145: Raven Leilani (LUSTER) and Danzy Senna's NEW PEOPLE

In This Episode:

Raven Leilani drops in with her hot (in all the ways) new novel Luster and gets us into all sorts of things, from candles to disco to painting to amorality, and how you have to come to the page as though you don't think anyone will read it. Also nail polish. And so much more. Plus, Raven brought us New People by Danzy Senna, which was tense and surprising and similarly casual about breaking and entering. Let's go.

The Ep. 145 Bookshelf

THIS EPISODE'S BOOKS:

Luster by Raven Leilani
New People by Danzy Senna

WHAT'D YOU BUY?:

Raven: A Burning by Megha Majumdar // How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang // Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
Christopher: Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley // theme park candles
Drew: Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar

ALSO MENTIONED:

Requiem for a Dream (2000, dir. by Darren Aronofsky)
Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar
The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley
The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro
”Master of Puppets” by Metallica
the discography of FKA twigs
Parakeet by Marie-Helene Bertino
Grey’s Anatomy (2005-present, created by Shonda Rhimes)
Sex and the City (1998-2004, created by Darren Star)
The Graduate (1967, dir. by Mike Nichols)
Spirited Away (2001, dir. by Hayao Miyazaki)
Basketfull of Heads by Joe Hill and Dave Stewart

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Raven: a portable projector for screening movies at home
Drew: The Low Low Woods by Carmen Maria Machado and Dani
Christopher: A 5-Year Diary (particularly Tamara Shopsin’s) // Polar Seltzer ‘mythical’ flavors

The Damn Bar