Gish Jen: “Finding Your Own Narrative”
The latest in an interview series I’ve launched with Tricycle about Tibetan bardo “between-states” in everyday life. The conversations explore acceptance, interconnectedness, and impermanence in relation to children and parents, marriage and friendship, and work and creativity. I spoke with author Gish Jen about what it means to be the author of your own life.
Leaving the Palace (WANTING, Catapult)
“What is desire? And what are its rules? In this daring collection, award-winning and emerging female writers share their innermost longings...” In my essay, I look at Buddhism and desire through the lens of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and my own search for self. “Slater’s essay underscores what’s at stake when women write about desire: self-determination and the realization of their full humanity.” (Ploughshares)
David Sedaris: “On Parents, Connections with Strangers, and Embracing What You Have”
For my Tricycle interview series on bardo and the art of living, I talked with author and humorist David Sedaris about finding meaning in the face of impermanence. Featured in Lit Hub.
Coffee, with a Side of Deadline Hectoring (The New Yorker)
A “Talk of the Town” piece about The Manuscript Writing Cafe in Tokyo. You can only enter the cafe if you have a deadline and you can’t leave until you’ve met your goal.
John McPhee: “On Going into the Zone”
The latest in an interview series I’ve launched with Tricycle about Tibetan bardo “between-states” in everyday life. The conversations explore acceptance, interconnectedness, and impermanence in relation to children and parents, marriage and friendship, and work and creativity, illuminating the possibilities for discovering fresh ways of seeing and finding lasting happiness. In this interview, I spoke with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer John McPhee about bardo and the creative process. A New Yorker staff writer since 1965, McPhee has written 33 books.