Paul Chan – Season 8, Episode 5

Paul Chan is an artist, writer, and former publisher. For this episode of Momus: The Podcast, Chan’s self-made automated doppelganger reads “Sade Today (after Judith Butler),” a piece he wrote for Evergreen (Spring/Summer 2025). He speaks to Sky Goodden about the implications of AI on writers (though they agree that criticism could present a special resistance) and his recent efforts to increase accessibility to his writing through audio recordings, while “hemlocking” its content against AI co-option. Chan also discusses the challenges of independent publishing, how he perceives writing as a form of daring, and how writing informs making. But in either case, he says, “ Choices are real choices when they're neither given nor self-evident. That, to me, is the core of what it means to think creatively.” Thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Plug In ICA, for supporting our work.Thanks to Paul Chan for his contribution to this season.And thanks to Jacob Irish, our editor, and Chris Andrews, for production assistance.