07. Chaos & Kismet ft Kaothar Kadir

In this hour-long episode, Israel sits with Kaothar Kadir—writer and curator behind Chaos & Kismet (4,000+ subscribers)—for a memorable conversation on:1. Lantern publications & early inspirations 1:46–7:16.82. Academia & Creative Writing 7:16.8—11:443. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ocean Vuong, George R.R. Martin, Sidney Sheldon, Clarice Lispector 11:44–17:414. Kaothar, Chaos & Kismet 17:41–20:155. Making a statement with writing, & Writer’s Block 20:15–25:456. Substack, content, the algorithm, social media, & building community 25:45–30:337. Wattpad, Disney & Success as a writer 30:33–38:208. Authenticity, internet culture & writing as a tool for social change 38:20–47:579. Current WIP & Dream Project 47:57–49:3910. Genre Preferences 49:39–51:3411. Small casing & AI 51:34–56:3212. Femininity, beauty standards, vulnerability & addressing personal insecurities through writing 56:32–1:04:4013. Myths about being Kaothar Kadir, adulting & aging 1:04:40–1:08:4014. Fan fiction & the beauty of short stories 1:08:40–1:18:3215. Conclusion: 1:18:32Please leave a review.Quotes from the episode:“Just because something is complicated doesn’t mean it’s profound.”“School is horrible.”“I recognize that every time I write something and someone reads it, it becomes more than I am and it goes out into the world and it has the potential to be a lot more than I am and even transform into something different.”“I think it’s nice to find humour in the things that scare you.”Essays/Books/Films/Resources Mentioned:​Top 100 Books of the Century – NYT​On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous — Ocean Vuong​The Thing Around Your Neck — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie​Milk and Honey — Rupi Kaur​I’m a Chin-Haired Witch​Kola’s Hands Are Rougher Than Man​Adeola Steals a Baby​The Figurine — Kunle Afolayan​Black Mirror​Inception — Christopher Nolan