Anna Silman on Revisiting the Interview

The article discusses The Critic and Her Publics, a podcast series hosted by Merve Emre, which explores the art of interviewing. The fourth season focuses on professional interviewers across various fields, examining their techniques for eliciting meaningful responses. Key themes include how interviewers craft questions, listen for unspoken details, and decide when to push interviewees for deeper answers. The series is a co-production between the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism at Wesleyan University, the New York Review of Books, and Literary Hub. Each episode is edited by Michele Moses and features music by Dani Lencioni, with artwork by Leanne Shapton.

Anna Silman is a journalist who previously wrote a viral profile of Merve Emre for Business Insider when Twitter was still called Twitter. The profile gained significant attention, which is unusual for niche industry topics. In the podcast episode discussed in the article, Silman and Emre revisit their original interview, comparing their memories of the conversation. They explore what each thought the other was trying to achieve and debate whether a profile of a woman can avoid reinforcing misogynistic stereotypes, even when the intent is to critique them. The episode is described as a twist on the season's theme, adding an unusual and potentially uncomfortable layer to the discussion.

The article highlights the unique dynamic of an interview where the subject (Emre) confronts the writer (Silman) about their original conversation. This reversal allows both parties to reflect on their intentions, assumptions, and the impact of their words. The discussion touches on the challenges of writing about women in a way that doesn’t perpetuate harmful stereotypes, even when the writer’s goal is to analyze or critique. The episode is framed as an opportunity to examine the power dynamics between interviewer and interviewee, as well as the ethical responsibilities of journalists when profiling individuals.

The podcast The Critic and Her Publics is a limited series produced by the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism at Wesleyan University, in partnership with the New York Review of Books and Literary Hub. The fourth season, titled The Art of the Interview, features episodes where Emre interviews professional interviewers about their techniques. The series is edited by Michele Moses, with music composed by Dani Lencioni and artwork created by Leanne Shapton. The podcast is available wherever listeners access their podcasts and includes a full transcript published by the New York Review of Books.