Pulling The Thread with Elise Loehnen A Special Listen: Julia Gets Wise with Roz Chast
Nov 25, 2025
Join Julia Louis-Dreyfus as she sits down with Roz Chast, the beloved New Yorker cartoonist known for her witty reflections on life and family. They explore Roz's blend of humor and anxiety, discussing her childhood fears and the complexities of raising kids while caring for aging parents. Roz shares insights on the tough world of cartooning and the true emotions behind her award-winning memoir. Don't miss their heartfelt and humorous take on family dynamics, aging, and the joys (and chaos) of life.
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Cartoons As Distilled Poetry
- Julia frames cartoons as poetic distillations that compress surprise, wit, and profundity into a single image and caption.
- She values cartoons for their emotional precision and capacity to make her laugh deeply.
Anxiety As Creative Fuel
- Roz Chast turns personal anxiety into creative fuel, using nervousness as a consistent source of comic material.
- Her work makes painful subjects feel intimate, truthful, and oddly soothing.
Anxiety And Hilarity Alternate
- Roz sees a relationship between anxiety and hilarity but describes them as alternating states rather than simultaneous.
- That rhythmic shift often produces unexpected laughter in serious moments.
