Shows
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 283 with Jason Bailey, Author of Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend, and a Reflective, Sympathetic Film Historian and Vault of TV and Film Knowledge
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...2025-04-291h 11
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 282 with Emely Rumble, LCSW, Author of Bibliotherapy in the Bronx, and Thoughtful, Reflective, and Artistic/Scientific Reader, Writer, and BibliotherapistNotes 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 feature...2025-04-291h 21
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 281 with Alexander Chee, Author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel, Wonderful Literary Citizen and Activist, and Reflective, Brilliant Thinker and Craftsman of the Nuanced and PoignantNotes 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 F...2025-04-221h 13
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 280 with Désirée Zamorano, Author of Dispossessed, and Crafter of Poignancy, a Thorough Chronicler of and Student of Los Angeles History and Moral Voice for Progress and Learning from HistoryNotes 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.
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Désirée's Website
Article about Dispossessed for Pasadena Weekly
At about 3:10, Desiree gives ordering inform...2025-04-1855 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 279 with Jon Hickey, Author of Big Chief, and Thoughtful Creator of Profound Scenes, Memorable Characters, and Resonant Connections to Yesterday and TodayNotes 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.
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Jon...2025-04-081h 21
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 278 with Kevin Nguyen, Author of My Documents and Keen Observer and Chronicler of the Old and the New, and Connections Between Historical Tragedies and Today's WorldNotes 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.
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Kevin Nguyen's Website
Book Review for My Documents in Los Angeles Times
At about 1:20, Kevin talks about his minds...2025-04-0841 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 277 with Douglas J. Weatherford, Translator of Juan Rulfo's Pedro Páramo and The Burning Plain, and Precise Wordsmith, Thorough Researcher, and Passionate Scholar of Film, Language, and SymbolNotes 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 Castellan...2025-04-031h 19
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 276 with Donna Minkowitz, Author of Donnaville and Master Worldbuilder and Detail-Oriented Painter of Vivid Scenes and CharactersNotes 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 Roma...2025-03-181h 14
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 275 with Deborah Jackson-Taffa, Author of National Book Award Finalist Whiskey Tender, and Chronicler and Reflective Craftswoman of Endearing and Enduring and Resonant StoriesNotes 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.
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Deborah's Website
...2025-03-111h 07
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 274 with Annell López, Author of the Short Story Collection, I'll Give You a Reason, and Skilled Craftswoman of Resonant, Layered Characters, Subtle Twists, and the Universal and HyperspecificNotes 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....2025-03-061h 05
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 273 with Raúl Pérez, Author of The Souls of White Jokes: How Racist Humor Fuels White Supremacy, and Master Connector of Racist Humor and Systems of White Supremacy in the United StatesNotes 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 la...2025-02-251h 31
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 272 with Lamya H., Author of Hijab Butch Blues and Reflective, Thoughtful, and Masterful Crafter of the Universal and Ultra-SpecificNotes 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 space...2025-02-201h 11
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 271 with Alejandro Heredia, Author of Loca, Crafter of Beautiful, Indelible Images, and Resonant Characters and ScenesNotes 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...2025-02-111h 12
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 270 with Jason De León, Author of Soldiers and Kings: 2024's National Book Award for Nonfiction, and Relentless Researcher, Attuned Listener, and Master StorytellerNotes 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 D...2025-02-051h 10
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 269 with David Ebenbach: Author of Possible Happiness, Multitalented with Genre, and Thoughtful, Generative Writer of Relatable, Flawed, and Sympathetic CharactersNotes 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 Philadelph...2025-01-2257 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 268 with Dan Gutman: Writer of Fun, Funny, Challenging, Educational, Enriching, Page-turners in Multiple Genres and for Motivating Reluctant and Voracious ReadersNotes 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 awarde...2025-01-0746 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 267 with Keith O'Brien, Author of Charlie Hustle and Award-Winning Journalist Who Skillfully and Faithfully Shows and Tells Well-Rounded StoriesNotes 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 Editio...2024-12-251h 21
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 266 with Lydia Kiesling, Author of Mobility and Keen Observer and Reflection-Inducing Craftswoman of Psychological and Geopolitical Storylines with Unforgettable CharactersNotes 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 C...2024-12-181h 09
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 265 with Carvell Wallace, Author of Another Word for Love, a Modern Classic, and Upturner of Tropes in Beautifully and Honestly Portraying Darkness and Beauty and Love's VagariesNotes 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...2024-12-101h 22
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 264 with Maggie Sheffer, Author of the Award-Winning Collection, The Man in the Banana Trees, and Master of the Weird, The Offbeat, The Clever, The Poignant, and The ResonantNotes 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 20...2024-12-041h 08
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 263 with Fernanda Trias, Author of Mugre Rosa/Pink Slime, and Acute and Detail-Oriented World Builder and Creator of Thought-Provoking FictionNotes 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 Mex...2024-11-261h 09
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 262 with Rus Bradburd, Author of Big Time, His First Novel that Connects to Four Nonfiction Works Passionately and Thoroughly Exploring Intersections Between Sport, Race, and Larger CultureNotes 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 P...2024-11-191h 01
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 261 with Greg Mania, Author of Born to Be Public, and Hilarious Chronicler of the Absurd, Eccentric, and ProfoundNotes 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 boyf...2024-11-131h 29
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 260 with Lauren Markham, Author of A Map of Future Ruins, and Sympathetic and Empathetic Chronicler of The Forgotten, The Neglected, and Those With Complex Stories Often Reduced to TropesNotes 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 F...2024-11-051h 09
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 259 with Jessica Whipple, Author of Enough Is... and I Think I Think a Lot, and Skilled Craftswoman of Nuanced, Sympathetic Works that Bring Security and Inspiration for Kids and Adults AlikeNotes and Links to Jessica Whipple’s Work
Jessica Whipple writes for adults and children from her home in Eastern PA. Her poetry has been published recently in Funicular, Door Is a Jar, and Green Ink Poetry, and online at Whale Road Review, Anti-Heroin Chic, and Pine Hills Review. Her poem "Broken Strings" has been nominated for a 2023 Pushcart Prize in poetry.
She has published two children's picture books in 2023: Enough Is… (Tilbury House, illustrated by Nicole Wong) and I Think I Think a Lot (Free Spirit Publishing, illustrated by Josée Bisaillon).
To read more of Jessica’s...2024-10-3156 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 258 with Porochista Khakpour, Author of Tehrangeles, Savvy and Skilled Chronicler of the Essence of Modern Life, and Writer of Varied, Hilarious, and Incisive WorksShow Notes and Links to Porochista Khanpour's Work
For Episode 258, Pete welcomes Porochista Khakpour, and the two discuss, among other topics, her harrowing departure from Iran to the US at a young age, her voracious reading and writing and storytelling, amazing life experiences that have fed her writing, her love of contemporary stan culture and KPop, how her latest book’s release is different, seeds for Tehrangeles, modern wellness and conspiracy theory cultures, her experiences with the real Tehrangeles, the role of the outsider as a writer, and so much about themes and topics related to...2024-10-222h 05
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 257 with Mirin Fader, Author of Dream, and Keen and Empathetic Observer and Chronicler of Stories within Stories and Stellar Portraits of Athletes that Show Their CompletenessNotes and Links to Mirin Fader’s Work
For Episode 257, Pete welcomes Mirin Fader for her second Chills at Will visit, and the two discuss, among other topics, her love of contemporary fiction, how her second book’s release is different than that of her first, seeds for her latest book-Dream, about the great Hakeem Olajuwon-coming from her previous blockbuster about Giannis Antetokounmpo, her finding stories within stories while researching the book, and the wonders and legends of Hakeem Olajuwon, from his start in handball and soccer to the ignorant and racist ways he was often vi...2024-10-1855 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 256 with Andrew Maraniss, Author of Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke, Strong Inside, Beyond the Game Series, and Other Empathetic, Inspiring, and Enlightening WorksNotes and Links to Andrew Maraniss’ Work
For Episode 256, Pete welcomes Andrew Maraniss, and the two discuss, among other topics, carefree days of baseball card trading, formative writers and social justice activists, seeds for his latest series on inspiring contemporary athletes and their fights for justice, “writing” versus “sportswriting,” Glenn Burke and his singular fight for equality, how Andrew views writing about social issues in ways that young people can understand, and the restorative and challenging power that books hold.
Andrew Maraniss is the New York Times-bestselling author of narrative nonfiction; his first book...2024-10-091h 05
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 255 with Chris Knapp, Author of States of Emergency and Keen and Darkly Humorous Chronicler of Contemporary ChaosNotes and Links to Chris Knapp’s Work
For Episode 255, Pete welcomes Chris Knapp, and the two discuss, among other topics, a fascination with Elena Ferrante, James Joyce, and other dynamic writers, the interplay between journalism and fiction writing, seeds for his debut novel, the significance of its title, the drawbacks and benefits of writing about such recent times, and salient themes and issues in his novel like colonialism, marital alienation and connection, ennui, and the creep of dystopian mores.
Christopher Knapp’s work has appeared in print in the Paris Review and...2024-09-301h 09
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 254 with Jami Attenberg, Author of A Reason to See You Again, and Skilled Craftswoman of Eccentric and Sympathetic Characters and Unique Family BondsNotes and Links to Jami Attenberg’s Work
For Episode 254, Pete welcomes Jami Attenberg, and the two discuss, among other topics, seeds for her newest novel, the significance of its title, research and its connection to continuity, and salient themes and issues in her novel like grief and intergenerational traumas, the rapid development of digital technology and its ever-changing effects on society, conventional and unconventional family bonds, and guilt.
Jami Attenberg is the New York Times bestselling author of nine books, including The Middlesteins, All Grown Up and a memoir, I...2024-09-2453 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 253 with Akshaj Mehta, Author of Five Books, Including The Butterfly Effect, Intrepid and Curious Journalist, and Advocate for Reading and Writing Diverse StoriesNotes and Links to Akshaj Mehta’s Work
For Episode 253, Pete welcomes Akshaj Mehta, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early experiences with bilingualism, formative and transformative writers and writing, beautiful trips with his mother to the library, his interest in representation of multidimensional and diverse characters and stories, a paradigm shift in reading Steph Cha, his evolving writing and salient themes and issues in his work like multiculturalism, subtlety, and unbiased writing.
Akshaj Mehta, who has been writing since he was four years old, is currently studying political science a...2024-09-1747 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 252 with Byron Graves: Author of Rez Ball and Master of the Hyperspecific and Universal Through Synpathetic and Dynamic CharactersNotes and Links to Byron Graves’ Work
For Episode 252, Pete welcomes Byron Graves, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early experiences with Ojibwe and English and bilingualism, formative and transformative writers and writing (X-Men!), both past and present, representation of multidimensional indigenous characters, Byron’s basketball career and its influence on his writing and world view, and salient themes and issues in his work like grief and traumas, personal and collective triumphs, family bonds, community, inevitable change, and biculturalism.
Byron Graves is Ojibwe and was born and raised on the Red Lak...2024-09-111h 08
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 251 with Alexandra Alessandri, Author of Grow Up, Luchy Zapata; Lupita's Hurricane Palomitas, and Other Beautiful, Affirming Books for Children and All ReadersNotes and Links to Alexandra Alessandri’s Work
For Episode 251, Pete welcomes Alexandra Alessandri, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early experiences with Spanish and English and bilingualism, formative and transformative writers and writing (Marquez! Allende! Santiago!), both past and present, representation in children’s lit and beyond, muses and the Las Musas Collective that spurs on her writing, soccer fanaticism, and salient themes and issues in her work like reassurance for children in a scary world, family bonds, community, inevitable change, and biculturalism.
Alexandra Alessandri is the author of several...2024-09-0556 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 250 with Ben Tanzer, Author of The Missing, a Fresh Take on Old Tropes, and Podcaster, Coach, Strategist, and More-All Creative Pursuits for The Renaissance ManNotes and Links to Ben Tanzer’s Work
For Episode 250, Pete welcomes Ben Tanzer, and the two discuss, among other topics, his childhood love of books, formative and transformative writers and writing, bothy past and present, muses, Jim Carroll and his powerful and pivotal work, Ben’s podcast and motivations for living the creative life, and salient themes and issues in his novel like sacrifice, family bonds, parenthood, small towns, the unknown, and awe.
Ben Tanzer is an Emmy-award winning coach, creative strategist, podcaster, writer, teacher and social worker who has been helpin...2024-08-271h 08
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 249 with Jesse Katz, Author of The Rent Collectors, Ardent Researcher and Thorough and Thoughtful ResearcherNotes and Links to Jesse Katz’s Work
For Episode 249, Pete welcomes Jesse Katz, and the two discuss, among other topics, his childhood love of baseball, formative and transformative books and writers, lessons learned from early writing, LA and MacArthur Park lore, and salient themes and issues in the book like poverty and the punitive nature of powerful interests, grief, and various forms of violence, as well as larger narratives about the immigration system, family units, and traumas and silences.
Jesse Katz is a former Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Magazine...2024-08-211h 20
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 248 with Katya Apekina, Author of the Hilarious, Offbeat, Tragic, Cathartic Mother Doll, and Multiskilled and Multidimensional WriterNotes and Links to Katya Apekina’s Work
For Episode 248, Pete welcomes Katya Apekina, and the two discuss, among other topics, her language abilities and her extensive cross-cultural readings; motherhood, the loss of loved ones, and other catalysts for Mother Doll, and salient themes and issues in her collection like intergenerational traumas, women’s agency, fatalism, guilt, and redemption.
Katya Apekina is a novelist, screenwriter and translator. Her novel, The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish, was named a Best Book of 2018 by Kirkus, Buzzfeed, LitHub and others, was a finalist fo...2024-08-2056 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 247 with Christina Cooke, Author of Broughtupsy and Creator of Compelling Characters, Relatable Diasporic Plots, and Singular Yet Universal CharactersNotes and Links to Christina Cooke’s Work
For Episode 247, Pete welcomes Christina Cooke, and the two discuss, among other topics, her childhood love of books, formative and transformative books and writers, contemporaries and fellow debut writers with whom her books are in conversation, the outsized influence of Mamá Lou, and salient themes and issues in her book like diaspora, notions of “home,” queerness and divinity, brotherly and sisterly relationships, and religiosity vs. spirituality.
Christina Cooke’s writing has appeared in or is forthcoming from The Caribbean Writer, PRISM International, Prairie Schooner, Apogee...2024-08-131h 11
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 245 with Shannon Sanders, Author of Company, the Winner of the LA Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, and a Master Class in Creating Empathy, Sympathy, and Awe for Their SmoothnessNotes and Links to Shannon Sanders’ Work
For Episode 245, Pete welcomes Shannon Sanders, and the two discuss, among other topics, her childhood love of books, Toni Morrison and her powerful and pivotal work, Shannon’s writing for her job as a lawyer, rocking sneakers at a prize-winning, and salient themes and issues in her collection like generational differences, sacrifice, family bonds, motherhood, the title’s connection to guests and hosts(esses), and racism and sexism and the ways in which they work on the characters’ pasts and presents.
Shannon Sanders is the author of t...2024-08-061h 07
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 246 with Ruben Reyes, Author of There is a Rio Grande in Heaven, and Brilliant Tactician of the Weird, the Quirky, the Joyful, the Sad, and the ResonantNotes and Links to Ruben Reyes’ Work
For Episode 246, Pete welcomes Ruben Reyes, and the two discuss, among other topics, his childhood love of sci fi and fantasy, his family’s diverse language history, formative and transformative books and writers, lessons learned from early writing, and salient themes and issues in his collection like agency, power dynamics, notions of “home,” grief, and various forms of violence, as well as larger narratives about the immigration system, family units, and traumas and silences.
Ruben Reyes Jr. is the son of two Salvadoran immigrants. He completed hi...2024-08-061h 11
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 244 with Annie Liontas, Dedicated Educator and Master Chronicler of the Micro, Macro, and Personal in Their Varied and Resonant Memoir, Sex with a Brain Injury: On Concussion and RecoveryNotes and Links to Annie Liontas’ Work
For Episode 244, Pete welcomes Annie Liontas, and the two discuss, among other topics, their childhood love of books after early years of learning English as a second language, their teaching life, formative and transformative books and writers, the hot literary scene in Philly, and salient themes and issues in their memoir like writing emotionally-charged material, “invisible disability,” traumatic brain injuries and their personal history, as well as larger narratives about TBI in the carceral system, NFL, and beyond.
Annie Liontas is the genderqueer au...2024-07-261h 16
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 243 with Kathleen Rooney, Author of From Dust to Stardust, Keen Chronicler of Early Hollywood, Versatile Wordsmith, and Lover of Poetry and WhimsyNotes and Links to Kathleen Rooney’s Work
For Episode 243, Pete welcomes Kathleen Rooney, and the two discuss, among other topics, her childhood love of story and her later connections to Chicago and Chicagoland, her devotion to words and sentences and poetry, her fascination with Colleen Moore and her Fairy Castle, seeds for From Dust to Stardust, and salient themes and issues in her book like stereotyping, early Hollywood, the burdens carried by young women and all women in Hollywood, and the power of cinema.
Kathleen Rooney is a founding edi...2024-07-181h 05
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 242 with Santiago Jose Sanchez, Author of Hombrecito, and Standout Writer of Multiple Points of View, Beautiful Sentences, and Resonant Visuals and ScenesNotes and Links to Santiago José Sanchez’s Work
For Episode 242, Pete welcomes Santiago José Sanchez, and the two discuss, among other topics, their childhood in Colombia and Miami, their experiences with bilingualism, formative and transformative reading, especially in his college years, how teaching informs their writing and vice versa, the wonderful multiple points of view in Hombrecito, salient themes in his collection like masculinity, immigration, queerness, familial ties, reinvention and Americanization, and ideas of home.
Santiago José Sánchez, a Grinnell College assistant professor of English and a graduate...2024-07-111h 17
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 241 with Antonio Lopez, Passionate Poetician, Author of the Award-Winning Gentefication, and Transmitter of Beauty and Pain Through His Creative, Heartfelt, and Wordsmithy WordsNotes and Links to Antonio Lopez’s Work
For Episode 241, Pete welcomes Antonio Lopez, and the two discuss, among other topics, his bilingual and multicultural childhood in East Palo Alto, E-40 Fonzarelli, his experiences with bilingualism, formative and transformative reading, the greatness and timelessness of James Baldwin, seeds for Gentefication in the rhythms and cultures and camaraderie of home, his life as a politician and working together with the community towards a stellar achievement, and salient themes in his collection like faith, gentrification and attendant outcomes, grief, trauma, joy, the power of art, and youthful rage a...2024-07-101h 21
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 240 with Marcela Fuentes, Author of Malas, and Master of Epic Family Sagas and Resonant ProfundityNotes and Links to Marcela Fuentes’ Work
For Episode 240, Pete welcomes Marcela Fuentes, and the two discuss, among other topics, her childhood in borderland Texas, her experiences with bilingualism, formative and transformative reading, the greatness and timelessness of Selena, seeds for Malas in fairy tales and the title’s multilayered meanings, working in flashback and flashforward to illuminate racism and Texas/borderland histories, and salient themes in her collection like toxic masculinity, the burdens and triumphs of motherhood, grief, trauma, addiction, and ideas of fractured and reworked families.
Marcela Fuentes is a Pushcart...2024-06-281h 02
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 239 with Ben Purkert, Author of The Men Can't Be Saved and Thoughtful Writer of Complicated, Unforgettable Characters and Keen Chronicler of 21st Century Corporate Culture and MasculinityNotes and Links to Ben Purkert’s Work
For Episode 239, Pete welcomes Ben Purkert, and the two discuss, among other topics, his awakening to wonderful literature and his early poetry and formation as a writer, Robin Williams’ indelible mark on Ben’s writerly development, Ben’s short but eventful time working at an ad agency, Mad Men, and profane poetry, as well salient themes in his book like masculinity, religious and personal identities, one’s possibly-unreliable perspective, reinvention, and ideas of art versus commerce.
Ben Purkert’s debut novel, The Men Can’t Be Saved, was...2024-06-241h 01
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 238 with Nina St. Pierre, Author of Love is a Burning Thing, and Master of the Introspective, Resonant, Thoughtful, and the PersonalNotes and Links to Nina St. Pierre’s Work
For Episode 238, Pete talks live with Nina St. Pierre at Sacramento’s Capital Books about her deeply personal, timely, and resonant memoir, Love is a Burning Thing.
Whether telling her own stories or reporting on the lives of others, Nina St. Pierre is drawn to boundary breakers and in-between places. Her debut memoir, LOVE IS A BURNING THING, came out May 7 from Dutton Books, and is available to order now. Set at the foot of a cosmic mountain, it's a story about fire, famil...2024-06-171h 20
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 237 with Ghassan Zeinnedine, Author of Dearborn and Creator of Singular Communities and Universal Communities with Humor and Emotional ResonanceNotes and Links to Ghassan Zeineddine’s Work
For Episode 237, Pete welcomes Ghassan Zeineddine, and the two discuss, among other topics, his childhood in Saudi Arabia and Washington, D.C., his experiences with multilingualism, formative and transformative reading and his reading “obsession,” the resonance of Dearborn, Michigan, seeds for Dearborn, “Speedoman,” and salient themes in his collection like masculinity, grief, trauma, reinvention, and ideas of home.
Ghassan Zeineddine was born in Washington, DC, and raised in the Middle East. He is an assistant professor of creative writing at Oberlin College, and co-editor of the...2024-06-071h 19
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 236 with John Glionna: Author of Buy No Friday Night Lights: Reservation Football on the Edge of America and Keen Observer of Rural Life, Dynamic Real-Life Characters, and the UnderdogNotes and Links to John Glionna’s Work
For Episode 236, Pete welcomes John Glionna, and the two discuss, among other topics, his journalistic awakenings and the writers who influenced him, his kinship with renegades and underdogs, what it was like embedding with a small town football team, the interesting characters and rich lives lived in rural areas, and salient themes like Native traumas, pride, declining enrollments in schools and on sports teams and the rises and falls of life in small-town América.
John M. Glionna is an award-winning journalist who has travele...2024-06-021h 16
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 235 with Jesse Tovar, Creative and Innovative Editor of Mobile Data Mag on Substack, and Dynamic Performer and Promoter of Standout PoetryNotes and Links to Jesse Tovar’s Work
For Episode 235, Pete welcomes Jesse Tovar, and the two discuss, among other topics, his role as editor and poet, influences and inspirations in his own work, digital collections and his dynamic Substack, themes in his poetry, what he looks for in submissions, and his co-sponsoring of the reading series “Voices of California.”
Jesse Tovar is the founding editor of Mobile Data Mag on Substack and Systemic Dreaming on Threads. Tovar's work can be found in various anthologies, including Zzyzx (Size-icks) Writ...2024-06-0250 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 234 with Sasha Vasilyuk, Author of Your Presence is Mandatory, and Master Chronicler of Fiction that Parallels and Expands Upon Real-Life Secrecy, Grief, Trauma, and Shared HumanityNotes and Links to Sasha Vasilyuk’s Work
For Episode 234, Pete welcomes Sasha Vasilyuk, and the two discuss, among other topics, her childhood in Ukraine, Russia, and then San Francisco, her experiences with multilingualism, early formative and transformative reading, seeds for Your Presence is Mandatory, including the ways in which Ukrainian Jewish grandfather’s experiences informed the book, gender balances in the USSR post-WWII, humanity and the ways it’s expressed in the book, connections between contemporary separatist movements and World War II, and salient themes like grief, trauma, and the ways in which secrecy affects ge...2024-05-161h 05
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 233 with Jazmina Barrera Velázquez, Author of Cross-Stitch/Punto de Cruz, and Wise Chronicler of the Vagaries of Friendship and History and their Effects on the WorldNotes and Links to Jazmina Barrera Velázquez’s Work
For Episode 233, Pete welcomes Jazmina Barrera Velásquez, and the two discuss, among other topics, her idyllic early childhood reading, her love for British, American, and Latin American authors, the ways in which Mexico City and Yucatán have informed her work, translation as an art, a craft, and a deep methods of editing, as well as salient themes from the story collection like evolving friendships, memory and tangibility, women’s agency, and one’s connection with her forebears and the sensitivities that come with livi...2024-05-011h 07
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 232 with Kate Brody, Author of Rabbit Hole and Master of Writing Intriguing and Flawed Characters and Crackling PlotlinesNotes and Links to Kate Brody’s Work
For Episode 232, Pete welcomes Kate Brody, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early love of, and interest in, writing and reading, The Dave Matthews Band, formative and transformative teachers in grad school and 2nd grade, and salient themes and topics and craft decisions from her novel, Rabbit Hole, including online sleuthing, true crime, moralizing or lack thereof in fiction, and grieving.
Kate Brody lives in Los Angeles, California. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Lit Hub, Cr...2024-04-251h 15
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 231-April 13, 2024 Live Event to Launch Jose Vadi's Chipped, a reflective, creative, subtly brilliant essay collectionNotes and Links to José Vadi’s Work
For Episode 231, Pete welcomes José Vadi, in Pete’s first in-store, live interview, as José launches his essay collection at Capital Books on K in Sacramento. It was a blast, due to José’s reflective, thoughtful, and witty answers, and the event featured great questions from the audience.
José Vadi is an award-winning essayist, poet, playwright and film producer. He is the author of Inter State: Essays from California and Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder’s Lens.
His work has been featured by the Paris Review, Th...2024-04-161h 05
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 230 with Chelsea T. Hicks, Author of the Story Collection, A Calm & Normal Heart, Revitalizer and Student of the Osage Language, and Crafter of Poetic, Timely, and Timeless StoriesNotes and Links to Chelsea Hicks’ Work
For Episode 230, Pete welcomes Chelsea Hicks, and the two discuss, among other topics, her language journey and how she came to study and work to help revitalize the Osage language, her feelings about being named “5 Under 35,” mentors and inspirations like Louise Erdrich and N. Scott Momaday, her writing as alternately “MFA-ish” and experimental, her nuanced view of “The Movie,” and salient themes from her story collection, including identity, celebrations and traumas, rematriation, agency, and family ties.
Chelsea T. Hicks is a Wazhazhe writer with an MA from UC Davis an...2024-04-0655 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 229 with Will Sommer, Author of Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Reshaped America, and Keen and Thorough Chronicler of the QAnon Movement Through The Washington PostNotes and Links to Will Sommer’s Work
For Episode 229, Pete welcomes Will Sommers, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early relationship with the written word, his all-encompassing relationships with and love for student journalism, formative times at Georgetown, his lifelong interest in conservative media, and salient themes in his book, including the growth of QAnon through 4chan and 8chan and Trump’s rise to power, QAnon’s pop culture connections, questions of true believers and grifters in QAnon, key personalities in the movement, as well as possible remedies for loosening the hold QAnon has...2024-03-3055 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 228 with Jennifer Croft, Author of The Extinction of Irena Rey and Award-Winning Translator, and Master of Worldbuilding, Highly-Allegorical Yet Masterfully-Plotted Fiction, and NuanceNotes and Links to Jennifer Croft’s Work
For Episode 228, Pete welcomes Jennifer Croft, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early relationship with words and geography and later, multilingualism, formative colleagues and teachers who guided and inspired her love of languages and literary translation, her serendipitous path to focusing on Polish and Spanish translations, connections between cultural nuances and translation, and literal and allegorical signposts in her book, including climate change and celebrity “brands,” the fluidity of translation, the relationships between translators and original writing, the intriguing phenomenon that is amadou, and time an...2024-03-271h 12
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 227 with Gina Chung, Author of Green Frog, a Dazzling Collection of Poignant, Offbeat, Chillingly-Realistic and Fantastical StoriesNotes and Links to Gina Chung’s Work
For Episode 227, Pete welcomes Gina Chung, and the two discuss, among other topics, The Babysitters Club’s lasting impact, her early relationship with words and bilingualism, finding great storytelling in her parents’ example and in folktales and animal myths, her master touch with disparate stories and characters, and salient topics from the story collection like parental/child relationships and expectations, grief and memory, and one’s connection with her forebears.
Gina Chung is a Korean American writer from New Jersey currently living in New York City. She...2024-03-121h 09
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 226 with Priscilla Gilman, Author of The Critic's Daughter and Skilled and Thoughtful Chronicler of the Universal and the Intimately PersonalNotes and Links to Priscilla Gilman’s Work
For Episode 226, Pete welcomes Priscilla Gilman, and the two discuss, among other topics, her famous and accomplished parents, and the perks and drawbacks that came with running in circles with dynamic writers and creatives, her voracious appetite for art and media and books, formational and informative works of art, books and not, her father’s wonderful work, belief in the sanctity of childhood, grief and its manifestations, the ways in which her relationships were nurturing and not, and how she managed to write lovingly and honestly about such a t...2024-03-061h 06
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 225 with Andrés N Ordorica, Author of How We Named the Stars and Generous Creator of Poignant, Resonant "Love and Loss" Scenes and Utterly Memorable CharactersNotes and Links to Andrés Ordorica’s Work
For Episode 225, Pete welcomes Andrés Ordorica, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early relationship to the written word, formative and transformative writers and writing, wonderful trips to Borders Books, moments and people that shaped his sensibilities, Shakespeare comparisons, and seeds for and salient themes related to How We Named the Stars, including love and loss, the intensity of young love and first love and college, longing and grief.
Andrés N. Ordorica is a queer Latinx writer based in Edinb...2024-02-291h 16
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 224 with Peter Coviello, Enthusiastic and Deeply Knowledgeable Critic and Celebrator of Moving Art, and Author of the Essay Collection, Is There God After PrinceNotes and Links to Peter Coviello’s Work
For Episode 224, Pete welcomes Peter Coviello, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early relationship with music and bands that led him on a circuitous route to reading and writing, favorite individual and shared writers, the ways in which fandom and passion for books and music and the like grows and cements friendships, and salient topics from the book like The Sopranos as comfort watching and bringing Peter closer to his Covid-isolated family, the tonic and “jolt” that is passionate and talented artist, Prince as of this world...2024-02-211h 08
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 223 with Sarah Rose Etter, Master Balancer of Surrealism, Realism, Dark Humor, and Themes of Grief and Anxiety that are Timely and TimelessNotes and Links to Sarah Rose Etter’s Work
For Episode 223, Pete welcomes Sarah Rose Etter, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early relationship to the written word, formative and transformative writers and writing, her love of writing in translation, her and Pete’s shared love of Hemingway’s short stories, and seeds for and salient themes related to Ripe, including housing and economic inequalities and realities, depression and anxiety as represented by the book’s “black hole,” parental/child relationships, and grief.
Sarah Rose Etter is the author of RIPE (publishe...2024-02-141h 04
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 222 with Andrew Leland, Author of The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight, and Masterful Chronicler of His and Other Journeys with Blindness and its Intersections with our WorldNotes and Links to Andrew Leland’s Work
For Episode 222, Pete welcomes Andrew Leland, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early balance of technology and art and creativity that continues to govern his writing and careers, early formative reading, the philosophy of “going blind” versus “becoming blind,” the spectrum of blindness, and salient themes in his book like intersectionality, ableism, and differing ideas of how society sees the blind and disabled, and how this affects Andrew and others in similar situations.
Andrew Leland is a writer, audio produ...2024-02-011h 12
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 221 with Martha Anne Toll, Renaissance Woman, Book Reviewer, Creative, and Award-Winning Writer of the Moving, Contemplative Three MusesNotes and Links to Martha Anne Toll’s Work
For Episode 221, Pete welcomes Martha Anne Toll, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and writing and written word-heavy household, her love of music and other artistic pursuits, and the way muses have worked in her life and in her novel, ideas of grief, survivor’s guilt and connection, real-life tragedies and heroes from the Holocaust that informed her writing, and other salient themes from her book like permanence, memory, and connection.
Martha Anne Toll's debut novel...2024-01-2644 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 220 with Aniefiok Ekpoudom: Keen Chronicler of Hip-Hop, Football Culture and Pop Culture in the UK, and Savvy and Nuanced Master of Telling Personal Stories; Author ofNotes and Links to Aniefiok Ekpoudom’s Work
For Episode 220, Pete welcomes Neef Ekpoudoum, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early reading and writing, varied fiction and nonfiction writers and their influences on him, the pull of creative nonfiction on him as he discovered favorite writers and their favorite writers, the ways in which he engenders trust with interview subjects, and salient themes and topic from his book, including the UK's Windrush Generation, the ways in which UK grime and rap have grown together and separately, the racism and classism that has shaped so mu...2024-01-181h 23
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 219 with Roxanna Asgarian, Principled and Dogged Reporter, Caring and Clear-Eyed Journalist and Author of We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in AmericaNotes and Links to Roxanna Asgarian’s Work
For Episode 219, Pete welcomes Roxanna Asgarian, and the two discuss, among other topics, her history in working with varied journalistic pursuits, the ways in which she has viewed power and racism and privilege in the child welfare system, and the hideous ways in which the system worked against the adopted children in the infamous Hart family murders.
Roxanna Asgarian is a Texas-based journalist who writes about courts and the law for The Texas Tribune. Her work has appeared in The Wash...2024-01-1853 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 218 with Melissa Rivero, Author of Flores and Miss Paula, Keen Observer of Modern Corporate Life and Nuanced Chronicler of Grief’s Many PermutationsNotes and Links to Melissa Rivero’s Work
For Episode 218, Pete welcomes Melissa Rivero, and the two discuss, among other topics, her language and writing life growing up in a bilingual household, writing creatively after writing more practically for her legal career, the startup cultures that informed Flores and Miss Paula, and salient themes from the book like loss, cycles in life, grieving, and la tercera edad.
Melissa Rivero is the author of The Affairs of the Falcóns, winner of the 2019 New American Voices Award and a 2020 Int...2024-01-0848 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 217 with Jeff Sharlet, Author of The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, and Sharp-Eyed Chronicler of Impending Fascism and Previous Fighters in The MovementsNotes and Links to Jeff Sharlet’s Work
For Episode 217, Pete welcomes Jeff Sharlet, and the two discuss, among other topics, his father and uncle’s outsized influence on Jeff’s reading and activism, allegory and worldbuilding and their roles in right -wing movements and propagandizing, incredibly-bleak and bright indications of the future, his reasoning in bookending the book with stalwarts in justice movements, the slow, creeping fascism that he charts through the book, and examples of and reason for steadfast activism.
Jeffrey Sharlet is New York Times/national bestselling a...2023-12-221h 09
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 216 with Kate Maruyama: Author of Bleak Houses, Master Worldbuilder, and Skilled Observer and Chronicler of Family Traumas, Class and Privilege, and Psychological Horrors Modern and TimelessNotes and Links to Kate Maruyama’s Work
For Episode 216, Pete welcomes Kate Maruyama, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and writing and love of diverse works from that of James Baldwin to Stephen King’s work, connections between Catholicism and writing horror, the ways in which teaching and writing commingle, writing allegory and its connection to plot, the ways in which she wrote convincingly of the COVID quarantine, and key themes in her novellas, including race and racism, class, generational traumas and family cycles, and privilege and family culpabili...2023-12-1253 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 215 with Nick Fuller Googins, Reflective and Dynamic Worldbuilder, Educator, and Creator of the ”Hopeful” Climate Crisis Novel, The Great TransitionNotes and Links to Nick Fuller Googins’ Work
For Episode 215, Pete welcomes Nick Fuller Googins, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early reading and writing and love of fellow Mainer Stephen King, the joys of unabated and carefree reading, how teaching informs his writing and vice versa, making climate fiction that is inherently hopeful, the “Green New Deal” and other seeds for prominent themes in his wonderful novel, including community and mutual aid, optimism, retribution, collective action, and more.
Nick Fuller Googins is the author of the...2023-12-051h 03
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 214 with Leah Myers, Chronicler of the Heartfelt, the Specific, the Universal, and the Myth and Proud History of the Jamestown S’Klallam in the Memoir, Thinning BloodNotes and Links to Leah Myers’s Work
For Episode 214, Pete welcomes Leah Myers, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and inspirations, formative experiences in writing and self-growth, the ways in which she has seen Native Americans represented and misrepresented in literature and cinema, the rage and despair-inducing Pocahontas, and salient themes from her memoir, including US governmental neglect and violence toward Native Americans, blood quantum and other terminology, ideas of external and internal prejudices, as well as writing about sensitive personal experiences and about family members.
2023-11-2858 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 213 with Andrew Porter, Reflective and Genius of the Understated and Resonant, Creator of Unforgettable Characters, and Author of the Story Collection, The DisappearedNotes and Links to Andrew Porter’s Work
For Episode 213, Pete welcomes Andrew Porter, and the two discuss, among other topics, his lifelong love of art and creativity, his pivotal short story classes in college, wonderful writing mentors, the stories that continue to thrill and inspire him and his students, and salient themes from his most recent collection, such as the ephemeral nature of life, fatherhood, aging and nostalgia, and friendship triangles and squares.
Andrew Porter is the author of the short story collection The Theory of Light and Matter (Vi...2023-11-2153 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 212 with Theresa Rundstedtler, Savvy, Reflective, Thorough Researcher on Race and Sport, and Author of Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood and the Generation that Saved the GameNotes and Links to Theresa Rundstedtler’s Work
For Episode 212, Pete welcomes Theresa Rundstedtler, and the two discuss, among other things, her early love of sports and reading, her work as a Raptors dancer, and the ways in which her voracious reading gave rise to her further exploring sports and race, as well as salient themes like free agency, racist stereotypes and white paternalism and intriguing people like Simon Gourdine and Connie Hawkins and Wali Jones from the 1970s era of the NBA.
Theresa Runstedtler, PhD is an award...2023-11-141h 10
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 211 with Chris L. Terry and James Spooner, Passionate Researchers, Veteran Punk Rockers, and Stewards and Proponents of Black Punk Excellence for Future GenerationsNotes and Links to Chris L. Terry’s and James Spooner’s Work
For Episode 211, Pete welcomes Chris L. Terry and James Spooner, and the two discuss, among other topics, the exciting release of Black Punk Now and reader response, the seeds for the book and the rationale for certain structures in the book, the balance between a punk aesthetic and fair treatment and pay for artists, Black punk as joy and liberation and catharsis, exciting new movements and artists in Black Punk and its attendant creative pursuits, and what Chris and James wish for...2023-11-0757 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 210 with Dan Sinykin, Wise, Thorough Chronicler of The Publishing Industry’s Changing Mores, & Author of Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American LiteratureNotes and Links to Dan Sinykin’s Work
For Episode 210, Pete welcomes Dan Sinykin, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early reading and how it showed a sort of rebellion and also spurred him on to a life of books and inspired Big Fiction, as well as salient issues and themes from the book, including mass market populism versus literary aesthetics, autofiction and its connection to marginalized writers of color and women, and the evolving role of editors and the colophon in the continuing conglomeration of book publishing.
2023-10-241h 16
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 209 with Julie Carrick Dalton, Standout Worldbuilder and Crafter of Plot Twists, Memorable Characters, Salient Storylines, and Author of The Last Beekeeper
Notes and Links to Julie Carrick Dalton’s Work
For Episode 209, Pete welcomes Julie Carrick Dalton, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early relationship with nature and reading, formative and transformative teachers, how her journalism career informs her fiction and vice versa, the wondrous bee, and salient themes and topics from her book, including ecology, loss and love, climate change and hope, and whether the book is a call to action.
Julie Carrick Dalton is the author of The Last Beekeeper and Waiting for the Night Song, a CNN, USA Toda...2023-10-1759 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 208 with Sowmya Krishnamurthy, Author of Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion, and Keen Chronicler and Thoughtful Observer of Hip Hop, Pop Culture, and FashionNotes and Links to Sowmya Krishnamurthy’s Work
For Episode 208, Pete welcomes Sowmya Krishnamurthy, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early love of hip hop and fashion, and the ways in which the two have always played off one another, her experiences in hip hop journalism and interning with Sean Combs and Bad Boy Records, trends in hip hop fashion and the ways in which they have been in response to racist laws and practice in the past, the power of ambassadors like Jay Z and Aaliyah, hip hop clothing lines, the po...2023-10-101h 16
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 207 with Ursula Villarreal-Moura, Master of Flash Fiction, Short, Powerful Stories, and Prose that Explores Intricate Emotions in Clever and Profound WaysNotes and Links to Ursula Villarreal-Moura’s Work
For Episode 207, Pete welcomes Ursula Villarreal-Moura, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early San Antonio Spurs’ education, her omnivorous reading habits, particularly in her childhood, a formative writing contest and reading event, her transitioning from poetry to short stories and flash fiction, and salient themes addressed in her collection, including mental health issues, trauma, delusion, ideas of identity and self-perception, and imagination and story.
Ursula Villarreal-Moura is the author of Math for the Self-Crippling (2022), selected by Zinzi Clemmons as the Gold L...2023-10-0458 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 206 with David Mura, Thoughtful, Thorough, Wise Student and Chronicler of the Ills of White Supremacy and the Ways in Which Racism Works, and Author of The Stories Whiteness Tells ItselfNotes and Links to David Mura’s Work
For Episode 206, Pete welcomes David Mura, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early reading and writing and the ways in which his parents’ imprisonment as Japanese-Americans affected their and his views of being an American, his more expansive reading as he matured that changed world views, the prescience and fullness and profundity of James Baldwin’s writing, ideas of shame/guilt and white supremacy, the stories told about ”great” white men, and blind spots-unintentional and intentional-that have led to racism in policing, schooling, medical care, and so many o...2023-09-301h 17
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 205 with Josh Riedel, Author of Please Report Your Bug Here, Standout Worldbuilder, and Sage Observer and Chronicler of the Evolution/Devolution of Tech and its Impact on Our Society/OurselvesNotes and Links to Josh Riedel’s Work
For Episode 205, Pete welcomes Josh Riedel, and the two discuss, among other topics, his Midwestern upbringing and early reading and writing, his love of Choose Your Own Adventure books, his evolving reading tastes, the experiences in early tech-at Facebook and as Employee #1 for Instagram-that inspired much of his book, and throughlines in the book like intimacy and connections, the free and not so free exchange of ideas, and the ways in which social media and Big Tech has altered our world and ourselves.
2023-09-261h 00
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 204 with Kara H.L. Chen, Standout YA Writer of Love and Resistance and Crafter of Believable and Relatable and Empathy-Inducing CharactersNotes and Links to Kara H.L. Chen’s Work
For Episode 204, Pete welcomes Kara H.L. Chen, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and constant desire to write, the ways in which law has affected her writing, YA and its pull for her, seeds for Love and Resistance, and salient themes and related real-world issues from the book like racism and anti-Asian hate, cliques and social media and high school culture, and keeping a book fresh in the world of rapidly-advancing technology.
Kara H.L. Chen grew...2023-09-2054 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 203 with V.V. (Sugi) Ganeshananthan, Master Craftswoman of Tender and Gutting Storylines and Characters, and Author of the Modern Classic, Brotherless NightNotes and Links to VV Ganeshananthan’s Work
For Episode 203, Pete welcomes VV Ganeshananthan, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and writing and the ways in which Tamil has influenced her English writing, formative and transformative writing and writers, the ways in which her podcasting influences her writing and vice versa, the writing that resonates with her college students, and the towering achievement that is Brotherless Night-background and seeds for the book, cultural subtleties and nuances featured in the book, the complicated ways in which various groups interacted in the Sri Lanka...2023-09-121h 03
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 202 with Dennis J. Sweeney, Reflective and Persistently Profound Thinker and Craftsman of Poems Both Abstract and Concrete and Author of You’re the Woods TooNotes and Links to Dennis Sweeney’s Work
For Episode 202, Pete welcomes Dennis Sweeney, and the two discuss, among other topics, Dennis’ early relationship with books and almost-averse view of nature, some formational and transformational writers and writing, DFW and his outsized footprint, the power of small press poetry and other resonant books for Dennis and his students, as well as salient themes in his poetry collection, like patriarchy, emptiness versus fullness, isolation, change, retreat and escape in the modern world.
Dennis James Sweeney is the author of You’re the Woods Too...2023-09-0559 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 201 with Erica J Berry, Thoughtful and Thorough Writer Who Seamlessly Combines Multiple Disciplines and Genres in Her Enthralling Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About FearNotes and Links to Erica Berry’s Work
For Episode 201, Pete welcomes Erica Berry, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and writing and generational traumas and anxieties that have colored her life and many of our lives, her move from poetry into nonfiction and an eventual embrace of many different types of writing and lenses, the “ecology of fear,” travel and confronting fears, and making storylines about seemingly disparate topics-land rights, myth, wolves, fear-into a coherent and superb book.
Erica Berry’s nonfiction debut, Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and...2023-08-291h 07
The Chills at Will PodcastEPISODE 200 with Adam Vitcavage, Raconteur, Skilled Writer of Literary and Music Criticism, and Charismatic Advocate for Debut Authors Through his Podcast Debutiful: Discover Debut AuthorsNotes and Links to Adam Vitcavage’s Work
For Episode 200, Pete welcomes Adam Vitcavage, and the two discuss, among other topics, Adam’s early reading and writing and the spark provided by writers like Jesmyn Ward, his early writing in the world of music criticism and literary criticism, the background on his penchant for working with debut authors, a lot of sports analogies, dream guests he’s worked with and still hopes to work with, The Babysitters Club, and shared experiences in the world of literary podcasting.
Adam Vitcavage is the founder o...2023-08-2245 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 199 with Jared Beloff, Reflective Thinker, Painter of Beautiful Imagery and Debut Standout Author of the Climate Change-Themed Poetry Collection, Who Will Cradle Your HeadNotes and Links to Jared Beloff’s Work
For Episode 198, Pete welcomes Jared Beloff, and the two discuss, among other topics, an early reading challenge that supercharged his voraciousness, contemporary and not-so contemporary writers who left an imprint on him with their visceral work and distinctive worldbuilding, his quick rise to published and acclaimed poet, and pertinent themes in his collection, including nostalgia, indifference, a fading and changing ecosystem, and the myriad effects of climate change.
Jared Beloff is the author of the Who Will Cradle Your Head (ELJ Editions, 2023).
He earned d...2023-08-151h 06
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 198 with Sarah Thankam Mathews, Master of the Visceral and Rational, Beautiful Sentence and Sentiment Creator, and Author of 2022’s National Book Award Shortlisted All This Could Be DifferentNotes and Links to Sarah Thankam Mathews’ Work
For Episode 198, Pete welcomes Sarah Thankam Mathews, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and writing and experience with multilingualism, contemporary and not-so contemporary writers who left an imprint on her with their visceral work and distinctive worldbuilding, “seeds and fertilizer” for her standout novel, including the vagaries of post-college life and the tragedies and communal love that came with the COVID pandemic, and pertinent themes in her book, like alienation, sexual trauma, “found family” and community building, and problematic capitalism.
S...2023-08-081h 09
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 197 with Chloe Cooper Jones, Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Nominee, Master of Melding Seemingly-Disparate Ideas and Themes, and Author of the Masterful and Profound Easy BeautyNotes and Links to Chloé Cooper Jones’ Work
Chloé Cooper Jones is a professor, journalist, and the author of the memoir Easy Beauty, which was named a best book of 2022 by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, TIME Magazine, and was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Memoir. She was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Feature Writing in 2020. She is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, a Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant recipient and a Howard Foundation Fellow. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
...2023-08-031h 29
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 196 with Rachel Howzell Hall, Painter of Worlds Both Familiar and Unknown, Creator of Psychological Thrillers, Master Crime Writer, and Author of What Never HappenedEpisode 196 Notes and Links to Rachel Howzell Hall’s Work
On Episode 196 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Rachel Howzell Hall and the two discuss, among other things, her devotion to reading throughout her life, her love of crime writing and thrillers, the draw of her favorite writers, and ideas raised and dealt with in her writing, including themes of loneliness, identity, racism, traumas both historical and individual, gentrification, and fear.
Rachel Howzell Hall’’s debut novel, A Quiet Storm, was published in 2002 by Scribner to great notice, and was chosen as...2023-08-011h 07
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 195 with Jessica Cuello, Keen Observer of the Connections Between Classical and the Modern, and Painter of Resonant Imagery in the Poetry Collection Yours, CreatureNotes and Links to Jessica Cuello’s Work
In Episode 195, Pete welcomes Jessica Cuello, and the two discuss, among other topics, her deep love for poetry and the French language, the power of libraries, transformational work by Jamaica Kincaid, the history of Mary Shelley, her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, and the chaotic and amazon lives led by the family members, ideas of guilt, trauma, misogyny, feminist power, death, doomed love, and identity.
Jessica Cuello’s most recent book is Yours, Creature (JackLeg Press, 2023). Her book Liar, selected by Dorianne Laux for The 20...2023-07-2858 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 194 with Ruth Madievsky, Brilliant Tactician of Plot, Humor, and Nuanced Profundity, and the WriterEpisode 194 Notes and Links to Ruth Madievsky’s Work
On Episode 194 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Ruth Madievsky and the two discuss, among other things, her early relationship with Moldova and the former Soviet Union, her bilingual journey, formative and transformative writers and works, her sensibility as a poet and novelist, and prominent themes and issues about and surrounding her book, such as generational trauma and its effect on families and individuals, sexual violence, homophobia, codependent relationships, and dark humor that comes with pain and trauma.
Ruth Madiev...2023-07-2559 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 193 with Ethan Chatagnier, Author of Singer Distance, and Standout Worldbuilder and Character ArtistEpisode 193 Notes and Links to Ethan Chatagnier’s Work
On Episode 193 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Ethan Chatagnier, and the two discuss, among other things, Ethan’s early reading and writing-John Saul!-his transformative and formative moments and educators at Fresno State, and salient issues in Singer Distance like emotional distance, entropy, father-child relationships, optimism and pessimism, and successful plot structures and schematics.
Ethan Chatagnier is the author of Singer Distance, a novel published by Tin House Books in October 2022, and of Warnings from the Future, a story collection f...2023-07-181h 03
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 192 with Donovan X. Ramsey, Author of When Crack Was King: A People’s History of a Misunderstood Era and Master Craftsman of a Historical Book that Shines Through Personal StoriesNotes and Links to Donovan X. Ramsey’s Work
For Episode 192, Pete welcomes Donovan X. Ramsey, and the two discuss, among other things, his early relationship with language, formative and transformative writers like bell hooks, Zora Neale Hurston, Phillip Roth, Colson Whitehead, and the inimitable Toni Morrison, connotations and legal policies that are products of the mythmaking and propagandizing of the “crack era,” the emblematic stories of the people followed in Donovan’s book, historical precedent for the over policing and oppression of Black people in the US, and optimism and pessimism to be seen in the stories of...2023-07-181h 11
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 191 with Sarah Fawn Montgomery, Possessor of a Poetic Sensibility, Chronicler of Nature, the Psyche, and Love’s Many Iterations, and Author of Halfway from Home: EssaysEpisode 191 Notes and Links to Sarah’s Work
On Episode 191 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Sarah Fawn Montgomery, and the two discuss, among other things, her early reading and writing, storytelling, growing up in Central California, the ways in which blue-collar Americans have been depicted-or not depicted in literature, and salient themes in her essay collection, like nostalgia, father-daughter relationships, cycles of poverty and violence and trauma, and evolving ideas of home.
Sarah Fawn Montgomery is the author of Halfway from Home (Split/Lip Press, 2022), Quite Mad: An American...2023-07-111h 10
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 190 with Ellen Birkett Morris, Renaissance Woman: Teacher, Dramatist, Prose Writer, and Author of the Precise, Affecting, and Chill-Inducing Lost GirlsEpisode 190 Notes and Links to Ellen Birkett Morris’ Work
On Episode 190 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Ellen Birkett Morris, and the two discuss, among other things, her early relationship with the written word and Southern gothic writers, her increased confidence in world building that led to her embracing writing as a profession, writers whose work thrills her, her upcoming award-winning novel, promoting her Lost Girls story collection during the onset of Covid, pertinent themes from her collection, such as misogyny, the innocence of youth, aging and its attendant repercussions, connections/intimacy, and death...2023-07-0558 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 189 with Andrés Reséndez, Researcher on The Spanish Conquest and Author of the Award-Winning and Rigorously-Researched The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in AmericaEpisode 189 Notes and Links to Andrés Reséndez’s Work
On Episode 189 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Andrés Reséndez, and the two discuss, among other things, his early trajectory towards becoming a writer, formative and transformative writers and his work with nonfiction and historical writing, the origins of his book on “the other slavery,” the interplay between disease and warfare and focred labor in decimating Native populations, and the machinations, greed, racism, and laws that guided the enslavement of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Andrés Reséndez i...2023-06-2748 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 188 with Kavita Das, Writer and Editor of Craft and Conscience: How to Write about Social Issues, and Reflective and Thoughtful Chronicler of Important and Compelling StoriesEpisode 188 Notes and Links to Kavita Das’s Work
On Episode 188 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Kavita Das, and the two discuss, among other things, her early trajectory towards becoming a writer, formative and transformative writers and writing, how writing her first book and working in social change led her to write Craft and Conscience, and ideas of history, forgotten histories, personal narrative, writing about emotional issues, the power of anthology and writing being in conversation with other writing, writing as political, and ideas of power.
Kavita Das worked in...2023-06-201h 35
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 187 with V Castro, Author of The Haunting of Alejandra, Two-Time Bram Stoker Nominee, and Creator of Scary and Real Worlds and Characters That ResonateEpisode 187 Notes and Links to V Castro’s Work
On Episode 187 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes V Castro, and the two discuss, among other things, her early and lifelong fascination with horror, the ways in which her family stories and stories of Texas and México have shaped her sensibilities and her writing, the indie horror writers who thrill and inspire her, connections to The Mexican Revolution and La Llorona which populate The Haunting of Alejandra, and themes of misogyny and self-determination, emotional warmth and coldness, the importance of therapy in formal and inf...2023-06-1349 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 186 with Stephanie Feldman, Author of Saturnalia, Master Worldbuilder, and Crafter of Intriguing and Engrossing Satire and AllegoryEpisode 186 Notes and Links to Stephanie Feldman’s Work
*Content Warning-Please be aware of discussion of sexual assault*
On Episode 186 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Stephanie Feldman, and the two discuss, among other things, her early trajectory towards becoming a writer, formative and transformative writers and writing, genre and genre-less writing, the balance between allegory and plot in Saturnalia, the book’s focus on Philadelphia and on the world at large, hedonism/inaction in the wake of climate disasters, the long echoes of sexual assault, class and power in her book...2023-06-0647 min
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 185 with Toni Ann Johnson, Renaissance Woman, Master Storyteller in Film and on the Page, and Author of the Award-Winning Light Skin Gone to WasteEpisode 185 Notes and Links to Toni Ann Johnson’s Work
*Content Warning-Please be aware of discussion of sexual assault*
On Episode 185 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Toni Ann Johnson, and the two discuss, among other things, her early reading and love for the theater and acting, her college and formative reading lists, the ignorance surrounding her film on Ruby Bridges, growing up in an almost all-white town, racism and ignorance, writing objectively when her fiction is heavily-based on her real life, as well as pertinent issues and themes discussed in her awa...2023-05-311h 19
The Chills at Will PodcastEpisode 184 with Robert Ottone, Bram Stocker-Nominated Creator of Worlds Familiar and Scary, Master of Allegory and Pure Terror, and The Author of The Vile Thing We CreatedEpisode 184 Notes and Links to Robert Ottone’s Work
*Please be aware of Content Warning for Discussion: This episode contains conversation about suicidal ideations
On Episode 184 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Robert Ottone, and the two discuss, among other things, bagels and cream cheese, Seinfeld’s greatness, Robert’s early appetite for books of many genres and types, his writing journey, his diverse interests, writing as catharsis and writing as therapeutic, hyperbole, allegory, and real-life issues like medical racism, pregnancy, adulthood, parenting, and friendship that informed The Vile Thing We Cr...2023-05-231h 14