I Gotta Make Art with Carmen Maria Machado

It’s not every day we chat with someone the New York Times has listed as part of “the new vanguard” in fiction. But today’s our day: Carmen Maria Machado is live on NYG!

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We sit down with the badass author, National Book Award finalist, and fellow Philly resident for a conversation about writing, working retail, believing in your own work, craving the company of other women, and so much more.

Author Carmen Maria Machado. (Portrait by Tom Storm Photography)

The art of non-dominant groups can be trendy, but we think of men and whiteness and straightness as, like, eternal… And of course that’s fake, right? Like, that’s not real: men, and white, and straight, and cis, and all those things… are not neutral, but we think of them as neutral.
— Carmen Maria Machado, author, Her Body and Other Parties

Here’s what we cover (and there’s a full transcript, too):

• The “fat women with fat minds” of Carmen’s “The Trash Heap Has Spoken” essay in Guernica
• How a retreat at the Millay Colony for the Arts kickstarted her writing career
• The wild popularity of “The Husband Stitch,” Carmen’s story in Granta (which, like, just read it already)
• What it’s like to go from working at the mall to full-fledged famous author in a few short years
• The exploitative mess of the adjunct teaching market
• Carmen’s review of Danielle Lazarin’s new book, Backtalk, and how women internalize the “slow, invisible grind” of misogyny
• Why Claire Vaye Watkins’ essay “On Pandering” and Kristen Roupenian’s short story “Cat Person” struck such a nerve
• Craving the company of women in a culture full of far too much bullshit
• Finding the confidence to divest from sexist culture, take up space, and acknowledge your talents out loud

Plus: why city snobbery is bullshit, the incredible joys and health benefits of naps (seriously, just thinking about a nap can even lower your blood pressure) — and why y’all should just visit Philly already.

No, You Go is a weekly podcast about being ambitious, building a career that won’t make you miserable, and finding friends who’ll high-five you along the way. Hosted by Jenn Lukas, Katel LeDu, and Sara Wachter-Boettcher. Produced byEDITAUDIO. Made with ❤ in Philadelphia.

This episode of NYG is brought to you by:

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