Let's start with a simple truth: Lisa Taddeo's work is anything but slow. Time and time again, her readers are pulled into honest—devastating—examinations of rage, grief, and what it means to be a person in the world. From her acclaimed work of nonfiction, Three Women, to her unforgettable debut novel Animal, Lisa's writing is not merely an invitation into a story but a rallying cry to recognize the full scope of the human experience. The same can be said for her latest book, Ghost Lover, a collection of stories that “brings to life the fever of obsession, the blindness of love, and the mania of grief.”
For Lisa, life moves quickly, especially now. But her enduring exploration of grief creates space to talk about the (often) slow process of overcoming heartbreak or pain. And because of this, her stories stay with you long after the last page. In this interview, Lisa shared more about the pace that drives her practice, why she's drawn to short stories, and what she's learned from writing about people. This episode also opens with a reading by Francesca Giacco.
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Episode Transcript: https://slowstoriespodcast.com/lisa-taddeo
Learn more about Lisa's work: https://www.lisataddeo.com/
Purchase Lisa's books: https://bookshop.org/search?keywords=lisa+taddeo
Follow Lisa: https://www.instagram.com/lisadtaddeo/
Learn more about Francesca's work: https://francescagiacco.com/
Purchase SIX DAYS IN ROME: https://bookshop.org/p/books/six-days-in-rome-francesca-giacco/18785655
Follow Francesca: https://www.instagram.com/fegiacco/
Brandon Stosuy and Rose Lazar — "Crying is a cool thing."
Mason Spector — "I find a lot of value in the sadness."
Chelsea Hodson — ”I’m genuinely excited about creating things.”
Katherine May — ”It’s okay to get on with the business of living.”
Tembe Denton-Hurst — ”Growing isn’t always in the big moments.”
Allie Rowbottom — ”The questions in your writing are the questions in your life.”
Ross Gay — ”There’s always a gathering inside of us.”
Tarajia Morrell — ”We imagine our future, our family, ourselves.”
Ella Frances Sanders — ”People ask questions differently, and they also answer questions differently.”
Naj Austin — ”What does it mean to put ourselves on a platform that requires less of us?”
Kayla Maiuri — ”Fiction teaches us so much about reality.”
Jon Staff — ”Our words matter, and our lack of words matter.”
Ashley Merrill — ”Design is in service of your rest.”
Coco Mellors — ”If you create something and no one sees it, does it count? Yes.”
Hannah Traore — ”The context is always important.”
Laura Cramer and Starr Hout — ”We’re so capable of realizing dreams.”
Katie Kitamura — ”There’s also incredible power in grief.”
Grace Miceli — ”Slowing down is about trusting myself more.”
Matthew Herman — ”I hope we’re all realizing that we can live by our own rules.”
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