Today, I’m very excited to share my conversation with Brittany Ackerman about her many waitressing jobs over the years and how she wrote her novel, The Brittany’s, while working at a sports bar. Brittany and I met a few years ago through Write or Die, and she has become such a valued friend. As an active part of the literary community, she is forever inspiring me with her dedicated writing schedule, the tenaciously at which she churns out new (and brilliant) work, her many published pieces, and her candidness about the writing life. From finding an agent to getting rejections to working in academia, Brittany is open and honest about everything. (And I pick her brain often.)
I was thrilled she agreed to be my first guest, as she is also an amazing cheerleader, and encouraged me to move forward with this idea when I was encountering some major imposter syndrome. (Can I even podcast?!)
In this episode, we talk about:
Brittany’s entry into restaurant life
Experiences in different kinds of restaurant settings, like fine dining, a sushi restaurant and a Packer’s bar
Customer and co-worker pet peeves
Personal growth through serving jobs
The stigma of “real jobs” and Brittany’s thoughts on societal perceptions of restaurant jobs versus traditional office jobs and how each has its own value and challenges.
Advice on how to pursue writing while working in the service industry, including making a strict writing schedule and using serving experiences as literary material.
How she wrote her novel, The Brittanys, by utilizing a restaurant schedule
“Just put yourself into the literary life and don't let yourself feel like, oh, well, my day job has nothing to do with writing. It does. It helps with perspective, it helps with observation, it helps with time management. It is a part of you and you can totally make it work.”
About Brittany Ackerman
Formally employed at:
Japanee, Bloomington, IN- waitress
Duffy's, Delray Beach, FL- waitress
Mario's, Boca Raton, FL- waitress
Ami Sushi, Westwood, CA- hostess
Rusty Mullet, Hollywood, CA- waitress
Author of:
The Perpetual Motion Machine, Red Hen Press 2018
The Brittanys, Vintage 2021
Favorite writing ritual: Coffee shop, overpriced latte, tasty lil pastry
Favorite cocktail to order from the bar: A fruity, bubbly mocktail
Favorite meal to order: An elaborate pasta dish I would never make at home, including handmade dough and a Coke.
What she does for work now: Lecturer in the English Department at Vanderbilt University, teaching Writing
Where you can find her: on Instagram @suboatmilk and here on Substack
Bio: Brittany Ackerman is a writer from Riverdale, New York. She earned her BA in English from Indiana University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Florida Atlantic University. She has led workshops for UCLA’s Extension, The Porch, Catapult, HerStry, Write or Die, and Lighthouse Writers. She currently teaches writing at Vanderbilt University in the English Department. She is a 3x Pushcart Prize Nominee and her work has been featured in Electric Literature, Jewish Book Council, Lit Hub, The Los Angeles Review, No Tokens, Joyland, and more. Her first collection of essays The Perpetual Motion Machine was published with Red Hen Press in 2018, and her debut novel The Brittanys is out now with Vintage. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
"Use the experiences that you have to motivate you. What you overhear or see; use it in your writing."
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“As long as you can fit in some kind of writing life, it really doesn't matter what you're doing [for work.]”