A Brief Interview with Sean Cole

You produced one of my all-time top 5 favorite This American Life episodes, "Use Only as Directed," the one about Tylenol. And my personal all-time favorite is "129 Cars." What's your favorite episode/segment that you've produced and your favorite overall? 

Oh man that Tylenol story was a bear. And my brilliant colleague Robyn Semien was the one who produced "129 Cars." I just had a couple stories in it. But thank you! I think my favorite piece, that I've done, for TAL so far is "Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads." It's about time travel. Mostly it's my favorite because I got to work with my dear pal Jonathan Goldstein who's also a radio hero of mine. My favorite overall is a tough one just because the show's put out so many gems. But it might be "Book of Job" by Scott Carrier from 1998. Even the folks who were here from the get-go don't really remember that one anymore. But it includes some of the greatest writing for radio that I've ever heard. 
 
You're going to be reading your poetry at the event, which is awesome. Which poets are you reading recently?

I just got my hands on the new Joan Murray collection ("Drafts, Fragments, and Poems -- The Complete Poetry.") I had never heard of her until reading an article about this release some weeks back. She died when she was 24 and yet, from what I've assessed so far, she wrote like Edna St. Vincent Millay. I will never write like Edna St. Vincent Millay. And I will never die at 24. Other than that, I can't wait to dig back into the three Caroline Knox books I just rediscovered in my collection while packing for a move. She's really funny.  

It's almost March. What's your favorite thing to do in New York in Spring?

Complain that it's still so effing cold. But really I think Spring -- actual Spring with the buds and everything -- is the season New York wears best. I'm not the biggest fan of New York but it cleans up nice around May or so. 
 
What can people expect from your reading?

That it will occur.