Some of the best (I think) material in Five Came Back is there because a librarian saw what I was working on over 3 days and asked me if I'd like to take a look at a box of old George Stevens papers that had not been catalogued yet. So no, for a ton of reasons, AI cannot "do the research for you."

Loved this interview. Thank you so much, Ben!

My latest interview is with writer, editor, and teacher @ronitplank.bsky.social

We go deep into what makes a good memoir, the state of publishing in 2026, and why adverbs are your enemy :-)

Link here: benbo.substack.com/p/82-what-ma...