Episode · How I Write · 2026-04-29
David Perell & Anne Lamott: books mentioned on How I Write
Anne Lamott Teaches Unforgettable Writing | How I Write
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David Perell discussed Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, Help, Thanks, Wow by Anne Lamott, and The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. Anne Lamott discussed Far Tortuga by Peter Matthiessen, A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott, Still Life at Eighty by Abigail Thomas, and Middlemarch by George Eliot.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Bird by Bird
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is a well-regarded guide on the writing process that offers practical advice alongside deeper reflections on life.
Discussed“Annie Lamont is famous for writing bird by bird which is one of the best books ever written about the craft of writing”
Where to get it
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Far Tortuga
Discussed“Peter Mat's brilliant book, Far Tartuga, is in Ptois, you know, most of it.”
Where to get it
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A Confederacy of Dunces
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole is an absurdist, darkly comedic masterpiece centered on the eccentric and pompous protagonist Ignatius J.
Discussed“Maybe it's um Ignatius J. Riley in a confederacy of Dun Dunes who has nothing nothing in common with me, but I recognize him as a really dear messed up human like the rest of us.”
Where to get it
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Imperfect Birds
Discussed“I've had a couple of books with a with the word bird in them imperfect birds and bird by bird”
Where to get it
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Still Life at Eighty
Discussed“Abigail Thomas, who's written a book on memoir and and another book, Still Life at 80, she gave me a few of these great prompts.”
Where to get it
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The Artist's Way
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is a foundational self-help guide designed to help readers recover their innate creativity and overcome artistic blocks through structured practices like morning pages and artist dates.
Discussed“Julia Cameron who wrote the artist way.”
Where to get it
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Middlemarch
Middlemarch by George Eliot is widely celebrated as a masterwork of Victorian literature, chronicling the lives and aspirations of provincial society in the fictional town of Middlemarch.
Discussed“like in Middle March, the I think the greatest novel ever written by George Elliot, there are so many moments where a a character has made a decision to do something and you just stop in your traction.”
Where to get it
