24 episodes
Cruel Summer Book Club Jillian Anthony
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- Society & Culture
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5.0 • 28 Ratings
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Cruel Summer Book Club is a podcast about making space for your art and yourself. Host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter and former Editor of Time Out New York) discusses prioritizing creativity and joy in our lives and shares the ups and downs of her experiences as a freelancer and business owner.
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Gamifying Rejection with Zach Zimmerman
Comedian Zach Zimmerman knows a lot about success, and even more about rejection. The author of the essay collection Is It Hot in Here (or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)? shares how he cold-pitched his way into the New Yorker and how he handles unruly audience members as a standup comedian. He and host Jillian Anthony (freelancer writer and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) talk about accepting rejection as part of making your art, dealing with difficulty family members, and how they both got broken up with on flights back from Europe. Plus, Zach shares a simple pep talk for pursuing your creative dreams: Nowhere is it written that you can't do it.
Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.
Follow guest Zach Zimmerman:
Book: Is It Hot in Here (or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)?
Instagram: @zzdoublezz
TikTok: @zzdoublezz
Website: zach-zimmerman.com
Tour: zach-zimmerman.com/tour
Follow host Jillian Anthony:
Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter
Website: jilliananthony.com
Instagram: @jillathrilla
Threads: @jillathrilla
Resources mentioned:
Zach’s appearance on After Midnight
Zach’s New Yorker articles
Derry Girls on Netflix
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
On Writing by Stephen King
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
"Dead Eyes" podcast by Connor Ratliff
Focusmate.com
Speechify -
Tarot 101: Finding Yourself in the Cards
A friend gifted host Jillian Anthony (freelance writer and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) her first Tarot deck when she was 31 — and it changed her life. Today, it’s her most nourishing personal and creative habit. She shares how Tarot helped her move through heartbreak, get to know her highest self, and tap into her intuition. She explains the basics of Tarot, shares some beginner spreads, and discusses how to start exploring Tarot as a way to connect with yourself and your creativity.
Jillian’s favorite part of Tarot is that there is no magic in the deck — the magic is in you. Are you ready to embrace it?
Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review — this really helps me reach more listeners!
Submit your question on art, life, and love to the Dear Jilla advice column.
Follow host Jillian Anthony:
Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter
Website: jilliananthony.com
Instagram: @jillathrilla
Threads: @jillathrilla
Resources mentioned:
Rider-Waite Tarot deck
Mystic Mondays Tarot deck
BiddyTarot.com
Modern Witch Tarot deck
Cat Tarot deck
OK Tarot: The Simple Deck for Everyone by Adam J.K.
Chani Nicholas astrology app -
Dear Jilla: I’m Afraid of Cringe
On the first edition of Dear Jilla, an advice column about art, life, and love, host Jillian Anthony (freelance writer and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) answers a reader’s question about overcoming her fear of Cringe. Jillian talks through her own experiences with pushing past Cringe and offers concrete ways to get to know your deepest fears, befriend them, and eventually use them as powerful tools in your creative process. Cringe is about taking risks, embracing who you really are, and reaching your full potential. The Cringe in me sees the Cringe in you.
Follow/subscribe to Cruel Summer Book Club now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review — this really helps me reach more listeners!
Submit your questions on art, life, and love to the Dear Jilla advice column.
Follow host Jillian Anthony:
Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter
Website: jilliananthony.com
Instagram: @jillathrilla
Threads: @jillathrilla
Resources mentioned:
Kyle Prue’s self-tape
The annoying act of telling people what you do by Cody Cook-Parrot
A Thing or Two: CringeSubmit your question to Dear Jilla -
Writing Into the Gush with Madeleine Dore
Host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) interviews author and podcast host Madeleine Dore about her many creative pursuits over the past decade. Dore takes us through the winding path of pursuing journalism, interviewing creatives for her newsletter, Extraordinary Routines, then writing her own book, I Didn’t Do the Thing Today. They discuss the tensions between productivity and creativity; the 10-year path to Dore’s first book (and her writing habits); and the importance of accepting your own creative process (and yourself). Plus, they talk about how personal projects can open important doors — even though they sometimes feel like a slog.
Dore’s best advice? “Just take the next step, and make it a very small step.”
Follow/subscribe to Cruel Summer Book Club now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review — this really helps reach more listeners!
Submit your questions on art, life, and love to the Dear Jilla advice column.
Follow guest Madeleine Dore:
Newsletter: On Things
Book: I Didn’t Do the Thing Today
Podcast: A Social Life with Friends
Follow host Jillian Anthony:
Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter
Website: jilliananthony.com
Instagram: @jillathrilla
Threads: @jillathrilla
Resources mentioned:
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
Milanote
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Written Into Being workshop with Giselle Buchanan -
Building My Freelance Life Brick by Brick
The Cruel Summer Book Club podcast is BACK, baby!
Host Jillian Anthony talks about the evolution of her thinking around work, money, and success as she’s built a career as a freelance writer and editor since 2020. After reclaiming her creativity for four years, she’s ready to share what she’s learned so far. She discusses the new focus of CSBC — making space for your art and yourself — and what this podcast and the CSBC newsletter will look like moving forward. Plus, she talks about learning to decouple her self-worth from work, cultivating a sense of “enoughness,” and how she’s building her freelance business brick by brick — and reaching for some big artistic dreams. She’s figuring it out and invites you to join her.
Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review — this really helps me reach more listeners!
Submit your question on art, life, and love to the Dear Jilla advice column.
Follow host Jillian Anthony:
Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter
Website: jilliananthony.com
Instagram: @jillathrilla
Threads: @jillathrilla
Resources:
Web designer Ashleigh Keith
The Monday Monday newsletter by Cody Cook-Parrot
The annoying act of telling people what you do by Cody Cook-Parrot
Standing in our values by Cody Cook-Parrot
Success on Substack course on Skillshare by Cody Cook-Parrot
On asking yourself what kind of artist you want to be by Fariha Róisín
Creative coach Catherine LaSota -
How to Welcome 2023 With Intention (And Say Goodbye to 2022)
On this solo episode, host Jillian Anthony (writer, editor, and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) shares her favorite ways to intentionally usher in the new year. She shares her experience with Year Compass, the free workbook she fills out every January, and how it’s helped her make real change — and identify which things she fails to change year after year. She also shares some other New Year resources and talks about her favorite books of 2022. Happy new year!
Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.
Follow host Jillian Anthony:
Instagram: @jillathrilla
Twitter: @jillathrilla
Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter
Time stamps
1:52 – Jillian’s favorite books of 2022
2:02 – A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney
2:49 – 4000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
4:48 – Sober Curious by Ruby Warrington
5:30 – Hear more of Jillian’s sobriety journey on Catherine Andrew’s podcast The Sunday Soother
5:47 – How to use Year Compass to welcome a new year
7:58 – Jillian’s big dreams for the year ahead at the start of 2021
10:32 – How many of those dreams came true
11:02 – Things Jillian hasn’t changed year after year
11:25 – And the things Jillian has changed
13:14 – Picking your word of the year (susannahconway.com)
14:00 – Align your priorities with the Four-Square Model (franhauser.com)
15:28 – Keep track of the best thing that happened during your week for a year
16:09 – Jillian’s bucket list dreams
16:42 – A special New Year’s message for you
17:35 – Where you can find Jillian
Customer Reviews
A favorite of mine to expand my mindset!
Jillian has hosts from all walks of life on the CSBC podcast and I’ve loved listening to all of them. My curiosities for so many things get uncovered here and i’m always excited for the next episode. I learn something new each listen. It’s reflective, expansive, fun, healing, playful, and so much more. It’s like having your bestie in the car with you while you drive!
Season 2 feels like therapy right now
I am so happy Cruel Summer Bookclub Podcast is back! Ep 1 of the new season felt like a free therapy session. Super relatable and hopeful.
Almost like the time Taylor Swift released Folklore as a surprise on July 24, 2020 and I sobbed with gratitude & relief in my parent’s guest room. More good to come.
ALWAYS A GREAT TAKE A WAY FOR ME…………..
I am enjoying Jillian Anthony’s podcast and guests very much. I always take away something to either reflect on in my own life or take with me for my future experiences……..very authentic and lots of fun too…..I really love to hear the answers to the “joy bomb” questions for the guests at the end of each podcast!! Thank you Jillian Anthony!
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