Notes and Links to Vanessa Saunders’ Work
Vanessa Saunders is a writer living in New Orleans. She teaches as a Professor of Practice at Loyola University New Orleans. She was the editor-in-chief of Helium Journal from 2013 to 2016.
Her writing has appeared in Writer's Digest, Writer's Chronicle, Seneca Review, Sycamore Review, Los Angeles Review, Nat. Brut, Entropy, PANK, P...
Notes and Links to Vanessa Saunders’ Work
Vanessa Saunders is a writer living in New Orleans. She teaches as a Professor of Practice at Loyola University New Orleans. She was the editor-in-chief of Helium Journal from 2013 to 2016.
Her writing has appeared in Writer's Digest, Writer's Chronicle, Seneca Review, Sycamore Review, Los Angeles Review, Nat. Brut, Entropy, PANK, Passages North, Stockholm Review of Literature and other journals. She is at work on a novel of magical realism about whiteness and a book-length prose poem about the ethics of authorship.
Buy The Flat Woman
Vanessa's Website
At about 1:45, Vanessa recommends places to buy her book, including Baldwin Books
At about 2:55, Vanessa responds to Pete’s question about her expectations for the Pub Day and beyond versus the realities
At about 5:20, the two discuss Kafka’s Metamorphosis and his parables and connections to Vanessa’s The Flat Woman, as well as absurdities and allegory
At about 9:30, Vanessa gives background on her early reading and writing, including her grandfather’s and Sylvia Plath’s influences, and Anne Carson’s influence on The Flat Woman
At about 13:30, Vanessa explains the unique British library system
At about 15:25, Vanessa responds to Pete’s questions about
At about 16:35, Vanessa mentions Kelly Link, Sarah Rose Etter, Aimee Bender, and Hadriana in my Dreams as contemporary writers and writing that inspires her
At about 18:20, Pete and Vanessa shout out the generosity and greatness of Aimee Bender, and Vanessa talks about meetings with inspiring writers
At about 19:20, Pete shouts out Antonya Nelson’s “In the Land of Men” for the 1,987,231 time in Chills at Will history
At about 19:55, The two discuss the book’s epigraph and seeds for the book
At about 22:40, Vanessa expands upon stewardship and community and the environment in the formulation of her book
At about 24:20, Pete wonders about Vanessa’s decision to avoid naming her characters
At about 26:40, Pete asks Vanessa
At about 29:10, the two discuss the lengthy “setups” that are chapter titles, or “headlines”
At about 32:20, “leaky boundaries” and the family dynamic, including the absent father, are discussed
At about 33:35, “Terrorism” and government cover-up in the book and its couching is discussed; Vanessa talks about birds as “indicator species,” as she learned from a group of “elite ornithologists” (!!!) with whom she lived
At about 36:40, Vanessa talks about perpetual archetypes and storylines for “female villainy”
At about 37:40, Bird grief and research and animals as stand-ins for humans as discussed in the book is explored by Vanessa
At about 41:10, Vanessa, in explaining her views of animals and things and dominion, references a wonderful Louise Gluck line
At about 42:35, Pete and Vanessa discuss Bay Area history, anthropology. and its effects on their mindsets and writing
At about 44:00, The two talk about the “patriarch[al]” POPS Cola, and the protagonist’s early life after her mother is arrested and convicted
At about 45:45, Vanessa expands on the patriarchal society and the 2024 election’s connections to the systemic misogyny on display in the book
At about 49:50, The protagonist, depicted 10 years as “The woman,” and Part II are described, as well as the “chaotic aunt” and more ugly realities that confront the woman
At about 51:45, Vanessa cites inspiration from an interview with Toni Morrison regarding family alienation
At about 53:10, Vanessa explores connections between humor and speculative fiction
At about 54:10, The woman’s earliest interactions with and attractions to the man are discussed
At about 55:10, Vanessa responds to Pete’s question about the man being drawn to Elvis, with a trip down memory lane of a San Francisco that may no longer exist
At about 59:20, Vanessa talks about setting the woman as working at the very company that has imprisoned her mother
At about 1:01:25, Vanessa responds to Pete’s question about the grisly displays of hurt and dead animals, and the two discuss ideas of entertainment and willful (or not) ignorance about the brutality in Gaza and climate change
At about 1:05:00, Pete complements Vanessa for humor on the page and asks if the man has “discovered the manosphere”
At about 1:08:35, Vanessa talks about social justice being “commodified”
At about 1:10:40, Vanessa talks about initial hesitat[ion] in depicting the man as having some assorted wisdom, along with many horrible traits
At about 1:11:40, Vanessa discusses a famous writer, who is not related to her :(
At about 1:13:00, Another Maurice Carlos Ruffin shoutout
At about 1:14:20, Movie actors for the book’s characters!
At about 1:16:10, “You are hearing me talk”-Al Gore
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Please tune in for Episode 285 with The Philharmonik, Episode 58 guest, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist, music producer and genre defining artist. Recently, he has been nationally and globally recognized after winning the 2023 American Song writer contest and NPR’s 2024 Tiny Desk Contest for his song “What’s It All Mean?”
The episode marks the one-year anniversary of his NPR Tiny Desk Contest win. This will be released on May 16.
