By Brendan O’Meara
Brin-Jonathan Butler has the world record for appearances on The Creative Nonfiction Podcast at four times. In honor of that, here’s a riff in 4/4 time.
You an check out his past few trips when he talked about what his ego is tied to, all things Cuba, and the blessings of struggle.
His new book The Grandmaster: Magnus Carlsen and the Match that Made Chess Great Again is a masterpiece.
You might also like The Domino Diaries. I know I did.
Okay, so I gotta be honest with you. You would think that after 125 of these that I’d be armed to the gills to make good work, good written work. But what happens, at least in my own brain, is that immersing myself with all these amazing artists is that it’s stifling because they’re so good I feel I can’t hang. Like by their very talent which they have cultivated over years, decades even, it squashes my drive. I’m like, Why even contribute anything or make anything when they’re doing it so well? It’s stupid, I know that on a very visceral level, but I can’t argue with a gut feeling that when I read Brin’s work, I’m just like, well, Brendan, go take a shower, turn in your key fob and good luck in your next life. Here’s a $5 gift card to Starbucks.
I suspect that comedians feel the same way all the time. I bet some look at Iliza Slesinger or Chris Rock and say, I can’t do that, so why try? When I frame it like that it sounds patently foolish, right? Of course you need to keep trying. The world needs you. It needs your voice, so keep going.
Where was I? Oh yeah, have you subscribed to the show? Go find it where you get your podcasts. And tell a friend. Just one friend and they’ll tell one friend. Let’s grow this thing. Also, consider leaving an honest review or rating over on iTunes. They help validate the entire enterprise.
Also, I have a monthly newsletter where I send out my reading recommendations for the month, as well what you might have missed from the world of the podcast, and a few other goodies I’ve stumbled across that I think will add value to your month. Maybe a laugh, maybe a little snippet that shows you you’re not alone.
Thanks to our sponsors in Goucher College’s MFA in Nonfiction as well as Creative Nonfiction Magazine. Go check them out.
If you want to connect on social, I’m @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod on twitter. On Facebook you can search for the podcast by name and the handle @CNFPodHost. If you’re an Instagrammer, I post drawings I do and audiograms from the show.
Got any questions or concerns? Ping me on social or email me creativenonfictionpodcast at gmail.com. Maybe I’ll answer the question on the show.
