Have I always known Ilana Masad? Unlikely, as we didn’t grow up in the same place, but it still feels like I have.
Her criticism first came on my radar when I was an anxious twentysomething awaiting the publication of my debut novel. That was back in 2018, and I’ve been following Ilana’s writing ever since. She’s an incisive literary historian and a tireless champion of other writers. Her 2020 debut, All My Mother’s Lovers, earned much well-deserved praise, though the raging pandemic kept her from signing books in person.
I’ve always wanted to give the critic a taste of her own nerdy, enthusiastic medicine, and now I’ve finally gotten the chance! Ilana’s sophomore novel, Beings, is an elegant meditation on otherness both terrestrial and extra-. In other words: gays, aliens, and quite possibly even gay aliens.
Ilana and I had a fantastic conversation about the cultural significance of UFO sightings, Cold War-era psychiatry, cults, and covert lesbianism in the early 60s. In other words: some of my all-time favorite topics. Listen below!
If you enjoy our chat, then I think you outta get a copy of Beings from the Cosmic Cheeto Book Shop ;)
Curious about Ilana’s other titles? The Cosmic Cheeto Book Shop has them, too! You can support independent bookstores, individual authors, and the work I do on this very Substack by ordering her books at these links:
Here for All the Reasons: Why We Watch The Bachelor (pre-order)