Episode 152 Notes and Links to Tommy Dean’s Work
On Episode 152 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Tommy Dean, and the two discuss, among other topics, his reading trajectory which started with sports biographies and has branched out in many directions, his start writing in undergrad, his views of flash fiction vs. short shorts, the craft of writing flash fiction, Tommy’s recurring themes and development as a writer, and inspiring works by Tobias Wolff and other titans of the trade.
Tommy Dean lives in Indiana with his wife and two children. He is the author of a flash fiction chapbook entitled Special Like the People on TV from Redbird Chapbooks. He is the Editor at Fractured Lit. He has been previously published in the BULL Magazine, The MacGuffin, The Lascaux Review, New World Writing, Pithead Chapel, and New Flash Fiction Review. His story “You’ve Stopped” was chosen by Dan Chaon to be included in Best Microfiction 2019. It will also be included in Best Small Fiction 2019. His interviews have been previously published in New Flash Fiction Review, The Rumpus, CRAFT Literary, and The Town Crier (The Puritan). Find him @TommyDeanWriter on Twitter.
Tommy Dean's Website
Buy Hollows
A.E. Weisberger Reviews Special Like the People on TV
“Past Lives” Story from Atlas and Alice Magazine-2020
“You’ve Stopped” from Pithead Chapel
2017 Mini-Interview with Megan Giddings
At about 7:30, Tommy discusses her early reading (a lot of sports and biographies and horror and “heavy genre”) and writing, with the writing mostly coming after undergrad
At about 10:00, the two discuss character as seen in these shared sports biographies
At about 11:30, Tommy describes his love for the library and its easy access to Sports Illustrated/SI for Kids
At about 12:30, Tommy and Pete discuss their shared loves for basketball and baseball, the former especially
At about 14:25, Tommy gives background on how he came to become interested in flash fiction/short shorts
At about 17:20, Tommy responds to Pete’s questions about how he has honed his craft
At about 19:00, Tommy describes what it is about flash fiction that appeals to him
At about 19:50, Tommy differentiates between “flash fiction” and “short short”
At about 22:50, Tommy gives some of the formative texts, literary journals (like SmokeLong Quarterly and Vestal Review) and writers that are classics of the flash fiction forms, like Stuart Dybek, Dan Chaon, Robin Black and “Pine,” and Elizabeth Tallent and her story, “No One’s a Mystery”
At about 27:00, Pete recounts the connections between the podcast title and Tobias Wolff’s “Bullet in the Brain”
At about 28:30, Tommy discusses the power of flash in its granularity
At about 29:30, The two discuss Hemingway and his “interludes” or works that could be classified as “flash”; they also discuss breaking convention
At about 34:20, Pete corrects himself on the pivotal line that inspired the podcast title
At about 35:10, Pete cites a powerful use of understatement from Elie Wiesel’s Night
At about 36:30, Tommy talks about how teaching/editing inform his writing, and vice versa
At about 42:35, Pete quotes interviews with Tommy and Megan Giddings and talks about his “lifejackets” as character
At about 44:00, Pete references powerful opening lines from Tommy and asks about the connections between title and subject matter; Tommy talks about work that became awarded and his process
At about 45:35, Tommy talks about his philosophy of dialogue in flash fiction
At about 47:15, Tommy explains conscious choices in using quotation marks or not
At about 48:30, Pete and Tommy discuss the idea that dialogue to begin a story is fraught; Pete provides an example of a short he wrote that
At about 52:15, Pete highlights a stunning open line from “Past Lives”; Tommy gives real-life connections to the story before reading it
At about 55:45, Tommy describes an “in” for writers involving unique characters
At about 56:45, Tommy talks about his two chapbooks
At about 57:15, Pete reads a review from the first collection and talks about themes of childlessness and craft shared by Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and Tommy’s early writing
At about 59:15, Tommy responds to Pete’s questions about development as a writer between his first and most recent collections; he traces his development via “cuts” and themes used
At about 1:03:20, Pete shares a reader’s review of Tommy’s Hollows and Tommy discusses why he appreciates these particular sentiments
At about 1:05:25, Tommy reads “Baby Alone”
At about 1:14:30, Tommy gives out his social media and contact info, including Alternate Currents and ELJ Editions
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Please tune in for Episode 153 with Luivette Resto, a mother, teacher, poet, and Wonder Woman fanatic born in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, and proudly raised in the Bronx. A CantoMundo and Macondo Fellow, and Pushcart Prize nominee, she is on the Board of Directors for Women Who Submit.
The episode will air on November 22.
Episode 158 with Javier Zamora, Poet, Compassionate Activist, and Master Craftsman and Purveyor of an Arresting Childlike POV and Creator of the Stunningly-Good and Moving Memoir, Solito
Episode 157 with Ilana Masad: Literary Critic, Former Podcaster, and Author of the Funny, Stirring, Meditative, and Thought-Provoking All My Mother’s Lovers
Episode 156 with Dr. Namrata Poddar, Extremely Well-Read Literary Critic, Professor, and Crafter of the Unique and Beautiful and Profound Border Less
Episode 155 with Robert Jones, Jr., Exemplary Literary Citizen, Reflective Changemaker, and Founder of the Powerful Son of Baldwin Platform and Author of 2021 National Book Award Nominee, The Prophets
Episode 154 with Ian MacAllen: Versatile Writer and Creator, Student of Foods and Cultures, and Author of Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American
Episode 153 with Luivette Resto, 24/7 Poet, Wordsmith, Versatile and Profound Chronicler of Family and Home and Identity, and Writer of Living on Islands Not Found on Maps
Episode 151 with Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, National Book Award Nominee for Poetry for Look at This Blue and Renaissance Woman
Episode 150 with Elizabeth Williamson, The Reflective, Dogged, Balanced, and Well-Researched Journalist for The New York Times and Author of Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth
Episode 149 with Erika T. Wurth: Author of White Horse and Expert Student of, Teacher of, and Practitioner of Horror, Suspense, Psychological Thrillers, and More
Episode 148 with Chen Chen, Writer of Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency and Brilliant Thinker, Craftsman, and Highly-Awarded and Esteemed Poet and Educator
Episode 147 with Jonathan Escoffery, Master Builder of Suspense, Empathy, Aversion, and Keen Chronicler of Survival, Identity, and More in The Masterful Collection, If I Survive You
Episode 146 with Sandy Ho, Discussing the Work and New Book (Year of the Tiger) of Alice Wong, Partner in Meaningful and Change-Inducing Work in Disability Circles and Beyond
Episode 145 with Vanessa A. Bee, Reflective, Creative, and Multitalented Writer of Home Bound: An Uprooted Daughter’s Reflections on Belonging
Episode 144 with Gustavo Barahona-López, Master Crafter and Chronicler of Grief, Masculinity, and Beauty in his Poetry Collection, Loss and Other Rivers that Devour
Episode 143 with Neema Avashia, Dedicated Educator, Mentor and Chronicler of Moving, Heartbreaking, and Reflective Stories in Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place
Episode 142 with Sadie Shorr-Parks, Lifelong Poet and Creator, Aesthete, and Educator, as Well as Author of the Wonderful Collection, Honey Month
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Episode 139 with Felicia Taylor E., Renaissance Woman, Creator, Storymaker, Raconteur, Poet, and Writer of Southern Spiced: A Brown Girl’s Tale
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