Episode 317 with Kasim Ali, Author of Who Will Remain and Master of Snappy Dialogue, Dynamic Characters, and Resonant and Creative Plot

Notes and Links to Kasim Ali’s Work   Kasim Ali was born and raised in Alum Rock, Birmingham. He is the author of the debut novel Good Intentions, has written fiction for BBC Radio 4 and has a column at The Bookseller. His short fiction has been longlisted for the 4th Estate and Guardian 4thWrite Short Story Prize, and Good Intentions was shortlisted for the Mo Siewcharran (Sue Sharon) Prize. He works as an editor in publishing and now lives in London. Buy Who Will Remain   Kasim Ali’s Website   Interview from Hyphen Magazine: “Kasim Ali: ‘Some men think that shifting to the right is what’s going to save them’ ”   From The Observer UK: ‘What did we do to make you want to leave?’     At about 1:20, Kasim reflects on his experience since Who Will Remain was released in July 2025 At about 2:45, Kasim responds to Pete’s question about he balances the commercial and the aesthetic   At about 5:00, Kasim discusses his editing process for his own books, especially with regard to the fact that he is an editor At about 7:20, Kasim expands on why he calls himself “1.5” with regards to generations and immigration, as well as his early language and literature life At about 13:35, Pete asks about Urdu, and if Kasim can trace any of his writing in English to echoes of his familial language At about 16:15, Kasim talks about his confidence (or lack thereof) in his writing of dialogue after Pete compliments his dialogue skills At about 17:40, Kasim expands on “but” and “therefore” in dialogue-interesting and necessary writing advice At about 20:30, Kasim schools Pete on schooling structures in the UK At about 21:10, Kasim highlights formative and transformative writing and writers At about 24:00, Kasim writes about his first novel as a departure from his “usual” writing style At about 26:00, Does Kasim know Elena Ferrante’s identity???? At about 27:05, Pete asks Kasim about the book’s dedication, and Kasim expands upon his life trajectory At about 30:05, Kasim riffs on Suella Braverman’s racist and xenophobic comments that became his book’s epigraph At about 35:00, Kasim reflects on ideas of dealing with stereotypes and reflecting broader Pakistani/immigrant/communities is general and getting past “limiting conversations”  At about 37:05, Pete lays out some of the novel’s exposition At about 38:15, Kasim expands on ideas of “fitting in” with different familial groups and shifting roles within the family for real-life brothers and Bilal and Amir in the novel At about 43:05, Kasim reflects on his interest in “duality” and connects to the novel’s opening funeral scene At about 46:10, Kasim responds to Pete’s question about tropes of masculinity dealt with in the book  At about 47:20, Kasim discusses incorporating real-life violence into the book At about 50:00, Pete highlights simple and powerful writing (“Then then then”) that he asks Kasim about  At about 51:50, The two discuss arguments and bitterness over money  At about 52:35, Kasim responds to Pete’s noting of the affections between men in the novel At about 59:40, Pete notes a nice nostalgic moment, and Kasim reflects on Amir’s reintroduction to Adnan, a young man he previously would have avoided; Kasim connects to his own life and seeing ex-classmates At about 1:03:00, Kasim shares how the book Doppelganger fascinated him and gave him inspiration for his own writing about duality At about 1:06:20, Kasim responds to Pete’s question about ideas of the “manosphere” and its connection to Amir and his connections with Farrah and the way he and friends talk about women At about 1:10:35,  At about 1:11:50, Kasim talks about an “easy and boring” job and how it in a strange way leads to nice and welcome conversations between brothers At about 1:14:50,  At about 1:17:40, Amir “growing into the mask”  At about 1:18:30,  At about 1:18:50, Kasim posits some possible actors for a movie      You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you’re checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Jeff Pearlman, a recent guest, is up soon at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete’s one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month’s Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of formative and transformative writing for children, as Pete surveys wonderful writers on their own influences.    Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.     This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 318 with Timothy Wellbeck, Esquire, a leader in the fight for justice and racial equity. Timothy presently serves as the founding Director of the Center for Anti-Racism at Temple University, where he has led the Center from its inception into becoming one of the leading institutions of its kind. A Civil Rights Attorney by training and practice, Timothy is a scholar of law, race, and cultural studies. He and Pete will be talking about his standing-room only, incredibly popular Temple University classes about Kendrick Lamar and his music.    The episode airs today, Jan 13.    Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.