Thick Skin analyzes negative feedback from the author's perspective.
Episode I
"You put all this energy into trying to make sure the worst thing doesn't happen, but then when it does, it's really liberating" with Sheila Heti.
Episode II
"I'm actually shocked by that comment!" with Michelle Gable.
Episode III
"Part of being a writer is just accepting the risk that you aren't any good and you can't see it" with Mike Meginnis.
Episode IV
"If you read every book you pick up to see if it meets David Foster Wallace's rule for some hypothetical future vanguard of lit rebels...I just really, really suspect you are a man" with Elisa Gabbert.
Episode V
"This is...like the thing they did in Communist China where people had to get up and 'self-criticize'" with Emily Gould.
Episode VI
The Two Darts with Clancy Martin.
Episode VII
"My whole world cracked open and the potential for what my life could be completely shifted" with Catie Disabato.
Episode VIII
"Some have called it the worst review of all time" with Porochista Khakpour.
Episode IX
"The worst things critics have ever said about my work pale in comparison to the worst things I've said to myself" with Laura van den Berg.
Episode X
"We need a pain scale like the one in the ER" with Rebecca Makkai.
Episode XI
"NO ONE separates the art from the artist anymore. It's like, a lost art." with Chloe Caldwell.
Episode XII
"Art can no longer successfully be the mirror it once was" with Thomas Christopher Greene.
Episode XIII
“The bubbling sarcastic anger of one male attempting to take another male down through the time-honored tradition of online comments" with Teddy Wayne.
Episode XIV
"You're freaking me out now" with Joe McGinniss Jr.
Episode XV
"Anyone who is coming to my work because they find me sexually attractive is going to be disappointed. I write long sentences about water." with Kathleen Alcott.
Episode XVI
"Personal failing? Moral ineptitude? Limited exposure to art?" with Hannah Pittard.
Episode XVII
"Most people who hate my book hate it for some combination of three reasons" with Tony Tulathimutte.
Episode XVIII
"An elephant, however good, is not a good warthog" with Sigrid Nunez.
Episode XIX
"I don't necessarily love that girl either" with Stephanie LaCava.
Episode XX
“More or less exactly the review I was afraid the book would get” with Miranda Popkey.
Episode XXI
“I'm of no illusion that my writing is for everybody, even those who do show up and try” with Blake Butler.
Episode XXII
“This does strike a nerve, because it was something I was worried about” with Emily Temple.
Episode XXIII
“I was excitedly screenshotting until I got to the final few paragraphs when I was like ah. Delete, delete, delete.” with Virginia Feito.
Episode XXIV
“A very empty take on the novel” with James Han Mattson.
Episode XXV
“So vitriolic and pedantic that it gave me the creeps” with Mark Prins.
Episode XXVI
“I rush the pain, in a way, I crave the sting” with Claudia Durastanti.
Episode XXVII
“If he resents the hype, so do I” with Deepti Kapoor.
Episode XXVIII
"All this vitriol over something not satisfying your desires” with Ray Nayler.
Episode XXIX
“Technically correct, I guess!” with Monica Heisey.
Episode XXX
“Goodreads: Where Homophobes Teach You How to Dog Whistle” with Kyle Dillon Hertz
Influenced discusses the works that made the writer
A Bit Contrived features authors who exist talking about books that don't.
Episode I
Annie DeWitt on Barry Hannah's Hey Jack and Marguerite Duras' The Lover
Episode II
Sara Majka on Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises
Episode III
Greg Jackson on Calvin & Hobbes
Episode IV
Tiffany McDaniel on Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Episode V
Andrew O'Hagan on The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer
Episode VI
Alexis M. Smith on Margaret Atwood's Surfacing.
Episode VII
Alexander Weinstein on Charlie Kaufman.
Episode VIII
Lara Vapnyar on War and Peace.
Episode IX
Rebecca Dinerstein on All The King's Men.
Episode X
Garth Greenwell on Death in Venice.
Episode XI
Charlotte Shane on The Naomi Poems.
Episode XII
AS Hamrah on Godard on Godard.
Episode XIII
Alix Ohlin on The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
Episode XIV
Hermione Hoby on Underworld.
Episode XV
Meghan O'Gieblyn on The Brothers Karamazov.
Episode XVI
Paul La Farge on Pale Fire.
Episode XVII
Sally Rooney on Belle and Sebastian
Episode XVIII
Helen DeWitt on The Transfiguration of the Commonplace
Episode XIX
Dave Itzkoff on The Journalist and the Murderer
Episode XX
Lisa Tadeo on finding her subject(s), the throttle of desire, wounding indifference, and more.
Episode I
To Curry Favor with the Wealthy by Aaron Thier, cover design by Linda Huang.
Episode II
A First, Wincing Sip by Andrew Ladd, cover design by Devin Washburn.
Episode III
Cuddling, Smiling, and then Kissing by Maxwell Neely-Cohen, cover design by Joan Wong.
Episode IV
Zip and Unzip by Julie Schumacher, cover design by Emily Mahon.
Episode V
Too Fond, Perhaps by JC Hallman, cover design by Jamie Keenan.
Episode VI
& Yet & Yet & Yet by Victoria Hetherington, cover design by Jamie Keenan.
Episode VII
Great Birds of Light by Mark Doten, cover design by David Drummond.
Episode VIII
A Perfunctory Understanding by @GuyInYourMFA, cover design by Zak Tebbal.
Episode IX
Dying Fabric and Making Gunpowder by Diana Wagman, cover design by Jason Ramirez.
Episode X
Acting Like Something Concrete by Mary Jo Bang, cover design by Mark Abrams.
Episode XI
Sour Grapes and Roasting Almonds by Antoine Wilson, cover design by Olga Grlic.
Episode XII
Two Poorly Soldered Wires by Lionel Shriver, cover design by David Gee.
Episode XIII
A Renegade Iceberg Finding Itself Alone by Matt Gallagher, cover design by Charles Brock.
Episode XIV
Murmurs and Titters and Gasps by Judith Claire Mitchell, cover by Erin Fitzsimmons.
Episode XV
A Fresh Predawn Breeze by Chris Belden, cover by Kate Engbring.
Episode XVI
Short Story Long by Margot Leitman, cover by James Iacobelli.
Episode XVII
Something About Commedia by Paul Goldberg, cover by Alison Klapthor.
Episode XVIII
Clouds Gathered. Clouds Melted. by Adam Thirlwell, cover by Kerri Resnick.
The Art of Commerce explores literature & the market.
Episode I
"That's fine! People like them!" featuring Christopher Bonanos, senior editor at New York magazine.
Episode II
"And we oiled each other up and ran naked in the dust of Sparta" featuring Richard Nash, entrepreneur, publisher & digital visionary.
Episode III
"Predictions are for suckers" featuring Hamilton Nolan, senior writer for Gawker.
Episode IV
"Melting genre" featuring Neil Baptista, CEO and Founder of Riffle.
Episode V
"Oh, I should definitely explain why I don't care about this question" featuring Nick Montfort, associate professor of digital media at MIT.
Episode VI
"Help me my vagueness is showing" featuring Liam Sarsfield, founder of Literistic.
Episode VII
"There's a dark side to their flavor of innovation" featuring Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords.
Episode VIII
"Every book gets a fair shot" featuring Kevin Nguyen, Editorial Director of Oyster.
Episode IX
"Here lies a Man who wrote the Truth" featuring Dana Schwartz, aka @GuyInYourMFA and @DystopianYA.
Episode X
"Snake oil" featuring Kovid Goyal, creator of calibre.
Episode XI
"They could have put a blank white cover with her name and title and it would sell well" featuring Sarah Weinman, News Editor at Publishers Marketplace.
Episode XII
"I happen to like both art and teeth" featuring cartoonist Grant Snider.
Episode XIII
"The ghost of joy and possibility drifting casually through the night" featuring Adrian Todd Zuniga, the creator and host of Literary Death Match.
Episode XIV
"A conundrum for all" featuring David Wilk, publisher and Booktrix founder.
Episode XV
*Deep breath* featuring Rachel Edidin, writer, editor, consultant and @WorstMuse.
Episode XVI
"Serendipity" featuring Jane Friedman, speaker, professor, consultant, writer, editor, publisher and more.
Episode XVII
"It's a business now" featuring Simon Vance, audiobook narrator.
Episode XVIII
"Writing isn't in trouble; reading is in trouble" featuring Bethanne Patrick, writer, blogger, critic and more.
Episode XIX
"Virality & gender" featuring Michele Filgate, essayist, critic and writer.
Episode XX
"Harry Potter and the Dreaded Op Ed" featuring Ron Charles, book critic at The Washington Post.
Episode XXI
The 3% featuring Chad Post, publisher at Open Letter Books.
Episode XXII
"You don't need to be literate to dance (and thank god for that)" featuring Ken Baumann, publisher at Sator Press.
Episode XXIII
Brick and Mortar, Part I: Book Zoo in Oakland, California featuring Erik Lyngen.
Episode XXIV
Brick and Mortar, Part II: The Book House in St. Louis, Missouri featuring Michelle Barron.
Episode XXV
Brick and Mortar, Part III: Watermark Books & Cafe in Wichita, Kansas featuring Sarah Bagby.
Episode XXVI
Brick and Mortar, Part IV: Issues in Oakland, California featuring Joe Colley.
Episode XXVII
Brick and Mortar, Part V: The Morris Book Shop in Lexington, Kentucky featuring Wyn Morris.
Episode XXVIII
Brick and Mortar, Part VI: BooksOrBooks in Las Vegas, Nevada featuring Kim Henry.
Episode XXIX
"Art is contrived. But so is 'dinner.'" featuring Arjun Basu, writer and Twitter pro.
Episode XXX
"I wouldn't want to reassure my past self. 'Keep panicking'." featuring Mallory Ortberg of The Toast.
Episode XXXI
Brick and Mortar, Part VII: Phinney Books in Seattle, Washington featuring Tom Nissley.
Episode XXXII
"Whose canon is it anyway?" featuring Peter Gadol.
Episode XXXIII
Brick and Mortar, Part VIII: Third Place Books in Seattle, Washington featuring Robert Sindelar.
Episode XXXIV
"I fell into something of a persona and that was a mistake." featuring Edward Champion.
Episode XXXV
Brick and Mortar, Part IX: Montana Valley Book Store in Alberton, Montana featuring Keren Wales.
Episode XXXVI
"Find a 'more literary iguana'" featuring Allison Saltzman.
Episode XXXVII
"I don't make a distinction between 'commercial' and 'self' publishing" featuring Joel Friedlander.
Episode XXXVIII
"I drink 25 cups of coffee a day" featuring Rolli.
Episode XXXIX
"I should send Jazz Boy to my mom to see what she thinks" featuring Blythe Roberson.
Episode XL
"In the end we are still just hanging out with our friends in a bar and listening to dope writing" featuring Katie Rainey.
Episode XLI
"I had to reach deeper into myself, and engage with the world on a deeper level" featuring Mensah Demary.
Episode XLII
"Teach a man to blog, he'll eat for a lifetime, or something" featuring Rachel Fershleiser.
Episode XLIII
"People see what they want to see. Or what they had hoped for." featuring Lauren Cerand.
Episode XLIV
"How to survive online without losing your soul" featuring Bobby Baird.
Episode XLV
JD vs. MFA, featuring an anonymous friend.
Episode XLVI
"Living in this world is okay as long as I can still hear the song" featuring Jonathan Russell Clark.
Episode XLVII
"How much more can you love something than by putting it into words" featuring Molly Rose Quinn.
Episode XLVIII
"They become more of a person, more of a presence" featuring Jaime Green.
Episode XLIX
"Flawed female characters who are allowed to have feelings" featuring Amanda Nelson.
Episode L
"In the Norman Mailer Stabs His Wife kind of way, in the big dicks swinging around kind of way" featuring Jessa Crispin.
Episode LI
"Word play, innovative syntax, good acoustics, and a poetic sensibility" featuring Penina Roth.
Episode LII
"'Universality' is, of course, a loaded term" featuring Wayne Miller.
Episode LIII
"If you truly LOVE a book, you figure out how to do it" featuring Megan Lynch.
Episode LIV
"I was young and full of a billion ideas but had no clue how to execute them" featuring Jason DIamond.
Episode LV
"When the mental breakdown is real, you can't sell a personal essay about it" featuring Sarah Nicole Prickett.
Episode LVI
"Stories that leave you somehow both expanded as a human being and a little wrecked" featuring Jenna Johnson.
Episode LVII
[Insert inflammatory remark] featuring Jessa Crispin.
Episode LVIII
"There are very few zero-sum spaces in book publishing" featuring Jynne Martin.
Episode LIX
"The frog is the thing" featuring Anna Heyward.
Episode LX
"It's somehow an elitist problem to worry about the death of magazines" featuring Gemma Sieff.
Episode LXI
"I am afraid my writing arm is going to be sucked into the publishing machine, and be pulverized by it, or just yanked off by it, and I'm going to bleed out right here before I make another book" featuring Merritt Tierce.
Episode LXII
"Those reviews read to me more about the reviewer than the book" featuring Louisa Ermelino.
Episode LXIII
"But we aren't film and we have a different road to travel" featuring Lisa Lucas.
Episode LXIV
"Embrace the lost day for what it is" featuring Durga Chew-Bose.
Episode LXV
"Murder is bad; adults are generally more qualified for jobs than babies" featuring Joanna Rothkopf.
Episode LXVI
"Any work of art that can be digitized is now just a form of content’” featuring William Deresiewicz.
Pixelated is the digital, double-blind, lit-inclined conversation series.
Episode I
"The garish and the beautiful" featuring Sarah Gerard and Merritt Tierce
Episode II
"Pink jellyfish/blue cube: the demands of our given genders turned into objects" featuring Catherine Lacey and Will Chancellor
Episode III
"Your confidence is a wonderland" featuring Nellie Hermann and Courtney Maum
Episode IV
"Bigger fish to fry" featuring Dolan Morgan and Colin Winnette
Episode V
Fans from afar featuring Chelsea Hodson and Kate Zambreno
Episode VI
"Snorted coffee through nose" featuring Meghan Daum and Emily Gould
Episode VII
"One of the most erotic sports personalities of the last decade" featuring John Dermot Woods and Mike Meginnis
Episode VIII
"The furst one sucked so bad I've destroyed all copies" featuring Edan Lepucki and Andy Weir
Episode IX
"What a feminist mouthful" featuring Megan Mayhew Bergman and Wendy C. Ortiz
Episode X
"Phantasmagoric sentences and scenes" featuring Laura van den Berg and Karen Olsson
Episode XI
"It's thrilling to meet another insurrectionist" featuring Robert Repino and Quintan Ana Wikswo
Episode XII
"God bless the kind understanding ones" featuring Lily King and Monica Byrne
Episode XIII
"We'll always have Toronto" / The bingo cuss word featuring Scott McClanahan and Catie Disabato
Episode XIV
Doubling Back featuring David Burr Gerrard and Laird Hunt
Episode XV
"Duly muffled, we forge ahead" featuring Christopher Bollen and Jack Livings
Episode XVI
"Likability is expected of women, fiction and real-life" featuring Julia Fierro and Zoe Pilger
Episode XVII
"Right...Ahem", "Ahem", "Ahem" featuring Marian Palaia and Sara Novic.
Episode XVIII
"Hunky statues and hunks of cheese" featuring Angela Flournoy and James Sie.
Episode XIX
"Don't do the whole pretend-the-audience-is-naked business. Scary business." featuring Dasha Kelly and Sonya Vatomsky.
Episode XX
"i spent all these years thinking i was a fraud for thinking i might one day be a writer." featuring Julie Buntin and Lynn Steger Strong.
Episode XXI
"A misunderstanding of what books can do" featuring Molly Antopol and Sophie McManus.
Episode XXII
"Upmarket shops at Zara and Whole Foods" featuring Melissa DeCarlo and Emily Schultz.
Episode XXIII
"The world just needed to be turned inside out for us to feel it is real" featuring Rosa Lane and Nina Lindsay.
Episode XXIV
"One of those moments when I got the poem to say what I wanted it to, but it was also a devastating realization" featuring Erin Rodoni and Gillian Wegener
Writers on Mental Health is a window into real experience.
Episode I
Andy Weir on anxiety.
Episode II
Monica Byrne on depression.
Episode III
Dan Shewan on anxiety and depression.
Episode IV
Wendy C. Ortiz on therapy from both sides of the couch.
Episode V
Victoria Hetherington on anxiety and panic.
Episode VI
Dustin Illingworth on depression, anxiety and the loss of his partner.
Episode VII
Esme Wang on schizoaffective disorder, PTSD, Cotard's delusion & Capgras delusion.
Episode VIII
Samantha Stiers on bipolar disorder and lithium.
Episode IX
Sonya Vatomsky on anti-depressants.
Episode X
Kimberly Kim on bipolar disorder.
Episode XI
Matthew Newton on OCD, anxiety and depression.
Episode XII
Grace Montgomery on anxiety, and the treatment of mental illness in our education system.
Episode XIII
Aaron Thier on his struggle with alcohol, an epiphany (or lack thereof), and more.