Readings

For two years after one of my closest friends killed herself, I thought my grief and guilt were meant only to be handled privately. Tree of Smoke reeled me back into the world.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author on her new book, Anything is Possible, being a natural observer, not judging your characters, and stand up comedy. 

The author of Birds Art Life on spark books, the art of stillness in children's literature, and collaborating with illustrators. 

On the art of imitation. 

The singer walked a line between overt masculinity and brooding sensitivity—fearlessly exploring the dark, wailing with the voice of a man who could sound like he was trying to escape his own body.

The restaurateur and author of I Hear She's a Real Bitch on reclaiming the narrative, writing as catharsis and redacted nudes. 

The author of Lincoln in the Bardo on stretching out in liminal spaces, the feeling in your chest when you're working, and why writing fiction is like building a model railroad. 

The larger deception is that birth is only about life. In reality, the only certain thing about life is death and every birth contains that prospect.