An honest conversation with writer James Kaelan about the role of ego in art. Can ego and the creation of art be separated? Who do we really create for? Would you write even if you were the last person on earth?  James entered the UC Davis English program at the age of 17. Two years later, he entered Boston University's Fiction MFA program. There he began writing the title novella of his first book, We're Getting On , under the tutelage of National Book Award-winner Ha Jin. After graduating, James and Elijah Jenkins turned Flatmancrooked from a literary e-zine into a full-scale publishing house. In 2009, Esquire named the site one of the top 5 online literary magazines in the country. Last fall, in order to focus on writing and take a teaching position at Pepperdine University, James stepped down as Managing Editor of Flatmancrooked, but the company requested the opportunity to publish We're Getting On, and so, working closely with the team, James helped develop the Zero Emission Book Project, volunteering to ride his bike 1,900 from Los Angeles to Vancouver in order to promote his book.

Interview & Camera by Danny Alpert / Editing by Rebecca Parish / Produced by Erin Williams / Additional footage courtesy of James Kaelan