DeepSummary
The episode features an interview with Lissa Soep, an audio producer, editor, and author. She discusses her book "Other People's Words," which explores friendship, loss, and the concept that our speech is filled with the words of others, based on the ideas of philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin. Soep shares how she initially pursued a PhD to become a professor but later transitioned into journalism and audio storytelling, drawn by the voices of young people at an organization called Youth Radio (now YR Media).
Soep delves into the personal experiences that inspired her book - the deaths of two close friends, Christine and Johnny, and her conversations with their partners, Mercy and Emily, about continuing their dialogue after loss. She explains how Bakhtin's theories on language resonated with her during this period, as she witnessed the lingering presence of her friends' voices and words even after their passing.
The conversation covers Soep's writing process, her incorporation of Bakhtin's ideas, and the challenges of telling other people's stories respectfully. Soep also discusses the role of generative AI in preserving and reanimating voices, drawing parallels with Bakhtin's notion that our speech is derived from the words of others. The episode explores the complexities of grief, friendship, and the enduring power of language.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Lissa Soep's book 'Other People's Words' explores the idea that our speech is filled with the words of others, based on the theories of philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin.
- The book draws from Soep's personal experiences of losing two close friends and the conversations she had with their partners about grief, friendship, and the enduring power of language.
- Soep's journey from pursuing a PhD to working in audio storytelling with young voices at YR Media shaped her approach to language and storytelling.
- The episode discusses the challenges of respectfully telling other people's stories and navigating personal boundaries in the writing process.
- Parallels are drawn between Bakhtin's ideas on the dialogic nature of language and the role of generative AI in preserving and reanimating voices.
- The book explores the complexities of grief, the lingering presence of lost loved ones through their words, and the transformative power of language in shaping our understanding of relationships and loss.
- Soep's incorporation of her friends' correspondence and artifacts into the narrative highlights the importance of personal artifacts in preserving and reanimating voices and memories.
- The episode underscores the enduring influence of language and the conversations that continue even after someone's passing, as explored through Soep's personal experiences and Bakhtin's philosophical framework.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Bakhtin believed that when you got ahold of a word, it has tremendous reanimating power. And she felt it in the presence of, you know, her father transitioning, and I experienced it.“ by Lissa Soep
- “I cannot be in this book as, like, a tragic widow. And so for her, it was incredibly important, like you described, that how her grief changed, needed to be there, or she was not going to want to go forward.“ by Lissa Soep
- “And she makes this really, really, really poignant, kind of transformative discovery of something inside the boxes that really causes her to change some fundamentals of how she understands the end of Christine's life and. And their love. And I think that moment happening, without it, I think the book would have maybe not been complete.“ by Lissa Soep
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5/8/24