Vis-à-Vis

Brian and I sat down in an office room at Washington University in St. Louis to discuss his career, his influences, the power (and limits) of fiction, and his upcoming projects.

Solomon and I sat down to discuss writing rituals, the particularity of black Philadelphia, and disgruntlement as a rite of passage.

Tiana Clark on her debut poetry collection and how to structure a poem, a book, an essay, a writing life.

Jericho Brown on the beginnings of his career, his evolving writing process, and what it means to “stay vulnerable to the work” in a culture that primes us to run away from intimacy.

Kelly Link on writing in the company of other writers, character names, and beginnings

Cole Swensen on the relationship between walking and poetry, the rhythm of writing, and the beauty of facts.

Christine Schutt on how her writing has changed over the years, her early love of Virginia Woolf’s biography, and her dream of writing a happy novel.