Curiosity With Michelle Syba (Author of End Times)
Michelle Syba is the first published author and Harvard graduate to appear on This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life. This year, 2023, Michelle released a remarkable short story collection called, End Times. Precise yet nuanced and laugh-out-loud funny, the book delves into the minds of people from all walks of life, from fervent evangelical Christians waiting for the Rapture to left woke atheists scheming to prove the Jesus People wrong. If you don’t know what the Rapture is, we go over this in our episode. It is educational, but also very clever and funny, just like Michelle Syba.
Author Michelle Syba and Her Splendid Book, End Times
How Michelle’s book was born: a heated conversation with a Trump supporter. Michelle shares how a spirit of curiosity and creativity can help you see beyond opinions you don’t agree with.
Why Michelle is the perfect person to tell her stories: Because she is so wise and diplomatic. Also, she grew up in an evangelical Christian environment. Though she lost her faith in university, she remains intrigued by the beliefs and fervour that guided her life for so long.
How does Michelle manage to capture the perspectives of characters that are so wildly different from her own? Discover Michelle’s impressive yet straightforward writing routine and luxuriate in her down-to-earth outlook.
Our Listener Question is from Norman who is getting ready to marry the love of his life. His parents don’t know he’s gay and it seems likely they’ll disown him if they did. Should he keep his marriage a secret? Invite them to the wedding? Erica and Michelle can’t fix it—but they have thoughts.
Does Michelle meditate? Yes. And her morning and cleaning routines are also exquisite.
Ukulele Segment: Allelujuah by Leonard Cohen, featuring Michelle Syba’s highly skilled snapping AND a spectacular new verse, written by my dear pal Sherwin.
Enter to win a free signed copy of End Times by Michelle Syba. Directions are on these Facebook and Instagram posts. For contest details, visit these Facebook and Instagram posts. Contest ends October 20. Competition is fierce!
You can also buy the book directly from Freehand Books or at your fav Indie bookstores. For example, DeStiil Books in Montréal. And please leave your rave reviews on Amazon and GoodReads.
Book Recs from Michelle Syba, a Self-Proclaimed Literature Zealot
Middlemarch by George Eliot
The Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk
I Served the King of England by Bohumil Hrabal
I Felt The End Before It Came by Daniel Allen Cox
Mixing, Ukulele, and Cover Art by Erica J. Schmidt in Montréal, Quebec.
Check out Erica’s essays, Do You Meditate? and How to Start Reading Again on her blog.
Follow Erica on Facebook or Instagram or check out her website at ericajschmidt.com. You can also make her day by sending her a listener question to any of these places.
Listener Question from Norman
Dear Erica (and Michelle),
I live in a different city than my very conservative parents and I have been dating a guy seriously for 2.5 years. My parents don’t know I am gay, but my boyfriend just asked me to marry him and I said yes! Should I just not invite them to the wedding and keep things the way they are—or tell my parents, knowing that they will no longer speak to me?
Love, Norman
Thank you as always to Taes Leavitt (darling big sister, Big Heart Journey), Sherwin Tjia (technical and creative advisor, Sherwin’s Quirky Events), and my dearly departed aunt Eileen Gun, whose generous gift helped to fund my new podcast equipment. Thank you so much for listening! Stay tuned for more episodes extra soon. Don’t forget to follow This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life on your favourite podcast platform. And if you enjoyed the episode, I would be immensely grateful if you could share it with a friend and/or leave a kind and enthusiastic rating and review.
This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life is brought to you by Lil and Bud dog cards, purchasable at ericajschmidt.com/merch. If you would like to sponsor the podcast, I would love to plug your product, service, or project as long as it doesn’t harm any people or their bodies. Please get in touch via my website or Instagram.
