“A brilliant and fucking fearless debut.” That’s what acclaimed author Carmen Maria Machado said about “Sink” by Joseph Earl Thomas — and that was just the beginning of the raves, from Kiese Laymon to the New York Times. In this episode, we speak with Thomas about his brutal and wrenching memoir, and what it means to thrive when you’re living a life so focused on survival.

Warning: This episode contains subject matter and language that may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.
The Mighty Writers Podcast with Maureen Boland is produced by Mighty Writers in partnership with Rowhome Productions. The executive producer is Tim Whitaker. Lead producer is Sojourner Ahebee. Rowhome’s executive producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers.

Our theme song was composed by Jim Morgan.

This episode also includes music from Blue Dot Sessions.