Episode 9
Binnacle Books — Beacon NY — Sam Anderson
Craig Mod in conversation with Sam Anderson at Binnacle Books in Beacon NY, chatting for fifty-seven minutes on May 25, 2025
Sam Anderson — New York Times Magazine staff writer, and friend of Weird Al Yankovic — and Craig discuss Craig's life in Japan, his walking journeys, and his writing process. Highlights include his adventurous walks across Japan, his interactions with notable figures like Jeff Bezos, and heartfelt moments of reconnecting with his birth family. The event also explores the cultural contrasts he experienced and his thoughtful approach to writing and storytelling.
Chapters
- 00:00 — Welcome and Introduction
- 00:38 — Craig Mod's Journey and Achievements
- 02:27 — Reading from 'Things Become Other Things'
- 04:38 — The Perils of Pilgrimage Routes
- 10:49 — Walking with Jeff Bezos
- 15:28 — Encounters and Reflections
- 31:13 — Discussing Language and Accents
- 31:53 — A Personal Story of Connection in North Carolina
- 33:06 — Unexpected Friendship and Cultural Observations
- 36:30 — The Journey to Morioka
- 38:20 — Media Frenzy and Social Commentary
- 42:45 — Jeffersonian Dinners and Thought-Provoking Questions
- 47:03 — Technology and Walking
- 49:59 — Reconnecting with Birth Family
- 56:34 — Conclusion and Book Signing
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Craig Mod is a writer and photographer based in Japan. He's the author of the books Things Become Other Things and Kissa by Kissa and is a MacDowell, Ragdale, and VCCA writing fellow. His essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, Eater, The Atlantic, California Sunday Magazine, Wired, Aeon, New Scientist, Virginia Quarterly Review, The New Yorker, The Morning News, Codex: Journal of Typography, and elsewhere.
He writes newsletters, oh yes, newsletters: Roden & Ridgeline.
The work on this site is supported 100% by paid memberships and book & print sales.
Whatever you do, don't follow @craigmod on Bluesky or Instagram.