Inside chapter two

Interview vibes, my conversation with David Sedaris, and some thoughts on diary-keeping.

You can hear me read this newsletter aloud here or on your podcast app.

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Even after many years of interviewing authors, I still have a long and totally self-interested wishlist of people who I haven’t got hold of yet. One of the best things about writing my book was that I managed to persuade a few more of them to speak to me, and I was particularly excited when I got confirmation that I could interview the humourist David Sedaris.

Sedaris writes essays (collected in his books but also often published in The New Yorker and elsewhere), and tours almost continuously, performing them to audiences around the world. I am a longtime fan.

I don’t remember how I worded my request, but I will say in general terms that when you’re trying to secure an interview, it helps to impress upon the publicist or agent that you really know and admire someone’s work – while stopping short of sounding like a creep. When the interview rolls around, though, I have to put aside my fan-ness.