Erin Cox | House of SpeakEasy NYC

Posts From Author: Erin Cox

Writers and Storytelling: Larry Olmsted

Larry Olmsted is an award-winning journalist who has been a visiting professor at Dartmouth College, where he taught nonfiction writing. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Real Food / Fake Food and Getting into Guinness, a history of the Guinness Book of World Records, a book for which he broke three world records himself while researching, and the new book Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Understanding. He currently writes online columns for Forbes and USA Today, and he appears regularly on television and radio. On May 25th, Larry will join Amber Hunt, Gabriela Garcia, and Nancy Sherman in our next edition of “Seriously Entertaining” where they will each tell stories tied to the theme “I Scream, You Scream.” Register here for the show! What are you reading right now for solace or escape or entertainment? The new Equalizer reboot with Queen Latifah. Oh wait, that’s a TV show. I bought the new Stephen King book If It Bleeds at the start of pandemic but never opened it. I have stacks of unread “to read” books. Frankly I’ve been too busy with interviews and writing spin-off op-eds for own new book Fans, and I just listened to it in its entirety as an audio […]

Writers and Storytelling: Mary H. K. Choi

Mary H. K. Choi is a writer for The New York Times, GQ, Wired, and The Atlantic. She has written comics for Marvel and DC, as well as a collection of essays called Oh, Never Mind. Her novels Emergency Contact and Permanent Record were New York Times bestsellers. She is the host of Hey, Cool Job!, a podcast about jobs, and Hey, Cool Life!, a podcast about mental health and creativity. Mary grew up in Hong Kong and Texas and now lives in New York. Her new book Yolk is out now. On March 23rd, Mary will join Melissa Febos, Avi Loeb, and Nic Stone in our next edition of “Seriously Entertaining” where they will each tell stories tied to the theme “From This Moment On.” Register here for the show! What are you reading right now for solace or escape or entertainment? Earthlings by Sayaka Murata for the hard re-set and Sherry Thomas’s Lady Sherlock series. If you could live inside a fictional world, which one would you choose? Thank you, no thank you! Hard pass. I’m almost done with this place and it’s the devil I know. Are there any quotes you use to inspire you? “Do less.” […]

Writers and Storytelling: Avi Loeb

Avi Loeb is the former chair of the astronomy department at Harvard University (2011-2020), founding director of Harvard’s Black Hole Initiative and director of the Institute for Theory and Computation at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He also chairs the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies and the advisory board for the Breakthrough Starshot project, and is a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. His new book is Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth. On March 23rd, Avi will join Mary H. K. Choi, Melissa Febos, and Nic Stone in our next edition of “Seriously Entertaining” where they will each tell stories tied to the theme “From This Moment On.” Register here for the show! What are you reading right now for solace or escape or entertainment? Listening to classical music; mostly Bach and Mozart If you could live inside a fictional world, which one would you choose? Living in interstellar space Are there any quotes you use to inspire you? “When you are not ready to discover exceptional things, you will never discover them” “Reality stays the same irrespective of whether you ignore it”. What writer would you […]

Writers and Storytelling: Nic Stone

Nic Stone is an Atlanta native and a Spelman College graduate. Her debut novel for young adults, Dear Martin, and her debut middle-grade novel, Clean Getaway, were both New York Times bestsellers. She is also the author of Odd One Out, a novel about discovering oneself and who it is okay to love, which was an NPR Best Book of the Year and a Rainbow Book List Top Ten selection, Jackpot, a love-ish story that takes a searing look at economic inequality and Shuri: A Black Panther Novel based on the much-loved character from the Black Panther comics and film. Dear Justyce, the sequel to Dear Martin, came out last year. On March 23rd, Nic will join Mary H. K. Choi, Melissa Febos, and Avi Loeb in our next edition of “Seriously Entertaining” where they will each tell stories tied to the theme “From This Moment On.” Register here for the show! What are you reading right now for solace or escape or entertainment? Comic books! If you could live inside a fictional world, which one would you choose? Wakanda, hands down. Are there any quotes you use to inspire you? “We are not put into the world to air our moral prejudices.” It’s from […]

Writers and Storytelling: Melissa Febos

Melissa Febos is the author of the forthcoming Girlhood, as well as Whip Smart and Abandon Me, a Lambda Literary Award finalist and Publishing Triangle Award finalist. Her essays have appeared in Tin House, The Believer, The New York Times, and elsewhere. Febos is the inaugural winner of the Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction from Lambda Literary and the recipient of fellowships from The MacDowell Colony, The BAU Institute, The Barbara Deming Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and others. She is an associate professor at The University of Iowa, where she teaches in the Nonfiction Writing Program On March 23rd, Melissa will join Mary H. K. Choi, Avi Loeb, and Nic Stone in our next edition of “Seriously Entertaining” where they will each tell stories tied to the theme “From This Moment On.” Register here for the show! What are you reading right now for solace or escape or entertainment? Flynn Berry’s new novel: Northern Spy — in my leisure time (insofar as it exists). I like to read mysteries, but my standards really narrow the options in the genre: I only want to read really well-written mysteries that subvert the usual tropes of a bunch of white […]

Writers and Storytelling: Renée Watson

Renée Watson is the New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor Book, and Coretta Scott King Award-winning author of Piecing Me Together, This Side of Home, What Momma Left Me, and Betty Before X, co-written with Ilyasah Shabazz, as well as two acclaimed picture books: A Place Where Hurricanes Happen and Harlem’s Little Blackbird, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. She is the founder of I, Too, Arts Collective, a nonprofit committed to nurturing underrepresented voices in the creative arts, and currently lives in New York City. Her new book Love is a Revolution is available in our Bookshop storefront. On February 23rd, Renée will join Marisa Acocella, Matthew Gavin Frank, and Walter Mosley in our next edition of “Seriously Entertaining” where they will each muse on the theme “I Have Dreamed.” Register here for the show! What are you reading right now for solace or escape or entertainment?How to Carry Water by Lucille Clifton If you could live inside a fictional world, which one would you choose?“Jingle Jangle” I’d love to be Journey’s friend. Are there any quotes you use to inspire you?“You don’t become what you want, you become what you believe.” –Oprah Winfrey

Writers and Storytelling: Marisa Acocella

Marisa Acocella is the New York Times best-selling author of the graphic novels The Big She-Bang (which you can buy in our Bookshop storefront) and Ann Tenna, the graphic memoir Cancer Vixen, and Just Who the Hell is She, Anyway? She is also a cartoonist for The New Yorker and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Glamour, and O, The Oprah Magazine. A breast cancer survivor, she is the founder of the Marisa Acocella Foundation, which, through a grant from Bloomingdale’s, funds the free Marisa Acocella Empowerment Program that includes holistic therapies and journaling classes and more for women with breast cancer and breast cancer survivors at the Mount Sinai Best Israel Comprehensive Cancer Center. On February 23rd, Marisa will join Matthew Gavin Frank, Walter Mosley, and Renee Watson in our next edition of “Seriously Entertaining” where they will each muse on the theme “I Have Dreamed.” Register here for the show! What are you reading right now for solace or escape or entertainment?The Gospels of Mary, Editor Marvin Meyer If you could live inside a fictional world, which one would you choose?The Pleroma, Heaven in the Nag Hammadi codices. I would love to witness the creation of the Universe. Are there any quotes you use to inspire […]

Writers and Storytelling: Matthew Gavin Frank

Matthew Gavin Frank is the author of The Mad Feast and Preparing the Ghost, which was reviewed on the front-page of The New York Times Book Review. He teaches creative writing and lives in Marquette, Michigan. His new book is Flight of the Diamond Smugglers: A Tale of Pigeons, Obsession, and Greed Along Coastal South Africa, which is available in our Bookshop storefront. He will be joining Marisa Acocella, Walter Mosley, and Renee Watson, on February 23rd to tell stories tied to the theme “I Have Dreamed.” Register here for the show! What are you reading right now for solace or escape or entertainment?Things That Are by Amy Leach, and The Book of Delights by Ross Gay If you could live inside a fictional world, which one would you choose?The world in which the passenger pigeon still exists, overtaking the sky on their great migrations. Are there any quotes you use to inspire you?“To be sensual is to respect and rejoice in the force of life, of life itself, and to be present in all that one does, from the effort of loving to the breaking of bread.” –James Baldwin What writer would you like to share with the world […]

Writers and Storytelling: Amelia Pang

Amelia Pang is an award-winning journalist who has written for publications such as Mother Jones and The New Republic. She has covered topics ranging from organic import fraud to the prevalence of sexual violence on Native American reservations. In 2017, the Los Angeles Press Club awarded her first place in investigative journalism for her undercover reporting on the exploitation of smuggled immigrants who are recruited to work in Chinese restaurants. Amelia grew up in a Mandarin-speaking household in Maryland, and holds a BA in literary studies from the New School. She lives near Washington, DC, with her husband, an organic farmer. Made in China is her first book. She will be joining Milo Beckman, Ellis Cose, and Jennifer Croft on January 26 to tell stories tied to the theme “You Don’t Say.” Register here for the show! What are you reading right now for solace or escape or entertainment?Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. If you could live inside a fictional world, which one would you choose?Harry Potter Are there any quotes you use to inspire you?“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and […]

Previous Posts Next Posts