Felix Morgan

Dan Chaon's new novel, Ill Will, Chaon explores mystery, death, grief and the personal narratives to which we cling. In this episode of The Write Up, Chaon and host Owen Egerton discuss about the act of writing and its thereapeutic ability to shine a light into the darker corners of mind.

In the 2007 film Teeth, written and directed by Mitchel Lichtenstein, we meet Dawn O’Keefe (Jess Weixler). Dawn’s continuing interactions with men who would take advantage of her leads to a strange realization about her body. Dawn has Vagina Dentata: genital teeth that cause men who enter her without consent end up viciously emasculated.

In this interview during the Texas leg of his book tour, Saunders talks about the ever-present mental editor that drives him to refine his work. When referring to his recent essay on process, he talks about the connection he has to his readers.

In his constant drive to sound “less lame,” he builds a faith-based relationship with his imagined readers. He promises them his best work and trusts that they will unfold themselves, tap into their empathy, and join him in his story.

Conversational interfaces, be they chatbots or virtual assistants, are rapidly taking over many of the day-to-day interactions between businesses and their customers. From the simplest phone menu to cutting edge VR and IoT assistants, understanding the role and impact of automated conversational responses can set your company apart in a rapidly changing marketplace.

WHEN, HOW, AND WHY
Paula Scher, design guru, spoke at the AIGA conference in Las Vegas in October and offered advice on when, how, and why you should work for free.

Colossal isn’t just one of the best movies of the year, it’s one of the most important films of the year.

In Nacho Vigalondo’s new film, Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is an unemployed writer struggling with alcohol addiction. Her boyfriend Tim (Dan Stevens) kicks her out of his apartment in an attempt to deliver a reality check. Gloria returns home to do some soul searching, but her behavior doesn’t change until news breaks about a giant monster laying waste to Seoul. Later, Gloria begins to suspect there’s a connection between her drunken behavior and the monster.

Video games have changed the way we play, but they also have the potential to change the way we research and solve problems, in fields such as health care and education. One game that's made waves in medical research is Sea Hero Quest. This smartphone game has created a groundbreaking approach to data collection, leading to an earlier diagnosis of dementia. So far, 2.5 million people have played the game, providing scientists with years' worth of data across borders and demographics.

I recently saw Elle and The Eyes of My Mother. Both are beautiful films. Both are uncomfortable films. Both are stories made by male writers and directors exploring themes of violence, trauma, rape, emotional connection and psychosis through female characters.

It’s complicated to write stories without appropriating voices. Seeing both of these films within a short time period got me thinking about how to be an ally as an artist.

Online dating is a strange but increasingly necessary beast. As you get older, it often becomes difficult to meet people outside your existing social circle. Chances are, you've already dated the people in your immediate sphere and online dating offers a way to not only widen your options but also to apply shiny algorithms to the mysteries of romance.

Remember how long a summer seemed when you were a kid? Or a one week sleepover camp? In the space of seven days alliances were formed and broken, loves were lost and found, friendships were forged that might last a few days or lifetime. Compare that to this week. What did you do with these last seven days of your life? How quickly did it seem to go by?

There's a monster for every political regime. Last election cycle there were a few articles noting a correlation between Republican presidencies and zombie films and Democratic presidencies and vampire films. They attribute this to the different cultural fears

In its simplest form, Wonderling sends the same question to you and your friend. Once you’ve both responded, the answers are revealed. It’s not a complicated concept, but it offers a unique way to use technology to enhance IRL relationships in a world where it seems a lot of technology puts more distance between us.

TIME TO REFOCUS
Research on Gen Z is increasing as they graduate and enter the workforce. The biggest misconception is that they are just another kind of millennial. In fact, they are similar to the generation raised during the Great Depression.

Chances are by now you’ve already been at someone’s house when they, with a special little twinkle in their eye, said something like “Alexa, change the volume to three” and then looked around, beaming like a new parent, as if to say: isn’t this great? We are in the future

Felix Morgan sat down with Dale Bridges over pancakes to discuss his current projects, writing processes, and the rather gloomy state of the world in general.