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On the Web Tue Oct 29 2013
All Write Already! Interviews Junot Diaz
Since September 2012, All Write Already has covered local book events and news with their signature down-to-earth style. Hosts Karen Shimmin and Willy Nast have interviewed such Chicago wordsmiths like Christine Sneed, Samantha Irby, and M. Molly Backes. Their latest episode, however, might be its most star-powered yet. Pulitzer-prize winning author Junot Diaz, in town for the Chicago Humanities Festival, stopped by the All Write Already! studio for a lively discussion on topics ranging from Atari to heartbreak. Diaz covers a lot of ground in the thirty minute interview including writing as an extreme sport, his current work-in-progress, the lack of diversity in the publishing industry, and the problem with producing writers instead of readers. He also partakes in one of our city's oldest pastimes: complaining about Chicago-style politics. "What strikes you is how proud people are of being Chicagoans and how that pride is not matched by its elites. If it was up to the politicians, they would sell this city cheap...," said Diaz. "No city that I've been to more explicitly renders the judgment of how awful its leadership is." At the same time, Diaz admires our robust cultural scene. "I met so many people doing such fascinating stuff. That was incredibly cheering."
You can listen to this and all other episodes on iTunes, Stitcher, or the All Write Already! website.
