literary arts

In the first episode, titled "navigating impostor syndrome & authenticity," Saurin delves into the struggle of staying true to oneself and embracing authenticity while grappling with the fear of failure and the feelings of being an impostor. He reflects on his own journey of comparison, self-doubt, and the pursuit of external validation. And, amidst the turmoil, Saurin finds solace in Chapter 3, Verse 35 of the Bhagavad Gita.

Books referred in the episode
"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron
"The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle
"The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield 

We welcome you to join us in building a community of creative souls on this journey of self-discovery and personal growth. Reach out to us at gitacreativesoul@gmail.com or find us on:

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Bhagavad Gita for the Creative Soul

• Produced by The Voice Bank
• Concept & Writing: Saurin Desai
• Executive Producer: Rashmi Sundaram
• Director: Sundar Sethuraman
• Voice Artists: Sheetal Sawhney & Saurin Desai
• Special Advisor: Kushagra Singh (Writer, Spiritual Speaker & Yoga Teacher)
• Sound Designer: Sushant Sonawale
• Music Composition: Sushant Sonawale & Ameen
• Recordist: Agnel & Sushant Sonawale
• Recorded at Crescendo Studio, Mumbai

Host Meharoona Ghani has a conversation with Nicola Watts, CFUV Operations Director about what's behind Raining Revolution: JEDI in the Arts - the meaning, the dream. 

On today's episode guest interviewer David Griffith, vice president and Emily and Richard Smucker Chair for Education, speaks with Alexandria Marzano-Lesnovich, author of The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir, winner of the 2018 Chautauqua Prize. Part reportage and part memoir, The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir follows a young law student through her early career as she digs into both her own past, and the past of a convicted murderer. In a book 10 years in the making, Marzano-Lesnevich shows how the law is more personal than we would like to believe, creating a “gripping” story of “great importance.” Chautauqua readers called it “an extraordinary memoir” that is “brave and intimate.”

A 2014 National Endowment for the Arts fellow, Marzano-Lesnevich has received a Rona Jaffe Award and has twice been a fellow at both MacDowell and Yaddo. Alexandria’s essays appear in The New York Times, Oxford American, and the anthologies True Crime and Waveform: Twenty-first Century Essays by Women, as well as many other publications.

Alexandria received The Chautauqua Prize in a public presentation on Friday, Aug. 3.

Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich's Aug. 3 presentation in the Hall of Philosophy:

• Video and audio: online.chq.org/…
• Coverage in The Chautauquan Daily: chqdaily.com/…

On today's episode Chautauqua's Director of Literary Arts, Atom Atkinson, speaks with author Victor LaValle. LaValle's most recent book, The Changeling, is a captivating retelling of a classic fairy tale that imaginatively explores parental obsession, spousal love, and the secrets that make strangers out of the people we love the most. LaValle presented The Changeling for the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle on Thursday, July 12.

LaValle is also the author of six previous works of fiction: three novels, two novellas, and a collection of short stories. His novels have been included in best-of-the-year lists by The New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, The Nation and Publishers Weekly, among others. He has been the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, an American Book Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the Key to Southeast Queens. Follow him on Twitter at @victorlavalle.

Lexicographer Kory Stamper and playwright Lucas Hnath join interviewers Emily Morris and Andrew Borba in this packed episode featuring conversations with two presenters who helped shape the opening week of the 2018 Chautauqua Institution season, themed "The Life of the Written Word."

For nearly two decades at Merriam-Webster, Kory Stamper was responsible for altering definitions of old words and creating definitions for new ones. Her book, Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, cracks open the obsessive world of dictionary writing, from the agonizing decisions about what to define and how to do it, to the knotty questions of ever-changing word usage. In this converation, Kory and Emily discuss her book, how words find their way into the dictionary, and the hot-button issues you may be surprised to learn that lexicographers face. Follow her on Twitter at @KoryStamper, and read The Chautauquan Daily's recap of her Amphitheater lecture here: http://chqdaily.com….

Lucas Hnath is the author of more than a dozen plays, including The Christians and Red Speedo. He made his Broadway debut in 2017 with A Doll’s House, Part 2, his brilliant interpretation of what happens to Nora after the shocking ending of the original play by Ibsen. When he isn’t writing award-winning plays, he serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Dramatic Writing at his alma mater, NYU. Listen on (conversation begins at 30:32) as Andrew and Lucas discuss the playwright's process, his inspirations, and why he doesn't make a point to see his plays performed. Read The Chautauquan Daily's recap of Lucas' Amphitheater conversation here: http://chqdaily.com…

Emily Morris is Chautauqua's vice president of marketing and communications and chief brand officer. Andrew Borba is Chautauqua Theater Company's artistic director.

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tyehimba Jess, author of 2018 Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle selection Olio, joins Atom Atkinson this episode to discuss his life, career and writing process. As part of a week at Chautauqua celebrating "The Life of the Written Word," Jess presented Olio to the Chautauqua Amphitheater audience, taught a master class titled “Show the Receipts: Historical Documentation in Poetic Form” and even heard a performance inspired by his work by the Chautauqua Opera Company.

Jess is an award-winning poet and teacher. Olio, his latest book, has received numerous accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and The Midland Society Author’s Award in Poetry. Jess' previous works include African American Pride: Celebrating Our Achievements, Contributions, and Enduring Legacy, and leadbelly, which was published as one of five selections of the 2004 National Poetry Series. His honors include a Whiting Writers’ Award, a Chicago Sun-Times Poetry Award, and a Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Poetry Award. He has taught at the Juilliard School and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and currently serves on the faculty at the College of Staten Island in New York City. Follow him on Twitter at @TyehimbaJess.

Atkinson is a poet and serves as director of literary arts at Chautauqua Institution. Follow them on Twitter at @AtomAtkinson.

Dave Griffith, vice president and Emily and Richard Smucker Chair for Education at Chautauqua Institution, joins the podcast this episode to speak on his extensive background as a writer and teacher, what he's looking forward to in his first season at Chautauqua, plus a preview of 2018 programming in his areas of responsibility, including the literary arts, continuing-education and youth programming. See a full and up-to-date schedule of all 2018 programs at chq.org/2018.

Griffith is a writer and educator who before Chautauqua served as director of creative writing at Interlochen Center for the Arts. At Interlochen, Griffith is credited with dramatically reinventing the creative writing program, comprising a pre-professional arts boarding school and a summer arts camp for young people. Prior to his work at Interlochen, Griffith was an assistant professor of English at Sweet Briar College for six years, among other university posts, and director of creative writing at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts. He is the author of the acclaimed book A Good War is Hard to Find: The Art of Violence in America, which received critical acclaim from, among others, The New York Times Book Review. He is completing his second book, Pyramid Scheme: Making Art and Being Broke in America. Follow him on Twitter at @poorerthandead.

Matt Ewalt, Chautauqua Institution chief of staff, joins the podcast this episode to speak on his work in overseeing Chautauqua's signature and historic 10:45 a.m. weekday Amphitheater lecture platform — the process of selecting themes and presenters, considerations of balance and representation, and a fulsome preview of each of the 2018 season's weekly themes. See a full and up-to-date schedule of all 2018 themes and lecturers at chq.org/2018.

Ewalt has served in several roles at Chautauqua since joining the Institution staff in 2006. For seven seasons he was the 16th editor of The Chautauquan Daily, the Institution's official seasonal newspaper, before becoming associate director of education and youth services. In 2017 he was appointed as chief of staff by President Michael E. Hill, tasked with the primary responsibility for Chautauqua's Amp lecture program. Before Chautauqua, Ewalt was a reporter for the Times Observer in Warren, Pennsylvania. Follow him on Twitter at @mjewalt.