[Joanne McNeil, practical matters]: On finding your ambition and building your own opportunities + a Trader Joe’s shopping list for fueling your writing Ep 1068

Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

This week I am talking with journalist, essayist, and novelist, Joanne McNeil. Joanne's first novel Wrong Way came out in 2023. It's a sci-fi novel set in the near future that takes a look at the intersection of the gig economy and big tech and is both satirical and touching–it also made a lot of lists of the best books of 2023 and The New Yorker called it “a literary sneak attack on the very idea of 'the future.'” Joanne's first book, Lurking, is a nonfiction look at the history of the internet from a user's perspective. Joanne is also an important tech critic and has been writing professionally for 20 years.

We covered:

How posting on message boards in the early days of the Internet led Joanne, a kid from a working-class Massachusetts town, to pursue writing

Getting strategic about your career, especially when you don’t come from the traditional path of Ivy League undergraduate degree and top tier MFA

The often slow but vital work of building a diverse community

How residencies are like gift cards–and how to create your own residency if need be

Joanne’s list of must-have supplies for a writing residency: bulletin board, push pins, Post-It notes, and a detailed list of what to get at Trader Joe’s

Acknowledging the fact that one hour to yourself can serve as a residency when you need it to

Joanne’s website: https://www.joannemcneil.com/

For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.

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