Novelist Celeste Ng on the great power of small things

Before Celeste Ng became a bestselling author, she had a side job selling miniatures on eBay; reproducing dollhouse-sized food was her specialty. Even after the publication of “Little Fires Everywhere,” “Everything I Never Told You’, and most recently ‘Our Missing Hearts’, Celeste still makes little things – now as a hobby. She has come to realize the parallels between making small things and writing: both give her the opportunity to see the world up close.

Today, Celeste kicks off our special podcast series, celebrating 20 years of the Modern Love section, with a reading of Betsey MacWhinney’s essay “Bringing a Daughter Back From the Brink With Poems.” She discusses her own deep-rooted relationship with poetry – and the lessons, big and small, that poems can offer parents and children in uncertain times.

Links to episode transcripts typically appear on these pages within a week.

Modern Love is hosted by Anna Martin and produced by Julia Botero, Christina Djossa, Reva Goldberg and Emily Lang. The show is edited by Paula Szuchman and Jen Poyant, our executive producer. The show is mixed by Daniel Ramirez and recorded by Maddy Masiello. It features original music by Dan Powell. Our theme music is by Dan Powell.

Special thanks to Larissa Anderson, Kate LoPresti, Davis Land, Lisa Tobin, Daniel Jones, Miya Lee, Mahima Chablani, Nell Gallogly, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Nina Lassam and Julia Simon.

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