<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Gal Podjarny Author]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gal Podjarny]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 23:21:03 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.galpod.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Immersed Artist Myth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Avi Richards on Unsplash There's a myth that I keep returning to. The myth of the artist, immersed in their work, losing track of time, pouring all their energy into the masterpiece in front of them. And honestly? I want that myth more than anything. I want to be left alone so I can focus on my writing while all my earthly needs are being catered to. Wouldn't that be great? In real life, the artists who were immersed in their craft were able to do so because they had wives who took...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/the-immersed-artist-myth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4249e1c19ca7d97f2ace11</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 10:40:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_d5516d6f3928435d92bd491c7ee386cc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Non-Native Species]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Zach Kirby on Unsplash When I wrote Until the Walls Come Down, I chose a slightly unnatural spelling for the protagonist's name, Tammar. An Israeli expat would spell the name with one 'm' (Tamar), but I wanted to give my English readers a chance to pronounce it correctly. I am fierce about all my characters' names being pronounced right. Which is curious, because my name is often mispronounced. It's one thing when it's the Starbucks baristas, who seem to have issues with any and all...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/non-native-species</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a394347dd7b9e765934e52b</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:15:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_ca12230a63ce4266bb2dc6f0566fa69a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Friction Is For]]></title><description><![CDATA[On texting, AI, and the friction that makes other people real.]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/what-friction-is-for</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a328660ce85b49c3c4d0809</guid><category><![CDATA[Essays]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:00:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_d864277ee46f48aa981ef91667bcccea~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Presence is Inefficient]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash When I was visiting my mum in Israel earlier this month, we spent three hours in the car driving from the airport to my childhood home in the middle of the desert. Past Dimona, when we were on the eighth conversation topic, we discussed parental choices. We talked about how parents usually don't have to tell their children their values. Children pick those up from how their parents behave, what's important to them. And she told me how her mum would send...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/presence-is-inefficient</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2fd175d140bb7a9a95a51c</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:32:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_41296e43c8684107815e3560ac26d958~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Studium]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Throne, with a (partial) TBR list I have a room at home dedicated to my writing, which, we concluded, is a better solution than working on a laptop on the kitchen counter. But the word "office" feels wrong. I write long-hand the morning pages and type my stories at the computer. I read on my excellent red armchair (obviously nicknamed The Throne). Lately, I've been trying to use word study more. I'm working in my study. But a study conjures up a stuffy old man from the Victorian era, and...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/studium</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a26974d579005354a9b648b</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:24:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_e2f5ab5792804565be54b45dd4a95f36~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chronic Indecision]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by nrd on Unsplash Finding "can't make decisions" on a list of anxiety symptoms recently was a revelation. Even though I have a psychology background (although I haven't studied anxiety), and even though I've known I was struggling with anxiety for a while, it never occurred to me that my chronic indecision is an anxiety symptom. Before I knew this was an anxiety symptom, I could spend thirty minutes thinking about what I want for lunch. I could stare at a marketing email about a new...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/chronic-indecision</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2690f97206e69ccb3a104c</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:56:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_e71c605faf0341a7af83227062318aeb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Artists Become Startups]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Julia Zyablova on Unsplash I've been following the New Creative Era podcast since Yancey and Josh started broadcasting it. I can't say I agree with them on everything, but they definitely have an honest take on being an artist in the US during late-stage capitalism. They talk a lot about how artists should get paid better, and with that I totally agree. Yancey's project is the A-corp: a legal framework in which artists can register as A-corp and then they can sell shares in their...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/when-artists-become-startups</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a05a54b618ba45174016d47</guid><category><![CDATA[Essays]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 12:50:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_58589d9e542542c698030a65454f46ed~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Owned and Protected]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Leo_Visions on Unsplash I read Margo's Got Money Trouble and the comparison I immediately thought about was The L-Shaped Room. In both novels, the protagonist gets accidentally pregnant and decides to keep the baby despite most men in her life discouraging her. Margo lives in 2020s USA while Jane lives in 1950s UK, but the ways these two women are marginalised are strikingly similar. On the surface, both women are shamed for getting pregnant outside of marriage. Jane punishes herself...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/owned-and-protected</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0adbd32fd8b3b69695e074</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2026 09:33:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_9ea078c518914cffae6eaa509c09df65~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why I Love a Good Metaphor]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by TopSphere Media on Unsplash I'm reading Margo's Got Money Trouble, and she has some fantastic metaphors. They make me envious, obviously, but also they got me thinking about why I love a good metaphor. A good metaphor distills what I love about books. It lets me see the world, for a moment, from someone else's perspective. Not just to see what they do, but to see how they see the world, how they feel. The last good metaphor I marked was "The walls were painted teal and had the...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/why-i-love-a-good-metaphor</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f863447b1c42fb24fa150f</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 09:15:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_dc6e737747594e6481a2e2227e62bb91~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Showing Isn’t Telling]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Jeremy Yap on Unsplash I watched Reality last week. It’s a film about Reality Winner, an NSA contractor who leaked a classified document to a news website. The film makes a distinct choice: it uses only recordings. Mainly, it’s the recording of the FBI interviewing Reality in her home, but there are some news broadcast recordings, and a recording of a phone call she made to her sister from jail. Reality's story opens up a host of questions that would be worth exploring. Each of these...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/showing-isn-t-telling</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ef34f424f9d3e5cd6cd61d</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:10:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_499d916380ba48caad1b30b65551e8be~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Uninspired Writing]]></title><description><![CDATA[My new Sakura Notebook. It makes me happy. I started a new notebook today. It’s a gorgeous Moleskine I got in Milan, the Sakura edition. As you would expect from Moleskine, the paper quality is outstanding, and the attention to detail is quite something (there are two ribbon markers, each a different shade of pink to match the design). There’s even a little bookmark with sales copy about “The Art of Capturing Fleeting Beauty”. It says: “…Pen and paper are the best way to capture inspiration...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/uninspired-writing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ef2805d3f2ae6dd91083a0</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:04:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_48f2d7475342494c8987868fa590e3dc~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A New Word for Research]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Christian Kielberg  on Unsplash The other day, I went on a research trip for my new book. It was a sunny day, and I walked around a London neighbourhood, looking at houses. Then, I sat on a park bench and eavesdropped on conversations. I sat down at a café for lunch. I watched the people and listened in on their (rather loud) conversations, then watched the owner come in on his bike. I watched him as he put some music on, checked the kitchen had everything they needed, poured water...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/a-new-word-for-research</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e35ad00c8d230c9e8f6788</guid><category><![CDATA[Essays]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:21:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_f39df835627c4014860eaf26542d8787~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Tarot Question]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Joey Jacob on Unsplash I’ve been playing with Tarot cards recently, and I noticed that asking the right question is surprisingly difficult. We come to the cards wanting answers, but we haven’t quite formulated the question yet. So at the beginning of the session, before we even touch the deck, there’s already some work happening. It connects, for me, to my academic research. In academic research, half the work is figuring out how to ask a question that, if answered, would tell us...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/the-tarot-question</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e5f64c8b2f11ff8e55b1ba</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:49:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_4cbcaf75ca3b4a6c94bd55c7dc66b613~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Who Pays for Conviction]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Igordoon Primus  on Unsplash I watched Broken Glass at The Young Vic last week. The way the auditorium is set up makes you a part of the play, not merely an observer. Case in point: in the climax when Phillip collapses and the rest are standing around laughing, I had a strong urge to run over and help him up. It makes us feel compassionate towards someone who isn’t easy to feel compassionate towards. Then we get to go home feeling like heroes. We totally would have helped, even if we...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/who-pays-for-conviction</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dcd06675afb0779a771a87</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:21:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_e29ba09369014d5c80e50e7361fa1334~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Early Bloomer]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by peter bucks  on Unsplash I’ve come across the phrase “late bloomer” a few times recently, and I noticed I resisted it. I was an early bloomer, or what is more often called a precocious child. I had my first existential crisis when I was five. I can still remember crying in bed, my mum trying to figure out what I could possibly have to cry about. I was thinking that evening about how my grandfather died and how my parents will die someday, and I’ll be left alone, and then I’ll die...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/early-bloomer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dcb5158614fb4128b31335</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:21:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_1e4dcee09ba545ceb068171a4c1579cf~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Deferral Hack]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Djim Loic  on Unsplash After writing the piece Curiosity, Taxed , I felt that maybe it was too clean. Sometimes the voice that tells me to keep writing rather than follow this curiosity spark down a rabbit hole is actually right. Sometimes what I need to do is to keep writing. But I still firmly believe that sometimes I need to fall down the rabbit hole. So how do I tell which is which? Unfortunately, I don’t have a good answer for that. When I follow the curiosity thread instead of...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/the-deferral-hack</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d38fc4d142869289e7b9dc</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:56:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_5cdf357d454f40e0a5305720782c9ea9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Curiosity, Taxed]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Eijat Darus  on Unsplash I’m taking a course called Creative Systems , and one of the things Kening Zhu talks about is resources and our relationship to them. She names the most obvious ones—time, energy, attention, inspiration—but she says a lot of things can be resources. When I heard that, the thought that hit me was: I’m rich in curiosity. It’s not just a trait, it’s the driver of much of my work. Here’s what usually happens. I hear something or read something. I get curious...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/curiosity-taxed</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d3810184368b484104f08c</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 09:48:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_759851e03ff24f29b646223740d532e7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wise Sack of Meat]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Andreas Haimerl  on Unsplash Everyone says listen to your body. It's the (not so) new fad in the wellness industry. Your body knows best. The assumption is that our bodies hold all the wisdom, and we have to shut up and take it. Which, don't get me wrong, I understand how we ended up here. For much too long, women's bodies in particular have been silenced and disbelieved. Especially if there's pain, or, heaven forbid, hormones involved. But in the same way that my body is not just a...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/wise-sack-of-meat</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc27ce06e9acd4d41be6ea</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 16:30:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_20ab7415067946bd97c340489cf8fb3d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Harlem Shuffle Isn’t a Crime Novel]]></title><description><![CDATA[POST CONTAINS SPOILERS Sure, there are heists and gangsters and a spectacular, public revenge. But in crime novels, mysteries are always solved. Not necessarily by a detective who gets the bad guy, but by the reader understanding what happened and why. None of the mysteries in Harlem Shuffle  gets solved. One mystery is a lapse. Three mysteries in a row? That’s on purpose. In the first act, we see Miami Joe betray the crew. Why has he betrayed the crew? We don’t know. We don’t get a “villain...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/harlem-shuffle-isn-t-a-crime-novel</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a01f3fdcfe76b0f2d4b1c5</guid><category><![CDATA[Essays]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 13:00:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_ec0b189eac64414c9beb3857b6c3ecaf~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Collectors Fear]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Takemaru Hirai  on Unsplash To all intents and purposes, I'm a collector. I collect quotes in various places, fragments of beautiful sentences, random thoughts and ideas. I collect books I want to read and TV shows and movies I want to watch. I have a whole section on my website called Collections (you're in it right now). A while ago, I was reading Empireland (a rough read but such an important book), and I noted that the British Empire is, among other things, distinct for its...]]></description><link>https://www.galpod.com/post/what-collectors-fear</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b824827a34d5f0ef6ce149</guid><category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:44:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5f2ab3_b5f9e8eb227848f29d2d754e709177f2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>galpod</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>