111: Why Do They Hate Us? – A Conversation with Christopher Merrill

In this episode, we speak with poet and journalist Christopher Merrill about being stranded at the US embassy in Kabul, why creativity depends on mortality, a memorable run-in with Gabriel García Márquez, and why you should never hire a menopausal Ukrainian to drive your van. For twenty-five years, Christopher conducted cultural diplomacy missions on behalf of the US State Department, traveling the world and liaising with writers and artists on every inhabited continent. His work, including six collections of poetry and six books of nonfiction, have been translated into over forty languages, and he’s received support from entities including the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and the government of France.