PEN America Works of Justice · PEN America Prison and Justice Writing

David Sanchez on Addiction, Subjectivity, and Selfhood

·27 min·2 clips

David Sanchez recounts his fast-paced life of addiction, jail, and medication, setting the stage for his recovery story.

This episode features author David Sanchez discussing his semi-autobiographical novel, "All Day is a Long Time," which explores addiction, incarceration, and recovery. Host Emma Stammen, a PEN America Postgraduate Fellow, interviews Sanchez, who was an inaugural Writing for Justice Fellow. The conversation centers on Sanchez's personal experiences and the process of transforming them into literature. Sanchez describes a cyclical life pattern involving homelessness, jail, psychiatric facilities, and unstable employment. He references a rapid succession of prescribed medications, including Effexor, Risperdal, Lamictal, Seroquel, Latuda, Lexapro, and Trazodone. The narrative traces his journey from these experiences through to recovery and becoming a published author. Sanchez explains his deliberate choice to write a novel rather than a memoir to achieve greater artistic freedom. He discusses the challenge of accurately portraying the subjective experience of addiction and altered states of consciousness. A significant insight is Sanchez's view of addiction not as a moral failing but as a logical response to unbearable psychological pain. He argues that the recovery narrative often oversimplifies a complex, non-linear process. The writing process itself became a form of reconciliation with his past and fragmented memories. Sanchez reveals he wrote the entire first draft in a continuous, intense 30-day period. The episode includes a content warning for a discussion of suicide between minutes 9 and 12. The tone is reflective, intimate, and literary, focusing on personal narrative and craft. The style is a direct, thoughtful conversation between two people engaged with writing and justice work. Listeners interested in addiction narratives, autobiographical fiction, and the intersection of writing and personal history would appreciate this episode. Those seeking a broader analysis of systemic justice issues or who prefer to avoid intense personal content about addiction and mental health might skip it.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from PEN America Works of Justice