Podcasts about homeland elegies

Season Three of BOOKSPO launches here! But if podcasts aren't your thing, you can opt out of receiving BOOKSPO notifications. Go to https://substack.com/home and log in. Click on your personal icon in the top corner to find a drop-down menu. Select “SETTINGS.” Scroll down to find your subscriptions, and click on the arrow beside PICKLE ME THIS. Scroll to “NOTIFICATIONS” where you can opt out of anything you're not interested in being alerted to, such as podcasts. Thanks for sticking around!I loved talking to Su Chang about her debut novel, THE IMMORTAL WOMAN, which came out in March from House of Anansi Press and has been much buzzed-about in literary circles. And for good reason—this debut novel includes 70 years of contemporary Chinese history, and crosses both continents and generations to tell an epic mother/daughter tale that grapples with the traumatic legacy of China's Cultural Revolution. It's a powerful, moving and incredibly dynamic novel that complicated my understanding of China and its history in surprising and essential ways. In our conversation, Chang talks about the ambitiousness of one's debut novel being an epic, but also why she couldn't have told a story of the Cultural Revolution any other way. She talks about how she understood the Cultural Revolution as a child growing up in China overhearing discussions at the dinner table, but about how it wasn't until she'd left China and began reading uncensored histories of her country that she began to understand just why those dinner table discussions had been so different from what she'd been taught in school. She describes the kind of broad reading that's required to get close to something resembling truth, and also the ways in which she identified with the protagonist of Ayad Akhtar's HOMELAND ELEGIES and the paradoxical way in which he understands Americanness. A sweeping generational story of heartbreak, resilience, and yearning, revealing an insider's view of the fractured lives of Chinese immigrants and those they leave behind.Lemei, once a student Red Guard leader in 1960s Shanghai and a journalist at a state newspaper, was involved in a brutal act of violence during the Tiananmen Square protests and lost all hope for her country. Her daughter, Lin, is a student at an American university on a mission to become a true Westerner. She tirelessly erases her birth identity, abandons her Chinese suitor, and pursues a white lover, all the while haunted by the scars of her upbringing. Following China's meteoric rise, Lemei is slowly dragged into a nationalistic perspective that stuns Lin. Their final confrontation results in tragic consequences, but ultimately, offers hope for a better future. By turns wry and lyrical, The Immortal Woman reminds us to hold tight to our humanity at any cost.SU CHANG is a Chinese-Canadian writer. Born and raised in Shanghai, she is the daughter of a former (reluctant) Red Guard leader. Her fiction has been recognized in Prairie Fire's Short Fiction Contest, Canadian Authors' Association (Toronto) National Writing Contest, ILS/Fence Fiction Contest, the Masters Review's Novel Excerpt Contest, among others.Pickle Me This is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kerryreads.substack.com/subscribe

John joins Lori Allen and Ajantha Subramanian for the roundup episode of the second series of Violent Majorities, focusing on long-distance ethnonationalism. Looking back at their conversations with Peter Beinart on Zionism and Subir Sinha on Hindutva, Lori begins by asking whether Peter underestimates the material entanglements keeping Jewish American support for Israel in place. Ajantha wonders if a space has been opened up by Zionism's more naked dependence on coercion and brute force. When John expresses puzzlement about the fervent ethnonationalism of minorities within a pluralistic society Lori and Ajantha point out that a sense of minority vulnerability may heighten the allures of long-distance ethnonationalism. The three explore various questions. Does the successful rise of Hindu ethnonationalism in the UK stem from a perceived contrast between benign Hinduism and dangerous Islam? Does the need for popular ratification through electoral democracy limit the scope of long-distance ethnonationalism? Is there a limit to how effectively Zionists and Hindutvites in the US and UK can wield claims to wounded religious minority sentiment while benefiting from from the hollowing out of democratic institutions? And finally, the three ask if the ominously successful assimilation of Zionism into American right-wing politics may also start working for Hindutva. Mentioned in the episode: Isabella Hammad, Recognizing the Stranger Azad Essa, Hostile Homelands Recall This Book with Shaul Magid on Meir Kahane Ben Lorber on masculinist “Bronze-Age” Zionism Recallable Books: Lori singles out The Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries, (1979) by Rosemary Sayigh, anthropologist and oral historian. It explores the ways Palestinian nationalism and organized resistance to their dispossession and oppression took hold in the refugee camps of Lebanon. Ajantha's choice is Ayad Akhtar's Homeland Elegies, published in 2020, a readable, poignant, and edgy account of US empire, Islam, and race and the challenges of being an South Asian American Muslim. She also recalls the film Mississippi Masala from 1991, a compelling take on race and class dynamics in the US Indian diaspora. John proposes Paul Breines' Tough Jews and Gita Mehta's Karma Cola–to which Ajantha adds Hanif Kureshi's Buddha of Suburbia. Listen and Read Here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

John joins Lori Allen and Ajantha Subramanian for the roundup episode of the second series of Violent Majorities, focusing on long-distance ethnonationalism. Looking back at their conversations with Peter Beinart on Zionism and Subir Sinha on Hindutva, Lori begins by asking whether Peter underestimates the material entanglements keeping Jewish American support for Israel in place. Ajantha wonders if a space has been opened up by Zionism's more naked dependence on coercion and brute force. When John expresses puzzlement about the fervent ethnonationalism of minorities within a pluralistic society Lori and Ajantha point out that a sense of minority vulnerability may heighten the allures of long-distance ethnonationalism. The three explore various questions. Does the successful rise of Hindu ethnonationalism in the UK stem from a perceived contrast between benign Hinduism and dangerous Islam? Does the need for popular ratification through electoral democracy limit the scope of long-distance ethnonationalism? Is there a limit to how effectively Zionists and Hindutvites in the US and UK can wield claims to wounded religious minority sentiment while benefiting from from the hollowing out of democratic institutions? And finally, the three ask if the ominously successful assimilation of Zionism into American right-wing politics may also start working for Hindutva. Mentioned in the episode: Isabella Hammad, Recognizing the Stranger Azad Essa, Hostile Homelands Recall This Book with Shaul Magid on Meir Kahane Ben Lorber on masculinist “Bronze-Age” Zionism Recallable Books: Lori singles out The Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries, (1979) by Rosemary Sayigh, anthropologist and oral historian. It explores the ways Palestinian nationalism and organized resistance to their dispossession and oppression took hold in the refugee camps of Lebanon. Ajantha's choice is Ayad Akhtar's Homeland Elegies, published in 2020, a readable, poignant, and edgy account of US empire, Islam, and race and the challenges of being an South Asian American Muslim. She also recalls the film Mississippi Masala from 1991, a compelling take on race and class dynamics in the US Indian diaspora. John proposes Paul Breines' Tough Jews and Gita Mehta's Karma Cola–to which Ajantha adds Hanif Kureshi's Buddha of Suburbia. Listen and Read Here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John joins Lori Allen and Ajantha Subramanian for the roundup episode of the second series of Violent Majorities, focusing on long-distance ethnonationalism. Looking back at their conversations with Peter Beinart on Zionism and Subir Sinha on Hindutva, Lori begins by asking whether Peter underestimates the material entanglements keeping Jewish American support for Israel in place. Ajantha wonders if a space has been opened up by Zionism's more naked dependence on coercion and brute force. When John expresses puzzlement about the fervent ethnonationalism of minorities within a pluralistic society Lori and Ajantha point out that a sense of minority vulnerability may heighten the allures of long-distance ethnonationalism. The three explore various questions. Does the successful rise of Hindu ethnonationalism in the UK stem from a perceived contrast between benign Hinduism and dangerous Islam? Does the need for popular ratification through electoral democracy limit the scope of long-distance ethnonationalism? Is there a limit to how effectively Zionists and Hindutvites in the US and UK can wield claims to wounded religious minority sentiment while benefiting from from the hollowing out of democratic institutions? And finally, the three ask if the ominously successful assimilation of Zionism into American right-wing politics may also start working for Hindutva. Mentioned in the episode: Isabella Hammad, Recognizing the Stranger Azad Essa, Hostile Homelands Recall This Book with Shaul Magid on Meir Kahane Ben Lorber on masculinist “Bronze-Age” Zionism Recallable Books: Lori singles out The Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries, (1979) by Rosemary Sayigh, anthropologist and oral historian. It explores the ways Palestinian nationalism and organized resistance to their dispossession and oppression took hold in the refugee camps of Lebanon. Ajantha's choice is Ayad Akhtar's Homeland Elegies, published in 2020, a readable, poignant, and edgy account of US empire, Islam, and race and the challenges of being an South Asian American Muslim. She also recalls the film Mississippi Masala from 1991, a compelling take on race and class dynamics in the US Indian diaspora. John proposes Paul Breines' Tough Jews and Gita Mehta's Karma Cola–to which Ajantha adds Hanif Kureshi's Buddha of Suburbia. Listen and Read Here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

John joins Lori Allen and Ajantha Subramanian for the roundup episode of the second series of Violent Majorities, focusing on long-distance ethnonationalism. Looking back at their conversations with Peter Beinart on Zionism and Subir Sinha on Hindutva, Lori begins by asking whether Peter underestimates the material entanglements keeping Jewish American support for Israel in place. Ajantha wonders if a space has been opened up by Zionism's more naked dependence on coercion and brute force. When John expresses puzzlement about the fervent ethnonationalism of minorities within a pluralistic society Lori and Ajantha point out that a sense of minority vulnerability may heighten the allures of long-distance ethnonationalism. The three explore various questions. Does the successful rise of Hindu ethnonationalism in the UK stem from a perceived contrast between benign Hinduism and dangerous Islam? Does the need for popular ratification through electoral democracy limit the scope of long-distance ethnonationalism? Is there a limit to how effectively Zionists and Hindutvites in the US and UK can wield claims to wounded religious minority sentiment while benefiting from from the hollowing out of democratic institutions? And finally, the three ask if the ominously successful assimilation of Zionism into American right-wing politics may also start working for Hindutva. Mentioned in the episode: Isabella Hammad, Recognizing the Stranger Azad Essa, Hostile Homelands Recall This Book with Shaul Magid on Meir Kahane Ben Lorber on masculinist “Bronze-Age” Zionism Recallable Books: Lori singles out The Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries, (1979) by Rosemary Sayigh, anthropologist and oral historian. It explores the ways Palestinian nationalism and organized resistance to their dispossession and oppression took hold in the refugee camps of Lebanon. Ajantha's choice is Ayad Akhtar's Homeland Elegies, published in 2020, a readable, poignant, and edgy account of US empire, Islam, and race and the challenges of being an South Asian American Muslim. She also recalls the film Mississippi Masala from 1991, a compelling take on race and class dynamics in the US Indian diaspora. John proposes Paul Breines' Tough Jews and Gita Mehta's Karma Cola–to which Ajantha adds Hanif Kureshi's Buddha of Suburbia. Listen and Read Here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

John joins Lori Allen and Ajantha Subramanian for the roundup episode of the second series of Violent Majorities, focusing on long-distance ethnonationalism. Looking back at their conversations with Peter Beinart on Zionism and Subir Sinha on Hindutva, Lori begins by asking whether Peter underestimates the material entanglements keeping Jewish American support for Israel in place. Ajantha wonders if a space has been opened up by Zionism's more naked dependence on coercion and brute force. When John expresses puzzlement about the fervent ethnonationalism of minorities within a pluralistic society Lori and Ajantha point out that a sense of minority vulnerability may heighten the allures of long-distance ethnonationalism. The three explore various questions. Does the successful rise of Hindu ethnonationalism in the UK stem from a perceived contrast between benign Hinduism and dangerous Islam? Does the need for popular ratification through electoral democracy limit the scope of long-distance ethnonationalism? Is there a limit to how effectively Zionists and Hindutvites in the US and UK can wield claims to wounded religious minority sentiment while benefiting from from the hollowing out of democratic institutions? And finally, the three ask if the ominously successful assimilation of Zionism into American right-wing politics may also start working for Hindutva. Mentioned in the episode: Isabella Hammad, Recognizing the Stranger Azad Essa, Hostile Homelands Recall This Book with Shaul Magid on Meir Kahane Ben Lorber on masculinist “Bronze-Age” Zionism Recallable Books: Lori singles out The Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries, (1979) by Rosemary Sayigh, anthropologist and oral historian. It explores the ways Palestinian nationalism and organized resistance to their dispossession and oppression took hold in the refugee camps of Lebanon. Ajantha's choice is Ayad Akhtar's Homeland Elegies, published in 2020, a readable, poignant, and edgy account of US empire, Islam, and race and the challenges of being an South Asian American Muslim. She also recalls the film Mississippi Masala from 1991, a compelling take on race and class dynamics in the US Indian diaspora. John proposes Paul Breines' Tough Jews and Gita Mehta's Karma Cola–to which Ajantha adds Hanif Kureshi's Buddha of Suburbia. Listen and Read Here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/israel-studies

John joins Lori Allen and Ajantha Subramanian for the roundup episode of the second series of Violent Majorities, focusing on long-distance ethnonationalism. Looking back at their conversations with Peter Beinart on Zionism and Subir Sinha on Hindutva, Lori begins by asking whether Peter underestimates the material entanglements keeping Jewish American support for Israel in place. Ajantha wonders if a space has been opened up by Zionism's more naked dependence on coercion and brute force. When John expresses puzzlement about the fervent ethnonationalism of minorities within a pluralistic society Lori and Ajantha point out that a sense of minority vulnerability may heighten the allures of long-distance ethnonationalism. The three explore various questions. Does the successful rise of Hindu ethnonationalism in the UK stem from a perceived contrast between benign Hinduism and dangerous Islam? Does the need for popular ratification through electoral democracy limit the scope of long-distance ethnonationalism? Is there a limit to how effectively Zionists and Hindutvites in the US and UK can wield claims to wounded religious minority sentiment while benefiting from from the hollowing out of democratic institutions? And finally, the three ask if the ominously successful assimilation of Zionism into American right-wing politics may also start working for Hindutva. Mentioned in the episode: Isabella Hammad, Recognizing the Stranger Azad Essa, Hostile Homelands Recall This Book with Shaul Magid on Meir Kahane Ben Lorber on masculinist “Bronze-Age” Zionism Recallable Books: Lori singles out The Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries, (1979) by Rosemary Sayigh, anthropologist and oral historian. It explores the ways Palestinian nationalism and organized resistance to their dispossession and oppression took hold in the refugee camps of Lebanon. Ajantha's choice is Ayad Akhtar's Homeland Elegies, published in 2020, a readable, poignant, and edgy account of US empire, Islam, and race and the challenges of being an South Asian American Muslim. She also recalls the film Mississippi Masala from 1991, a compelling take on race and class dynamics in the US Indian diaspora. John proposes Paul Breines' Tough Jews and Gita Mehta's Karma Cola–to which Ajantha adds Hanif Kureshi's Buddha of Suburbia. Listen and Read Here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

John joins Lori Allen and Ajantha Subramanian for the roundup episode of the second series of Violent Majorities, focusing on long-distance ethnonationalism. Looking back at their conversations with Peter Beinart on Zionism and Subir Sinha on Hindutva, Lori begins by asking whether Peter underestimates the material entanglements keeping Jewish American support for Israel in place. Ajantha wonders if a space has been opened up by Zionism's more naked dependence on coercion and brute force. When John expresses puzzlement about the fervent ethnonationalism of minorities within a pluralistic society Lori and Ajantha point out that a sense of minority vulnerability may heighten the allures of long-distance ethnonationalism. The three explore various questions. Does the successful rise of Hindu ethnonationalism in the UK stem from a perceived contrast between benign Hinduism and dangerous Islam? Does the need for popular ratification through electoral democracy limit the scope of long-distance ethnonationalism? Is there a limit to how effectively Zionists and Hindutvites in the US and UK can wield claims to wounded religious minority sentiment while benefiting from from the hollowing out of democratic institutions? And finally, the three ask if the ominously successful assimilation of Zionism into American right-wing politics may also start working for Hindutva. Mentioned in the episode: Isabella Hammad, Recognizing the Stranger Azad Essa, Hostile Homelands Recall This Book with Shaul Magid on Meir Kahane Ben Lorber on masculinist “Bronze-Age” Zionism Recallable Books: Lori singles out The Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries, (1979) by Rosemary Sayigh, anthropologist and oral historian. It explores the ways Palestinian nationalism and organized resistance to their dispossession and oppression took hold in the refugee camps of Lebanon. Ajantha's choice is Ayad Akhtar's Homeland Elegies, published in 2020, a readable, poignant, and edgy account of US empire, Islam, and race and the challenges of being an South Asian American Muslim. She also recalls the film Mississippi Masala from 1991, a compelling take on race and class dynamics in the US Indian diaspora. John proposes Paul Breines' Tough Jews and Gita Mehta's Karma Cola–to which Ajantha adds Hanif Kureshi's Buddha of Suburbia. Listen and Read Here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/indian-religions

John joins Lori Allen and Ajantha Subramanian for the roundup episode of the second series of Violent Majorities, focusing on long-distance ethnonationalism. Looking back at their conversations with Peter Beinart on Zionism and Subir Sinha on Hindutva, Lori begins by asking whether Peter underestimates the material entanglements keeping Jewish American support for Israel in place. Ajantha wonders if a space has been opened up by Zionism's more naked dependence on coercion and brute force. When John expresses puzzlement about the fervent ethnonationalism of minorities within a pluralistic society Lori and Ajantha point out that a sense of minority vulnerability may heighten the allures of long-distance ethnonationalism. The three explore various questions. Does the successful rise of Hindu ethnonationalism in the UK stem from a perceived contrast between benign Hinduism and dangerous Islam? Does the need for popular ratification through electoral democracy limit the scope of long-distance ethnonationalism? Is there a limit to how effectively Zionists and Hindutvites in the US and UK can wield claims to wounded religious minority sentiment while benefiting from from the hollowing out of democratic institutions? And finally, the three ask if the ominously successful assimilation of Zionism into American right-wing politics may also start working for Hindutva. Mentioned in the episode: Isabella Hammad, Recognizing the Stranger Azad Essa, Hostile Homelands Recall This Book with Shaul Magid on Meir Kahane Ben Lorber on masculinist “Bronze-Age” Zionism Recallable Books: Lori singles out The Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries, (1979) by Rosemary Sayigh, anthropologist and oral historian. It explores the ways Palestinian nationalism and organized resistance to their dispossession and oppression took hold in the refugee camps of Lebanon. Ajantha's choice is Ayad Akhtar's Homeland Elegies, published in 2020, a readable, poignant, and edgy account of US empire, Islam, and race and the challenges of being an South Asian American Muslim. She also recalls the film Mississippi Masala from 1991, a compelling take on race and class dynamics in the US Indian diaspora. John proposes Paul Breines' Tough Jews and Gita Mehta's Karma Cola–to which Ajantha adds Hanif Kureshi's Buddha of Suburbia. Listen and Read Here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

It's Library Lovers' Month! Let's celebrate with books written by Wisconsin authors. Check out what we talked about: Books mentioned: "Siren Queen" by Nghi Vo with readalike "The Chosen and the Beautiful" by the same author. "American Dervish" by Ayad Akhtar with readalike "Homeland Elegies" by the same author. "Hello, Transcriber" of the "Dark Harbor" series by Hannah Morrisey with readalike "Figure 8" of the "Northern Lakes Mystery" series by Jeff Nania. "The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations" by Chad Lewis with readalikes "The Wisconsin Road Guide to Mysterious Creatures" and "The Wisconsin Road Guide to Gangster Hostpots" by the same author. "The Goblin Emperor" by Katherine Addison with readalike "Nettle and Bone" by T. Kingfisher. "Worse than the Devil: Anarchists, Clarence Darrow, and Justice in a Time of Terror" by Dean A. Strang. To access complete transcripts for all episodes of Not Your Mother's Library, please visit: oakcreeklibrary.org/podcast Check out books, movies, and other materials through the Milwaukee County Federated Library System: countycat.mcfls.org hoopladigital.com wplc.overdrive.com oakcreeklibrary.org

Notes and Links to Sarah Thankam Mathews' Work        For Episode 198, Pete welcomes Sarah Thankam Mathews, and the two discuss, among other topics, her early reading and writing and experience with multilingualism, contemporary and not-so contemporary writers who left an imprint on her with their visceral work and distinctive worldbuilding, “seeds and fertilizer” for her standout novel, including the vagaries of post-college life and the tragedies and communal love that came with the COVID pandemic, and pertinent themes in her book, like alienation, sexual trauma, “found family” and community building, and problematic capitalism.        Sarah Thankam Mathews grew up between Oman and India, immigrating to the US at seventeen. She is author of the novel All This Could Be Different, shortlisted for the 2022 National Book Award and the 2022 Discover Prize, nominated for the Aspen Literary Prize. Formerly a Rona Jaffe Fellow in fiction at the Iowa Writer's Workshop, and a Margins Fellow at The Asian American Writers Workshop, she has work in Best American Short Stories 2020 and other places. A proud product of public schools, she lives in Brooklyn, New York. Buy All This Could Be Different   Sarah's Website   Sarah's Substack   Review of All This Could Be Different from Los Angeles Review of Books At about 1:35, Sarah discusses her current paperback tour and what she's heard about the book from readers and observations she has after a year of publication for All This Could Be Different   At about 4:50, Sarah gives background on her early relationship with languages, particularly Hindi, English, and Mayalalam   At about 7:30, Sarah discusses early reading that was influenced by living in what she calls a “tertiary” book market; she mentions transformational and formational books like The Bluest Eye and Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things as books that left her “profoundly rearranged”   At about 10:20, Sarah shouts out Jamaica Kincaid's Luck as a helpful companion as she wrote All This Could Be Different   At about 12:20, Sarah responds to Pete's question about how Sarah saw her early reading in terms of representation; she points to ideas of visceral pleasure with that reading     At about 14:20, Sarah expands on ideas of pathos as a driving force at times as she wrote her book   At about 15:30, Sarah cites C Pam Zhang, Isle McElroy, Lydia Kiesling,  as some of the many contemporary writers who she admires and is thrilled by   At about 17:45, Sarah coins the cool term “proprietary physics” and how Lydia Kiesling exemplifies the phrase   At about 19:15, Sarah highlights Cohen's The Netanyahus and Homeland Elegies from Ayad Akhtar   At about 20:15, Sarah drops a haunting and amazing fact about publishing from 9/11   At about 20:40, Sarah provides seeds for the book, both in the immediate past and the thought process from the more distant past   At about 23:20, Sarah talks about Bed Stuy Strong, a mutual aid organization she started in 2020, and how the “seeds and fertilizer” for the book came from this time    At about 29:10, Pete lays out the book's exposition and Sarah responds to why she chose to set the book in 2012 or so   At about 32:30, The two discuss the book's pivot point, which happened before the book's main chronology; Sarah expands on the ways in which Sarah's relationships and ethic and view on her previous life in India come from this pivotal and traumatic event   At about 37:30, Sarah speaks to the importance of Milwaukee and its history and her knowledge of it, and why she made the setting what it was    At about 42:10, Sarah responds to Pete's asking about Sneha's complicated relationship with her parents   At about 46:30, Sarah talks about the “absolutely bonkers act” that leads to a misunderstanding between Marina and the smitten Sneha   At about 49:40, Sarah gives background on Sneha's boss and how his character evolved in her various drafts   At about 51:15, The two discuss the idea of “The Pink House” and its significance   At about 54:00, Sarah discusses her book as a coming of age story and her desire to portray deep friendships and love   At about 58:40, Pete notes the success of the well-drawn flashbacks and flashforwards and fanboys over the fabulous and eminently memorable last scene and last line of the book, and Sarah describes what the “page [was] revealing to her” as the book's ending morphed   At about 1:02:05, Sarah discuss the book as (perhaps subtly) hopeful   At about 1:03:10, Pete asks Sarah about future projects   At about 1:04:00, Sarah drops some important insights that are useful advice for young (and old) writers   At about 1:04:50, Sarah shares contact info, social media, and bookstores where to buy her book, including The Word is Change in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn    You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.    Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl     Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.    Please tune in for Episode 199 with Jared Beloff. He is the author of Who Will Cradle Your Head and the microchap This is how we say “I love you.” He is also a peer reviewer for The Whale Road Review, and his work has been nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize.    The episode will air on August 15.

Ayad Akhtar won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his provocative play Disgraced, described as "a combustible powder keg of identity politics." He's also tackled themes of race and culture through fiction: his first novel, American Dervish, about a young Pakistani-American boy growing up in the Midwest, and his powerful, prize-winning 2020 novel, Homeland Elegies. Frankly autobiographical, Homeland Elegies explores the idea of the "American dream" through the experience of Akhtar's parents and his own dual identity as a Muslim American following the 9/11 attacks. *This episode originally aired Oct. 25, 2020.

Ayad Akhtar's parents met in Pakistan in the early '60s, when they were both medical students and “ridiculously attractive” — or so their friends say. Despite having a love marriage (against the wishes of their parents), theirs was rocky from the start.“By the time I was 4, I already knew my father had ‘other women,' as my mother used to call them,” Ayad wrote in his Modern Love essay. But it wasn't until years later, when Ayad was an adult, that his mother shared her own confession with him. Today, Ayad tells his story about seeing his mother in a new light. Then, we listen to a Tiny Love Story about a child who recognizes their parent for the very first time.Ayad Akhtar, who received the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is the author of the novel “Homeland Elegies” and the president of PEN America.

Pulitzer-prize winning playwright Ayad Akhtar's latest novel, “Homeland Elegies,” is a meditation on American identity through the lens of an American son and his immigrant parents. It is also a treatise on American economics, Muslim identity in this country, the power of dreams, and syphilis. We listen back to a conversation that was part of the Portland Book Festival put on by Literary Arts.

In this episode of Novelist Spotlight, host Mike Consol discussed two rock memoirs from Gregg Allman and Sammy Hagar and the lesson fiction writers can derive from their style of storytelling.The featured books are the Gregg Allman memoir, “My Cross to Bear,” and the Sammy Hagar memoir, “Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock,” which hit No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list years ago.Also mentioned during this podcast in relation to the popularity of auto-fiction is “Homeland Elegies” by Ayad Akhtar.If you haven't already subscribed to this podcast, please do so, and share the link with friends, colleagues and family members who are avid readers or aspiring writers. Mike Consol is author of “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Write him at novelistspotlight@gmail.com

In this episode of Long Overdue librarians Sam and Briony discuss their work on the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) Literary Award and Children's Book Award committees. They discuss the overall winners and some of their favorites. For more information about the awards and links to all of the winners visit: https://www.wisconsinlibraries.org/wla-literary-awards The books we talked about were: Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar (Literary Award Winner) All Adults Here by Emma Straub Real Life by Brandon Taylor The Coyotes of Carthage by Steven Wright Ten Ways to Hear Snow by Cathy Camper (Children's Book Award Winner) Alone in the Woods by Rebecca Behrens The Disaster Days by Rebecca Behrens Everything's Not Fine by Sarah Carlson Full List of Literary Award Honorees: Ayad Akhtar, Homeland Elegies (Winner) Amy Quan Barry, We Ride Upon Sticks Melissa Faliveno, Tomboyland Mark Rader, The Wanting Life Kate Elizabeth Russell, My Dark Vanessa Emma Straub, All Adults Here: A Novel Brandon Taylor, Real Life Steven Wright, The Coyotes of Carthage Full list of Children's Book Award Honorees: Cathy Camper, Ten Ways to Hear Snow (Winner) Rebecca Behrens, Alone in the Woods Kathleen Krull, American Immigration: Our History, Our Stories Chad Sell, Doodleville Sarah Carlson, Everything's Not Fine Kashmira Sheth, Feast of Peas Karla Manternach, Never Fear, Meena's Here! Kashira Sheth, Nina Soni, Sister Fixer Deborah Underwood, Outside In David Wiesner, Robobaby Amy Timberlake, Skunk and Badger

On this week's episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Mary are discussing: Bookish Moments: Pages at the Park and picking new curriciula Current Reads: following up on a series, going on adventures, and learning through reading fiction and non-fiction Deep Dive: back to school - our favorite campus novels Book Presses: a foodie memoir and back to school for non-school-age readers As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you'd like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don't scroll down!  New: we are now including transcripts of the episode (this link only works on the main site). These are generated by AI, so they may not be perfectly accurate, but we want to increase accessibility for our fans! *Please note that all book titles linked below are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!*   . . . . Bookish Moment of the Week: 1:44 - Amy's Instagram @what_amy_reads Current Reads: 5:19 - Rock the Boat by Beck Dorey-Stein (Mary) 8:51 - Chasing the Thrill: Obsession, Death and Glory in America's Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt by Daniel Barbarisi (Kaytee) 11:30 - Collected Works Bookstore 11:47 - Rush by Lisa Patton (Mary) 15:21 - Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar (Kaytee) 18:37 - The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson (Mary) 18:47 - Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson 21:44 - The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson  22:58 - Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey (Kaytee) Deep Dive - Back to School with Campus Novels 28:12 - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 28:54 - Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston 29:24 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend  30:40 - Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld 31:41 - Admission by Julie Buxbaum 32:47 - A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallero  33:05 - Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum 33:15 - The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abbi Dare 33:53 - Dear. Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay 34:41 - Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia 35:13 - Carry On by Rainbow Rowell 35:29 - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 36:11 - Legenborn by Tracy Deonn 36:56 - Lobizona by Romina Garber 37:00 - Cazadora by Romina Garber 37:03 - Bookshop.org 37:38 - Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey 37:57 - Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo 39:11 - The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger 39:42 - The Secret History by Donna Tartt 39:49 - The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt 39:56 - The Magicians by Lev Grossman 40:43 - The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead Books We Want to Press Into Your Hands: 42:00 - A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg (Mary) 44:52 - Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi (Kaytee) Connect With Us: Meredith is @meredith.reads on Instagram Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram Mindy is @gratefulforgrace on Instagram Mary is @maryreadsandsips on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast.com @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast

Work in Progress with Christopher Michaelson, discusses every working person's work in progress, namely, our quest to be fully human in a working world that all too often makes us feel like machines, in which we often don't even have time to think, and that, in the words of Studs Terkel, too often feels like “a Monday through Friday sort of dying.”Our third podcast episode airs with host Michaelson and two guests: Playwright, novelist, screenwriter, Pulitzer Prize winner, and the author of Homeland Elegies, Ayad Akhtar as well as the reviewer of Homeland Elegies, Associate Professor of Ethics and Executive Director of the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services at The American College of Financial Services, Azish Filabi, JD.  Michaelson, Akhtar and Filabi discuss Akhtar's recent book, Homeland Elegies, exploring the role capitalism played - and continues to play - in simultaneously building and crushing lives in the name of the American dream. This book review has also been published in The Journal of Business Ethics (JBE) to answer two questions: "Is this book worth reading?" and "What ideas or questions will this book illuminate for anyone with interest in business ethics?" To advance dialogue between scholars and the public about business ethics and society, this review will be free to access at JBE for a period of 8 weeks, ending September 30, 2021.With special thanks for the support of the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services at the American College of Financial Services and the Melrose & The Toro Company Center for Principled Leadership at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business.

Glasgow ery Thatcheryzmu - zamknięte kopalnie, bieda, marazm. Życie rozciągnięte między dwiema kolejkami – jedną po zasiłek, drugą po piwo. W takim świecie dorastał Shuggie Bain, tytułowy bohater głośnego debiutu szkockiego pisarza Douglasa Stuarta. To powieść równie piękna co bolesna. „Shaggie Bain” wyznacza szlak lipcowej wędrówki literackiej śladem biedy. Glasgow lat 80, powojenny Neapol, robotnicza Francja drugiej połowy 19 wieku i współczesne południowe Ohio – to miejsca które odwiedzimy. "Shuggie Bain" to nie jedyny ważny nowy tytuł literacki z Wysp Brytyjskich. Jeden z najwybitniejszych angielskich pisarzy Kazuo Ishiguro wydał pierwszą po nagrodzie Nobla powieść „Klara i słońce”. W "Raporcie o książkach" opowiemy o jego wszystkich ośmiu powieściach. Dlaczego nie należy wierzyć narratorom Ishiguro i nie dać się zwieść jego pozornie prostym historiom? W programie jeszcze jedna ważny tytuł - o Ameryce. Ayad Akhtar pisze w „Homeland Elegies” o tym jak Ameryka zniewala ludzi. Fragmenty literackie czyta Robert Czebotar, a na program zaprasza Agata Kasprolewicz.

Ayad Akhtar's plays—Disgraced (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama), The Who and the What, and Junk¬—and his novels, American Dervish and Homeland Elegies, are electrifying, unforgettable works of art that push audiences and readers to think about community and power, money and success, and what it means to be American. He joins us on the show to talk about the inspiration for the outrageous and wildly funny Homeland Elegies (now available in paperback), Shakespeare and more. Featured books: Homeland Elegies, American Dervish, Disgraced and Junk by Ayad Akhtar; Ravelstein and The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow; Hadji Murat by Leo Tolstoy; Henry IV Part One and Part Two and Coriolanus by William Shakespeare; and Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth. Produced/Hosted by Miwa Messer and engineered by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

Today's interview with adult debut author Geoff Rodkey. Geoff's adult debut is Lights Out in Lincolnwood, a funny  book of what happens if we lose power. Geoff has written well-known screenplays and middle-grade books. In this interview, we chat about his writing, what made him decide to write Lights Out in Lincolnwood, and some book recommendations.    BOOKS RECOMMENDED: Lights out in Lincolnwood by Geoff Rodkey  Marcus Make a Movie with Kevin Hart and Geoff Rodkey  Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar Behave by Robert Sapolsky   CONNECT WITH GEOFF RODKEY Website Twitter  Instagram SUPPORT THE WHAT TO READ NEXT PODCAST! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.  Or you can subscribe to the show on Spotify. Spread the love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends   FROLIC PODCAST NETWORK  What to Read Next Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts!    CONNECT WITH LAURA YAMIN  WhattoReadNextBlog.com

Award-winning author and playwright Ayad Akhtar grapples with identity and belonging just like the protagonist in his book Homeland Elegies. "In some ways being an outsider has given me a freedom to be able to withstand and bear some of the forced outsiderness. It gives me a perspective," he says. His fictional book, named one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by the New York Times, draws from Akhtar's personal experiences and the political climate in the United States. Through the story of an immigrant father and his son, the book responds to issues of our time like the rise of Donald Trump and the spread of Xenophobia. Akhtar talks with Washington Post book critic Ron Charles about the novel.

Today's guest Professor Jaideep Prabhu is from Cambridge Judge Business School. His research interests includes : marketing, strategy and innovation. Specific area of his interests: cross-national issues concerning the antecedents and consequences of radical innovation in high-technology contexts such as banking, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology; the role of firm culture in driving innovation in firms across nations; how multinational firms organise their innovation activities worldwide; the forces that drive R&D location decisions and the factors that influence the performance implications of these decisions; the internationalisation of firms from emerging markets; and innovation in emerging markets. You can find more details on his profile page : https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/faculty-research/faculty-a-z/jaideep-prabhu/ Books Prof. Jaideep Prabhu had written ( sharing links in amazon) : 1. Frugal Innovation: How to do better with less Kindle Edition by Navi Radjou (Author), Jaideep Prabhu (Author), Paul Polman(Foreword) : https://amzn.to/31NDy3z 2. Jugaad Innovation: Think Frugal, Be Flexible, by Navi Radjou (Author), Jaideep Prabhu (Author), Simone Ahuja (Author), Kevin Roberts (Foreword) : https://amzn.to/31KsVhU 3. How Should A Government Be?: by Jaideep Prabhu (Author) : https://amzn.to/39BjaHd Book recommended by Jaideep in the chat : Homeland Elegies: by Ayad Akhtar : https://amzn.to/3rQI23X Listen, learn and enjoy!

Described by Richard Flanagan as the “best American novel I've read in years”, Pulitzer Prize-winner Ayad Akhtar's Homeland Elegies combines memoir and essay, fact and fiction to deliver a tour de force. How, his narrator asks, can he “express the complex, often contradictory alchemy at work in translating experience into art?”. This powerful, courageous and extraordinarily timely work is his answer, exploring not just the state of contemporary America in the Trump era, and the relationship between East and West, but searing questions of identity, family and art. Chaired by Ben Brooker

This week on the KPL Podcast we are visited by International Bestseller Nadia Hashimi. We will be discussing her most recent release Sparks Like Stars, Afghanistan, and much more. Also Jigisha and Ryan also share some of their recent favorite female protagonist lead titles for National Women's History Month.  All this and more on this week's KPL Podcast. Happy listening!   Recommendations:1. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar2. Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim3. Harley Quinn season 14. Birds of Prey5. Agatha Raisin by MC Beaton6. Agatha Raisin Series7. The Legend of Korra

Recording of Off the Shelf Radio Show from WDLR with co-hosts George Needham and Nicole Fowles.  Happy New Year from all of us at Delaware County District Library! Today we talk about our new year's resolutions! How can the library help you reach your new year's resolution?   Books recommended in this episode: Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline and Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar.   Read more from this week's episode here: https://libraryaware.com/27N0Y0  Listen live every Friday morning at 9am https://wdlrradio.com/program-schedule/off-the-shelf/  This episode originally aired on January 1, 2021

What to Read Wednesdays comes at you every other Wednesday and is your one stop for reading, watching and listening recommendations from your favorite library staff members!  This week's episode features year end favorites from host Annie, Library Director George, Communications Manager Nicole, Shannon at Delaware, and Katy at Orange. Books recommended include Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry, The House of the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline and Homeland Elegies by Ayed Akhtar.   Read more recommendations here: https://libraryaware.com/27JYTX Email us with book recommendations, suggestions, & feedback at whattoread@delawarelibrary.org 

Pulitzer-prize winning playwright Ayad Akhtar's latest novel, “Homeland Elegies,” is a meditation on American identity through the lens of an American son and his immigrant parents. It is also a treatise on American economics, Muslim identity in this country, the power of dreams, and syphilis. We listen back to a conversation that was part of the Portland Book Festival put on by Literary Arts.

Publisher: Little, Brown, 2020 "Passionate, disturbing, unputdownable." - Salman Rushdie A deeply personal work about hope and identity in a nation coming apart at the seams, Homeland Elegies blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of belonging and dispossession in the world that 9/11 made. Part family drama, part social essay, part picaresque adventure -- at its heart, it is the story of a father, a son, and the country they both call home. Akhtar forges a new narrative voice to capture a country in which debt has ruined countless lives and our ideals have been sacrificed to the gods of finance, where a TV personality is president and immigrants live in fear, and where the nation's unhealed wounds of 9/11 wreak havoc around the world. Akhtar attempts to make sense of it all through the lens of a story about one family, from a heartland town in America to palatial suites in Central Europe to guerilla lookouts in the mountains of Afghanistan, and spares no one -- least of all himself -- in the process. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pbliving/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pbliving/support

Award-Winning Playwright Ayad Akhtar Joins Us! Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/0vxs2XI2I5QTime Stamp for Straight-to-Interview content: 06:00Rich Family Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse Christopher Ashley catches up with Ayad Akhtar - the acclaimed screenwriter, novelist and playwright of two Playhouse world premieres: 2014's The Who & The What, which went on to Lincoln Center Theater and was subsequently produced around the world, and 2016's Junk: The Golden Age of Debt, which enjoyed a second life on Broadway before receiving a Tony nomination for Best Play. Named American Theatre magazine's most produced playwright in 2016, Ayad is the author of the recently published Homeland Elegies: A Novel, in which an American son and his immigrant father search for reunion and belonging in post-Trump America. The novel has been included in the Top 10 Best Books of 2020 by The New York Times, The Washington Post and Time Magazine.Don't forget to subscribe!FOLLOW USFacebook: @LaJollaPlayhouse https://facebook.com/LaJollaPlayhouse/​Instagram: @LaJollaPlayhouse https://instagram.com/LaJollaPlayhouse/​Twitter: @LJPlayhouse https://twitter.com/LJPlayhouse​#AyadAkhtar​ #HomelandElegies​ #LaJollaPlayhouse​ #BroadwayAtHome

Pulitzer-prize winning playwright Ayad Akhtar's latest novel, “Homeland Elegies,” is a meditation on American identity through the lens of an American son and his immigrant parents. It is also a treatise on American economics, Muslim identity in this country, the power of dreams, and syphilis. Ayad Akhtar joins us as part of the Portland Book Festival put on by literary arts.

Richard Seymour, author of The Twittering Machine,  joins Eric and Kate to discuss the “social industry" — online platforms that monetize and manipulate our need to share our lives online. Seymour moves beyond the negative effects social media has on us as individuals and as a community, bringing into view a bigger picture: the social, economic, and political perils that are now at our fingertips. Also, Ayad Akhtar, author of Homeland Elegies, returns to recommend Saul Bellow's Ravelstein.

Very troubling developments in Nigeria are getting global attention from political heavyweights, football stars and musicians. Activist and renowned rapper Falz joins Christiane Amanpour to discuss the situation on the ground. Then, spokesperson for the Republican National Convention Liz Harrington shares her take on the state of the U.S presidential race. Hari Sreenivasan speaks to playwright Ayad Akhtar about his new book, “Homeland Elegies.” Turning to music, jazz artist Melody Gardot talks to Amanpour about creating during lockdown and her new album "Sunset In The Blue."To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

This week on The Book Show, novelist and playwright Ayad Akhtar. Akhtar is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His latest work is Homeland Elegies, a deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams. It blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing […]

This week on The Book Show, novelist and playwright Ayad Akhtar. Akhtar is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His latest work is Homeland Elegies, a deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams. It blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing […]

Just weeks away from the American election, three American writers on religion, a search for identity, racial injustice and the comfort of science.

Akhtar talks about his new book Homeland Elegies, a hybrid of memoir, cultural criticism, psychological study, and loosely plotted novel that uniquely responds to the chaos and confusion of contemporary American life. The hosts also talk with Akhtar about the political, social, and affective entanglements of diaspora consciousness and experience (in this case, for Muslims from Pakistan living in the US), and about the Whitmanian fantasy of a diverse nation. Also, Vivian Gornick, author of Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-Reader, returns to recommend a collection she has returned to her entire life, Natalia Ginzburg's The Little Virtues.

Homeland Elegies is Pulitzer-winning playwright and novelist Ayad Akhtar's lyrical response to post-9/11, Trump-era American politics. Drawing on his perspective as the child of Muslim immigrants, Akhtar pens an elegy to the American dream. Part memoir, part fiction, this novel about a father and son searching for belonging paints a picture of disillusionment. Akhtar is joined at CHF by Obama-administration alumnus and founder of Interfaith Youth Core Eboo Patel to discuss his latest book and what it means to call a country home. This program was livestreamed on September 23, 2020. This program is generously underwritten by Anita and Prabhakant Sinha and is presented in partnership with PEN America. Order the book Homeland Elegies: A Novel online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/homeland-elegies Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don... Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/ Connect on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ChiHumanities Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicagohuman... Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chihumanities/

Ayad Akhtar joins Mitchell Kaplan on this new episode of The Literary Life. Akhtar shares Homeland Elegies, “part memoir, part novel,” about an American son, his immigrant father, and their life in a post-9/11 America. Akhtar is a playwright, novelist Pulitzer Prize recipient who will serve as the next president of PEN America. Recorded in Miami and New York City. Host: Mitchell Kaplan Producer: Carmen Lucas Editor: Justin Alvarez, Lit Hub Radio https://booksandbooks.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's publication day for Pulitzer winner and incoming PEN America president Ayad Akhtar. He talks about his new book, Homeland Elegies, which launches tonight at a special virtual PEN Out Loud conversation with Ben Rhodes. He discusses the blurred lines between fact and fiction, American decay, and the challenges he sees on the horizon. Then, we check in with PEN America's own Polina Sadovskaya about the situation in Belarus, including the condition of a group of our colleagues from PEN Belarus --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/penamerica/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/penamerica/support

This week on The Book Show, novelist and playwright Ayad Akhtar. Akhtar is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His latest work is Homeland Elegies, a deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams. It blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing and dispossession in a world that 9/11 made.