Oct 27 2023 61 mins 3
Welcome to episode #39 of Kurt Vonnegut Radio 👀
Today on the show we’ve got the amazing writer Anne Kadet. Anne Kadet writes the beloved newsletter CAFÉ ANNE. Anne Kadet has forged a new kind of journalism to cover New York City.
Gabe Hudson talks to Anne Kadet about her beloved newsletter, Caffe Anne, and how she uncovers fascinating stories in New York City that reveals our humanity and accurately reflect our reality but are often overlooked. What makes Anne’s newsletter Cafe Anne so remarkable is that she writes about New York City in a completely new way: it is delightful, heart-expanding, full of humanity and wit, and at times laugh out loud funny. And nobody else is doing anything like it.
Why you want to listen to this episode: The way Anne lives in alignment with the dynamic force of narrative in NYC and the way she is attuned to intersecting stories all around her is something you really need to hear in her own words in order to fully understand and appreciate. It is profound and fun and eye-opening.
(Side note: in addition to being a fabulous writer, Anne has one of the best laughs I’ve encountered. And I don’t think these two qualities are unrelated.)
Quick question: Can you guess what fictional character Anne Kadet most strongly identifies with?
Hint:
Some notable Anne Kadet quotes
On the role that her readers play in the stories she writes for her newsletter
A third of my ideas or even more come from readers. They’re like, “Anne, you gotta check this thing out!”
On the feeling she gets when she goes somewhere and feels the tremors of a story for her newsletter coming into being
Like you’re not supposed to be here, but you are supposed to be here.
On why she believes the best way to tell a story is the easiest way
So I feel like just straightforward chronological order. Talking about what happened and what it was like for me is not only the best way to deliver the story, it also happens to be the easiest way. And I love when the best thing and the easiest thing are the same thing.
On her storytelling maxim “don’t push, don’t pull”
I feel the great story is the story that wants to come out all by itself without me pushing or pulling it. If I'm pushing or pulling, that means I have something specific in mind.
On what she is delivering to readers of her newsletter, CAFÉ ANNE
I simply have a nice ability to deliver an unusual way of looking at the world, on unusual topics, in a professional way.
Show Notes
Subscribe to Anne Kadet’s newsletter CAFÉ ANNE
Other Kurt Vonnegut Radio episodes for your enjoyment:
Merve Emre
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