Bad Bad Girl episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 9, 2025 · 35 MIN

Bad Bad Girl

from The Short Fuse Podcast · host The Arts Fuse

Gish JenGish Jen's work has been included in The Best American Short Stories five times, including in The Best American Short Stories of the Century. A fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she has received NEA, Guggenheim, and Radcliffe fellowships, a Lannan Literary Award, and a five-year Mildred and Harold Strauss Living Award. Her short work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times, and many anthologies; she has taught at Harvard University, NYU Shanghai, and other universities.Bad Bad Girl is her sixth novel; her other books include two collections of short stories and two works of non-fiction, including publication of her Massey Lectures in the History of American Civilization at Harvard University.The Short Fuse Podcast  is hosted by Elizabeth Howard. She talks with contemporary artists, writers, musicians, and others whose art reveals our communities through their lens and stirs us to seek change through their art, music, ideas, and performances. James Baldwin reminds us that "artists are here to disturb the peace."  Her articles related to communication and marketing have appeared in European Communications, Investor Relations, Law Firm Marketing & Profit Report, Communication World, The Strategist, and the New York Law Journal, among others.  Her books include Queen Anne’s Lace and Wild Blackberry Pie, (Thornwillow Press, 2011), A Day with Bonefish Joe (David Godine, 2015) and Ned O’Gorman:  A Glance Back (Easton Studio Press, 2016). She leads reading groups at the Center for Fiction in Brooklyn, New York.  @elizh24 on InstagramGerald KentGerald Kent is the producer and editor of the Short Fuse. Based in Cape Town, South Africa. Gerald is a talented musician and audio engineer who has been releasing his own music independently since 2021. Alongside his artistry, he’s built up experience working with multiple clients in the podcasting space, from editing through full-scale production. The Arts Fuse The Arts Fuse was established in June, 2007 as a curated, independent online arts magazine dedicated to publishing in-depth criticism, along with high quality previews, interviews, and commentaries. The publication’s over 70 freelance critics (many of them with decades of experience) cover dance, film, food, literature, music, television, theater, video games, and visual arts. There is a robust readership for arts coverage that believes that culture matters.The goal of The Arts Fuse is to treat the arts seriously, to write about them in the same way that other publications cover politics, sports, and business — with professionalism, thoughtfulness, and considerable attitude. The magazine’s motto, from Jonathan Swift, sums up our editorial stance: “Use the point of your pen … not the feather.” The Arts Fuse has published over 10, 000 articles and receives 80,000+ visits a month. This year the magazine is celebrating its 18th birthday - a milestone for a small, independent magazine dedicated to covering the arts.Assist Arts Fuse in its mission:  keep arts and culture hale and hearty through dialogue, and not just marketing.  Serious criticism, by talking about the strengths, weaknesses, and contributions of the arts, plays an indispensable role in the cultural ecology. Smaller, newer organizations need a response. When they are ignored as they are by the mainstream media, they fail to gain an audience. And without an audience, they fold, further weakening the entire ecosystem.SUBSCRIBE to the weekly e-newsletterLIKE The Arts Fuse on Facebook, FOLLOW  on TwitterHELP  The Arts Fuse thrive by providing underwriting for the magazine. Even better — make a tax deductible donation.   

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Dec 9, 2025

Embed this episode

Author Gish Jen talks with Elizabeth Howard about her most recent book, Bad, Bad Girl (Knopf), a critically acclaimed, genre-bending novel that probes the generational tensions between a mother and daughter as it explores the cultural differences and personal frictions that contribute to their conflicts. While the story contains elements of memoir, it is a work of fiction that has been expertly tailored to highlight the expectations, dreams, and history that shape a complex relationship. Jen's mother was brought up in a wealthy family in 1920s Shanghai before emigrating to the United States, and Gish Jen was raised in 1960s New York. Bad, Bad Girl is a fascinating look at how two brilliant, headstrong women spar as Gish grows up—and the sadness she feels when her mother dies.

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.

NOW PLAYING

Bad Bad Girl

0:00 35:44

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Short Fuse Podcast?

This episode is 35 minutes long.

When was this The Short Fuse Podcast episode published?

This episode was published on December 9, 2025.

Can I download this The Short Fuse Podcast episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!