EPISODE · Feb 9, 2026 · 13 MIN
Who Are We? What Makes Us Care? Jim Shepard, Neil Patrick Harris, John Patrick Shanley & Artists Share Their Stories
from Books & Writers: Novelists, Screenwriters, Poets, Journalists, Playwrights, Non-fiction Writers & Showrunners Talk Writing, Creativity & The Creative Process · host Interviewed by Mia Funk
Can curiosity and empathy be taught? How can we expand our sense of solidarity through stories? In this episode, we explore the internal dialogues of artists, actors and writers to ask what it means to step into someone else's shoes.(0:00) Novelist Jim Shepard discusses Literature as a Tool for Emotional Education and Exploring History(2:05) Tony Award-winning Actor Neil Patrick Harris on Being Moved by Theater and its Ability to Bridge Worlds(3:55) Novelist Katie Kitamura on How a Book is Made in Collaboration with the Reader(5:00) Screenwriter, Playwright Laura Eason on Inhabiting the Hearts of Characters Different from Ourselves(6:03) Academy Award-winning Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on the Art of Visual Storytelling(6:37) Cinematographer, Director Benoit Delhomme on the Freedom of Handheld Cinematography(7:19) Author Etgar Keret on Looking for Humanity through Shared Intention(8:18) Viet Thanh Nguyen – Opposing Power through Expansive Solidarity(9:27) Adam Moss – Author, Fmr. Editor New York magazine on “The Work of Art”(10:29) John Patrick Shanley – Tony & Academy Award-winning Writer, Director on Finding Value in Ordinary Experiences and the Creative Power of Daydreaming(11:56) Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist Nicholas Kristof on Why Individual Stories are Necessary to Generate ConnectionTo hear more from each guest, listen to their full interviews.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast
What this episode covers
Today we explore the internal dialogues of artists, actors, writers and directors to ask what it means to step into someone else's shoes. We hear from voices like Jim Shepard on historical dilemmas and Neil Patrick Harris on the transformative power of theater. This episode examines how stories build solidarity and expand our emotional education.
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Who Are We? What Makes Us Care? Jim Shepard, Neil Patrick Harris, John Patrick Shanley & Artists Share Their Stories
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