Bookable

Have you ever signed up for one of those ancestry sites, or maybe sent in a sample of your saliva and received DNA results?  Well what can those results really tell you about the people and the traditions that inform your personal lineage? In Wandering in Strange Lands: A Daughter of the Great Migration Reclaims Her Roots, author Morgan Jerkins takes a unique approach to understanding where she came and uncovers a wealth of incredible stories, traditions, and painful surprises. About the AuthorMorgan Jerkins  is the New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America, which was longlisted for PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay and a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, and Wandering In Strange Lands: A Daughter of the Great Migration Reclaims Her Roots. Her third book, Caul Baby: A Novel, is forthcoming from Harper Books in April 2021.  She holds a BA in Comparative Literature from Princeton University and an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars. A recently named Forbes 30 under 30 Leader in Media, Jerkins regularly teaches at Columbia University’s School of the Arts in the Nonfiction department. Born and raised in Southern New Jersey, she’s currently based in Harlem and at work on television and film projects. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "Jungles" by Isaac Aesili, "Every Corner In The Black Lodge" by 1939 Ensemble, "Molasses and Wine" by Heliix, "The Chase" by Principle, "Brainiac"  by Cold Storage Percussion Unit.

Americans have been raised on a system of myths about race.  We’ve invented stories to explain what we don’t understand, and it’s our belief in these often preposterous ideas that have shaped history. In A More Perfect Reunion, Calvin Baker seeks to dispel these myths as he writes about four key moments of racial awakening in American history, offering a solution and a path to move towards an integrated society.   About the AuthorCalvin Baker is the author of four novels, including Grace and Dominion, which was a finalist for the Hurston-Wright Award. He teaches in Columbia University’s Graduate School of the Arts, and has also taught in the English Department at Yale University, the University of Leipzig, where he held the Picador Chair in American Studies, Long Island University, Graduate Department of English where he was a Distinguished Visiting Professor, Bard College, and Middlebury College. His nonfiction work has appeared in Harper’s and the New York Times Magazine. He lives in Brooklyn. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "Rich Man's Road" by The Outview, "Progress" by Keen Collective, "Caña" by Sun Shapes, "Proclaim The Dawn" by LandMrks, "Days of the Blackbird" by Pierpaolo Ranieri.

The world puts you in a box -- geography, social class, family dynamics, gender, all things you’re born into with no say in the matter.  But life gets really interesting when you’re finally able to make choices to fix what feels wrong.  In Nicole Dennis-Benn's novel Patsy she writes about one woman’s journey to live a life that’s in congruence with her values, even at a steep cost to others. About the AuthorNicole Dennis-Benn is the author of Here Comes the Sun, a New York Times Notable Book and winner of the Lambda Literary Award. Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, she teaches at Princeton and lives with her wife in Brooklyn, New York. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "Hear Me Hear Me" by Davy Era, "Heavy Eyelids" by Lullatone, "Night Stroll" by Podium, "Get Away" by Rawsrvnt, "You and Me" by Keen Collective.

Have you ever felt like you’re in a tunnel trying to dig your way out and are just getting nowhere?  Like there’s not even a light at the end? In Roxane Gay and Tracy Lynne Oliver's fantastical graphic novel The Sacrifice of Darkness, a man is pushed past his limits and the consequences are global as the world is shrouded in darkness. About the AuthorsRoxane Gay’s writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many others. She is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. She is the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, the New York Times bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women and the New York Times bestselling Hunger. Tracy Lynne Oliver is attempting to make a new name for herself in this writing game. She has a magical novel that is anxious to see the light of day as well as a monstrous short story collection. If you know what's good for you, you'd contact her ASAP to call dibs on this greatness before you lose the next literary Beyonce. In the meantime, you can read her essay, "Love Letters" in Medium's "Unruly Bodies" series. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "Walk with Me" by Land of Legs, "Dimensions Distilled" by Frozen Mesa, "Electric Passion" by Keen Collective, "Maple" by Pastek, "In the Steps of Dust" by Jules Blueprints, "Loa" by El Buho y Barrio Lindo.

Want to get away from it all?  Maybe rent a house somewhere remote, with no access to the internet, overlooking the woods and a swimming pool?  But what if that heavenly vacation goes wrong -- really wrong -- in a way that has global consequences?  In Rumaan Alam's Leave the World Behind that's exactly what happens, starting with an unexpected late-night knock on the door that leads to shifting of reality itself. About the AuthorRumaan Alam is the author of three novels: Rich and Pretty, That Kind of Mother, and Leave the World Behind. Other writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Buzzfeed, and the New Republic, where he is a contributing editor. He also co-hosts two podcasts for Slate, studied writing at Oberlin College, and lives in New York with his husband and two kids. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "Denholm Green" by Prairie Ensemble, "Washed Out" by Shaky Faces, "Morning Tide" by The Mariner, "Wintler Wine" by Prairie Ensemble, "Thinking of a Master Plan" by Theory Hazit, "Syntagma" by Jules Blueprints.

It’s the most wonderful time of the most hellish year in memory. But 2020 had some great new books--and plenty of down time to read them!  We’ve featured a bunch of them, including more than one National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalists. We've also checked in with previous guests having  conversations with the authors they love.  On this special 'Holidays Reads' episode, the staff discuss their picks and then  Amanda calls up the one and only Neil Gaiman to hear his unique recommendations of what to give the book lover in your life for the holidays. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books that Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Different Strokes" by Jupyter, "Blackberry" by Oatmello, "Timeless Love" by Joonie, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis.

Time to forget the way too familiar depictions of female friendship that lean on thread-worn stereotypes: the back-stabbing competitor, the gossip, the manipulator, the superficial princess.  In Want, Lynn Steger Strong avoids those pitfalls by exploring the realities of adult life and how fissures can grow in a long-held friendship, seep into a marriage and corrupt our sense of privilege, success and economic security.   About the Author:Lynn Steger Strong’s first novel, Hold Still, was released by Liveright/WW Norton in 2016. Her nonfiction has been published by Guernica, Los Angeles Review of Books, Elle.com, Catapult, Lit Hub, and others. She teaches both fiction and non-fiction writing at Columbia University, Fairfield University, and the Pratt Institute. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "One Minute" by Complicated Congas, "Wainscott" by The Brow, "I Always Loved You" by Joonie, "If You Can't See The Sun" by Sun Shapes, "Daydreamin'" by Dr Crosby, "Sealing with Garrett" by Kyle Devine.

What happens when you write about the American experience from two opposing viewpoints? In novelist and playwright Ayad Akhtar’s latest book, we follow the rise of Trump, White Supremacy and the consequences of falling prey to American Capitalism when you’re a hard working immigrant. We asked Cathy Park Hong, poet and author of the critically acclaimed essay collection Minor Feelings, to talk to Ayad about his new novel Homeland Elegies.  Their conversation is smart, insightful, political and profound.  Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn and Amanda Stern. It was mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books that Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Different Strokes" by Jupyter, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis.

Have you had trouble sleeping lately? Did you take a pill for it? What if sleeping pills no longer worked and your insomnia was so acute it could kill you? In Sleep Donation, Karen Russell creates a scenario where the cure for insomnia mirrors the corporate greed we’ve come to expect from big pharma and it’s a total nightmare.  From sleep transfusions and corrupt toilet barons to a virulent nightmare so terrifying people choose to die rather than risk having it --  this novella just might keep you up at night. About the Author:Karen Russell  won the 2012 and the 2018 National Magazine Award for fiction, and her first novel, Swamplandia! (2011), was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She has received a MacArthur Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship, the “5 under 35” prize from the National Book Foundation, the NYPL Young Lions Award, the Bard Fiction Prize, and is a former fellow of the Cullman Center and the American Academy in Berlin. She currently holds the Endowed Chair at Texas State University’s MFA program, and lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and son. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "Reprise" by Arms and Sleepers, "Pendulum" by Sun Shapes, "Pocket" by The Flavr Blue, "Tangerine" by Oatmello.

When you work in a field that demands exposing your deepest self to the public, it fosters a deep, even profound kind of humility born from the habit of making oneself vulnerable.  The act of opening up is transformative.  What makes a memoir powerful? We asked Mira Jacob, author of the award-winning graphic memoir Good Talk (and Bookable’s very first guest)  to moderate a special roundtable about just that question.  She invited the incredible Kiese Laymon and Saeed Jones and the result is a conversation that is riveting and enlightening, exploring how a book’s success can hurt the people you love, and how the isolation that comes with touring and being alone in hard times can almost do a person in.Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn and Amanda Stern. It was mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books that Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Different Strokes" by Jupyter, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis.

Are you exhausted?  Does this pandemic and political hellscape feel like a job you’re not allowed to quit?  In Stay Hungry and Kick Burnout In The Butt, Dr. Steven Berglas has the perfect prescription to help you channel all that energy into something positive and worthwhile.  Listen as he and Amanda explore what makes us feel fulfilled and self-actualized while exploring some stories about people who channeled those negative feelings for good.About the Author:A former faculty member of Harvard Medical School's Department of Psychiatry and staff member of McLean Hospital for more than 25 years, Dr. Steven Berglas is now an executive coach and corporate consultant based in Los Angeles, CA. He is the author of four books that examine how the changes brought about by career success cause vocational, interpersonal, and psychological problems. He has published more than 70 articles and journal reports on the causes and cures of self-defeating behavior, the factors that cause executives to fail, and how to prevent white-collar crime.Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media. Music:"Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "Santa Barbara Blues" by Don deBrauwere, "On the Move" by Dr Crosby, "Good Morning Melody" by Lullatone, "Dementia" by Wild Whirled, "Hopeless" by Pebaluna, "The SSLottery" by Little Glass Men, "Why (Do you Doubt Me Baby?)" by Andrew Kaffer.

You may remember Shawn Stewart Ruff from Episode 12 of Bookable when he talked to Amanda about his debut novel Finlater, a story of young gay love set against the backdrop of a housing project being desegregated.  In this bonus conversation, Shawn checks in with someone he hasn't talked to in decades; James Hannaham  author of Delicious Foods. Listen in on their reunion as they talk about the way the world has changed since they were last in touch, and explore new territory such as whether a straight writer has any business writing a gay character. Can you write a black character if you’re white? And what exactly is the best way to avoid getting dragged on Twitter without canceling yourself? Tune in to find out! And a quick correction from Shawn: the Joseph Beam anthology mentioned in the episode is called ‘In The Life’ and not ‘Other Counties.’ Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books that Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Different Strokes" by Jupyter, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis.

The United States is experiencing a time of reckoning, but too often it seems like we’re all  talking past each another other rather than attempting meaningful dialogue.  In Just Us, Claudia Rankine provides a blueprint for how we talk about and experience race in America.  Listen as she and Amanda examine the emotions underpinning white privilege, shine a light on racial inequality in its less obvious forms, and explain what it actually means when a white person,  "doesn't see color." About the Author:Claudia Rankine is the author of Citizen: An American Lyric and four previous books, including Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric. Her work has appeared recently in the Guardian, the New York Times Book Review, the New York Times Magazine, and the Washington Post. She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, the winner of the 2014 Jackson Poetry Prize, and a contributing editor of Poets & Writers. She received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2016. Rankine is the Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry at Yale University. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "Warmer Up Here" by The Upstroke, "This Summer" by Easy McCoy, "Eugene" by Calvin Valentine, "Tidewater" by Grant Harold, "Rebuilding" by 1,2,3.

Sometimes we hold a secret inside that feels so big and so overwhelming that it distorts the way we see and move through the world.  In the memoir Empty,  Susan Burton explores an eating disorder she had kept hidden from everyone in her life for nearly thirty years, and how that process of exposure and exploration helped her move through the shame--revealing her biggest secret to family and other loved ones--and how that opened up whole new worlds to her. About the Author:Susan Burton’s writing has appeared in Slate, Mother Jones, New York, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine. She is a former editor of Harper’s and a producer of This American Life. Her radio documentaries have won numerous awards. The film Unaccompanied Minors is based on one of her radio essays. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their two sons. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "One Minute" by Complicated Congas, "Great Egg Harbor" by Memory Palace, "Decoded" by WayFare, "Moving On" by Sarah Clarke and The Vintage Twin, "I Always Loved You" by Joonie.

All summer we’ve been inviting previous Bookable guests back to the show to talk to other authors they admire.  Well today we’re breaking the mold  because there are just too many authors we haven’t been able to get on the show--yet.  In our latest installment: Gary Shteyngart and Paul LaFarge.  Paul and Gary live in upstate New York in neighboring towns. They talk about writing and craft and living through this present moment--all while a tornado heads directly for them. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Amanda Stern, Beau Friedlander and Andrew Dunn, who also mixed the episode and created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books that Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Different Strokes" by Jupyter, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis.

What do you want to do with your life and how much are you willing to struggle for it?  Bestselling debut novelist Raven Leilani has written a luminous book that explores this question.  Luster is a fearless, and sometimes funny, story about a complicated, maybe even a bit perverse, black millennial, who finds some of what she thinks she wants out of life with a digital archivist named Eric, a white man twice her age in an open marriage. And then from  his wife. And then from their daughter. About the Author:Raven Leilani's work has been published in Granta, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Narrative, Yale Review, Conjunctions, The Cut and New England Review, among other publications. She won Narrative's Ninth Annual Poetry Contest and the Matt Clark Editor's Choice Prize, as well as short fiction prizes from Bat City Review and Blue Earth Review. Luster is her first novel. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"When I See You" by Amir Oosman, "Last of Your Love" by Amir Oosman, "Sitcom" by Martian Subculture, "Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "Float" by Soul City.

We are all products of our environment.  Who we are, and who we become in the world, is shaped by the places we were raised.  In Shawn Stewart Ruff's debut novel Finlater, a Cincinatti housing project takes center stage, acting as a springboard for every aspect of protagonist Cliffy Douglass's young life.  The book is fiction but draws closely from Ruff’s own childhood growing up Black  in the 1970s. Moving and memorable, Finlater explores the overt racism that still plagues America. With a probing eye and tender touch Amanda explores Ruff's world in this secret coming-of-age classic about changing demographics, interracial friendship, sexual orientation, and first love.  About the Author:Shawn Stewart Ruff is author of the novels GJS II (2016), Toss and Whirl and Pass (2010), Finlater (2008), winner of a Lambda Literary Award for Debut Fiction; and the novella One/10th (2013), the first of ten small entwined works inspired by W. E. B. DuBois' The Talented Tenth. He is also the editor of the landmark anthology Go the Way Your Blood Beats (1996). Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"No Better Time" by Sarah Clarke and The Vintage Twin, "Dissolve" by Hotel Pools, "Tangerine" by Oatmello, "Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "The Comeback" by Moss Electric, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "Lightning Rod" by Cold Storage Percussion Unit.

On this special 'Summer Reads' episode Amanda calls up authors Ottessa Moshfegh and Nathan Englander to find out what they're reading.  Then the rest of Team Bookable gives Amanda their picks, complete with a special appearance from Darth Vader! Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books that Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Different Strokes" by Jupyter, "Timeless Love" by Joonie, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis.

You may remember Nell Freudenberger from Episode 7 of Bookable when she talked to Amanda about the metaphase typewriter (used to communicate with the dead) and her New York Times bestselling novel Lost and Wanted. Nell returns with Black is the Body author Emily Bernard. Emily and Nell cover a lot of ground, including the role race plays in their interracial friendship.  From rituals around writing to how silence doesn’t save you, this conversation exceeded all of our expectations. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Amanda Stern, Beau Friedlander and Andrew Dunn, who also mixed the episode and created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books that Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Different Strokes" by Jupyter, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis.

Meet Storybound, a weekly podcast that features acclaimed authors reading excerpts from their work--sometimes with help from actors--always set to fantastic original score and an immersive sound design.  Today we share one of Amanda's favorite episodes from Season One: Author Mitchell S. Jackson reading from his memoir Survival Math.About Storybound:Storybound is a radio theater program designed for the podcast age. In each episode, listeners will be treated to their favorite authors and writers reading some of their most impactful stories, designed with powerful and immersive sound environments. Brought to you by The Podglomerate and Lit Hub Radio, which also features Bookable.   https://thepodglomerate.com/shows/storybound/ Music:"Different Strokes" by Jupyter

Writers can sometimes overlook the richness of their less central characters. Ursula Hegi isn't one of those writers. In The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls, she sets in motion characters that fans of Hegi will remember well to tell an entirely new story. In this eagerly awaited new work,  Hegi revisits a story told to great acclaim--this time from a new perspective with an even deeper sense of heartache, compassion, and understanding.  About the Author:Ursula Hegi is the author of over a dozen books, including Stones from the River, Children and Fire, Floating in My Mother’s Palm, and Tearing the Silence, and has received more than thirty grants and awards. She teaches in the Stony Brook MFA program and lives with her family on Long Island. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Gatekeeper" by Sun Shapes, "Lights Out" by The Tree Ring, "Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Attempt to be Poetic'" by Keen Collective, "Ferris Wheels" by Paper Rabbit, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "The Silence is Here to Save You" by Greater Alexander.

You may remember Julie Orringer from Episode 4 of Bookable when she talked to Amanda about her novel The Flight Portfolio  and the amazing Varian Fry who saved thousands of cultural creatives during World War II. In this engaging bonus episode, Julie returns with her upstairs neighbor--the one and only New York Times bestselling cartoonist Adrian Tomine. There's no time like the present for this wide-ranging conversation about working from home, parenting (while trying to make a living as a creative) and Tomine's new memoir The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books that Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Different Strokes" by Jupyter, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis.

It's been more than twenty years since the publication of Nicholas Lemann's classic book The Big Test, which exploded the myth of meritocracy in a system blind to the inequalities it fostered.  While systemic discrimination is widely discussed now, that's a fairly new phenomenon. In this episode, author Nicholas Lemann and Amanda explore how a creation with noble intentions--standardized testing--designed to mitigate social discrimination ended up being tainted by the very same bias it hoped to end.  About the Author:Nicholas Lemann is Joseph Pulitzer II and Edith Pulitzer Moore Professor and Dean Emeritus at Columbia Journalism School. A staff writer for The New Yorker, his previous books include The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy and The Promised Land: The Great Migration and How It Changed America. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Mean Streets" by The Shrugs, "In Asbury" by Memory Palace, "Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Daydreamin'" by Dr Crosby, "Starry Night" by Brian Sussman, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "Caña" by Sun Shapes

Lydia Millet's new novel A Children's Bible is the perfect book for a global pandemic set against a backdrop of growing social unrest, and Amanda is the perfect person for her to talk to about it. What are we leaving our children?  Amanda and Lydia Millet explore the dark topics that drive her new book in a transformative conversation that will stay with you as we all navigate the uncharted territory of our here and now. About the Author:Lydia Millet has written twelve works of fiction. She has won awards from PEN Center USA and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and her books have been longlisted for the National Book Award, shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award and Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and named as New York Times Notable Books. Her story collection Love in Infant Monkeys was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. She lives outside Tucson, Arizona. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Andromeda" by Brian Sussman, "Landmark" by Brian Sussman, "Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Finders Keepers" by Paper Rabbit, "Rainy Day" by Brian Sussman, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis

Are you having trouble staying focused? Listen in on Jennifer Egan and Susan Choi as they explore productivity in the time of Covid, luck, how to outline a story, beginnings and endings, and one of Amanda's very favorite pieces of writing: the PowerPoint chapter in Egan's Pulitzer-winning A Visit from the Goon Squad. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books that Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Different Strokes" by Jupyter, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis.

Etgar Keret has a unique talent for finding humor in the indignities of everyday life, the miscommunications that drive us and the losses that punctuate life. In Fly Already, Etgar Keret gives a masterclass on using humor to save your life or just make it more bearable.  Whether it's a dissatisfied angel longing for more, a guy desperate to impress his crush by scoring joint during a weed shortage, or a couple tracing their breakup to the primordial ooze of its start, this moving and deeply human short story collection is perfect in its celebration of the imperfect.  About the Author:Etgar Keret was born in Ramat Gan and now lives in Tel Aviv. A recipient of the French Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, the Charles Bronfman Prize, and the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, he is the author of the memoir The Seven Good Years and story collections including The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God. His work has been translated into forty-five languages and has appeared in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, The Paris Review, and The New York Times, among many other publications, and on This American Life, where he is a regular contributor. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was edited, mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Pershing Drive" by The Roof Beam Carpenters, "Inviting The Bell" by Jules Blueprints, "Books That Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Milo's Dance" by Paper Rabbit, "Navy Blue" by Brian Sussman, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis, "Dance With Me" by Keen Collective.

The authors  of Bookable have the most amazing friends. We wondered what would happen if we asked a former Bookable guest to choose an author they admire and interview them. In our first bonus episode, Alexander Chee talks to Rebecca Solnit. Writer, historian, and activist Solnit is the author of more than twenty books on feminism, western and indigenous history, popular power, social change and insurrection, wandering and walking, hope and disaster, including her latest book, just out, entitled Recollections of My Nonexistence. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Books that Bounce" by Rufus Canis, "Different Strokes" by Jupyter, "Uni Swing Vox" by Rufus Canis.

Can ghosts use radiation to talk to us?  And what does quantum entanglement have to do with friendship? Acclaimed novelist Nell Freudenberger answers these questions, and tells Amanda the true story of a pioneering female scientist who one hundred percent should have won the Nobel Prize, but didn't (guess why). Hard science can give rise to poetry, and Freudenberger talks about her choice to go that route in Lost and Wanted--pulling back the curtain on a process of literary alchemy--and did we mention ghosts?  About the Author:Nell Freudenberger is the author of the novels The Newlyweds and The Dissident, and the story collection Lucky Girls, which was awarded the PEN/Malamud Award and the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Award, and a Cullman Fellowship from the New York Public Library, she lives in Brooklyn with her family. Episode Credits:This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn, Beau Friedlander and Amanda Stern. It was mixed and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn who also created Bookable's chill vibe.  Our host and co-producer is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer and editor in chief of Loud Tree Media.  Music:"Cop Talk" by Grapefruit, "Stargazers" by Land of Legs, "The Color Up In the Hills" by The Tree Ring, "Pendulum" by Sun Shapes, "Starry Night" by Brian Sussman, "Bright Futures" by Keen Collective, "Divider" by Chris Zabriskie

Do you know what devil's lettuce is? Any idea exactly how much THC you need to get the exact right high? Got Cannabinoids? What about CBD?  What's the matter with marijuana? Indica or sativa? We got answers to those questions and more from weed expert Michelle Lhooq, author of Weed: Everything You Always Want To Know But Are Always Too Stoned To Ask.  It's a comprehensive read that will raise your Pot IQ by at least ten points. Episode 6 has it all, from the basics to the cutting edge of weed's new green revolution. About the Author:Michelle Lhooq is a journalist, event producer, documentary host, and author based in Los Angeles. She's written features, essays, and criticism for New York Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, GQ, VICE, FADER, Pitchfork, and other publications. From 2014-2017 she was a features editor for VICE, reporting on topics like sexual assault in nightclubs, environmental scams in Ibiza, the economic impact of techno tourism, and 90s club kid murderers. She also made documentaries about Black Lives Matter’s impact on Baltimore’s music scene, and fatal synthetic hallucinogens. Episode Credits:This episode was produced, mixed, and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn.  Our host and co-producer is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is Bookable's executive producer.  Music:"Here Forever" by Ballute, "Cypress" by Kay Orange,  "Good Morning Melody" by Lullatone,  "June Bug" by Jupyter,  "Feeling Sound" by Jupyter,  “Uni Swing Vox” by Rufus Cani, “Books that Bounce” by Rufus Canis.

How far would you go for family?  In My Sister The Serial Killer author Oyinkan Braithwaite writes about two sisters with an unusually deadly sibling dynamic.  The elder sister is meticulous, tidy, and controlling. Her little sister is the beautiful one; capricious, charming, and, as it happens, a serial killer.  My Sister the Serial Killer is a fast-paced thriller with pulpy and comic overtones and just the right amount of family dysfunction. About the Author:Oyinkan Braithwaite is a graduate of Kingston University in Creative Writing and Law. Following her degree, she worked as an assistant editor at Kachifo Limited, a Nigerian publishing house, and as a production manager at Ajapaworld, a children’s educational and entertainment company. She now works as a freelance writer and editor. In 2014, she was shortlisted as a top-ten spoken-word artist in the Eko Poetry Slam, and in 2016 she was a finalist for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. She lives in Lagos, Nigeria. Episode Credits:This episode was produced, mixed, and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn.  Our host and co-producer is Amanda Stern. Beau Friedlander is executive producer with an assist on writing and editorial.  Music: “Ruvv” by The Brow, “This Public Radio Life” by Lullatone, “Surrogate (acoustic)” by Wildermiss, “Good Morning Melody” by Lullatone, “Light a Fire” by Kid Prism, “Brighten” by Polyrhythmics, “Uni Swing Vox” by Rufus Cani, “Books that Bounce” by Rufus Canis.

Comic book franchises are all about the allure of a good superhero, but real-life superheroes are rare. Author Julie Orringer writes about one in The Flight Portfolio. Varian Fry saved thousands of lives during World War II.  In this brilliant work of historical  fiction, Orringer tells his remarkable story. Packed with jeweler's attention to detail, a memorable cast of sidekicks, hate-worthy villains, forbidden romance and harrowing accounts of dangerous secret operations, The Flight Portfolio might be the most amazing story you’ve never heard — until now! About the author:Julie Orringer is the author of The Invisible Bridge and the award-winning short-story collection How to Breathe Underwater, which was a New York Times Notable Book. She is the winner of The Paris Review‘s Plimpton Prize for Fiction and the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Stanford University, and the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. She lives in Brooklyn. Episode Credits:This episode was produced, mixed, and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn, with Loud Tree Media executive producer and editor Beau Friedlander.  Our host and co-producer is Amanda Stern. Music:Complicated Congas: "Gold Rush," Phantom Sun: "Blooms," Lullatone: "Heavy Eyelids," Rufus Canis: "Books that Bounce," Sun Shapes: "Crossings," Vintage Twin: "Shout It Out," Rufus Canis: "Uni Swing Vox," Brian Sussman: "Straighten Up"

Spoilers and secrets have a lot in common, but what happens when a book’s structure is the spoiler? How do you talk about something like that without giving too much away? Don't look at us for the answer. In this episode we spoil the hell of National Book Award winner Susan Choi's novel Trust Exercises.An amazing narrative accomplishment, Choi's book asks probing questions about the exact nature of truth, honesty and secrets. But it also asks questions about structure and form and finally one of the biggest questions for a writer these days: Exactly what makes a book a novel? About the Author:Susan Choi’s first novel, The Foreign Student, won the Asian-American Literary Award for fiction. Her second novel, American Woman, was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a film. Her third novel, A Person of Interest, was a finalist for the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award. In 2010 she was named the inaugural recipient of the PEN/W.G. Sebald Award. Her fourth novel, My Education, received a 2014 Lammy Award. Her fifth novel, Trust Exercise, and her first book for children, Camp Tiger, came out earlier this year. A recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, she teaches fiction writing at Yale and lives in Brooklyn. Episode Credits:This episode was produced, mixed, and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn, with editorial help from Beau Friedlander.  Our host and co-producer is Amanda Stern.  Music:“Up Sight” by The Brow, “Amazing” by Joonie, “Sonogram” by John Venderslice, “Horizon” by Fremont, “Feeling Sound” by Jupyter, “Adobe Dog House” by Gideon Freudmann, "Gold Rush" by Complicated Congas. 

What’s in your junk drawer? For writer Alexander Chee, answering that question resulted in a critically-acclaimed collection of essays called “How To Write An Autobiographical Novel.”  Alex sits down with host Amanda Stern to talk about personal growth, what we can learn from roses, fair pay in the workplace, and divining the mysteries of the universe through tarot. About the Author:Alexander Chee is the author of the novels Edinburgh and The Queen of the Night, and the essay collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel, all from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.He is a contributing editor at The New Republic, and an editor at large at VQR. His essays and stories have appeared in the New York Times Book Review, T Magazine, Tin House, Slate, and Guernica, among others.He is the winner of a 2003 Whiting Award, a 2004 NEA Fellowship in prose and a 2010 MCCA Fellowship, and residency fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the VCCA, Civitella Ranieri and Amtrak.  Chee is an associate professor of English and Creative Writing at Dartmouth College. Episode Credits:This episode was produced, mixed, and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn, with editorial help from Beau Friedlander.  Our host and co-producer is Amanda Stern.  Music:“Rufus Canis” by Rufus Canis, “Timeless Love” by Joonie, “The Finch” by Rufus Canis, “Bloom” by Brian Sussman, “Anti Atlas” by Angele David Guillou, “Better” by Jackie Hill Perry,, “Uni Swing Vox” by Rufus Canis, “Grin” by JPoetic.

In a time of great political and social division,  how do you tackle tricky topics with your loved ones?  Or even trickier--with your mixed-race child?Enter Good Talk, Mira Jacob’s captivating illustrated memoir that offers a truly unique look at the way we communicate, and how we navigate those uncomfortable topics with the important people in our lives — and how those efforts, no matter how well intentioned, can hit a dead end. About the Author:Mira Jacob is the author of the critically acclaimed novel The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing. Her recent work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Vogue, Glamour, Tin House, Electric Literature and Literary Hub. She lives in Brooklyn. Episode Credits:This episode was produced, mixed, and sound-designed by Andrew Dunn, with editorial help from Beau Friedlander.  Our host and co-producer is Amanda Stern.  Music: “Krang” by The Brow, “Blackberry” by Oatmello, “Feathers” by The Flavr Blue, “Good Morning Melody” by Lullatone, “Giulia’s Theme” by Rubycon, “Uni Swing Vox” by Rufus Cani, “Books that Bounce” by Rufus Canis.

This is the book podcast everyone's talking about. Bookable features established authors and emerging talent in conversation with host and author Amanda Stern, perhaps best known for creating the Happy Ending Music & Reading Series at New York's famous Joe's Pub and Symphony Space. With an immersive sound experience designed around each episode, Bookable takes you on an audio exploration of a great book—usually a new one, sometimes classic or even obscure, but always one hundred percent worth knowing about.