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Working: Reporter Casey Parks on the Book She Needed to Write

Slate Daily Feed

Slate

News, Society & Culture, Business

3.91.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 September 2022

⏱️ 49 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, host June Thomas talks to reporter Casey Parks, whose new memoir Diary of a Misfit was more than a decade in the making. In the interview, Casey explains how the book started as a documentary project that focused on a person from her hometown. Then she discusses the gradual evolution of the project and her decision to make it more personal.  After the interview, June and co-host Karen Han talk about Casey’s “need” to write the book and whether they’ve ever felt that same pull.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Casey shares what it was like to narrate the audiobook version of the memoir. She also lists some books and other works that served as inspiration for Diary of a Misfit.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com 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 an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:43.0

When I first got into this book writing class at Columbia on the first day the professor said, if you think you can be happy doing anything else, don't write a book.

1:02.0

And I just knew already like I have to do this. I don't know why, but I have to do it. I don't care what else in my life suffers.

1:13.0

Welcome back to working. I'm your host, Karen Han.

1:16.0

And I'm your other host, June Thomas. Hi, June. How are you?

1:21.0

I am fabulous. Thank you. I am getting settled in our new home, which is in Scotland. I am more or less over jet lag and most relieving of all.

1:33.0

I'm finally getting back to routine of working on my book. So that is great. How are you doing?

1:39.0

I'm doing pretty good. I have to say it's always fun when someone you zoom with a lot has a new zoom background, which you now do having moved.

1:46.0

So it's a very novel experience.

1:48.0

Yes. It's looking very empty right now because all of our stuff is, well, I think waiting to be put on a ship rather than actually on a ship.

1:55.0

Oh wow.

1:56.0

But it's funny because you don't need that stuff. I need to tell myself all that stuff that I paid for to send a credit.

2:03.0

I don't need it. But hey, there we are. There we are.

2:05.0

So who did you talk to this week for this episode?

2:08.0

So the voice we heard at the top of the show belongs to Casey Parks.

2:13.0

She is a journalist at the Washington Post and she has an amazing new book out called Diary of Amisfit, a memoir and a mystery.

2:22.0

And I wanted to speak with her because in some ways it's a book about the struggle to write a book.

2:29.0

But it's also a really beautiful and compelling read. I really highly recommend it. But I really wanted to talk to her about it.

...

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