Episode 399
with Saeed Jones, Kristen Arnett, and Ages and Ages
Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello share their fanciest little habits; writer and poet Saeed Jones reflects on growing up black and gay in North Texas and why coming out is still challenging for many people in America today; Kristen Arnett, author of "Mostly Dead Things," argues that everything is taxidermy, including our reconstructed memories; and indie rock band Ages and Ages perform “Needle and Thread.”
Saeed Jones
Writer & Poet
Saeed Jones is the author of Prelude to Bruise, winner of the 2015 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry and the 2015 Stonewall Book Award/Barbara Gittings Literature Award. The poetry collection was also a finalist for the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as awards from Lambda Literary and the Publishing Triangle in 2015. Jones is a co-host of BuzzFeed’s morning show, AM to DM, and previously served as BuzzFeed’s LGBT editor and Culture editor .Website • Twitter
Kristen Arnett
Writer
Kristen Arnett is a queer fiction and essay writer. She won the 2017 Coil Book Award for her debut short fiction collection, Felt in the Jaw, and was awarded Ninth's Letter's 2015 Literary Award in Fiction. She's a columnist for Literary Hub and her work has either appeared or upcoming at North American Review, The Normal School, Gulf Coast, TriQuarterly, Guernica, Electric Literature, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Bennington Review, Tin House Flash Fridays, The Guardian, Salon, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. Website • Twitter
Ages and Ages
Indie Rock Band
Ages and Ages have been in musical group therapy for the past three years. Following their acclaimed 2016 album “Something to Ruin,” Tim Perry and Rob Oberdofer (along with drummer and co-producer Evan Railton) started to work together on new music twice a week. The meetings also helped them deal with their uneasy feelings and anxiety in regards to the news, confronting complicated, dark questions while remaining optimistic. This became the core of their new album, “Me You They We.” Listen • Twitter
