The Sharpening with Amber Tamblyn

The Sharpening with Amber Tamblyn

INTERVIEW: Roxane Gay + Fun Summer Updates!

Feminism, a Summer Full of Brilliant Minds, and the Romance Novel You Didn't See Coming

Amber Tamblyn's avatar
Amber Tamblyn
May 22, 2026
∙ Paid

“Spend more time doing more creating and less time on the hamster wheel of visibility.” -Roxane Gay

Friends,

Yesterday I sat down with renowned writer and cultural critic Roxane Gay for her very first Substack Live. We covered feminism, post-Roe America, social backlash, white fragility, and why we need men need to be better public-facing advocates in the world right now (I also shared my pride in my husband David’s recent interview with Bill Maher, where he vigorously defended trans children.)

We also geeked out on creativity—why capitalism is the enemy of good art, why logging off can be revolutionary, and Roxane gave AI an absolute dressing down. She spilled on her romance novel with Channing Tatum (!!), her literary imprint Roxane Gay Books, and her new venture running The Rumpus with her wife Debbie Millman. With a paid subscription, you can enjoy the replay of my interview with Roxane, along with all the other incredible interviews and intimate webinars we have coming up all summer long.

Speaking of incredible interviews and intimate webinars all summer long! Here are just a few coming up that you wont want to miss:

  • Fiction writing and the power of provocative storytelling with R.O. Kwon

  • The world of publishing with author and publisher of Wave Books, Matthew Zapruder

  • A conversation with tech-founder and former META consultant Jesse Nolan on how to fix the left’s branding woes

  • What we can (and should) learn from the sex lives of animals with the great granddaughter of Eleanor Roosevelt herself, Perrin Roosevelt Ireland

  • How to wield artistry in a weaponized world with multi-hyphenate and award-winning poet, Mahogany Browne.

PLUS: I'm hosting a smaller more intimate Live gathering over Zoom for our paid subscribers this summer with the brilliant poet, essayist, and recipient of the NEA, Maggie Smith! Come join us to talk about finding beauty and meaning in everyday life, writing through loss and change, and the craft of making art that endures, how to infuse poetry into your art and daily life, and we'll even get to spend a little time actually working on a poem together. Saturday July 12th at 2pm ET.

Enjoy the below interview with Roxane Gay and as always, thanks so much for being here.

The Sharpening is a reader-supported newsletter run by me, Amber. Upgrading to a paid subscription keeps it going—and growing. Your support lets me dedicate real time to crafting original, timely creative prompts and bringing in some of the most compelling artists working today for interviews and webinars.

With a paid subscription, you get:

  • Access to all Substack Lives and Zoom webinars featuring artists whose work sits at the intersection of the political and the personal.

  • The ability to comment, ask questions, and engage directly with featured guests— plus recordings of everything, so you never miss a session.

  • Invitations to in-person meetups and early access to virtual and in-person events.

  • Behind-the-scenes updates on my upcoming projects, book tours, and events— plus three years of archived content from my previous newsletter.

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