Stephanie Danler — ”Compassion depends on being able to pay attention and feel.”

Novelist, memoirist, screenwriter, reader, mother, daughter: Stephanie Danler’s title isn’t singular, and perhaps that is what makes her such a compelling storyteller.

If you’ve read Stephanie’s work, you might already be aware of her gift for writing about the human experience in a way that captures your heart—and sometimes breaks it. Her breakout novel-turned-television show, Sweetbitter, is the embodiment of this. Although it was a runaway success, Stephanie eventually slowed down and looked inward when she realized that another prominent piece of writing she had been working on needed to be told, too. It wasn’t just any story; it was her story, and it recently came to life in her new memoir, Stray.

In this interview, Stephanie spoke more about the impetus for writing Stray, how her relationship with pace has changed, and her thoughts on slow content in our age of digital creativity. This episode also opens with a story contributed by Alessandra Angelini of The Workshop.