#27: Mona Awad

February 1, 2016

Here’s the fourth installment in our special collection of In the Telling podcasts: stories, essays, and poetry by our 2015 Pushcart Nominees. Each episode includes an introduction by our editors. The series is curated by Joseph Scalora.

In this episode, editor-in-chief Elizabeth Blachman discusses why she nominated Mona Awad’s story “Hearts and Minds” (Issue 17) for the Pushcart Prize, and then Awad reads her story.

Mona Awad received her MFA in fiction from Brown University. Her work has appeared in Slice, McSweeney’s, The Walrus, Joyland, Post Road, St. Petersburg Review, and many other journals. She is currently pursuing a PhD in creative writing and English literature at the University of Denver. Her debut novel, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl (Penguin), comes out next month.

Episode by Joseph Scalora

Music by Gabriel Lane & Ian McConnell