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Writer’s Voice: compelling conversations with authors who challenge, inspire, and inform.
Episode Summary
Novelist Jennifer Haigh joins us to talk about Rabbit Moon, her atmospheric and emotionally complex novel set in Shanghai. It follows an estranged American family reuniting after a tragedy—and a daughter living a secret life abroad.
“Writing is having a conversation with the best friend you’ve never met.” — Jennifer Haigh
Then, L. Annette Binder returns to discuss Child of Earth and Starry Heaven, her deeply moving memoir of caring for her mother through Alzheimer’s. It’s a story of love, loss, and learning to live fully in the present.
“The two things I carry with me is the love that my mom was capable of feeling and that I felt for her survived her cognitive decline.” — L. Annette Binder
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Key Words: Rabbit Moon, Jennifer Haigh, literary fiction China, Child of Earth and Starry Heaven, L. Annette Binder, Alzheimer’s memoir, dementia caregiving, elder care,
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SEGMENT ONE: Jennifer Haigh
Segment Summary
Jennifer Haigh discusses how a three-month fellowship in Shanghai transformed her writing process—and led to Rabbit Moon, her first novel set outside the U.S. Through the story of a fractured American family brought together by a daughter’s accident abroad, Haigh probes themes of estrangement, sexual trauma, commodification, and freedom.
Key Topics:
- Familial estrangement and reconciliation
- Long term impacts of sexual exploitation
- Mother-daughter relationships
- Post-divorce relationship between ex-partners
- How writing in Shanghai without speaking the language transformed Haigh’s writing process
Segment Two: L. Annette Binder
Segment Summary
L. Annette Binder recounts her mother’s journey through Alzheimer’s and her own emotional and spiritual awakening during that time. Drawing on classical texts, cultural history, and personal caregiving, her memoir explores grief, presence, and the enduring mystery of consciousness.
Key Topics:
- Dementia and Alzheimer’s caregiving
- Terminal lucidity and consciousness
- Cultural understandings of dementia
- The spiritual dimension of end-of-life care
- Living in the moment as practice and philosophy
- The balance between truth and comfort in dementia care