A Conversation with Roxane Gay
We read new work too!
A few weeks ago, my mentor and dear friend Roxane Gay was kind enough to join me for an event here at Harvard Medical School. I’ve been organizing a series of public conversations about creative nonfiction over the course of my residency and this was certainly a highlight.
Roxane and I both read new work then had a wide-ranging discussion about the creative life, politics and culture. We had a HOOT and kept it real. I’m delighted to that video of our event is available now. You can watch it here.
There are so many wonderful moments, but this moment caught me. In an absolute sea of insightfulness, I found myself replaying you and Roxanne's finding joy in being with each on this platform TOGETHER. There's more, so much more, but for now, this is replaying in my head for the night.
::At the end of a discussion on the male loneliness epidemic, holding it up to how women portray their loneliness::
Roxanne: ... but the difference between young, disaffected men and women is that they (men) will blow up buildings and kill lots and lots of people and write dumb manifestos that are, like, basically plagiarized. And women will turn that harm inward and engage in self-harm
Saeed: It's like all these dudes, you just need to read like, any novel by a woman from the 20th century
Roxanne: Yeah I mean, it's called The Yellow Wallpaper! (almost overlapping) Saeed: Read The Awakening, like get it together!
::Roxanne and Saeed realize how on the same page they are, look at each other and laugh::
<3 <3 <3