Notes and Links to Andrew Porter’s Work Andrew Porter is the author of four books, including the short story collection The Theory of Light and Matter (Vintage/Penguin Random House), which won the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, the novel In Between Days (Knopf), which was a Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers” selection, an IndieBound “Indie Next” selection, and the San Antonio Express News’s “Fictional Work of the Year,” the short story collection The Disappeared (Knopf), which was longlisted for The Story Prize and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and the novel The Imagined Life, which was published by Knopf in April 2025. Porter’s books have been published in foreign editions in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand and translated into numerous languages, including French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Bulgarian, and Korean. In addition to winning the Flannery O’Connor Award, his collection, The Theory of Light and Matter, received Foreword Magazine’s “Book of the Year” Award for Short Fiction, was a finalist for The Steven Turner Award, The Paterson Prize and The WLT Book Award, was shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing, and was selected by both The Kansas City Star and The San Antonio Express-News as one of the “Best Books of the Year.” The recipient of a Pushcart Prize and fellowships from the James Michener-Copernicus Foundation, the W.K. Rose Foundation, and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, Porter’s short stories have appeared in The Best American Short Stories, One Story, Ploughshares, The Southern Review, The Threepenny Review, The Missouri Review, American Short Fiction, Narrative Magazine, Epoch, Story, The Colorado Review, Electric Literature, and Texas Monthly, among others. He has had his work read on NPR’s Selected Shorts and numerous times selected as one of the Distinguished Stories of the Year by Best American Short Stories. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Porter is currently a Professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Trinity University in San Antonio. Buy The Imagined Life Andrew's Website Andrew’s Wikipedia Page Book Review for The Imagined Life from New York Times At about 3:30, Pete makes a clumsy but heartfelt comparison between The Imagined Life and Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea and Andrew shares feedback from readers of his novel At about 5:10, Andrew responds to Pete’s question about the book’s seeds and talks about “tinker[ing]” with the book’s opening for years At about 6:45, Pete remarks on the book’s first-person account, and Andrew and Pete discuss the book’s opening and ideas of naivete and fallible parents At about 8:45, Pete asks Andrew, who expands about structuring the book and its connection to revision At about 10:45, Pete compares the setting of the book, 1983 Fullerton, CA, to The Smashing Pumpkins’ “1979,” and Andrew discusses similarities At about 12:30, Pete reflects on the importance of the age given to the book’s narrator and the two characterize the book’s “father” and Andrew talks about using a 70s/early 80s atmosphere through the young narrator’s lens At about 17:30, Pete summarizes an important character introduction and Andrew talks about the importance of an embarrassing faux pas by the narrator’s father that might have "professional ramifications” At about 19:30, Andrew responds to Pete’s question about the visits that Steven takes to speak with his father’s former colleagues in the present-day At about 23:20, Andrew explains connections between Proust (“Proo-st”) and the father, who is obsessed in some ways with Proust’s work; Andrew notes personal parallels between the father and Proust At about 26:10, Andrew gives background on Uncle Julian’s connection to his brother and his family At about 27:40, Andrew responds to Pete’s questions about the importance of the book’s cabana and complicated coupling At about 29:40, Andrew reflects on Chau’s relationship with Steven and the connection as a shared “escape from their home lives” At about 33:00, Andrew responds to Pete’s questions about fleeting beautiful moments between father and son At about 34:25, Pete wonders about how Andrew picks character names At about 36:10, Andrew discusses the narrator’s son, Finn, and his acting out in school as a function of his parents’ marital shakiness At about 37:30, Pete asks Andrew about a pivotal party and any “ruptures” in relationships that may have followed At about 40:00, Andrew reflects on possible foreshadowing through letters and notes left behind by Steven’s father At about 42:40, Andrew discusses his mindset in writing an important and off-the-wall culminating scene At about 45:35, The two reflect on ideas of traumas and cycles and anger, especially with regard to Steven’s recognition of same At about 48:30, Pete compliments the ending of the book, ideas of legacy and wonderful book timing At about 49:30, Andrew reflects on his book’s setting as key in exploring contrasts between Steven’s life then and now, as well as with the world as a whole At about 50:30, Swatch Watch discourse! and vague Bel Biv Devoe reference! 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The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com. Please tune in for Episode 295 with Wright Thompson, a senior writer for ESPN, contributing writer to the Atlantic, and the New York Times bestselling author of Pappylandand The Cost of These Dreams. The Barn, a captivating story of the tragedy of Emmett Till’s racist murder, is out in paperback on the day the episode airs, today, September 9. Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.
