#143 What We Don’t Talk About: Michele Filgate on Family, Loss, Love, and the Art of Editing Anthologies

Editor and author Michele Filgate returns with a powerful follow-up to her bestselling anthology What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About—this time turning the lens on fatherhood.

In this episode, Estelle Erasmus chats with Michele about the personal and professional transformations that shaped What My Father and I Don’t Talk About, how TikTok gave her earlier book a second life, and what it really takes to build a lasting literary career. 

In this episode:

• What changed between publishing her first and second anthology [2:26]

• The unexpected TikTok virality that reignited interest in her debut [4:20]

• How grief, marriage, and motherhood shaped her latest work [10:12]

• What it takes to edit a balanced, emotionally resonant collection [12:24]

• Advice for writers looking to create and publish anthologies [13:44]

• Why literary citizenship is crucial to a sustainable writing career [18:01]

• Michelle’s next chapter: turning inward to publish her own book [23:31]

Watch on YouTube

Michele Filgate is the editor of What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About and What My Father and I Don’t Talk About. Her writing has appeared in Longreads, Poets & Writers, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Paris Review Daily, Tin House, Gulf Coast, Oprah Daily, and many other publications. She received her MFA in Fiction from NYU, where she was the recipient of the Stein Fellowship. She teaches creative writing at The New School.

Connect with Michele: 

Website

Get her book

Episodes Mentioned

Kelly McMasters Episode #41

Joanna Rakoff: Episode #87

If you haven’t yet—watch my TEDx Talk:

How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond

In this bold, funny, and widely shared talk, I blend personal storytelling with the real-world writing strategies I’ve developed as a longtime magazine editor, NYU professor, and writing coach. It all starts with a chaotic moment involving Thomas the Tank Engine—and builds into a powerful message about how to stand out in a crowded, noisy world, no matter the medium.

📺 Watch, comment, and share: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpcWmjpzSIQ

About Estelle:
Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, author of Writing That Gets Noticed (named a “Best Book for Writers” by Poets & Writers), and host of Freelance Writing Direct—2025 Podcast of the Year (Education), American Writing Awards. A Contributing Editor for Writer’s Digest and adjunct instructor at NYU, she’s written for over 150 outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, PBS/Next Avenue, The Independent, and AARP: The Magazine, and has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines.

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