A Postpartum Funk

Dear Listener,

I'm writing from the Warren, my little house on a Tennessee hill. My dog is barking outside at what I'm pretty sure must be a skunk. I suspect this because Moondog has reeked of skunk for a few weeks now, and today it smelled like he got a fresh spray of it. We don't pet him much these days. My children and wife are fast asleep, and I'm experiencing a sort of postpartum depression.

The creative process is in some ways like a birthing. Jamie is quick to remind me that writing a...