In this episode, I talk with writer and editor Thomas Beller about his new essay collection, Degas at the Gas Station. Set in his hometown of New York City and in New Orleans, where he teaches at Tulane University, the essays explore fatherhood as it traverses the landscapes of his own childhood. His father, a psychoanalyst originally from Vienna, died just before Tom’s tenth birthday. Tom became a father at age 42 (the same age his father was when he was born) and over time, he and his wife Elizabeth and their two children migrated back to New York City. In fact, they moved into the same Upper West Side Manhattan apartment where Tom grew up and where his mother, a documentary filmmaker, still lives and works.
Though we talk in detail about the essays themselves, this conversation is ultimately about the larger quandary of writing. Why do writers return to the same forms and themes again and again, even when they feel they “should” branch out? What are the ethics of writing about other people, especially your children? Does voicing ambivalence about parenthood constitute a kind of cruelty to the kids who may someday read it? Or was Tom’s friend, the great writer James Salter, correct when he said that children are usually so uninterested in their parents’ work that “if you want to hide something from your kids, put it in a book”?
We also talk about the condition of New York City today versus the 1970s and ’80s and, since this was recorded on Election Day, Tom’s thoughts on Zohran Mamdani.
If you enjoy this interview, please revisit the livestream conversation I did with Tom last May.
Guest Bio
Thomas Beller is the author of six books, including the story collection Seduction Theory, the novel The Sleep-Over Artist, and the new essay collection Degas at the Gas Station. A longtime contributor to The New Yorker, he teaches creative writing at Tulane University and edits the literary website Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood. Visit his Substack, The Floating Armoire.
Housekeeping
🤝 The Founding Member hangouts are coming back! Starting next year, we’ll do them monthly (still figuring out the best day and time). To join in, upgrade your subscription to Founding Member.
👩🏫 I’m teaching a Zoom writing workshop in Memoir and Personal Essay, Jan 6 through Feb 24, 2026. Deadline extended to Dec 12. Info here as well as below.
📖 Order my book, The Catastrophe Hour: Selected Essays, on Amazon or directly from the publisher here.
📺 Visit The Unspeakeasy on YouTube.
