Welcome to Sad Me of the Past, where we invite an established writer to revisit a piece they wrote in their tender years that fills them with affection, regret, nostalgia, embarrassment, relief, delight, all of the above, or something else entirely. Just as an infant must take those early, brave, awkward steps when learning to walk, we writers must make our own early, brave, awkward efforts as we set out on the journey of mastering our craft. We travel back to that ancient time when we were bursting with hubris or scared to death; enraptured by language or paralyzed by it; determined to become a writer or terrified that we didn't have the stuff.

 


 

Latest Episodes

Joe Fassler

Sad Me of the Past // Episode 6: Joe Fassler

Tuesday, August 6, 2024
"I mean this book took me more than 10 years -- I started it while I was at Iowa!"
nam on the podcast!

Sad Me of the Past // Episode 5: Nam Le

Tuesday, July 16, 2024
"There was a term that I heard somewhere used, just the other day, and she said "I'm in my gathering phase." Have you guys heard that? Is that a term of art over here?"
dbq won the pod!

Sad Me of the Past // Episode 4: Dan Beachy-Quick

Wednesday, May 15, 2024
In today's podcast, poet and translator Dan Beachy-Quick talks with us about his early writing days, and his current Greek translations.
carmen maria machado

Sad Me of the Past // Episode 3: Carmen Maria Machado

Tuesday, April 2, 2024
"My godmother gave me stationary -- it was jungle themed stationary that had my name, it was customized -- and I would write stories and send them to publishers."
rachel reading at the studio

Sad Me of the Past // Episode 2: Rachel Yoder

Wednesday, February 7, 2024
In today's podcast, novelist Rachel Yoder discusses her wild experience adapting Nightbitch to a soon-to-be-released feature film starring Amy Adams.
vinnie headshot

Sad Me of the Past // Episode 1, Part 2: Vinnie Wilhelm + Dave Kajganich

Thursday, November 16, 2023
In part two of today's podcast, novelist and screenwriter Vinnie Wilhelm shares a section from a novel he wrote in high school, entitled "SPAM."
dave-head-shot

Sad Me of the Past // Episode 1, Part 1: Dave Kajganich + Vinnie Wilhelm

Monday, October 23, 2023
On today's podcast, screenwriter and producer Dave Kajganich shares a short story that he wrote in high school entitled "Martin Cowell Boom Boom Dead."