Apr 08 2025 81 mins
Notes and Links to Jon Hickey’s Work
Jon Hickey is a writer from Minnesota. He earned an MFA from Cornell University and was a Stegner Fellow in fiction at Stanford University. His short stories have appeared in numerous journals such as Virginia Quarterly Review, Gulf Coast, and the Massachusetts Review, among other places.
He is a member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa Indians (Anishinaabe). He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two sons.
Book Review for Big Chief in San Francisco Chronicle
At about 1:35, Jon talks about his mindset and early feedback for his novel as Pub Day approaches
At about 3:25, Jon gives out social media and contact info and talks about book events that are upcoming
At about 5:15, “Midwest/Minnesota Nice” is discussed
At about 8:45, Jon mentions exciting advance praise for Big Chief
At about 9:45, Jon gives background on language loss in his family, as his grandparents were the “boarding school generation”
At about 11:30, Jon talks about how Anishinaabe functions as a language, and how it is both in his DNA and “mysterious”
At about 13:15, John traces his childhood reading, including Stephen King as a transformative writer
At about 17:20, John chronicles inspiring and thrilling writers and works and the wonderful writing programs he was part of
At about 18:20, Jon charts the huge imprint that Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man has left on him
At about 22:00, Kyle Edwards and his Small Ceremonies, as well as Kate Folk and her Sky Daddy , are mentioned as contemporary works/writers who thrill and challenge Jon
At about 24:20, Pete lays out some of Big Chief’s exposition
At about 25:55, Jon responds to Pete asking about how Jon pictures the book’s narrator and protagonist
At about 29:00, Mack, the tribal president in the book, is described
At about 30:00, Jon responds to Pete wondering about motivations for Mitch related to bullying and feelings of being an outsider from his childhood
At about 32:15, Ideas of power in politics are discussed
At about 34:10, Ideas of authenticity and genuineness and morality are discussed, in connection to politics and voting in the book and beyond, especially regarding Joe Beck
At about 35:40, Jon riffs on what he kept in mind while writing the book, with regard to moralizing as an author
At about 39:00, Jon responds to Pete’s question about blood quantum and similar ideas and how the discourses have changed or not
At about 42:40, Jon talks about tropes and irony and “outward signs” of being indigenous, and how that is reflected in his book’s cover and in society at large
At about 43:40, The title and its inspiration is discussed
At about 45:50, Jon reads a representative excerpt that speaks of themes of belonging, and Pete and Jon further discuss ideas of childhood’s impacts on adulthood
At about 47:15, Jon discusses the significance of Mack’s protection of Mitch, and Mitch’s self-esteem and power’s connection to cynicism
At about 51:10, Mack and his bearing and his motivations are discussed
At about 52:00, a pivotal and tragic event-Mitch’s mother’s death-and the subsequent fire vigil is discussed
At about 55:45, The book’s upcoming election and sabotage and Gloria are discussed, with a tip of the cat to Harvey Keitel in calling Mitch a “fixer”
At about 1:00:20, Mitch and his cynicism and his work on the campaign are explored, with connections to current political climates
At about 1:02:15, the platforms of the two candidates and ideas of banishment from the tribe are considered
At about 1:05:50, Pete wonders if Mack is a Trump-ish figure, and Jon reflects on how he has tried to write about identity through tribal politics
At about 1:10:00, Pete and Jon ponder the “void” within Mitch and talk about the local political and larger political world collide
At about 1:12:05, Pete compliments the “beautiful” ending, and the two discuss the Sopranos ending, and Jon discusses his mindset in crafting his book’s ending
At about 1:14:40, Jon outlines changes in the book’s previous permutations
At about 1:16:40, Jon defines what is what for him a “work of art”
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he’s @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he’s @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Episode 270 guest Jason De León is up on the website this week. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.
Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl
Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete’s one-man show, DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!
This month’s Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of the wonderful poetry of Khalil Gibran.
Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.
This is a passion project of Pete’s, a DIY operation, and he’d love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
Please tune in for Episode 280 with Jahmal Mayfield, who writes gritty crime novels that touch on large social issues. His stellar SMOKE KINGS was inspired by Kimberly Jones’ passionate viral video, “How can we win?”
The episode airs on April 15.