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; drunk with language or paralyzed by it; determined to become a writer or terrified that we didn't have the stuff.


 

Latest Episodes

carmen maria machado

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

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

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

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."