We’re releasing this episode a day early in honor of Athena Dixon appearing at Literary Cleveland’s debut Plum City Reading event! This reading takes place at Loganberry Books at 7pm on October 9, with an afterparty to follow across the street at Literary Cleveland’s offices. Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel will also read.

Athena Dixon takes listeners on a deep dive into the phenomenon of loneliness through her new essay collection, The Loneliness Files. Dixon discusses the inspiration behind these essays, isolation during COVID lockdowns, how online interactions can combat as well as amplify loneliness, true crime, fan fiction, vulnerability in writing nonfiction, the connection between loneliness and writing, the journey to publication as an unagented author, and, naturally, sensory deprivation tanks.

The Loneliness Files was released by Tin House Books on October 3, 2023. Athena Dixon is a poet, essayist, and editor. Her work is included in the anthology The BreakBeat Poets Vol.2: Black Girl Magic, and her craft work appears in Getting to the Truth: The Craft and Practice of Creative Nonfiction. She is also the author of  The Incredible Shrinking Woman (Split/Lip Press 2020) and No God In This Room (Argus House Press 2018), winner of the Intersectional Midwest Chapbook Contest. Learn more about Dixon at her website.

Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email [email protected] (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.