Brendan Dowling

@WIP_SHO / @Improvshakesco / I interview authors at

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

This comment on the recipe for Katharine Hepburn's brownies is the most haunting short story I've read all year.

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

I loved reading "American Teenager" and talking to @Nico_Lang, who spent time with 7 different families across the US learning about the complex lives of trans teenagers. It's an incredible work of reportage (that's also very compassionate and funny).
https://t.co/C1MzNovZZ2

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

Luis Jaramillo's THE WITCHES OF EL PASO explores the complicated relationship between an elderly woman and her beloved grandniece. I spoke to him about allowing characters to make bad choices and writing endings that seem like beginnings.

https://t.co/LEXgYl9BsE

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

Charles Bock's memoir I WILL DO BETTER is an unflinching look at grief, parenting, and survival. Loved getting to talk with him about the writing process, musicals, and Montaigne.

https://t.co/8lAeC03BLw

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

Ann B. Parson's THE BIRDS OF DOG plunges you into the surprisingly complex world of the 19th century scientific community in Boston. I got to talk to her about the novel's real-life inspirations and how writing was like being on a treasure hunt.

https://t.co/V6VyVsvbDi

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

Matt Ferrence's I HATE IT HERE is a political memoir unlike any other. I spoke with him about lessons learned from his Quixotic campaign and how stories offer a better way to achieve a more effective governance.

https://t.co/2zxlMibXLO

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

I love @asherperlman's cartoons and I loved talking to him about his phenomenal compilation WELL, THIS IS ME.

https://t.co/b0Ui8c7q4r

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

I loved getting to chat with @MyriamLacroix about her hilarious and unsettling debut HOW IT WORKS OUT. We talked about how Leonard Cohen influenced her writing and having permission to make fun of yourself.

https://t.co/OXd7LHu9mN

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

I couldn't stop turning the pages of Emiko Jean's THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK. I talked to her about women who don't make headlines, navigating the book's many twists, and the role hope plays in her very scary thriller.

https://t.co/BXCEKWqWF7

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

I loved @katyaapekina's extraordinary MOTHER DOLL and the very complicated family relationships it explores. I talked to her about researching mediums, finding the flow state, and the weight of storytelling.

https://t.co/Ddj4OhlkI3

[Asher Perlman @asherperlman]

Mine in this week’s New Yorker

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

WAYS AND MEANS by @daniel_lefferts is so fun (and terrifying) to read. I loved talking with him about the book's surprising fusion of influences, characters experiencing alienation, and writing into his anxieties.

https://t.co/r3k9jNsEPF

[Tim Sniffen @MisterSniffen]

Those "rigorous schedules of famous writers" lists make me feel bad so it's nice to remember everyone who is absolutely blowing it. Essay in @SlackjawHumor! ✏️
https://t.co/MuZzVCBscx

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

I got so drawn into @ljsims50' very unsettling and very funny HOW CAN I HELP YOU. I loved talking to her about what she left out of the novel, the book's real life inspiration, and her love of "weird, short novels."

https://t.co/G7K1OsSnAn

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

I loved talking to @ninaksimon about her bighearted mystery, MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT. We chatted about the novel's origins, how her characters helped her explore different aspects of strength, and plans for future books.

https://t.co/QMEWJe3ZJ8

[Lisa Beasley @lisabevolving]

#CorporateErin here and I just wanted to give you a peak into my weekly 1:1 where I had to explain our bereavement policy.

Once again, Twitter famuhily, thenk yew for allowing me to take up space her on Lis’s profile.

Best,
Erin Throlopolis

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

I learned a lot from @JudithPWrites' CRUSADE TO HEAL AMERICA, and I loved chatting with her about how Mary Lasker used her political savvy and formidable drive to revolutionize medical research during her lifetime.

https://t.co/2SFJX7716X

[Brendan Dowling @berndandooling]

DISNEYLAND ON THE MOUNTAIN is a fascinating look at the personalities behind Walt Disney's attempt to build a ski resort in the 60s. @GlasgowGreg and @mayereditor do a tremendous job capturing the various forces that comprised this decades-long battle.

https://t.co/qsU7tvopin

[Rachel Karten @milkkarten]

Spoke with @jsabine214, Social Director at @MerriamWebster, for today’s newsletter. Obviously had to ask about their use of humor. I love this response.