Andrew Bertaina [Host: Mike Nagel]

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers, Mike Nagel interviews Andrew Bertaina.

Andrew Bertaina is the author of the essay collection The Body Is A Temporary Gathering Place, out now from Autofocus Books, and the short story collection One Person Away From You (2021), which won the Moon City Short Fiction Award. 

Mike Nagel is the author of Duplex and Culdesac (Autofocus Books, 2022 and 2024). He also wrote the music for this podcast and a column called The Unintentionalist for the literary magazine Little Engines.

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Full conversation topics include:

-- selves on the page

-- hyperfocusing

-- The Body Is A Temporary Gathering Place

-- reading as a pathway to writing

-- grading your own writing

-- essays vs. fiction

-- modes of essays

-- mind as setting

-- representing others in an essay

-- representing yourself in an essay

-- a good catalyst

-- what goes in and what goes out

-- speed

-- writing and not writing every day

-- getting and not getting stuck

-- valuing the reader

-- the essay "On Trains" specifically

-- gratitude

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Podcast theme music also provided by Mike Nagel. Here's more of his project: Yeah Yeah Cool Cool.

The Lives of Writers is edited and produced by Michael Wheaton.