S4 Ep. 13: Cancel Culture or Consequences Culture?: Meredith Talusan and Matt Gallagher on Accountability in Literature and Media - a podcast by fiction/non/fiction

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by award-winning author and journalist Meredith Talusan and acclaimed writer Matt Gallagher. Talusan reads from her memoir Fairest, and talks about representation in literature, the intersections of their identity as an Asian and transgender woman, and why transphobia is a recurring theme in conversations about problematic faves. Then, Gallagher shares his take on “cancelling” problematic authors, and discusses his recent Intercept article about the new film Cherry, which is adapted from Nico Walker’s autobiographical novel. In the piece, Gallagher parses ethical storytelling and how the American romanticization of crime can depend on the perpetrator’s identity. He also reads from his most recent novel, Empire City.
To hear the full episode, subscribe to the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.
Selected readings:Meredith Talusan

Fairest: A MemoirThem

Opinion | On Being a Trans Woman, and Giving Up MakeupUnflinching Honesty: An Interview with Meredith Talusan 


 Matt Gallagher

Empire City: A Novel“Cherry” and Hollywood's Treatment of Robbers and Victims

Youngblood: A NovelKaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War

Others:


A Letter on Justice and Open Debate, Harper’s MagazineArtists and Writers Warn of an ‘Intolerant Climate.’ Reaction Is Swift. by Jennifer Schuessler and Elizabeth A. Harris, New York Times



She Pulled Her Debut Book When Critics Found It Racist. Now She Plans to Publish. by Alexandra Alter, New York TimesHow British Feminism Became Anti-Trans by Sophie Lewis, New York Times 

Francis Hodgson BurnettRoald Dahl

Ezra PoundEnid Blyton


Another Country by James BaldwinThe Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett


Lord Jim by Joseph ConradAn Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' by Chinua Achebe

“On Stalin” by W.E.B. Du BoisThe Woman Warrior: A Memoir of Girlhood Amongst Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston


The Mikado by W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur SullivanMiss Saigon by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil


Madame Butterfly by PucciniM. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang

Cathy Park HongJulie Otsuka


The Lover by Marguerite DurasCharlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald DahlPerspective | So you’re being held accountable? That’s not ‘cancel culture.’ by Margaret SullivanLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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