This week, I was delighted to be joined by Emma Sarappo, senior associate editor at The Atlantic, where she writes and commissions coverage on books, poetry, and literary culture. Formerly the arts editor at Washington City Paper, Emma’s work has also appeared in Preservation, Pacific Standard, Washingtonian, The Bitter Southerner, and beyond.

In other words: she’s the real deal, and she’s got the literary chops to prove it.

In this wide-ranging and lively conversation, we dug into everything from The Atlantic's ambitious recent packages on The Best American Novels of the 20th Century and The Best American Poetry of the 21st Century, to the state of critical discourse, comics, canons, and the eternal (and eternally tricky) question: what makes a work “great”?

Topics We Covered

• The process behind curating landmark literary lists for The Atlantic

• How lists can fuel discovery, conversation, and canon expansion

• Why list-making is both a celebration and a provocation

• Which classic (and obscure) American novels Emma is willing to throw down for

• What poetry can do in an era of fractured attention and endless noise

• Underground comics and their critical future

• How to respond to the common complaint: “young people don’t read anymore”

Favorite Moments & Takeaways

Emma reminded me that serious criticism isn’t about gatekeeping; it’s about stewardship. It’s about introducing work to new audiences, reintroducing overlooked gems, and advocating for voices who deserve more space in the conversation.

We also talked about how poetry might just be the perfect literary form for 2025—compressed, emotional, deeply portable, and ideal for those of us trying to carve clarity out of chaos.

If you’re a writer, teacher, editor, or simply a passionate reader, this is an episode that will feed your curiosity and remind you why we keep returning to stories—even when the world seems hellbent on scrolling past them.

Thanks, as ever, for listening and supporting STC. More conversations soon.

Personal Website: emmasarappo.com
LinkedIn: Emma Sarappo
Bluesky: @emmasarappo.bsky.social
Instagram: @emmasarappo

Award-winning author Sean Murphy in conversation with creative thinkers, spanning the literary, music, art, politics, and tech industries. As a cultural critic, professor, founder of a literary non-profit, Sean is always looking to explore and celebrate the ways Story is integral to how we define ourselves, as artists and human beings. This Substack newsletter and weekly podcast peels back the layers of how creativity works, why it matters, how our most brilliant minds achieve mastery. Join us to explore how our most successful and inspired storytellers engage by discussing craft, routines, brand, and mostly through authentic and honest expression.

Website: seanmurphy.net
Substack: seanmurphy.live
Twitter: @bullmurph
Instagram: @bullmurph
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorSeanMurphy
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sean-murphy-4986b41

Today’s guest is Paula Whyman, author of the collection You May See a Stranger, which received a starred review in Publishers Weekly. Her new book Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop is a blend of memoir, natural history, and conservation science. Her writing has appeared in myriad outlets, and she was co-founder and editor in chief of the literary journal Scoundrel Time. Paula and I discuss the story behind the story of her new memoir, and her real time training as a contemporary naturalist. Her book, filled with vivid descriptions of plants, insects, and one woman’s battle/love affair with seemingly everything that grows, flies, lives, and dies, is highly recommended, perhaps especially for anyone looking for a positive distraction from the chaotic “inner space” of today’s sociopolitical reality. I learned a great deal about everything from invasive species to non-native plants, all of which seem to mirror present discussions about immigration, identity, and ownership. Paula is not only a wonderful writer, but patient and passionate tour guide, and her words will resonate with outdoor enthusiasts and those with less green thumbs. We also talked about craft, teaching, the rewards and burdens of running a literary magazine, the solace of nature and the inspiration of one’s imagination. Inevitably, we also touched on the importance of community and the responsibility of being a good literary citizen.

Learn more about Paula’s work at https://paulawhyman.com

Award-winning author Sean Murphy in conversation with creative thinkers, spanning the literary, music, art, politics, and tech industries. As a cultural critic, professor, founder of a literary non-profit, Sean is always looking to explore and celebrate the ways Story is integral to how we define ourselves, as artists and human beings. This Substack newsletter and weekly podcast peels back the layers of how creativity works, why it matters, how our most brilliant minds achieve mastery. Join us to explore how our most successful and inspired storytellers engage by discussing craft, routines, brand, and mostly through authentic and honest expression.

Website: seanmurphy.net
Substack: seanmurphy.live
Twitter: @bullmurph
Instagram: @bullmurph
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorSeanMurphy
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sean-murphy-4986b41