Episode 670 – Sven Birkerts

Virtual Memories Show 670: Sven Birkerts Essayist Sven Birkerts, one of my favorite past pod-guests, welcomes me back to the mic for a conversation about writing, art, mortality, resistance, technology, and selling rare books! We talk about what he’s learned about writing from his Substack essay-experiment, how he rediscovered his bookselling persona with his daughter, what he gets from audiobooks, the pros and cons of knowing your audience, and more. Plus, I talk about my book-in-progress, what I’ve learned from stepping back from the weekly podcast routine, why I’d like to see Dylan play one more time before one or the other of us is gone, and where this podcast might be going, among other stuff. Give it a listen! And go subscribe to his Substack and read The Miró Worm and the Mysteries of Writing (along with his other essays and books)! (And go listen to our 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2024 conversations!) Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes! Lots of ways to follow The Virtual Memories Show! iTunes, Spotify, BlueSky, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, and good ol’ RSS! About our Guest Sven Birkerts is the author of eleven books of essay and memoir, including The Gutenberg Elegies and Changing the Subject: Art and Attention in the Internet Age. He is the former Director of the Bennington Writing Seminars and the co-editor of the journal AGNI. He lives in Amherst with his wife Lynn. Follow Sven on Instagram, subscribe to his Substack, and check out his and his daughter’s rare bookstore, Birkbooks, at eBay and Instagram. Here’s me & Sven, back in 2024: Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded remotely via Zencastr. I used a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4. All processing and editing done in Adobe Audition CC. Photos by Sven. They’re on his instagram.