who is an opinion columnist for MSNBC and writes for The New York Times, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, Politico, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and more. The episode airs today, Sept 16, Pub Day for Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism.    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.

Notes and Links to Cynthia Miller-Idriss' Work       Cynthia Miller-Idriss is the author of Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right and Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism. She is an opinion columnist for MSNBC and writes for The New York Times, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, Politico, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and more. Buy Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism   Cynthia's Website   At about 1:25, Cynthia talks about the run-up to Pub Day, and how it's different than for her previous books At about 3:00, Pete asks Cynthia about the unfortunate “timeliness” of her work, especially the book At about 5:45, the two discuss seeds for the book, as Cynthia expands on the Turning Point Suffragist Museum and its history and importance At about 7:35, the two discuss the not-so-distant history of misogyny and Simone de Beauvoir, and rising "hostile sexism and misogyny” in the social media and outside world At about 9:55, Cynthia talks about the silence that often is pervasive regarding “gender policing” how misogyny must be central in more explorations of violence  At about 12:05, Cynthia shares some insightful and profound quotes from young people regarding gender norms and expectations At about 16:35, Pete and Cynthia discuss Eliot Rodger and a recent school shooter and the ways in which the “warning signs” were so numerous for a long period of time, but resources are often hard to tap into, even from well-meaning parents and adults and friends  At about 21:25, the two discuss The Death of Expertise and ideas of “alternative facts” and a pervasive lack of trust in “experts” and government At about 23:00, Cynthia responds to Pete's noting that she purposely avoids naming past shooters At about 25:00, the two lay out the book's structure  At about 24:25, Pete reports some eye-popping stats of misogynist violence  At about 26:05 Cynthia and Pete reflect on the profound quote from the book that contemporary girls have “more freedom but less power, and boys less freedom and more power” At about 24:40, Cynthia discusses masculinity/sexuality paradigm shifts  At about 29:35, Cynthia and Pete laugh and almost cry regarding fitness as being claimed by the masculine right, such as with jeans-clad RFK At about 30:35, the two reflect on the moral arc of the universe and disturbing trends with Gen Z men At about 32:20, Cynthia responds to Pete reflecting on Trump voters and his misogyny and fixed and demanding gender rigidity and policing  At about 34:15, Pete notes the “intersectionality” of Christian nationalism and masculinity, and Cynthia expands on the adherents' beliefs At about 36:15, the two discuss ideas of “containment” and visceral hatred and misogyny in hate email and chants and lashing out at women  At about 37:20, Cynthia talks about the data that charts female elected officials and hateful attacks, including from online vitriol and memes At about 39:35, Cynthia talks about people downplaying and excusing male behavior  At about 40:55, More discussion of women needing to be in the home/domestic sphere and women as a “safety net” in parts of the West, especially in the US, even up to Taylor Swift At about 42:30, Cynthia uses an anecdote from Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation to illustrate racist/sexist policing of women and women of color At about 44:50, “bonding through slurs” and online gaming's influence on misogyny and young men is discussed At about 48:30, The two discuss some stunning (or not) numbers about the way Andrew Tate is viewed At about 49:35, Cynthia responds to Pete's question about what sets Andrew Tate apart  At about 52:10, Scapegoating of sexual and racial minorities is discussed, and the “spiral” of keeping children safe and QAnon, anti-vax, etc. At about 54:40, Cynthia responds to Pete asking about possible remedies in her book, and how one avoids “preaching” in talking to those who have been radicalized online and off At about 57:00, Cynthia talks about multifaceted remedies for a multifaceted issue At about 58:00, Cynthia puts a puzzling and "hilarious" and telling interaction with a young man into perspective At about 1:02:05, Cynthia shouts out resources provided in the book's appendix, and how proceeds from the book often benefit and highlight local gender-based violence organizations       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 298 with Robert Paylor, an Inspirational speaker, quadriplegia survivor, resilience expert, and author. His book is Paralyzed to Powerful:  Lessons from a Quadriplegic's Journey.    This episode airs on September 23.    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.

Notes and Links to Wright Thompson's Work       Widely regarded as one of the nation's leading sports journalists, Wright Thompson is a senior writer for ESPN, an Emmy Award-winning reporter, and the executive producer of the TV show TrueSouth. He is the author of several bestselling books including Pappyland, about the storied whiskey distillery, and, most recently, The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi, a New York Times bestseller that confronts the haunting legacy of Emmett Till's killing.    A Mississippi native, Thompson is at heart a southern storyteller who believes that understanding the place one lives is both an obligation and an act of love. By exploring foodways, beliefs, identities, and histories—both remembered and forgotten—he seeks to reveal the truths of the region he calls home.   Buy The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi   Wright Thompson's Website   Book Review for The Barn from Washington Post   At about 1:45, Wright talks about the paperback release of The Barn and feedback on the book as “resonat[ing] with readers” in an “urgent” way At about 4:10, Wright responds back to Pete's questions about what connections he sees between the events of The Barn and contemporary politics and culture At about 7:00, The two reflect on and Wright highlights the open-casket funeral  At about 8:10, Wright responds to Pete's questions about the biased/blind books that he was exposed to in his Mississippi schooling; he also highlights North Towards Home and Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom as his favorite book of all-time   the accusation is always the confession At about 10:30, Wright asks Pete about books/writers that his guests have consistently hailed as the best; Pete is unsure, but thinks right away of Toni Morrison At about 11:50, Wright shouts out Ian Toll as a favorite writer At about 12:10, Wright speaks on the best barbecue, highlighting Scott's-Parker in Lexington, TN At about 14:30, Pete notes the myriad connections between Mississippi/Southern/cotton economy and so many disparate parts of the country and world; Wright expands upon international connections and the need to “go back across the ocean” to fully understand the events of the book and so much more history At about 17:30, the two discuss the “incredible” Gloria Dickerson and her incredible work in Drew, MS, a “stripped” town ruined by economic chains At about 19:15, Pete notes his close connection to Christopher Rufo, and Wright envisions a conversation with him and others railing against “Wokeism” about differences in Black history and CRT  At about 21:55, Wright discusses the “entry point” for The Barn, an article  At about 23:00, Wright discusses an incredible connection between Avery Bradley and Chamillionaire and highlights  At about 24:00, Wright talks of his reverence for Sam Anderson, especially his work regarding Weird Al Yankovic  At about 25:05, Wright responds to Pete's question regarding Frank DeFord, Bill Naack, Ric Telander, Gary Smith, Tom Junod, Michael Paternitti The Long Fall of Flight 111  At about 26:10, Pete stans Wright's wonderful collection, The Cost of These Dreams, an incredible anthology focusing on top-tier athletes At about 27:05, Pete traces the book's beginning, with Willie Reed seeing Emmett Till in his killers' truck and Pete asks Wright about the titular barn and its standing as a living being in 2025 At about 29:50, Wright responds to Pete's questions about the impunity with which white people terrorized Black people in Mississippi; he talks about a “moral test”  At about 33:35, Wright highlights family members who passed and failed the aforementioned “moral test” and ideas of all Mississippians being bound together  At about 35:30, Wright talks about history as being weaponized in recent years, versus something to be analyzed/examined with its “disparate datapoints” At about 36:40, Wright points to connections between Chicago and the Mississippi Delta At about 37:25, Wright talks about tracing the intimate last days of Emmett Till, and Keith Beauchamp's and Jerry Mitchell's intrepid work that inspired and lifted his own At about 40:40, Wright responds to Pete's question about ideas  At about 42:40, Wright discusses the “death penalty” that Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam suffered after their killing of Emmett Till At about 43:45, Pete wonders about the short-term and long-term  At about 44:20, Wright connects “The Lost Cause” of the past and the Mississippi and MAGA movement of today At about 46:35, Wright traces the land history of the grid and lawmaking that led to The Barn becoming the place where Emmett Till was killed At about 49:05, Wright reflects on his attendance at a special White House commemoration  At about 50:15, Wright reflects on Emmett “Bobo” Till and how he is “not a symbol” to those eight-12 people still alive who remember him as he was  At about 51:45, Wright highlights how Mamie Till “rose to the occasion” and was such an incredible civil-rights icon and hero      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 296 with Ursula Villarreal-Moura, the author of Math for the Self-Crippling (2022), selected by Zinzi Clemmons as the Gold Line Press fiction contest winner, and Like Happiness, named a Best Book of 2024 by NPR    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.

Notes and Links to Andrew Porter's Work     Andrew Porter is the author of four books, including the short story collection The Theory of Light and Matter (Vintage/Penguin Random House), which won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, the novel In Between Days (Knopf), which was a Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers”  selection, an IndieBound “Indie Next” selection, and the San Antonio Express News's “Fictional Work of the Year,” the short story collection The Disappeared (Knopf), which was longlisted for The Story Prize and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and the novel The Imagined Life, which was published by Knopf in April 2025. Porter's books have been published in foreign editions in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand and translated into numerous languages, including French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Bulgarian, and Korean. In addition to winning the Flannery O'Connor Award, his collection, The Theory of Light and Matter,  received Foreword Magazine's “Book of the Year” Award for Short  Fiction, was a finalist for The Steven Turner Award, The Paterson Prize  and The WLT Book Award, was shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing, and was selected by both The Kansas City Star and The San Antonio Express-News  as one of the “Best Books of the Year.” The recipient of a Pushcart Prize and fellowships from the James Michener-Copernicus Foundation, the W.K. Rose Foundation,  and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation,  Porter's  short stories have appeared in The Best American Short Stories, One Story, Ploughshares, The Southern Review, The Threepenny Review, The Missouri Review, American Short Fiction, Narrative Magazine, Epoch, Story, The Colorado Review, Electric Literature, and Texas Monthly, among others. He has had his work read on NPR's Selected Shorts and numerous times selected as one of the Distinguished Stories of the Year by Best American Short Stories.  A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Porter is currently a Professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Trinity University in San Antonio.   Buy The Imagined Life   Andrew's Website   Andrew's Wikipedia Page   Book Review for The Imagined Life from New York Times   At about 1:30, Pete makes a clumsy but heartfelt comparison between The Imagined Life and Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea and Andrew shares feedback from readers of his novel At about 3:10, Andrew responds to Pete's question about the book's seeds and talks about “tinker[ing]” with the book's opening for years At about 4:45, Pete remarks on the book's first-person account, and Andrew and Pete discuss the book's opening and ideas of naivete and fallible parents At about 6:45, Pete asks Andrew, who expands about structuring the book and its connection to revision  At about 8:45, Pete compares the setting of the book, 1983 Fullerton, CA, to The Smashing Pumpkins' “1979,” and Andrew discusses similarities  At about 10:30, Pete reflects on the importance of the age given to the book's narrator and the two characterize the book's “father” and Andrew talks about using a 70s/early 80s atmosphere through the young narrator's lens At about 15:30, Pete summarizes an important character introduction and Andrew talks about the importance of an embarrassing faux pas by the narrator's father that might have "professional ramifications” At about 17:30, Andrew responds to Pete's question about the visits that Steven takes to speak with his father's former colleagues in the present-day At about 21:20, Andrew explains connections between Proust (“Proo-st”) and the father, who is obsessed in some ways with Proust's work; Andrew notes personal parallels between the father and Proust At about 24:10, Andrew gives background on Uncle Julian's connection to his brother and his family  At about 25:40, Andrew responds to Pete's questions about the importance of the book's cabana and complicated coupling  At about 27:40, Andrew reflects on Chau's relationship with Steven and the connection as a shared “escape from their home lives” At about 31:00, Andrew responds to Pete's questions about fleeting beautiful moments between father and son At about 32:25, Pete wonders about how Andrew picks character names At about 34:10, Andrew discusses the narrator's son, Finn, and his acting out in school as a function of his parents' marital shakiness  At about 35:30, Pete asks Andrew about a pivotal party and any “ruptures” in relationships that may have followed   At about 38:00, Andrew reflects on possible foreshadowing through letters and notes left behind by Steven's father  At about 40:40, Andrew discusses his mindset in writing an important and off-the-wall culminating scene At about 43:35, The two reflect on ideas of traumas and cycles and anger, especially with regard to Steven's recognition of same  At about 46:30, Pete compliments the ending of the book, ideas of legacy and wonderful book timing At about 47:30, Andrew reflects on his book's setting as key in exploring contrasts between Steven's life then and now, as well as with the world as a whole At about 48:30, Swatch Watch discourse! and vague Bel Biv Devoe reference!      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 295 with Wright Thompson, a senior writer for ESPN, contributing writer to the Atlantic, and the New York Times bestselling author of Pappylandand The Cost of These Dreams. The Barn, a captivating story of the tragedy of Emmett Till's racist murder, is out in paperback on the day the episode airs, today, September 9.    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.  

Notes and Links to Melissa Lozada-Oliva's Work      Melissa Lozada-Oliva is a Guatemalan-Colombian-American writer. Her chapbook peluda (Button Poetry 2017) explores the intersections of Latina identity and hair removal. In her novel-in-verse Dreaming of You (2021, Astra House), a poet brings Selena back to life through a seance and deals with disastrous consequences. Candelaria (Astra House, 2023) follows a Guatemalan grandmother at the end of the world and her three lost American granddaughters who started it. Candelaria was named one of the best books of 2023 by VOGUE and USA Today. Her collection of short stories BEYOND ALL REASONABLE DOUBT, JESUS IS ALIVE! will be released on September 2 through Astra House. Her newsletter READING SUCKS tracks the books she's read and the distractions she had while reading them, while interviewing authors about their relationship to reading.  She is currently adapting Dreaming of You into a film and working on a new novel. Melissa has done brand work with Facebook, Instagram, Google, Armani, and Topo Chico Hard Seltzer. Melissa's work balances the line between horror and humor. Her work has been featured or is forthcoming in NPR, VOGUE, REMEZCLA, PAPER, The Guardian, BreakBeat Poets, Kenyon Review, Vulture, Bustle, Glamour Magazine, The Huffington Post, Muzzle Magazine, The Adroit Journal, and BBC Mundo. She teaches fiction and poetry at the Center for Fiction and the Red Hook Public Library.   Buy Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, JESUS IS ALIVE   Melissa's Website   Review of Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, JESUS IS ALIVE from Kirkus Reviews At about 0:55, Melissa talks about her mindset in the runup to publication and gives purchasing info and info about book events At about 3:35, Melissa responds to Pete's questions about formative reading and writing from her childhood At about 5:40, Pete and Melissa talk "Usted" and "Tu" and "Vos" and writing in Spanish At about 7:10, Melissa talks about the “real-time satisfaction” of seeing/hearing her work “resonate” with people as a catalyst for her writing career At about 8:20, Melissa expands on what Button Poetry is and how she worked with the organization-here's one of her viral videos At about 9:45, Melissa talks about the difference in performing writing and then writing in a more solitary way At about 10:50, Melissa talks about writers who have inspired and thrilled her, including Sandra Cisneros, Jhumpa Lahiri, Kelly Link, Julia Alvarez, and Octavia Butler At about 12:50, Melissa shouts some Kelly Link writing to start with in exploring her great work At about 13:15, Melissa responds to Pete's questions about throughlines in the story collection and any seeds for the writing At about 14:35, The two discuss the epigraph's importance, with another Kelly Link shoutout, and discussion of “nothingness”  At about 16:40, Pete traces the collection's opening and asks Melissa about her usage of second-person At about 18:20, Pete makes a Soulja Boy/Spanish joke…does it hit? At about 18:45, Melissa replies to Pete's questions about the idolized teacher in the first story At about 20:45, Melissa reflects on ideas of “cancel culture” as seen in the world and in her collection At about 22:00, Pete wonders about the inspiration for the collection's title and the titular story At about 26:05, “Pobrecito” is discussed as a “curdled short king story” and Melissa responds to Pete's questions about the storyteller as trustworthy At about 29:10, “Heads” and the story collection's “absurd humor” and privilege are discussed, especially through ideas of admiration and connection At about 32:15, Pete compliments Melissa flashback work At about 33:00, Melissa talks about inspiration from Joyce Carol Oates' “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?” for her poolhouse story At about 35:15, The body horror story “Tails” is discussed, with its themes of misogyny and competition among women brought on by this systemic misogyny At about 38:40, Melissa expands on Lucas as a restricted, though incredibly nice, character At about 39:30, Melissa responds to Pete's questions about music's role in “Tails” and in Melissa's writing life At about 40:50, Pete highlights some hilarious lines and scenes from the collection At about 42:00, The two discuss the story “Listening” and Melissa expands on the process that is a family thing and a ritual  At about 45:30, “But I'm Still the King,” a story dealing with a family return to their Guatemalan homeland, and ideas of change and tradition and faith and authenticity  At about 51:00, “Community Hole,” the collection's novella, is discussed, as Pete lays out the exposition, including a vague “cancellation” of the narrator  At about 53:00, Melissa recounts the beginning of narrator, Farah's, music career At about 56:55, Melissa responds to Pete's questions about the novella's all-important “hole” At about 59:30, Melissa reflects on Pete's quoting a writer friend about horror and noir and their shining on light on the world of 2025 At about 1:01:20, Pete references “Shawn of the Dead” At about 1:02:00, Melissa, in response to Pete's questions, casts for “Community Hole”      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 294 with Wright Thompson, a senior writer for ESPN, contributing writer to the Atlantic, and the New York Times bestselling author of Pappyland The Cost of These Dreams. The Barn, a captivating story of the tragedy of Emmett Till's racist murder, is out in paperback on the day the episode airs, September 9.    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.

Melissa Fraterrigo joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about the personal and emotional toll of being female, becoming a mother and watching her daughters navigate culture, making sense of our world through memoir and essay, discovering a softness for the younger versions of ourselves, when the fictional world doesn't hold our attention, processing different time periods, making sure there are universal truths in memoir as well as our own story, not inviting people others into the space while we're drafting, memoir as permission to explore our own life, taking the time to get to know ourselves and our process, how are we changed by writing, and her new memoir The Perils of Girlhood.   Also in this episode: -Lafayette Writers Studio -sharing of ourselves -keeping our channels open   Books mentioned in this episode: -Writing Past Dark by Bonnie Friedman -The Boys of My Youth by Jo Ann Beard -How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee -Spilt Milk by Courtney Zoffness -Books by Melissa Febos -Negative Space by Lilly Dancyger Melissa Fraterrigo's new memoir is The Perils of Girlhood published by the University of Nebraska Press. She is also the author of the novel Glory Days (University of Nebraska Press, 2017), which was named one of “The Best Fiction Books of 2017” by the Chicago Review of Books as well as the short story collection The Longest Pregnancy (Livingston Press, 2006). Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies from storySouth and Shenandoah to Notre Dame Review, Sou'wester and The Millions. A graduate of the University of Iowa (BA) and Bowling Green State University (MFA), she teaches creative writing at Purdue University, and is also the founder and executive director of the Lafayette Writers' Studio in Lafayette, Indiana, where she offers classes on the art and craft of writing. She lives with her husband and two daughters in West Lafayette, Indiana.  Connect with Melissa:  Website: melissafraterrigo.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.fraterrigo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissafraterrigo/ Lafayette Writers' Studio: lafayettewritersstudio.com Get her book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-perils-of-girlhood-a-memoir-in-essays/6da6408eda085813 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1496242203?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_XZ0VSR4RDAFX5FBRZYB6 https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496242204/the-perils-of-girlhood/   – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social

Notes and Links to Ruben Reyes, Jr.'s Work     Ruben Reyes Jr. is the son of two Salvadoran immigrants. He completed his MFA in fiction at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He is a graduate of Harvard College where he studied History and Literature and Latinx Studies. His writing has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, AGNI, BOMB Magazine, Lightspeed Magazine, LitHub, and other publications. His debut story collection, There is a Rio Grande in Heaven, was a finalist for The Story Prize, and longlisted for the the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Carnegie Medal for Excellence, the Aspen Words Literary Prize, and the New American Voices Award. Archive of Unknown Universes is his first novel. Originally from Southern California, he lives in Queens.   Buy Archive of Unknown Universes   Ruben's Website   Book Review for Archive of Unknown Universes from Washington Post, by Bilal Qureshi   At about 1:45, Ruben describes the experience of having his first novel out in the world At about 3:30, Ruben talks about feedback he's received about the novel At about 4:35, Ruben shares publishing information and shouts out “local indies” and Bookshop.org as good places to buy the book, and he shares a story about his book tour for his story collection At about 6:10, Ruben talks about his writing timeline and how he wrote his novel and his story collection at around the same time, allowing him flexibility and variety  At about 9:00, Ruben responds to Pete's questions about how feedback and the writing community worked during the pandemic At about 11:00, Ruben reflects on seeds for his novel, particularly the “turning point” that was his 2018 research trip to El Salvador At about 12:30, Ruben talks about the importance of oral histories he did on this 2018 research trip At about 13:25, Pete asks Ruben about the book's dedication and how he viewed the specific and universal  At about 16:15, Pete shares the book's profound epigraphs, and shares the book's exposition; Ruben responds to Pete's questions about the book's structure and his rationale in starting the book with a letter At about 19:25, Ruben reflects on writers and their views on a “perfect novel” At about 20:45, Ruben and Pete describe the book's pivotal machine, The Defractor, and fun with different “Interlocutors” for the machine  At about 23:40, Pete provides background information on Ana and Luis, important characters in the books At about 25:20, Ruben and Pete discuss the importance of Archbishop Oscar Romero and his coverage in the novel At about 28:00, Ruben reflects on how the “What if?” question is so resonant in literature and outside At about 28:50, Ruben and Pete talk about setting the tone for the start of the relationship between Rafael and Neto and an early scene at Havana's Malecon  At about 30:40, Pete reflects on traumas so understatedly and profoundly rendered  At about 32:00, Ruben talks about Ana's and Luis' relationship  At about 33:40, Pete wonders about an important decision made by Neto, and Ruben expands on research he did that showed how youth was largely in control during the Salvadoran Civil War At about 35:50, Ruben expands on what demands and hopes the revolutionaries/guerrillas had in the Salvadoran Civil War At about 39:05, The two discuss the book's parallel storyline At about 41:55, Ruben and Pete reflect on the fiery passions of youth and what makes relationships works and connections At about 44:15, The two discuss similarities and differences between Neto and Rafael  At about 46:10, Ruben homes in on how queerness was seen/embraced in the 70s, as shown through Rafael and Neto At about 47:30, Pete highlights a profound quote as he and Ruben talk about “grasping the lost threads of history” and how Ruben's book connects to ideas of silences and traumas and "reclaiming history” At about 49:40, Ruben shouts out Leisy Abrego's “On Silences” and its argument about silences as “intergenerational” in the Salvadoran diaspora        You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave 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's @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he's @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 Episode 286 guest Hannah Pittard is up on the website this week. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of noir, horror, and crime fiction, as some of the best ways to match the zeitgeist and crazy timeline that is 2025. 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 292 with Joan Silber, a novelist and short story writer. She won the 2017 National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction and the 2018 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for her novel Improvement. Her latest novel, Mercy, is her 10th book of fiction. This episode drops today, September 2, Pub Day for Mercy. 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.

Notes and Links to Joan Silber's Work    Joan Silber was raised in New Jersey and received her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied writing with Grace Paley. She moved to New York after college and has made it her home ever since. She holds an M.A. from New York University. She's written ten books of fiction--most recently, Mercy, out in fall 2025.  Secrets of Happiness was a Washington Post Best Book of the year and a Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of the Year.  Improvement won The National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award.  She also received the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story.  Her other works of fiction include Fools, longlisted for the National Book Award and finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, The Size of the World, finalist for the Los Angeles Times Prize in Fiction, and Ideas of Heaven, finalist for the National Book Award and the Story Prize.  She's also written Lucky Us, In My Other Life, and In the City (to be reissued by Hagfish in 2026), and her first book, Household Words, won the PEN/Hemingway Award. She's the author of The Art of Time in Fiction, which looks at how fiction is shaped and determined by time, with examples from world writers.  Her short fiction has been chosen for the O. Henry Prize, Best American Short Stories, and the Pushcart Prize.  Stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, The Southern Review, Ploughshares, Zyzzyva, and other magazines. She's been the recipient of an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. For many years Joan taught fiction writing at Sarah Lawrence College and in the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers.  Joan lives on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, with Jolie, her rescued street dog from Taiwan, and she travels as often as she can, with a particular interest in Asia. Buy Mercy   Joan Silber's Website   Joan Silber's Wikipedia Page   Boston Globe Review of Mercy   At about 2:55, Joan talks about responses about her new novel and how uncertainty is always  At about 3:45, Joan talks about places to buy her new novel and upcoming book events At about 5:05, Joan traces her early relationship with reading and writing and talks about early inspirations like Louisa May Alcott At about 6:55, Joan responds to Pete's question about the catalysts for her writing career, and she references the wonderful Grace Paley and her generative teaching methods At about 8:35, Joan talks about contemporary writers and influences like Charles Baxter, Andrea Barrett, and Margo Livesy At about 9:50, Pete bumbles through a vague comparison in complimenting Joan on her depiction of New York in the 1970s and gives some exposition of the book, especially regarding the book's main protagonist, Ivan  At about 11:25, Joan reflects on Ivan and Eddie as “intellectuallizing” their drug adventures  At about 12:35, Joan responds to Pete asking about Eddie and his mindset and personality  At about 14:45, the two trace the book's inciting incident, involving Eddie and Ivan indulging in drugs to an extreme  At about 17:30, Joan expands on her initial thoughts for the book, and on the secret that Ivan keeps to himself, as well as how she views Ivan in a “complicated” way At about 18:45, Joan responds to Pete's question about whether or not she “sit[s] in judgment of [her] characters” At about 20:20, Pete highlights Ivan and asks Joan's about Eddie “hav[ing] his own kingdom” in Ivan's life, especially with regard to his atonement for Alcoholics Anonymous At about 21:50, Pete traces Astrid/Ginger's career arc, as Ivan sees her rise and connects to Eddie, and Joan expands on why her film being done in Malaysia is connected to real-life regulations in China At about 23:30, Pete asks Joan about how she gets into the mindset to write about “What if?” At about 24:50, Chapter Two is discussed, with a new narrator in Astrid, and her tragedies and triumphs At about 26:10, Joan talks about the movie that takes place in the book, with Astrid as a star; Joan expands upon the “circle” of heroin/opioids in the novel At about 28:30, Joan discusses the “echo in the title” about heroin as the “drug of mercy” At about 29:00, Joan gives background on her choice in including Cara as a character who is a “bystander” to Eddie's abandonment  At about 30:15, Joan and Pete discuss the whys of Cara leaving and getting on the road At about 31:40, Joan talks about Chapter Three as a previously-published chapter/standalone, and how she likes “getting her characters in trouble” At about 32:00, Joan explains how she “follows” Nini into the next chapter, based on a previous quote, and how Joan's own travels influenced her writing about the Iu Mien of Thailand and Laos At about 35:00, Joan describes how Nini's injury in Southeast Asia serves as a vessel for a description of opium's uses/the way it's viewed in a variety of ways around the world  At about 36:15, Pete and Joan discuss the roles of anthropologists and their roles At about 38:30, Cara's chapter is highlighted, with Cara's relationship with her previously-absent father discussed   At about 41:00, Pete asks Joan to discuss the book's title-its genesis and connections to the book's events and characters  At about 42:30, Joan differentiates between mercy and forgiveness  At about 43:00, Pete compliments Joan's work in tracing a long but coherent storyline and her depiction of New York At about 44:10, Joan discusses an exciting upcoming project  At about 45:20, Pete and Joan discuss youth and innocence and aging as key parts    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 293 with Melissa Lozada-Oliva, a Guatemalan-Colombian-American writer. Her chapbook peluda explores the intersections of Latina identity and hair removal. In her novel-in-verse Dreaming of You (2021, Astra House), a poet brings Selena back to life through a seance and deals with disastrous consequences. Candelaria was named one of the best books of 2023 by VOGUE and USA Today. Her collection of short stories is BEYOND ALL REASONABLE DOUBT, JESUS IS ALIVE! The episode airs on September 2, today, Pub Day.    This episode airs today, September 2, Pub Day.    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.

Notes and Links to Adnan Virk's Work       Adnan Virk is an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster who is currently a host on MLB Network, NHL Network, and Amazon Prime Canada. Virk has been on television since September 2002 and worked almost nine years at ESPN, where he was a host primarily on their baseball and college football coverage, while also filling in on ESPN Radio. Virk's podcast Cinephile ran for eight years, totaling 336 episodes from 2016 to 2024. A graduate of Ryerson University and a Toronto native, Adnan lives with his wife Eamon and their four boys, Yusuf, Adeen, Shazz, and Maaz, in New Jersey. Buy Cinephile   Adnan's Instagram   Cinephile Podcast   At about 2:30, Adnan provides background on working with Mango Publishing and the process of seeing the book to publication At about 4:50, Adnan and Pete reminisce over their struggles and triumphs in high school and college intramurals At about 5:50, Adnan shares exciting feedback from readers, while sharing some favorite stories of his and talking about  At about 7:00, Adnan shares how his son's middle name is “Scorsese” and talks about an important “informal quiz” that Adnan's future took to solidify the relationship  At about 9:00, The two reflect on the death of McCluskey in The Godfather  At about 9:30, The two fanboy over the wondrous Dekalog movie series At about 13:20, Adnan traces the iconic night where he announced the Best Picture mixup at the 2017 Oscars At about 16:40, Adnan discusses his interview with Monica Bellucci At about 18:15, Pete and Adnan share their thoughts on the  At about 19:00, Adnan responds to Pete's leading question about Scorcese's Silence and reflects on the “special” movie and unique moviegoing experience   At about 21:50, the two reflect on Mahershala Ali's profound quote on “experiencing” a movie At about 22:35, Adnan responds to Pete's questions about formative moviegoing experiences At about 25:10, the two discuss the wondrous Raging Bull At about 26:40, Pete asks Adnan what movie he can quote at will  At about 28:00, Adnan reflects on movies he enjoyed when he first saw them and then later changed his opinion At about 28:50, Adnan mentions Hoffa in riffing on underrated/underappreciated movies  At about 30:00, Adnan talks about his fun in writing a sort of miscellaneous last chapter of Cinephile  At about 31:15, Adnan talks about Big Night and Raging Bull as great “brother” movies    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 291 with second time guest Ruben Reyes, Jr. His debut story collection, There is a Rio Grande in Heaven, was a finalist for The Story Prize. Archive of Unknown Universes is his first novel, an inventive and original one, and it was published in July 2025.    This episode airs on August 29.    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.

Notes and Links to Jahmal Mayfield's Work      Jahmal Mayfield writes gritty crime novels that touch on large social issues. He was born in Virginia but currently resides in New Jersey. In addition to writing, he serves as the director of a nonprofit program that provides employment support to people with disabilities. Mayfield is a husband and father of two young adults who are both embarrassed by his frequent forays down the rabbit holes of YouTube to view old 90s hip hop videos. SMOKE KINGS was inspired by Kimberly Jones' passionate viral video, “How can we win?”    Buy Smoke Kings   Jahmal's Website   Book Review for Smoke Kings from Washington Post, by E.A. Aymar   At about 2:00, Pete and Jahmal fanboy over Nas and talk “classic” hip hop At about 3:40, Jahmal talks about “three phases” of his reading and writing life At about 4:45, Jahmal talks about being “a reader first, and a writer second,” and responds to Pete's question about what he has gotten from his favorite writers At about 6:00, Jahmal responds to Pete's musings about At about 7:40, Jahmal expands upon “lean[ing]” into a certain character to use him as a caricature and the reasoning behind the choice At about 8:25, Jahmal and Pete discuss the wonderful crime fiction community  At about 10:25, The two reflect on Kimberly Jones' viral video and profound speech and righteous rage At about 12:30, The two share much about the book's exposition and dynamic opening scene At about 13:25, Jahmal gives background on Jackson Keeler's wonderful editing and how the opening came about At about 14:45, Jahmal shares how he referenced real historical racist tragedies that informed the racist crimes referenced in the book At about 15:45, Jahmal provides background on the book's main characters and their rationale in seeking revenge  At about 17:10, the two discuss the character of Mason, the PI and his arc and treatment At about 19:30, Jahmal explains how he aimed to have two characters serve as “counterweights” to Mason At about 20:55, Jahmal and Pete reflect scene  At about 23:15, Jahmal responds to Pete's question about the book's title, also riffing on the evolution of the title and how he tried to “honor the spirit of Kimberly Jones” At about 25:00, The two discuss the book's parallel storylines and Jahmal talks about how the book's structure came late in the process At about 27:50, Pete wonders about Mason and how he views his job At about 29:15, The two discuss the escalating levels of violence within the Smoke Kings and the different ways they view their mission At about 31:20, Jahmal responds to Pete's comments on Joshua, the brother of the murdered Darius, as taking a step back; Jahmal remarks on how/why he “kinda sidelined" him At about 33:00, Jahmal gives background on Elizabeth and her character as representative   At about 35:35, Jahmal talks about the significance of the names of the white supremacist characters and their characteristics  At about 37:55, Jahmal reflects on a tagline for the book, “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves At about 39:45, The two reflect on Colin Kaepernick's protests and how it connects to ideas of racial justice At about 43:10, Jahmal responds to Pete's questions about the systematic versus the individual, in connection to the book At about 46:30, Jahmal gives some previews of his future writing path    You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave 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 Episode 287's Hannah Pittard is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his 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. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 290 with second time guest Ruben Reyes, Jr. His debut story collection, There is a Rio Grande in Heaven, was a finalist for The Story Prize. Archive of Unknown Universes is his first novel, an inventive and original one, and it was published in July 2025.    The episode airs today, August 26.    Please demand action from your local congressperson in seeking a ceasefire in Gaza by going to https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin. 

Notes and Links to Camille Adams' Work          CAMILLE U. ADAMS, Ph.D. was born and raised in beautiful Trinidad and Tobago. She is the author of the explosive memoir How To Be Unmothered: a Trinidadian memoir, finalist in the Restless Books Prize in New Immigrant Writing 2023.    Camille is a memoirist, a poet, and a nature writer. She has been awarded Best of The Net—nonfiction 2024. She has received five Pushcart Prize nominations and three Best of the Net nominations for her memoir writing. Camille's work has also received recognition as a notable essay in Best American Essays 2022. Her writing has been long-listed in the Graywolf Creative nonfiction Prize 2022 and selected as a finalist for The 2021 Orison Anthology Award in Nonfiction.    Her other honours include an awarded fellowship as an inaugural Tin House Reading Fellow, an inaugural Granta nature writing workshop fellowship, an inaugural Anaphora Arts Italy Writing Retreat Fellowship, a McKnight Doctoral Fellowship, a Community of Writers Fellowship, A VONA scholarship, and a Roots Wounds Words Fellowship.    A Tin House Summer Workshop alum, Camille has served as a juried reader for Tin House for two consecutive years and as a moderator for two author panels. She has also received support from Kenyon Writers Workshop, Grubstreet, and others.   In addition, Camille has been an associate CNF editor at Variant Lit and an assistant memoir editor at Split Lip Magazine and at The Account. She has long taught English and creative writing, emphasising the importance of strong craft, beautiful prose, and ugly truths.   Having earned her MFA in Poetry from City College CUNY and her Ph.D. in Creative Nonfiction from FSU, Camille currently teaches creative writing and literature in New York City. She is at work on her second memoir. Buy How to Be Unmothered: A Trinidadian Memoir   Camille U. Adams' Website    Excerpt from How to Be Unmothered     At about 2:55, Camille talks about her ideal writing environments and she and Pete bond over Pete's  At about 5:00, Camille responds to Pete's question about what books and stories resonate with her students-she references Javier Zamora and Derek Walcott and Jamaica Kincaid At about 8:00, the two discuss purchasing details for How to Be Unmothered At about 9:15, Camille shares great early feedback for the memoir  At about 11:35, Camille responds to Pete's question about her early reading loves At about 14:30, Pete cites Jamaica Kincaid's masterful work and Camille shouts out George Lanning, Samuel Selvon, Paul Keyes Douglas, and other masterful Caribbean writers At about 16:50, Camille responds to Pete's questions about the “push-and-pull” of colonialist language and history in Trinidad At about 21:00, Camille highlights Daniel José Older's brilliant work as the two discuss evocative language  At about 22:25, Camille cites calypso and its performances as a keen example of the dynamic nature of language   At about 24:05, Camille and Pete discuss the book's dedication and epigraph (eek-Pete first calls it an “epitath”), with Camille sharing an insightful story on an idea's generative appearance in her head At about 28:40, Camille responds to Pete's question about the significance of her memoir's chapter titles as different trees At about 31:05, Pete and Camille set out the exposition for the memoir, especially the pivotal opening scene; Camille expounds on the long drive recounted and how it serves as a sort of cultural and historical tour of Trinidad At about 35:00, Camille talks about her  At about 36:25, Camille talks about the Trinidian term “hotfoot,” as the two discuss double standards for men and women At about 38:20, No spoilers! as Pete highlights an evocative and creative section about rum At about 40:55, Camille reflects on an “initiation” and on ideas of dominion over nature At about 44:00, Camille examines ideas of being a child and expectations and tropes around parent-child alienations At about 46:50, The two discuss an evocative series of scenes and ideas of intimacy and forced burdens At about 49:40, Camille responds to Pete's musings about the somatic sensations depicted in the book, including introducing the wise, apt saying: “there is no past tense in the body” At about 54:00, Camille describes traumatic experiences heaped on children in general and on herself, as she reflects on ideas of “property” and a lack of agency At about 58:00, Camille talks about why she can't and won't live with “unlove” At about 1:00:00, Camille discusses ideas of joy and resilience and vulnerability and “strip[ping] words of meaning and connections to political and psychological consciousness  At about 1:04:50, Camille highlights a meaningful song, The Journey” by Chris “Tambu” Herbert  At about 1:07:40, Camille teases her second book      You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow 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 289 with Jahmal Mayfield, who writes gritty crime novels that touch on large social issues. His stellar SMOKE KINGS was inspired by Kimberly Jones' passionate viral video, “How can we win?”    This episode airs on August 26.    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.

Notes and Links to Jordan Harper's Work           Jordan Harper is the Edgar-Award winning author of THE LAST KING OF CALIFORNIA, EVERYBODY KNOWS, SHE RIDES SHOTGUN and LOVE AND OTHER WOUNDS. Born and educated in Missouri, he now lives in Los Angeles, where he works as a writer and producer for television. Buy She Rides Shotgun   Jordan Harper's Author Page for Goodreads   She Rides Shotgun Review from Kirkus Reviews   Buy Tickets for She Rides Shotgun At about 3:30, Jordan talks about wanting a bullet wound of a main character to be a visceral and realistic for the reader  At about 4:30, Pete shares a perhaps apocryphal story of a damning way that Sicilian Mafiosi would kill At about 5:20, Jordan further explains a piece of the book that explains an interesting connection to gun violence At about 6:00, Pete references Mario Puzo and his research for his Mafia writing in asking Jordan about his own research for She Rides Shotgun At about 8:25, Jordan shares interesting insights into ways to jumpstart research through using RICO files At about 10:50, Jordan describes his philosophy on realism, and gives credit to Chuck Palahnuik's approach and advice At about 13:10, Jordan specifies Slab Town in his book as an example of a possibly unrealistic place that is provided evidence of realism and describes his view on violence in his writing At about 14:40, Jordan riffs on John Wick and the “ziplessness of the violence”  At about 16:00, Pete quotes a wise writer friend about noir and horror, etc., and how they are the venues for so much important and brilliant contemporary writing; he also means to shout out Jordan's incredible recent short story, “My Savage Year” At about 18:00, Jordan talks about “A Violent Masterpiece” as a title of a future book, and its genesis, as well as connections to escapism   At about 21:20, Jordan talks about a shift in subject manner in his latest work, in a more macro-/government At about 22:55, Jordan replies to Pete asking about what it's like to see the movie version of She Rides Shotgun in the theater; he quotes Jill Ciment in describing the wonder of having your writing adapted to the big screen  At about 24:50, Jordan provides a summary of She Rides Shotgun At about 27:00, Jordan talks about the book's protagonist, Polly, and the ways in which she's been “oppressed” At about 29:00, Jordan talks about ideas of hate, oppression, intolerance, fascism, and free speech as connected to Nazism and hate At about 30:40, Pete compliments the “fish out of water” balance that Jordan uses with Polly, and Jordan responds to Pete's question about the idea of “gunfighter eyes”-attributed to Polly in the novel At about 32:40, Pete and Jordan provides a little exposition for the novel, particularly with regard to the father and daughter relationship, or lack thereof At about 33:40, Pete connects a flashback scene into the novel to a great and intense story by William Carlos Williams, “The Use of Force” At about 34:20, Jordan responds to Pete asking about what keeps Polly with her father, even when she is-especially at the beginning-scared of him/by him At about 35:40, Jordan reflects on a mindset towards pain, and how this mindset manifests in the book At about 37:40, Pete and Jordan reflect on the book's time lapses and standout flashforward and time compression At about 39:10, Jordan highlights both the book and the idea of The Lie that Tells the Truth, and an important bear makes a cameo At about 41:00, Jordan talks about "complicating the machismo” by making the bear an important part of the novel's storyline At about 43:50, Pete reflects on the bear's significance and connection to the high school world; Jordan reflects on seeing himself in Polly, and how readers' comments made him reflect  At about 46:00, Jordan recounts how a change in POV in the drafts of the book changed the book's effects At about 48:55, Pete and Jordan reflect on the traumas in Polly's short life At about 52:15, Pete lauds Jordan's epic opening to the book- he reads the part about “Crazy Craig” and Jordan responds to Pete's questions about the deified Craig and some chill-inducing lines At about 53:45, Jordan references great friend and great writer S.A. Cosby in talking about “Old Testament”/ “New Testament” writing  At about 56:10, Pete and Jordan reflect on Detective Park's “buzz” from the life of an investigator; Jordan cites ridealongs with LAPD or LASD as writing fodder  At about 59:20, Jordan talks about the nuances of creating a “complex character” and dispenses some valuable writing advice  At about 1:04:25, Jordan responds to Pete's question about what it is like to see his words acted out on the big screen in the hands of skilled actors  At about 1:06:25- Pete reminds listeners to get their tickets to see She Rides Shotgun on the big screen          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, will be up in the next week or two 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 288 with Camille Adams, who was born and raised in beautiful Trinidad and Tobago. Camille is a memoirist, a poet, and a nature writer, and the author of the explosive memoir How To Be Unmothered: a Trinidadian Memoir. The book was a finalist in the Restless Books Prize in New Immigrant Writing 2023, and it is out on August 19, the same day the episode drops.     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.

Episode 179:For today's guest episode it is a welcome return for Kay Daly to the podcast. In our second conversation Kay discusses Jonson's world view and how it differed from Shakespeare's, which we discussed in our first conversation plays. If you have not already done so, listening to that conversation, which is episode 177, and my recent episodes on Jonson's early plays ‘The Case Is Altered', ‘Every Man Out of his Humour' and ‘Every Man In His Humour' would be a good idea before listening to this conversation.Kay Daly is a writer, novelist, book and theatre reviewer, teacher, and public humanities advocate. Since earning her Ph.D. in English Literature from Northwestern University, she has written for a variety of publications and organizations including The Chicago Review of Books, TimeOut Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera, WNET New York Public Media, The Library of Virginia's blog UnCommonwealth, Dramatics Magazine, and Centerstage Chicago. She also teaches adult enrichment courses focusing on arts and humanities at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Her debut novel ‘Wilton House', based on the life of 17th-century writer Lady Mary Wroth, will be published by Regal House Publishing in 2027Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Notes and Links to Hannah Pittard's Work        Hannah Pittard is the author of six books, including the memoir WE ARE TOO MANY and the novel out as of today, IF YOU LOVE IT, LET IT KILL YOU. She is a winner of the Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award, a MacDowell fellow, and a professor of English at the University of Kentucky. She lives with her boyfriend and stepdaughter in Lexington. Much of her family lives nearby. Buy If You Love It, Let It Kill You   Hannah Pittard's Website   If You Love It, Let It Kill You Excerpt with Recommendation from Maggie Smith for Electric Literature   “Two Writers Fell in Love, Married, Then Divorced. Who Gets the Story?” from The New York Times At about 1:50, Hannah describes the evolution of her last name's pronunciation  At about 3:00, Hannah talks about the cover for If You Love It, Let it Kill You and describes her mindset in the leadup to her book's publication  At about 4:50, Pete shouts out Rachel Yoder's Nightbitch, both the book and movie, and asks Hannah to cast a possible future movie for If You Love It, Let it Kill You At about 7:20, Pete compliments the “snappy dialogue” of the book in asking Hannah about her family background and early intellectual life At about 8:45, Hannah discusses the book as “100% fiction” while talking about her sister and family as “muses” At about 9:55, Public urination is discussed, both within the book, and without  At about 10:50, Hannah traces her early reading life and how she “fell in love with books” and shouts out Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, and Tim O'Brien (In the Lake of Woods) At about 14:30, Pete brings up James Frey in discussing the fine line between fiction and nonfiction, as discussed by Hannah with regard to In the Lake of the Woods' brilliance At about 15:30, Ann Beattie, Grace Paley, Alice Munro, are referenced as big influences on Hannah's writing and reading in college and right after, as she traces her semi-accidental foray into MFA At about 17:20, Hannah talks about updating her contemporary reading as she entered MFA, including her early reading of Infinite Jest!  At about 19:15, Alice Munro's “upsetting” story is discussed as is Claire Deder's Monsters, in the larger discussion about problematic and damaging authors  At about 22:50, Hannah discusses her current reading, including Honor Jones' Sleep, and Lynn Stever Strong's , and the series Storybook ND At about 25:40, Hannah shouts out the book's publisher and places to buy the book, including Good Neighbor Books in upstate NY and Exile in Bookville in Chicago  At about 27:40, the two discuss Margaret Atwood's “cameo” in the book and Atwood's epigraph At about 28:55, Pete takes another opportunity to shout out Jess Walter, Beautiful Ruins, and Edoardo Ballerini At about 33:00, Hannah shouts out “Dog Heaven” by Stephanie Vaughn in a beautiful audio form read by Tobias Wolff, and the two fanboy/girl about Wolff's “Bullet in the Brain” At about 34:40, Pete lays out the book's opening and Hannah replies to Pete's question about her original and full chapter titles At about 36:35, The two discuss the book's exposition and plotline and how “Today I am restless” sets the scene for the book's ethos At about 40:00, Hannah shares some funny real-life stories from which she took pieces for her book's characters At about 41:55, Pete playfully laments the incredible veracity of Hannah's writing  At about 44:40, The two lay out a sort of “existential crisis” and an anxiety about contentment at the book's beginning; Hannah notes the protagonist's “place of privilege” At about 47:10, Pete remarks on the book's subtlety and Hannah on the protagonist's “distanc[ing]” based on a past trauma  At about 49:35, Hannah responds to Pete's asking about the vagaries of memory and its connections to the protagonist's actions and busy thoughts At about 52:05, The two discuss the protagonist's ennui  At about 53:15, Hannah responds to Pete's questions about the book's choral/allegorical nature At about 58:55, Hannah talks about the dynamic between the protagonist and her students, and Hannah's own evolution in teaching more flexibly  At about 1:02:05, Hannah responds to Pete's wonderings and musings of “The Irishman” and the character's implications  At about 1:07:00, Hannah reflects on various iterations of scenes involving a threatening student  At about 1:09:10, Pete cites Jess Walter's ending for Beautiful Ruins, in raving about Hannah's wonderful last line and skill in bringing the storyline full circle 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 will be up in the next week or two 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 writing projects that got away, as Pete discusses a particular writing project that had so much potential but is now unfinishable-at least he thinks so. 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 287 with Jordan Harper, whose 2017 novel She Rides Shotgun is being adapted and released through Lionsgate Studios on August 1, which is also when the episode airs.

Episode 177:For today's guest episode it is a warm welcome for Kay Daly to the podcast. In our conversation Kay took the opportunity to give an overview of Shakespeare's world view as seen through his earlier plays and particularly the comedies. As you will hear we strayed a little into some later plays, but Kay's thoughts seemed particularly useful at this point as we are about to move away from the earliest plays and move onto new and very different experiments in comedy. I hope you enjoy the conversation and find useful as a kind of summary of what I have covered so far on the podcast in respect to Shakespeare.Kay Daly is a writer, novelist, book and theatre reviewer, teacher, and public humanities advocate. Since earning her Ph.D. in English Literature from Northwestern University, she has written for a variety of publications and organizations including The Chicago Review of Books, TimeOut Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera, WNET New York Public Media, The Library of Virginia's blog UnCommonwealth, Dramatics Magazine, and Centerstage Chicago. She also teaches adult enrichment courses focusing on arts and humanities at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Her debut novel ‘Wilton House', based on the life of 17th-century writer Lady Mary Wroth, will be published by Regal House Publishing in 2027.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Containing Matters of Mapping MemoryTimestamps:Ted Chiang background, non-spoiler discussion (0:00)spoiler summary, spoiler discussion, "Arrival" discussion (17:21)Bibliography:Brady, Amy - "Barack Obama's 2019 Summer Reading List", Chicago Review of Books, https://chireviewofbooks.com/2019/08/20/barack-obamas-2019-summer-reading-list/Grant, Gavin J. - interview with Ted Chiang, indiebound https://web.archive.org/web/20170407032812/http://www.indiebound.org/author-interviews/chiangtedMcCarron, Meghan - "The Legendary Ted Chiang on Seeing His Stories Adapted and the Ever-Expanding Popularity of SF"https://electricliterature.com/the-legendary-ted-chiang-on-seeing-his-stories-adapted-and-the-ever-expanding-popularity-of-sf/

PopaHALLics #146 "Bad Boys"Is it possible for bad men to redeem themselves, as when twin black gangsters face off against white vampires in "Sinners"? What makes a man bad—his personality, upbringing, status in life, as the Bluebeard-themed novel "Sour Cherry" asks? And would it really be so bad to save the family fishing business by running drugs ("The Waterfront")? Find out more on our show!Streaming:"Sinners," Max. It's really hard to make a go of your new juke joint in 1930s Mississippi when white vampires show up on opening night. Michael B. Jordan plays gangster brothers in this horror film from writer/director Ryan Coogler (the "Black Panther" movies, "Creed")."The Bear," FX, Hulu. In season 4, the clock is ticking; Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and company must turn the chaotic restaurant around or close down."The Waterfront," Netflix. In this soapy drama from Kevin Williamson ("Dawson's Creek," "Scream"), a feuding family tries to save their family fishing business through drug-running. Starring Holt McCallany, Maria Bello, Melissa Benoit, and Jake Weary."My Cousin Vinny," Disney +. When two carefree pals are mistakenly arrested and charged with murder in Alabama, they turn to a cousin (Joe Pesci), an auto mechanic who recently passed the bar on his sixth try. Marisa Tomei won an Oscar playing Vinny's fiancee, Mona Lisa Vito, in this 1992 comedy.Books:"Sour Cherry," by Natalia Theodoridou. This acclaimed debut novel uses the Bluebeard fairy tale to "deconstruct the systems of gender, power, and the excuses people make for bad men" (Chicago Review of Books)."Less," by Andrea Sean Greer. A failed novelist tries to ignore his ex marrying another man as well as an unwelcome birthday by traveling around the world. This 2017 satirical novel, funny and poignant, won the Pulitzer Prize."If It Bleeds," by Stephen King. This 2020 collection of four novellas includes stories that inspired the 2024 Tom Hiddleston sci-fi movie "Life of Chuck" and the 2022 horror movie "Mr. Harrigan's Phone." The title story features one of King's personal favorite characters, socially awkward, obsessive compulsive private investigator Holly Gibney. There's also a writer and a rat.Click through the links to watch and read about what we discuss.

Full audio segment of Uncle Phil & Bozo's Chicago Review from Episode 232 of TJRSThis Episode of TJRS is brought to you by The Rowdy Rangers Club on Patreon. The Rowdy Rangers Club offers all access to TJRS content including this episode - club members get the YouTube video, podcast audio and memes before its released to the general public. Additionally, club members get Patreon exclusives such as first priority interview questions to ask guests, and MLR rumors from time to time as well! Head on over to patreon.com/jacksrangers to join today!TJRS has new video content often so make sure you're subscribed: https://tinyurl.com/jackstubeSubscribe to TJRS, the best Free Jacks' podcast on the internet: https://tinyurl.com/jacksspotTwitter: / jacksrangers Instagram: / jacksrangers Facebook: / jacksrangers Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/jacksspotSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jacksrangers/donations

After a long break, the podcast returns with an episode on the late Alice Notley, who passed away on May 19, 2025. Nick Sturm joins us to discuss Notley's elegy for her husband Ted Berrigan, "At Night the States." Nick Sturm teaches at Georgia State University in Atlanta. His book on small press print culture, publishing communities, and the New York School is forthcoming from Columbia University Press. He is also the editor of Early Works by Alice Notley (Fonograf Editions) and co-editor, with Alice Notley, Anselm Berrigan, and Edmund Berrigan, of Get the Money!: Collected Prose, 1961-1983 by Ted Berrigan (City Lights). His articles and editorial projects have been published at Poetry Foundation, Jacket2, Paideuma, College Literature, Chicago Review, ASAP/J, Women's Studies, Post45, and The Poetry Project Newsletter. You can follow Nick on Bluesky.In the episode, we listen (twice) to a recording of Notley reading the poem in Buffalo, in 1987. That recording, along with many others, can be found on Notley's page in the marvelous PennSound digital archive.Please follow the podcast if you like what you hear, and leave a rating and review. Share an episode with a friend! (Post it to your social media feeds?) You can also subscribe to my Substack, which I haven't used in an even longer while, but who knows what the future holds. I'm also on Bluesky, now and then.

Notes and Links to The Philharmonik's Work          The Philharmonik, who was an Episode 58 guest, is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist, music producer and genre defining artist. Recently, he has been nationally and globally recognized after winning the 2023 American Song writer contest and NPR's 2024 Tiny Desk Contest for his song “What's It All Mean?”  NPR Announcement of Tiny Desk Winner: “What's It All Mean?”   The Philharmonik's Website   NPR Tiny Desk Concert   “What's It All Mean?” Video   The Philharmonik on Spotify At about 1:35, Christian talks about the year since he won NPR's Tiny Desk Contest, and his “shift[ing] perspective”  At about 2:50, Christian discusses the importance of his victory in the American Songwriters' Contest, and the important “domino effect” At about 5:50, Christian talks about his vision board and manifesting for his NPR victory At about 7:30, Christian talked about the waiting period between submission for NPR and his victory, and “starting to lose faith” At about 9:30, Christian talks about his views on competition  At about 10:30, Usher: “Watch this!” At about 11:10, Christian shares his memories-he mentions being “in disbelief”-of getting the call  At about 13:40, Christian talks about his initial entry in Tiny Desk in 2018 and his philosophy in entering At about 15:00, Christian responds to Pete's questions about the logistics and vision for the video for “What's It All Mean?” At about 17:40, Pete asks Christian about his interest in music videos and expressing himself through the videos At about 19:00, The two discuss Office Space, The Office, and other parallels to the working world and Christian's video At about 20:00, Chrsitian expands on his band/video mates as “the final piece” At about 21:45, Christian shouts out the venue and benefactors for his video shoot-shout out the Machados and All-City Homes in Oak Park, Sacramento At about 23:20, Christian talks about the wonderful feedback from fans At about 24:00, Pete shares praise from NPR about the song and video At about 24:50, Christian expands upon the truly “tiny” Tiny Desk and the logistics of the Tiny Desk Concert itself  At about 27:15, Christian discusses the post Tiny Desk Concert tour arranged by NPR At about 29:10, Christian breaks down “in the pocket” and “dry[ing] out the mix” as he gets his music professor on At about 30:05, Christian calls Stevie Wonder “the godfather” of “What's It All Mean” and expands on how he likes the ways Beatles used guitars and connections to amps and reverb At about 31:50, Christian responds to Pete's questions about the arrangement of the winning song, especially the opening crescendo At about 34:10, Christian answers Pete's question about how the winning song's meaning ahs evolved over time At about 36:00, Pete homes in on some meaningful lines from the winning song as the two reflect on the unknowns of life  At about 38:40, Pete mentions Severance and “No Surprises” by Radiohead as reminiscent of the winning song At about 40:20, Christian reflects on the “ups and downs of the creative process” and the (mostly) special time “in the lab” At about 41:30, Christian talks about listener data and questioning his music career at times At about 43:30, Christian shares the exciting news about his upcoming world tour   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. This week, his conversation with Episode 270 guest Jason De León is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 286 with Hannah Pittard, winner of the Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award and a MacDowell fellow. She is the author of six books, including the memoir WE ARE TOO MANY and the forthcoming novel IF YOU LOVE IT, LET IT KILL YOU, whose Pub Day is July 15, the day this episode drops.

Full audio segment of Uncle Phil & Diamond Dave's Chicago Review from Episode 220 of TJRSThis Episode of TJRS is brought to you by The Rowdy Rangers Club on Patreon. The Rowdy Rangers Club offers all access to TJRS content including this episode - club members get the YouTube video, podcast audio and memes before its released to the general public. Additionally, club members get Patreon exclusives such as first priority interview questions to ask guests, and MLR rumors from time to time as well! Head on over to patreon.com/jacksrangers to join today!TJRS has new video content often so make sure you're subscribed: https://tinyurl.com/jackstubeSubscribe to TJRS, the best Free Jacks' podcast on the internet: https://tinyurl.com/jacksspotTwitter: / jacksrangers Instagram: / jacksrangers Facebook: / jacksrangers Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/jacksspotSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jacksrangers/donations

Notes and Links to Vanessa Saunders' Work       Vanessa Saunders is a writer living in New Orleans. She teaches as a Professor of Practice at Loyola University New Orleans. She was the editor-in-chief of Helium Journal from 2013 to 2016. Her writing has appeared in Writer's Digest, Writer's Chronicle, Seneca Review, Sycamore Review, Los Angeles Review,  Nat. Brut, Entropy, PANK, Passages North, Stockholm Review of Literature and other journals.​​ She is at work on a novel of magical realism about whiteness and a book-length prose poem about the ethics of authorship.  Buy The Flat Woman   Vanessa's Website At about 1:45, Vanessa recommends places to buy her book, including Baldwin Books At about 2:55, Vanessa responds to Pete's question about her expectations for the Pub Day and beyond versus the realities At about 5:20, the two discuss Kafka's Metamorphosis and his parables and connections to Vanessa's The Flat Woman, as well as absurdities and allegory At about 9:30, Vanessa gives background on her early reading and writing, including her grandfather's and Sylvia Plath's influences, and Anne Carson's influence on The Flat Woman At about 13:30, Vanessa explains the unique British library system At about 15:25, Vanessa responds to Pete's questions about At about 16:35, Vanessa mentions Kelly Link, Sarah Rose Etter, Aimee Bender, and Hadriana in my Dreams as contemporary writers and writing that inspires him At about 18:20, Pete and Vanessa shout out the generosity and greatness of Aimee Bender, and Vanessa talks about meetings with inspiring writers At about 19:20, Pete shouts out Antonya Nelson's “In the Land of Men” for the 1,987,231 time in Chills at Will history At about 19:55, The two discuss the book's epigraph and seeds for the book At about 22:40, Vanessa expands upon stewardship and community and the environment in the formulation of her book At about 24:20, Pete wonders about Vanessa's decision to avoid naming her characters At about 26:40, Pete asks Vanessa  At about 29:10, the two discuss the lengthy “setups” that are chapter titles, or “headlines” At about 32:20, “leaky boundaries” and the family dynamic, including the absent father, are discussed At about 33:35, “Terrorism” and government cover-up in the book and its couching is discussed; Vanessa talks about birds as “indicator species,” as she learned from a group of “elite ornithologists” (!!!) with whom she lived At about 36:40, Vanessa talks about perpetual archetypes and storylines for “female villainy” At about 37:40, Bird grief and research and animals as stand-ins for humans as discussed in the book is explored by Vanessa At about 41:10, Vanessa, in explaining her views of animals and things and dominion, references a wonderful Louise Gluck line  At about 42:35, Pete and Vanessa discuss Bay Area history, anthropology. and its effects on their mindsets and writing At about 44:00, The two talk about the “patriarch[al]” POPS Cola, and the protagonist's early life after her mother is arrested and convicted  At about 45:45, Vanessa expands on the patriarchal society and the 2024 election's connections to the systemic misogyny on display in the book At about  49:50, The protagonist, depicted 10 years as “The woman,” and Part II are described, as well as the “chaotic aunt” and more ugly realities that confront the woman At about 51:45, Vanessa cites inspiration from an interview with Toni Morrison regarding family alienation  At about 53:10, Vanessa explores connections between humor and speculative fiction At about 54:10, The woman's earliest interactions with and attractions to the man are discussed At about 55:10, Vanessa responds to Pete's question about the man being drawn to Elvis, with a trip down memory lane of a San Francisco that may no longer exist  At about 59:20, Vanessa talks about setting the woman as working at the very company that has imprisoned her mother  At about 1:01:25, Vanessa responds to Pete's question about the grisly displays of hurt and dead animals, and the two discuss ideas of entertainment and willful (or not) ignorance about the brutality in Gaza and climate change At about 1:05:00, Pete complements Vanessa for humor on the page and asks if the man has “discovered the manosphere”  At about 1:08:35, Vanessa talks about social justice being “commodified” At about 1:10:40, Vanessa talks about initial hesitat[ion] in depicting the man as having some assorted wisdom, along with many horrible traits At about 1:11:40, Vanessa discusses a famous writer, who is not related to her :(  At about 1:13:00, Another Maurice Carlos Ruffin shoutout At about 1:14:20, Movie actors for the book's characters! At about 1:16:10, “You are hearing me talk”-Al Gore 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. This week, his conversation with Episode 270 guest Jason De León is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 285 with The Philharmonik, Episode 58 guest, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist, music producer and genre defining artist. Recently, he has been nationally and globally recognized after winning the 2023 American Song writer contest and NPR's 2024 Tiny Desk Contest for his song “What's It All Mean?” The episode marks the one-year anniversary of his NPR Tiny Desk Contest win. This will be released on May 16.  

Notes and Links to Emely Rumble's Work          Emely Rumble, LCSW, is a distinguished licensed clinical social worker, school social worker, and seasoned biblio/psychotherapist with over 14 years of professional experience. Committed to making mental health services more accessible, Emely specializes in the transformative practice of bibliotherapy. Passionate about advocating for the integration of creative arts in psychotherapy, mental well-being, and self-improvement, Emely champions the social model of disability and embraces a neurodiversity-affirming therapeutic approach. A distinguished member of The National Association of Poetry Therapy, Emely's work has been featured in respected publications such as Parents Magazine, ‘School Library Journal', Bold Journey Magazine, BronxNet News, and The Bronx Is Reading. Emely shares her expertise beyond traditional avenues through @Literapy_NYC, her dedicated platform on Instagram, TikTok, and Podia, where she provides valuable educational content. Having earned her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College and completed her social work degree at Smith College School for Social Work, Emely resides in the Bronx with her husband, two children, and her psychiatric service dog, Montana. She embodies a holistic and compassionate approach to mental health and well-being. Buy Bibliotherapy in the Bronx   Emely's Website     At about 2:10, Emely talks about the work and process involved as the book is about to be published At about 3:20, Emely talks about early feedback and her dynamic audiobook At about 4:35, Emely gives a brief summary of the book and talks about where to buy the book and where to find her online At about 10:30, Emely talks about “escapism” and “realism” and  At about 13:50, Emely responds to Pete's question about her reading of the Bible and connections to her grandmother as a healer and a Christian At about 17:15, Maya Angelou, Sister Souljah are among those Emely shouts out as formative and transformative writers, especially in her “adultified” youth At about 20:30, The two fanboy/girl about Maya Angelou and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings At about 21:30, bell hooks, Audre Lorde, Alexis Gumbs are cited as some inspiring writers for Emely At about 24:40, Emely responds to Pete's questions about the pivotal reading from her grandmother's funeral and seeds for the book; she also shouts out a great editor in Nirmala Nataraj At about 29:25, Natalie Gutierrez and her foreword are discussed-books as “communal medicine” At about 30:30, Emely responds to Pete's questions about bibliotherapy and the intellect and the heart in concert At about 32:35, Emely responds to Pete's questions about what she learned from her aunt's schizophrenia and the ways in which she was treated and ideas of community and racism  At about 38:20, Emely gives background on early days of implementing bibliotherapy with patients and more connections to her aunt At about 44:20, Ned Ashton and Sonny Corinthos shout outs! At about 45:15, Pete asks Emely to define/describe bibliotherapy At about 45:50, The two discuss the great Ms. Parkins and Strega Nona and fairy tales and how “childish” books can work so well with adults  At about 50:30, Making a Godfather II reference (obvi), Pete asks about Emely's view on fiction and nonfiction and narratives in prescribing her books; Emely cites an interesting mindset of books as “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors,” as posited by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop At about 57:10, Emely responds to Pete's question about what a successful nonfiction prescription  At about 1:00:50, Emely talks about intake for bibliotherapy  At about 1:01:40, The two discuss Andrew Carnegie and problematic authors  At about 1:05:35, Mayte and her story that involves emotional resonance and intersectionality is discussed  At about 1:07:40, Emely expands on ideas of learning and empathy that happen with therapists and clients At about 1:13:00, Dr. Sadie P. Delaney is shouted out by Emely Rumble as a hero whom she learned about in her book research-The “Godmother of Bibliotherapy”    You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave 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's @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he's @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 Episode 270 guest Jason De León is up on the website this week. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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 his one-man show, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran. 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 283 with Jason Bailey, a film critic, author, and podcaster whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Vulture, Vice, Rolling Stone, and Slate, among others. He is the editor-in-chief of Crooked Marquee, and the author of five books. The episode goes live this evening, April 29, which is also Pub Day for his exciting new book, Gandolfini, about the legendary actor, James Gandolfini.  

  Notes and Links to Jason Bailey's Work        Jason Bailey is a film critic, author, and podcaster. His work has appeared in The Playlist, The New York Times, Vulture, Vice, Rolling Stone, and Slate, among others. He is the editor-in-chief of Crooked Marquee, the former film editor at Flavorwire, and the author of six books-the most recent is Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend. He lives in the Bronx with his wife and two daughters. Buy Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend   Jason's Website   NPR Interview Re: Gandolfini     At about 2:25, Jason talks about book events and good places to buy his book, included Matt Zoller Seitz's dynamic website  At about 4:00, Jason talks about the incomparable Edoardo Ballerini as his audiobook narrator At about 7:05, Jason talks about his cinematic and reading influences since childhood; he tells a story of seeing “At the Movies” and becoming a cinephile and movie criticism fan At about 12:10, Jason responds to Pete's question about career thoughts in his adolescent years revolving around moviemaking/writing about movies At about 15:10, Jason talks about his approach in watching movies and whether or not he can watch a movie while “cleansing his mind” and not watching for “work” At about 16:40, Pete asks Jason about him going to movie theaters often At about 19:15, Jason responds to Pete's question about favorite movie(s)/movies that explain his aesthetic, and the two discuss The Godfather Part I and Part II (and Part III!) At about 23:35, Jason talks about being “sympathetic and empathetic and complex” in his depiction of James Gandolfini At about 27:30, Jason shares feedback he received from Sopranos crew members and Drea DeMatteo in particular about James Gandolfini's complicated legacy At about 29:50, Jason talks about how his moviemaking history makes him more sympathetic in reviewing movies   At about 33:45, Jason explains his background as a fan of James Gandolfini in connection to his earlier roles and his Sopranos role At about 38:50, Jason and Pete talk about post-Sopranos roles for James Gandolfini, typecasting, and delivery for iconic and moving lines At about 40:35, Jason gives background on James Gandolfini's view of the acting life and the importance of actors At about 43:30, Jason responds to Pete's questions about James Gandolfini's Italian identity At about 44:40, Pete and Jason discuss James Gandolfini's real-life and lack of real-life organized crime connections and Tony Soprano-esque accent At about 46:10, Jason tells an interesting, seemingly untold, story about James Gandolfini and dropping out of a Mafia movie At about 47:50, Pete shares a Sammy “The Bull” Gravano story and Jason talks about James Gandolfini choosing roles to “put the last nail in that Tony Soprano coffin” At about 50:15, The two discuss the haunting of James Gandolfini balanced with the great role of Tony Soprano At about 53:20, Pete uses a supposed “jump the shark” moment to ask Jason about James Gandolfini being incredibly hard on himself  At about 55:25, Jason comments on the dichotomy between James Gandolfini's incredibly selfless, and sometimes selfish, behavior At about 58:00, The two reflect on a sense of seeming-contentment and fading health At about 1:00:00, Jason responds to Pete's questions about “treading lightly” regarding revelations and sympathetic coverage of such a beloved figure At about 1:02:00, The two discuss revisiting The Sopranos dream scenes and the famous last scene after James Gandolfini's death At about 1:03:00, the two discuss the last scene(s) shot for The Sopranos At about 1:04:00, Enough Said and its poignancy is discussed in terms of the potential of James Gandolfini's acting range At about 1:07:15, Jason describes the “gift” that is the final quote in the book, from Robert Iler At about 1:08:00, Jason shares contact info and buying info for his book, from Abrams Books        You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave 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's @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and 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 Episode 270 guest Jason De León is up on the website this week. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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 his one-man show, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran.    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 284 with Vanessa Saunders, a Professor of Practice at Loyola University New Orleans. Her writing has appeared in Sycamore Review, Los Angeles Review, Stockholm Review of Literature and other journals. Her novel, The Flat Woman, won FC2's Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Prize.    The episode airs on May 6.

Notes and Links to Alexander Chee's Work          Alexander Chee is the bestselling author of the novels Edinburgh and The Queen of the Night, and the essay collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel, all from Mariner Books. A contributing editor at The New Republic and an editor at large at VQR, his essays and stories have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, T Magazine, The Sewanee Review, and the 2016 and 2019 Best American Essays. He was guest-editor for The Best American Essays of 2022.    He is a 2021 United States Artists Fellow, a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow in Nonfiction, and the recipient of a Whiting Award, a NEA Fellowship, an MCCA Fellowship, the Randy Shilts Prize in gay nonfiction, the Paul Engle Prize, the Lambda Editor's Choice Prize, and residency fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the VCCA, Leidig House, Civitella Ranieri and Amtrak.    He is a full professor of English and Creative Writing at Dartmouth College and lives in Vermont. Buy How To Write an Autobiographical Novel   Alexander's Website   Book Review for How To Write an Autobiographical Novel from The New York Times   At about 2:00, Alexander details his Amtrak residency, later written about in The New Yorker At about 6:00, Alexander outlines some interesting characters that he met during his Amtrak residency  At about 12:00, Alexander reflects on a book project inspired by an interesting encounter with a former detective and British and American sensibilities  At about 16:30, Pete shares his own Amtrak story, possible fodder for essays and short stories, as Alexander remarks on “immediate friendship”  At about 18:50, Alexander talks about upcoming novel and short story projects and the process of picking a title; he recounts how he arrived at his essay collection's title, through a Buzzfeed publication  At about 26:30, Alexander highlights Kirkus Review naming How to Write an Autobiographical Novel one  At about 27:35, Alexander gives background on his essay collection's cover photo At about 34:10, Alexander talks about the composition of the previous essay collection and his upcoming one, with regards to placement and focuses on his “rose garden”- “The Rosary”-essay's development At about 39:00, Alexander responds to Pete's questions about the order of the essays in the collections and any throughlines-Garnette Cadogan and Naomi Gibbs are shouted out At about 43:40, Alexander talks about a manuscript that he has been working At about 44:45, Pete is complimentary of Alexander's “The Rosary” essay, and Alexander tells a story of an interested and poignant conversation with   At about 48:00, Pete shouts  At about 49:00, Pete and Alexander talk about the essay collection's first piece, and Alexander talks about being “Alejandro from Oaxaca” for a short time-he references Yiyun Li's powerful essay, “To Speak is to Blunder” At about 55:10, Pete compliments Alexander's powerful advocacy work and asks him about perspective and time, and how Alexander looks back at the essays from the collection so many years later (for some of the essays) At about 1:02:00, In talking about modern protest and activist culture, mutual aid, etc., Alexander shouts out Sarah Thankam Mathews' powerful All This Could Be Different At about 1:04:30, Alexander discusses a dynamic class that he has mentored at Dartmouth At about 1:05:30, Alexander responds to Pete's questions about what fiction allows him to do with his writing At about 1:06:30, Alexander reflects on ideas of catharsis in his writing      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 Episode 270 guest Jason De León is up on the website this week. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran. 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 282 with Emely Rumble, a licensed clinical social worker, school social worker, and seasoned biblio/psychotherapist who specializes in bibliotherapy, the use of literature and expressive writing to heal. Pub Day and episode air day are April 29 for her wonderful book, Bibliotherapy in The Bronx.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about TV writing jobs, book subscription services, and Meta. Then, stick around for a chat with Nat Cassidy!Nat Cassidy writes horror for the page, stage, and screen.His acclaimed novels, including Mary: An Awakening of Terror,Nestlings, and Rest Stop (Bram Stoker Award nominee), have been featured in best-of lists from Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, NPR, the Chicago Review of Books, the NY Public Library, Amazon, and more, and he was named one of the "writers shaping horror's next golden age" by Esquire.His award-winning horror plays have been produced throughout New York City and across the United States. He won the NY Innovative Theatre Award for his one-man show about H. P. Lovecraft, another for his play about Caligula, and was commissioned by the Kennedy Center to write the libretto for a short opera (about the end of the world, of course). From 2020 - 2023, Nat was the scriptwriter for Shakespeare Theatre of DC's annual WILL ON THE HILL event, a comedy fundraiser about Shakespeare and politics featuring a star-studded cast of journalists, members of Congress, ambassadors, and veteran actors. With WILL ON THE HILL, Nat's scripts helped raise over a million dollars for arts education. You've also maybe seen Nat on your TV, playing various Bad Guys of the Week on shows such as Law & Order: SVU, Blue Bloods, Bull, Quantico, FBI, and many others. Additionally, Nat is commercial voiceover actor and a member of the audiodrama production company, Gideon Media, which produced hit sci-fi podcasts such as Steal the Stars and Give Me Away, as well as the authorized audiodrama adaptations of the Paramount Pictures classic, Witness, and Wallace Shawn's The Designated Mourner. Nat authored the novelization of Steal the Stars, published by Tor Books and named one of the best books of 2017 by NPR. He lives in New York City with his wife.

Notes and Links to Désirée Zamorano's Work      Born and raised in Los Angeles, Désirée Zamorano is the previous author of novels like The Amado Women and Human Cargo. Zamorano heavily focuses on the issues of invisibility, injustice and inequity in her books while also teaching linguistic and cultural diversity at Cal State Long Beach.     Buy Dispossessed   Désirée's Website   Article about Dispossessed for Pasadena Weekly At about 3:10, Desiree gives ordering information for The Dispossessed and her social media and contact information   At about 4:30, Desiree talks about an exciting 2026 publication    At about 5:10, Desiree gives background on her early reading and language life, and how her identity has been shaped throughout the years, influenced by family and larger societal forces   At about 8:40, Pete and Desiree discuss connections between American racism in different times and the events that inspired her own book   At about 10:00, Desiree provides feedback on seeds for her book   At about 12:30, Desiree talks about formative and informative books and writers from her childhood and adolescence    At about 13:35, Desiree shouts out Kate Atkinson and David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas and other contemporary favorites   At about 14:35, the two explore the book's opening note, and Desiree shares stunning (or not stats) about Mexican and Mexican-American “repatriation” in the 1930s and 1940s    At about 16:00, Desiree talks about Manzanar and Japanese incarceration and coalitions who have fought to have the ugly history of the incarceration shared   At about 17:25, The two discuss the book's opening scene at the beach and the book's inciting incidents   At about 18:40, Desiree gives background on her reasoning for making the book's opening so action-packed and connections to a chilling quote   At about 19:50, Pete and Desiree chart Manuel's first years after his parents are taken, and characters and situations that govern Manuel's life   At about 23:15, Desiree responds to Pete's questions about Manuel's surrogate mother, Amparo and depictions of Christianity with connections to Desiree's own family   At about 26:00, The two discuss reasons as to why Manuel decides to leave high school    At about 28:10, Desiree gives background on sundown towns and talks about misconceptions of racism in our country's history and all needing to “do the work” to understand    At about 31:15, Pete recounts a stunning (or not so stunning) fact about racism in CA and Rodney King   At about 31:55, Desiree responds to Pete's questions about depictions of Latino soldiers, particularly in WWII   At about 33:25, Pete and Desiree discuss Manuel's early work experience, and Desiree expands upon union histories, especially in LA   At about 36:00, Decade of Betrayal, Anything but Mexican and Whitewashed Adobe are discussed as thorough and key research used by Desiree for the book   At about 37:30, Pete asks Desiree about important touches in the book, and she provides important histories of whiteness in American and how birth certificates were filled out   At about 41:00, The two discuss the impending razing of Chavez Ravine in the book, and hope and hopelessness for Manuel-Desiree references another great book with great research, From Out of the Shadows by Vicki Ruiz    At about 44:30, Desiree responds to Pete's question about crafting a emotional and good man in Manuel    At about 47:00, Pete is highly complimentary of the ways that Desiree uses light touches and writes about fatherhood and motherhood so honestly   At about 50:00, Pete asks Desiree how she knew the book was finished     You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave 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. This week, his conversation with Episode 270 guest Jason De León is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran.    Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 281 with Alexander Chee, who is the bestselling author of the novels Edinburgh and The Queen of the Night, and the essay collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel. He was the 2021 US Artists Fellow and Guggenheim Fellow in Nonfiction, and he is full professor of English and Creative Writing at Dartmouth.     The episode airs on April 22.

Notes and Links to Kevin Nguyen's Work       Kevin Nguyen is the features editor at The Verge, previous senior editor at GQ; has written for New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Paris Review and elsewhere the author of New Waves and the novel Mỹ Documents, which has today, April 8, as Pub Day. Buy My Documents   Kevin Nguyen's Website Book Review for My Documents in Los Angeles Times   At about 1:20, Kevin talks about his mindset and feedback around My Documents as the book nears Pub Day At about 3:00, Kevin provides info on his publishing company, places to buy his book, and book launch events, as well as social media/contact info At about 6:15, Kevin gives background on his language and reading history  At about 9:50, Kevin charts the reading and writers who put him on the path to becoming a writer himself  At about 13:15-Tracy O'Neill and Alexander Chee shout outs! At about 14:55, Kevin shouts out some beloved contemporary writers like Vauhini Vara, Jon Hickey, Darrell Campbell,  At about 17:25, Kevin gives a summary of the book and describes seeds for his book, with “echoes” of Japanese incarceration during WWII, among other catalysts  At about 19:05, Kevin responds to Pete's questions about John McCain's connections to the book and its epigraph At about 21:35, The two trace the book's exposition and the narrator's grandmother's choices in emigrating from Vietnam At about 24:20, Kevin talks about Ursula's experiences in the book and connections to second-generations from immigrant families and passing down family stories  At about 26:05, Kevin waxes poetic on Babe: Pig in the City, and its connections to the book At about 30:00, Kevin talks about building characters who are well-rounded At about 31:10, the two trace Jen and Alvin and formative experiences in the book, including Alvin's being pushed into learning more Asian-American history At about 34:20, Kevin responds to Pete's questions about expectations subverted   You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave 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's @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he's @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 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 Episode 265 guest Carvell Wallace is up on the website this week. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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 my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran. Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 279 with Jon Hickey, a member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa Indians, whose short stories have appeared in numerous journals such as Virginia Quarterly Review and the Massachusetts Review, among others. His highly-anticipated novel, Big Chief, is out today, April 8.  The episode airs today, April 8.  

Notes and Links to Jon Hickey's Work        Jon Hickey is a writer from Minnesota. He earned an MFA from Cornell University and was a Stegner Fellow in fiction at Stanford University. His short stories have appeared in numerous journals such as Virginia Quarterly Review, Gulf Coast, and the Massachusetts Review, among other places. He is a member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa Indians (Anishinaabe). He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two sons. Buy Big Chief   Jon Hickey's Website   Book Review for Big Chief in San Francisco Chronicle   At about 1:35, Jon talks about his mindset and early feedback for his novel as Pub Day approaches  At about 3:25, Jon gives out social media and contact info and talks about book events that are upcoming  At about 5:15, “Midwest/Minnesota Nice” is discussed  At about 8:45, Jon mentions exciting advance praise for Big Chief At about 9:45, Jon gives background on language loss in his family, as his grandparents were the “boarding school generation” At about 11:30, Jon talks about how Anishinaabe functions as a language, and how it is both in his DNA and “mysterious”  At about 13:15, John traces his childhood reading, including Stephen King as a transformative writer At about 17:20, John chronicles inspiring and thrilling writers and works and the wonderful writing programs he was part of At about 18:20, Jon charts the huge imprint that Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man has left on him At about 22:00, Kyle Edwards and his Small Ceremonies, as well as Kate Folk and her Sky Daddy , are mentioned as contemporary works/writers who thrill and challenge Jon At about 24:20, Pete lays out some of Big Chief's exposition At about 25:55, Jon responds to Pete asking about how Jon pictures the book's narrator and protagonist At about 29:00, Mack, the tribal president in the book, is described At about 30:00, Jon responds to Pete wondering about motivations for Mitch related to bullying and feelings of being an outsider from his childhood At about 32:15, Ideas of power in politics are discussed At about 34:10, Ideas of authenticity and genuineness and morality are discussed, in connection to politics and voting in the book and beyond, especially regarding Joe Beck At about 35:40, Jon riffs on what he kept in mind while writing the book, with regard to moralizing as an author At about 39:00, Jon responds to Pete's question about blood quantum and similar ideas and how the discourses have changed or not At about 42:40, Jon talks about tropes and irony and “outward signs” of being indigenous, and how that is reflected in his book's cover and in society at large At about 43:40, The title and its inspiration is discussed   At about 45:50, Jon reads a representative excerpt that speaks of themes of belonging, and Pete and Jon further discuss ideas of childhood's impacts on adulthood At about 47:15, Jon discusses the significance of Mack's protection of Mitch, and Mitch's self-esteem and power's connection to cynicism At about 51:10, Mack and his bearing and his motivations are discussed At about 52:00, a pivotal and tragic event-Mitch's mother's death-and the subsequent fire vigil is discussed  At about 55:45, The book's upcoming election and sabotage and Gloria are discussed, with a tip of the cat to Harvey Keitel in calling Mitch a “fixer” At about 1:00:20, Mitch and his cynicism and his work on the campaign are explored, with connections to current political climates  At about 1:02:15, the platforms of the two candidates and ideas of banishment from the tribe are considered  At about 1:05:50, Pete wonders if Mack is a Trump-ish figure, and Jon reflects on how he has tried to write about identity through tribal politics  At about 1:10:00, Pete and Jon ponder the “void” within Mitch and talk about the local political and larger political world collide  At about 1:12:05, Pete compliments the “beautiful” ending, and the two discuss the Sopranos ending, and Jon discusses his mindset in crafting his book's ending At about 1:14:40, Jon outlines changes in the book's previous permutations  At about 1:16:40, Jon defines what is what for him a “work of art” You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave 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's @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he's @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 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 Episode 270 guest Jason De León is up on the website this week. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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 my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran. Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 280 with Jahmal Mayfield, who writes gritty crime novels that touch on large social issues. His stellar SMOKE KINGS was inspired by Kimberly Jones' passionate viral video, “How can we win?” The episode airs on April 15.  

Notes and Links to Douglas J. Weatherford's Work       Doug was born in Salt Lake City but grew up in Statesboro, Georgia, where his father taught German at Georgia Southern University. Doug loves to read, travel, and ride bicycles and motorcycles. He graduated from BYU in 1988 (BA Spanish) and the Pennsylvania State University in 1997 (PhD Latin American Literature). He has been a professor at BYU since 1995. Doug's research and teaching emphases include Latin American literature and film, representations of the period of Discovery and Conquest, and Mexico at mid-Century (1920–1968, with particular focus on Rosario Castellanos and Juan Rulfo). His latest are new translations of Pedro Páramo and The Burning Plain.   Buy Pedro Páramo (English Translation)   Buy Pedro Páramo (En Español)    Doug's BYU Webpage   New York Times Book Review of Pedro Páramo by Valeria Luiselli   At about 2:15, Doug talks about his “journey” to becoming a professor of Latin-American Literature and Film, with regard to his early language and reading backgrounds At about 6:00, Doug talks about his main focus in teaching over the years At about 7:15, The two discuss linguistics classes At about 8:30, Doug responds to Pete's questions about texts and writers who have resonated with his students  At about 10:30, Doug reflects on Jorge Luis Borges' work and potential for teachability  At about 11:35, The two talk about translations of Rulfo's titles At about 13:30, Doug gives a primer on the collection El Llano en llamas and its various translations  At about 16:40, Doug emphasizes the need to “follow in Rulfo's footsteps” in translating the famous story “No Oyes Ladrar los Perros” At about 20:15, Doug responds to Pete's question about Juan Rulfo's evolving reputation/legacy in Mexico At about 24:15, Pete shares compliments and blurbs for Doug's Pedro Páramo translation and Pete and Doug talk about Gabriel Garcia Marquez's important Foreword  At about 27:20, Doug gives background on screenplays done for Rulfo's work by Marquez and towering respect for Rulfo's work, especially Pedro Páramo  At about 28:20, The two talk about Pedro Páramo's movie adaptations and challenges in adapting the work with connection to older characters  At about 31:55, Pete and Doug reflect on key archetypes and connections featured in the first line of  Pedro Páramo  At about 35:00, Doug gives background on his decision-making that affected his translations, including the laser-focus on the book's first line At about 41:00, The two discuss the book's exposition, such as it in a chronologically-unique book, including the book's first narrator's role At about 42:55, Doug discusses the connections in the book: Citizen Kane and Pedro Páramo, as well as Hernán Cortes and Pedro Páramo  At about 46:30, Doug talks about La Lllorona and Malinche and Páramo connections At about 49:30, Doug gives background on Pedro's son, Miguel and Father Renteria and ideas of betrayal and Biblical archetypes At about 52:35, Themes of sin and afterlife, including purgatory, are discussed, as Doug gives background on Rulfo's “conflicted” views regarding Catholicism  At about 55:30, Doug goes into greater depth about the links between Citizen Kane and Pedro Páramo At about 59:45, Doug responds to Pete's question about  At about 1:02:00, Doug responds to Pete's question about Rulfo's treatment of Mexican “Indians” At about 1:04:20, Hope and misogyny as a theme in the novel are discussed, and Doug discusses the 2024 Rodrigo Prieto Pedro Páramo film At about 1:09:40, Doug “puts a spin” on the novel's ending At about 1:15:45, Doug gives book buying information for his translations of Rulfo's work   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. My conversation with Episode 270 guest Jason De León is up on the website this week. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 278 with Kevin Nguyen, features editor at The Verge, previous senior editor at GQ. He has written for New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Paris Review and elsewhere, and is the author of New Waves and the novel Mỹ Documents, which has April 8, the same day the episode airs, as its Pub Day.

Notes and Links to Donna Minkowitz's Work         Donna Minkowitz is a writer of fiction and memoir who author Mary Gaitskill has celebrated as “original, energetic, witty, and meaty.” Andrew Solomon dubbed her “utterly entrancing… a writer with breathtakingly fluent language.” She is also the author of the fantasy-influenced memoir Growing Up Golem and the memoir Ferocious Romance, about being an openly lesbian reporter covering the Christian right undercover. Growing Up Golem was a finalist for both a Lambda Literary Award and for the Publishing Triangle's Judy Grahn Nonfiction Award, and Ferocious Romance won a Lambda Literary Award. Donna, a former columnist for the Village Voice and The Advocate, has also written for the New York Times Book Review, The Nation, Salon, Slate, and New York magazine.    DONNAVILLE, her first novel and third book, was recently published by Indolent Books. Buy Donnaville   Donna's Website   Book Review for Donnaville from Kirkus Reviews   At about 2:05, Donna provides background on her formative reading and writing years  At about 3:40, Pete and Donna talk about the benefits of reading works a bit too old for them At about 5:05, Donna responds to Pete's questions about the Torah and how its stories affected her writing At about 6:30, Donna talks about formative and transformative writers, including poets and Greek mythology At about 8:05, Donna responds to Pete's questions about representation in discussing the significance of Sappho's work At about 10:25, Donna discusses the nuances of the word “queer” and generational usages  At about 14:00, Pete and Donna stan Honor Thy Father by Gay Talese, which receives a shout out in Donnaville At about 17:20, Donna expands on writers who inspired her as a high school and college student; she talks about the complicated legacy and work of Tolkien  At about 21:30, Pete asks Donna and how the detail shown in Donnaville connects to her work as an esteemed journalist  At about 23:40, Donna talks about her undercover journalism work, including a memorable white nationalism conference and purported former Olympic hopeful At about 26:40, Donna talks about the book's opening scene and connections to her real life, with regard to therapy and therapists and ways of finding growth At about 31:55, Pete describes the book's exposition and compliments Donna's  At about 34:05, Donna cites Denise Levertov's and Delmore Schwartz's (“Narcissus”) work as inspiration for her book featuring a city inside her mind; Pete cites another wonderful Schwartz text, “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities” At about 36:40, Donna talks about Foucault and resistance in connection to an evocative line from her book At about 37:20, Donna expands upon how there are two characters in the book who are not pieces of her, and she explains the significance of Harlequin in the book At about 41:45, Donna responds to Pete's question about the lying nature of Harlequin  At about 44:15, Donna and Pete explore ideas of connection and confusion between abusers and their young victims At about 47:50, Donna talks about early “action” that Donna in the book is urged to take At about 49:40, Pete highlights a beautiful quote regarding the “sacred divine” and Donna talks about expectations of hurt At about 50:30, The two discuss the contradictions of the book's jailer, and Donna further discusses ideas of shame At about 53:25, Donna expands on how she sees parts of her life and family in certain characters in the book At about 54:40, Pete shouts out a story, William Carlos Willams' “The Use of Force,” that explores ideas of sadism in similar ways as Donnaville  At about 55:50, Donna muses over ideas of self-care, emotional regulation, and structure in our lives featured in the book At about 57:35, Pete gives details about the book's main focus, and Donna responds to his observations about Donnaville as “a happily queer book” as she also expands upon pleasures found in the book At about 1:02:05, Pete cites traumas alluded to in the book and a deep quote about traumas emerging in people's lives At about 1:04:10, Donna ponders Pete's question about a nurturing group of older people and connects the book to Joseph Campbell's “Hero's Journey” At about 1:07:30, Pete and Donna discuss a possible animated movie based on the book and possible voice actors At about 1:09:25, Donna shouts out as bookstores to buy her book, such as The Bureau of General Services, Queer Division, Stanza Books and Binnacle Books        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. This week, his conversation with Episode 255 guest Chris Knapp is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran.    I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 277 with Jahmal Mayfield, who writes gritty crime novels that touch on large social issues. His stellar SMOKE KINGS was inspired by Kimberly Jones' passionate viral video, “How can we win?”    The episode airs on March 25.  

Notes and Links to Deborah Taffa-Jackson's Work          Deborah Jackson Taffa is a citizen of the (Quatzahn) Quechan (Yuma) Nation and Laguna Pueblo. She earned her MFA at the Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa and is the Director of the MFA in Creative Writing at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Named Top 10 Book of the Year by Atlantic Magazine, and Top 10 Nonfiction Book by Time Magazine. Buy Whiskey Tender   Deborah's Website   Book Review for Whiskey Tender from Washington Post   At about 1:30, Deborah reflects on and expands on her experience in being a finalist for The National Book Award  At about 5:30, Pete shares some laudatory feedback for her memoir and Deborah shouts out Birchbark Books, Collected Works, Left Bank Books, as some great places to buy her book  At about 7:30, Deborah shares some wonderful invitations she's received to discuss her book and her art At about 9:05, Deborah explains how she “reverse-engineered” the book with regard to research and personal stories  At about 10:20, Deborah responds to Pete's questions about her early reading and language life and how her formal and informal education was affected by her family's histories  At about 15:45, Deborah gives background on her “autodidactic,” transformative learning, study, reading, and traveling that helped her   At about 19:00, Deborah traces the throughlines of colonization in seemingly-disparate groups At about 22:20, Deborah discusses the significance of her epigraph on “ceremony” At about 26:25, Billy Ray Belcourt is cited as Pete and Deborah talk about the speculative and aspirational writing  At about 27:55, Pete and Deborah reflect on ideas of indigenous invisibility as evidenced in a memorable scene from Whiskey Tender At about 29:40, Deborah cites a “shocking” study n her college textbook that speaks to how many Americans view Native American women, and how it provided fodder and stimulus for her memoir At about 31:25, the two discuss a flashback scene that begins the book and the idea of “mirages” as discussed in the opening scene At about 35:20, Pete asks Deborah to expand upon a resonant line from her book about meaningful childhood experiences  At about 37:35, Deborah talks about historical silences in her family and in others  At about 39:40, Deborah talks about the intensive historical research done in the last year before the book was published At about 40:55, The two discuss similarities regarding generation gaps in indigenous groups and immigrant and traditionally-marginalized groups  At about 42:40, Deborah talks about the lore of Sarah Winnemucca in her family and “her savvi[ness] and revisionist history At about 46:25, Pete and Deborah talk about the “flattening” of American Indian stories and pivotal government treaties and reneging on deals by the American government   At about 48:00, Pete and Deborah reflect on contemporary connections to previous American policies At about 50:20, The two discuss a representative story about “lateral violence” and belonging and ostracism that affected Deborah at a young age At about 53:00, Counternarratives to myths about indigenous peoples and movement are discussed  At about 57:20,  At about 59:40, Pete is highly complimentary of Deborah's writing about her grandmother's genuine and wonderful nature, and Deborah expands on her grandmother's cancer diagnosis and outlook and lasting influence  At about 1:02:30, Pete highlights a wonderful closing scene about time and place and home      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. This week, his conversation with Episode 255 guest Chris Knapp is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!     This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 276 with Donna Minkowitz, a writer of fantasy, memoir, and journalism lauded by Lilith Magazine for her “fierce imagination and compelling prose.” Her first book, Ferocious Romance, won a Lambda Literary Award for Best Book On Religion/Spirituality, and her most recent memoir was Growing Up Golem, a finalist for both a Lambda Literary Award and Judy Grahn Nonfiction Award. She is also the author of the novel DONNAVILLE, published in 2024.     The episode airs on March 18.  

Notes and Links to Annell Lopez's Work          Annell López is the winner of the Louise Meriwether First Book Prize and the author of the short story collection I'LL GIVE YOU A REASON from the Feminist Press. A Peter Taylor Fellow at the Kenyon Review Writers Workshops, her work has also received support from Tin House and has appeared in Guernica, American Short Fiction, Michigan Quarterly Review, Brooklyn Rail, The Common, Refinery29 and elsewhere. López received her MFA from the University of New Orleans. She is working on a novel. Buy I'll Give You a Reason   Annell Lopez's Instagram   For The Rumpus: “There's Always a Little Light, a Glimmer of Hope: A Conversation with Annell López” At about 2:05, Annell talks about her early relationship with bilingualism,  At about 4:50, Annell shouts ut the “great place” that is Newark, NJ, and recounts early memories after her immigration  At about 6:25, Annell talks about how learning English helped her develop her already burgeoning writing ability  At about 8:25, Annell highlights Garcia Marquez's work in Spanish  At about 9:35, Annell lists books and writers that were formative and transformative for her At about 13:25, Deesha Philyaw, Carlos Maurice Ruffin, Danielle Evans, and Chris Stuck, are referenced as inspiring contemporary writers At about 14:40, Annell talks about seeds for her short story collection and its makeup At about 16:10, the two discuss the collection's first story and the title character's anxiety around possible deportation   At about 19:05, Annell reflects on the dynamics of older sibling and young sibling and mother-daughter relationships, as evidenced in the “Dark Vader” At about 20:30, Annell responds to Pete's questions about colorism as shown in some of her stories  At about 22:35, from “Dark Vader,” a “problematic” Mateo is discussed, along with power dynamics, and Vanessa's reluctance to pass her GED  At about 27:00, Annell talks about a character's unnamed bipolar condition, and his son's motivations in being angry towards his father  At about 30:30, Pete asks about online news madness as referenced in the story collection   At about 32:35, Pete links two stories and the two talk about gentrification and its treatment in the collection, and Pete is complimentary of Annell's plot structure and what is “left unsaid” At about 34:35, “Love gone stale” as a theme of the book is lauded and discussed At about 37:00, Grief and depression and the bird and beautiful “Bear Hunting Season” are discussed At about 41:30, Annell talks about how her teaching did and did not inform the treatment of teachers in her collection  At about 44:30, Trauma in its many forms in the collection is discussed  At about 45:45, The two explore the title story and its focus on emotional response At about 47:50, Pete highlights a story that focuses on objectification and racism and Annell's apt second-person usage and diction; she focuses on the story's universality and realism  At about 50:05, “The Other Carmen” is explored, including ideas of body shaming, body positivity  At about 52:40, Annell explains some “Easter eggs” and “crossover characters” and Pete is complimentary of story endings At about 53:40, Pete asks Annell about the importance of staged photoshoots in a story in the collection At about 55:55, Annell talks about the importance of titles after Pete cites her prowess with same At about 57:45, Pete fanboys about the collection's last story At about 59:30, Annell responds to Pete's question about significance of the collection  At about 1:00:45, Annell gives social media and other contact info You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow 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 latest conversation, with Episode 265 guest Carvell Wallace, is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 275 with Deborah Jackson-Taffa, whose 2024 memoir Whiskey Tender was a finalist for the 2024 National Book Award for Nonfiction; earned a MFA in nonfiction writing from the Univ of IA; director of the MFA creative writing program at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM     The episode airs on March 11.

Notes and Links to Raúl Perez's Work   Raul Pérez is an Associate Professor of Sociology at University of La Verne. He is also the author of The Souls of White Jokes: How Racist Humor Fuels White Supremacy (Stanford University Press, 2022).    Buy The Souls of White Jokes   Raul Perez's University of LaVerne Website   Book Review from Oxford Review: The Souls of White Jokes     At about 1:50, Raúl talks about his early language and reading journeys At about 5:15, Raúl notes the greatness and importance and multi-generational pull of LAUSD's coffee cake for the Perez family At about 6:40, Raúl details his high school academic journey and some early inspiring reads-shout out, Mr. Taylor!  At about 9:05, Raúl talks about how college social scene readings and class discussions and formative and transformative professors changed his mindset  At about 12:45, Raúl shouts out Netflix's Mo as a really “engaging…springboard for discussion” At about 16:45, Raúl responds to Pete's questions about how humor and its study made its way into his reading and scholarship At about 23:00, Raúl talks about seeds for his writing about humor and race and graduate school goals At about 24:45, Raúl responds to Pete's question about being able to watch comedy without analyzing it At about 25:50, Raúl recounts stories of his experience taking an ethnography class of humor/standup comedy, including the ways in which race and racism affects standup comedy   At about 27:50, Pete asks Raúl what he might do if he had a few minutes to do standup, and Raúl talks about racialized humor foisted upon him and others in a previous standup class At about 32:00, Raúl reflects on comedians who successfully put in the work and “exercis[e] the funny bone” and “find the funny in everything” At about 33:50, The two reflect on Dave Chappelle's work and he and Bill Burr and others and how they deal with difficult/traumatic “material” At about 38:00, Raúl and Pete talk about terminology n hs book and Raúl expands on his choice to avoid using the infamous hateful epithet  At about 40:50, Raúl talks about racism “behind-the-scenes” among police officers, sometimes with officers of color targeting Black officers At about 42:15, Raúl talks about Latinos and Mexicans and conversations about anti-Blackness and Afro-Latinos role in these discussions  At about 44:35, Raúl talks about “cancelled” humor and skits on Saturday Night Live, including a legendary skit with Richard Pryor and Chevy Chase, and a pendulum effect with racial and racist humor At about 49:00, Raúl segues into talking about Tom Metzger and WAR's racist cartoons and Raúl's book censoring racist language  At about 50:40, Pete outlines the book's chapter titles and asks Raúl about licensing of racist cartoons used in his book; Raúl expands on Metzger's and others usage  At about 54:40, Raúl details a controversial NY Post cartoon that depicted President Barack Obama At about 56:15, Raúl responds to Pete's question about connections between the racist humor towards President Obama and “whitelash” from recent years to the early years of the United States as a country, with President Trump a natural consequence  At about 1:04:25, Pete notes Raúl's coined term of “amused contempt” and states his thesis of racist humor and its “social power” At about 1:05:30, Raúl discusses the significance of the book's title and connections to W.E. DuBois' famous The Souls of White Folk At about 1:10:10, Raúl reflects on the significance of minstrel and its racist legacy and ideas of shared humor at the “expensive of the racialized group” At about 1:12:20, Pete recounts the book's opening with the story of Cleon Brown and compliments Raúl's tracing such a long history with the book At about 1:15:00, Raúl talks about how sees Trump's upcoming presidency and its connections to racist “humor” and how he is an avatar for those who have tired of “wokeism” At about 1:17:00, Raúl expands on Trump 2.0 and those like Elon Musk who use meme culture and racist/”anti-PC” culture to ”weaponize humor” At about 1:21:10, Raúl gives background on the study of “disparagement humor” and its effects, as studied by Thomas E. Ford  At about 1:24:00, Raúl talks about future writing subjects, including the “weaponization of humor in warfare,” like with the IDF in Gaza    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. This week, his conversation with Episode 265 guest Carvell Wallace is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran. Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 274 with Annell López, winner of Louise Meriwether First Book Prize and the author of the short story collection I'LL GIVE YOU A REASON. She is a Peter Taylor Fellow at Kenyon Review Writers Workshops, and her work has appeared in American Short Fiction, Michigan Quarterly Review, and Refinery29, among others. The episode airs on March 4.

Notes and Links to Lamya H's Work        Lamya H (she/they) is a queer Muslim writer and organizer living in New York City. Their memoir HIJAB BUTCH BLUES (February, 2023 from Dial Press/Penguin Randomhouse) won the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize and a Stonewall Non-fiction Book Award, and was a finalist for Lambda Literary and Publishing Triangle Awards. Lamya's work has appeared in Los Angeles Review of Books, Salon, Autostraddle, Vice, and others. She has received fellowships from Lambda Literary and Queer|Arts.      Lamya's organizing work centers around creating spaces for LGBTQ+ Muslims, fighting Islamophobia, Palestine and prison abolition. In her free time, she eats lots of desserts baked by her partner, plays board games with whoever she can corral, and works on her goal of traveling to every subway stop in the city. She has never run a marathon.    Find her on Twitter and IG: @lamyaisangry Buy Hijab Butch Blues   Lamya H's Website   Book Review for Hijab Butch Blues from NPR   At about 2:20: Lamya shouts out Dominion as a top-tier board game and talks about flickering hopes of running a marathon  At about 5:35, Lamya talks about reading and writing and speaking in multiple languages growing up, as well as reading a lot of colonial texts from the British Empire At about 7:30, Lamya talks about beijing “flabbergasted” by the great White Teeth at age 15  At about 9:30, Lamya uses the evocative image of “fish not understanding that they're in water” in responding to Pete's questions about how she recognized representation and colonial tropes in lit At about 11:10, Lamya cites formative and transformative texts and authors in her adolescent year  At about 13:55, Lamya discusses early sparks for activism through a friend's introduction of Audre Lorde, Angela Davis, and more At about 15:15, Lamya responds to Pete's questions about her current reading, including her love for Huda F's work At about 18:45, Lamya responds to Pete's questions about her usage of “queer” and the titular “butch” At about 22:30, The two discuss a meaningful Quranic verse that starts off the book-Lamya explains ideas of “faith in flux” At about 25:00, Lamya gives background on surahs and a significant part of her book discussing Maryam's life and trials At about 26:45, Lamya discusses boredom in the high school years and how she felt connections to Maryam At about 29:45, Lamya responds to Pete's questions about feeling like life “is out of your control” as a teenager/high schooler At about 30:45, Lamya explains feelings of internalizing queerness upon experiencing a crush at age 14 At about 34:50, Lamya describes the importance of Quranic verses involving Maryam and “intentionality” and taqwa At about 38:00, Lamya responds to Pete's questions about the “Arab hierarchy” that she experienced as a kid, and the ways in which she and her family were targets of racism At about 41:40, Lamya details many meanings of “jinn” and describes its usage in her memoir At about 43:40, Lamya describes a friend “jumpstarting” a repudiation of internalized racism  At about 45:15, Lamya gives background on Allah and ideas of “transcending” gender  At about 49:00, The two discuss “rigid gender roles” as featured in the memoir, as well as connections to the Biblical Adam At about 50:00, Lamya outlines a offbeat “outing” experience  At about 51:30, Pete describe Musa's connections to Lamya's “coming out slowly process” and asks Lamya to comment-she talks about “reframing the negative” At about 53:45, Lamya cites “inviting in” as a way of reframing the “coming out” trope At about 55:35, Pete shouts out Christina Cooke's quote of queerness as “divine” At about 56:25, The two discuss empathetic and sensitive friends  At about 57:10, The Prophet Muhammed and connections to fealty and openness of fath and individuality are discussed At about 59:50, The two discuss “being “comfortable” in one's own skin and finding community At about 1:00:45, Lamya responds to Pete's questions about Asiya and those who encourage and perpetuate victimizers, including about ideas of citizenship in a country that has so often victimized  At about 1:03:40, Pete shouts out great “plot” in the book and a dizzying scene painted so well by Lamya At about 1:05:30: Lamya talks about hopes that her book and story can be universal while it is quite specific   At about 1:07:00, Lamya encourages people to “buy local”          You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.       I am very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. This week, my conversation with Episode 265 guest Carvell Wallace is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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 my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran.    I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 273 with Raúl Perez. He is an Associate Professor of Sociology at University of La Verne and the author of The Souls of White Jokes: How Racist Humor Fuels White Supremacy. His work has been published in American Behavioral Scientist, Discourse and Society, Ethnicities, and Sociological Perspectives, and featured in Time, The Grio, Latino Rebels, and Zócalo Public Square.    The episode airs on February 25.

Notes and Links to Alejandro Heredia's Work          Alejandro Heredia is a queer Afro-Dominican writer from The Bronx. His debut novel LOCA is out today (February 11) from Simon and Schuster. He has received fellowships from Lambda Literary, VONA, the Dominican Studies Institute, Kenyon Review, and Trinity College. In 2019, he was selected by Myriam Gurba as the winner of the Gold Line Press Fiction Chapbook Contest. His chapbook of short stories, You're the Only Friend I Need (2021), explores themes of queer transnationalism, friendship, and (un)belonging in the African Diaspora. Heredia's work has been featured in Teen Vogue, Lambda Literary Review, The Offing, and elsewhere. He received an MFA in fiction from Hunter College.    Heredia currently serves as Black Mountain Institute's Shearing Fellow at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Buy Loca   Alejandro Heredia's Website   Book Review for Loca   At about 2:40, Alejandro shares his feelings as the book's Pub Day approaches, as well as feedback that he hasn't gotten on the novel At about 4:40, Alejandro talks about his bilingualism, growing up in The Bronx and The Dominican Republic, and what led him towards writing  At about 7:10, Alejandro talks about how being bilingual helps him to become a better writer/thinker and how his Spanglish has developed  At about 9:25, Alejandro gives some background on a specific Dominican word At about 10:25, Alejandro responds to Pete's questions about what he was reading that served as foundational for him and he expands upon “writing across difference” At about 13:10, Alejandro cites contemporary fiction that inspires and challenges, including Gina Chung's work At about 14:10, Alejandro outlines ideas of how he sees the use of the word “queer” At about 16:00, Alejandro expands upon seeds and stimulating ideas for his book, especially wth regard to the “Author's Note” At about 19:10, Alejandro expands on his Author's Note reference to fiction's “capaciousness” and how fiction's constructs helped him write about loss and grief in Loca At about 21:10, Alejandro talks about the significance of his two epigraphs and ideas of “home” and friendship  At about 23:40, Pete and Alejandro talks about the book's exposition and an early inciting incident  At about 24:30, Pete asks Alejandro about main character Charo's domesticity and her visceral negative reaction At about 26:05, The two discuss ideas of community and Y2K and the importance of the “queer space” at The Shade Room in a Dominican and Puerto Rican community At about 28:20, Alejandro talks about intersectionality and his qualms about its usage in early reviews of the novel At about 30:55, Pete and Alejandro discuss Vance and Sal's first meeting and budding relationship and ideas of “identity politics and language” At about 32:25, The two discuss important familial and friend characters  At about 33:55, Yadiel is discussed as a proud queer character and Aljandrro expands upon a moment in which Sal and Yadiel  At about 36:15, Alejandro responds to Pete's questions about a “moment in time” and a “utpian moment,” and expands upon the good and bad of life “at the margins” At about 39:35, Alejandro replies to Pete's question about the ways in which he deals wth sexual abuse and its effects and the abuse as “foundational” and “inform[ing]” Sal's adolescence and beyond At about 42:45, Vance and his likability and Ren are described  At about 43:55, Anacaona and her history are discussed in connection to an important flashback in the book At about 46:00, Alejandro expands upon ideas of “erasing Blackness” that come as unintentional (?) effects of the portrayal of the Taino peoples  At about 49:15, Robert and his sympathetic nature and his usage of a homophobic slur are discussed, as Alejandro discusses the “reclaiming” of the word in the queer Dominican community At about 50:40, Don Julio, Sal's roommate, and his emblematic background are discussed, along with the benefits and drawbacks of “normalizing” a reclaimed word At about 53:00, Alejandro talks about being a “writer of images” after Pete compliments one of many resonant scenes At about 54:55, Pete and Alejandro tiptoe around any spoilers At about 55:50, Sal and Kiko and their minor triumphs and Sal's success as a teacher are discussed  At about 57:00, Pete wonders about Lena, an eccentric character in the book, and Alejandro talks about some ambiguities  At about 59:00, Robert and Charo's relationship and ideas of repression, personal choice, and guilt throughout the book are discussed  At about 1:03:25, Pete and Alejandro discuss generational differences in the ways in which Sal and Vance interact and see progressive movements  At about 1:07:40, Alejandro discusses social media contact info and points listeners towards his upcoming tour dates      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. This week, his conversation with previous guest Carvell Wallace will be up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran.    I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 272 with Lamya H. Lamya is a queer Muslim writer and organizer living in New York City whose 2023 memoir HIJAB BUTCH BLUES won the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize and a Stonewall Non-fiction Book Award, and was also a finalist for Lambda Literary and Publishing Triangle Awards. Lamya's organizing work centers around creating spaces for LGBTQ+ Muslims, fighting Islamophobia, Palestine, and prison abolition.    The episode airs on February 18.

Notes and Links to Jason De León's Work   Jason De León is Director of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, Loyd E. Cotsen Endowed Chair of Archaeology, Professor of Anthropology and Chicana/o and Central American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.    De León is Executive Director of the Undocumented Migration Project (UMP) Inc. a 501(c)(3) research, arts, and education collective that seeks to raise awareness about migration issues globally.    He is the author of two award winning books: “The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail” (featuring photos by Michael Wells) and “Soldiers and Kings.” Soldiers and Kings won the 2024 National Book Award for Nonfiction. De León is 2017 MacArthur Foundation Fellow.    In addition to his scholarly pursuits, Jason is an active musician who sang and played guitar with the Long Beach based hardcore-punk-reggae band Youth in Asia in the mid to late 1990's and the Americana band The Wilcox Hotel based out of State College, PA between 2005 and 2008. He currently plays bass in  The War Pigs and is involved in various musical projects including periodic reunions with The Wilcox Hotel.   Buy Jason's Books   Jason Website   Jason's National Book Award Receipt: Video   Book Review: Soldiers and Kings New York Times Review    Jason on CBS Sunday Morning: Video   At about 2:50, Jason helps Pete get over some Lakers/Kings traumas At about 6:15, Jason talks about the experience of winning the National Book Award At about 8:45, Jason shouts out indie bookstores like Literati, Village Well, Powell's as places to buy his book At about 10:05, Jason gives background on his early relationship with language and story, and how this reading was shaped by his childhood At about 11:10, Jason talks about ups and downs of reading and writing for joy, and how “story” has been an interest  At about 13:20, Jason talks about how multilingualism was part of his childhood and the ways in which speaking foreign languages  At about 14:50, Jason responds to Pete's question about writers who challenge and inspire him, including Ernest Gaines, Lus Alberto Urrea, Willie Vaultin, and Jesmyn Ward At about 17:00, Jason cites songwriters like John Prine, Jason Isbell, and Bruce Springsteen as inspirational At about 19:20, Jason gives background on the protocol and timing and embedding done in his research for Soldiers and Kings  At about 20:30, Pete is highly complimentary of Jason's balance of first person and third person and his skilled objectivity; Jason responds to Pete's questions about any “vertigo” that came with intense fieldwork and academia and family life  At about 24:15, Jason speaks to the significance of the book's epigraph from Jason Isbell At about 27:50, Jason discusses the difference between “smuggling” and “trafficking” and their implications in the book and beyond At about 29:15, Jason and Pete reflect on the titles for the people represented on the book, and Jason responds to Pete's question about how he wrote to avoid generalization   At about 32:30, Jason recounts a story from his first book that is emblematic of fully-drawn characters At about 34:30, Pete asks about ethical concerns in research for the book At about 36:05, Jason outlines how childhood experiences and exposure to violence may have helped him connect more with the main characters of the book At about 38:50, Jason reflects on how he proved himself trustworthy in his research and how and why the characters are “good judges of characters” At about 41:00, The two discuss Honduras and its importance in migration in the last decade or so, as well as how its emblematic of the global and natural forces  At about 45:45, the two reflect on youth and its importance in the book and how privilege, or lack thereof, connect to ideas of redemption and traumas At about 49:35, Pete cites a telling quote from Father Greg Boyle in reference to the high number of adverse experiences that so many migrants have had to carry; Jason discusses ideas of hope  At about 52:15, Pete highlights a resonant poem by Warsan Shire that leads Jason to talk about the “sharks” that put people on the migrant route At about 55:25, Jason responds to Pete's question about the infamous “La Bestia” At about 57:20, Jason explains the term “clavo” and its implications to “stateless” people    At about 58:55, Pete notes that the book deals so successfully with  At about 1:01:00, “The Future Belongs to Those Who Dream,” a chapter title, and its implications for optimism and hope is discussed  At about 1:04:55, Pete cites the book's wondrous last page, as well as the book's long future “shelf life”   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. This week, his conversation with Episode 264 guest Maggie Sheffer is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the classic Gabriel Garcia Marquez short story, “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World.” I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 271 with Alejandro Heredia, a queer Afro-Dominican writer from The Bronx and winner of the Gold Line Press Fiction Chapbook Contest. His writing has been featured in Teen Vogue, Lambda Literary Review, and elsewhere; His resonant debut novel LOCA has its Pub Day on Feb 11, the day on which the episode airs.  

Notes and Links to David Ebenbach's Work   David Ebenbach writes. He's been writing ever since he was a kid, when he kept his whole family awake by banging away on an enormous manual typewriter, and he's never wanted to stop.    In fact, David's now the author of ten books of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, and his work has picked up awards along the way: the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, the Juniper Prize, the Patricia Bibby Award, and more.    Born and raised in the great city of Philadelphia, these days David does most of his writing in Washington, DC, where he lives with his family—because he uses a laptop now, he doesn't keep them awake with his typing—and where he works at Georgetown University, promoting inclusive, student-centered teaching at the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, and teaching creative writing and literature at the Center for Jewish Civilization and creativity through the Master's in Learning, Design, and Technology Program.   Buy David's Books   David Ebenbach's Website   Book Review: LitPick about Possible Happiness     At about 2:15, David talks about the cool cover design for Possible Happiness At about 3:00, David discusses a recent reading in which his students were able to hear/see his work At about 4:00, David highlights wonderful contributions from Carol Nehez, his inspirational high school teacher  At about 5:55, David details pivotal reading and writers from his adolescence  At about 7:30, Pete and David discuss connections between his book and West Philly's own Will Smith At about 8:15, David responds to Pete's questions about Philadelphia's deep writing tradition and pivotal events in 1980s Philadelphia; he cites John Wideman and Mat Johnson At about 11:00, David cites Ted Chang, Charles Yu as a few contemporary writers he enjoys At about 12:25, David explains the webs involved with his books and genre and publishing  At about 13:55, David speaks about teaching informs his writing and vice versa-featuring shouts out to Asha Thanki and Kate Brody At about 16:15, David lists some favorite texts of his classmates, including work by Jewish writers from the Global South, like Esther David and others like Nathan Englander and Robert Levy-Samuels At about 18:40, David gives out information about buying Possible Happiness and shares how he finds joy on social media-specifically Facebook At about 21:00, David responds to Pete's questions about inhabiting the persona/headspace of the teens represented in Possible Happiness At about 23:55, David gives background on Jacob, the protagonist's, mindset and book's exposition  At about 27:00, Pete and David discuss Jacob's “inertia” and how depression and how the book's common phrase of “howling like a coyote” relate  At about 28:15, David talks about the term “depression” and both capacious and maybe “limiting” At about 29:10, David and Pete discuss Jacob's mother's living with depression and  At about 30:20, David reflects on the significance of a literal collective howl in the book At about 31:55, Pete compliments David's usage of a “moment in time,” and David cites Raymond Carver's “Cathedral” and Miranda July's work as examples of authors manipulating time At about 34:40, Pete has a bone to pick over Full House's treatment in the novel! At about 35:10, The two discuss the awesome (in the truest sense of the word) pacing in Tobas Wolff's “Bullet in the Brain” At about 36:10, the machinations of the social groups at the book's high school are discussed, as well as the “quaint” ways of home phones pre-cell phones At about 37:55, Pete thanks David for dropping info on Philadelphia's metro At about 39:00, David discusses the ways in which clubs that accepted people under 21 and the culture that brought Jacob ways to release anger/angst At about 40:00, The two discuss the pop culture references from the late 80s/early 90s featured in the book  At about 41:30, Pete details information about Jacob's happy days and days dealing with depression and connections to his social life At about 42:10, The religiosity of Jacob's family and his uncle's family are discussed, and David reflects on the ways that Jacob's Judaism is represented  At about 44:15, The two discuss the real-life parallels between identity and race and class in the book At about 47:00, Jacob's trip to Chicago to meet his father and ideas of neglecting to talk about depression are discussed  At about 49:20, David responds to Pete's question about the source(s) of Jacob's resentment towards his father At about 50:30, Pete compliments the subtle and nuanced ways in which David writes about depression and teen life  At about 51:35, David cites some benefits of writing about the pre-cell phone days At about 53:00, David gives some hints about his exciting upcoming projects You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow 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. This week, his conversation with Episode 264 guest Maggie Sheffer is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 270 with Lamya H. Lamya is a queer Muslim writer and organizer living in New York City whose 2023 memoir HIJAB BUTCH BLUES won the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize and a Stonewall Non-fiction Book Award, and was also a finalist for Lambda Literary and Publishing Triangle Awards. Lamya's organizing work centers around creating spaces for LGBTQ+ Muslims, fighting Islamophobia, Palestine, and prison abolition.    The episode airs on February 4.

Notes and Links to Dan Gutman's Work        New York Times best-selling and award-winning author Dan Gutman has written more than 190 books for readers from kindergarten through middle school. Dan's My Weird School series includes 100+ titles, and has sold more than 35 million copies globally over the past 20 years. Dan also is the author of the best-selling Genius Files series, the Baseball Card Adventure series, and many more.    Dan's books have been named Junior Library Guild Selections and Bank Street College's Best Children's Books of the Year, and have been awarded numerous state book awards, including: The California Young Reader Medal, the Massachusetts Children's Book Award, and the Iowa Children's Choice Award, among others.     When he's not writing books, Dan loves to ride his bike, play pickleball, throw Frisbees, and explore New York City where he lives with his wife Nina. To find out more, follow Dan on Facebook, BlueSky, and Instagram. Buy Dan's Books   Dan Gutman's Website   Book Review: The Genius Files   At about 0:45, Audrey nails the biographical reading of Dan Gutman's info At about 2:25, Dan responds to Pete asking if “it gets old” after writing 190+ books At about 3:15, Pete talks about the baseball bug hitting the family At about 3:40, Audrey gives background on the family's connection with Satchel Paige, and Chris gives backstory involving Shoeless Joe Jackson At about 5:45, Dan expands on the legend of Shoeless Joe and talks about the popularity of baseball with young people  At about 6:40, Dan and the Riehls discuss the famous Honus Wagner baseball card and some facts about him, the star of one of Dan's books At about 8:50, Dan responds to Audrey's question about his inspirations for the baseball series through giving background on his writing for kids and connecting to baseball At about 11:10, Dan traces his journey in initially getting his work published  At about 13:20, Chris recommends a baseball player for Dan's new book At about 13:50, Dan reflects on why he chose the baseball players he did for his books  At about 15:15, Dan replies to Audrey's question about his own baseball career, and shares a cool Easter egg At about 16:15, The  At about 16:40, Chris recounts two family card collecting stories similar to The Sandlot-the second dealing with a Michael Jordan rookie card At about 19:10, Dan discusses the research needed for his writing, and how he balances fantasy/fiction with nonfiction  At about 21:10, Pete shares his experience reading about larger cultural events and historical events through sports books like those about Jackie Robisnon  At about 22:35, Dan shares his experiences in writing about Jackie Robinson and Joe DiMaggio  At about 23:35, Dan responds to Pete's questions about books and genres that inspired his love of reading, and how reading about baseball was a huge catalyst  At about 25:50, Dan shares wonderful feedback and compliments shared by eager readers of his work and their parents and teachers  At about 27:10, Pete and Dan discuss The Genius Files series and its ethos, and Dan gives background on the series' genesis  At about 30:25, Dan talks about writing for different ages and in different genres, and his mindset in doing so At about 31:55, Dan responds to Pete asking about his “beta readers” and getting reading feedback  At about 33:00, Dan shouts out some favorite writers for young people  At about 34:30, Dan talks about the ways in which visual arts and photography are balanced with his words  At about 36:50, Dan reflects on what his books have in common and ideas of the “muse” as he mentions some exciting upcoming projects  At about 41:00, Dan gives contact and social media info, as well as book ordering information      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. This week, his conversation with Episode 255 guest Chris Knapp is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran.    I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 269 with David Ebenbach. He is the author of ten books of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, and his work has picked up awards along the way: the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, the Juniper Prize, the Patricia Bibby Award, and more. He works at Georgetown University, promoting inclusive, student-centered teaching at the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, and he teaches creative writing and literature at the Center for Jewish Civilization and creativity through the Master's in Learning, Design, and Technology Program.    The episode airs on January 14.    Please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Notes and Links to Keith O'Brien's Work        Keith O'Brien is a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist. He has written four books, been a finalist for the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sportswriting, been longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, and has contributed to multiple publications over the years.    O'Brien's work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, and on National Public Radio. His radio stories have aired on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition, as well as Marketplace and This American Life.    The Wall Street Journal calls his latest book, CHARLIE HUSTLE, "compulsively readable and wholly terrific." Publishers Weekly calls it "definitive and elegantly told, this is a home run," and Kirkus Reviews hails CHARLIE HUSTLE as a "masterpiece of a sports biography."    A midwesterner by birth, O'Brien grew up in Cincinnati and graduated from Northwestern University. He now lives in New Hampshire with his wife, two children, two dogs and two cats. Buy Charlie Hustle   Keith O'Brien's Website   New York Times Review of Charlie Hustle At about 2:00, Pete asks Keith about the medium of radio, and Keith talks about how he loves radio and how it works different “muscles” At about 3:40, Keith traces his early reading and writing life and his love of sports stories, Sports Illustrated, and more, including David Halberstam's stellar work At about 5:45, Pete and Keith fanboy over great work from The Best American Sports Writing of the Century At about 7:05, Keith shouts out Mirin Fader and Andrew Maraniss and Jonathan Eig, among others, as writing inspirations At about 8:55, Keith talks about how work in Japan helped to ignite his love of and skill for writing At about 10:45 (13:50), Keith discusses how he views storytelling, showing/telling, as well as objectivity in writing, as well as expectations for readers At about 14:50, Pete quotes a meaningful excerpt from the beginning of Charlie Hustle, and Keith expands upon how “stunned” he was by the crying and emotional responses from those talking about Pete Rose's impact in their lives At about 17:20, Pete alludes to the Author's Note, and asks Keith about his childhood outlook on Pete Rose and the Reds as a native Cincinnatian At about 21:05, Pete gives some exposition from the book and summarizes the “high point” from the Introduction  At about 22:00, Keith paints a picture of Pete Rose's childhood growing up on the Westside of Cincinnati, and talks about “Big Pete” Rose and his legendary exploits, including a  At about 26:40, Keith explains the significance of two events in the summer of 1956 and how it shaped Pete At about 29:15, Keith recounts an emblematic story involving Pete Rose and boxing At about 30:45, Pete picks up on the aforementioned story and asks Keith if he sees the same mindset in Pete Rose in denying his betting later in life; Keith talks about a lack of vulnerability for Pete Rose At about 32:45, Keith charts the importance of Pete Rose's Uncle Buddy in jumpstarting Pete's career  At about 37:15, Keith gives background on Pete Rose's iconic nickname and its “mythology” At about 39:55, The two reflect on the “juxtaposition” between those who gave Pete Rose his nickname and Pete Rose At about 41:10, Keith talks about racism and the treatment of Black players in the Major Leagues, as well as how Pete viewed/spoke about race  At about 44:35, Keith expands on the ways in which Pete was seen as a “white, working-class hero” in the media and among fans  At about 48:15, Keith reflects on the echoing importance of Pete Rose's collision with Ray Fosse At about 52:15, Keith responds to Pete's questions about how Pete Rose's upbringing may or may not have been “seeds” for his later gambling and vice At about 56:35, Decree Rule 21(d) and its ubiquity in baseball clubhouses is discussed  At about 57:10, Pete talks about how skillfully Keith shows Pete Rose's impending fall at the end of Part III At about 58:35, Keith responds to Pete's questions about Pete Rose and whether he felt remorse over the way he treated women and his children At about 1:00:20, Keith reflects on how the same qualities that made Pete Rose great also were his downfall At about 1:01:40, The two discuss “credible allegations that Pete Rose had had a relationship with an underage girl in the 1970s and its impact on his baseball analyst job At about 1:03:20, Keith responds to Pete's questions about the importance of a homecoming in 1986 to Cincinnati At about 1:06:50, Keith expands upon the inextricable links between Bart Giamatti and Pete Rose At about 1:09:10, The two discuss Pete Rose's last years and prodigious autograph signing and the ways in which his fans continued to be moved by meeting him and talking to him; Keith shares his personal experiences in being amazed by the awe of the fans he witnessed in person At about 1:11:45, Keith reflects on the “crucial” and “poigna[nt]” ending of the book, an ending that Pete is highly complimentary of  At about 1:13:30, Keith discusses how he felt upon learning of Pete's death and the sadness associated with Pete “being defined by his greatest mistakes” At about 1:15:00, Pete and Keith reflect on connections between Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull and Pete Rose and the “fleeting” nature of fame At about 1:16:15, shoutout to Ellen Adar for the audiobook At about 1:17:10, Keith shouts out places to buy the book, including Waterstreet Books in NH, and gives social media/contact info     You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow 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. This week, his conversation with Episode 255 guest Chris Knapp is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran.    I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 268 with Dax-Devlon Ross, who is the author of six books. His journalism has been featured in Time, The Guardian, The New York Times, and other national publications, and he won the National Association of Black Journalists' Investigative Reporting Award for coverage of jury exclusion in North Carolina courts. His most recent book, Letters to My White Male Friends, is a call to action and a reflection on race.    The episode airs on December 31.    Please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Notes and Links to Lydia Kiesling's Work      Lydia Kiesling is a novelist and culture writer. Her first novel, The Golden State, was a 2018 National Book Foundation “5 under 35” honoree and a finalist for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Her second novel, Mobility, a national bestseller, was named a best book of 2023 by Vulture, Time, and NPR, among others. It was longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize and a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. Her essays and nonfiction have been published in outlets including The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker online, and The Cut. Contact her at lydiakiesling@gmail.com. Buy Mobility   Lydia Kiesling's Website   Lydia's Wikipedia Page Alta Online Book Review for Mobility   At about 1:35, Lydia gives out contact information and social media information, as well as places  At about 4:10, “Return of the Mack” as an “eternal jam” is highlighted in the book At about 5:40, Lydia talks about her reading life and how it connected to her “cusp generation” and her time as a “foreign service brat” At about 9:50, Lydia talks about her experience reading Joyce Carol Oates, for whom an award is named that Lydia was longlisted for, and Pete compares the narrator, Bunny, and her situation in Mobility to iconic characters from “Where are you going, Where have you been?” and “In the Land of Men” At about 11:30, Lydia recounts interesting parts of her life in boarding school and how it shaped her At about 15:20, Lydia discusses the reading life fostered through memorable English classes in boarding school At about 21:15, Lydia highlights the ways in which her life as a writer developed, including early work in the blog era and a great opportunity from The Millions At about 26:00, Lydia shouts out contemporary writers who thrill and inspire, including Jenny Erpenbeck and Bruna Dantas Lobato At about 30:55, Lyda responds to Pete's questions about the ways in which Lydia's history as a “diplomat brat” has affected her view of the US At about 34:45, The two discuss seeds for the book and the importance of the book's concise epigraph  At about 37:25, Lydia highlights The Oil and the Glory as inspiration for the book At about 40:45, Pete lays out part of the book's exposition and underscores the importance of the book's first scene and use of oil prices to mark each year  At about 42:30, Lydia responds to Pete asking about the draw of Eddie and Charlie and the older men/boys At about 43:55, Pete quotes Mario Puzo in relating to “men doing what they do when they're away from home” and Lyda builds on it when talking about Baku and the things and people that came with oil drilling At about 45:00, Lydia gives background of the soap opera referenced in the book as she and Pete further discuss important early characters At about 47:40, Lydia explains the background and significance of a ring that Bunny covets that says “I respond to whoever touches me” At about 51:00, Pete recounts some of the plot involving Bunny's return to the US and Texas and asks Lydia about the intentions of her mentor, Phil At about 53:20, Lydia expands on the “weird current” that comes with being a young woman/woman in a male-dominated world At about 54:40, Pete and Lydia discuss the manner in which Bunny and so many in our society choose to look away when faced with the evils of capitalism, oil, war, etc.  At about 58:15, Lydia emphasizes the ways in which story and narrative govern so much of the way politics and business work At about 59:40, The two discuss Bunny as a nominal liberal  At about 1:01:15, Lydia responds to Pete's question about any reasons for optimism in response to climate change At about 1:04:00, The idea of “geologic time” as a negative and positive is discussed with regards to the environment and oil and positive change       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. This week, his conversation with Episode 255 guest Chris Knapp is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!   This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran.    I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 267 with Keith O'Brien. He is a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist who has written four books, been longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, and contributed to multiple publications over the years, including the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, and NPR. Kirkus Reviews hails his latest, Charlie Hustle, as a "masterpiece of a sports biography."    The episode airs on December 24.    Please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Notes and Links to Carvell Wallace's Work        Carvell Wallace is a writer and podcaster who has contributed to The New Yorker, GQ, New York Times Magazine, Pitchfork, MTV News, and Al Jazeera. His debut memoir, Another Word For Love (MCD, 2024), explores his life, identity, and love through stories of family, friendship, and culture and is a 2024 Kirkus Finalist in Nonfiction. He was a 2019 Peabody Award nominee, a 2022 National Magazine Award Finalist, a 2023 winner of the Mosaic Prize in Journalism, and a 2025 UCross Fellow. He lives in Oakland.  Buy Another Word for Love   Carvell Wallace's Website   New York Times Review of Another Word for Love   “Carvell Wallace on What Writing Taught Him About His Life” for LitHub At about 2:25, Carvell describes his “active” reading youth during his youth, including interest in Edgar Allan Poe and fables and fairy tales, and how creative pursuits in college paused and started his writing life  At about 6:25, Carvell shouts out a teacher who exposed him to great literary works and “treated [him] like a real writer” At about 7:45, Carvell talks about being an artist “getting off the academic train” and academic “tracking” At about 9:20, Carvell and Pete discuss “math people” and implications around embracing the label or not At about 10:40, Carvell lists Song of Solomon, Judy Blume, Grapes of Wrath as “formative” texts and writers, and he details how imitation works in his writing,  At about 14:00-Ayn Rand and Jordan Peterson talk! At about 15:50, Carvell discusses his take on expectations of literary and pop culture “representation” growing up, as well as how he “goes to reading to find [himself]”  At about 19:15, Pete asks Carvell about his wide level of interest and knowledge and “muses,” and Carvell describes the “throughline” for his varied work as “people” At about 22:50, Carvell and Pete discuss the definitive answer to the pronunciation of “gif” and highlight meaningful gifs of JR Smith and Andre Iguoadala At about 25:15, Carvell responds to Pete's question about writers and creators who inspire, including the film podcast You Must Remember This and Tricia Hersey's We Will Rest At about 28:20, Pete tiptoes into asking about Frankenstein's monster At about 29:05, Pete highlights stirring parts of Another Word for Love and shares gushing blurbs At about 30:40, Pete asks about the structuring of the book and links that Catrvell envisioned and put into practice; Carvell explains his rationale for structuring around recovery At about 33:05, Carvell connects Choose Your Own Adventure to the ways in which he tried to avoid “prescriptive” writing  At about 34:05, Carvell replies to Pete's question about “killing [his] darlings”  At about 36:10, Carvell gives background on his June Jordan epigraph and talks about her revolutionary ways At about 40:00, Carvell muses profoundly on the “contradiction(s)” of the United States At about 42:05, Carvell responds to Pete's asking about the “encroaching shadows” and loneliness that govern the book's opening scene; Carvell also reflects on the “unreliability of memory”   At about 46:00, The two reflect on a pivotal early chapter about a literal and figurative “fog” and unorthodox lessons learned from the experience  At about 48:45, Carvell explains the importance of descriptions in the books about seeking intimacy with his mother and flipping tropes At about 50:20, Carvell talks about writers and dishonesty and remembrance with regard to a possibly apocryphal story regarding kids forced to take care of themselves At about 54:40, Carvell talks about nomenclature for sexual assault and reflections on ideas of culpability and masculinity  At about 58:20, Carvell reflects on healing through writing the book and his ethic in writing it At about 1:01:05, Pete recounts important parts of Carvell's childhood daydreaming  At about 1:02:20, Carvell points out a “theory of recovery” as seen in a metanarrative and ideas of “endless beautiful things in the world” At about 1:03:30, Carvell muses on connections between hip hop and Shakespeare that especally At about 1:05:20, The two discuss “The Finger” and racism shown by a white man and its larger implications  At about 1:08:40, Pete asks Carvell about links between “overwrit[ing] reality” and racist violence towards him At about 1:10:00, The two reflect on change and the birth scene of his child; Carvell reflects on humility as illustrated in the scene   At about 1:12:45, Pete recounts important scenes that end Part I and govern Part II and asks Carvell about “re-union” and healing At about 1:14:10, Pete gushes honestly over the book's greatness, evocative nature, and resonant nature  At about 1:15:30, Carvell talks about the book's end and its lack of an end  At about 1:16:20, Carvell shares contact info, social media info, and places to buy his book, including great Bay Area bookstores like Harold's Books       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. This week, his conversation with Episode 255 guest Chris Knapp is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch 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, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of Pete's, a DIY operation, and he'd 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 266 with Lydia Kiesling. She is a novelist and culture writer whose first novel, The Golden State, was a 2018 National Book Foundation “5 under 35” honoree and a finalist for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Her second novel, Mobility, a national bestseller, was named a best book of 2023 by Time and NPR, among others. The episode airs on December 17. Please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Notes and Links to Maggie Sheffer's Work           Marguerite (Maggie) Sheffer is a writer who lives in New Orleans. She is a Professor of Practice at Tulane University, where she teaches courses in design thinking and speculative fiction as tools for social change. Formerly, she taught English at the East Oakland School of the Arts, Castlemont High School, Life Academy, and GW Carver High School.    Her debut short story collection, The Man in the Banana Trees, was selected by judge Jamil Jan Kochai for the Iowa Short Fiction Award, was published in Fall 2024.     Maggie is a founding member of Third Lantern Lit, a local writing collective, and the Nautilus and Wildcat Writing Groups. She received her MFA from Randolph College. She was a 2023 Veasna So Scholar in Fiction at The Adroit Journal, and was selected as a top-twenty-five finalist for Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers.  Her story “Tiger on My Roof” was a finalist for the 2024 Chautauqua Janus Prize, which awards emerging writers' short fiction with “daring formal and aesthetic innovations that upset and reorder readers' imaginations.”    Her position on semicolons (for) is noted in an Australian grammar textbook (pg. 16). Buy The Man in the Banana Trees     Maggie's Website   From LitHub: "Marguerite Sheffer on Crafting a Collection of Century-Spanning Speculative Fiction"   "Marguerite Sheffer: These Stories Are an Intimate Map of What Scares Me" from Writer's Digest At about 0:45, Maggie shares a fun story about being published with George Bernard Shaw At about 2:15, Maggie talks about her early reading life At about 3:20, The two reflect on the evolving reputation of Star Wars and Star Wars fans At about 4:45, Maggie shares how wine bottles led to writing an early and pivotal short story  At about 5:40, Maggie describes a gap in “actively writing” while teaching and interacting differently with writing At about 6:50, Maggie lists texts and writers that helped her “reorder [her] brain” At about 8:55, Pete and Maggie stan Tillie Olsen's “I Stand Here ironing”   At about 10:45, Pete recounts a story about how he happened upon the great story by Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery” At about 11:30, Maggie responds to Pete asking about what drew and draws her to science and speculative fiction At about 12:30, Maggie highlights past guest Jamil Jan Kochai, Ken Liu, E. Lily Yu, Sofia Samatar, Clare Beams, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, the book The Safekeep, and others as contemporary writers who thrill and inspire At about 13:45, Pete asks Maggie how teaching has inspired her writing At about 15:25, Maggie cites Octavia Butler's and Sandra Cisneros' work and The Things They Carried and other texts that were favorites of her students  At about 16:50, The two discuss the epigraph and seeds for the short story collection  At about 18:30, The two discuss the collection's first story and connection to Tillie Olsen's idea of being “imprisoned in his own difference” and students being “othered” At about 22:40, Maggie reflects on an important truth of fiction At about 23:20, Maggie discusses famous unicorn tapestries that inspire a story of hers At about 24:40, Pete compliments Maggie's “delightfully weird” stories and “soft endings” and she responds to his questions about allegory/plot and “cool stories” At about 26:20, Maggie talks about realizing the throughlines in her collections At about 27:50, Maggie responds to Pete's questions about writing in Covid times At about 28:20, Pete cites examples of misogyny in the collection and asks about Joycleyn Bell and Maggie expands upon the story “The Observer's Cage”-its genesis and connections to Jocelyn Bell Burnell At about 31:00, Pete notes the use of animals as stand-ins for humanity and Maggie expands on deas of resistance as seen in the collection At about 32:00, The two discuss ideas of redress and reclaiming the past through stories in the collection, especially “The Observer's Cage” At about 34:40, the two discuss a story with ghosts and ideas of “unfinished business” and capturing past natural greatness At about 36:40, Maggie talks about sadly learning that an idea that she thought was original was not, as the two discuss a few stories about commercialism, dystopia, and climate change At about 40:20, the two discuss middens, and themes of reclaiming what has been lost  At about 42:30, Pete notes an interesting story that deals with memory and AI, and Maggie talks about writing from a interesting-placed narrator  At about 44:20, Pete draws connections between a title character, Miriam Ackerman, and Truman Capote's wonderful “A Christmas Memory”, while Maggie discusses the relationship between the title character and the narrator  At about 47:10, The two discuss violence and parental lack of control, especially in “Tiger on the Roof” and its memorable ending and creative plot  At about 50:25, Pete highlights the poignant and resonant closing line for the above story and connects the ending to Alice Elliott Dark's classic, “In the Gloaming” At about 52:00, The two discuss the collection's title story and Maggie discuses inspiration from Carmen Maria Machado At about 53:00, The two discuss the way the above story is “gutting” in its portrayal of the “banality of loss” At about 56:10, Maggie reminds that the book is not just a “downer!” At about 56:50, Maggie reads from “En Plein Aire” At about 1:00:30, Maggie gives information on places to buy her book and social media and contact information At about 1:01:20, Maggie shares information on some exciting new projects         You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.       I am very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode features segments from conversations with Jeff Pearlman, Matt Bell, F. Douglas Brown, Jorge Lacera, Jean Guererro, Rachel Yoder, and more, as they reflect on chill-inducing writers who have inspired their own work.    I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 265 with Carvell Wallace. He is a writer and podcaster who has contributed to GQ, New York Times Magazine, Pitchfork, MTV News, and Al Jazeera, among others. His debut memoir, Another Word For Love, is a 2024 Kirkus Finalist in Nonfiction, and one of Pete's all-time favorite memoirs.    The episode airs on December 10.    Lastly, please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Notes and Links to Fernanda Trías' Work    Fernanda Trías was born in Uruguay and is the award-winning author of three novels, two of which have been published in English. She is also the author of the short story collection No soñarás flores and the chapbook El regreso. A writer and instructor of creative writing, she holds an MFA in creative writing from New York University. She was awarded the National Uruguayan Literature Prize, The Critics' Choice Award Bartolomé Hidalgo, and the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz International Prize in Mexico for her novel Pink Slime. Both The Rooftop and Pink Slime were awarded the British PEN Translates Award, and Pink Slime was chosen by The New York Times in Spanish as one of the ten best books of 2020. Translation rights for her work have been sold in fifteen languages. She currently lives in Bogotá, Colombia, where she is a teacher at the creative writing MFA program of Instituto Caro y Cuervo. In 2017, she was selected as Writer-in-Residence at the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid, where she started writing her latest novel, Pink Slime. Buy Pink Slime   Fernanda Trias' Publisher Page for Simon and Schuster   Review of Pink Slime from Reactor Mag At about 2:00, Pete and Fernanda discuss the book's Spanish and English titles and different subtleties of each; Fernanda details how she decided to title the book as she dd At about 3:20, Annie McDermott, Episode 91 and Mario Levrero shout outs! At about 4:00, Fernanda discusses her reading life growing up, the ways in which better translations slowly came to Uruguay, and reading  At about 6:45, Fernanda talks about respect for Garcia Marquez, though not being a huge fan, and cites Juan Rulfo as “perfección” At about 8:15, Pete expands on a Rulfo favorite of his, “No Oyes Ladrar los Perros,” and Fernanda expands on her love of Rulfo's Pedro Paramo  At about 10:05, Fernanda talks about favorite contemporary authors, like Herta Muller and Olga Tokarczuk  At about 12:00, Pete shouts out Jennifer Croft, and Fernanda responds to Pete's questions about why there is such a affinity for Eastern European writing in Latin América, and she specifies the Río Plata region as connected  At about 14:55, Fernanda describes her familial connections to Europe-particularly Italy and Spain At about 17:15, Fernanda responds to Pete's question about seeds for her writing life At about 19:05, Fernanda references The Stranger and El Lugar by Levrero as chill-inducing books At about 21:30, Pete is complimentary of Fernanda's worldbuilding, and she expands on what she loves about it At about 23:00, Pete and Fernanda discuss translation in her book, especially of colloquialisms like “ni fu ni fa” At about 26:25, Fernanda responds to Pete's question about climate change and other stimuli for Mugre Rosa/Pink Slime At about 28:50, Pete mentions the book's interesting dialogues that complement the action, and Fernanda expands on the evolving dialogues   At about 30:50, Fernanda talks about the book's opening and the “first image” in her mind of a foggy port that creates an ambience for the book At about 33:45, Pete shares laudatory blurbs for the book, especially about the book's “envelop[ing]” world built by Fernanda At about 34:25, Fernanda describes the book's opening, including a pivotal scene involving a possible last fish At about 37:05, Pete wonders about nostalgia, and Fernanda talks about her interest and lack of interest in certain ideas of what has been lost  At about 39:40, Fernanda discusses the relationship between the narrator and Max and its significance in the novel, especially in charting changes in the narrator as the book continues At about 44:20, Pete points out a funny saying/joke from the book and Fernanda outlines her conversations with Heather Cleary in the translating of the joke At about 46:05, The two discuss “surrendering and letting go” and connections to the novel and specifically, the narrator and Max's relationship  At about 47:30, Pete lays out some basics on the relationships between the narrator and her mother, as well as her work situation with Mauro; Fernanda talks about how Covid's social dynamics have mirrored so many parts of her novel and the ways in which the rich were able to move to safety    At about 51:45, the two discuss the differing relationships between the narrator's two mother figure-Fernanda talks about the key questions of “What is a mother?” At about 55:50, Fernanda and Pete discuss Mauro and his health condition and his memories of the time outlined in the book At about 58:00, Pete and Fernanda reflect on ideas of community and if there is optimism/hope that comes with the book  At about 1:01:50, The two discuss ideas of systems and individuals' culpability  At about 1:04:00, Fernanda gives social media info, and places to buy her book      You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.       I am very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode features segments from conversations with Jeff Pearlman, Matt Bell, F. Douglas Brown, Jorge Lacera, Jean Guererro, Rachel Yoder, and more, as they reflect on chill-inducing writers who have inspired their own work. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 264 with Maggie Sheffer. She is Professor of Practice at Tulane University, where she teaches courses in design thinking and speculative fiction as tools for social change. She is a founding member of Third Lantern Lit, a local writing collective, and her debut short story collection, The Man in the Banana Trees, was selected by judge Jamil Jan Kochai for the Iowa Short Fiction Award, and is published as of November 5.    The episode airs on December 3.    Lastly, please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Notes and Links to Rus Bradburd's Work        Rus Bradburd's latest book is the satirical novel, “Big Time.”  Rus attended Chicago Public Schools for eleven years before graduating from North Park College. After coaching basketball for fourteen seasons at UTEP and New Mexico State University, he left the game to study with Robert Boswell and Antonya Nelson—and pursue a life in writing. His five books focus on the intersections of sport, social progress, politics, and race. Rus has remained connected to the game through his acclaimed Basketball in the Barrio summer program in El Paso, as well as serving as NMSU's television “color analyst.”  He was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to return to Ireland to work on his next book about refugees in Belfast, “Almost Like Belonging.” An accomplished fiddle player, he lives in Chicago, Belfast, and New Mexico. Buy Big Time   Rus Bradburd's Website At about 2:00, Rus gives background on his fiddle playing and his time as color commentator for New México State University  At about 3:40, Rus talks about Big Time as his first work of fiction, as well as its nice timing, and he details how he worked on the book for many years At about 5:40, Rus outlines some of the book's exposition and plot, and talks about the current Colorado Football connections At about 6:40, Rus talks about Univ of Chicago's 1939 dropping of football and other stimuli for the book's genesis, including Rick Russo's work, and Dave Meggyesy's book  At about 8:40, Rus talks about satire and fiction and ideas of how fiction often gets at truth so well At about 10:00, Rus gives more background on committee workloads and how the proliferation of committees and on particular example worked their ways into his book  At about 12:25, Rus talks about normalization of budget imbalance in universities  At about 13:30, Pete and Rus discuss the book's epigraph, and Ruis talks about how the book satirizes college athletics, while he's “knee-deep” in sports still At about 15:30, Pete details a compare and contrast lesson that he teaches  At about 17:00, Rus responds to Pete's question about the book's opening and main characters Mooney and Braverman, history professors, working concessions at football games  At about 18:40, Rus gives background on “pop poet” Layla, and the ways in which she and the two history professors work together; Rus connects today's conversations around student protests and protests in the book At about 20:30, Rus talks about the downfall of the Coors State English Department in the book At about 22:00, Rus cites the Missouri Football protest in fodder for a similar situation in his book At about 23:00, Rus speaks about rich owners often asking taxpayers to finance big building projects  At about 24:20, Pete asks Rus about any inspirations for Layla, and he expands upon how the character evolved in his writing At about 27:50, Pete charts the roles and importance of some characters in the book At about 28:35, Rus discusses the financial costs and gains of big sport universities, and argues that the sporting program is taking away from education and educators At about 33:00, Rus talks about a flawed system that puts so much work and so little compensation for adjunct instructors and showcases much hypocrisy At about 35:00, Pete points out links between Braverman and Mooney's activism and civil rights movements, and Rus connects to the push and pull that governs his own thoughts with regards to activism  At about 38:00, Rus talks about how the book's events are in many ways reminiscent of fractures on the political Left At about 40:25, Pete and Rus talk about NlL and how it relates to topics covered n the book, and whether/how NIL affected Rus' writing  At about 44:00, Rus cites Dagoberto Gilb as an example of a writer who is successful while not being preachy, and how through satire, one can be a “little more message-heavy” At about 45:50, Rus responds to Pete's questions about satire and hyperbole and highlights how his writing the book made him love his characters  At about 48:45, Pete asks Rus about doing dystopia in The Age of Trump, and Rus cites David Shields and a tantalizing book idea that is now obsolete  At about 51:10, Pete wonders about Rus' thoughts on the frenzied rise of legalized sports gambling, and Rus talks about further normalization of formerly-”sacreligious” things like beer sales at college games At about 53:20, Rus cites Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk as an influence on his book and talks about using a real beer company's name At about 54:45, Pete compliments Rus' use of stream of consciousness  At about 56:30, Rus shares out information on readings and book events coming up, including one with Beto O'Rourke, and contact and book buying information You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.       I am very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features segments from conversations with Jeff Pearlman, Matt Bell, F. Douglas Brown, Jorge Lacera, Jean Guererro, Rachel Yoder, and more, as they reflect on chill-inducing writers who have inspired their own work. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 263 with Fernanda Trías, award-winning author of three novels and the short story collection No soñarás flores; awarded the National Uruguayan Literary Prize, The Critics' Choice Award Bartolomé Hidalgo, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz International Prize in Mexico for Pink Slime/Mugre Rosa. The episode goes live on November 26. Lastly, please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.  

Notes and Links to Greg Mania's Work         Greg Mania's words have been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, HuffPost, Oprah Daily, PAPER, among other international online and print platforms. He is also a contributing editor to BOMB Magazine, he hosts The Rumpus's #ShowUsYourDesk on Instagram Live, and co-hosts Empty Trash, a reading series in Los Angeles. His debut memoir, Born to Be Public, is out now from CLASH Books.    He lives in Los Angeles, where he spends his days writing and hanging out with his boyfriend, the poet and TV writer Tommy Pico, whose commitment to the bit rivals his own.       Buy Born to Be Public   Greg Mania's Website   Lambda Literary Review of Born to Be Public   “How Born to Be Public Author Greg Mania Lived a Double Life Before Coming Out” for Oprah Daily At about 2:10, Greg talks about growing up in Central New Jersey, and his cultural life and the ways in which New York City held a special magnetism for him At about 5:35, Greg describes the different parts of New Jersey and its immortal malls  At about 6:45, Greg responds to Pete's questions about growing up speaking Polish and whether his writing in English has parallels in Polish  At about 8:15, Greg explains how he's a “word nerd” and how this and his family affects his joke creation  At about 9:40, Greg talks about how he and Ruth Madievsky vibe for me many reasons, including a shared affinity for dark humor At about 12:30, Greg notes that Born to Be Public has been **translated into Polish** At about 13:20, Greg gives background on Poland and its evolving conservatism and liberalism  At about 14:15, Greg shows his Beverly Cleary-related tattoo and shouts out his love of Garfield and other dark/weird humor in growing up; Phyllis Diller gets stanned  At about 16:30, n expanding upon his love for Pee Wee Herman, Greg talks about his love for and interest in persona  At about 17:40, Phyllis Diller gets stanned more as Greg notes an incredible sign from Phyllis/the universe At about 19:25, Greg discusses the litany of publications with which he works, and being a “freelance” writer in a year of transformation At about 21:20, Greg responds to Pete's question about his writing routine At about 24:50, Greg gives information on his upcoming novel project  At about 27:15, Greg answers Pete's question about how taking his nonfiction to fiction is “freeing” At about 30:10, Greg lists Ruth Madievsky, Samantha Irby, Emily Austin, Rufi Thorpe, Kristen Arnett, Chantal Johnson, Kimberly King Parsons as some of the writers who thrill and challenge her At about 32:40, Greg responds to Pete's asking about how one is funny on the page At about 34:25, Greg makes a startling Friends'-related admission At about 35:15, Pete and Greg discuss the interplay between the humor and heaviness in his book At about 39:20, Sand art! At about 40:30, Greg talks about advice from a writer about how he ended up writing a book that has resonated with so many  At about 41:30, Greg reflects on childhood fears and the ways in which he has worked through these fears and compulsions  At about 43:45, The two discuss fixations with death At about 44:40, Greg gives background on his childhood fascination with chimneys and diesel trains, and his dad's selflessness At about 47:30, Greg talks about the ways in which his parents' generosity and love was counterbalanced by homophobia and migraines and anxiety  At about 51:00, Greg details some harmful words from a childhood doctor  At about 53:15, Greg responds to Pete's question about his mindset in retorting to bullies and he mentions the “power” that came with quips  At about 55:15, Pete connects Greg's humor to a Tillie Olsen line and wonders about Greg's feelings at the time  At about 57:45, Greg details how his friend Rachel brought him so much confidence and helped him build his humor At about 1:00:00, Greg talks about the “no inhibitions” that govern his relationships with his boyfriend Tommy in the same way as with Rachel At about 1:01:15, Greg charts how educating himself on his fears has been helpful, particularly with regards to “fight or flight”   At about 1:05:15, Pete notes a “LOL” moment that sums up a classic college trope  At about 1:07:30, Greg speaks to the idea of “identity as never neat” At about 1:09:00, Greg talks about the links between his first friends in New York and Lady Gaga and the ways in which “Greg Mania” (MAYN-ee-uh) grew to fit him At about 1:10:10, Greg discusses how his writing mentors in high school and college helped him on his way to professional writing  At about 1:13:20, Greg talks about the book as A memoir, and how it's him “pars[ing] the different parts of [him]” At about 1:15:50, Greg responds to Pete's questions about his days at “Magic Mondays” and its connection to the worlds of publishing At about 1:19:00, Greg talks about his “majestic” hair (Pete's words) and the ways in which it was his calling card in his clubbing days At about 1:20:40, Greg answers Pete's questions about what comedy writing “satisfies” for him, and Greg expands on the “sacred[ness]” of joke writing At about 1:23:00, Greg details the “reward” in writing jokes and talking humor with his boyfriend At about 1:24:40, Greg talks about the difference between memoir/memoirs and how his book applies to the former        You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1.        I am very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features segments from conversations with Jeff Pearlman, Matt Bell, F. Douglas Brown, Jorge Lacera, Jean Guererro, Rachel Yoder, and more, as they reflect on chill-inducing writers who have inspired their own work. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 262 with Rus Bradburd, who teaches writing classes in New Mexico State University's MFA program and coached basketball at UTEP and New Mexico State for fourteen seasons. His work has appeared in The Southern Review, Colorado Review, Puerto del Sol, SLAM Magazine, Bounce, Los Angeles Times, and many others. Rus is a two-time guest spoke about 2018 nonfiction book, All the Dreams We've Dreamed: A Story of Hoops and Handguns on Chicago's West Side on Chills at Will Episode 15. November 19 is Pub Day for Big Time, his fourth book and second novel. The episode airs on Pub Day. Lastly, please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Notes and Links to Lauren Markham's Work       Lauren Markham is a writer based in northern California. She is the author of the recent A Map of Future Ruins: On Borders and Belonging (Riverhead, 2024) which The New Yorker listed as one of “The Best Books We've Read in 2024 So Far” and which Kirkus reviews called “a remarkable, unnerving, and cautionary portrait of a global immigration crisis.” A fiction writer, essayist and journalist, her work most often concerns issues related to youth, migration, the environment and her home state of California. Markham's first book, The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life (Crown, 2017) was the winner of the 2018 Ridenhour Book Prize, the Northern California Book Award, and a California Book Award Silver Prize. It was named a Barnes & Noble Discover Selection, a New York Times Book Critics' Top Book of 2017, and was shortlisted for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and the L.A. Times Book Award and longlisted for a Pen America Literary Award in Biography.  Markham has reported from the border regions of Greece and Mexico and Thailand and Texas; from arctic Norway; from gang-controlled regions of El Salvador; from depopulating towns in rural Sardinia and rural Guatemala, too; from home school havens in southern California; from imperiled forests in Oregon and Washington; from the offices of overwhelmed immigration attorneys in L.A. and Tijuana; from the upscale haunts of women scammed on the Upper East Side.  Her writing has appeared in outlets such as VQR (where she is a contributing editor), Harper's, The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, The New York Review of Books, The New Republic, Guernica, Freeman's, Mother Jones, Orion, The Atlantic, Lit Hub, California Sunday, Zyzzyva, The Georgia Review, The Best American Travel Writing 2019, and on This American Life. She has been awarded fellowships from The Mesa Refuge, UC Berkeley, Middlebury College, the McGraw Center, the French American Foundation, the Society for Environmental Journalists, the Silvers Prize, the de Groot Foundation, and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference.  In addition to writing, Markham has spent fifteen years working at the intersection of education and immigration. She regularly teaches writing in various community writing centers as well as at the Ashland University MFA in Writing Program, the University of San Francisco and St. Mary's MFA in Writing Program. Her third book, Immemorial, will be published by Transit Books in 2025.       Buy A Map of Future Ruins   Lauren's Website   Los Angeles Review of Books' Review of A Map of Future Ruins   At about 4:00, Lauren makes the case that not all young reading has to be high-brow as she discusses formative works as a kid and adolescent, which included Nancy Drew and Milan Kundera At about 6:50, Lauren responds to Pete's question about how she thinks and writes in diverse genres, and how her reading of varied writers informs her own work At about 10:40, Lauren shouts out Vauhini Vara, Hernan Diaz, Nathan Heller, Jia Tolentino, and other treasured contemporary writers At about 12:45, Lauren talks about how writing informs her teaching, and vice versa At about 15:25, Pete asks Lauren about seeds for A Map of Future Ruins and how her work with many undocumented and refugee students has affected her writing At about 19:00, Lauren and Pete discuss ideas of belonging and exclusion and pride and heritage in connection to Lauren's Greek heritage and reporting trips there At about 23:10, Ideas of “insiders” and “outsiders” and the challenges of immigration paperwork are discussed At about 26:05, Pete and Lauren reflect on a powerful quote from Warsan Shire regarding people being impelled to emigrate At about 26:55, Lauren gives background on the conditions that made Moria on the Greek slang of Lesbos a “purgatory” At about 31:20, Demetrios, a representative Greek from the book, and his views on immigration and “speak[ing] bird” is discussed  At about 36:05, Lauren expands upon how Greece as the “starting point of democracy” has been corrupted and co-opted and points to a stellar expose on truth from Kwame Anthony Appiah At about 41:50, The two discuss the arbitrary nature of “The West” and Greece and its ideals and ideas of a “Western lineage At about 43:55, Lauren expands upon the ideas of “proximity to Whiteness” with particular historical relevance for Greeks, Italians, and Southern Europeans At about 44:55, Pete and Lauren reference the horrific images of the Syrian refugee whose death galvanized support, as well as Ali Sayed's story, traced in her book At about 46:40, Lauren explains terminology and methods of doing business by Turkish and other smugglers At about 48:10, Turkish and Greek relations and how they affected the lack of patrols is highlighted  At about 49:20, “The Moria Six” and Ali's story and trials are discussed in relation to the fire referenced at the beginning of the book At about 52:00, The impositions of maps and Empire are reflected upon  At about 53:05, “Whiteness” and its imposition on “classical form” and racist science are explored, as written about in the book At about 54:55, The two trace the initial and later welcome for refugees to Greek islands and ideas of the original meaning of “asylum”; Lauren also highlights many incredible people helping refugees to this day, as well as ideas of “invaders” and scapegoats At about 58:40, Discussion of Greek austerity and true issues of difficulty for are referenced  At about 59:50, The two discuss Lauren's section in the book regarding Darien Gap and connections to Lauren's family's own emigration/immigration story At about 1:02:00, The two highlight ideas of community among refugees, and Pete asks Lauren about pessimism and optimism and the book's title At about 1:03:25, Ali's unfinished story is referenced  At about 1:04:05-Laser Round Questions! East Bay Booksellers, Point Reyes Books and Green Apple are shouted out as good places to buy her books At about 1:05:05, Immemorial, Lauren's 2025 release, is described  What a pleasure it has been to speak with Lauren. Continued good luck to her with her future writing and important work. Thank you for listening to this episode of The Chills at Will Podcast.    You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.       I am very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features segments from conversations with Jeff Pearlman, F. Douglas Brown, Matt Bell, Rachel Yoder, Jorge Lacera, and more, as they reflect on chill-inducing writing and writers that have inspired their own work.    I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 261 with Greg Mania, who is a writer, comedian, and award-winning screenwriter. He's also author of the debut memoir, Born to Be Public, which was an NPR Best Book of 2020 and an O, Oprah Magazine Best LGBTQ Book of 2020. Greg's work has appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Oprah Daily, PAPER, among other international online and print platforms. This episode will air on November 12. Lastly, please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.