Episode 179 Notes and Links to Sarah Cypher’s Work
On Episode 179 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Sarah Cypher, and the two discuss, among other things, Sarah’s early reading and writing and the artistic gene she inherited, finding herself (or not) in her adolescent and college reading, the research needed for her book, Palestine as a muse, and motifs and themes of identity, the pull of home, exile, familial strife from her wonderful debut novel.
Sarah Cypher is a freelance book editor and author of The Skin and Its Girl. She has an MFA from the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, where she was a Rona Jaffe Graduate Creative Writing Fellow in fiction. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, New Ohio Review, Majuscule, North American Review, LEON Literary Review, Crab Orchard Review, and others. She grew up in a Lebanese Christian family near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and lives in Washington, D.C., with her wife.
Buy The Skin and its Girl
Sarah Cypher's Website
Sarah’s Substack
Kirkus Reviews for The Skin and its Girl
At about 2:20, Sarah talks about her mindset as the book comes out this week and her love for those helping with the cover (check out her Substack article about the cover process), editing, and promotion
At about 4:20, Sarah points to an artistic strain in her family and connects her writing and the book’s art
At about 5:20, Sarah gives background on her love of reading and writing and relationship with language growing up
At about 7:30, Sarah speaks about queerness as often treated as “unspeakable” when she was growing up and how she “found herself”
At about 9:30, Sarah discusses “resistance” in this time of banning books and censorship and homophobia
At about 11:30, Pete and Sarah get very grammary as Pete points out some subtleties that make Sarah’s book so good
At about 13:15, Sarah reflects on “exploring voices outside of [her] own”
At about 15:00, Sarah shouts out Patricia Engel, Rachel Cusk, and Katie Kitamura, among others, as some of her favorite and inspiring contemporary writers
At about 17:40, Sarah responds to Pete’s question about muse(s) for her project and research and seeds for the book by giving background on the book’s history and her own life experiences as a second-generation Arab-American (“before 9/11 and after 9/11”)
At about 22:00, Sarah details her connection to the famous soap from Nablus in Palestine
At about 24:15, Pete quotes the book’s epigraph and asks Sarah about its significance to “return” and home
At about 26:10, Sarah speaks to the book as “epistolary/” “direct address” and muses on how queer literature often uses direct address structures
At about 28:25, Sarah reflects on the connections between the Tower of Babel story and Nuha Rummani’s take on the story’s morals and buildings/towers as motifs
At about 31:10, Pete details the book’s opening sequences and discusses Betty’s dramatic birth
At about 32:50, Pete and Sarah discuss Tashi and her traumas and her background
At about 36:15, Sarah talks about how Tashi and her life are burdens/gifts from the family’s history and lineage
At about 37:40, The two discuss coincidences and meanings with Betty being born the day that the family soap factory was destroyed; Sarah connects to The Battle of Nablus in 2022
At about 41:20, Sarah speaks to ideas of “aftermath” in her work
At about 42:10, Pete outlines Nuha’s stories and their morals and her rationale; some of these stories include the parallel storylines between Alissabat and Betty
At about 44:10, Sarah is asked about Nuha’s character with regards to ideas of openness and living her truths
At about 47:30, Pete relates the saga of Betty’s schooling
At about 49:10, The two discuss ideas of difference in its many iterations and assimilation
At about 50:00, Sarah talks about those who “bullied” their way into the story in response to Pete’s compliments about strong women
At about 53:00, Pete and Sarah reflect on ideas of “long memories” and history’s long reach
At about 57:10, The two meditate on the “pull of home” and shifting concepts of “home”
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl
Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!
NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
Please tune in for Episode 180 with Jennifer Dawn Carlson. She is author of Merchants of the Right: Gun Sellers and the Crisis of American Democracy, and Associate Professor of Sociology and Government & Public Policy at the University of Arizona, and a 2022 MacArthur Fellow.
The episode will air on May 2, the Pub Day for her book!
Episode 214 with Leah Myers, Chronicler of the Heartfelt, the Specific, the Universal, and the Myth and Proud History of the Jamestown S’Klallam in the Memoir, Thinning Blood
Episode 213 with Andrew Porter, Reflective and Genius of the Understated and Resonant, Creator of Unforgettable Characters, and Author of the Story Collection, The Disappeared
Episode 212 with Theresa Rundstedtler, Savvy, Reflective, Thorough Researcher on Race and Sport, and Author of Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood and the Generation that Saved the Game
Episode 211 with Chris L. Terry and James Spooner, Passionate Researchers, Veteran Punk Rockers, and Stewards and Proponents of Black Punk Excellence for Future Generations
Episode 210 with Dan Sinykin, Wise, Thorough Chronicler of The Publishing Industry’s Changing Mores, & Author of Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature
Episode 209 with Julie Carrick Dalton, Standout Worldbuilder and Crafter of Plot Twists, Memorable Characters, Salient Storylines, and Author of The Last Beekeeper
Episode 208 with Sowmya Krishnamurthy, Author of Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion, and Keen Chronicler and Thoughtful Observer of Hip Hop, Pop Culture, and Fashion
Episode 207 with Ursula Villarreal-Moura, Master of Flash Fiction, Short, Powerful Stories, and Prose that Explores Intricate Emotions in Clever and Profound Ways
Episode 206 with David Mura, Thoughtful, Thorough, Wise Student and Chronicler of the Ills of White Supremacy and the Ways in Which Racism Works, and Author of The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself
Episode 205 with Josh Riedel, Author of Please Report Your Bug Here, Standout Worldbuilder, and Sage Observer and Chronicler of the Evolution/Devolution of Tech and its Impact on Our Society/Ourselves
Episode 204 with Kara H.L. Chen, Standout YA Writer of Love and Resistance and Crafter of Believable and Relatable and Empathy-Inducing Characters
Episode 203 with V.V. (Sugi) Ganeshananthan, Master Craftswoman of Tender and Gutting Storylines and Characters, and Author of the Modern Classic, Brotherless Night
Episode 202 with Dennis J. Sweeney, Reflective and Persistently Profound Thinker and Craftsman of Poems Both Abstract and Concrete and Author of You’re the Woods Too
Episode 201 with Erica J Berry, Thoughtful and Thorough Writer Who Seamlessly Combines Multiple Disciplines and Genres in Her Enthralling Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear
EPISODE 200 with Adam Vitcavage, Raconteur, Skilled Writer of Literary and Music Criticism, and Charismatic Advocate for Debut Authors Through his Podcast Debutiful: Discover Debut Authors
Episode 199 with Jared Beloff, Reflective Thinker, Painter of Beautiful Imagery and Debut Standout Author of the Climate Change-Themed Poetry Collection, Who Will Cradle Your Head
Episode 198 with Sarah Thankam Mathews, Master of the Visceral and Rational, Beautiful Sentence and Sentiment Creator, and Author of 2022’s National Book Award Shortlisted All This Could Be Different
Episode 197 with Chloe Cooper Jones, Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Nominee, Master of Melding Seemingly-Disparate Ideas and Themes, and Author of the Masterful and Profound Easy Beauty
Episode 196 with Rachel Howzell Hall, Painter of Worlds Both Familiar and Unknown, Creator of Psychological Thrillers, Master Crime Writer, and Author of What Never Happened
Episode 195 with Jessica Cuello, Keen Observer of the Connections Between Classical and the Modern, and Painter of Resonant Imagery in the Poetry Collection Yours, Creature
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Lit Society: Books and Drama
Ex Libris
Write The Book: Conversations on Craft
The Federalist Papers
The Turn of the Screw
Fresh Air
Myths and Legends