First Word

First Word #3: Sam Van Zweden

May 09, 2021 Sam George-Allen Season 1 Episode 3
First Word #3: Sam Van Zweden
First Word
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First Word
First Word #3: Sam Van Zweden
May 09, 2021 Season 1 Episode 3
Sam George-Allen

Melbourne author Sam van Zweden and I caught up over Zoom to talk about revisiting memory, writing mental health, the importance of having a dedicated “input day”, and how to turn a mango into a memoir. 

The books that Sam recommends in this episode are The Writing Life by Annie Dillard and Intimations by Zadie Smith (which is a book of essays Smith wrote and published during the early days of COVID019). She also gave a well-earned shout out to Eloise Grills, Liminal magazine, and Sydney Review of Books (particularly the Writers at Work series). 

Sam’s essay that I mention about periods of inactivity is ‘Learning to come back: on creativity and rest’, published in the Sydney Review of Books in 2019. 

Her debut memoir, Eating With My Mouth Open, is out now - you can buy it here

Show Notes

Melbourne author Sam van Zweden and I caught up over Zoom to talk about revisiting memory, writing mental health, the importance of having a dedicated “input day”, and how to turn a mango into a memoir. 

The books that Sam recommends in this episode are The Writing Life by Annie Dillard and Intimations by Zadie Smith (which is a book of essays Smith wrote and published during the early days of COVID019). She also gave a well-earned shout out to Eloise Grills, Liminal magazine, and Sydney Review of Books (particularly the Writers at Work series). 

Sam’s essay that I mention about periods of inactivity is ‘Learning to come back: on creativity and rest’, published in the Sydney Review of Books in 2019. 

Her debut memoir, Eating With My Mouth Open, is out now - you can buy it here