S8 Ep. 17: Sarah S. Grossman on the Los Angeles Wildfires

fiction/non/fiction

Novelist and former Huffington Post climate reporter Sarah S. Grossman joins Fiction/Non/Fiction co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about the Los Angeles wildfires. Grossman, who lives in Los Angeles and whose 2024 novel A Fire So Wild centers on a wildfire in Northern California, discusses how communities are coming together to support each other in the wake of the devastation. She reflects on the damage to the historically Black neighborhood of Altadena; the fact that people are differently affected by climate change, even as wealth cannot completely shield anyone; the factors that contributed to the wildfires; and what it is like to prepare to evacuate, or, alternatively, to offer shelter to others. Grossman reads from A Fire So Wild.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/.

This podcast is produced by Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan.

Selected Readings:

Sarah S. Grossman

• A Fire So Wild
• The Antidote To Climate Dread | HuffPost Impact | The Huffington Post | Aug 25, 2021
• More Americans Than Ever Understand Climate Change Is Real And Harmful | HuffPost Impact | The Huffington Post | Nov 18, 2021
• Nearly 30% Of Americans Aren't Worried 'At All' About The Deadly Climate Crisis | The Huffington Post | April 19, 2022

Others:

• What happened on Friday, Jan. 17 Crews improved containment of the fires; some residents allowed to return | Los Angeles Times
• L.A. fires upend hard-won stability for the area’s homeless population | The Washington Post
• Mutual Aid LA Network (@mutualaidla) • Instagram
• Displaced Black Families GoFundMe Directory
• Safe Place for Youth
• How Wildfires Came for City Streets | The New York Times
• Over 170,000 People Under Evacuation In LA County Wildfires | Inkl

New wildfire concerns in Los Angeles: Strong winds could return next week. | USA Today

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