This Is Horror

TIH 230: Peng Shepherd on The Book of M, Identity and Culture, and Lessons from her Creative Writing MFA

  • September 21, 2018

  • 4 mins to read

In this podcast Peng Shepherd talks about The Book of M, identity and culture, lessons learnt from her Creative Writing MFA, and much more.

About Peng Shepherd

Peng was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, where she rode horses and trained in classical ballet. She earned her M.F.A. in creative writing from New York University, and has lived in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, London, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York. The Book of M is her first novel.

Show notes

  • [04:10] Early life lessons and reading habits
  • [14:40] Writing stories at five years old that were bound
  • [18:00] Lessons learnt from living in various cities and Roger Venable, via Patreon, asks about how different cities have informed Peng’s writing
  • [21:30] Language learning in China
  • [24:00] Roger Venable, via Patreon, asks about the most helpful lessons from MFA for publishing first novel, The Book of M
  • [34:40] Elizabeth George Foundation grant
  • [40:00] Zero Shadows Day
  • [45:00] Names and memories
  • [52:00] Three things integral to identity
  • [56:35] Things from Taiwanese culture that we can all benefit from
  • [59:50] Personal philosophies
  • [01:02:40] Advice to eighteen-year-old self
  • [01:06:25] Connect with Peng
  • [01:06:45] Final thoughts

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