Introducing “Long Distance”
A New Podcast Series from The Archive Project
Hello: I’m Amanda Bullock, director of public programs at Literary Arts. Usually, my job is very much about bringing people together, in person, around books and storytelling; the two main programs I work on are Portland Book Festival and Portland Arts & Lectures and special events.
This is, however, a time when we cannot gather in person, and I know I am not alone in very much missing hearing authors talk about their work. To create a space for those conversations, we started a new podcast!
Why a podcast series now? We had been playing with the idea of hosting a more conversational, interview-based podcast project. So, while we are all staying home and staying safe and deeply missing gathering in community to hear from authors and talk about their books, and we think you might be too, we thought this might be the perfect time to try.
Today we released the first episode of “Long Distance,” a new podcast series I am hosting as part of Literary Arts’ The Archive Project. In the coming months on “Long Distance,” I’ll be talking to contemporary authors about their new books, their own writing and art-making, and what they’re reading. I hope you enjoy these “mini episodes” of The Archive Project; while the radio show is typically close to an hour, and these podcast interviews will be a little more bite-size, with twenty- to thirty-minute conversations.
For our premiere episode, I was thrilled to chat with Kristen Arnett, whose novel Mostly Dead Things is out now in paperback from Portland’s own Tin House books (I hope you pick up a copy from your favorite independent bookstore!). I called Kristen, who has been sheltering in Las Vegas on a fellowship with the Black Mountain Institute, from my home in Portland. We talked about tenderness, how to figure out what’s funny, and trying to read in these anxious times.
I hope you’ll take a listen. We are planning to share new episodes every two weeks. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple | Android | RSS) to be notified when a new episode is available. Please let us know what you think, and what you’d like to see in future episodes of “Long Distance.”
Happy reading,
Amanda
