With the first ten years being this good, the next ten should be even better. Loss of a loved one, breakups, make-ups, and dark points in life are discussed and brought to the light, rather than hidden away and brushed under the rug.īoth Fink and Bashwiner have strong, unique voices that come alive on the page, having readers laugh along with them, but also grieve their losses and continue to root for them throughout the memoir. The perfection of this memoir is truly in its imperfections, laid bare by authors who do not shy away from the more difficult subjects. While heartwarming and hilarious, the book also contains heartbreak and loss.

Bashwiner is also involved, voicing a number of characters on the show. Set in the fictional town of Night Vale, the podcast is presented as a radio show that reports on the strange events that take place in the town.

Some are remembered vastly different from one another, while other events are nearly identical.Īfter the two met in 2009, Fink found huge success with Welcome to Night Vale, a podcast co-created with Jeffrey Cranor. The initial premise itself is enough to draw readers in: Fink and Bashwiner wrote their pieces separately, not consulting each other, leading to two different interpretations of the same events. Hilarious and down-to-earth, The First Ten Years: Two Sides of the Same Love Story by Joseph Fink and Meg Bashwiner is as entertaining as it is heartwarming. They met, became friends, and the rest, as they say, is history… Well, it isn't really that simple. Meg Bashwiner, also 22 years old, was an aspiring performer and playwright living in New Jersey with her parents, working a desk job during the day, and commuting to the city for her internship with a theater company in the East Village - the same one Fink was volunteering at.

He and his wife, Meg Bashwiner, have written the memoir The First Ten Years. Working odd jobs to pay the rent, he takes up volunteering with a theater company in the East Village for free tickets to their shows. Joseph Fink is the creator of the Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isnt. I n 2009, Joseph Fink was a 22-year-old aspiring writer who moved cross-country from California to New York City to follow his dreams.

Joseph fink and meg bashwiner