This week, I spoke to one of my favorite authors, Melissa Broder. She is the author of several novels, the essay collection So Sad Today, and five poetry collections. She's appeared in the New York Times, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, VICE, and New York Magazine. I’m splitting this one up into two parts…

Today you’ll hear the first half of our conversation where we talked about everything from wellness culture and mental health to limerence, long-term relationships, and her writing process.

Next week, in Part 2, we talk about grief, losing a parent, writing her most recent novel Death Valley, our favorite grocery stores, how to tell people what’s going on in the midst of a changing and challenging situation, finding humor, the messiness of bodies and aging, advice to write consistently, the journal prompts she uses daily, and questions from a previous guest.

Show notes:

- Find Melissa on Instagram

- Her books: So Sad Today, Milk Fed, The Pisces, Superdoom, Last Sext & her newest, Death Valley

- Find me on IG: @letitouttt + @katiedalebout | Substack

- PIVOT zine: sign up for my paid Substack & we'll mail you a copy

If you liked this episode, try out from the archive:

Episode 406: Bad Thoughts with Nada Alic (part 1 of 2)

The global surge in Chinese language learning

Round Table China

Challenges: Resource Imbalances and Beginner Materials

The AI-powered Podcast Player