Working: How Nichole Perkins Tapped into Memories for Her Memoir

Slate Culture

Slate Podcasts

Arts, Tv & Film, Music

4.4 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 26 September 2021

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, host June Thomas talks to writer and podcaster Nichole Perkins, whose new book of personal essays is Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be. In the interview, Nichole describes the techniques she used to get in touch with early memories for the book. She also discusses the importance of clarity and her mission to avoid being misunderstood. After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler get some creative advice from writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Nichole talks about some of her favorite collections of personal essays. Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to [email protected] or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm thinking about this chapter that I wrote about my great-grandmother, and I talk about
0:09.5	the soap that she used.
0:11.6	So I would go to Family Dollar and look for that soap, and so I would smell it because
0:14.9	it smells really important in unlocking memories.
0:18.4	You know, I can remember the music I was listening to when I got a particular phone call and stuff
0:23.9	like that.
0:24.9	How I would get back into that place.
0:30.4	Welcome back to Working, I'm your host, Isaac Butler, and I'm your other host, June Thomas.
0:36.7	And June, who is that that we just heard at the top of the show?
0:40.8	That was Nicole Perkins, who has a new book of essays out, it's called Sometimes I Trip
0:46.0	on How Happy We Could Be, which is a great, great title.
0:49.2	Aha, an erstwhile member of the Larger Slate Podcast family.
0:53.9	Yes, that's right.
0:54.9	Nicole and I were co-hosts of the waves for quite a while, and she was, of course, part of
1:00.4	the great podcast thirst aid kit for several years.
1:03.8	And we all really miss her, so I'm glad she's with us for this week at least.
1:07.8	Yes, absolutely, and I believe our Slate Plus listeners will get an extra bit of her this
1:13.6	week as well, right?
1:14.9	They will.
1:15.9	Nicole recommended some other essay collections that people might want to check out, and she
1:21.2	is a very, very enthusiastic reader of romance novels.
1:24.6	So I asked her to recommend something for listeners who aren't sure what to start with
	...

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