Podcasts about iowa writers

Host Jason Blitman talks to Eliana Ramage about her debut novel, TO THE MOON AND BACK, this month's Reese's Book Club pick. Highlights include:

Notes and Links to Andrew Porter's Work     Andrew Porter is the author of four books, including the short story collection The Theory of Light and Matter (Vintage/Penguin Random House), which won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, the novel In Between Days (Knopf), which was a Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers”  selection, an IndieBound “Indie Next” selection, and the San Antonio Express News's “Fictional Work of the Year,” the short story collection The Disappeared (Knopf), which was longlisted for The Story Prize and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and the novel The Imagined Life, which was published by Knopf in April 2025. Porter's books have been published in foreign editions in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand and translated into numerous languages, including French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Bulgarian, and Korean. In addition to winning the Flannery O'Connor Award, his collection, The Theory of Light and Matter,  received Foreword Magazine's “Book of the Year” Award for Short  Fiction, was a finalist for The Steven Turner Award, The Paterson Prize  and The WLT Book Award, was shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing, and was selected by both The Kansas City Star and The San Antonio Express-News  as one of the “Best Books of the Year.” The recipient of a Pushcart Prize and fellowships from the James Michener-Copernicus Foundation, the W.K. Rose Foundation,  and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation,  Porter's  short stories have appeared in The Best American Short Stories, One Story, Ploughshares, The Southern Review, The Threepenny Review, The Missouri Review, American Short Fiction, Narrative Magazine, Epoch, Story, The Colorado Review, Electric Literature, and Texas Monthly, among others. He has had his work read on NPR's Selected Shorts and numerous times selected as one of the Distinguished Stories of the Year by Best American Short Stories.  A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Porter is currently a Professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Trinity University in San Antonio.   Buy The Imagined Life   Andrew's Website   Andrew's Wikipedia Page   Book Review for The Imagined Life from New York Times   At about 1:30, Pete makes a clumsy but heartfelt comparison between The Imagined Life and Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea and Andrew shares feedback from readers of his novel At about 3:10, Andrew responds to Pete's question about the book's seeds and talks about “tinker[ing]” with the book's opening for years At about 4:45, Pete remarks on the book's first-person account, and Andrew and Pete discuss the book's opening and ideas of naivete and fallible parents At about 6:45, Pete asks Andrew, who expands about structuring the book and its connection to revision  At about 8:45, Pete compares the setting of the book, 1983 Fullerton, CA, to The Smashing Pumpkins' “1979,” and Andrew discusses similarities  At about 10:30, Pete reflects on the importance of the age given to the book's narrator and the two characterize the book's “father” and Andrew talks about using a 70s/early 80s atmosphere through the young narrator's lens At about 15:30, Pete summarizes an important character introduction and Andrew talks about the importance of an embarrassing faux pas by the narrator's father that might have "professional ramifications” At about 17:30, Andrew responds to Pete's question about the visits that Steven takes to speak with his father's former colleagues in the present-day At about 21:20, Andrew explains connections between Proust (“Proo-st”) and the father, who is obsessed in some ways with Proust's work; Andrew notes personal parallels between the father and Proust At about 24:10, Andrew gives background on Uncle Julian's connection to his brother and his family  At about 25:40, Andrew responds to Pete's questions about the importance of the book's cabana and complicated coupling  At about 27:40, Andrew reflects on Chau's relationship with Steven and the connection as a shared “escape from their home lives” At about 31:00, Andrew responds to Pete's questions about fleeting beautiful moments between father and son At about 32:25, Pete wonders about how Andrew picks character names At about 34:10, Andrew discusses the narrator's son, Finn, and his acting out in school as a function of his parents' marital shakiness  At about 35:30, Pete asks Andrew about a pivotal party and any “ruptures” in relationships that may have followed   At about 38:00, Andrew reflects on possible foreshadowing through letters and notes left behind by Steven's father  At about 40:40, Andrew discusses his mindset in writing an important and off-the-wall culminating scene At about 43:35, The two reflect on ideas of traumas and cycles and anger, especially with regard to Steven's recognition of same  At about 46:30, Pete compliments the ending of the book, ideas of legacy and wonderful book timing At about 47:30, Andrew reflects on his book's setting as key in exploring contrasts between Steven's life then and now, as well as with the world as a whole At about 48:30, Swatch Watch discourse! and vague Bel Biv Devoe reference!      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 Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you're checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Hannah Pittard, a recent guest, is up at Chicago Review.     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 Pete's one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of flawed characters, protagonists who are too real in their actions, and horror and noir as being where so much good and realistic writing takes place. Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.     This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he's 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 295 with Wright Thompson, a senior writer for ESPN, contributing writer to the Atlantic, and the New York Times bestselling author of Pappylandand The Cost of These Dreams. The Barn, a captivating story of the tragedy of Emmett Till's racist murder, is out in paperback on the day the episode airs, today, September 9.    Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.  

What if the person your ex-husband fell for was your doppelganger?In this episode, Sanjena Sathian takes us inside her new novel Goddess Complex, exploring one of the most personal choices a woman can make. Step into the world of Sanjana Satyananda, a woman navigating life after a challenging period in her life, grappling with themes of motherhood, fertility, divorce, and absurdly enough, a doppelganger with a cult following.With a protagonist who almost shares her name, Sanjena reveals how much of herself she poured into the story.She also reflects on her writing journey, her time at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, her acclaimed debut novel, and how Goddess Complex marks a shift in her storytelling.Tune in now for this rollercoaster ride!Books mentioned in the episode:Rebecca by Daphne Du MaurierOperation Shylock: A Confession by Philip RothThe Horned Man by James LasdunMalory Towers (novel series) by Enid BlytonThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldAll the King's Men by Robert Penn WarrenAll Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth BrundageFamily Planning by Karan MahajanAll This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam MatthewsThe Association of Small Bombs by Karan MahajanMovies and TV Shows mentioned in the episode:Adaptation (2002)Gilmore Girls (2000)Veep (2012)Upcoming Bound RetreatsImmersive, one-of-a-kind literary experiences that take writers into the heart of India's most breathtaking landscapes.Wanderlust Travel Writing Retreat in Chetinad | 16 - 21 September Whimsy Fiction Writing Retreat in Coonoor | 8 - 12 October Learn more: https://boundindia.com/retreats/ Apply to all retreats: http://bit.ly/44TzYpY ‘Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India's finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Notes and Links to Ruben Reyes, Jr.'s Work     Ruben Reyes Jr. is the son of two Salvadoran immigrants. He completed his MFA in fiction at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He is a graduate of Harvard College where he studied History and Literature and Latinx Studies. His writing has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, AGNI, BOMB Magazine, Lightspeed Magazine, LitHub, and other publications. His debut story collection, There is a Rio Grande in Heaven, was a finalist for The Story Prize, and longlisted for the the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Carnegie Medal for Excellence, the Aspen Words Literary Prize, and the New American Voices Award. Archive of Unknown Universes is his first novel. Originally from Southern California, he lives in Queens.   Buy Archive of Unknown Universes   Ruben's Website   Book Review for Archive of Unknown Universes from Washington Post, by Bilal Qureshi   At about 1:45, Ruben describes the experience of having his first novel out in the world At about 3:30, Ruben talks about feedback he's received about the novel At about 4:35, Ruben shares publishing information and shouts out “local indies” and Bookshop.org as good places to buy the book, and he shares a story about his book tour for his story collection At about 6:10, Ruben talks about his writing timeline and how he wrote his novel and his story collection at around the same time, allowing him flexibility and variety  At about 9:00, Ruben responds to Pete's questions about how feedback and the writing community worked during the pandemic At about 11:00, Ruben reflects on seeds for his novel, particularly the “turning point” that was his 2018 research trip to El Salvador At about 12:30, Ruben talks about the importance of oral histories he did on this 2018 research trip At about 13:25, Pete asks Ruben about the book's dedication and how he viewed the specific and universal  At about 16:15, Pete shares the book's profound epigraphs, and shares the book's exposition; Ruben responds to Pete's questions about the book's structure and his rationale in starting the book with a letter At about 19:25, Ruben reflects on writers and their views on a “perfect novel” At about 20:45, Ruben and Pete describe the book's pivotal machine, The Defractor, and fun with different “Interlocutors” for the machine  At about 23:40, Pete provides background information on Ana and Luis, important characters in the books At about 25:20, Ruben and Pete discuss the importance of Archbishop Oscar Romero and his coverage in the novel At about 28:00, Ruben reflects on how the “What if?” question is so resonant in literature and outside At about 28:50, Ruben and Pete talk about setting the tone for the start of the relationship between Rafael and Neto and an early scene at Havana's Malecon  At about 30:40, Pete reflects on traumas so understatedly and profoundly rendered  At about 32:00, Ruben talks about Ana's and Luis' relationship  At about 33:40, Pete wonders about an important decision made by Neto, and Ruben expands on research he did that showed how youth was largely in control during the Salvadoran Civil War At about 35:50, Ruben expands on what demands and hopes the revolutionaries/guerrillas had in the Salvadoran Civil War At about 39:05, The two discuss the book's parallel storyline At about 41:55, Ruben and Pete reflect on the fiery passions of youth and what makes relationships works and connections At about 44:15, The two discuss similarities and differences between Neto and Rafael  At about 46:10, Ruben homes in on how queerness was seen/embraced in the 70s, as shown through Rafael and Neto At about 47:30, Pete highlights a profound quote as he and Ruben talk about “grasping the lost threads of history” and how Ruben's book connects to ideas of silences and traumas and "reclaiming history” At about 49:40, Ruben shouts out Leisy Abrego's “On Silences” and its argument about silences as “intergenerational” in the Salvadoran diaspora        You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave 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 Pete on IG, where he's @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he's @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you're checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Episode 286 guest Hannah Pittard is up on the website this week. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.     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 Pete's one-man show, his DIY podcast and his extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode will feature an exploration of noir, horror, and crime fiction, as some of the best ways to match the zeitgeist and crazy timeline that is 2025. Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he's 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 292 with Joan Silber, a novelist and short story writer. She won the 2017 National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction and the 2018 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for her novel Improvement. Her latest novel, Mercy, is her 10th book of fiction. This episode drops today, September 2, Pub Day for Mercy. Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Stuart Nadler is a recipient of the 5 Under 35 Award from the National Book Foundation, and the author of Wise Men, The Inseparables, Rooms for Vanishing and a story collection, The Book of Life. His work has been named a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a Barnes & Nobel Discover Great New Writers Selection, and an Amazon Book of the Year. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where he was a Truman Capote Fellow and a Teaching-Writing Fellow. On this episode of Little Atoms he talks to Neil Denny about his latest novel Rooms For Vanishing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Choose the Hard Way creator Andrew Vontz in conversation with Steve Grant, author of the memoir MAILMAN: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home.  With rave reviews in The New York Times, the Washington Post, The New Yorker and The Atlantic, the memoir MAILMAN: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home is one of the hottest literary debuts in recent memory. Steve is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and has been a marketing consultant and behavioral economist for more than 25 years. He's also an Eagle Scout and led the rebranding effort to transform the Boy Scout of America into Scouting America and is the only person I have personally met who has both been shot by a mass shooter and has also made a movie about a mass shooter.   Find Steve at www.stevegrantworks.com and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/stevegrant_mailman.  

In this episode of Read Between the Lines, Molly Southgate sits down with award-winning author Bob Johnson to discuss his gripping new short story collection, The Continental Divide. These fourteen stories shine a light on a side of the Midwest few dare to explore—where violence simmers beneath the surface, and moral choices are rarely black and white. From a country woman forced into a Sophie's Choice for her family's survival, to a small-town marshal hunting his own son for murder, and a former football star confronting his role in a brutal locker room ritual, Johnson captures the haunting complexities of human nature along the St. Lawrence Divide in northern Indiana. About Bob Johnson Bob Johnson is an award-winning short story writer and graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His work has been published by The Common, Philadelphia Stories, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, The Barcelona Review, and more. His story The Continental Divide was named Short Story of the Year in The Hudson Review. He lives in South Bend, Indiana.

Host Jason Blitman sits down with Ruben Reyes Jr. to discuss his highly anticipated debut novel, Archive of Unknown Universes, which follows his acclaimed story collection, There is a Rio Grande in Heaven. Their conversation ranges from advocating for the perfect 90-minute movie runtime to how specifics become universal, plus Ruben's late-in-life discovery of musical legends Joni Mitchell and Alanis Morissette. Jason then welcomes Guest Gay Reader Chloe Michelle Howarth (Sunburn), the debut Irish novelist who reveals her unexpected new taste for queer horror fiction and love of translated literature.Ruben Reyes Jr. is the son of two Salvadoran immigrants and the author of There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and Harvard College, his writing has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Lightspeed Magazine, and other publications. Originally from Southern California, he now lives in Brooklyn.Chloe Michelle Howarth was born in July 1996. She grew up in the West Cork countryside, which has served as an inspiration for her writing. She attended university at IADT in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, where she studied English, Media and Cultural Studies. Chloe currently lives in Brighton. Sunburn is her debut novel.BOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE July Book: Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me PARTNERSHIP!Use code READING to get 15% off your madeleine order! https://cornbread26.com/ WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Aimee Phan was born and raised in Orange County, California. She received her BA in English from UCLA and her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She is the author of two books for adults, We Should Never Meet: Stories and the novel The Reeducation of Cherry Truong. She has received fellowships and residencies from the NEA, MacDowell Colony, the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center, Djerassi and Hedgebrook. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Time, USA Today and CNN.com among other publications.  Aimee teaches as an associate professor in writing and literature at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and resides in Berkeley, California with her family. Learn more at aimeephan.comIntro reel, Writing Table Podcast 2024 Outro RecordingFollow the Writing Table:On Twitter/X: @writingtablepcEverywhere else: @writingtablepodcastEmail questions or tell us who you'd like us to invite to the Writing Table: writingtablepodcast@gmail.com.

So we got our first TWO Parter in El Pochcast and it's looking at Spanish, Pochos hablando español y no hablando español, some of us speak it all the time, some of us now and then, and some of us rarely speak it if at all but we're all Pochos. And it's a two parter Because our language is a BIG Deal, we can't even form thoughts without language, it can be something unites us and something that separates us. Something that brings immense joy, and also intense pain. So speaking spanish, and what it means for pocho culture is a deep topic that could cover a million episodes but for now I'll just do two. The first part deals with the pochismo of using spanish when english won't do, and the second deals with the pochismo of not growing up fully speaking spanish. Both episodes feature the voices of pochos and pochas from all over the country and all different backgrounds and I'm so grateful for all of them, so I hope you enjoy these two episodes….listos? Amonos pues…. This episode features: Ricardo Rivera, a writer and civil rights worker from Houston, TX. His writing has appeared in Teen Vogue, Texas Monthly, and Latino Rebels. Read the piece I mention on the podcast here and you can find him on twitter @rjrivera89 Marisa Tirado, a Latina poet from Chicago and graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She is the founder of an international collective called Protest Through Poetry which provides seminars, publishing opportunities, and creative community for activist poets of color. She's also the author of the chapbook “Selena Didn't Know Spanish” which you should absolutely purchase and you can find her on Instagram @marisatirado**** ORIGINALLY RELEASED in 2022 Find Merch here: https://theirrelevant.org/store Join The El Pochcast Discord here: https://discord.gg/AS8RuMHsxJ Bluesky: @elpochcast.pocho.online Instagram: @elpochcast Email : elpochcast@ gmail.com Text: www.pocho.online El Pochcast is a part of The Irrelevant Podcast Network rapture.mp3 by Vincent Augustus is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Support El Pochcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/el-pochcast

Steven Mills has reached a crossroads. His wife and son have left, and they may not return. Which leaves him determined to find out what happened to his own father, a brilliant, charismatic professor who disappeared in 1984 when Steve was twelve, on a wave of ignominy.As Steve drives up the coast of California, seeking out his father's friends, family members, and former colleagues, the novel offers us tantalizing glimpses into Steve's childhood—his parents' legendary pool parties, the black-and-white films on the backyard projector, secrets shared with his closest friend. Each conversation in the present reveals another layer of his father's past, another insight into his disappearance. Yet with every revelation, his father becomes more difficult to recognize. And, with every insight, Steve must confront truths about his own life.Rich in atmosphere, and with a stunningly sure-footed emotional compass, The Imagined Life: A Novel (Knopf, 2025) is a probing, nostalgic novel about the impossibility of understanding one's parents, about first loves and failures, about lost innocence, about the unbreakable bonds between a father and a son. Andrew Porter is the author of the short story collections The Disappeared and The Theory of Light and Matter and a previous novel, In Between Days. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he has received a Pushcart Prize, a James Michener/Copernicus Fellowship, and the Flannery O'Connor Award for short fiction. His work has appeared in One Story, Ploughshares, American Short Fiction, Narrative, and elsewhere. He currently teaches fiction writing and directs the creative writing program at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Recommended Books: Paul. Lisicky, Songs So Wild and Blue Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum, Elita Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature is published with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Steven Mills has reached a crossroads. His wife and son have left, and they may not return. Which leaves him determined to find out what happened to his own father, a brilliant, charismatic professor who disappeared in 1984 when Steve was twelve, on a wave of ignominy.As Steve drives up the coast of California, seeking out his father's friends, family members, and former colleagues, the novel offers us tantalizing glimpses into Steve's childhood—his parents' legendary pool parties, the black-and-white films on the backyard projector, secrets shared with his closest friend. Each conversation in the present reveals another layer of his father's past, another insight into his disappearance. Yet with every revelation, his father becomes more difficult to recognize. And, with every insight, Steve must confront truths about his own life.Rich in atmosphere, and with a stunningly sure-footed emotional compass, The Imagined Life: A Novel (Knopf, 2025) is a probing, nostalgic novel about the impossibility of understanding one's parents, about first loves and failures, about lost innocence, about the unbreakable bonds between a father and a son. Andrew Porter is the author of the short story collections The Disappeared and The Theory of Light and Matter and a previous novel, In Between Days. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he has received a Pushcart Prize, a James Michener/Copernicus Fellowship, and the Flannery O'Connor Award for short fiction. His work has appeared in One Story, Ploughshares, American Short Fiction, Narrative, and elsewhere. He currently teaches fiction writing and directs the creative writing program at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Recommended Books: Paul. Lisicky, Songs So Wild and Blue Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum, Elita Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature is published with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steven Mills has reached a crossroads. His wife and son have left, and they may not return. Which leaves him determined to find out what happened to his own father, a brilliant, charismatic professor who disappeared in 1984 when Steve was twelve, on a wave of ignominy.As Steve drives up the coast of California, seeking out his father's friends, family members, and former colleagues, the novel offers us tantalizing glimpses into Steve's childhood—his parents' legendary pool parties, the black-and-white films on the backyard projector, secrets shared with his closest friend. Each conversation in the present reveals another layer of his father's past, another insight into his disappearance. Yet with every revelation, his father becomes more difficult to recognize. And, with every insight, Steve must confront truths about his own life.Rich in atmosphere, and with a stunningly sure-footed emotional compass, The Imagined Life: A Novel (Knopf, 2025) is a probing, nostalgic novel about the impossibility of understanding one's parents, about first loves and failures, about lost innocence, about the unbreakable bonds between a father and a son. Andrew Porter is the author of the short story collections The Disappeared and The Theory of Light and Matter and a previous novel, In Between Days. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he has received a Pushcart Prize, a James Michener/Copernicus Fellowship, and the Flannery O'Connor Award for short fiction. His work has appeared in One Story, Ploughshares, American Short Fiction, Narrative, and elsewhere. He currently teaches fiction writing and directs the creative writing program at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Recommended Books: Paul. Lisicky, Songs So Wild and Blue Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum, Elita Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature is published with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. 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

Vauhini Vara grew up alongside internet startup companies. She was in middle school when AOL sent those first floppy discs to our homes, inviting us to dial up to the world wide web. A graduate of Stanford and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, she became a tech writer for The Wall Street Journal and a business reporter for The Atlantic, The New Yorker and other publications. In 2017, Vara profiled Sam Altman, a cofounder of OpenAI, and gained early access to ChatGPT. She used the program to write about a topic that had long eluded her — the grief she experienced over the death of her sister. “Ghosts” came out in The Believer in the summer of 2021 and quickly went viral (as evidenced by its adaptation on This American Life). That piece, and several others, are part of Vara's latest book, Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age. Vara's 2022 novel, The Immortal King Rao — also steeped in the tech industry — was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and her story collection, This is Salvaged, came out the following year. She joins Marrie Stone to talk about how these technologies, including ChatGPT and other A.I. models are impacting writers and where she sees things going. Her insights are both hopeful and terrifying. She also talks about writing in different genres as a journalist, a novelist, a writer of creative nonfiction and short stories. She shares her insights about playing with different structures and how to release yourself from conventional forms of storytelling. For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It's stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you'll find an album's worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It's perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. Email the show at writersonwritingpodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from our listeners! (Recorded on April 29, 2025) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie Stone Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)

Today we're talking about writing as refuge, a place that's always waiting for you. We also talk about how writing and revision is layering, and about how to believe our characters are real people - don't miss this! Aimee Phan was born and raised in Orange County, California. She received her BA in English from UCLA and her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She is the author of two books for adults, We Should Never Meet: Stories and the novel The Reeducation of Cherry Truong. She has received fellowships and residencies from the NEA, MacDowell Colony, the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center, Djerassi and Hedgebrook. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Time, USA Today and CNN.com among other publications. Aimee teaches as an associate professor in writing and literature at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and resides in Berkeley, California with her family. The Lost Queen is her most recent novel.

Discipline (Four Way Books, 2024), Debra Spark's latest novel was inspired by the life of Walt Kuhn, who introduced Americans to modern art, and also by an infamous east coast boarding school that was forcibly shut down in 2014. The novel twists and turns through the lives of an artist and his wife, a teenager forced to attend a horrifying boarding school, the artist and his wife's lonely daughter after their deaths, and a divorced art appraiser studying the works of the dead artist. Discipline addresses teenagers whose lives are molded by thoughtless adults and women who struggle with loneliness or are taken advantage of by the unscrupulous. It's a coming-of-age story, a mystery about an art theft, but this gorgeous novel is also about family, ambition, and suffering. DEBRA SPARK is the author of five novels, two collections of short stories, and two books of essays on fiction writing. Her most recent books are the novel Unknown Caller and the essay collection And Then Something Happened. With Deborah Joy Corey, she co-edited Breaking Bread, a book of food essays by Maine writers to raise funds for a hunger nonprofit. Her short work has appeared in Agni, AWP Writers' Chronicle, the Boston Globe, the Cincinnati Review, the Chicago Tribune, Epoch, Esquire, Five Points, Food and Wine, Harvard Review, Huffington Post, Maine Magazine, Narrative, New England Travel and Life, the New England Review, the New York Times, Ploughshares, salon.com, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Post, Yankee, and Yale Alumni Quarterly, among other places. In addition to writing book reviews, fiction, articles, and essays, she spent a decade writing about home, art, and design for Maine Home+Design, Decor Maine, Down East, Dwell, Elysian, Interiors Boston, New England Home, and Yankee. She writes a monthly book review column of French books in English translation for Frenchly.us. She has been the recipient of several awards including Maine's 2017 READ ME series, a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, a Bunting Institute fellowship from Radcliffe College, Wisconsin Institute Fellowship, Pushcart Prize, Michigan Literary Fiction Award, and John Zacharis/Ploughshares award for best first book. A graduate of Yale University and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, she is a professor at Colby College and teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. When she's not working, Spark exercises, studies French, spends time with friends and family, bakes gluten-free, and belongs to a cookbook book club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Discipline (Four Way Books, 2024), Debra Spark's latest novel was inspired by the life of Walt Kuhn, who introduced Americans to modern art, and also by an infamous east coast boarding school that was forcibly shut down in 2014. The novel twists and turns through the lives of an artist and his wife, a teenager forced to attend a horrifying boarding school, the artist and his wife's lonely daughter after their deaths, and a divorced art appraiser studying the works of the dead artist. Discipline addresses teenagers whose lives are molded by thoughtless adults and women who struggle with loneliness or are taken advantage of by the unscrupulous. It's a coming-of-age story, a mystery about an art theft, but this gorgeous novel is also about family, ambition, and suffering. DEBRA SPARK is the author of five novels, two collections of short stories, and two books of essays on fiction writing. Her most recent books are the novel Unknown Caller and the essay collection And Then Something Happened. With Deborah Joy Corey, she co-edited Breaking Bread, a book of food essays by Maine writers to raise funds for a hunger nonprofit. Her short work has appeared in Agni, AWP Writers' Chronicle, the Boston Globe, the Cincinnati Review, the Chicago Tribune, Epoch, Esquire, Five Points, Food and Wine, Harvard Review, Huffington Post, Maine Magazine, Narrative, New England Travel and Life, the New England Review, the New York Times, Ploughshares, salon.com, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Post, Yankee, and Yale Alumni Quarterly, among other places. In addition to writing book reviews, fiction, articles, and essays, she spent a decade writing about home, art, and design for Maine Home+Design, Decor Maine, Down East, Dwell, Elysian, Interiors Boston, New England Home, and Yankee. She writes a monthly book review column of French books in English translation for Frenchly.us. She has been the recipient of several awards including Maine's 2017 READ ME series, a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, a Bunting Institute fellowship from Radcliffe College, Wisconsin Institute Fellowship, Pushcart Prize, Michigan Literary Fiction Award, and John Zacharis/Ploughshares award for best first book. A graduate of Yale University and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, she is a professor at Colby College and teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. When she's not working, Spark exercises, studies French, spends time with friends and family, bakes gluten-free, and belongs to a cookbook book club. 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

Summary: Romeo Oriogun, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Florida Atlantic University, joins Dean Michael Horswell in our latest edition of In Conversation. They discuss poetry, migration, and the role of African literature in global literary discourse.Romeo Oriogun is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Florida Atlantic University and explores themes of migration, queerness, and survival in his poetry and nonfiction.A Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate, Oriogun is the author of Sacrament of Bodies, Nomad, and The Gathering of Bastards. He has received the Nigeria Prize for Literature, the Alice Fay Di Castagnola Prize, the Nebraska  Book Award for Poetry, and was a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. 

Summary: Romeo Oriogun, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Florida Atlantic University, joins Dean Michael Horswell in our latest edition of In Conversation. They discuss poetry, migration, and the role of African literature in global literary discourse.Romeo Oriogun is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Florida Atlantic University and explores themes of migration, queerness, and survival in his poetry and nonfiction.A Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate, Oriogun is the author of Sacrament of Bodies, Nomad, and The Gathering of Bastards. He has received the Nigeria Prize for Literature, the Alice Fay Di Castagnola Prize, the Nebraska  Book Award for Poetry, and was a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. 

Dan and Ellen talk with Neil Brown, a longtime journalist who is the president of the Poynter Institute. For listeners who might not know, the Poynter Institute is a nonprofit based in St. Petersburg, Florida, that is devoted to teaching best practices in journalism. It is named for Nelson Poynter, the bow-tie-wearing legend who led the St. Petersburg Times to national recognition. The paper is now known as the Tampa Bay Times. Poynter is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Dan has a Quick Take on President Trump's bouncing tariffs. They're on, they're off, they're on, they're off. But his gyrations are having real consequences. In central New York State, Trump's threats have killed a daily newspaper — and not just any paper. The Cortland Standard, one of the oldest family-owned papers in the country, folded in mid-March, as Trump's proposed 25% tariff on Canadian newsprint proved to be the last straw. Ellen's Quick Take comes from a tip from Jill Abramson, the former executive editor of the New York Times who is a distinguished professor of the practice here at Northeastern. Jeff Morrison, a journalist who is a member of the Iowa Writers' Collaborative, has compiled an incredible timeline of the decline of newspapers in Iowa. A highlight: The Storm Lake Times Pilot, a twice-weekly print paper featured in our book, "What Works in Community News," is dropping a print edition and going weekly.

Sanjena Sathian is the author of the novel Goddess Complex, available from Penguin Press. Sathian is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Gold Diggers, which was named a Top 10 Best Book of 2021 by The Washington Post and longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize. It won the Townsend Prize for Fiction. Her short fiction appears in The Best American Short Stories, The Atlantic, Conjunctions, One Story, Boulevard, and more. She's written nonfiction for The New York Times, New York magazine, The Drift, The Yale Review, and NewYorker.com, among other outlets. She's an alumna of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and has taught at Emory University, the University of Iowa, and Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. In spring 2025, she will serve as the Ferrol A. Sams Jr. Distinguished Chair of English at Mercer University. *** Otherppl with Brad Listi is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Subscribe to Brad Listi's email newsletter. Support the show on Patreon Merch Twitter Instagram  TikTok Bluesky Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Karen Russell's “The Antidote” follows five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their fictional small town of Uz, Nebraska. Together, the group of outcasts join forces to reveal the town's secrets and show the importance of remembering and acknowledging injustices to create a better future.Russell has received MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her debut novel “Swamplandia.” She has taught literature and creative writing at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the University of California-Irvine, Williams College, Columbia University, and Bryn Mawr College, and was the Endowed Chair of Texas State's MFA program. She serves on the board of Street Books, a mobile-library for people living outdoors. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, she now lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, son and daughter. “The Antidote” is Russell's second novel. She will be at The Bookworm at 6 p.m. on April 3 in conversation with Broc Anderson of the Nebraska State Historical Society.Russell and Michael Griffin discuss the role of intellect and imagination in writing, the natural world's influence on the artistic process and the symbiotic relationship between the author and reader.

Acclaimed debut novelist and award-winning poet Jeanette Horn spoke to me about writing experimental poetry, getting a fateful call from the Iowa Writer's Workshop, and the magical realism in her debut novel PLAY, WITH KNIVES. Jeanette Horn is an Iowa Writers' Workshop MFA program graduate and was a Maytag Fellow. Her debut novel, Play, With Knives, is described as the story of “A struggling theater troupe [that] tours the Midwest by surreal train—where aspects of their plays come to life and wreak havoc—in this inventive literary novel.” Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat Pray Love, said of the book, "Play, With Knives is a work of wondrous imagination—a dream from which I did not want to awaken."  Jeanette also earned a BA in English from the University of Texas, where she won several Adele Steiner Burleson Awards for poetry and essay writing. Her work has appeared in MARGIE, Poetry International, Stand, Washington Square, and other journals. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Jeanette Horn and I discussed: What it was like at Iowa's famed Writer's Workshop Why her debut novel was a labor of love (10 years in the making) The successful query letter that led to publishing the book Her true feelings about the cover art Why it's ok to write in the margins And a lot more! Show Notes: www.jeanettehorn.com Play, With Knives by Jeanette Horn (Amazon) Successful Queries: Jaynie Royal and “Play, With Knives,” by Jeanette Horn By Any Other Name Paperback by Jodi Picoult (Amazon) The Stab - jeanettehorn.substack.com Jeanette Horn on Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling fiction writer Curtis Sittenfeld joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about her new collection of stories, Show Don't Tell. Sittenfeld discusses the title story, which depicts graduate students in creative writing competing for funding, and its connections to her time at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, when that practice was common. She also considers how President Trump's attacks on DEI reveal some people's true natures, and what it means to write about “the hypocrisy of being a person.” Finally, she explains why she thinks of time as a plot twist, and reflects on returning to the protagonist of her debut novel, Prep, Lee Fiora, who reappears in the new collection's final story, which features her thirtieth high school reunion. Sittenfeld reads from Show Don't Tell. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/. This podcast is produced by Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan. Selected Readings: Curtis Sittenfeld Show Don't Tell (2025) Romantic Comedy (2023) Rodham (2021) The Best American Short Stories 2020 (ed. with Heidi Pitlor) You Think It, I'll Say It (2019) Eligible (2016) Sisterland (2013) American Wife (2008) The Man of My Dreams (2006) Prep (2005) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An episode that dives deep into the neurodivergent narrative!Here's what's in store for today's episode: * We kick off this episode by discussing Lena Dunham's EDS diagnosis, a condition frequently co-occurring with autism.* The reason HBO's Girls resonates with us so deeply is simple—it's an autistic show created by an autistic mind.* We start by discussing Lena Dunham's art school background and creative writing degree—writing is a special interest for many of us here at Autistica.* Lena Dunham's character in Girls constantly faces rejection as a writer and exhibits classic traits of rejection-sensitive dysphoria.* Additionally, her film Tiny Furniture highlights the challenges with transitions that autistic people often experience.* We discuss her memoir, Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's Learned, exploring how its pages lend themselves to neurodivergent coding and how certain passages have been misinterpreted.* After being canceled over the passage in her memoir, Lena Dunham's career trajectory began to decline—coinciding with the time she started experiencing symptoms of chronic illness.* At this point, what happened to Lena Dunham was essentially autistic burnout—she hit a wall, just as many of us do!* Our hosts discuss how autistic people thrive when we have the freedom to do our own thing and maintain a high level of control over our work environments.* When we can't control our environments, it leads to conditions like EDS and POTS—often comorbid with neurodivergence—because of the heightened stress we experience.* In the show, which is loosely based on Dunham's own life, her character discusses sensitivities to clothing and struggles with transitions with her therapist—both hallmark autistic traits.* Lena Dunham has undoubtedly been misinterpreted—she has expressed taboo ideas in her work because she doesn't naturally pick up on social cues, which is inherently autistic.* The quirks Lena Dunham exhibits in certain episodes of Girls and in her personal life often come across as distinctly autistic-coded.* Another main character in the show, Shoshanna, is actually referred to as canonically autistic in Girls—and, well, we tend to stick together!* We also discuss the part of Girls where Dunham's character attends the Iowa Writers' Workshop and how these programs often trigger rejection-sensitive dysphoria and aren't designed to be neurodivergent-friendly.* This leads to a tie-in with our Neurodivergent Narratives writing workshop program for our paid members of Autistica, which offers a PDA-affirming and neurodivergence-affirming approach to writing workshops.* We talk about Lena Dunham's marriage to songwriting genius Jack Antonoff and how he exhibits neurodivergent coding in the songs he's written for his bands, Fun. and Bleachers.* Finally, we discuss the autistic connection between Lena Dunham and Taylor Swift, and what happens when autistic people recognize and understand each other.“When I tell people I'm autistic, they say, ‘I don't see it.' Then I say, ‘well, I'm a Taurus', and they say, ‘that makes sense.'” - Matt“A minute ago, we were talking about how exciting it is that she went to college, made a movie, went to South by Southwest, and got a film greenlit by HBO. Does this sound like an autistic thing that happens? Works 24 hours a day, wins every award, is a media darling, and then is f*****g hated by everyone?” - Angela“This is a common thing among autistic people, because when you're young and vital and stuff, you put a lot of energy out there and then, for some reason, we expect that we're going to be able to maintain that level of energy throughout our lives. We cannot.” - Matt“We experience far more stress than neurotypical people, because we live in a world that constantly bombards us with sensory information, with data. We have to mask all the time. We have more stuff that stresses us out than neurotypicals do. So, we are more likely to have all of these things, but again, we don't know if it's a 1:1 ratio that, just plain being autistic means it's more common.” - MattDid you enjoy this episode? We delved into how autism intersects with various aspects of life, from Lena Dunham's neurodivergent-coded characters to the struggles of navigating rejection-sensitive dysphoria and burnout. Tune in as we explore the nuances of being neurodivergent in creative spaces and the connections between autistic individuals, like Lena Dunham and Taylor Swift. Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and use #AutisticCultureCatch to share your experiences!Related Episodes:Taylor is Autistic - https://www.autisticculturepodcast.com/p/autistic-podcast-taylor-swift-is-autisticMeat Body Maintenance - https://www.autisticculturepodcast.com/p/autistic-podcast-meat-body-maintenanceShow notes:Aaron and Taylor: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lena-Dunhamhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Antonoffhttps://people.com/jack-antonoff-discusses-his-ocd-rituals-and-late-sister-8654926https://www.threads.net/%40oakleyjohansen/post/C8VvoEfS-54?utm_source=chatgpt.comYouTubeLena Dunham: Short Biography, Net Worth & Career HighlightsOctober 20, 2017 — Complete biography: http://celebritynetworth.wiki/lena-dunham-net-worth/ American actress, director, producer, screenwriter and author Lena ...Lena Dunham Reveals Her Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Diagnosis - Lena Dunham on Body Image, Clothing, and Sensory Sensitivities - Lena Dunham Discusses Chronic Illness and EDS in CNN Interview - https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/03/entertainment/lena-dunham-ehlers-danlos-trnd/index.htmlLena Dunham's Passion for Writing and Storytelling in HBO's Girl- https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/315/oa_monograph/chapter/2319659Lena Dunham's Blunt Communication Style and Public Controversy - https://medium.com/@isabellarosario/lena-dunhams-comments-on-chronic-illness-in-the-cut-draw-criticism-8c865d1ba3f9Lena Dunham on Her OCD, Anxiety, and Mental Health Struggles - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_DunhamLena Dunham on Routine, Structure, and Creativity in The New Yorker- https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/lena-dunhams-change-of-paceReady for a paradigm shift that empowers Autistics? Help spread the news!Follow us on InstagramFind us on Apple Podcasts and SpotifyLearn more about Matt at Matt Lowry, LPPJoin Matt's Autistic Connections Facebook GroupLearn more about Angela at AngelaKingdon.com Angela's social media: Twitter and TikTokOur Autism-affirming merch shop This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.autisticculturepodcast.com/subscribe

Asa West is the author of The Witch's Kin and Five Principles of Green Witchcraft, and her work has appeared in The Offing, Joyland, Gods&Radicals, The Mary Sue, Reactor Magazine, and other outlets. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and works as a journalist under the name Julia Glassman. She covers everything from Marvel movies to folk horror—and, of course, all things witchy.http://www.asawestauthor.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/theredtailwitch.bsky.social https://www.instagram.com/theredtailwitch/

Paul Lisicky remembers when he first heard Joni Mitchell on the radio, and when he found one of her records in a bin at Korvettes. He was inspired by her musicality, her poetry, and her willingness to defy musical conventions. Nearly every one of her songs spoke to him in some way. As a budding songwriter whose music was widely performed in churches around the country, he was motivated by her superb tunings, phrasing, and melodies. Later, he focused more on lyrics and prose, hers and his own, eventually earning a master's in creative fiction and working in the world of professional writing. He continued to follow Joni's career and never got tired of her music, which helped him navigate the ups and downs of his life. Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell (HarperOne, 2025) is a beautiful memoir about the struggle of a gay writer intertwined with the life and career of the magnificent Joni Mitchell. Paul Lisicky grew up in southern New Jersey but has lived most of his adult life in Massachusetts and New York City. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English from Rutgers University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop (1990). He authored seven books, including Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell, The Burning House, Famous Builder, Later, The Narrow Door, and Lawn Boy. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, Conjunctions, The Cut, Fence, The New York Times, Ploughshares, Tin House, and in many other magazines and anthologies. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, he is currently a professor of English in the Creative Writing MFA Program at Rutgers University-Camden, where he is the editor of StoryQuarterly. He lives in Brooklyn, New York and is passionate about music, animals, and travel. 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

Paul Lisicky remembers when he first heard Joni Mitchell on the radio, and when he found one of her records in a bin at Korvettes. He was inspired by her musicality, her poetry, and her willingness to defy musical conventions. Nearly every one of her songs spoke to him in some way. As a budding songwriter whose music was widely performed in churches around the country, he was motivated by her superb tunings, phrasing, and melodies. Later, he focused more on lyrics and prose, hers and his own, eventually earning a master's in creative fiction and working in the world of professional writing. He continued to follow Joni's career and never got tired of her music, which helped him navigate the ups and downs of his life. Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell (HarperOne, 2025) is a beautiful memoir about the struggle of a gay writer intertwined with the life and career of the magnificent Joni Mitchell. Paul Lisicky grew up in southern New Jersey but has lived most of his adult life in Massachusetts and New York City. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English from Rutgers University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop (1990). He authored seven books, including Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell, The Burning House, Famous Builder, Later, The Narrow Door, and Lawn Boy. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, Conjunctions, The Cut, Fence, The New York Times, Ploughshares, Tin House, and in many other magazines and anthologies. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, he is currently a professor of English in the Creative Writing MFA Program at Rutgers University-Camden, where he is the editor of StoryQuarterly. He lives in Brooklyn, New York and is passionate about music, animals, and travel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Paul Lisicky remembers when he first heard Joni Mitchell on the radio, and when he found one of her records in a bin at Korvettes. He was inspired by her musicality, her poetry, and her willingness to defy musical conventions. Nearly every one of her songs spoke to him in some way. As a budding songwriter whose music was widely performed in churches around the country, he was motivated by her superb tunings, phrasing, and melodies. Later, he focused more on lyrics and prose, hers and his own, eventually earning a master's in creative fiction and working in the world of professional writing. He continued to follow Joni's career and never got tired of her music, which helped him navigate the ups and downs of his life. Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell (HarperOne, 2025) is a beautiful memoir about the struggle of a gay writer intertwined with the life and career of the magnificent Joni Mitchell. Paul Lisicky grew up in southern New Jersey but has lived most of his adult life in Massachusetts and New York City. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English from Rutgers University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop (1990). He authored seven books, including Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell, The Burning House, Famous Builder, Later, The Narrow Door, and Lawn Boy. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, Conjunctions, The Cut, Fence, The New York Times, Ploughshares, Tin House, and in many other magazines and anthologies. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, he is currently a professor of English in the Creative Writing MFA Program at Rutgers University-Camden, where he is the editor of StoryQuarterly. He lives in Brooklyn, New York and is passionate about music, animals, and travel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Paul Lisicky remembers when he first heard Joni Mitchell on the radio, and when he found one of her records in a bin at Korvettes. He was inspired by her musicality, her poetry, and her willingness to defy musical conventions. Nearly every one of her songs spoke to him in some way. As a budding songwriter whose music was widely performed in churches around the country, he was motivated by her superb tunings, phrasing, and melodies. Later, he focused more on lyrics and prose, hers and his own, eventually earning a master's in creative fiction and working in the world of professional writing. He continued to follow Joni's career and never got tired of her music, which helped him navigate the ups and downs of his life. Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell (HarperOne, 2025) is a beautiful memoir about the struggle of a gay writer intertwined with the life and career of the magnificent Joni Mitchell. Paul Lisicky grew up in southern New Jersey but has lived most of his adult life in Massachusetts and New York City. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English from Rutgers University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop (1990). He authored seven books, including Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell, The Burning House, Famous Builder, Later, The Narrow Door, and Lawn Boy. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, Conjunctions, The Cut, Fence, The New York Times, Ploughshares, Tin House, and in many other magazines and anthologies. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, he is currently a professor of English in the Creative Writing MFA Program at Rutgers University-Camden, where he is the editor of StoryQuarterly. He lives in Brooklyn, New York and is passionate about music, animals, and travel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/music

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Andrew Thomas speaks with Steven Duong on his debut poetry collection At the End of the World There is A Pond (Norton 2025)."Tell all the truth but tell it slant." Taking Emily Dickinson's dictum as a guiding principle, poet Steven Duong delivers a collection startlingly clear, formally innovative, and consistently funny. At the End of the World There is a Pond is divided into four sections–The Jumpers, The Swimmers, The Sinkers, The Floaters--and throughout each Duong explores themes of addiction, mental health, climate change, diaspora, and popular culture.from "Anatomy":“there's no / point in writing nature poems anymore, / not unless you drown the verses in smoke / & oil & organophosphates–the Anthropocene / demands a new syntax” Steven Duong  is a writer from San Diego. His poems have appeared in the American Poetry Review, Guernica, and the Yale Review, among other publications, and his short fiction is featured in Catapult, The Drift, and The Best American Short Stories 2024.The recipient of fellowships and awards from the Academy of American Poets and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he is currently a creative writing fellow in poetry at Emory University. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo courtesy of W.W. Norton and IfeOluwa Nihinlola

Witch Blood Rising is a celebration of the ways that witchcraft has stubbornly kept itself alive in Western culture—and a call to action for all seekers who yearn for a witch's life.Growing up in an endless sea of California suburbs, where sacred groves and wise women only existed in movies, Asa West spent her childhood chasing visions she didn't understand. When she found a guide to witchcraft in a tiny bookshop, she knew she'd found her calling—despite a patriarchal society's efforts to keep her away from a life of mysticism.But it's not easy to awaken your witch blood in a culture that laughs at magic and renders women powerless. Although the market abounds with practical guides to witchcraft, it's harder to find books that chronicle the art of living a witch's life. Asa West uses her almost thirty years of magical practice to bring warmth, humor, and insight to a spiritual path that's at once immeasurably ancient and continually reborn. She explores all the ways that witchcraft rises up from the blood of its devotees and through subjects like the online herbalism industry, Marvel movies, witch-hunting manuals, bee priestesses, and tarot.Witch Blood Rising is a celebration of the ways that witchcraft has stubbornly kept itself alive in Western culture—and a call to action for all seekers who yearn for a witch's life.Asa West is the author of The Witch's Kin and Five Principles of Green Witchcraft, and her work has appeared in The Offing, Joyland, Gods&Radicals, and other publications. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and has been covering feminism and media since 2007 under the name Julia Glassman. As a journalist for The Mary Sue and other outlets, she covers everything from Marvel movies to folk horror—and, of course, all things witchy. You can find her online at www.asawestauthor.com  and The Red Tail Witch (https://linktr.ee/theredtailwitch).

Kevin Clouther is an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha Writer's Workshop, where he serves as program coordinator of the Master of Fine Arts in Writing.Clouther is also the author of the story collections “Maximum Speed” and “We Were Flying to Chicago.” His stories have appeared in Gettysburg Review, Gulf Coast, Joyland, New Orleans Review, Ruminate and StoryQuarterly, among other journals. He holds degrees from the University of Virginia and the Iowa Writers' Workshop and is the recipient of the Richard Yates Fiction Award and Gell Residency Award.In this episode, Clouther and Michael Griffin are talking about UNO's MFA program, his love of fiction and the ritual of reading.

Our new book... STORY QUESTIONS: How To Unlock Your Story One Question At A Time https://payhip.com/b/ZTvq9 Watch the video version of this podcast here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gugpMuxCT4 MORE FULL FILM COURAGE INTERVIEWS https://tinyurl.com/mr42eye2 BUY THE BOOK - THE USUAL UNCERTAINTIES: STORIES - https://amzn.to/3WO36cw BUY THE BOOK - LAST WORD - https://amzn.to/3Cflf9u MORE VIDEOS WITH JONATHAN BLUM https://buff.ly/43NxPc9 Jonathan Blum grew up in Miami and graduated from UCLA and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He is the author of two books of fiction: The Usual Uncertainties (Rescue Press, 2019), a story collection, and Last Word (Rescue Press, 2013), a novella. Both were named one of the best books of the year by Iowa Public Radio, and The Usual Uncertainties was named one of the 15 Best Short Story Collections of 2019 by Electric Literature. Blum has twice appeared on KCRW's Bookworm. His short stories have been published in Gulf Coast, Kenyon Review, Northwest Review, Playboy, and Shanxi Literature, among others. His short story, "The White Spot," which was published in Electric Literature with an introduction by Deborah Eisenberg, appears in the award-winning anthology The Best Peace Fiction (University of New Mexico Press, 2021). He has taught fiction writing at The University of Iowa, Drew University, and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival, and is the recipient of a Michener-Copernicus Society of America Award, a Hawthornden Fellowship in Scotland, and a grant from the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation. He has also been a guest writer at the Tianjin Binhai New Area International Writing Program in China. He lives in Los Angeles. WRITING CLASSES WITH JONATHAN BLUM https://jonathanblumwriter.com/classes CONNECT WITH JONATHAN BLUM https://jonathanblumwriter.com VIEWERS ALSO WATCHED 3 Ways To Open A Story - https://youtu.be/3no2un4Elik If You Can't Answer This Question Don't Write The Story - https://youtu.be/PGbNlKVU7Ok Don't Get It Right, Get It Written! - https://youtu.be/V6Yql0jrjow This Is Why It Doesn't Matter If Every Story Has Been Told - https://youtu.be/xaBsNggof68 Write Your Life And Become A Better Storyteller - https://youtu.be/xFK5Ih3CPFc CONNECT WITH FILM COURAGE http://www.FilmCourage.com http://twitter.com/#!/FilmCourage https://www.facebook.com/filmcourage https://www.instagram.com/filmcourage http://filmcourage.tumblr.com http://pinterest.com/filmcourage SUBSCRIBE TO THE FILM COURAGE YOUTUBE CHANNEL http://bit.ly/18DPN37 SUPPORT FILM COURAGE BY BECOMING A MEMBER https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs8o1mdWAfefJkdBg632_tg/join SUPPORT FILM COURAGE BY BECOMING A PATRON https://www.patreon.com/filmcourage LISTEN TO THE FILM COURAGE PODCAST https://soundcloud.com/filmcourage-com (Affiliates) SAVE $15 ON YOUTUBE TV - LIMITED TIME OFFER https://tv.youtube.com/referral/r0847ysqgrrqgp ►WE USE THIS CAMERA (B&H) – https://buff.ly/3rWqrra ►WE USE THIS SOUND RECORDER (AMAZON) – http://amzn.to/2tbFlM9 Stuff we use: LENS - Most people ask us what camera we use, no one ever asks about the lens which filmmakers always tell us is more important. This lens was a big investment for us and one we wish we could have made sooner. Started using this lens at the end of 2013 - http://amzn.to/2tbtmOq AUDIO Rode VideoMic Pro - The Rode mic helps us capture our backup audio. It also helps us sync up our audio in post https://amzn.to/425k5rG Audio Recorder - If we had to do it all over again, this is probably the first item we would have bought - https://amzn.to/3WEuz0k LIGHTS - Although we like to use as much natural light as we can, we often enhance the lighting with this small portable light. We have two of them and they have saved us a number of times - http://amzn.to/2u5UnHv *These are affiliate links, by using them you can help support this channel.

Rick Barot's poem “The Singing” takes place in the humdrum, relatable setting of the waiting room at a car dealership. But the unexpected occurs when one woman's soft humming builds into strange, full-throated singing. Curiosity, wonder, anger, and dread spill over, forcing you to face the same dilemma as the narrator: What can you do when reality defies your control?Rick Barot was born in the Philippines, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and attended Wesleyan University and The Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. Barot teaches at Pacific Lutheran University and is the director of the Rainier Writing Workshop, the low-residency MFA in Creative Writing at Pacific Lutheran University. His fourth book of poems, The Galleons, was published by Milkweed Editions in 2020, and his most recent collection is Moving the Bones.Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org.We're pleased to offer Rick Barot's poem and invite you to subscribe to Pádraig's weekly Poetry Unbound Substack newsletter, read the Poetry Unbound book, or listen to past episodes of the podcast. We also have two books coming out in early 2025 — Kitchen Hymns (new poems from Pádraig) and 44 Poems on Being with Each Other (new essays by Pádraig). You can pre-order them wherever you buy books.

Acclaimed novelist and Director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop Lan Samantha Chang joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the role that literary personas may–or may not–have played in recent revelations about Alice Munro, Neil Gaiman, and Cormac McCarthy. Chang discusses how writers often develop literary personas as their public profiles grow. Chang also discusses how personas can be both protective and damaging when they no longer align with the writer's true self, the impact of personas on writers' privacy and the industry's role in shaping and maintaining these personas. She reads from her novel All is Forgotten, Nothing is Lost. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/. This podcast is produced by Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan. Selected Readings: Lan Samantha Chang The Family Chao Hunger Inheritance All is Forgotten, Nothing is Lost  Writers, Protect Your Inner Life |Lit Hub|August 7, 2017 Others: A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway Erasure, Percival Everett Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6 Episode 40: “In Memory of Cormac McCarthy: Oscar Villalon on an Iconic Writer's Life, Work, and Legacy” Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7 Episode 19: “Jacinda Townsend and James Bernard Short on American Fiction”  James Alan McPherson Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7 Episode 35: “Jonny Diamond on His Mother and Alice Munro”  The Dark Secrets Behind the Neil Gaiman Abuse Accusations|Vulture | January 13, 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Después de unas largas vacaciones, Archivo General regresa. Nicolás y Ricardo leen con lupa un cuento de diez páginas que parece sencillo pero es en realidad muy complicado, sólo para concluir que no tienen idea del significado de la palabra “tierra” y que la literatura mexicana del siglo XX es en parte producto de la intervención de la CIA.

In James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues (Oxford University Press, 2024), Tom Jenks follows a scene-by-scene, sometimes line-by-line, discussion of the pattern by which Baldwin indelibly writes "Sonny's Blues" into the consciousness of readers. It provides ongoing observations of the aesthetics underlying the particulars of the story, with references to Edward P. Jones (whose magnificent story "All Aunt Hagar's Children" bears a knowing relationship to "Sonny's Blues,") to Charlie Parker's music, and to Billie Holiday's "Am I Blue?" and John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" as part of the musical progression Baldwin creates, and with attention to Baldwin's oratorical gifts and the biblical references in the story, to its time structure, characterizations, dramatic action, and, most of all, its totality of effect. Drawing on Baldwin's book-length essay The Fire Next Time, which Baldwin published a six years after the publication of the short story, Tom Jenks offers insight on some of the sources in Baldwin's life for "Sonny's Blues" and on the logic and passion by which life may be meaningfully transformed into art. Tom Jenks is the cofounder and editor of Narrative magazine. Check out his magazine online here. He is a former editor of Esquire, Gentlemen's Quarterly, The Paris Review, and a senior editor at Scribners, where he edited Hemingway's The Garden of Eden. With Raymond Carver, he edited American Short Story Masterpieces. His writing has appeared in Harper's, Ploughshares, Vanity Fair, Esquire, The American Scholar, Five Points, the Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He has given classes at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the Creative Writing Programs at University of California, and Washington University in St. Louis. Jessie Cohen holds a Ph.D. in History from Columbia University, and is an editor at the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

In James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues (Oxford University Press, 2024), Tom Jenks follows a scene-by-scene, sometimes line-by-line, discussion of the pattern by which Baldwin indelibly writes "Sonny's Blues" into the consciousness of readers. It provides ongoing observations of the aesthetics underlying the particulars of the story, with references to Edward P. Jones (whose magnificent story "All Aunt Hagar's Children" bears a knowing relationship to "Sonny's Blues,") to Charlie Parker's music, and to Billie Holiday's "Am I Blue?" and John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" as part of the musical progression Baldwin creates, and with attention to Baldwin's oratorical gifts and the biblical references in the story, to its time structure, characterizations, dramatic action, and, most of all, its totality of effect. Drawing on Baldwin's book-length essay The Fire Next Time, which Baldwin published a six years after the publication of the short story, Tom Jenks offers insight on some of the sources in Baldwin's life for "Sonny's Blues" and on the logic and passion by which life may be meaningfully transformed into art. Tom Jenks is the cofounder and editor of Narrative magazine. Check out his magazine online here. He is a former editor of Esquire, Gentlemen's Quarterly, The Paris Review, and a senior editor at Scribners, where he edited Hemingway's The Garden of Eden. With Raymond Carver, he edited American Short Story Masterpieces. His writing has appeared in Harper's, Ploughshares, Vanity Fair, Esquire, The American Scholar, Five Points, the Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He has given classes at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the Creative Writing Programs at University of California, and Washington University in St. Louis. Jessie Cohen holds a Ph.D. in History from Columbia University, and is an editor at the New Books Network. 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

In James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues (Oxford University Press, 2024), Tom Jenks follows a scene-by-scene, sometimes line-by-line, discussion of the pattern by which Baldwin indelibly writes "Sonny's Blues" into the consciousness of readers. It provides ongoing observations of the aesthetics underlying the particulars of the story, with references to Edward P. Jones (whose magnificent story "All Aunt Hagar's Children" bears a knowing relationship to "Sonny's Blues,") to Charlie Parker's music, and to Billie Holiday's "Am I Blue?" and John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" as part of the musical progression Baldwin creates, and with attention to Baldwin's oratorical gifts and the biblical references in the story, to its time structure, characterizations, dramatic action, and, most of all, its totality of effect. Drawing on Baldwin's book-length essay The Fire Next Time, which Baldwin published a six years after the publication of the short story, Tom Jenks offers insight on some of the sources in Baldwin's life for "Sonny's Blues" and on the logic and passion by which life may be meaningfully transformed into art. Tom Jenks is the cofounder and editor of Narrative magazine. Check out his magazine online here. He is a former editor of Esquire, Gentlemen's Quarterly, The Paris Review, and a senior editor at Scribners, where he edited Hemingway's The Garden of Eden. With Raymond Carver, he edited American Short Story Masterpieces. His writing has appeared in Harper's, Ploughshares, Vanity Fair, Esquire, The American Scholar, Five Points, the Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He has given classes at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the Creative Writing Programs at University of California, and Washington University in St. Louis. Jessie Cohen holds a Ph.D. in History from Columbia University, and is an editor at the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

In James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues (Oxford University Press, 2024), Tom Jenks follows a scene-by-scene, sometimes line-by-line, discussion of the pattern by which Baldwin indelibly writes "Sonny's Blues" into the consciousness of readers. It provides ongoing observations of the aesthetics underlying the particulars of the story, with references to Edward P. Jones (whose magnificent story "All Aunt Hagar's Children" bears a knowing relationship to "Sonny's Blues,") to Charlie Parker's music, and to Billie Holiday's "Am I Blue?" and John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" as part of the musical progression Baldwin creates, and with attention to Baldwin's oratorical gifts and the biblical references in the story, to its time structure, characterizations, dramatic action, and, most of all, its totality of effect. Drawing on Baldwin's book-length essay The Fire Next Time, which Baldwin published a six years after the publication of the short story, Tom Jenks offers insight on some of the sources in Baldwin's life for "Sonny's Blues" and on the logic and passion by which life may be meaningfully transformed into art. Tom Jenks is the cofounder and editor of Narrative magazine. Check out his magazine online here. He is a former editor of Esquire, Gentlemen's Quarterly, The Paris Review, and a senior editor at Scribners, where he edited Hemingway's The Garden of Eden. With Raymond Carver, he edited American Short Story Masterpieces. His writing has appeared in Harper's, Ploughshares, Vanity Fair, Esquire, The American Scholar, Five Points, the Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He has given classes at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the Creative Writing Programs at University of California, and Washington University in St. Louis. Jessie Cohen holds a Ph.D. in History from Columbia University, and is an editor at the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Anna Noyes's debut novel is The Blue Maiden and was a New York Times Editors' Choice, with starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Forward. Her short story collection, Goodnight, Beautiful Women, was a finalist for the Story Prize and the New England Book Award, as well as a New York Times Editors' Choice. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She lives in New York, on Fishers Island. We talked about witches, familial relationships, giving up on the novel you think you are writing and writing the one you are meant to create, the publishing industry, historical fiction, living on an island, and Shirley Jackson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you looking for a page-turner of a book? Tune in for an inspiring discussion with Ava Dellaira on her new novel Exposure. Moments with Marianne airs in the Southern California area on KMET1490AM & 98.1 FM, an ABC Talk News Radio affiliate! Ava Dellaira is the author of the critically acclaimed young adult novels In Search of Us and Love Letters to the Dead, which was named Best Book of the Year by Apple, Google, BuzzFeed, the New York Public Library and the Chicago Public Library. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was a Truman Capote Fellow, and the University of Chicago. She grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and now lives in Altadena, CA with her husband and their two young children.  https://avadellaira.comFor more show information visit: www.MariannePestana.com#book #newbook #bookclub #mustread #fiction #ZibbyBooks

Chris Ingstad is the President of Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation and an 8th generation Iowan. He joins the Forgotten America podcast to discuss life in Iowa. Chris explains why he hasn't seriously considered leaving the state despite its harsh winters, and he talks about the food, culture, economy, and heritage of the Hawkeye state. Additional Resources Follow Chris's work at Iowans for Taxpayer Relief Foundation: https://itrfoundation.org/staff/ Grant Wood and American Gothic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Wood University of Iowa Writer's Workshop: https://writersworkshop.uiowa.edu/ Field of Dreams: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097351/ “Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain.” -  Iowa State Motto  https://publications.iowa.gov/135/1/profile/8-1.html#:~:text=On%20the%20white%20center%20stripe,in%20red%20below%20the%20streamers Okoboji, Iowa https://vacationokoboji.com/     Garrett Ballengee, Host President & CEO - @gballeng Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy   Amanda Kieffer, Executive Producer Vice President of Communications & Strategy - @akieffer13  Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy   Nate Phipps, Editor & Producer - @Aviv5753   Follow: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram Support: Donate, Newsletter

In 2019, Anna, a psychoanalyst, is processing a recent miscarriage. Her husband, David, takes a job in London so she spends days obsessing over renovating the kitchen while befriending a younger woman called Clémentine who has moved into the building and is part of a radical feminist collective called les colleuses. Meanwhile, in 1972, Florence and Henry are redoing their kitchen. Florence is finishing her degree in psychology while hoping to get pregnant. But Henry isn't sure he's ready for fatherhood… Both sets of couples face the challenges of marriage, fidelity, and pregnancy. The characters and their ghosts bump into and weave around each other, not knowing that they once all inhabited the same space.A novel in the key of Éric Rohmer, Scaffolding is about the bonds we create with people, and the difficulty of ever fully severing them; about the ways that people we've known live on in us; and about the way that the homes we make hold communal memories of the people who've lived in them and the stories that have been told there.*Lauren Elkin is the author of several books, including Flâneuse: Women Walk the City, a Radio 4 Book of the Week, a New York Times Notable Book of 2017, and a finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel award for the art of the essay. Her essays on art, literature, and culture have appeared in the London Review of Books, the New York Times, Granta, Harper's, Le Monde, Les Inrockuptibles, and Frieze, among others. She is also an award-winning translator, most recently of Simone de Beauvoir's previously unpublished novel The Inseparables. After twenty years in Paris, she now lives in London.Born in Philadelphia, Amanda Dennis studied modern languages at Princeton and Cambridge Universities before earning her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley and her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was awarded a Whited Fellowship in creative writing. An avid traveler, she has lived in six countries, including Thailand, where she spent a year as a Princeton in Asia fellow. She has written about literature for the Los Angeles Review of Books and Guernica, and she is assistant professor of comparative literature and creative writing at the American University of Paris, where she is researching the influence of 20th-century French philosophy on the work of Samuel Beckett. Listen to Alex Freiman's latest EP, In The Beginning: https://open.spotify.com/album/5iZYPMCUnG7xiCtsFCBlVa?si=h5x3FK1URq6SwH9Kb_SO3w Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“We have to go back to the very basic thing of understanding our shared humanity. And we've departed a long way from that—even the best of us, I'm afraid. It is just stunning. I mean, we are such a danger to everything we value.” (Marilynne Robinson, from the episode) Today on the show, Mark Labberton welcomes the celebrated novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson to discuss her most recent book, Reading Genesis. Known for novels such as Housekeeping, Gilead, Home, and Lila, she offers a unique perspective on ancient scripture in her latest work of nonfiction. In this enriching and expansive conversation, they discuss the theological, historical, and literary value in the Book of Genesis; the meaning of our shared humanity; fear and reverence; how to free people from the view of God as threatening; the complicated and enigmatic nature of human freedom; the amazing love, mercy, and long-suffering of God on display in the unfolding drama of the Genesis narrative; and overall: “The beautiful ordinariness of a God-fashioned creature in ordinary communion with one another.” About Marilynne Robinson Marilynne Robinson is an award-winning American novelist and essayist. Her fictional and non-fictional work includes recurring themes of Christian spirituality and American political life. In a 2008 interview with the Paris Review, Robinson said, "Religion is a framing mechanism. It is a language of orientation that presents itself as a series of questions. It talks about the arc of life and the quality of experience in ways that I've found fruitful to think about." Her novels include Housekeeping (1980, Hemingway Foundation/Pen Award, Pulitzer Prize finalist), Gilead (2004, Pulitzer Prize), Home (2008, National Book Award Finalist), Lila (2014, National Book Award Finalist), and most recently, Jack (2020). Robinson's non-fiction works include Mother Country: Britain, the Welfare State, and Nuclear Pollution (1989), The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought (1998), Absence of Mind: The Dispelling of Inwardness from the Modern Myth of the Self (2010), When I was a Child I Read Books: Essays (2012), The Givenness of Things: Essays (2015), and What Are We Doing Here?: Essays (2018). Her latest book is Reading Genesis (2024). Marilynne Robinson received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Brown University in 1966 and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington in 1977. She has served as a writer-in-residence or visiting professor at a variety of universities, including Yale Divinity School in Spring 2020. She currently teaches at the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. She has served as a deacon for the Congregational United Church of Christ. Robinson was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho and now lives in Iowa City. Show Notes Get your copy of Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson Mark introduces Marilynne Robinson and her most recent foray into biblical interpretation Overarching narrative of God's time vs. Human time Theological, biblical, historical, and literary categories Why Genesis? Why biblical commentary? “Genesis is the foundational text, and God's self-revelation is the work of Genesis.” The expansiveness of the creation narrative from the beginning of everything to two people hoeing in a garden. Elohim and the universal God-name Monotheism and the enormously cosmic assertion of the nature of God From cosmology to granular human existence Amazement and the Book of Genesis “God saw the intentions of our heart and they were only evil always.” Conjuring the idea of a vindictive God—as opposed to a merciful, long-suffering, and loving God “It's hard to wiggle people free from the idea that God is primarily threatening.” The role of fear in sin, temptation, and evil “I think the fall is a sort of realization of a fuller aspect of our nature, which is painful to us and painful to God. But it's our humanity.” From the book: “The narrative of scripture has moved with astonishing speed from let there be light to this intimate scene of shared grief and haplessness. There is no incongruity in this. Human beings are at the center of it all. Love and grief are, in this infinite creation, things of the kind we share with God. The fact that they have their being in the deepest reaches of our extensionless and undiscoverable souls only makes them more astonishing. Over and against the roaring cosmos, that they exist at all can only be proof of a tender solicitude.” Ancient Near Eastern mythology “Meaning cannot leak out of this. It's absolutely meaningful.” Genesis is a “particular series of stories that are stories of the tumbling, bumbling, faithful, faithless, violent, peaceable, loyal, disloyal agency of human beings.” Mystery Theology as a vision, a revelation “The beautiful ordinariness of a God-fashioned creature in ordinary communion with one another.” The impact of Genesis in the history of our understanding of humanity, freedom, relationships, and so much more. Law as a liberation of one another: it limits your behavior and is emancipating to everyone around you. God's patience with human freedom and the ability to go wrong The enigma of freedom “From the very beginning, the Bible seems aware that we are our enemy and that we are our apocalyptic beast.” “Our freedom is very costly. It's costly to us. It's costly to God.” Imagination and the dynamics of freedom “An enhanced reverence for oneself has to be rooted in a reverence for God.” “The idea of the sacredness of God and the sacredness of the self.” Fear and reverence “You are holding in your imagination … and helping us to see, feel, and hear the voices and see the actions of ordinary human beings, who are both (like Psalm 8), ‘a little lower than the angels,' and at the same time, ‘we are dust and to dust you will return.'” Paying attention Marilynne Robinson's upbringing, access to nature, access to books, and plenty of solitude Joseph and the ending of the Genesis narrative: How might the story of Joseph speak to our time? “We have to go back to the very basic thing of understanding our shared humanity. And we've departed a long way from that—even the best of us, I'm afraid. It is just stunning. I mean, we are such a danger to everything we value. We are a danger to everything we value. And the fact that we can persist in doing that or tolerating it … there we are, you know? … We've always been strange, we human beings.” The perplexity of freedom “The way that Joseph understands his history is a comment on the idea of divine time.” “Joseph did enslave the Egyptians.” “There is no bow to tie around anything. There's simply whatever it yields in terms of meaning and beauty and so on.” Matthew 28 and the Great Commission “Christianity sliding into empire” The value of resolution and the open-ended nature of the Genesis narrative Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

Send us a textWhat if unlocking the secrets of an ancient puzzle could take you on a thrilling journey across continents? Welcome back to The Bookshop Podcast, where we sit down with New York Times bestselling author Danielle Trussoni to uncover the mysteries behind her latest novel, The Puzzle Box. As the second installment in the Mike Brink series, this book showcases Danielle's meticulous research and the fascinating world of savant puzzle-solving. Follow along as we explore Brink's adventure from New York to Japan, unraveling enigmatic characters and deadly puzzles.Danielle takes us behind the scenes of her character development process, particularly focusing on Dr. Gupta and Ume. From taking classes on cryptocurrency and encryption to drawing inspiration from historical female warriors known as onna-bugeisha, Danielle's dedication to authenticity is nothing short of impressive. Danielle Trussoni is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Ancestor, Angelology, and Angelopolis, all New York Times Notable Books, and the memoirs The Fortress and Falling Through the Earth, named one of the ten best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review. She writes the monthly horror column for the New York Times Book Review. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and winner of the Michener-Copernicus Society of America Fellowship, her work has been translated into more than thirty languages.Danielle TrussoniThe Puzzle Box, Danielle TrussoniThe Puzzle Master, Danielle Trussoni Angelopolis, Danielle TrussoniThe Woman in the Window, A.J. FinnEnd of Story, A.J. FinnShutter, Ramona EmersonExposure, Ramona EmersonSing Her Down, Ivy PachodaSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Regina Porter is the author of the novel The Rich People Have Gone Away, available from Hogarth Books. Porter is an award-winning playwright and author of The Travelers, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and longlisted for the Orwell Prize for political fiction. A graduate of the MFA fiction program at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, her writing has been published in the Harvard Review, Tin House, and the Oxford American. *** Otherppl with Brad Listi is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Subscribe to Brad Listi's email newsletter. Support the show on Patreon Merch Twitter Instagram  TikTok Bluesky Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The whole of human existence is like some sweet parable told in the most improbable place and circumstances. … God values our humanity. … One of the things that's fascinating about the Hebrew Bible is that it declared and was loyal to the fact that God is good and creation is good.”Novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson joins Miroslav Volf to discuss her latest book, Reading Genesis. Together they discuss why she took up this project of biblical commentary and what scripture and theological reflection means to her; how she thinks of Genesis as a theodicy (or a defense against the problem of evil and suffering); the grace of God; the question of humanity's goodness; how to understand the flood; the relationship between divine providence and working for moral progress; and much more.About Marilynne RobinsonMarilynne Robinson is an award-winning American novelist and essayist. Her fictional and non-fictional work includes recurring themes of Christian spirituality and American political life. In a 2008 interview with the Paris Review, Robinson said, "Religion is a framing mechanism. It is a language of orientation that presents itself as a series of questions. It talks about the arc of life and the quality of experience in ways that I've found fruitful to think about."Her novels include: Housekeeping (1980, Hemingway Foundation/Pen Award, Pulitzer Prize finalist), Gilead (2004, Pulitzer Prize), Home (2008, National Book Award Finalist), Lila (2014, National Book Award Finalist), and most recently, Jack (2020). Robinson's non-fiction works include Mother Country: Britain, the Welfare State, and Nuclear Pollution (1989), The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought (1998), Absence of Mind: The Dispelling of Inwardness from the Modern Myth of the Self (2010), When I was a Child I Read Books: Essays (2012), The Givenness of Things: Essays (2015), and What Are We Doing Here?: Essays (2018). Her latest book is Reading Genesis (2024).Marilynne Robinson received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Brown University in 1966 and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington in 1977. She has served as a writer-in-residence or visiting professor at a variety universities, included Yale Divinity School in Spring 2020. She currently teaches at the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. She has served as a deacon for the Congregational United Church of Christ. Robinson was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho and now lives in Iowa City.Show NotesGet your copy of Reading Genesis by Marilynne RobinsonMarilynne Robinson's New York Times article, “What Literature Owes the Bible” (2011)Reading Genesis as the singular ancient literature that it isThe Bible (and Genesis) as theodicyHow Calvin and Luther influenced Robinson's approach to GenesisThe benefit of reading Genesis as a wholeThe story of JosephThe fractal nature of the bibleUnsparing, honest descriptions of the characters“I think that the fact that they are recognizably flawed creatures is, what that reflects is the grace of God. He is enthralled by these people that must have been a fairly continuous disappointment, you know? We have to understand humankind better, I think, in order to understand what overplus there is in a human being that God loves them despite their being so human.”“An amazing little theater of domestic dysfunction.”Abraham and Isaac: “Poor Isaac … or he could just be a plain old disappointing child.”“The Bible is a theodicy.”God's goodness, and a defense of GodGod's value of humanity and the conservation of the human self“God stands by creation.”Humanism in Genesis“Humanity sinks so deep into evil. that they become near incarnations of evil.”Genesis 6: “Every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was Only evil and continually.”Total depravity and the bleak view of humanityNoah and the Flood“… there's a kind of a strange lawlessness of Genesis.”“When God remakes the world after Noah, after the flood, he does not change human beings. He gives them exactly the same blessings and instructions that he did originally, which is simply another statement of his very deeply tested loyalty to us as we are.”“Finding a humane way to deal with the inhumanity of human beings.”Genesis 8: “Because human beings are evil, I will never destroy them.”Grace as a condition of possibility for all lifeThe similarities between Hebrew Bible as a philosophic text, drawing influences from cultures around them“what is a greater question of theodicy than the fact that populations are wiped off the face of the earth every so often—it must have been so common in the ancient world with plagues and wars and all the rest of it.”“Every human, every thought, all the time: evil.”“Genesis is a preparation for Exodus because the solution to human wickedness, which nevertheless does not violate human nature, is law.”What is the moral purpose of humanity?The roaring cosmos and modern atheisms: Schopenhauer and Nietzsche on moral purpose is gone, humanity is just a little boat amidst a storm“The whole of human existence is like some sweet parable told in the most improbable place and circumstances.”Charles Taylor's Cosmic Connections: Poetry in the Age of DisenchantmentProvidence and moral progress“We're still terribly violent. Terribly violent people.” “And terribly blind to our violence.”Revelation and God's control of an otherwise nasty worldThe possibility of human encounterProduction NotesThis podcast featured Marilynne Robinson and Miroslav VolfEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Emily BrookfieldA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Abby Geni is the author of the novels The Wildlands and The Lightkeepers and the short story collections The Last Animal and The Body Farm. Her books have been translated into seven languages and have won the Barnes & Noble Discover Award and the Chicago Review of Books Awards, among other honors. Geni is a faculty member at StoryStudio Chicago and frequent Visiting Associate Professor of Fiction at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. We talked about emotional intelligence, teaching creative writing, science and investigation, the perfect murder (fictional that is), following a story to see where it goes, writing from a place of mystery, and moments that make you cry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices