Longform Episode 578: Lissa Soep
May 8, 2024
Lissa Soep, author of 'Other People’s Words: Friendship, Loss, and the Conversations that Never End,' discusses her journey from academia to journalism, emphasizing the influence of diverse voices. They explore the transformative power of words in grief, memory, and connection, delving into authorship disputes and the impact of storytelling on community.
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Leaving Academia For Youth Radio
- Lissa Soep left a PhD path after hearing Youth Radio on the Bay Bridge and joined their newsroom to make stories with young people.
- She wanted to be with youth storytellers rather than observe them from the back of a classroom.
Voice Shaped By Collaborative Editing
- Soep says her voice as a writer is shaped by long editing relationships with young producers and storytellers.
- She credits those collaborations for forming the way she writes and thinks about language.
Friendship Loss Sparked The Book
- Two close friends, Christine and Johnny, died in very different ways and triggered Soep's project about friendship and loss.
- She began freewriting after visiting Christine near death and noticing how her voice lingered in memory.