Delight and Joy Are Survival Mechanisms and Acts of Resistance | Ross Gay

About this episode

<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p><em>---</em></p> <p><br /></p> <p>How rethinking these often twee concepts can change your life and maybe the world. </p> <p><br /></p> <p><a href="https://www.rossgay.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ross Gay</a> is the author of four books of poetry: <a href="https://www.rossgay.net/against-which" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Against Which</em></a>; <a href="https://www.rossgay.net/bringing-the-shovel-down" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Bringing the Shovel Down</em></a>; <a href="https://www.rossgay.net/be-holding" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Be Holding</em></a>, winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award; and <a href= "https://www.rossgay.net/catalog-of-unabashed-gratitude" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude</em></a>, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. In addition to his poetry, Ross has released three collections of essays—<a href= "https://www.rossgay.net/the-book-of-delights" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Book of Delights</em></a> was released in 2019 and was a <em>New York Times</em> bestseller; <a href= "https://www.rossgay.net/inciting-joy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Inciting Joy</em></a> was released in 2022, and his newest collection, <a href= "https://www.rossgay.net/the-book-of-more-delights" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Book of (More) Delights</em></a> was released in September of 2023.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>In this episode we talk about:</strong></p> <ul> <li>What got Ross interested in the subject of delight</li> <li>How noting delight can be a tool for counter programming against our negativity bias</li> <li>Why Ross argues that there is an ethical component to delight</li> <li>The benefits of writing by hand</li> <li>How both using a smartphone and rushing can be delight blockers</li> <li>The difference between delight and joy </li> <li>What he means when he refers to the "offenses of joy"</li> <li>And the connection between grief and joy </li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href= "https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/ross-gay" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank">https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/ross-gay</a></p> <p><br /></p>