Heidi Julavits, novelist and co-founding editor of The Believer, discusses the magazine, freelancing, and independent publishing. She reads from The Uses of Enchantment.

Heidi Julavits is truly an original figure in contemporary literature. George Saunders called Julavits "the Scheherazade of the new Anti-Terror Age," and Aimee Bender described Julavits' novel, The Effect of Living Backwards, as "a wonderfully absurdist game of chess."

Julavits' distinctive sensibility manifests itself both in her fiction and in her work as a co-founding editor of The Believer, a monthly literary cultural review published by McSweeney's. In The Believer's debut edition, Julavits called for "a new era of experimentation and a book culture that will support it" in a 9,000 word manifesto titled, "Rejoice! Believe! Be Strong and Read Hard!" (link available below).

Julavits recently visited the University of Iowa to read from her new novel The Uses of Enchantment on WSUI's Live from Prairie Lights. She also visited with students and faculty of the UI's writing programs for an informal Q&A session.

Listen
Heidi Julavits' Q&A with writers at the University of Iowa. Hosted by John D'Agata.
Heidi Julavits reads from The Uses of Enchantment.

Related:
Vida Vendela, co-founding editor of The Believer, reads from her novel And Now You Can Go on Live From Prairie Lights, 9/24/2004. Listen
"Rejoice! Believe! Be Strong and Read Hard!" by Heidi Julavits.