Today’s guests are Leeya Mehta and Bill Miller, both of whom I admire as friends, artists, teachers, and occasional collaborators. Bill directed the creative writing program at George Mason University for more than two dozen years, and helped establish the Alan Cheuse Center. Leeya is the current Director of the Center, and is also a prize-winning poet, fiction writer and essayist. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Cheuse Center, and we talk about how this beloved institution went from idea to thriving cultural force. Bill and Leeya share a genuine passion for community and connection, and their combined super power is generating awareness of—and enthusiasm for—international literature. We discuss the thrills, challenges, and opportunities inherent in operating a center that serves students, artists, and the wider community. We also assess the role of teachers, advocates, and creatives in uncertain times (hint: we agree this is vital work, always, but especially when powerful forces are doing their worst to stymie and silence expression). You’ll come away from this conversation informed, inspired, and hopefully fired up.

Learn more about Bill and the Cheuse Center here:
https://cheusecenter.gmu.edu/about/board-of-advisors

Learn more about Leeya here:
https://leeyamehta.com/about

Award-winning author Sean Murphy in conversation with creative thinkers, spanning the literary, music, art, politics, and tech industries. As a cultural critic, professor, founder of a literary non-profit, Sean is always looking to explore and celebrate the ways Story is integral to how we define ourselves, as artists and human beings. This Substack newsletter and weekly podcast peels back the layers of how creativity works, why it matters, how our most brilliant minds achieve mastery. Join us to explore how our most successful and inspired storytellers engage by discussing craft, routines, brand, and mostly through authentic and honest expression.

Website: seanmurphy.net
Substack: seanmurphy.live
Twitter: @bullmurph
Instagram: @bullmurph
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorSeanMurphy
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sean-murphy-4986b41

Today’s guest is Jessa Crispin, one of my favorite go-to sources for cultural insight and inspiration. She’s the author of Why I Am Not a Feminist: A Feminist Manifesto, and The Dead Ladies Project. Currently, she is editor-in-chief of the awesome publication The Culture We Deserve. Jessa joins me to talk about everything from the present state of American politics, to how both class and education remain ubiquitous yet oddly—and annoyingly—under-discussed topics in our media, and especially amongst progressives. Jessa, suffice it to say, is a much-needed voice, and one more self-satisfied and myopic critics and opinion writers should pay attention to. We inevitably discuss craft and why effective narrative works, not only via essays, but political campaigns. We also compare notes on the challenges and opportunities of maintaining an online brand, building a community amongst creatives, and why it’s always been difficult to carve out a viable (much less paying) gig as a writer. Jessa is always refreshing, provocative, challenging, and honest, and I hope everyone tuning in becomes a fan and spreads the word.

Learn more about Jessa at jessacrispin.com

Award-winning author Sean Murphy in conversation with creative thinkers, spanning the literary, music, art, politics, and tech industries. As a cultural critic, professor, founder of a literary non-profit, Sean is always looking to explore and celebrate the ways Story is integral to how we define ourselves, as artists and human beings. This Substack newsletter and weekly podcast peels back the layers of how creativity works, why it matters, how our most brilliant minds achieve mastery. Join us to explore how our most successful and inspired storytellers engage by discussing craft, routines, brand, and mostly through authentic and honest expression.

Website: seanmurphy.net
Substack: seanmurphy.live
Twitter: @bullmurph
Instagram: @bullmurph
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorSeanMurphy
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sean-murphy-4986b41

Today’s guest is American avant-garde jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Matthew Shipp. Prolific and critically adored, Shipp has been praised by eclectic musicians ranging from David Bowie to Henry Rollins, and has recorded with virtually every significant contemporary jazz musician. Matthew joined me to talk about his new book Black Mystery School Pianists and Other Writings, which covers decades of his writing on subjects ranging from jazz icons, his own influences, and his voracious appetite for art and culture of all kinds. Matthew has many opinions, all of them deeply held and informed, and he shared his thoughts on everything from authenticity, discipline, community, and how to cultivate a creative existence. We also reminisced about the New York City scene of the mid 1980s, which was a much dirtier, diverse, and nurturing place; Matthew was part of a world where one might bump into anyone from John Zorn to Jean-Michel Basquiat. Matthew also talks about his discography, which is wide-ranging—from solo to trio and quartet work, as well as his cross-genre experimentations (some of which, from the early 2000’s, are among my favorite albums, particularly his collaborations with geniuses such as David S. Ware, William Parker, and DJ Spooky). This conversation, like Matthew’s music, went in many different directions, and anyone can learn a great deal from the trail Shipp has blazed.

Buy Black Mystery School Pianists and Other Writings on Amazon

Award-winning author Sean Murphy in conversation with creative thinkers, spanning the literary, music, art, politics, and tech industries. As a cultural critic, professor, founder of a literary non-profit, Sean is always looking to explore and celebrate the ways Story is integral to how we define ourselves, as artists and human beings. This Substack newsletter and weekly podcast peels back the layers of how creativity works, why it matters, how our most brilliant minds achieve mastery. Join us to explore how our most successful and inspired storytellers engage by discussing craft, routines, brand, and mostly through authentic and honest expression.

Website: seanmurphy.net
Substack: seanmurphy.live
Twitter: @bullmurph
Instagram: @bullmurph
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorSeanMurphy
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sean-murphy-4986b41