Melissa Broder’s “Death Valley” Finds Wisdom, Humor, and Healing in the California Desert

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In this episode 396, we feature acclaimed writer Melissa Broder discussing Death Valley, a comedic odyssey through the desert of grief. The novel was named a best book of 2023 by Oprah Daily, Vanity Fair, and The New York Times, who called it “a triumph, a ribald prayer for sensuality and grace in the face of profound loss, a hilarious revolt against the aggressive godlessness, dehumanization and fear plaguing our time. All ten of Melissa Broder’s finger lamps are blazing. Why not be totally changed into fire.”  

Show discussion highlights:

  • The alchemy that transforms life into writing (and sometimes the reverse)
  • The role of real-life struggles with mental health and grief in the creative process, and the role of joy
  • Why pee is a valid plot point! and other thoughts on capturing both the divine and the visceral in her work
  • Coping with the pressure of critical expectations
  • Broder’s experiences in adapting her work for the screen
  • A hint at the topic of her next novel

Brief author bio: 

Melissa Broder is the author of the novels Death Valley, Milk Fed, and The Pisces, the essay collection So Sad Today, and five poetry collections, including Superdoom: Selected Poems and Last Sext. Her books are translated in over ten languages. Broder has written for The New York Times, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue Italia, Bon Appetit, VICE, and New York Magazine. Poems appear in POETRY, The Iowa Review, Guernica, Fence, et al. She is the winner of a Pushcart Prize for poetry.

Learn more about the author and their books HERE.

https://www.melissabroder.com/

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