Season 3 Ep 5 | Ed Simon | The Great American Novel Remains a Work-in-Progress
Release Date: 06/03/2025
Season 3 Ep 5 | Ed Simon | The Great American Novel Remains a Work-in-Progress
Some Things Considered
Today’s guest is Ed Simon, who is the Public Humanities Special Faculty in the English Department of Carnegie Mellon University and the Editor-in-Chief for Belt Magazine and the forthcoming Pittsburgh Review of Books. His essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times and many others. He dropped by to discuss his recent piece from Lit Hub, “American Literature’s White Whale: Why the “great American Novel” is Still Worth Pursuing.” Our conversation tackled this question (spoiler alert: a resounding YES), and explores how the best American novels have...
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Season 3 Ep 4 | Bill Miller & Leeya Mehta | International Literature as Cultural Force
Some Things Considered
Today’s guests are Leeya Mehta and Bill Miller, both of whom I admire as friends, artists, teachers, and occasional collaborators. Bill directed the creative writing program at George Mason University for more than two dozen years, and helped establish the Alan Cheuse Center. Leeya is the current Director of the Center, and is also a prize-winning poet, fiction writer and essayist. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Cheuse Center, and we talk about how this beloved institution went from idea to thriving cultural force. Bill and Leeya share a genuine passion for community and...
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Season 3 Ep 3 | Jessa Crispin | Cultural Criticism as Political Project
Some Things Considered
Today’s guest is Jessa Crispin, one of my favorite go-to sources for cultural insight and inspiration. She’s the author of Why I Am Not a Feminist: A Feminist Manifesto, and The Dead Ladies Project. Currently, she is editor-in-chief of the awesome publication The Culture We Deserve. Jessa joins me to talk about everything from the present state of American politics, to how both class and education remain ubiquitous yet oddly—and annoyingly—under-discussed topics in our media, and especially amongst progressives. Jessa, suffice it to say, is a much-needed voice, and one more...
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Season 3 Ep 2 | Matthew Shipp | Visions of Icons & Artistry
Some Things Considered
Today’s guest is American avant-garde jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Matthew Shipp. Prolific and critically adored, Shipp has been praised by eclectic musicians ranging from David Bowie to Henry Rollins, and has recorded with virtually every significant contemporary jazz musician. Matthew joined me to talk about his new book Black Mystery School Pianists and Other Writings, which covers decades of his writing on subjects ranging from jazz icons, his own influences, and his voracious appetite for art and culture of all kinds. Matthew has many opinions, all of them deeply held and...
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Season 3 Ep 1 | Jacob Silverman | Crypto, Chaos, & the Culture War
Some Things Considered
Today’s guest is Jacob Silverman, who is an independent journalist and co-author of the New York Times bestseller Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud. He writes often about the politics of technology, the media, and is a contributing editor for The Baffler and The New Republic. Jacob and I compare notes on how we saw the 2024 election unfold (including predictions and assumptions we—and most journalists—made), and some of the myriad things that are different with Trump 2.0. One particular topic we go deep on is the unsettling, recent development of...
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Season 2 Ep 10 | Jane Friedman | The Truth About AI and the Future of Writing
Some Things Considered
Today’s guest is Jane Friedman who, if you have even casually followed anything to do with book publishing and the state of the literary industry during the last two decades, you already know—and appreciate. Jane has been the consensus go-to for insights on trends, developments, and how to build a platform in the 21st Century. Named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023, Jane has been featured across countless media outlets, including The New York Times, The Atlantic, CNN, BBC, NPR, and many others. Her guide The Business of Being a Writer is the book I most...
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Season 2 Ep 9 | Grant Shonkwiler | How Storytelling Powers Best-Selling Games
Some Things Considered
Today’s guest is Grant Shonkwiler who, if you’ve been following the gaming industry during the last couple of decades, you already know as the legend he is. For those unfamiliar, Grant has built his reputation as a programmer, lead designer, technical producer, leadership coach, and author. (Even if you aren’t personally a gaming enthusiast, it’s almost impossible you’ve not heard of Doom and Fortnite—just two of the massively popular and influential projects Grant has worked on!) For today’s discussion, Grant reviews his career trajectory—from apprentice to master, from fan to...
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Season 2 Ep 8 | Karen E. Bender & Robert Anthony Siegel | How to Adapt & Thrive as a Writer
Some Things Considered
Today’s guests are dynamic duo and my favorite creative husband and wife team Karen E. Bender and Robert Anthony Siegel. Karen is author of the story collection Refund, which was a Finalist for the 2015 National Book Award in Fiction and also a Los Angeles Times bestseller. Her third collection of stories, The Words of Dr. L, will be published by Counterpoint Press in May, 2025. Robert is a writer, writing coach, and author of the memoir Criminals and two novels, All Will Be Revealed, and All the Money in the World. In addition, they have taught creative writing at the college level for more...
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Season 2 Ep 7 | Hannah Grieco | A Literary Powerhouse on Writing & Motherhood
Some Things Considered
Today’s guest is Hannah Grieco, who, using baseball terminology is a five tool player: she’s a writer, a teacher, an editor, an advocate, and a literary citizen extraordinaire. She is also one of my favorite creative people, managing to be insanely productive (and successfully published!), but also a devoted mother, friend, and cheerleader for the arts. You may have read her work in The Washington Post, or Huffington Post, or The Rumpus, or in any number of other highly regarded lit journals. Her writing has been nominated for Best American Essays, The Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, Best...
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Season 2 Ep 6 | Jordan Blum | Prog Rock, Honest Criticism, & Mastering Modern Media
Some Things Considered
Today’s guest is Jordan Blum, a writer and critic I admire and hold up as an ideal example for anyone who is trying to figure out how to navigate an ever-evolving media landscape. I first met Jordan more than a decade ago when we both were columnists for PopMatters—contributing features, reviews, and interviews on everything from music and books to movies and politics. Jordan, like myself, is a music fanatic and it’s illuminating (and, yes, inspiring) to hear him discuss his early forays into criticism, his first bylines, and his maturation as a widely published editor and subject matter...
info_outlineToday’s guest is Ed Simon, who is the Public Humanities Special Faculty in the English Department of Carnegie Mellon University and the Editor-in-Chief for Belt Magazine and the forthcoming Pittsburgh Review of Books. His essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times and many others. He dropped by to discuss his recent piece from Lit Hub, “American Literature’s White Whale: Why the “great American Novel” is Still Worth Pursuing.” Our conversation tackled this question (spoiler alert: a resounding YES), and explores how the best American novels have had one consistent quality across the centuries: they all, in their way, interrogate and grapple with what America is, and the ways it falls short of its utopian designs. As such, we mention Hawthorne, Melville, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Morrison, and many other notable names, all of whom can make claims to writing the American novel. Inevitably, we talk about narrative, the importance of story not only for creative endeavors (duh), but the ways exceptional storytelling is utilized by politicians, tech oligarchs, and lowly lit nerds. If you are interested in a lively discussion about what makes a good book endure across generations (and cultures and languages), you’ll love this episode, and if you could use a reminder that Moby Dick rules, we’ve got you covered.
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Read more from Ed Simon:
https://lithub.com/american-literatures-white-whale-why-the-great-american-novel-is-still-worth-pursuing
ABOUT SOME THINGS CONSIDERED
Award-winning author Sean Murphy in conversation with creative thinkers, spanning the literary, music, art, politics, and tech industries. As a cultural critic, professor, founder of a literary non-profit, Sean is always looking to explore and celebrate the ways Story is integral to how we define ourselves, as artists and human beings. This Substack newsletter and weekly podcast peels back the layers of how creativity works, why it matters, how our most brilliant minds achieve mastery. Join us to explore how our most successful and inspired storytellers engage by discussing craft, routines, brand, and mostly through authentic and honest expression.
ABOUT HOST SEAN MURPHY
Website: seanmurphy.net
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