Critical Literary Consumption

Join Anna Nguyen for a podcast that asks us to reflect on our reading and analyzing practices. Interviewing writers, authors, and academics, we'll discuss: what does it mean when we cite a text or when we activate the text? Are we giving authors the agency or do we take for granted the concepts we use?Find me on Instagram and Twitter @anannadroid .

Critical Literary Consumption is a arts podcast hosted by Anna Nguyen, with 68 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Anna Nguyen hosts Critical Literary Consumption, a arts show with 68 episodes published.

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  Critical Literary Consumption

  On Writing an Immersive, Propulsive Romance-Beach Read (with Soon Wiley)

  Aug 14, 202637 min

  Four years after appearing on Critical Literary Consumption to discuss his debut, When We Fell Apart , Soon Wiley returns with CeCe Downing’s Start Over Summer , a complex beach read. Wiley considers, again, the fluidity of genre, books he thought of while writing CeCe’s story and the question of class that emerges when asking what makes a good partner or relationship. We also talk about the idealization of New England town halls and summers, both of which were subverted in Wiley’s second novel. He also shares stories about his research rabbit holes for his secondary story, on bureaucracy, environmentalism, and zoning laws. And, of course, we talk about the questions and concerns that arise when a man writes a romance.

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  Critical Literary Consumption

  Poetics, Prose, Place, and Persona (with Saeed Jones)

  May 29, 202640 min

  Saeed Jones traces his poetic roots through his sense of place and placemaking, identity, education, and his experiences writing in multiple genres. Considering how freeing the poetic form can be, Jones talks about the fictional element and the many personas embedded in his poems. Because we grew up in the south, he also reflects on the prominence of the south in his work and how “the south” is its own character (a persona!) and his attempt to correct the Southern canon.

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  Critical Literary Consumption

  Testimonies Are a Form of Data (with Dr. Jessica Hernandez)

  Apr 14, 202642 min

  In discussing her books, Fresh Banana Leaves and Growing Papaya Plants , Indigenous scientist Dr. Jessica Hernandez talks about turning her attention from a non-native but displaced relative (banana trees) to a native plant relative (papaya trees) to discuss climate displacement and migration. She also shares her thoughts on the binary of Western science and Indigenous science, writing scientifically and what counts as empirical data, defining the work of an Indigenous scientist, the purpose of a positionality statement, and her general experiences in academia.

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  Critical Literary Consumption

  On Writing the Dual Roles of Mother and Wife (with Thammika Songkaeo)

  Mar 16, 202650 min

  A character who is dissatisfied in her own marriage will likely struggle to be a mother, says Thammika Songkaeo. Discussing her debut novel, Stamford Hospital, Thammika explores the complexity of womanhood, intimacy and relationships, the limitations of intersectionality as a framework, class analysis, colorism in Asia, and the international novel. We also bonded over our experiences in our respective MFA and PhD programs.

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  Critical Literary Consumption

  "Fetishized": A Reckoning/Reawakening (with Kaila Yu)

  Nov 29, 202534 min

  Kaila Yu's Fetishized: A Reckoning With Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty is written as memoir-in-essays that serves as media and cultural analysis. We discussed how she situated her personal experiences as part of her research process, analyzing the broader Asian American landscape and history, revisiting her own media, the import scene, and representation.

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