Mother Darling

On this episode of Articulate Experience—three writers examine how they write about the world is informed by how they see it.   Marina Benjamin’s works combine deep research with deep reflection. It’s by looking outwards that the British author salves her own inner turmoil. Scottish novelist Douglas Stuart didn’t expect his background as a fashion designer to help his writing. Now, he considers his visual skill an essential part of his secret sauce.  Best-selling author and New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean is driven by curiosity. To stop learning, she believes, is to stop living. [01:49] Marina Benjamin [15:30] Douglas Stuart[28:38] Susan OrleanArticulate Experience examines stories of humanity, resilience, and wisdom through the words of some of today’s greatest writers. Articulate Experience is a production of the Articulate Foundation. More at articulateshow.org

On this episode of Articulate Experience—three writers explore how moms and motherhood have impacted their life and work. Chip Delany is considered a “Grandmaster” of science fiction– but he wasn’t born that way. Maternal influences shaped him at every turn.Karen Russell is a Macarthur “genius” and a mother of two. Both roles changed the way she saw herself, and the world.Elizabeth Acevedo dominated spoken word poetry competitions before becoming a best-selling young adult author. And though they haven’t always seen eye to eye, her mom has always been her biggest fan. [01:19 ] Samuel "Chip" Delany https://www.samueldelany.com[11:18 ] Karen Russell https://karenrussellauthor.com[27:24 ] Elizabeth Acevedo http://www.acevedowrites.comArticulate Experience examines stories of humanity, resilience, and wisdom through the words of some of today’s greatest writers. Articulate Experience is a production of the Articulate Foundation. More at articulateshow.org

On this episode of Articulate Experience—four writers discuss the role of God in how they think, and live. Now in his 80s, the poet Billy Collins isn’t waiting for the afterlife to find joy— his heaven is here on earth. John Darnielle left Catholicism more than two decades ago, but the Church’s shortcomings haven’t short-changed his faith. Though Vikram Paralkar maintains a cultural connection to Hinduism, he looks to existentialist philosophers and modern scientists to shape his understanding of the universe.  Carmen Machado was raised in what she describes as “a chill Methodist” household. Today, she’s an atheist, but along the way, explored evangelism.[01:35 ] Billy Collins [16:08 ] John Darnielle[27:51 ] Vikram Paralkar[37:00 ] Carmen MachadoArticulate Experience examines stories of humanity, resilience, and wisdom through the words of some of today’s greatest writers. Articulate Experience is a production of the Articulate Foundation. More at articulateshow.org

On this episode of Articulate Experience—three writers reflect on pivotal moments that had life-altering consequences.At 18, Darin Strauss was the driver in a fatal traffic accident. Though he wasn’t at fault, guilt defined his work and worldview for years after. Sarah Ruhl was on her way to see a production of her first play when she was knocked unconscious in a car crash. She emerged without a concussion, but with a clear sense of her destiny. When her mother was murdered, Natasha Trethewey looked to poetry to help sooth her unhealable wound. [01:24 ] Darin Strauss [13:57 ] Sarah Ruhl [31:16 ] Natasha Trethewey Articulate Experience examines stories of humanity, resilience, and wisdom through the words of some of today’s greatest writers. Articulate Experience is a production of the Articulate Foundation. More at articulateshow.org

On this episode of Articulate Experience—three writers who grew up with distinct vantage points on American identity. Gish Jen was raised in the 1960s by Chinese immigrants living in New York. It took decades of learning, reflecting, and writing, for her to embrace the full complexity of her bi-cultural identity—but looking back, she wouldn’t change a thing.  The sci-fi/fantasy writer Tochi Onyebuchi has always been fascinated by other people and their perspectives. But it was only after he started writing about his own experiences as a Nigerian-American in his mid-twenties that his speculative fiction began to take off. Today, he’s earned some of the genre’s highest honors.Deborah Eisenberg came of age with the so-called, “peace and love generation” —educated young Americans who believed that the world was changing for the better. Over four decades, her short stories have formed a record of her evolving understanding of her native country, and of herself. [1:38] Gish Jen[17:25] Tochi Onyebuchi [34:12] Deborah EisenbergArticulate Experience examines stories of humanity, resilience, and wisdom through the words of some of today’s greatest writers. Articulate Experience is a production of the Articulate Foundation. More at articulateshow.org

On this episode of Articulate Experience—three writers whose love of language propelled their work. The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon hasn’t lived in Ireland since he was a teenager. But everywhere he’s gone, his native culture’s obsession with language and storytelling has travelled with him. A childhood love of words led Kory Stamper to spend nearly twenty years writing and editing dictionary definitions.  Cheryl Boyce-Taylor has found purpose in preserving and promoting her native Trinidadian creole through her  dialectic poetry,[01:01] Paul Muldoon [12:18] Kory Stamper [34:58] Cheryl Boyce-Taylor Articulate Experience examines stories of humanity, resilience, and wisdom through the words of some of today’s greatest writers. Articulate Experience is a production of the Articulate Foundation. More at articulateshow.org

On this episode of Articulate Experience— three writers who’ve mourned the father-child relationship they wish they’d had.Sarah Gancher has channeled her grief about her father’s death into music, comedy, and international travel. Today, his spirit lives on in her, and her son.The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gregory Pardlo Jr. often features toxic father-son dynamics in his work. Writing has helped him heal and learn from his own dad’s mistakes.When Kate DiCamillo started writing books for kids, she was able to reimagine and reclaim her own childhood. Her father was a magical, mercurial man, who was often missing in action.[01:14] Sarah Gancher[15:46] Gregory Pardlo Jr.[24:20] Kate DiCamillo Articulate Experience examines stories of humanity, resilience, and wisdom through the words of some of today’s greatest writers. Articulate Experience is a production of the Articulate Foundation. More at articulateshow.org

On this episode of Articulate Experience— three best-sellers on writing for the masses. The 27 books in the wildly popular Jack Reacher series follow the title character to countless different times, places, and circumstances. Yet, to succeed, author Lee Child admits, Reacher himself must never evolve.Publishers doubted that audiences would root for a fat heroine. Jennifer Weiner proved them wrong. All eyes were on Yaa Gyasi when she signed a million dollar deal for her first book. Wary of fame, she’s been careful to protect her inner peace. [01:00] Lee Child [19:18] Jennifer Weiner[38:38] Yaa Gyasi Articulate Experience examines stories of humanity, resilience, and wisdom through the words of some of today’s greatest writers. Articulate Experience is a production of the Articulate Foundation. More at articulateshow.org

On this episode of Articulate Experience— four writers who’ve each seen war from a different angle. Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper comic strip artist Garry Trudeau sent one of his tentpole Doonsebury characters to Vietnam and both Gulph wars. Along the way, he connected with real veterans and became a proud vessel for their stories.The award-winning author Maaza Mengiste and her family fled Ethiopia during the revolution of 1974. And though she was only three years old at the time, she remembers a great deal. Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet Yusef Komunyakaa has documented war inside and out. As a black soldier fighting for the U.S. in the Vietnam War, he won a Bronze Star for his combat reporting. Years later, he started writing poetry reflecting on his experiences of battle, and found he couldn’t stop. For Aleksander Hemon, stories are the stuff of selfhood. He writes to preserve the memory of his family, and the homeland they lost to the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s.[01:04] Garry Trudeau [21:04] Maaza Mengiste[31:12] Yusef Komunyakaa [40:44] Aleksander Hemon Articulate Experience examines stories of humanity, resilience, and wisdom through the words of some of today’s greatest writers. Articulate Experience is a production of the Articulate Foundation. More at articulateshow.org

Welcome to Articulate Experience `— the show that examines stories of humanity, resilience, and wisdom through the words of some of today’s greatest writers. Articulate Experience examines stories of humanity, resilience, and wisdom through the words of some of today’s greatest writers. Articulate Experience is a production of the Articulate Foundation. More at articulateshow.org