Book Talk

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Rebecca Makkai about what constitutes cultural appropriation and how to "write across difference," the dangers of "leading with meaning" and why writers should trust their subconscious, and why she had to kill off Cyd's favorite character; guest readers Jessica Sager and Annie Thoms join Oppenheimer to discuss mistakes, responsibility, and guilt; striving for safety while living in danger; and what happens -- to us and to others -- when our stories unravel.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Caeli Wolfson Widger about "morning" sickness and parenting, leaning in and pushing through, and what it means to write a feminist novel; guest readers Tui Sutherland and Brian Slattery join Oppenheimer to discuss false choices and the patriarchy , strong women and toxic masculinity, and the ways Brian does and doesn't resemble Tessa's husband Peter.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Heather Abel about idealism and disillusionment, booms and busts, and why stories matter; guest readers Kristopher Jansma and Brad Ridky join Oppenheimer to discuss power and privilege, masculinity and mythmaking, and the invention of identity.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Chelsey Johnson about being a rock'n'roll flutist, learning to love plot, and how to write an ending; guest readers Emily Moore and Jennifer Eng join Oppenheimer to discuss records and oceans, mothers and daughters, and strays and strayings.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Leah Stewart about her "thematic preoccupation" with identity and gender, writing at the border of genre and literary fiction, and the influences of the 17th-century novel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer on this novel; guest readers Tui Sutherland, Brian Slattery, and Alfie Guy join Oppenheimer to discuss love, fame, and the hero's quest. 

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Rebecca Kauffman about change and the passage of time, the infinite complexity of the human heart, and the importance of allowing ourselves to be seen and to be known; guest readers Annie Thoms and Jessica Sager join Oppenheimer to discuss wood frogs and grackles, quicksand and bridges, blindness and seeing.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Kim Fu about Lord of the Flies, girls and their friendships, and unhappy endings; guest readers Yael Shinar and Alice Baumgartner join Oppenheimer to discuss mothers, daughters, and chickens, and what it means to be lost and then found.

author Melissa Albert about the draw of YA literature ("it's the power of the new, the power of the now"), about what makes her want to write ("it's the same thing that makes me want to read: the draw to know what happens next"), and about Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and (of all things) Little House on the Prairie; guest readers Brian Slattery and Tui Sutherland join Oppenheimer to discuss the draw of the Hinterland, doomed princesses, and girls who make decisions. Plus, they offer Melissa Albert multiple ideas for sequels. 

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Naima Coster about "the kinds of distance and intimacy that can exist between people across lines of class and race," "figuring out how to find freedom without running away," and "not wanting to write a book in which nobody raised their voices;" guest readers Emily Moore and Sophfronia Scott join Oppenheimer to discuss object studies, returning home, and what it means to be the woman in the attic.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Chloe Benjamin about unreliable narrators ("To me, every narrator is unreliable"), about allowing herself to write characters whose lived experience differs from her own ("research and empathy are the best way I've found to give myself that permission"), and choosing to end not with death but with healing; guest readers Annie Thoms and Jessica Sager join Oppenheimer to discuss the journeys of oppressed peoples, the stories that we tell ourselves, and what it means to believe in transformation.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Joan Silber about writing against the "narcissism of the novel," about being "against narrowness," and the dangers of being too careful ("then you lie in other ways"); guest readers Brad Ridky and Alice Baumgartner join Oppenheimer to discuss impermanence and contingency, the public and the private, and the desire to be seen.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Sophfronia Scott about the constraints and possibilities inherent in telling a story that's already been told, about villains and heroes, and about the influence of "Dallas" and "The Godfather" on her writing; guest readers Deborah Cantrell and Jessica Sager join Oppenheimer to discuss race, gender, and the political and cultural relevance of this novel today.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Owen Egerton about the difference between the novel and film ("a movie knows exactly what it wants you to feel when you step out of the theater; a book you can walk away from in a bunch of different ways"); about why he fell in love with writing ("here was a place where my questions could live"); and about how writing Hollow changed him ("it expanded the mystery"). Guest readers Annie Thoms and Jessica Sager join Oppenheimer to discuss loss and grief, passivity and action, the choice to live, and the search for meaning.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Claire Messud about coming of age ("I was reminded of how central bafflement is to that experience"); her purposeful choice to leave so many questions unanswered ("the writers I love and admire the most write into the openness"); and how we tell stories to make sense of our world -- and yet in doing so, leave so many things out. Guest readers Kristopher Jansma and Emily Moore join Oppenheimer to discuss shelter and asylum; babysitters and caretakers; poisoned cloaks and loss of innocence.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Allegra Goodman about about the challenges of articulating the visual, about what fiction and video games have in common (and how they differ), and about why she believes art continues to be important ("people are interested, these days, in which lives matter... a novel validates individual lives"); guest readers Alice Baumgartner and Brad Ridky join Oppenheimer to discuss mythology, metaphor, and metamorphosis.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Jonathan Dee about writing a prologue that doesn't seem like a prologue, about the rise and fall of the "social novel," and about why fiction continues to matter in today's America; guest readers Sam Purdy and Mark Oppenheimer join Cyd to discuss masculinity, morality, and authenticity.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Lisa Ko about becoming the person you want to be to write the book you want to write; about trying and failing and trying again; and about how you know, after you've been working on a book for 8 years, when it's finally done (winning a prestigious literary award before the book is even under contract is a helpful sign!); guest readers Kristopher Jansma and Emily Moore join Oppenheimer to discuss mothers and sons, coming of age, and language and its loss.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Matthew Klam about his process ("I write this sentence and then the next sentence and then the one after that and if I can't pull off the sentence that comes after that I know I can't keep going"); about writing the un-sayable ("I am trying to upset people"); and about whether it's possible to draw a line between fiction and autobiography. Also, they bond over their intense obsession with the writer Tim O'Brien. Guest readers Annie Thoms and Jessica Sager join Oppenheimer to discuss concussions, broken arms, and diamond earrings; unreliable narrators and unlikely lovers; and what stories count as real and deserve to be told.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Daryl Gregory about quarreling with his editor about structure, about the advantages of writing science fiction, and about the ways science fiction is like every other genre; guest readers Tui Sutherland and Alfie Guy join Oppenheimer to discuss fraud, fakery, fire-starters, friendship, and family.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Val Emmich about why he writes (“Because I’m insane? Why do any of us do this?”), capturing the perspective of a 10-year-old girl (“the actual discovery of her voice was an accident”), and what Sydney’s secret was in earlier drafts (you have to listen to find out!). Also, he sings! Guest readers Brian Slattery and Tui Sutherland join Oppenheimer to discuss old friends and nosy children, trusted sidekicks and flawed partners; and TV talk shows, shopping carts, and song-writing.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Judith Frank about where this book started for her ("it was going to begin with a terrorist attack and end with the day that gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts. I had a hunch that they might have something to say to each other"); writing from a child's point of view ("I knew I was going to be using my full vocabulary to be describing her thoughts"); and why she thought a book about gay men was more likely to sell than a book about lesbians ("It's just sexism. Men still count as universal human subjects [but] lesbians . . . can't stand for larger humanity the way that men can, and the way that men always have"); guest readers Amy Vatner and Sophfronia Scott join Oppenheimer to discuss language and loss, fears and forgiveness, and scars and survival.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Susan Perabo about the ways this novel is and isn't about an abduction ("it's about this family, it's about coming of age, it's about motherhood); about her choice to leave us with an ending full of questions; and about "the things we allow ourselves to do that put distance between us and the people that we love;" guest readers Annie Thoms and Jessica Sager join Oppenheimer to discuss futility and hope, profound acts of courage and kindness, and what it means to "get out of the way."

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Jami Attenberg about writing in the second person, playing with non-linear narratives, and what to make of readers who yell at you; guest readers Alice Baumgartner and Deborah Cantrell join Oppenheimer to discuss the Eiffel Tower, change and sameness, and upending the marriage plot.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Julie Buntin about books that are about what it means to write a book, about the space between what happened and what you remember and how you tell it, and about the way remembering can be an act of love; guest readers Jessica Sager and Sam Purdy join Oppenheimer to discuss mothers and brothers, witnesses and bystanders, and strong girls, wielding knives.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author John Freeman Gill about the Bogardus Heist (a true-life architectural mystery), how his non-fiction writing mirrors his fiction, and what it was like to carry around the first 15 pages of his novel for 20 years before sitting down to write it; guest readers Alice Baumgartner and Alfie Guy join Oppenheimer to discuss collections and connections, restoration and re-creation, and stealing, salvage, and salvation.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Laurie Frankel about how she managed to write so convincingly about life with five kids, which parts she ended up leaving out, and all the ways this novel is and isn't a metaphor; guest readers Annie Thoms and Jessica Sager join Oppenheimer to discuss loss and gain, diagnosis and transformation, and princesses in towers.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Min Jin Lee about writing what you know versus writing what you don't, and what she sees at the heart of this novel ("It's about race, and refugees, and assimilation, but I think, above all, it's a book about survival"); guest readers Kate Kincaid and Sophfronia Scott join Oppenheimer to discuss passing and identity, family and home, and whether, and how, it matters if history has failed us.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Kayla Rae Whitaker about why she left so many questions unanswered and what, in the book, surprised even her; guest readers Annie Thoms and Jessica Sager join Oppenheimer to discuss mothers and daughters, journeys and rebirth, and the powers and dangers of stories.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Reed Karaim about choosing to begin at the end, how to revise, and why he writes fiction in today's America; guest readers Alice Baumgartner and Jennifer Eng join Oppenheimer to discuss fire and ice, oceans and buffalo, and tragedy and redemption.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Robin Sloan about unlearning how to write for the Internet ("I still catch myself rushing, hurrying, getting nervous that a section’s going to go on too long”) and reading with Google open on the side ("it makes my brain light up and makes my heart glow, what an amazing, wonderful way to read"); guest readers Tui Sutherland and Alfie Guy join Oppenheimer to discuss technology and tradition, fantasy and friendship, names and nighttime.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with Mark Slouka about story and memory, truth and fiction, tragedy and redemption; guest readers Sam Purdy and Jessica Sager join Oppenheimer to discuss fathers and brothers, power and pain, and why we run the race we run.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with Boris Fishman about belonging, community, and notions of home, along with how fiction is a way to explore alternate lives ("or the lives at which we have not yet arrived"); guest readers Brad Ridky and Shifra Sharlin join Oppenheimer to discuss insiders and interlopers, others and outsiders, driving and being driven.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Jade Chang about what was interesting about writing a book set during the Great Recession ("When you're in a time of upheaval, it's also a time when anything can happen"), and the ways her novel rebels against the traditional immigrant narrative ("I really wanted to write about immigrants who see themselves as absolutely central to their own story and to the story of this country"); guest readers Brian Eng and Jennifer Eng join Oppenheimer to discuss art and artifice, success and failure, and the relationship between being seen and being known.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Nathan Hill about misadventures in Chicago traffic, writing as a source of joy, and what he left out between the 1200-page first draft and the final 620 pages; guest readers Annie Thoms and Jessica Sager join Oppenheimer to discuss ghosts, choosing your own adventure, and the invisible injury.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Imbolo Mbue about race, class, and becoming a writer; guest readers Ian Solomon and Matt Levine join Oppenheimer to discuss what this novel has to say about heroism and humanity, dissembling and deception, and the quest for authenticity.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Lily Brooks- Dalton about writing the quietest post-apocalyptic novel ever and about her choice to end with a cliffhanger ("Coming to a culmination in a place of not knowing is so much of what life is"); guest readers Brian Slattery and Tui Sutherland join Oppenheimer to discuss isolation, loneliness, grief, and hope, and crack each other up playing a game of "Which Astronaut Are You?"

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Liz Moore about her writing process, the way this novel differs from her last, and her character's original secret past; guest readers Sophfronia Scott and Alice Baumgartner join Oppenheimer to discuss grief and ghosts, betrayal and bequests, inheritance and invention.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Deena Goldstone about the morality of mining other people's lives in your own writing and whether it's possible to teach someone to write; guest readers Emily Moore and Matt Higbee join Oppenheimer to discuss gender dynamics, writing and motherhood, and stalkers and figure skaters.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Bob Proehl about his first draft and how he chose when to reveal certain secrets ("[When] you realize a piece of information is going to be in the marketing materials, you have to give that away right off - that's the not-fun answer!"); guest readers Brian Slattery and Alfie Guy join Oppenheimer to consider the ways this novel is both a love letter to comic books and a critique of them, and to see how many times they can say "agency" in 25 minutes.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Rebecca Dinerstein about starting her novel with a broken condom ("That sentence absolutely mortifies me") and what her writing workshop had to say about her first draft ("'There's no plot! There's no story!'"); guest readers Brad Ridky and Annie Thoms join Oppenheimer to discuss bread-making and art, beginnings and endings, and why we sometimes need darkness.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Jennine Capó Crucet about her novel Make Your Home Among Strangers ("It's not a writer's job to solve a problem, but to define a problem clearly"); guest readers Sam Purdy and Shifra Sharlin join Oppenheimer to examine how their own backgrounds shape their reactions to these characters and their choices.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Julia Rochester about her novel The House at the Edge of the World, and about escape, re-invention, and the power of storytelling; guest readers Tui Sutherland and Sophfronia Scott join Oppenheimer to discuss fable and myth, and water as metaphor.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Adam Haslett about his novel Imagine Me Gone ("It feels like the book I was meant to write") ; guest readers Kate Kincaid and Alice Baumgartner join Oppenheimer to discuss haunting, ghosts, and "the dark repetition."

In one of the most fascinating interview ever on Book Talk, host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author David Gilbert about his novel & Sons, discussing what it means when you decide to kill off a character by having him get hit by a bus; guest readers Annie Thoms and Jessica Sager join Oppenheimer to talk about shoes, closets, and the ways this post-modern novel plays with our understanding of stories, truth, and our own histories.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Mo Daviau about her novel Every Anxious Wave (she even sings!); guest readers Alfie Guy and Brian Slattery join Oppenheimer to consider the ways the stories we tell bout our pasts shape our presents and our futures.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Catherine Lowell about her novel The Madwoman Upstairs, asking her whether you need to read the whole Bronte oeuvre to appreciate this book (short answer, no, but why not do it anyway?); guest readers Tui Sutherland and Sophfronia Scott join Oppenheimer to discuss mothers, madness, and the Wizard of Oz.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Sari Wilson about her novel Girl Through Glass, and the way it mimics the form of a Romantic ballet; guest readers Alice Baumgartner and Kate Kincaid discuss beauty, power, and desire, and reflect upon blackouts.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Kristopher Jansma about his novel Why We Came to the City ("It's about what happens to the city when the characters aren't in it, after they've left it, when it's become a part of them"); guest readers Annie Thoms and Jessica Sager join Oppenheimer to discuss pilgrimages and odysseys, 9/11, and the poet Yehuda ha-Levi.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Kate Racculia about her novel Bellweather Rhapsody, discussing the way smartphones have rendered the mystery obsolete; guest readers Alfie Guy and Tui Sutherland join Oppenheimer to talk about ghosts and guilt, disguise and destruction, and music, magic, and mirrors.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Brian Morton about his novel Florence Gordon ("If you give up the effort to try to imagine what the world looks like from other people's points of view, you're not only giving up the effort to write fiction, you're giving up the effort to be a citizen of the world"); guest readers Sam Purdy and Shifra Sharlin join Oppenheimer to discuss whether ambition and decency can co-exist, and what constitutes courage.

Host Cyd Oppenheimer talks with author Rebecca Makkai about her novel The Hundred Year House and how to tell a story backwards; guest readers Alfie Guy and Alice Baumgartner join Oppenheimer to discuss Greek mythology, coincidence, and fate.