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/
Meredith Westgate — ”Being a writer can often be empathy overload.”
Larissa Pham — ”I think everyone woke up to just how impossible it is to survive.”
Jen Spyra — ”How much doubt attends every stage of your writing?”
Melissa Febos and Forsyth Harmon — ”Writing is the very solitary room where I practice articulating things that feel unspeakable.”
Jen Batchelor — ”I take it very seriously when a word gets hijacked out of our vocabulary.”
Suzanne Koven — ”Literature opens the conversation.”
Courtney Marie Andrews — ”Poetry is asking you to get beneath the surface.”
Lesley Thornton — ”My self-care is preparation for community care.”
Dina Nur Satti — ”Art is really asking people to listen to the process.”
Jessica Manning — ”Your vision for your future changes.”
Zak Williams — ”You need to be engaged with your environment and the people around you.”
Deja Foxx — ”We should be making statements about who we are.”
Becky Cooper — ”What is the story that I should be the one to write?”
Nicole Caputo — ”I really see design as a lifestyle.”
Elizabeth Walton Egan — ”Where speed can hurt is when you are out of control.”
Mélanie Masarin — ”You never remember the time you spent on the internet.”
Lindsay Adams — ”Slow storytelling means giving yourself the grace and the space to evolve.”
Orion Carloto — ”Slowing down is the most beautiful thing you can do for yourself.”
Makenna Goodman — ”I do think that we want to escape, but I don’t think we want to flee.”
Taylor Sterling — ”I want to be more empathetic to how I can help versus how people can help me.”
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