Best Christopher J Rodriguez Podcasts (2024)

1
A. J. Rodriguez, "Papel Picado," The Common Magazine (2024) 47:45

14m ago47:45

47:45

A. J. Rodriguez speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his story “Papel Picado,” which appears in The Common’s most recent issue. A.J. talks about the process of writing and revising this story, which explores a fraught moment in the life of a Latino high schooler struggling under the pressures of family, friendship, and expectation in Albuq…

1
Mayada Ibrahim (trans.), “Symphony of the South," The Common magazine (2024) 25:51

2M ago25:51

25:51

Mayada Ibrahim speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her translation of “Symphony of the South,” a short story by Tahir Annour that appears in The Common’s most recent issue, in a portfolio of writing in Arabic from Chad, South Sudan, and Eritrea. Mayada talks about the process of translating this piece, including working with the author an…

1
Amanda Mei Kim, "California Obscura," The Common magazine (2023) 36:04

4M ago36:04

36:04

Amanda Mei Kim speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “California Obscura,” which appears in The Common’s most recent issue, in a portfolio of writing and art from and about the immigrant farmworker community. Amanda discusses how the essay changed and developed over many drafts. The finished piece explores her childhood growing up…

1
Nayereh Doosti, “The Little One” The Common magazine (Nov, 2023) 28:49

5M ago28:49

28:49

Nayereh Doosti speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her story “The Little One,” which appears in The Common’s most recent issue. Nayereh talks about the many inspirations behind this story, which follows an older Iranian man coming to America, where he feels out of place with his family members, the community, and the younger generations. …

1
Leo Ríos, "Lencho," The Common magazine (2023) 42:57

6M ago42:57

42:57

Leo Ríos speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his story “Lencho,” which appears in The Common’s most recent issue, in a portfolio from the immigrant farmworker community. Leo talks about the process of writing and revising this story, which explores the friendship between two high school seniors in a rural community in California’s Central…

1
Vix Gutierrez, "Don’t Step Off the Path" (The Common magazine, 2023) 28:42

7M ago28:42

28:42

Vix Gutierrez speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “Don’t Step Off the Path,” which appears in The Common’s most recent issue. Vix talks about writing this essay, a coming of age story about her teenage years spent in the Balkans immediately after the Yugoslav Wars, where she lived with a very small humanitarian aid organization.…

1
Christopher Spaide, "Closure?" The Common Magazine (May 2023) 37:59

9M ago37:59

37:59

Christopher Spaide speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his poem “Closure?,” which appears in The Common’s most recent issue. Chris talks about how his curiosity for language and wordplay often lead him into deeper themes in his poems. He also discusses taking his first poetry class at Amherst College, and, now, teaching poetry classes him…

1
Jake Lancaster, “Grace’s Folly," The Common Magazine (2023) 28:03

10M ago28:03

28:03

Jake Lancaster speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his story “Grace’s Folly,” which appears in The Common’s most recent issue. Jake talks about writing stories that lean into the offbeat, uncomfortable, and sometimes grotesque parts of his characters and their lives. He also discusses his writing and revision process—carving away at long …

1
Ala Fox, "Ramadan in Saint-Denis" (The Common Magazine, Issue 25) 53:37

11M ago53:37

53:37

Ala Fox speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “Ramadan in Saint-Denis,” which appears in The Common’s most recent issue. Ala talks about weaving together the threads of her experiences living in Paris into an essay that explores a lot of questions but doesn’t try to answer them. The piece dives into the dynamics between neighborho…

1
Matt Donovan, "Guy with a Gun" The Common Magazine (Fall, 2023) 40:51

1y ago40:51

40:51

Matt Donovan speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his prose poem “Guy with a Gun,” which appeared in The Common’s fall issue. Matt talks about the conversation that inspired the poem—an encounter with a Sandy Hook parent that highlights the complex gray area around guns and gun ownership. He also discusses how his poetry collection about t…

1
Gerardo Sámano Córdova, "Iceberg, Mine" The Common magazine (Fall, 2022) 31:56

1y ago31:56

31:56

Gerardo Sámano Córdova speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his story “Iceberg, Mine,” which appears in The Common’s fall 2022 issue. Gerardo talks about combining the real and the surreal in this story, and using both to show the power of a brief moment of connection. He also discusses the risks and rewards of writing about the fantastica…

1
Robin Lee Carlson, "Reading the Ashes," The Common Magazine (Fall, 2022) 32:03

1y ago32:03

32:03

Robin Lee Carlson speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “Reading the Ashes,” which appears in The Common’s fall 2022 issue. Robin talks about the many-year process of observation, illustration, and writing that went into the essay, which explores the cycle of fire and rebirth in Cold Canyon. She also discusses how her work balance…

1
Sindya Bhanoo, “Tsunami Bride” The Common magazine (Fall, 2022) 35:35

1+ y ago35:35

35:35

Sindya Bhanoo speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her story “Tsunami Bride,” which appears in The Common’s new fall issue. Sindya talks about her experience reporting from India after the 2004 tsunami, and how that experience eventually became a story about a journalist in the same position, told from a local’s perspective. She also discu…

1
Meera Nair, "The Desire Tree," The Common magazine (Fall, 2022) 41:52

1+ y ago41:52

41:52

Meera Nair speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “The Desire Tree,” which appears in The Common’s new fall issue. Meera talks about the long process of writing this piece, which explores loss and longing through a visit to a banyan tree in Kerala, India that is said to grant prayers. She also discusses writing from memories, findi…

1
Ellen Doré Watson, “In Which Raging Weather is a Gift," The Common magazine (Spring, 2022) 32:17

2y ago32:17

32:17

Ellen Doré Watson speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her poem “In Which Raging Weather is a Gift,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. Ellen talks about the importance of letting a poem surprise you as the first draft comes together. She also discusses her thoughts on the revision process, her work translating poetry and prose, a…

1
Jane Satterfield, "Letter to Emily Brontë," The Common magazine (Spring, 2022) 41:22

2y ago41:22

41:22

Jane Satterfield speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her poem “Letter to Emily Brontë,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. Jane talks about her longstanding interest in the Brontë sisters, and why this pandemic poem is directed to Emily in particular. She also discusses letter-writing as a structure for poetry, and reads another …

1
Liesl Schwabe, "The Marching Bands of Mahatma Gandhi Road," The Common magazine (Spring, 2022) 37:14

2y ago37:14

37:14

Liesl Schwabe speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “The Marching Bands of Mahatma Gandhi Road,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. Liesl talks about the time she spent in Kolkata, India listening to the mostly-Muslim marching bands perform at Hindu weddings and religious ceremonies, and what drew her to this subject. She…

1
Ben Stroud, “Three Omens of Federico da Montefeltro," The Common magazine (Spring, 2022) 41:14

2y ago41:14

41:14

Ben Stroud speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his story “Three Omens of Federico da Montefeltro,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. The story fictionalizes a moment in the lives of historical figures from fifteenth-century Italy. In this conversation, Ben talks about finding his interest in writing stories set in ancient and me…

1
Anu Kumar, “The Woman in the Well," The Common magazine (Spring, 2022) 30:39

2y ago30:39

30:39

Anu Kumar speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “The Woman in the Well,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. Anu talks about the vivid memories from childhood that inspired this essay about ghosts, fear, family dynamics, and violence against women in India. She also discusses the revision process for the essay, her interes…

1
Suhail Matar, "Granada," The Common magazine (Spring, 2022) 31:13

2y ago31:13

31:13

Palestinian writer Suhail Matar speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his story “Granada,” translated by Amika Fendi. The story appears in The Common’s new spring issue, in a special portfolio of Arabic fiction from Palestine. Suhail talks about the inspiration and process behind the story, which explores the complex ways in which Palestini…

1
Mark Kyungsoo Bias, "Adoption Day," The Common magazine (Spring, 2022) 28:53

2y ago28:53

28:53

Mark Kyungsoo Bias speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his poem “Adoption Day,” which appears in The Common’s new spring issue. Mark talks about the inspiration and process behind the poem, which looks at issues like memory, immigration, and racism in post-9/11 America, all through the lens of a family experience. Mark also discusses his …

1
Adrienne G. Perry, "Flashé Sur Moi," The Common magazine (Spring, 2022) 47:02

2y ago47:02

47:02

Adrienne G. Perry speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “Flashé Sur Moi,” which appears in The Common’s new spring issue. Adrienne talks about the questions that inspired this essay: questions about memory and friendship and coming of age, questions about what it means to desire someone and be desired, and what we do to appear des…

1
Cheryl Collins Isaac, "Spin," The Common magazine (Spring, 2022) 33:51

2y ago33:51

33:51

Cheryl Collins Isaac speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her story “Spin,” which appears in The Common’s new spring issue. “Spin” is about two Liberian immigrants making a new life in Appalachia. In this conversation, Cheryl talks about the inspiration behind this story: writing from music and toward beautiful, sensual language. She also …

1
Nathan Jordan Poole, "Idlewild," The Common magazine (Spring, 2022) 48:39

2y ago48:39

48:39

Nathan Jordan Poole speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his story “Idlewild,” which appears in The Common’s new spring issue. In this conversation, Nathan talks about doing seasonal work at Christmas tree farms, the workers from all walks of life he met there, and how those experiences and those people helped to inspire this story. He als…

1
Romeo Oriogun, "The Sea Dreams of Us," Common magazine (Fall, 2021) 36:00

2+ y ago36:00

36:00

Romeo Oriogun speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his poem “The Sea Dreams of Us,” which appears in The Common’s fall issue. In this conversation, Romeo talks about his life as a poet in exile from Nigeria, and how that experience of exile appears in his poetry. He also discusses his writing process, the themes he often returns to in his …

1
Shubha Sunder, “A Very Full Day” The Common magazine (Fall 2021) 39:20

2+ y ago39:20

39:20

Shubha Sunder speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her story “A Very Full Day,” which appears in The Common’s fall issue. In this conversation, Shubha talks about writing stories set in India, and how she built out the insular world of Indian retirees that “A Very Full Day” centers on. She also discusses teaching creative writing to underg…

1
Tom Sleigh, “Last Cigarette” and “Apology to My Daughter,” The Common magazine (Fall 2021) 1:03:05

2+ y ago1:03:05

1:03:05

Tom Sleigh speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his poems “Last Cigarette” and “Apology to My Daughter,” which appear in The Common’s fall issue. In this conversation, Tom talks about his time as a journalist in Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Kenya, Iraq, and Libya, and how that experience comes out in his poetry. He also discusses the process o…

1
Julia Cooke, “Past and Future on Rapa Nui," The Common magazine (Fall, 2021) 34:40

2+ y ago34:40

34:40

Julia Cooke speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “Past and Future on Rapa Nui,” which appears in The Common’s fall issue. In this conversation, Julia talks about her trip to Rapa Nui, commonly known as Easter Island, a place famous for the mysterious moai statues that dot the remote landscape. She also discusses the island’s comp…

1
Mona Kareem, "Mapping Exile," The Common magazine (Fall 2021) 35:55

2+ y ago35:55

35:55

Mona Kareem speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “Mapping Exile: A Writer’s Story of Growing Up Stateless in Post-Gulf War Kuwait,” which appears in a portfolio of writing from the Arabian Gulf, in The Common’s fall issue. In this conversation, Mona talks about her family’s experience living in Kuwait as Bidoon, or stateless peop…

1
Steven Tagle, “Notes on Looking Back” The Common magazine (Fall, 2021) 40:28

2+ y ago40:28

40:28

Steven Tagle speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his essay “Notes on Looking Back,” which appears in The Common’s fall issue. Steven talks about writing this essay, originally in Greek, as a way to explore his love of the language and the experience of learning, speaking, and writing in it. Steven first came to Greece several years ago as…

1
Noor Naga, “Who Writes the Arabian Gulf?” The Common magazine (Fall, 2021) 36:00

2+ y ago36:00

36:00

Noor Naga speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about co-editing The Common’s first-of-its-kind portfolio of writing from the Arabian Gulf, which appeared in Issue 22. Noor penned an introduction to the portfolio, titled “Who Writes the Arabian Gulf?”, which explores her experience growing up in the Gulf with no real contemporary literature writt…

1
Mary O’Donoghue, "Safety Advice for Staying Indoors” Common magazine (Fall, 2021) 46:03

2+ y ago46:03

46:03

Mary O’Donoghue speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her story “Safety Advice for Staying Indoors,” which appears in The Common’s fall issue. Mary talks about crafting a story that explores two points of view within the same Irish family, both stuck inside during a strong storm, both coping with loss. She also discusses her work translatin…

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Priyanka Sacheti, “Oman is Mars: An Alien All Along” The Common magazine (Fall 2021) 18:26

2+ y ago18:26

18:26

Priyanka Sacheti speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “Oman is Mars: An Alien All Along,” which appears in a portfolio of writing from the Arabian Gulf, in The Common’s fall issue. In this conversation, Priyanka talks about her feeling of not belonging anywhere—born in Australia to an Indian family, but growing up in Oman as a th…

1
Carin Clevidence, “Ghosts of the Southern Ocean” The Common magazine (Fall, 2021) 32:57

2+ y ago32:57

32:57

Carin Clevidence speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “Ghosts of the Southern Ocean,” which appears in The Common’s fall issue. In this conversation, Carin talks about how her experiences traveling to Antarctica on expeditions have changed over the years, and how that change comes through in her writing. She also discusses her 20…

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Julian Zabalbeascoa, "Igerilaria" The Common magazine (Fall, 2021) 1:00:29

3y ago1:00:29

1:00:29

Julian Zabalbeascoa speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his story “Igerilara,” which appears in The Common’s fall issue. In this conversation from San Sebastián, Julian talks about writing stories set in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and the Basque Conflict. He also discusses his love of travel and his experiences running study abroa…

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Nariman Youssef, "Arabic Translations from Morocco" (The Common magazine, Spring, 2021) 54:32

3y ago54:32

54:32

Nariman Youssef speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her work translating three short stories from Arabic for The Common’s portfolio of fiction from Morocco, in the spring issue. In this conversation, Nariman talks about the conscious and unconscious decisions a translator makes through many drafts, including the choice to preserve some fe…

1
Ricardo Wilson, "nigrescence" (The Common magazine, Spring, 2021) 41:23

3y ago41:23

41:23

Ricardo Wilson speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his poem, “nigrescence,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. In this conversation, Ricardo talks about his new collection Apparent Horizon and Other Stories, winner of the PANK Book Contest in fiction. The collection includes several short poetic fragments scattered amongst storie…

1
Celeste Mohammed, “Home” The Common magazine (Spring, 2021) 37:47

3y ago37:47

37:47

Celeste Mohammed speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her story “Home,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. In this conversation, Celeste talks about her novel-in-stories, Pleasantview, and why it was important to her to write a book that shows all the complexities and difficulties of island life, with characters who break out of t…

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Jose Hernandez Diaz, “Ode to a California Neck Tattoo” The Common magazine (Spring 2021) 17:22

3y ago17:22

17:22

Jose Hernandez Diaz speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his poem “Ode to a California Neck Tattoo,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. In this conversation, Jose talks about finding his way to prose poetry, initially drawn in by its casual language and style. He also discusses the process of editing and revising poetry, his inter…

1
Emma Sloley, “The Cassandras” The Common magazine (Spring 2021) 38:25

3y ago38:25

38:25

Emma Sloley speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her story “The Cassandras,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. In this conversation, Sloley talks about writing a story based on the fear of men women are taught to have from a young age. She also discusses her decision to include a sort of Greek chorus in the story, apocalyptic iso…

1
Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, "The Good Donkey" The Common magazine (Spring, 2021) 44:47

3y ago44:47

44:47

Talia Lakshmi Kolluri speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her story “The Good Donkey,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. In this conversation, Kolluri talks about writing fiction from the perspectives of different animals, and where the inspiration for those stories comes from. She also discusses how being mixed race can complic…

1
Ravi Shankar, “The Five-Room Box” The Common magazine (Spring, 2021) 42:16

3y ago42:16

42:16

Ravi Shankar speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his essay “The Five-Room Box,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. In this conversation, Shankar talks about constructing this essay on identity, family, and fitting in from an excerpt of his memoir, Correctional, about his time spent in prison. He also discusses how that time chang…

1
Wyatt Townley, “Instructions for the Endgame" The Common magazine (Spring, 2021) 49:45

3y ago49:45

49:45

Wyatt Townley speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her poem “Instructions for the Endgame,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. In this conversation, Townley talks about experiencing poetry in all parts of her life—in dance and yoga, in astronomy and physics, and in nature. She also discusses her time as Poet Laureate of Kansas, th…

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Silvia Spring, “The Home Front” The Common magazine (Fall, 2020) 43:42

3y ago43:42

43:42

Silvia Spring speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her debut short story “The Home Front,” which appears in The Common’s fall issue. In this conversation, Spring talks about the inspiration and process behind this story, which tangles with the difficulties of coming into adulthood, and the experience of living abroad without feeling part o…

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KC Trommer, “The Couple,” The Common magazine (Fall, 2020) 52:43

3y ago52:43

52:43

KC Trommer speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her poem “The Couple,” which appears in The Common’s fall issue. In this conversation, Trommer discusses writing about artwork she finds compelling and sometimes disturbing, like the Louise Bourgeois sculpture explored in this poem. She also discusses her Queens-centered poetry project QUEENS…

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Jennifer Jean, “California” The Common magazine (Fall 2020) 51:04

3y ago51:04

51:04

Jennifer Jean speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her poem “California,” which appears on The Common online, in a special portfolio of writing from the Lusosphere (Portugal and its colonial and linguistic diaspora). Jean talks about writing this poem to be in conversation with Joni Mitchell’s song of the same title, and how music works it…

1
Deborah Lindsay Williams, “‘You Like to Have Some Cup of Tea?’ and Other Questions About Complicity and Place” (The Common, Fall 2020) 44:40

3y ago44:40

44:40

Deborah Lindsay Williams speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her “‘You Like to Have Some Cup of Tea?’ and Other Questions About Complicity and Place,” which appears in Issue 20 of The Common magazine. In this conversation, Williams talks about living and writing in Abu Dhabi, traveling to South Africa with her family, and how narrow the w…

1
Fátima Policarpo, "Her Borders Become Her" (The Common 20, 2020) 41:58

3+ y ago41:58

41:58

Fátima Policarpo speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “Her Borders Become Her,” which appears in Issue 20 of The Common magazine. In this conversation, Policarpo talks about creating an essay that includes elements of ghost stories, using language barriers and rich settings to set up complicated dynamics between family members wh…

1
Edgar Garbelotto, "A Fourteen-Hour Lesson in Theosophy,” The Common magazine (Fall 2020) 51:57

3+ y ago51:57

51:57

Writer and translator Edgar Garbelotto speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his short story “A Fourteen-Hour Lesson in Theosophy,” which appears in Issue 20 of The Common magazine. The story imagines the final hours of author Clarice Lispector’s life. In this conversation, Garbelotto talks about the process of fictionalizing a real person,…

1
Casey Walker, “Vigilância,” The Common magazine (Fall, 2020) 54:36

3+ y ago54:36

54:36

Casey Walker speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about his short story “Vigilância,” which appears in Issue 20 of The Common magazine. In this conversation, Walker talks about writing World War II-era Lisbon through the eyes of a police informer who trades in secrets. Walker also discusses the complex nature of complicity in his novel Last Days…

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