The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

How NY Times Bestselling Author John Kenney Writes


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New York Times bestselling and award-winning author John Kenney spoke with us about life as an ad-man, writing humor for The New Yorker, and the paperback release of his latest novel I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD.

John Kenney is the bestselling author of three novels and four books of poetry, including Love Poems (For Married People), a New York Times bestseller. His first novel, Truth In Advertising, won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He is a longtime contributor to The New Yorker magazine’s Shouts & Murmurs column.

His most recent novel, I See You’ve Called In Dead (available in paperback June 2nd), is described as “The Office meets Six Feet Under meets About a Boy” and was an instant bestseller. The book follows Bud Stanley, an obituary writer who accidentally publishes his own obituary and begins attending strangers' funerals to find meaning of life.

In a starred review Booklist said of the book, “I See You’ve Called in Dead is a witty and heartwarming reminder of the bottomless despair, limitless absurdity, and undeniable joy of the human experience.”

John Kenney has worked as a copywriter for more than 25 years at Ogilvy, McGarry Bowen, and Publicis. He has created campaigns for American Express, Citi, Chevron, Heineken, and Cadillac, to name a few.

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In this file John Kenney, Milena, and I discussed:

His past life as a high profile copywriter 

10 years of rejections from the New Yorker

Why he still has impostor syndrome

The personal inspiration behind his latest novel

Writing self-deprecating poetry

Why he’s writing a memoir about rewriting his mother's obituary

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

byjohnkenney.com

I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney (Amazon)

John Kenney Amazon Author Page

John Kenney on Instagram

John Kenney for The New Yorker

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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