Debut Spotlight with Rachel Barenbaum

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Looking for your next great read?? Debut Spotlight with Rachel Barenbaum will help you find it. A literary podcast where Rachel interviews the latest and greatest debut authors - usually fiction with some amazing non-fiction thrown in from time to time. You might also catch SUPER authors (non debuts), but not often.

Rachel Barenbaum


    • May 17, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 30m AVG DURATION
    • 109 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Debut Spotlight with Rachel Barenbaum

    Ep. 137 NHPR Colwill Brown: WE PRETTY PIECES OF FLESH

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2025 49:53


    A coming of age novel about working-class female friendship, set in the schoolyards, nightclubs, and alleyways of a gritty, post-industrial town in Yorkshire, England. Three girls are inseparable, their friendship as indestructible as they are, but as they grow up and away from one another, a long-festering secret threatens to rip the trio apart.

    Ep. 136 NHPR Sameer Pandya: OUR BEAUTIFUL BOYS

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2025 49:37


    Three star players on a high school football team are accused of violence by another student. Their secrets, and the secrets of their parents, threaten to shatter their entire community in a novel of race, class, and privilege.

    Ep. 135 NHPR Tova Mirvis: WE WOULD NEVER

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2025 49:58


    Inspired by a true story, “We Would Never” is a gripping murder mystery and an intimate family drama. It explores the issues of loyalty, betrayal, and the blurred line between protecting and forsaking the ones we love most.

    nhpr tova mirvis
    Ep 134 NHPR Julie Iromuanya: SEASON OF LIGHT

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2025 50:01


    When 276 schoolgirls are abducted from their school in Nigeria, a Florida-based lawyer and former POW of the Nigerian Civil War is consumed by memories of his younger sister who went missing during that conflict. “A Season of Light” explores the shaky promise of the immigrant American dream and a family struggling with intergenerational trauma.

    Ep. 133 NHPR Callan Wink: BEARTOOTH

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2025 50:02


    Two brothers are living off the grid on the edge of Yellowstone. In dire straits and desperate for money, they accept a dangerous proposition that permanently alters their lives and their relationship to each other. 

    Ep. 132 NHPR Olivia Wolfgang-Smith: MUTUAL INTEREST

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2025 48:16


    A novel about marriage and ambition, sexuality and secrecy, and the true costs of building an empire. “Mutual Interest” explores the lives of “three queer misfits turned business titans” during the Gilded Age with immersive period detail and compelling emotional stakes.

    Ep. 131 NHPR Karissa Chen: HOMESEEKING

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2025 49:45


    “Homeseeking” follows Haiwen and Suchi, two separated lovers through six decades of Chinese history. War, famine, and opportunity take them from Hong Kong, to Taiwan, New York, and LA. This debut novel is a story of family, sacrifice, and loyalty, and of the power of love to endure beyond distance and time.

    Ep. 130 NHPR Alison Espach: THE WEDDING PEOPLE

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2024 49:50


    It's a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn, the only guest who isn't there for the big event. A novel about depression, love, the ways women make themselves small, and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.

    Ep. 129 NHPR Yael Van der Wouden: THE SAFEKEEP

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2024 49:56


    Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, this is a story of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961. An exploration of the legacy of WWII and the darker parts of our collective past.

    Ep. 128 NHPR NH Librarians Recommend Their Favorite Books of 2024

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2024 50:10


    A special Check This Out episode featuring three librarians from around the state chatting about their favorite books of the year and offering suggestions for this holiday reading season. We also discuss how librarians feel about audiobooks — does it count as reading? Plus, the explosion of "Young Adult" titles and whether the name should be changed, how libraries decide which books to put on their shelves, and the pros and cons of self-publishing.

    Ep. 127 NHPR Cherry Lou Sy: LOVE CAN'T FEED YOU

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2024 49:03


    A beautiful, tender, yet searing debut novel about intergenerational fractures and coming of age, following a young woman who immigrates to the United States from the Philippines and finds herself adrift between familial expectations and her own desires.

    Ep. 126 Ferdia Lennon: GLORIOUS EXPLOITS

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2024 49:43


    An unlikely production of Euripides in a prison quarry, set in ancient Greece with a contemporary Irish accent. As funny as it is moving, the novel is an ode to the power of art in a time of war and brotherhood in a time of enmity.

    Ep. 125 NHPR Elizabeth Gonzalez James: THE BULLET SWALLOWER

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2024 48:54


    Based on (mostly) true events, "The Bullet Swallower" is a magical realism western about violence and revenge, a story that asks who pays for the sins of our ancestors, and whether it is possible to be better than our forebears.

    Ep. 124 NHPR Sarah Brooks: THE CAUTIOUS TRAVELLER'S GUIDE TO THE WASTELANDS

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2024 49:37


    In this historical fantasy novel, a group of passengers set out on the Trans-Siberian Express train, in a journey across a magical landscape known as “the Wastelands.” Can they trust each other even as the rules seem to be changing?

    Ep 123 NHPR Essie Chambers: SWIFT RIVER

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2024 48:06


    The third season of in-depth author interviews continues with Essie Chambers, author of "Swift River." Longlisted for The Center for Fiction 2024 First Novel Prize, there's a lot to unpack in this novel. Sixteen year old Diamond is the only Black person in the town of Swift River, stuck in a town she hates it as much as it hates her. Her mother is a drug addict who can't pay the bills, and making things even worse, Diamond is buried in an obese body she can't escape, a symbol of the generational trauma that weighs on her every single day. "Swift River" focuses on three generations of women in one family, the trauma they endure and pass on. It also shows us the hope Diamond holds for her future, and a historic setting in a northern ‘sundown town,' a town where Black people are only allowed to pass through during the day.

    Ep. 122 NHPR Morgan Talty: FIRE EXIT

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2024 49:33


    Set around Maine's Penobscot Reservation, a novel about one man's family, divided, like the river that separates him from his childhood home. The novel is about belonging, the shifting nature of memory - and bloodlines. Shortlisted for The Center for Fiction 2024 First Novel Prize.

    Ep. 121 NHPR Marjan Kamali: THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2024 50:11


    A heartfelt epic about friendship, betrayal, and redemption during three transformative decades in Iran.

    Ep 120 NHPR Kailane Bradley: MINISTRY OF TIME

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2024 49:35


    Kaliane Bradley's debut is a time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy and a testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.

    Ep 119 NHPR Andrew Boryga: VICTIM

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2024 49:35


    In Andrew Boryga's debut "Victim," the protagonist is a hustler from a family of hustlers. He learns to talk about his background in just the right way to open doors to an elite college and writing gigs. The novel asks: What does real diversity look like?

    Ep 118 NHPR Zibby Owens: BLANK

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2024 49:32


    “Blank” by Zibby Owens follows the story of Pippa Jones, a fortyish former literary sensation who fears she will be a one-hit wonder. Her solution to writer's block is an idea her 12-year old son came up with as a joke.

    Ep 117 NHPR Jennifer Croft: THE EXTINCTION OF IRENA REY

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2024 49:56


    "The Extinction of Irena Rey" is the new novel by famed translator Jennifer Croft. Eight translators arrive at a house in a primeval Polish forest on the border of Belarus. It belongs to the world-renowned author Irena Rey, and they are there to translate her magnum opus, Gray Eminence. But within days of their arrival, Irena disappears without a trace.

    Ep 116 NHPR Inci Atrek: HOLIDAY COUNTRY

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2024 50:13


    Inci Atrek brings readers a seductive and lyrical debut novel. “Holiday Country" follows a young woman's dangerous summer romance during an idyllic vacation on the Aegean coast.

    Ep 115 NHPR Aube Rey Lescure: RIVER EAST RIVER WEST

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2024 55:00


    Set against the backdrop of developing modern China, Aube Rey Lescure's “River East, River West” is part coming-of-age tale and part family and social drama. It follows two generations searching for belonging and opportunity in a rapidly changing world.

    Ep. 114 Leo Vardiashvili: HARD BY A GREAT FOREST

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2024 55:15


    Rachel Barenbaum interviews author Leo Vardiashvili's about his debut novel“Hard By a Great Forest” – a story about a man who fled the Republic of Georgia in the midst of war. It's a unique tale about the traumas of war and the lasting effects of those families driven not just to survive, but to remember, love and live.

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    Ep. 113 NHPR Maura Cheeks: ACTS OF FORGIVENESS

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2024 47:49


    Rachel Barenbaum interviews author Maura Cheeks who talks about her new novel Acts of Forgiveness. Set in a speculative America, readers navigate a world where the government has approved reparation payments for black Americans – but only if they can prove they are descended from slaves.

    Ep 112 NHPR Vauhini Vara: THIS IS SALVAGED

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2024 52:26


    Vauhini Vara's story collection, THIS IS SALVAGED, has been named by The New Yorker, Publisher's Weekly, Vox, and the New York Public Library as one of the best books of the year.

    Ep. 111 NHPR: 2023 Holiday Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2024 50:59


    Host Rachel Barenbaum sits down with her colleagues from the Howe Library in Hanover, New Hampshire to discuss their favorite reads from 2023.

    Ep 110 NHPR Emma Törzs: INK BLOOD SISTER SCRIBE

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2023 56:56


    This week on Check This Out, host Rachel Barenbaum sits down with Emma Törzs, author of "Ink Blood Sister Scribe." Törzs' debut novel will soon be available in 13 languages. It's a fast paced, magical book about two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family's library of magical books. They work together along with a stranger, a magical scribe, to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection. It's a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal and the pursuit of magic and power. Törzs says swaths of the story were inspired by her family's Hungarian roots, and by what it took for them to survive the Holocaust.

    Ep 109 NHPR Ayana Mathis: THE UNSETTLED

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2023 56:48


    Episode 109. You may know Ayana Mathis from her debut novel, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie. Published 11 years ago, the excitement and noise around that debut took up all the space and energy Mathis had to write fiction. Her new second novel is called The Unsettled. It's a mother-daughter-son story that braids two narratives - one from the south and one from the north.

    Ep 108 NHPR John Manuel Arias: WHERE THERE WAS FIRE

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2023 57:10


    John Manuel Arias is a queer Costa Rican-American poet and writer who has lived in the U.S. and in Costa Rica where, as he reports, he shared a house with his grandmother and four ghosts. His debut novel, Where There Was Fire, burst onto the scene in August 2023. Set in Costa Rica, this story follows several generations of women in one family — mothers and daughters — alternating between their lives in the 1960s and the 1990s. The novel focuses on one major event that reverberates and haunts each generation: a fire that burnt down a banana plantation and in which a father goes missing. This single event tears the family apart and gives rise to ghosts that keep the characters pushing for answers. Who started the fire? What happened to a missing husband? To a dead mother? Where There Was Fire is about love and secrets, reconciliation and redemption, all focused around the biggest question of all: What is the price of a banana?

    Ep 107 NHPR Angie Kim: HAPPINESS FALLS

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2023 56:28


    This week, host Rachel Barenbaum sits down with Angie Kim, author of the novel "Miracle Creek." Kim was named a finalist for the New American Voices Award. Her latest work, "Happiness Falls" follows the story of family in crisis, after a father goes missing — and the only person who knows what happened to him is the family's non-verbal 14 year old son, Eugene. In this conversation, Angie Kim shares her inspiration for "Happiness Falls," which tackles fascinating questions of love, language, and human connection.

    Ep 106 NHPR Tania James: LOOT

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2023 56:49


    This week, host Rachel Barenbaum sits down with Tania James, author of the novels "The Tusk That Did the Damage" and "Atlas of Unknowns." Her latest work, "Loot," has been named to the longlist of the 2023 National Book Award in fiction. In this conversation, Tania James shares her inspiration for "Loot," which gives readers a front-row seat to 18th and 19th century imperialism as seen through the eyes of an artisan toy maker who begins his journey in 1794 in Mysore, India. Check this Out features lively conversations with up and coming authors, and serves as a platform for diverse voices and stories to be heard. NHPR and The Howe Library are proud to be able to bring these conversations into your homes and headphones.

    Ep 105 Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah: CHAIN-GANG ALL-STARS

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2023 30:30


    Episode 105. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah on the launch of his phenomenal debut CHAIN-GANG ALL-STARS. Do not miss this book of this author!

    Ep 104 Claire Jimenez: WHAT HAPPENED TO RUTHIE RAMIREZ

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2023 28:31


    Episode 104. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Claire Jimenez on the launch of her debut, WHAT HAPPENED TO RUTHIE RAMIREZ?

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    Ep 103 Priya Guns: YOUR DRIVER IS WAITING

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2023 30:26


    Rachel Barenbaum interviews Priya Guns on the launch of her debut novel, YOUR DRIVER IS WAITING. 

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    Ep 102 Jenny Jackson: PINEAPPLE STREET

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2023 29:21


    Rachel Barenbaum interviews debut author Jenny Jackson on the launch of her Instant New York Times Best Seller PINEAPPLE STREET. 

    Ep. 101 Patricia Park: IMPOSTER SYNDROME

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2023 28:01


    Rachel Barenbaum interviews Patricia Park on the launch of her debut YA novel IMPOSTER SYNDROME. 

    Ep 100 Ruben Degollado: THE FAMILY IZQUIERDO

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2022 29:24


    Episode 100. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Ruben Degollado on the launch of his debut novel, THE FAMILY IZQUIERDO. Don't miss this interview of this amazing book!!

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    Ep 99 Elena Armas: THE AMERICAN ROOMMATE EXPERIMENT

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2022 28:52


    Episode 99. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Elena Armas on the launch of her new novel THE AMERICAN ROOMMATE EXPERIMENT. Elena is a brilliant writer who started by self publishing - and grew into a TikTok sensation. After exploding sales, she was picked up by a big publisher and both of her books have been NYTimes instant bestsellers. Don't miss this book or this author!!

    Ep 98 Belinda Huijuan Tang: A MAP FOR THE MISSING

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 30:16


    Episode 98. Rachel Barenbaum interviews debut author Belinda Huijuan Tang about her novel A MAP FOR THE MISSING. Don't miss this amazing book!!

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    Ep 97 Kelly J. Ford: REAL BAD THINGS

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2022 30:26


    Episode 97. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Kelly J. Ford on the release of her new novel REAL BAD THINGS. This interview is a part of the new literary series CHECK THIS OUT at the Howe Library. 

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    Ep 96 Jonathan Escoffery: IF I SURVIVE YOU

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2022 30:14


    Episode 96. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Jonathan Escoffery on the launch of his debut IF I SURVIVE YOU. This book is already nominated for the National Book Award. Do not miss the book or this interview!

    Ep 95 E.B. Bartels: GOOD GRIEF

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2022 30:09


    Episode 95 Rachel Barenbaum interviews E.B. Bartels on the launch of her debut GOOD GRIEF. Don't miss this amazing author or interview!! 

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    Ep 94 Felicia Berliner: SHMUTZ

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2022 29:58


    Episode 94. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Felicia Berliner on the launch of her debut, SHMUTZ. Don't miss it!!

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    Ep 93 Zibby Owens: BOOKENDS

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2022 30:21


    Episode 93. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Zibby Owens on the launch of her debut memoir, BOOKENDS. Do not miss this amazing author or her memoir!!

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    Ep 92 Katie Gutierrez: MORE THAN YOU'LL EVER KNOW

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2022 31:34


    Episode 92. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Katie Gutierrez on the launch of her debut MORE THAN YOU'LL EVER KNOW. This book is fantastic. Don't miss it or this amazing author. 

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    Ep 91 John Vercher: AFTER THE LIGHTS GO OUT

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2022 29:57


    Episode 91. Rachel Barenbaum interviews John Vercher on the launch of his second novel, AFTER THE LIGHTS GO OUT. Don't miss this amazing book or interview. 

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    Ep 90 Vauhini Vara: THE IMMORTAL KING RAO

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2022 30:29


    Episode 90. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Vauhini Vara on the launch of her debut novel THE IMMORTAL KING RAO. This book was unbelievable!! Do not miss this interview. 

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    Ep 89 Karen Winn: OUR LITTLE WORLD

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2022 29:45


    Episode 89. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Karen Winn on the launch of her debut novel OUR LITTLE WORLD. Don't miss it!!

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    Ep 88 Courtney Maum: THE YEAR OF THE HORSES

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2022 30:07


    Episode 88. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Courtney Maum on the launch of her debut memoir THE YEAR OF THE HORSES. The book is heartbreaking and uplifting - brilliant. Don't miss this interview. 

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    Ep 87 Boris Dralyuk: MY HOLLYWOOD

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2022 30:25


    Episode 87. Rachel Barenbaum interviews Boris Dralyuk on the launch of his debut poetry collection, MY HOLLYWOOD. Don't miss this amazing interview or collection. 

    hollywood boris rachel barenbaum

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