In this podcast interview, Alia discusses how she reads as a literary agent, what she learned from booking a one-way ticket to live in Italy, why she advises everyone to ask more questions, her debut book...
I feel like I was sitting with the two of you at a booth in a great restaurant with a good bottle of wine and yummy food while I listened to this conversation between like minded women. Great interview.
Truly a great interview. The conglomeration of her childhood events and later opportunities that led her to where she is now speaks to each of us to look back and track the breadcrumbs to your present state. What I love is that your curiosity led the interview.
I so appreciated your parents dedication and love of their jobs as a secretary and bartender and how they came home and cared enough to share their human interactions and significant things that happened at work. That touched and moved something in me. I also love hearing how you read for pleasure on weekends, and how that keeps you connected to the experience of readers and how important that is for you. Great interview.
Looking forward to listening to the rest of this! As someone in the middle of writing a book proposal, I really appreciate her perspective on the very personal, long process of working with one book - and asking herself, “Do I want to work on this? Do I want to spend time with it?”
Fun Home helped me understand a lot about my upbringing—besides an uncanny amount of parallel “plot” points, the way Bechdel writes & illustrates about the house and its appearances gave me such a sense of recognition. She has a line that’s something like, it’s almost obvious to make the metaphor that we lived in a perfect environment to hide all that was not, but that reality isn’t so obvious when you’re living it. Or, it wasn’t for me. It made me tender toward how hard my parents tried to create this perfect exterior, not out of malice out of genuine aspiration for what they hoped we could be
! I am so excited to check this out — Bechdel's book sounds incredible. Anything in the area of childhood and what 'home' looks/feels like is such a perennial area of interest for me
I feel like I was sitting with the two of you at a booth in a great restaurant with a good bottle of wine and yummy food while I listened to this conversation between like minded women. Great interview.
TRACY 💗
I am going to be basking in the glow of this compliment for days. Thank you for pulling up a chair and joining us at the table!
Truly a great interview. The conglomeration of her childhood events and later opportunities that led her to where she is now speaks to each of us to look back and track the breadcrumbs to your present state. What I love is that your curiosity led the interview.
Love this interview!
So so happy to hear 🌻 Thank you for this kind note, Sally!
I so appreciated your parents dedication and love of their jobs as a secretary and bartender and how they came home and cared enough to share their human interactions and significant things that happened at work. That touched and moved something in me. I also love hearing how you read for pleasure on weekends, and how that keeps you connected to the experience of readers and how important that is for you. Great interview.
Thank you for being here, Susan 💛
such a lovely conversation!
You are always the biggest support, my friend — I'm endlessly grateful you're here 💙
But of course.
The practical questions and answers are so important and so helpful. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for reading, Kelly! 💛 That's also one of the reasons I loved Alia's book so much — it's practical questions & answers from beginning to end
Congrats, Kelly — you’ve been selected as one of our giveaway winners! 🎉 Please have a peek at your Substack DMs
Looking forward to listening to the rest of this! As someone in the middle of writing a book proposal, I really appreciate her perspective on the very personal, long process of working with one book - and asking herself, “Do I want to work on this? Do I want to spend time with it?”
Congrats, Elaine — you’ve been selected as one of our giveaway winners! 🎉 Please have a peek at your Substack DMs
Thank you, Jana! I just wrote back to you.
It's such a clarifying set of questions. Keeping all fingers crossed for your book proposal, Elaine — you've got this 💪💪
Thanks, Jana, I’m excited about it!
Just wanted to say thanks for an incredible pod! Hands down my new favorite on your channel! Loved every minute of it!
What an incredibly thoughtful note! Thank you so much, Bob — that means a lot to hear ☀️
Fun Home helped me understand a lot about my upbringing—besides an uncanny amount of parallel “plot” points, the way Bechdel writes & illustrates about the house and its appearances gave me such a sense of recognition. She has a line that’s something like, it’s almost obvious to make the metaphor that we lived in a perfect environment to hide all that was not, but that reality isn’t so obvious when you’re living it. Or, it wasn’t for me. It made me tender toward how hard my parents tried to create this perfect exterior, not out of malice out of genuine aspiration for what they hoped we could be
! I am so excited to check this out — Bechdel's book sounds incredible. Anything in the area of childhood and what 'home' looks/feels like is such a perennial area of interest for me
oh it's incredible, and the graphic format is so special! let me know what you think when you read