Author Jeff VanderMeer

4th September 2020

This week, guest host Jordan Morris talks to Jeff VanderMeer about what inspires his writing.The NY Times Best-Selling author has a new book out that is a sort diversion from his norm. It’s targeted toward a younger audience but keeps all of the wonder and fun of his previous works. His 2014 novel, “Annihilation” won the Nebula award and was turned into a 2018 film of the ame name. Jordan chats with Jeff about how his writing process has evolved, what it’s like collaborating on projects after being self-published and what it’s like doing a book tour from home. Plus, we’ll ask him about how his parents shaped the way he looks at the world.

Episode notes

Photo Credit: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Author Jeff VanderMeer on fantasy writing, “Annihilation” and his latest novel, “A Peculiar Peril”

Author Jeff VanderMeer spent much of his childhood in Fiji while his parents were working for the Peace Corps. They instilled a sense of wonder in him from a very young age and he spent a lot of his youth being fascinated by the flora and fauna he found around him. 

He dreamed of being a professional writer and documented his experiences on the island. 

After school, he started self-publishing fiction stories, most of them fantasy. Some of his first short stories were included in his self-published books The Book of Frog and in his 1996 collection titled The Book of Lost Places

In 2014, he wrote Annihilation. The first book in his Southern Reach trilogy. It featured sci-fi exploration into a classified area referred to as “Area X.” In it, nature has reclaimed the land in often mesmerizing ways. 

 Annihilation won the Nebula award for science fiction writing. It was eventually adapted into a feature-length film in 2018 starring Natalie Portman.

His latest book is called A Peculiar Peril. It’s sort of a fantasy novel, geared towards a younger audience. It takes place in a world that’s part Victorian, part dystopian. The book is extremely sharp, fun and very funny.

Guest host Jordan Morris chats with Jeff about how his writing process has evolved, what it’s like collaborating on projects after being self-published and what it’s like doing a book tour from home. Plus, we’ll ask him about how his parents shaped the way he looks at the world.

Click here to order your copy of A Peculiar Peril.

In this episode...

Senior Producer
Producer
Maximum Fun Producer
Maximum Fun Production Fellow

Guests

  • Jeff VanderMeer

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.

If you would like to pitch a guest for Bullseye, please CLICK HERE. You can also follow Bullseye on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. For more about Bullseye and to see a list of stations that carry it, please click here.

Get in touch with the show

People

Senior Producer

Producer

Maximum Fun Producer

Maximum Fun Production Fellow

How to listen

Stream or download episodes directly from our website, or listen via your favorite podcatcher!

Share this show

New? Start here...

Liked Author Jeff VanderMeer? Listen to these next...

26th March 2024

22nd March 2024

19th March 2024

15th March 2024

12th March 2024