83. Writing From the Velvet Ditch w/ Up and Coming Writer Elz

To celebrate National Poetry Month, Dan invites Elz on to discuss the release of their debut book did I tell You What Happened? a fragmented memoir, living & writing in Oxford, MS, the role writing plays to communicate and navigate Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder, why we still have the need for genres, and so much more.

People and Texts Mentioned in this Episode

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• Major Depressive Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder
• Square Books
• Beth Ann Fennelly
• Imposter Syndrome
• Quasar Literary Arts
• Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Harry Styles
• Taylor Swift
• Schoolhouse Rock!
• Dwight Yoakam
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Girls
• Inglourious Bastards

“Whenever I tell people in Mississippi that I came from California they’re always like, ‘Why?’ and when I moved here I decided that I was going to be super honest about everything so I have answered every single person with, ‘Bipolar Disorder,’ and sometimes people think I’m joking, and sometimes people are like, ‘Oh my God! I’m so sorry!’ and I’m like, ‘It’s okay, I’m gonna make it.’” –Elz

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“Writing has been the form of communication that I use when I don’t think that people will listen to me monologue through the crappy thoughts for like an hour so then I’m like, ‘Okay, I’ll just work on this and I’ll send it to you when it’s done,’ and then one of those times it turned into a book.” –Elz

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“I’ve had this inclination to put so many artists that I’ve admired on pedestals, and it seems like everybody that I’ve encountered here that I admire as a writer is also just so incredibly humble and very upfront with their imposter syndrome, which has made it easier for me to feel like I’m not falling apart and laugh at myself.” –Elz

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“Honestly, I don’t understand why we still differentiate between genres at this point in time.”
–Elz

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“A lot of the fragmentation [in my book] is also about how I, and I think a lot of people feel like so much of our emotional selves, sentimental selves, our selves that are desiring visibility and other people’s understanding can be shown through the pieces of art that we specifically associate with whatever feeling.” –Elz

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This episode was recorded on February 5th, 2022. Because we recorded via Zoom, there may be occasional audio hiccups. Our theme song is “4 am” by Makaih Beats. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher and follow us on Twitter @WritingRemixPod.