Sam
Stephenson

“Lyric Research: A Conversation on Writing, Documentary Work, and Getting Lost”

For several years when they were neighbors in Bloomington, Indiana, the writers Ross Gay and Sam Stephenson would get together – on walks, on porches, in backyards, in Gay's letterpress studio, standing in front of the co-op grocery store – and talk about their work. They quickly realized that their working methods were similar, with Gay using the term "lyric research" to describe one of Stephenson's books. "It has as much to do with poetry as nonfiction or documentary," wrote Gay. They found overlap in their efforts to deeply immerse in an archive or another human being, or group of human beings, or a plot of land – listening, observing – without knowing what exactly the results would be. It’s a method of working that Simone Weill might have meant when she wrote, "Attention without objective is a supreme form of prayer."

Still, there are needs – to eat, to pay bills, to get things done, to help others – that living in the world requires. In this wide-ranging conversation Gay and Stephenson will explore their work involving a variety of topics, including writing, reading, documentary work, gardening, listening to music, playing basketball, and more.