Episode 3 of Experimental Practice is out now! In this episode, I had the honor of talking with Alissa Hattman about her post-apocalyptic novel Sift, writing during crises and into blockages, fragmented literary form, and creative community.
On the process of writing Sift during peak pandemic, Alissa says, “I had felt that whatever I could create in this time had to just be made out of the soil that we were in, in that moment.” And while it’s never not a good time to talk about making art during a catastrophe, this conversation (which was recorded at the end of September 2023) feels especially well-timed. It taught me so much and felt incredibly encouraging. I’m excited to share it!
🎧 You can listen wherever you stream podcasts. You can also listen on my website—where you’ll also find the full transcript (all that linked below). Enjoy!
About Alissa Hattman
Alissa Hattman is author of the novel Sift and the zine POST. Her writing has appeared in Carve, The Rumpus, The Gravity of the Thing, Propeller, Big Other, Surely Magazine, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Pacific University and an MA in English Literature from Portland State University. Alissa has worked as a fiction editor, book reviewer, zine librarian, writing group facilitator, and teacher. She writes short essays for her monthly newsletter, MURMUR, which also features a small press spotlight with a book give-away and other literary updates. Originally from North Dakota, she now lives and teaches in the Pacific Northwest. More at www.alissahattman.com.
Mentioned in this episode
Sift by Alissa Hattman
Riot grrrl
The Evergreen State College
Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer
“No Place for Self Pity, No Room For Fear in the Nation” by Toni Morrison (essay)
Milan Kundera
Alison Bailey
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Renunciations by Donika Kelly
Defacing the Monument by Susan Briante
Fred Moten
Browsers Books in Olympia
Pacific University’s MFA in Writing program
Jennifer Calkins and her book Fugitive Assemblage
Kauaʻi ʻōʻō bird (Moho braccatus)
MURMUR (Alissa’s newsletter)
About Experimental Practice podcast
Experimental Practice is a show about innovative and cross-genre literary work. Join me and my illustrious guests for conversations about the creative process and what we learn along the way.
It’s been a wonderful experiment to work in this audio format this past year and I’m learning lots through it. So far I’ve worked (out of necessity) on a sporadic schedule. That’ll be a wrap on full episodes in 2023, but I’m looking forward to continuing to experiment and share more conversations in the year ahead. Curious to see what it holds! ❤️