The ARTWIFE Book Club

The ARTWIFE Book Club is a monthly podcast hosted by ARTWIFE co-founder Hannah Harlee. Join us as we discuss novels, memoirs, story collections, and more. We'll look at all the elements of craft—including structure, pacing, characterization, plot, and more—to better understand how the art of storytelling actually works. But we'll also look at the content of the story and its emotional landscape, drawing from pop culture, politics, and elsewhere to locate the work in its particular place and time. It sounds like homework but IT'S FUN, WE SWEAR. Whether you're a writer, a reader, or an aspiring lit lover, there's room for you in The ARTWIFE Book Club. Episodes are released on the first Tuesday of each month.

Episodes

SHORTS: VINSON CUNNINGHAM IS A RITUALISTIC EATER by Vinson Cunningham

May 9, 2024 • 44 mins

ARTWIFE is back from spring break with a close look at Vinson Cunningham Is a Ritualistic Eater, a sublime essay published in Grub Street (read it here: https://www.grubstreet.com/article/vinson-cunningham-grub-street-diet.html). We articulate the work's skillful balance of technical expertise and emotional presence and ask ourselves...how the hell can we learn to write like this? Plus, the life & creative lessons from one RuPaul's...

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SHORTS: THE ICE-CREAM TRUCK by Souvankham Thammavongsa

March 5, 2024 • 31 mins

Annnnd we're back with the spring episode of the SHORTS edition! This time, we look at The Ice-Cream Truck, a flash essay from Souvankham Thammavongsa. (Read it here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/07/10/the-ice-cream-truck-souvankham-thammavongsa) Craft discussion topics include: a look at the way spacing and paragraph breaks help us manage pacing and emphasis, how to think about our written work like visual artists, and ...

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I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN MEN by Jacqueline Harpman

February 6, 2024 • 43 mins

Our very first venture into science-fiction-adjacent literature on the pod! In our discussion about Jacqueline Harpman's 1995 novel, we revel in a book that rejects many of the fundamental elements that make up the construct of a book in the first place. Chapters? Hard pass. Traditional plot structure? No. Characters? Barely! We also make sure to carefully articulate all the ways in which human life is pointless and absurd! But a...

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SHORTS: IVY by Taylor Swift

January 9, 2024 • 32 mins

TAYLOR SWIFT, EVERYBODY! In this episode, we learn from the master of storytelling *herself* about mood, manifesting a memorable atmosphere in our work, how distinct and specific imagery helps us experience even the most well-worn subject matter anew, and more. We also talk about how the structured nature of songwriting can serve as a guide when we're organizing our work in prose, so we can write stories that not only makes sense b...

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HOW WE FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES by Saeed Jones

December 5, 2023 • 38 mins

Let's join hands and step into the peerless work of Saeed Jones, author of this 2019 memoir. This work teaches us what balance means in the craft of writing and invites us into the intersection between clarity and nuance. Topics include: remedying one of the main reasons editors reject work submitted to lit mags, why reading poets who write prose is so useful and instructive, and the characteristics of secure vs. insecure forms of ...

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SHORTS: My Delirious Trip to the Heart of Swiftiedom

November 7, 2023 • 32 mins

Welcome to the ARTWIFE Book Club SHORTS edition! In this format, we'll look at shorter-form works like short stories, essays, and song lyrics. This time we discuss Taffy Brodesser-Akner's meditation on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. Come see for yourself: this essay is a national treasure. Read it here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/magazine/taylor-swift-eras-tour.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8kw.Y4Ry.Bs4sElEfKmAA&smid=url-share

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MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION by Otessa Moshfegh

October 3, 2023 • 50 mins

Dive face-first with us into this weird and wonderful 2018 novel from Otessa Moshfegh. We talk about the year 2000 (god help us), how even tropey character templates have the potential to become fully realized, engaging with art & literature using approaches that are less consumeristic and more interactive, and more! Have something to add to the conversation? Share your thoughts on this book here: https://www.artwifemag.com/the-p...

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WE THE ANIMALS by Justin Torres

September 5, 2023 • 49 mins

In this episode, we explore We the Animals, a slim but gutting 2011 novel from Justin Torres. We get into the first person plural POV, the tension created by the gap between what readers know and what characters know, the way the human spirit seeks (and finds!) beauty even in the depths of despair, and much more. Share your thoughts on this book here: https://www.artwifemag.com/the-podcast

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THE SEAS by Samantha Hunt

August 1, 2023 • 45 mins

In the inaugural episode of The ARTWIFE Book Club, we discuss Samantha Hunt's inimitable 2004 novel, The Seas. We get into the shattered narrative structure, coping mechanisms, some of the most beautiful passages in the history of literature(!), and more. Have something to add to the conversation? Share your thoughts on this book here: https://www.artwifemag.com/the-podcast

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Trailer

July 5, 2023 • 4 mins

Maybe you love to read, but you wish you had someone in your life who would rehash book plots with you as feverishly as they rehash concert experiences, TV shows, or movies. Or perhaps you're the type of person who wants to read more, but you struggle to stay focused on a book long enough to finish it. Wherever you land, we invite you to join us! Welcome to The ARTWIFE Book Club, the show that loves the debrief as much as it loves...

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The ARTWIFE Book Club

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}SHORTS: VINSON CUNNINGHAM IS A RITUALISTIC EATER by Vinson Cunningham

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}SHORTS: THE ICE-CREAM TRUCK by Souvankham Thammavongsa

I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN MEN by Jacqueline Harpman

SHORTS: IVY by Taylor Swift

HOW WE FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES by Saeed Jones

SHORTS: My Delirious Trip to the Heart of Swiftiedom

MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION by Otessa Moshfegh

WE THE ANIMALS by Justin Torres

THE SEAS by Samantha Hunt

Trailer

Popular Podcasts

SHORTS: VINSON CUNNINGHAM IS A RITUALISTIC EATER by Vinson Cunningham

SHORTS: THE ICE-CREAM TRUCK by Souvankham Thammavongsa