A Year in Interviews
20 conversations with writers and musicians.
🐛WORK ON YOUR WRITING WITH ME 🦋
I have a few spots left in my new online workshop! Come lengthen and strengthen your writing project with me and five other writers live on Zoom for five weeks on Tuesdays, 6-9PM EST, starting January 23.
$330 for five weeks. If you’re a paid newsletter subscriber, scroll down to the bottom of this email for the promo code for 10% off!
I did 20 interviews with artists this year. 8 interviews with writers. 12 with musicians.
I love interviewing. It’s something I’ve done on and off for work for years. But I’ve never done it at this rate before.
This year, I built up strength in certain areas of interviewing. I learned how to make a nervous subject feel more comfortable. I learned how to write better questions that would open people up, and I got more comfortable ad-libbing during conversation. I also learned not only how to record people, but how to make that recording sound really, really nice.
The thing I’m most proud to report from the year is that I picked up an entirely new-to-me skillset: audio! I started the year barely knowing which end of a mic cable plugged into an interface, and now I’m producing segments for air all on my own. I had a lotttt of help (shoutouts to Alex and Matt!), and I’m glad I stuck with it because I love it. Mixing feels a lot like making a collage, but with… sound? (CAN ANYONE RELATE TO THIS VERY WEIRD ANALOGY?)
For my final newsletter of the year, I want to take a little victory lap, rounding up every interview I’ve done in 2023. Here they are, broken down: 8 conversations with writers, 12 with musicians. Here’s to many more in the new year!
INTERVIEWS WITH WRITERS
Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here
Pam Houston, author of Cowboys Are My Weakness
Matt Bell, author of Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts
Ladee Hubbard, author of The Last Suspicious Holdout
Ramona Ausubel, author of The Last Animal
Cindy House, author of Mother Noise
Lexi Kent-Monning, author of The Burden of Joy
Mandi Bates Bailey, author of The Downhome Sound: Diversity and Politics in Americana Music
INTERVIEWS WITH MUSICIANS
David Barbe, producer of Drive-By Truckers + member of Sugar and Mercyland
Anna Lester, singer and guitarist for Bobby Kid
Jake Xerxes Fussell, folk music interpreter
Madison Hughes, singer and guitarist
Taylor Neal, singer and guitarist for Teal Peel
Rania Woodard and Brian Squillace of electropop duo LANNDS
Jake Phillips, singer and guitarist for Glass Chapel
Tyler Fleming, musician and performance artist for golfer two
Taylor Olin, singer and guitarist for Dust Fuss
Trent Holton, singer and guitarist for Ducats
Rick Colado (x2!): for RickoLus and The Julius Airwave
LET’S READ + WRITE TOGETHER IN THE NEW YEAR
My Book Club for Writers will discuss Haruki Murakami’s book Novelist as a Vocation on Zoom on January 28 at 1PM EST. The book is an excellent dive into the life of a successful novelist.
Join the book club by becoming a paid subscriber of this newsletter.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICES GOING UP!
The price of annual subscriptions for this newsletter will rise from $40/year to $50/year on January 1, so there’s never been a better time to go paid.
Paid subscribers also get 10% off all of my writing classes, including my new online workshop! Come lengthen and strengthen your writing project with me and five other writers live on Zoom for five weeks on Tuesdays, 6-9PM EST, starting January 23.
The class costs $330 for five weeks. If you’re a paid newsletter subscriber, scroll down for the promo code for 10% off!