Ada Calhoun is jot down A.
The author doesnt procrastinate, can steadily write for 15 hours straight if uninterrupted, and loves a deadline.
But when she set out to write a biography of poetFrank OHara, her modes of production were tested.
For a while, writing what becameAlso A Poetwas horrifying, Calhoun tells Bustle.
It was also a case of history repeating itself.
Sure that she could succeed where he could not, Calhoun set to work on it.
It felt like the book was almost writing itself.
And I was just its humble servant, she says.
Below, Calhoun talks Spotifys Discover Weekly, bell hooks, and the merits of Christmas lights.
Right now Im reading bell hooksAll About Love, which has been recommended to me 50,000 times.
Im finally reading it and Im like, Wow.
During the pandemic, everybody there was really obsessed with drinking kombucha, which I always thought was weird.
Then I started copying them because I like them a lot as people, so now I drink that.
I do different flavors of theSYNERGY onesthat have names like Pure or Trilogy.
Its super cheesy and embarrassing to say thats what I drink, but thats what I drink.
Its terrifyingly effective at turning me onto new music.
Im like, Oh, I like that song.
I like that song too.
Its a lot of Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tom Petty, Lucinda Williams, and people like that.
Its next to a heating pipe.
I just put Christmas things up, and that made me happy its turned into a little tiny nook.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
This article was originally published onJuly 13, 2022
