20 min listen
Alexander Sammartino, author of LAST ACTS
FromWriters on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers
Alexander Sammartino, author of LAST ACTS
FromWriters on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers
ratings:
Length:
64 minutes
Released:
Apr 30, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Alexander Sammartino was born in Rhode Island, grew up in Arizona, and now lives in Brooklyn. He received his MFA from Syracuse University. His debut novel, Last Acts, was published by Scribner in January and was selected as a New York Times’ Editors Choice. Last Acts has been described as “hilarious and wrenching,” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “irreverent” by the Chicago Review of Books, and “a wholly American novel about salvation” by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Alex has been called “a magnificent sentence writer” by the New York Times Book Review. And George Saunders, author of Lincoln in the Bardo and A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, said, “What a taut, energetic, tender, and wholly original debut novel Alexander Sammartino has written. He knows something deep about the dark heart of America that somehow doesn’t stop him from writing about it with genuine, goofy love. Somewhere, Denis Johnson and Saul Bellow are smiling because their lineage—that of honest, highwire, virtuosic writing that summons up the world with all its charms and hazards, has found a worthy heir."
Alex joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to discuss father/son novels, writing short chapters, multiple perspectives, beginnings and endings, interiority, backstory, influences, and much more.
For more information on Writers on Writing and to receive extra writing perks, visit our Patreon page. Listen to past interviews on our website. Another way to support the show is by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. We’ve stocked it with titles from our guests, as well as some of our personal favorites. You’ll support independent bookstores and our show by purchasing through the store. Finally, on Spotify listen to an album’s worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. Look for the artist, Just My Type. Email the show at writersonwritingpodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from our listeners.
(Recorded on April 11, 2024) Host: Barbara DeMarco-BarrettHost: Marrie StoneMusic and sound editing: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)
Alex joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to discuss father/son novels, writing short chapters, multiple perspectives, beginnings and endings, interiority, backstory, influences, and much more.
For more information on Writers on Writing and to receive extra writing perks, visit our Patreon page. Listen to past interviews on our website. Another way to support the show is by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. We’ve stocked it with titles from our guests, as well as some of our personal favorites. You’ll support independent bookstores and our show by purchasing through the store. Finally, on Spotify listen to an album’s worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. Look for the artist, Just My Type. Email the show at writersonwritingpodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from our listeners.
(Recorded on April 11, 2024) Host: Barbara DeMarco-BarrettHost: Marrie StoneMusic and sound editing: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)
Released:
Apr 30, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Eric Nguyen, author of "Things We Lost to the Water": Eric Nguyen's debut novel, Things We Lost to the Water, was one of President Obama's favorite books of 2021. It's recently out in paperback. Eric joined Marrie Stone to talk about understanding his own history through the lens of fiction, how he came to know his characters, writing about a well-known city in a new light, how bilingualism serves his fiction, and so much more. If you're a regular listener or like this episode, check out our new Patreon page, where we offer weekly writing tips and prompts, as well as other goodies for our listeners. Thanks for listening! Download audio. (Recorded on June 24, 2022) Music and sound design by Travis Barrett Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: www.penonfire.com Marrie Stone: www.marriestone.com Travis Barrett: https://travisbarrett.mykajabi.com by Writers on Writing: A Weekly Podcast for Writers, Readers, & Book Lovers