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Episode Description
Critically acclaimed debut novelist Jessica Goldstein spoke with us about her career path from teen mag intern to freelance culture writer, time travel, and her nostalgic debut, RETRO.
Jessica M. Goldstein is a journalist, humorist, and longtime contributor to Vulture, where she has recapped ‘Emily in Paris,’ ‘Hacks,’ ‘Wednesday,’ and ‘The White Lotus.’ Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Marie Claire, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and more.
Her highly anticipated debut, Retro, is described as “Party Down meets one of those great George Saunders short stories about how weird and dystopian work is. A little White Lotus, a little Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
In a starred review, Kirkus declared the book “a nuanced, biting cautionary tale about how not staying present can erase our very selves.”
Jessica also publishes a weekly Substack newsletter, The Retro Report, where she shares vintage mood-based recommendations for what to read, watch, listen to, meditate on, and obsess over.
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In this file Jessica Goldstein, Milena, and I discussed:
The origins of her debut novel and how she snagged an agent
Getting long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
Her intense nostalgia for the "Before" times
Why you need to opt out of the imagined timeline of becoming an author
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
ElevenReader is a new, award-winning audio app for iOS, Android, Web
Retro: A Novel By Jessica Goldstein (Amazon)
Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer
diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram
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