“Be very patient, even patient with chaos,” Lydia Davis advises writers in this compilation of interviews by Louisiana Channel. Seasoned writers from around the world, including Alaa Al Aswany, Umberto Eco, Richard Ford, Patti Smith, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, also offer their thoughts on how to keep writing.

The Guardian reports that Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has become a favorite for the Nobel Prize in literature, which will be announced later this week. In this Granta interview, the author discusses his early life and his latest book, Dreams in a Time of War: A Childhood Memoir, published this year.