Episode 7: Laura van den Berg

Host Rachel Yoder interviews author Carmen Maria Machado who talks about anxiety writing outside her genre, why her attempts at novel writing keep failing, and what she thinks about Cat Person.

Host Rachel Yoder interviews poet Lauren Haldeman about the importance of writing terrible poems, the relationship between failure and humor, the lessons of grief, & what exactly it means to "be on the opposite of drugs."

Host Rachel Yoder talks with Alexander Chee about how to mentally prepare for a book's publication, the trials & tribulations of a 15-year novel project, & his ingenious journaling system that keeps him on task.

Host Rachel Yoder talks with Kelly Link about the gifts of interesting failures, how imagining really bad stories can actually help your writing, and how she successfully blazed her own path all the way to a Pulitzer nom as a slipstream writer. Recorded live at Prairie Lights Bookstore.

Host Rachel Yoder talks with author and artist Kristen Radtke about her evolution as a graphic essayist, the many foolish snobberies of grad school, and the connection between pathological liars and successful writers.

Host Rachel Yoder talks with music critic Jessica Hopper and author Alissa Nutting about everything from productive stalking and self doubt to parenting as a writer and early failed forays in poetry.

Host Rachel Yoder talks with literary powerhouse Roxane Gay about her first blog entitled “I Have Become Accustomed To Rejection,” her secret writing career, Little House on the Prairie and, of course, Beyoncé. Recorded live at Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City.

Author Laura van den Berg talks with Mark Polanzak about deleting an entire draft of a novel while at a haunted writing residency, why she started writing (spoiler: she wanted an easy A), & the year she combined every bad idea into one big failed project. Recorded live in Boston.

Host Rachel Yoder and author Mark Polanzak talk about the many voices in their heads, a really bad chicken essay Rachel wrote, humiliation, and their favorite moments from the first 5 episodes of The Fail Safe.

Host Rachel Yoder talks with best-selling author Leslie Jamison about the compost heap of failure, a tool for reframing failure that Leslie calls "Detroiting," and how to navigate feedback of all sorts, from classmates to spouses.