Nov 3, 2026 · 30 min · 9 segments
Brett sits down with Chad Harbach to discuss his sophomore novel, 'The Brightness'. They talk revisiting characters from, 'The Art Of Fielding' and why go back, writing a book about female friendship…
Brett BennerHost
Chad HarbachGuest
And again, you talk about the title, The Brightness, and I think it also, to me, The Brightness not only represents, in a literal sense, The Brightness is a literary journal and a story, but it also, to me, is something that is about people and what they have.
in regards to Dahlia, but it's kind of like the first time anyone ever saw Lady Gaga.
And she came out and she was in a meat dress and she was like, I remember seeing her the first time and I was like, who is this freak of a person? But, There are those celebrities, whether they're a singer, an actor, a writer, who are so themselves in a way that draws a kind of...
You know, we talk a lot of in casting, like people would always ask, how do you know...
How can you tell if someone has that extra thing, that star quality? And I said, it's palpable.
Dahlia is... she is that person who is like a, a really bright burning star that she's going to pull people and she's going to, you know, I say seduce, but I mean that strictly in the context of make people want to be around her for everything she is.
There's a point in New York where Pella meets a writer who was one of her father's favorite writers.
And He says to her, look, I don't know whether you're talented or not, and I'll probably never find out.
Everybody's got something, but nobody wants to sit down and do the goddamn work.
And again, you talk about the title, The Brightness, and I think it also, to me, The Brightness not only represents, in a literal sense, The Brightness is a literary journal and a story, but it also, to me, is something that is about people and what they have.
in regards to Dahlia, but it's kind of like the first time anyone ever saw Lady Gaga.
And she came out and she was in a meat dress and she was like, I remember seeing her the first time and I was like, who is this freak of a person? But, There are those celebrities, whether they're a singer, an actor, a writer, who are so themselves in a way that draws a kind of...
You know, we talk a lot of in casting, like people would always ask, how do you know...
How can you tell if someone has that extra thing, that star quality? And I said, it's palpable.
Dahlia is... she is that person who is like a, a really bright burning star that she's going to pull people and she's going to, you know, I say seduce, but I mean that strictly in the context of make people want to be around her for everything she is.
There's a point in New York where Pella meets a writer who was one of her father's favorite writers.
And He says to her, look, I don't know whether you're talented or not, and I'll probably never find out.
Everybody's got something, but nobody wants to sit down and do the goddamn work.
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