The Art of Conversation
A Conversation with Celebrated Interviewer & Podcast Host Mitzi Rapkin
“We all have something in common with our worst enemies; we all know what it is like to cry and love.” —Mitzi Rapkin
Preview: Emerging Form Episode 129
Is hosting conversation a creative act? This question returns again and again in our interview with Mitzi Rapkin, founder, host and producer of the literary podcast “First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing.” In fine conversations, one might find “moments of cerebral and spiritual joining … transcendence is this third dynamic. It has a life force of its own, and you go to a place you never thought you could go.” We converse about the art of asking questions, deep listening and the evacuation of ego, authenticity, and the essential mess.
Mitzi Rapkin is the founder, host and producer of the literary podcast, “First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing,” which features a new author interview each week. There, she has interviewed more than 500 contemporary writers over the past eleven years, exploring the decisions and psychology that went into the writing of featured books, writers’ themes and the human experience. Rapkin is also a journalist, fiction writer, certified integral coach, facilitator and fiction-writing instructor. Her company, Full Light Communications, helps clients articulate and achieve their vision through facilitation, coaching, and communications services. She is never far from a bar of dark chocolate.
What We’re Reading and Listening to:
Rosemerry:
Aimee Nezhukumatathil is a favorite poet of mine, and I am loving her new book of short essay/vignettes about food, Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees. From the Rambutan to the Pecan, this talented author shares stories about foods that include memory, history, botany, politics, and passion. It’s a very human book about what we bring into our bodies.
Of course we might want to believe that our creative practice is in service to the world. If you doubt it—or if you just want more inspiration—consider reading Art Works: How Organizers and Artists Are Creating A Better World Together. Ken Grossinger is shares just how practical—just how political—art can be. Not just art for art’s sake, but art for social change. How can our creative lives be in service to the world? Read on.
Christie:
Azza Cohen, the official videographer and director of video to Vice President Kamala Harris, writes beautifully at Slate about what she learned from following and photographing the Vice President over the last four years. “I filmed her in 11 countries and in 91 cities across 27 U.S. states. I observed her with prime ministers and presidents and chancellors and kings—almost all of them men—and with hostile Republicans and their spouses who wouldn’t shake her hand. I saw her with the wives of world leaders, bullied teenagers, doctors, doulas, CEOs, proud grandmothers, and excited grandchildren. I saw as she charmed skeptics and commanded rooms, as she considered reporters’ questions, as she walked across a stage with 70,000 eyes watching her every move.” What did she learn? “The best thing about working for Kamala Harris was watching a phenomenally competent and successful woman own her power in the most challenging of circumstances.” Cohen writes about how Vice President Harris demonstrated to her and to countless girls, women and men how a woman can be strong and powerful in the world and why this matters.
Sarah Kendzior wrote this piece, “We’re heading into dark times. This is how to be your own light in the Age of Trump,” in 2016, but it’s just as relevant in these even darker times.
The Gift of Conversation
There is that moment when,
after tugging and twisting,
the thick rind of the pomegranate
simply splits in half to reveal
the deep red seeds snuggled inside.
That’s what it’s like when you
meet me with your rich laugh
and gentle questions,
and whatever tough skin
I’ve developed cracks and gives,
and though there’s a moment
of shock at the opening,
I’m astonished myself
to see the treasure hiding within—
how could I not have known?
For this we need each other.
There are parts of ourselves
we could never see alone.
—Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
A Note About Paid Subscriptions:
First, we want to thank ALL our subscribers! We are so grateful you join us in this conversation about what it is to engage with yourself, the world and others in a creative way. And a BIG thank you to our paid subscribers. You make this podcast possible. Starting this month, only our paid subscribers will receive our bonus episodes as a thank you for their financial support.
This week, we talk to Mitzi about the importance of exploring new creative endeavors (macrame, anyone?), how the solutions for our creative problems might come from anywhere (including standing in line) and how important it is to give ourselves a break. If you are not yet a paid subscriber, you can go now to our website, EmergingForm.substack.com, or by clicking the button below. Thank you!
Two Questions:
(share your answers with us here on Substack or in our FB group)
What is your most unusual (non-mainstream) creative practice?
What question do you wish someone else would ask you?
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Hidden, well-guarded?
Surrounded by dark deep moats?
heart-to-hearts open.