Julian K. Jarboe is a writer based in Massachusetts. Julian’s debut story collection, Everyone on the Moon Is Essential Personnel, is a mix of body-horror fairy tales, mid-apocalyptic science fabulism, and blue-collar queer resistance. The stories grapple with body dysmorphia and transformation, and the realities of laboring under late capitalism. In our conversation we talked about different communities responses to the climate crisis, the frustration of white feminism, and “science fabulism” as a genre. Then in the second segment, we talked about different aspects of food and community.
(Conversation recorded March 13, 2020.)
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Jon Sands is a poet based in Brooklyn, NY. I first became acquainted with Jon as one of the co-hosts of the podcast The Poetry Gods, one of my all-time favorites, and the poems in his latest collection, It’s Not Magic, are both exuberant and profound. In our conversation we talked about being braver on the page, about balancing self-love and accountability, and about writing toward growth. Then in the second segment we talked about how having kids changes how you see other people, and we talked about the work of Aracelis Girmay and how she uses personification in her poems.
(Conversation recorded February 18, 2020.)
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Brandon Taylor’s debut novel, Real Life, is one of the best books I’ve read in years. Real Life is the story of Wallace, an introverted, black, gay graduate student studying biochemistry. Over the course of a summer weekend, a series of confrontations with his friends and labmates and a confusing encounter with a straight classmate bring all of the unspoken tensions in the group to the surface. In our conversation, Brandon and I talked about the craft of writing a novel, the question of what real life is, the banality of racism, and the hidden selfishness inside altruism. Then in the second segment, we talked about digital communities and how our interactions in those communities have changed over time.
(Conversation recorded November 12, 2019.)
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Lilliam Rivera is a writer based in Los Angeles, CA. In her young adult novels The Education of Margot Sanchez and Dealing In Dreams, Lilliam tells familiar stories in new ways—instead of a typical teen drama or dystopian science fiction, she centers Latina characters in stories that take on topics like colorism and gentrification. In our conversation, we talked about why she’s drawn to write stories about young people, what it means to buy into the American Dream, and whether violence is actually empowering. Then for the second segment, we discussed Jeanine Cummins’ recent novel American Dirt and the controversy around it.
(Conversation recorded January 23, 2020.)
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Philipp Scholz Rittermann is a photographer based in the San Diego, CA area. In his photographic work, Philipp has long been interested in trying to see the impossible, and in his latest series sight • time • memory, he tries to imagine what it would look like if his gaze could encompass more than just the present moment—using a large-scale projector, he projects a landscape image from a previous season onto the same landscape, then rephotographs the resulting scene. In our conversation, we talked about his fascination with time and memory, the pleasure of figuring out the “puzzle” of an image, and how to make images that reward long engagement. Then for the second segment, we discussed the decline of hand-making in our culture, the nature of authenticity, and the emotional impact of change.
(Conversation recorded January 10, 2020.)
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Paula Riff is a photographic artist based in Los Angeles, CA. Combining the cyanotype and gum bichromate processes, Paula Riff creates bold, colorful images that push the boundaries of the photographic medium. In our conversation, Paula and I talked about what photography is to her, why she’s attracted to alternative processes, and how her work is ultimately autobiographical. Then for the second segment, we talked about the value of physical art spaces.
(Conversation recorded December 3, 2019.)
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Rakesh Satyal is a writer and editor. Rakesh’s novel No One Can Pronounce My Name was an utterly delightful read, subverting the stereotypical tropes of the immigrant story with humor and empathy to create something wonderfully unexpected. In our conversation, Rakesh and I talked about expanding the notion of what kinds of immigrant stories can be told, using humor to create connection, and writing toward what you want to know. Then in the second segment we talked about ASMR.
(Conversation recorded November 15, 2019.)
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Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet from Columbus, Ohio. For today's episode I was pleased to talk to Hanif about his 2016 book The Crown Ain't Worth Much, one of my favorite reads of 2016. The poems in this book are an intensely personal account of his experiences growing up in Columbus, and in our conversation we talked about Hanif's approach to writing from experience, and how art can engender empathy. We also talked about music, a subject he's very familiar with as a music and culture writer for MTV News. For the second segment, we talked about a subject near and dear to Hanif's heart: the Columbus Blue Jackets.
(Conversation recorded January 23, 2017. Originally aired March 1, 2017.)
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Photographer Jess T. Dugan is one of my favorite contemporary portrait artists, whose work explores issues of gender, sexuality, identity, and community. Jess's 2015 book Every Breath We Drew is a favorite of mine, and I was pleased to be able to discuss that book with her, as well as her recent series To Survive On This Shore, photographs and interviews with transgender and gender non-conforming people over the age of fifty. We had a great conversation about her artistic process, how she approaches making a portrait, and how her tools inform her work. For the second segment, Jess chose "golden hour" as her subject, the time just before sunset when the light is both striking and rapidly changing.
(Conversation recorded May 8, 2017. Originally aired June 21, 2017.)
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Ada Limón's latest book of poems, The Carrying, was just released this month by Milkweed Editions, and it's just beautiful. In this episode, Ada and I discuss the book, the power of naming, connection with the Earth, and her collaboration with poet Natalie Diaz. Then in the second segment, we talked about travel and artistic pilgrimages.
(Conversation recorded August 17, 2018.)
Bonus Reading: Subscribers to the KTCO Patreon campaign can hear Ada read her poem “Instructions on Not Giving Up.”
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Keah Brown is a journalist and essayist. Keah’s debut essay collection The Pretty One is an honest and thoughtful look at what it means to be black and disabled in a culture that doesn’t make space for marginalized bodies. In our conversation we talked about the importance of representation, the insidious nature of ableism, and compared notes on how each of us approaches an interview. Then for the second segment, we talked about the 24-hour news cycle.
(Conversation recorded October 17, 2019.)
Bonus Reading: Subscribers to the Likewise Media Patreon campaign can hear Keah read an excerpt from her book The Pretty One.
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Marisa Crane is a writer based in San Diego, CA. What I love about Marisa’s chapbook Our Debatable Bodies is how it moves from one emotion to another and another, both within a poem and throughout the collection—the poems juxtapose our society’s casual misogyny and homophobia with the tenderness and intimacy of a moment between lovers. In our conversation, Marisa and I talked about her book, our “zig-zagging brains,” and what it means to invite an audience into our private moments. Then for the second segment, we talked about the hit sitcom Schitt’s Creek.
(Conversation recorded October 8, 2019.)
Bonus Reading: Subscribers to the Likewise Media Patreon campaign can hear Marisa read her poem “We Get To Talking About Dating Apps & I Remember How.”
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Introducing LikeWise Fiction!
I'm thrilled to announce the launch of my new diverse fiction podcast, LikeWise Fiction! I'm sharing the first episode as a bonus for KTCO listeners—enjoy!
Whale Fall, by Alvin Park. A whale washes ashore, a village loses its memories, and a relationship falls apart.
(This story first appeared in issue 60 of SmokeLong Quarterly.)
Bonus Interview: Subscribers to the Likewise Media Patreon campaign can hear an interview with author Alvin Park.
This episode is sponsored by the William Male Foundation.
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Lyz Lenz is a writer based in Iowa. Part journalism and part memoir, Lyz’s book God Land is a nuanced, insightful, and moving look at the role of faith in the culture of Middle America. In our conversation, Lyz and I talked about her book, belonging, false nostalgia, and the ways marginalized people are expected to share their pain. Then for the second segment, we talked about country music.
(Conversation recorded September 19, 2019.)
Bonus Reading: Subscribers to the Likewise Media Patreon campaign can hear Lyz read an excerpt from God Land.
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Binh Danh is a photographer based in San Jose, CA. Using both historical photographic processes and his unique chlorophyll prints—using photosynthesis to embed images into leaves—Binh makes haunting and resonant images about war, aftermath, landscape, and memory. In our conversation, Binh and I talked about his creative process, his interest in history, and the deep connections between all things. Then in the second segment we took a moment to acknowledge the recent passing of legendary photographer Robert Frank, then talked about the aesthetics of smoke.
(Conversation recorded September 12, 2019.)
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Helen Zaltzman is the host of the podcasts Answer Me This!, The Allusionist, and Veronica Mars Investigations. The Allusionist is one of my favorite podcasts, one that I never miss an episode of, an informative and entertaining and often deeply empathetic look at how we use language. In our conversation, Helen and I talked about her interest in language, her process in creating her shows, and the importance of the podcasting community. Then for the second segment, Helen and I talked about visible mending techniques.
(Conversation recorded August 12, 2019.)
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Robert Calafiore is a photographer based in West Hartford, CT. Robert’s photographic practice involves building elaborate sets around male nudes or mid-century modern glassware, then photographing them using a hand-built pinhole camera. The resulting images are stunningly colorful and each print is one-of-a-kind. In our conversation, Robert and I talked about his creative process, the depiction of the male figure in art history, the place of vulnerability in masculinity, and the immigrant story behind his glass work. Then in the second segment, Robert and I talked about the phenomenon of de-skilling and what it might mean for the future of humanity.
(Conversation recorded July 23, 2019.)
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Rachel Zucker is a writer based in New York City. Rachel’s podcast Commonplace: Conversations with Poets (and Other People) is one of my favorite literary shows, a show that has deeply influenced my approach to podcasting. In our conversation, Rachel and I talked about Commonplace and her 2014 book The Pedestrians, how each of us approach hosting a conversational podcast, and writing as a form of self-castigation.
(Conversation recorded July 18, 2019.)
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Yanyi is a writer and critic. Yanyi’s debut book The Year of Blue Water is part poetry, part essay, part journal, and entirely itself, a document of self-discovery and human connection. In our conversation, we talked about his book, about its form and his process in creating it, and about creating community. Then in the second segment, we discussed Hannah Arendt’s seminal book The Origins of Totalitarianism.
(Conversation recorded July 11, 2019.)
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Ashly Stohl is a photographer based in Los Angeles and New York. In the artist statement for her latest series, The Days & Years, Ashly writes, “In photography, they say that all portraits are really self portraits. So what are portraits of your kids? They are portraits of a parent.” In our conversation, we talked about artistic collaboration, personal photography, and the perception of motherhood in art and society. Then in the second segment we talked about the differences between New York and LA.
(Conversation recorded July 9, 2019.)
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Sarah Gailey's two recent novellas, River of Teeth and Taste of Marrow, were a huge amount of fun for me as a fan of both Westerns and speculative fiction. Our conversation covered both of those books, their serialized novelette The Fisher of Bones, as well as their Hugo-nominated column at Tor.com about the women of Harry Potter. In the second segment, Sarah talked to me about Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg.
(Episode originally released on November 8, 2017. Conversation recorded September 22, 2017.)
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Michelle Brittan Rosado is a poet based in Long Beach, CA. In her book Why Can’t It Be Tenderness, Michelle writes about California, Malaysia, and the space between, about divorce, and life transition, and new love. In our conversation we talked about her book, about her creative process and how she thinks about poetic form, and about mixed-race identity. Then in the second section we talked about the history of the pantoum, and our experiences with English-language versions of Asian poetic forms.
(Conversation recorded May 30, 2019.)
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Chaya Bhuvaneswar is a physician and writer. I read Chaya’s short story collection White Dancing Elephants this spring and really enjoyed it, both because of the way it centered South Asian and women’s stories, and for the complex, complicated relationships at the heart of each story. In our conversation, Chaya and I talked about White Dancing Elephants; about Seamus Heaney, punishment, and complicity; and about whose stories get called “dark.” Then for the second segment, we talked about some of Chaya’s favorite poets, and why poetry is important to her.
(Conversation recorded May 25, 2019.)
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Julia Dixon Evans is a writer based in San Diego, CA. I read Julia’s novel How to Set Yourself on Fire recently and was quite taken with her use of voice and the strong characterization of the story’s narrator, Sheila. In our conversation, Julia and I talked about her book, about experimenting with form as a writer, and about the question of likability. Then for the second segment we talked about trail running, and pushing yourself both physically and creatively.
(Conversation recorded April 22, 2019.)
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Jennifer Greenburg is a photographer based in Chicago, IL. In her series Revising History, Jennifer alters vintage found photographs by inserting herself into the image, creating something new that comments on the ways that the style and glamor of the post-war era glosses over the very real discrimination and gender inequality of the time. We talked about Revising History, the ways that photographs lie, and the need for visual literacy in our society. Then in the second segment, Jennifer chose vintage clothing as her topic.
(Conversation recorded March 21, 2019.)
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