Thresholds Jordan Kisner
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- Arts
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This is Thresholds, a series of interviews with writers and artists you love about the transformative experiences (surprises, crises, existential freakouts, u-turns, breakthroughs) that have shaped their work. The life-wasn’t-the-same-after-that moments.Hosted by Jordan Kisner, author of the essay collection THIN PLACES. Thresholds is a Lit Hub Radio podcast. www.thisisthresholds.com
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Vinson Cunningham
Jordan talks with Vinson Cunningham (Great Expectations) about finding himself in the midst of history, discovering ways to hang onto moments, and why he turned to his real life for his debut novel.
MENTIONED:
The Vanity Fair Diaries by Tina BrownAnswered Prayers by Truman Capote"How Auto is Auto-fiction" by Christian Lorentzen"American Boy" by EstelleThe Idiot by Elif BatumanShadow and Act by Ralph Ellison
Vinson Cunningham is a staff writer and a theatre critic at The New Yorker. His essays, reviews, and profiles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The Fader, Vulture, The Awl, and McSweeney’s. A former staffer on Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign and in his White House, Cunningham has taught at Sarah Lawrence College, the Yale School of Art, and Columbia University’s School of the Arts. He lives in New York City.
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Meghan O'Rourke
Jordan chats with Meghan O'Rourke (The Invisible Kingdom) about hiding from herself, the death of her father, and the challenges of writing a book without knowing where it will go.
MENTIONED:
The Riddles of the Sphinx by Anna ShechtmanWalking and Talking (1996, written & directed by Nicole Holofcener)"The Teens Have Made Nirvana Preppy" by Sarah Stankorb
Meghan O’Rourke is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness and The Long Goodbye, as well as the poetry collections Sun In Days, Once, and Halflife. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and The New York Times, and more. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Radcliffe Fellowship, and a Whiting Nonfiction Award, she resides in New Haven, where she teaches at Yale University and is the editor of The Yale Review.
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Rumaan Alam
Jordan talks with Rumaan Alam (Leave the World Behind) about money, freedom, his recent period of creative fecundity, and the enduring power of art.
MENTIONED:
The Golden Bowl by Henry JamesAppropriate by Branden Jacobs-JenkinsFamily Meal by Bryan WashingtonZero K by Don DeLilloAgnes Martin
Rumaan Alam is the author of three novels: Rich and Pretty, That Kind of Mother, and Leave the World Behind. Other writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Bookforum, The New York Times, New York Magazine, and the New Republic. He studied writing at Oberlin College and now lives in New York with his family.
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Maira Kalman
Jordan talks with artist and writer Maira Kalman about the death of her husband Tibor Kalman, the process of grief, and her irrepressible creative spirit.
MENTIONED:
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid LindgrenSarah Berman's ClosetThe Diaries of Franz Kakfa by Franz Kafka, tr. by Ross Benjamin"Cheek to Cheek" by Irving Berlin, sung by Fred Astaire
Maira Kalman was born in Tel Aviv and moved to New York City with her family at the age of four. She has written/illustrated over 30 books for adults and children, been a frequent contributor to The New York Times and The New Yorker, and created textiles for Isaac Mizrahi and Kate Spade and sets for Mark Morris. Other collaborations have been with Nico Muhly, Alex Kalman, Michael Pollan, David Byrne, John Heginbotham, and Gertrude Stein. Her watch and clock designs appear under the M&Co label, the design studio created by her late husband Tibor Kalman. She has won many awards and given numerous talks, including several TED talks. Her art has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. Her latest book is Women Holding Things.
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McKenzie Wark
Thresholds is back! To open a new season, Jordan sits down with McKenzie Wark live at PioneerWorks in Red Hook, Brooklyn, for a conversation about raving, gender transition, and the radical work of "playing" with form.
MENTIONED:
Leonora CarringtonKenneth GoldsmithAudre Lorde’s ZamiZoo, Or Letters Not About Love
McKenzie Wark is the author of Love & Money, Sex & Death; Raving; Capital Is Dead; Reverse Cowgirl, and The Beach Beneath the Street, among other books. She is a Professor of Culture and Media and Program Director of Gender Studies at the New School.
For more Thresholds, visit us at www.thisisthresholds.com
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Gina Chung
For her last guest as guest-host, Mira chats with former mentee Gina Chung about her debut novel Sea Change, writing about the honest messy stuff, and about learning to take better care of yourself (mind, body, and spirit) for the long-haul creative practice.
MENTIONED:
The bats under Congress Bridge in Austin, TX“The Love Song of the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat” by Gina Chung (at F(r)iction)The Daniels accepting the Oscar for Best Picture for Everything Everywhere All At Once
Gina Chung is a Korean American writer. Born in Queens and raised in New Jersey, she is now based in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of SEA CHANGE (2023 B&N Discover Pick for April; Vintage, March 28, 2023; out in the Commonwealth on April 13, 2023 and in the UK on August 10, 2023 from Picador) a novel about climate change, giant Pacific octopuses, and family, and GREEN FROG (Vintage, 2024; out in the UK/Commonwealth from Picador in 2024) a collection of short stories that explore themes of Korean American womanhood, bodies and animals. A recipient of the Pushcart Prize, she is a 2021-2022 Center for Fiction/Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellow and holds an MFA in fiction from The New School's Creative Writing Program and a BA in literary studies from Williams College. She is an alumnus of several workshops and/or craft intensives, including the Asian American Writers' Workshop, Sevilla Writers House, The Center for Fiction, Kweli, and Tin House.
For more Thresholds, visit us at www.thisisthresholds.com
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Customer Reviews
This got me through med school
Please release the Kaveh Akbar recording from Mission Creek! That conversation was so needed and such a blessing to listen in 🤍
The Best Literary Podcast
Wonderful, fascinating guests all reviewed with such depth and grace by the lovely Jordan Kisner. I learn something new about writing and the writing life with each episode.
So underrated!
I recommend this podcast to all of my friends, especially those who love to write. Incredibly insightful, and some of my all-time favorite authors (and new favorites!) are guests on the show. Couldn’t ask for more.