Edan Lepucki, New York Times bestselling author of California and Woman No. 17. Edan’s latest project is Mothers Before, a collection of essays and photographs based on the popular Instagram Mothers Before, which Edan created. She is also the co-host, with fellow writer Amelia Morris, of the podcast Mom Rage.
Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode
- Dan Chaon, author of Ill Will, Await Your Reply, and You Remind Me of Me, was an influential teacher in Edan’s young writing life
- A breakthrough moment for Edan was drafting a story that mimicked the structure used by Cary Holladay in “Merry-Go-Sorry,” a short story published in Alaska Quarterly Review (read an excerpt of the story, based on the West Memphis 3, here). Cary is also the author of Brides in the Sky: Stories and a Novella and The Quick-Change Artist: Stories.
- Edan worked at Book Soup, a local bookstore in Los Angeles, Calif.
- For 45 years, until her recent retirement, Connie Brothers shaped the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, including by calling every accepted writer personally to welcome them to the program.
- As a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, Edan is in a position to correct the depiction of the esteemed writing program in HBO’s Girls
- Frank Conroy, director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, died halfway through Edan’s time at the program. He was replaced by Lan Samantha Chang, who has been credited with a shift in the program’s makeup and away from a once-toxic environment.
- Raymond Carver, author of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Cathedral, and Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?
- George Saunders, author of Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel, and Tenth of December: Stories
- Lorrie Moore, author of Birds of America: Stories and Self-Help and Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?
- Mary Gaitskill, This Is Pleasure: A Story, Bad Behavior: Stories, and Because They Wanted To
- Edan founded Writing Workshop L.A. after coming home from Iowa
- Leslie Parry, author of Church of Marvels, was a classmate of Edan’s at Iowa and one of the earliest authors to help teach at Writing Workshop L.A.
- Chris Daley was another early writing instructor who now serves as director of Writing Workshop L.A.
- The UCross Residency program in Wyoming
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Edan’s appearance on The Colbert Report
- The New York Times profile about Edan’s debut experience with California, written by Brooks Barnes
- Appearing on Fresh Air with Terry Gross is one of Edan’s life goals
- Aimee Bender, author of Willful Creatures, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, and The Girl in the Flammable Skirt: Stories
- Edan’s agent, Erin Hosier
- “Our Mothers as We Never Saw Them,” a piece Edan wrote for the New York Times that went viral
- Writers who contributed to Mothers Before include: Brit Bennett (author of The Mothers: A Novel); Jennine Capó Crucet (author of Make Your Home Among Strangers and My Time Among the Whites: Notes From an Unfinished Education); Jennifer Egan (author of A Visit From the Goon Squad and Manhattan Beach: A Novel); Angela Garbes (author of Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through The Science and Culture of Pregnancy); Annabeth Gish; Alison Roman (author of Nothing Fancy: Unfancy Food For Having People Over); Lisa See (author of The Island of Sea Women: A Novel and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan); Danzy Senna (author of Caucasia: A Novel, and New People); Dana Spiotta (author of Eat the Document: A Novel and Stone Arabia: A Novel); and Jia Tolentino (author of Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion).
- Annie Dillard, author of The Writing Life, as well as Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and An American Childhood
- Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project: Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun and Better than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits—To Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier LIfe
I want to hear from you!
Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998.
Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni
Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; Linda Holmes, author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun, internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone’s an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too; Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie’s Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.
Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. It’s free!
Rate, Review, and Recommend
How do you like the show?
Please take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you!
Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Please share this episode on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or via carrier pigeon (maybe try a text or e-mail, come to think of it). Just click the Share button at the bottom of this post!
Thanks again!