The Lives of Writers

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Michael Wheaton interviews Zachary Pace. Zachary Pace is a writer and editor whose first book is I Sing to Use the Waiting: A Collection of Essays About the Women Singers Who've Made Me Who I Am (Two Dollar Radio, 2024), and whose writing has been published in the Baffler, BOMB, Bookforum, Boston Review, Frieze magazine, Interview magazine, Literary Hub...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Sara Lippmann interviews Ben Tanzer. Ben Tanzer is the author of the short story collection UPSTATE , the science fiction novel Orphans, and the essay collections Lost in Space and Be Cool, and most recently the novel The Missing , which is out now from 7.13 Books. Among many other things, he also produces and hosts This Podcast Will Change Your Life. S...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Jeff Alessandrelli interviews Claire Donato. Claire Donato is the author of Burial , a fiction novella, and The Second Body, a full-length collection of poems, and most recently Kind Mirrors, Ugly Ghosts , a collection of fiction. Currently, she works as Acting Chairperson of Writing at Pratt Institute, where she received the 2020-2021 Distinguished Tea...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Michael Wheaton interviews Sean Enfield. Sean Enfield is the author of debut collection of essays, Holy American Burnout! (Split/Lip Press, 2023). He serves as an Assistant Non Fiction Editor at Terrain.org, and his own work has been published in Reed Magazine, Hayden’s Ferry, Witness Magazine, Tahoma Literary Review, and The Rumpus, among others. Micha...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Sara Rauch interviews Joshua Marie Wilkinson. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Joshua Marie Wilkinson is a poet, novelist, and filmmaker. His debut novel, Trouble Finds You , was published by Fonograf Editions (2023). He is also the author of nine books of poetry, including Selenography , Swamp Isthmus , and Meadow Slasher . His work has appear...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Mike Nagel interviews Brian Allen Carr. Brian Allen Carr is the author of eight books, most recently Bad Foundations , out now from CLASH Books. His other books include Opioid, Indiana, Short Bus , and Motherfucking Sharks . Mike Nagel is the author of Duplex and Culdesac ( Autofocus Books, 2022 and 2024). He also wrote the music for this podcast and a...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Jeff Alessandrelli interviews Michael Wheaton. Michael Wheaton is the author of the essay Home Movies (Bunny Presse, 2024). His writing has appeared in Essay Daily, DIAGRAM, Burrow Press Review, Rejection Letters, HAD, and other online journals. He publishes Autofocus Books and produces this podcast. Jeff Alessandrelli is the author of several books, in...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Kaycie Hall interviews Lauren Elkin. Kaycie Hall is the lead editor of our online journal Autofocus . She's also a writer and literary translator, whose work has appeared in Peach Mag, Neutral Spaces, Triangle House Review , and other journals.  Lauren Elkin is a writer and translator of many books, most recently the author of Art Monsters: Unruly Bodie...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Erin Slaughter interviews Chin-Sun Lee. Chin-Sun Lee is the author of the debut novel  Upcountry (Unnamed Press 2023), listed among  Publishers Weekly’s  Big Indie Books of Fall 2023, and is one of Poets & Writers’ 5 Over 50 for 2023. She’s also a contributor to  Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology  (Madville Publishing 2023) and  the New Y...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Jeff Alessandrelli interviews Trey Moody. Trey Moody is the author of the poetry collection Autoblivion , which is out now from Conduit Books, and Thought That Nature (Sarabande Books, 2014). He's been the recipient of numerous awards including the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry, and his poems have appeared in The Atlantic, The Believer, and New Engl...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Lena Crown interviews Jehanne Dubrow. Jehanne Dubrow is the author of nine books of poems, including most recently, Wild Kingdom (Louisiana State University Press, 2021), and three books of creative nonfiction, throughsmoke: an essay in notes (New Rivers Press, 2019), Taste: A Book of Small Bites (Columbia University Press, 2022), and Exhibitions: Essay...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Jeff Alessandrelli interviews LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs. LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs is a poet and sound artist. She is the author of the poetry collections, Village (Coffee House Press, 2023)  and TwERK (Belladonna, 2013), in addition to three chapbooks. Her interdisciplinary work has been featured at the Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum, the Whitney Mu...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Aaron Burch interviews Lindsay Hunter. Lindsay Hunter is the author most recently of the novel Hot Springs Drive (Roxane Gay Books, 2023). She's also the author of two story collections, Daddy's and Don't Kiss Me, and the novels Ugly Girls and Eat Only When You're Hungry . She hosts the literary podcast I'm A Writer, But . Aaron Burch is the author of t...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Kevin Maloney interviews Mike Nagel. Mike Nagel is the author of Duplex ( Autofocus Books, 2022) and now the author of Culdesac (Autofocus Books, 2024). He also wrote the music for this podcast and a column called The Unintentionalist for the literary magazine Little Engines . Kevin Maloney is the author of The Red-Headed Pilgrim (Two Dollar Radio, 2023...

Autofocus Books authors Aaron Burch, Kristine Langley Mahler, Danny Caine, and Holly Pelesky read selections from their books  and interview each other briefly about the work they've read. Aaron Burch is the author of the essay collection A Kind of In-Between and editor of How to Write a Novel: An Anthology of 20 Craft Essays About Writing, None of Which Ever Mention Writing , both from Autofocus...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Michael Wheaton interviews Lexi Kent-Monning. Lexi Kent-Monning is the author of the novel, The Burden of Joy , which is out now from Rejection Letters Press. Her writing has been published or is forthcoming in XRAY, Joyland, Tilted House Review, Neutral Spaces, Little Engines, and elsewhere. An excerpt from The Burden of Joy, titled "The Nurse's Lament...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Mike Nagel interviews Parker Young. Parker Young is the author of the the short story collection Cheap Therapist Says You're Insane (Future Tense Books) . His stories have appeared in   X-R-A-Y, HAD,  Juked, and elsewhere.  A story from Parker's collection, "On the Toilet," was originally published in Autofocus . Mike Nagel is the author of Duplex ( Aut...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Joshua James Amberson interviews Russell Brakefield. Russell Brakefield is the author the poetry book My Modest Blindness , which is out now from us at Autofocus Books. He's also the author of Field Recordings and the forthcoming Irregular Heartbeats at the Park West (Wayne State University Press). His writing has appeared in the Indiana Review, New Orl...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Aaron Burch interviews Austin Ross. Austin Ross is the author of the novel Gloria Patri    and is a senior editor with HarperCollins, where he acquires and develops a wide variety of nonfiction titles. His fiction and essays have been featured in Publishers Weekly , Literary Hub , and elsewhere.  Aaron Burch is the author of the essay collection A Kind...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Sara Rauch interviews Hilary Leichter. Hilary Leichter is the author of the novels Terrace House , which came out from Ecco early this fall, and Temporary , which came out, to much acclaim, from Coffee House Press in 2020. Hilary’s writing has appeared in The New Yorker , n+1 , The New York Times , Conjunctions, and elsewhere. Her work in Harper’s Magaz...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Michael Wheaton interviews Tyler Dempsey. Tyler Dempsey is the author of Newspaper Drumsticks, Time as a Sort of Enemy, Consumption & Other Vices , and Will We All Still See Each Other Afterward . He hosts Another Fucking Writing Podcast . Michael Wheaton is the publisher of Autofocus Books and producer of The Lives of Writers . ____________ PART ONE, t...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Jeff Alessandrelli interviews Kazim Ali. Kazim Ali is a poet, novelist, and essayist. His most recent book is Sukun: New and Selected Poems , which draws from his six previous full-length collections, and includes 35 new poems. He's also published novels, translations, anthologies, and a memoir. He was a founding editor of Nightboat Books. Jeff Alessand...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Kaycie Hall interviews Heidi Julavits. Kaycie Hall is the lead editor of our online journal Autofocus . She's also a writer and literary translator, whose work has appeared in Peach Mag, Neutral Spaces, Triangle House Review , and other journals.  Heidi Julavits is the author of the new book Directions to Myself: A Memoir of Four Years , The Folded Cloc...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Michael Wheaton interviews Benjamin Niespodziany. Benjamin Niespodziany is the author of the poetry collection No Farther Than the End of the Street  (Okay Donkey Press), the novella in one act plays Cardboard Clouds (X-R-A-Y), and two chapbooks. His work has been featured in Fence, Crazyhorse, Fairy Tale Review, Salt Hill, and other journals. He also r...

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers , Lucas Mann interviews Jill Talbot. Lucas Mann is the author of three books, Captive Audience: On Love and Reality TV, Lord Fear: A Memoir ,  and Class A: Baseball in Middle of Everywhere . His fourth book, Attachments: Essays On Fatherhood and Other Performances is forthcoming around the spring of 2024. He is also the new co-owner Riffraff Bookstore and...