Our first interview of the year is here!
and I realized recently that we’ve been friends nearly 20 YEARS. To give you an idea of the scope, we met at a women’s blogging conference in 2007. Wild times, they were. Since then, we’ve stayed connected through many adventures, including both of our moves from the US to Ireland (Tara) and Germany (me). People asked us about this so much, that we started a podcast:
, which we’ve recently relaunched.Tara and I also became fast friends because we’re both writers, so I knew she had to be a guest for this series. Her book choice is perfectly her, and an excellent inspiration to bust out of not only types of stories, but also the form in which you tell them.
Tara Calihman
I’m so happy to have my friend Tara Calihman as our guest this month. Tara has done many things that scare the living shit out of me, such as performing stand-up comedy and having a show she created featured at a festival.
In addition, she writes essays, screenplays, and brings an infectious sense of humor to everything she creates.
Let’s see what book she’s got to share…
What book changed the way you write most dramatically?
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.
What about the book did you love / were you most impacted by?
Until I read this book, I had never seen a story told via Powerpoint deck. Business meetings, company presentations, yes, but never as a platform for conveying a story. I loved it because it made me hate Powerpoint less and realize that you can use anything to help tell a story. It made me consider other frameworks and tools, possibilities I hadn’t really envisioned until I read this book.
What transformation did it catalyze? (Or what permission did it grant you as a writer?)
This book granted me permission to look at a story from all angles and helped me to see how unconventional formats could be used in writing. The way that Egan masterfully interweaves the characters, with chapters being told from different perspectives and points in time, inspired me to embrace being creative with structure.
How has the transformation continued since then?
Since then, I’ve been seeking out authors who have made interesting choices with how they share stories, like works of autofiction by Sheila Heti, and Christine Coulson’s One Woman Show. I like reframing and thinking of unconventional platforms to deliver my work.
Who would you recommend this book to most?
To anyone struggling with form, or how to connect characters in an interesting way.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a TV pilot but I love experimenting with new genres and mediums, whether that’s theatre, stand-up or spoken word. And of course, the GTFO podcast, rebooted for your listening pleasure.
Where to find Tara and read more
Tara Calihman writes the substack INSERT, co-hosts
with me, and you can learn more about her work at tarahcalihman.com.She’s been a guest on The Secret Library podcast, and shares about creating stories in different forms in that episode:
She’s over on IG as Tara_Calihman