Liz DeWolf speaks to Emily Everett about her story “Ex Situ,” which appear in The Common’s spring issue. The story follows an American living in Istanbul, navigating the end of a relationship, alongside the appeal and alienation of living abroad in a layered, complex city. Liz also discusses her process and revision methods, the themes she often returns to, and her work as a nonfiction book editor.

Liz DeWolf writes fiction and edits nonfiction books about politics and culture. Originally from Massachusetts, she lives in Los Angeles and is currently at work on a novel and a collection of short stories. Her fiction has appeared in The Common, New England Review, The Missouri Review, and elsewhere.

­­Read Liz’s story in The Common here.

Learn more about her work here.

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The Common is a print and online literary magazine publishing stories, essays, and poems that deepen our collective sense of place. On our podcast and in our pages, The Common features established and emerging writers from around the world. Read more and subscribe to the magazine here, and follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook.

Emily Everett is managing editor of the magazine and host of the podcast. Her debut novel All That Life Can Afford was a 2025 Reese’s Book Club pick and longlisted for the Massachusetts Book Award. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Modern Love column, the Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, Tin House, and Mississippi Review. She was a 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow in Fiction.

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