Endnotes on Inheritance: Marie-Helene Bertino, Ocean Vuong, and More Voices from Thresholds

This is Thresholds, a series of conversations with writers about experiences that completely turned them upside down, disoriented them in their lives, changed them, and changed how and why they wanted to write. Hosted by Jordan Kisner, author of the essay collection Thin Places, and brought to you by Lit Hub Radio.

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This week, it’s the end of our “Inheritance” capsule of episodes! In this special grab bag, Marie-Helene Bertino shares her summer reading plans (hint: they involve Ursula K. Le Guin). Jordan and Drew answer some more listener questions, and Jordan describes the horror of hearing her own voice over and over again. We’ve got updates about Thresholds alums including Ryka Aoki, Ed Yong, Fernanda Melchor, Sarah Manguso, and Fariha Roisin. And last but not least, a flashback to Jordan’s conversation with Ocean Vuong.

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From the episode:

Marie-Helene Bertino: I’m doing what I call a reading course for myself, which is I choose an author I’ve been curious about and I try to read everything they’ve ever written. This summer, I chose Ursula K Le Guin, beginning with her Earthsea series, and it is divine. I am loving being immersed in the dreaminess of these novels. I am a science fiction and fantasy fan, and I have ruined the joy of reading by doing my undergrad in literature and my overgrad in fiction, and just by being a fiction writer, always alert.

I was hoping Ursula would bring me back to the time when I was a child ruining my eyesight in my bedroom. And she really has! It has been a delight to watch how she grows from book to book to book and strengthens and widens and grows bolder along the line in her first novels. So I highly recommend doing a reading course of your own, either with Ursula or with maybe an author who you’ve been curious about.

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For more Thresholds, visit us at thisisthresholds.com. Original music by Lora-Faye Åshuvud and art by Kirstin Huber.