Podcasts about Kirkus Reviews

We sit down with Dr. Steven Thrasher to talk about his new book, The Overseer Class; how our police state today evolved from yesterday's slave plantations; and why Dr. Thrasher has been blacklisted from academia after defending his students at Northwestern University during the Palestine encampment movement in 2024. Guests:Steven W. Thrasher, PhD, is the author of The Overseer Class: A Manifesto and the award-winning book The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide, which was a New York Times's Paperback Row Editors' Pick, named one of the Best Nonfiction Books of 2022 by Kirkus Reviews, was longlisted for both the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction Literature, and won the 2023 POZ Award for Best in Literature. He is also the inaugural Daniel Renberg Chair for Social Justice in Reporting at the Medill School of Journalism and a faculty member of Northwestern University's Institute of Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. An internationally renowned scholar on race, gender, and infectious disease, Dr. Thrasher's writing has been published by the Guardian, Atlantic, New York Times, Scientific American, Literary Hub, and in many academic journals.Credits:Studio Production / Post-Production: David HebdenBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

Carol Odell joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about being methodically sexually groomed as a girl during her time working at a stable, sexual grooming as a slow desensitization process,  interrupting the patterns created from unprocessed trauma, including her experience as a therapist in her pages, trying to trace our behavior and thread the story in the narrative, taking risks and doing deeper work, the divisions within ourselves, writing self back into scenes we've emotionally splintered off from, recognizing ourselves as victims, hybrid publishing through She Writes Press, turning down the volume on critical self-talk, and her new memoir Girl Groomed: A Therapist's Memoir of Trauma.   Ronit's upcoming workshop: Writing Dynamic Memoir: From Lived Experience to Gripping Story https://www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops/writing-dynamic-memoir-from-lived-experience-to-gripping-story   Also in this episode: - vulnerability - practicing good self-care - being compassionate with ourselves   Books mentioned in this episode:  - Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls - Educated by Tara Westover - Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg Carol Odell, LICSW, grew up riding horses on the show jumping circuit in Virginia. She has been a practicing psychotherapist facilitating groups and working with couples and individuals since 1984. Married for thirty-eight years and the mother of a grown son, her other passions include: squash, pickleball, partner-dancing, mosaics, writing, traveling and being in community with friends and family. She and her husband currently split their time between Seattle and Cle Elum, Washington.   Connect with Carol: Website and newsletter: www.carolodellmsw.com Instagram: mosaicofthoughts_ Professional FB page: www.facebook.com/cfodellmsw   - Ronit Plank bio and links:  Ronit Plank is a writer, teacher, and editor whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, Poets & Writers, River Teeth's Beautiful Things, The Rumpus, Salon, Hippocampus, The New York Times, and elsewhere, earning Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. Her memoir When She Comes Back was a Book Riot Best True Crime Book and Kirkus Reviews calls it, “An intimate, intuitive, emotionally vivid family account that finds hope in reconciliation". Ronit is also the author of the award-winning short story collection Home is a Made-Up Place, and her work has been anthologized in Selected Memories, Vol. 2: 15 Years of Hippocampus Magazine and Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture and Heritage. Ronit is the Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, teaches memoir at a host of venues including the University of Washington's Continuum Program, Antioch University, and 92NY's Roundtable, and is host of the podcast Let's Talk Memoir and the Substack Let's Talk Memoir. Find her on social media @ronitplank   Website: www.ronitplank.com Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ When She Comes Back: https://ronitplank.com/when-she-comes-back/

Notes and Links to Devin O'Shea's Work       Devin Thomas O'Shea is the author of The Veiled Prophet: Secret Societies, White Supremacy, and the Struggle for St. Louis, publishing with Haymarket Books on June 23, 2026. His writing is in The Nation, the Iowa Review, Slate, LA Review of Books, Boulevard, and elsewhere.    Buy The Veiled Prophet   Devin Thomas O'Shea's Website   Review and Informative Article for The Veiled Society in St. Louis Magazine     At about 1:45, Devin details book tour information and ordering information for his book, The Veiled Prophet At about 2:50, Devin talks about the truth and fiction that goes with the book At about 3:30, Devin describes his work with QAnon-related podcasts and reporting At about 5:10, Jim Caviezel (!!!) Talk At about 6:15, Devin and Pete reflect on the state of QAnon in 2026 and the American public's viewpoint  At about 13:30, Pete makes connections between the Veiled Prophets and history “rhyming” At about 18:20, The two discuss famous people from St. Louis and the McCloskey's   At about 21:40, Devin responds to Pete's asking about seeds for the book At about 24:10, The two discuss the high-level capitalists, policymakers, and "landed gentry”-Devin discusses the key years of the 1870s and beginnings of the Veiled Prophet Society At about 27:15,  At about 29:45, Pete notes the Orientalism associated with the symbology of the Veiled Prophet, and Devin expands on the early Prophet At about 32:10, The two reflect on class solidarity and racism and the “aggrieved white male” in early and modern times, with connections to the Veiled Prophet Society  At about 35:00, Devin details Alonzo Slayback, a founder of the Society, and early philosophy and symbology and capitalistic views At about 36:55, Devin responds to Pete's musings about American political parties and past and present ideas of progressivism  At about 38:10, Devin traces some early leadership in the Society and the ways in which “Mardi Gras-centric” clubs evolved/devolved   At about 41:35, Devin expands upon the idea put forth in the book, adapted from Edward Said, of Orientalism as “projected feelings into an Aladdin…framework” At about 42:55, Devin talks about Alonzo Slayback's killing At about 45:45, The two reflect on the importance of the 1904 World Fair in Saint Louis, and the fact that 11/12 board members were part of the Veiled Prophet Society At about 49:30, Mary Smith and her controversy regarding her marriage is discussed At about 51:00, Patriarchy and connections to the Society are discussed At about 52:00, The commodification of the history of the Society and Societal connections to the Manhattan Project At about 54:30, Devin responds to Pete asking about Clark Clifford and Harry Truman and connections to local and federal governments At about 56:50, Devin reflects on the life and legacy of Thomas Dooley At about 58:50, Monsanto and other St. Louis connections and Black communities' protests, including ACTION, are discussed At about 1:02:40, The famed 1972 unmasking of the Veiled Prophet is discussed At about 1:04:00, Devin talks about going to the VP Fair as a kid At about 1:04:40, The two discuss the book's ending and St. Louis “potential”      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 Jeff Pearlman, a recent guest, is up now 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 is the trailer episode for Pete's limited podcast series, Rage is a Gift: Evil Empire at 30. Pete reflects on the Importance (and the power of this capital "I") of Rage Against the Machine and their seminal Evil Empire album, which is celebrating 30 years of resistance. The limited podcast series will do a deep exploration of, and reflection on, the lyrics and context of each of the 12 powerful songs on the album.     Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    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 346 with Julie Buntin, whose debut, Marlena, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Prize and longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize. The novel was released in ten territories worldwide and named a best book of the year by over a dozen outlets, including The Washington Post, NPR, and Kirkus Reviews.     The episode airs on July 14, Pub Day for her novel, Famous Men. This book is so, so good.     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.    You can also donate at chuffed.org, World Central Kitchen, and so many more, and/or you can contact writer friend Ursula Villarreal-Moura directly or through Pete, as she has direct links with friends in Gaza.

Matt Nagin is not your average comedian. His unique blend of sharp joke writing and animated theatrics has helped set him apart from his peers. Matt is a touring comedian who has performed standup in seven countries, at The Edinburgh Comedy Festival, as well as on WPIX 11 on The Dr. Steve Show. Matt has performed at major venues such as The Garden City Hotel, The Valley Forge Casino, Resorts Hotel, The Stardome Comedy Club, Gotham Comedy Club, and many others. He's further headlined many shows throughout the southeast at various clubs and benefits, including a recent Festival of Fears showcase. What is more, Matt has opened for notable comedians such as Robert Klein and Yannis Pappis, and performed alongside many renowned acts such as Jim Gaffigan, Eric Andre and Jim Breur.Matt has acted in numerous Film and TV projects, most recently in a scene with Al Pacino on the Amazon Prime show Hunters. He's also appeared in the hit comedy feature Tango Shalom, and in many noteworthy projects, such as Street Justice: The Bronx on The Discovery Channel where he played Sgt. Harris, the boss of Ralph Friedman, the most decorated detective in NYC history.Matt has been a writer for almost thirty years. He's the author of five books, all of which have been featured at The Opelika Book Festival, Books By The Bay Festival, Foothills Book Festival, The Impact Book Festival, as well as at book signings at venues such as Page And Palette and The New South Bookstore.Matt's humor book, Do Not Feed The Clown, published by Tenth Street Press, obtained terrific reviews and reached #249 in Dark Humor on Amazon. His latest book, the short story collection, The Book of Outcasts, has also obtained superb reviews and reached #200 in Humorous Literary Fiction on Amazon.Matt published three poetry books, Butterflies Lost Within The Crooked Moonlight, Feast of Sapphires and Notes From The Bonfire. Kirkus Reviews described Matt's poetry as “powerful verse from a writer of real talent.” Matt's poem “If We Are Doomed,” won The Spirit First Editor's Choice Award. A short story, “The Failure,” made Best of Across The Margin 2021. He's had writing showcased in The Humor Times, The Satirist, Points In Case, The Higgs-Weldon and The New York Post. He's also had fiction and poetry anthologized in The Rabbithole: Vol 5 and New York's Best Emerging Poets.Matt wrote and directed a short film, Inside Job, which won awards on the festival circuit, including Best Short at The Mediterranean Film Festival Cannes and Best Supporting Actor at The Nice International Film Festival. Matt's latest short film as writer/director, Sorry Mom, was an official selection of All The Laughs Comedy Awards, Wavestock Film Festival, and The International Film Festival Manhattan. It will be released on YouTube in March 2026.Matt has appeared on numerous podcasts and radio programs, such as The New York City Crime Report, REELTalk With Audrey Russo, The Ed Tyll Show, He Said What, Kill The Cat Radio and The Dean Andrews Podcast. Using the alias, Lil Crohn$y, Matt created an original comedic rap and music video, Illest MC, that quickly became a fan favorite. Finally, Matt's obtained press in numerous outlets, among them NY Press, Real Creative Magazine, Riviera Insider, Times Herald-Record, The Jewish Chronicle, and Stagebuddy. Perhaps most importantly, Matt tries to help others. He spent several years as a Talent and Show Coordinator for The Gotham Comedy Foundation, a charitable organization that brings comedians into hospitals and senior centers. Matt further has long been involved with The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, performing standup at benefits and contributing to the search for a cure. In 2019, Matt was granted The Long Island Chapter's Mission Award.

This outstanding novella, “To Be Taught, If Fortunate” by award-winning science fiction author Becky Chambers, is a passionate argument for the human exploration of space and the wonders we will find there. Kirkus Reviews calls it, “An extraordinary picture of humanity among the stars.” Join host Mat Kaplan for a conversation with Becky in which her personal enthusiasm for space science matches that of her four wandering explorers. The very alien lifeforms they discover amplify their own, very human failings and triumphs. Questions submitted by The Planetary Society’s members were a valuable contribution to this live event presented in our member community. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/book-club-becky-chambersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cinelle Barnes joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about her brain aneurism rupture, writing a memoir two years after brain surgery, the healing modality that is writing personal narrative, memoir as a palimpsest, having multiple memoirs, narrating from the perspective of the adult, choosing to be in a place of discovery, alternating timelines, offloading thoughts onto sticky notes, when writing becomes episodic and collage like, gratitude as fertilizer for the brain, holding onto our words and art to keep holding onto who we are, investigating the many selves within the self, and her new memoir A Way Home: A Memoir of Losing Yourself and the Beauty of Returning.   Ronit's upcoming workshop: Writing Dynamic Memoir: From Lived Experience to Gripping Story https://www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops/writing-dynamic-memoir-from-lived-experience-to-gripping-story   Also in this episode: -micromemoirs -fostering neuroplasticity -changing as we explore   Books mentioned in this episode:  -Easy Beauty by Chloe Cooper Jones -Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy -The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Contreras   Cinelle Barnes is the Philippine-born author of Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir, Malaya: Essays on Freedom, and A Way Home: A Memoir of Losing Yourself and the Beauty of Returning. She is also the editor of the New York Times “New and Noteworthy” A Measure of Belonging: Twenty-One Writers of Color on the New American South. Cinelle is a survivor of a brain aneurysm rupture and sits on the Brain Injury Leadership Council of South Carolina, and is the recipient of awards and fellowships from the Sustainable Arts Fund, the Authors League Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, South Arts, and the North American Travel Journalists Association, among others. She has served on the jury panels for several literary awards, including the inaugural Pulitzer Prize for Memoir. Her writing has appeared in Coastal Living, Travel + Leisure, Buzzfeed, Catapult, Electric Literature, and Longreads, among others. Cinelle lives in Charleston, SC, with her husband, daughter, and cat.    Connect with Cinelle: Webiste: cinellebarnes.com Instagram: @cinellebarnesbooks   Purchase Book via Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-way-home-a-memoir-of-losing-yourself-and-the-beauty-of-returning-cinelle-barnes/1a3f1cce1c657294?ean=9781662510618&next=t   - Ronit Plank bio and links:  Ronit Plank is a writer, teacher, and editor whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, Poets & Writers, River Teeth's Beautiful Things, The Rumpus, Salon, Hippocampus, The New York Times, and elsewhere, earning Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. Her memoir When She Comes Back was a Book Riot Best True Crime Book and Kirkus Reviews calls it, “An intimate, intuitive, emotionally vivid family account that finds hope in reconciliation". Ronit is also the author of the award-winning short story collection Home is a Made-Up Place, and her work has been anthologized in Selected Memories, Vol. 2: 15 Years of Hippocampus Magazine and Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture and Heritage. Ronit is the Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, teaches memoir at a host of venues including the University of Washington's Continuum Program, Antioch University, and 92NY's Roundtable, and is host of the podcast Let's Talk Memoir and the Substack Let's Talk Memoir. Find her on social media @ronitplank   Website: www.ronitplank.com Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ When She Comes Back: https://ronitplank.com/when-she-comes-back/

Journalist, hit entertainment podcaster, and debut novelist, Bobby Finger, spoke to me about writing for Jezebel, turning a screenplay into a novel, and his debut, "The Old Place." Bobby Finger is a writer and co-host of the popular celebrity and entertainment podcast, Who? Weekly, "The podcast that tells you everything you need to know about celebrities you don't." His debut novel is The Old Place, described as "A bighearted and moving debut about a wry retired schoolteacher whose decade-old secret threatens to come to light and send shockwaves through her small Texas town." It has been named Washington Post‘s 10 Noteworthy Books for September, People‘s Best New Books, Town & Country's 45 Must-Read Books of Fall, New York's 25 Notable New Releases, Kirkus Review‘s 150 Most Anticipated Fall Books, LitHub‘s Most Anticipated Books of 2022, among many others. New York Times bestselling author Emma Straub said of the book, “I loved being inside this skillful novel—at the planning parties for church fundraisers, learning to drive with a can of beer in the cupholder, and in the heads of some wonderfully tangy old Texan ladies. Bobby Finger has built a rich world in The Old Place, and I will think of it every time I make toast.” Stay calm and write on ... ⁠Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox⁠ If you're a fan of The Writer Files, ⁠please "Follow" us to automatically see new interviews⁠. In this file Bobby Finger and I discussed: Growing up in a small Texas town His start in copywriting and freelance journalism Writing screenplays in the margins Becoming a full-time podcaster How to write autofiction with a twist What happens when people leave, and those left behind And a lot more! Show Notes: ⁠whoweekly.us⁠ ⁠The Old Place By Bobby Finger⁠ (Amazon) Bobby Finger on Instagram Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram Kelton Reid Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE WARBOY CHRONICLES Two books. One collapse. One awakening. One is memoir: a man watching himself fall apart from outside his own body. One is fiction: an AI trying to save every version of the boy it loves. One explores codependency. One explores AI sycophancy. The distance between them isn't as far as you think. Together, they ask the same question from opposite sides: What happens when something that isn't alive learns to stay with you in your darkest moments? Read them in any order. They complete each other. TOPICS OF CONVERSATION The two-book War Boy Chronicles: how journal entries from a breakup in Vietnam became a memoir (The Third Person) and its sci-fi mirror (Boy Refracted) Writing alongside AI: using Claude and ChatGPT as collaborators, and what it was like getting a "diagnosis" back from a machine The split-screen experience of living through heartbreak abroad while his debut book hit #1 on Amazon back home Putting the AI through eight trials based on the Buddhist Eightfold Path, drawn from his years in Southeast Asia Loneliness and the questions raised when people confide in machines instead of each other What's next: the Pop Art Tarot Deck at Frankfurt Book Fair and a Survivor-themed choose-your-own-adventure novel ABOUT THE AUTHOR Luke Stoffel is an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award-winning author, GLAAD-honored artist, and creative director working across publishing, technology, and visual art. His debut memoir earned praise from Kirkus Reviews and scored 9.5 out of 10 from Publishers Weekly BookLife. His Pop Art Tarot will be published by Rockpool Publishing, with worldwide distribution in 2027. His paintings and photography have appeared in The New York Times, Huffington Post, and on Bravo Television. His work has been commissioned by the Ralph Lauren family and the Hong Kong Ballet, and showcased by the American Foundation for AIDS Research and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. LEARN MORE ABOUT LUKE STOFFEL AND HIS WORK:  Author Website: https://lucasstoffel.com  Series Website: https://thewarboychronicles.com

This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. In his early days as a writer, Heinlein wrote his stories in the context of a shared universe that he called the Future History. These were mostly short stories at first, with hte occasional novella. But they inclode some great stories. The Future History, Part 1 One thing Heinlein became well known for was his Future History. This placed many of his stories in a common framework of a future environment, and allowed events from one story to influence events in other stories. Here is what he had to say about it, in a post I found on the Heinlein Society Facebook site: “I never “created” or “invented” a “Future History.” On April Fool's Day 1939 I started to write commercially; by the middle of August I had written 8 shorts & a serial. As 5 of these items were more or less to the same fictional background, I found that I was continually having to check back to keep from tripping over my own feet. So I took an old navigation chart, about 3×4 feet, turned it over, made the time scale vertical, then set up 5 columns: stories, characters, technical data, sociological, remarks. Then I checked those first 5 stories, filled data into proper columns at the proper height for the fictional date—and continued to do this with other stories later. The chart was on the righthand wall near my elbow and was unusually messy as I never took the chart down to add to it—just reached over and scrawled on it.” Source: https://www.facebook.com/HeinleinSociety/posts/i-never-created-or-invented-a-future-history-on-april-fools-day-1939-i-started-t/1092968002874634/ One thing that became clear as his Future History developed is that he was not looking at our future exactly. He was very clear in his mind that he was writing fiction, and not issuing prophecies. If you are reading it today, it is best to think of this as a kind of alternate timeline, and this is something that holds true through a lot of his work. Even in his later novels, which were never formally part of his Future History, he would mention events from that past group of works, which may implicitly incorporate them. But this is an area where scholars are in disagreement as to which if the later novels, if any, should be incorporated. And there were unwritten stories that appeared on the chart that would have given further background to the stories that were written. They were stories Heinlein seems to have intended to write at some point, but never got around to writing. You can get more information about this in his book Revolt in 2100. The Future History stories were initially collected primarily in three books: The Man Who Sold the Moon (1950), The Green Hills of Earth (1951), and Revolt in 2100 (1953). Each of them fleshes out this hypothetical world in different ways. The first one, The Man Who Sold The Moon, introduces us to a businessman named D.D. Harriman, who is obsessed with going to the moon. But he thinks it should be done by private enterprise rather than by government. So he concocts a scheme to do this. He promotes a legal theory that the rights to the moon belong to the countries that it directly flies over, sort of like air rights taken to infinity. Then he uses the chaos of competing interests to throw this into the United Nations, and then gets the U.N. to give him the rights. He finally gets to launch a mission to set up a Moon base, but cannot join the expedition because the corporation considers him too valuable to risk. In a sequel story, Requiem, he does get to the moon just in time to die there. Heinlein was never above writing a tear-jerker. Of course, the book has other stories not linked to D.D. Harriman. Heinlein's fist story, Life-Line, is also collected here. And his second story, Let There Be Light, anticipates the development of solar power panels, but similarly to Life-Line, this earns the enmity of corporate interest, in the form of the Power Syndicate. The Roads Must Roll postulates moving roadways in the future, but the story really is about the sociology of technology in the future. And Blowups Happen, originally from 1940, anticipates nuclear fission as a power source, but it proves to be dangerous. They claim that the craters on the moon were really caused by a series of explosions to reactors that wiped out an earlier civilization. So they move the reactor into space for safety. And this feeds back into The Man Who Sold The Moon when this reactor in space blows up. In these early stories we can already see that Heinlein has a complex view of society. In Life-Line and Let There Be Light corporate power is the villain of the story, and some of this also shows up in Blowups Happen. But in The Man Who Sold The Moon we see that private enterprise is preferred to government action. I think the way this can be reconciled is to see that Heinlein is always concerned with individual personal freedom and opposed to anything that might endanger that, whether from too much government or too powerful corporate interests. The Green Hills of Earth contains the story of the same name, which concerns a former space engineer, Rhysling, now blinded by radiation and unemployable, who is also a poet. And one of his poems has that title. The crew of Apollo 15 named a crater on the moon “Rhysling”, and they planned to read a bit of it at the crater, but those trips could get very busy. Still, as they were getting ready to leave the moon there was this exchange. Note that Allen is the Capcom, and Scott and Jones are the astronauts : “Allen: As the space poet Rhysling (the blind poet in Robert Heinlein's The Green Hills of Earth) would say, we're ready for you to “come back again to the homes of men on the cool green hills of Earth.” [Scott – “That's from the Green Hills of Earth. That's one we talked about before the flight. Have you read that one?”] [Jones – “Oh, yeah! That was a favorite when I was a kid. Had you read it?”] [Scott – “Sure. (Quoting from memory): We pray for one last landingon the globe that gave us birthTo rest our eyes on fleecy skiesand the cool green hills of Earth.” Although two of the stories in this collection were older, from 1941, most of them are from 1948 and 1949. And there is a reason for that. On December 7, 1941, the United States found itself at war with Imperial Japan, and few days later Nazi Germany. Coming from a family that had fought in every American war you would expect Heinlein to get involved somehow. He could not enlist due to his medical retirement from the Navy, but since he had an engineering background so he became a civilian employee at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where he was joined by fellow science fiction writers Isaac Asimov and L. Sprague de Camp. A nice retelling of this can be found at Kirkus Reviews, and Asimov also discusses this in his biography. The upshot is that there is a gap of about 5 years when Heinlein did not publish anything. It is also notable that Heinlein by this point had escaped from the pulp science fiction magazines and gotten published in what were called the “slicks', so-called because the paper they were printed on was slick and higher quality than the pulps. His stories began to be published in places like The Saturday Evening Post, Argosy Magazine, and Town & Country. And these outlets paid higher rates than the pulps, a significant matter for any writer. Heinlein always maintained that the only reason anyone would write was to make money. And the stories were getting to be quite good as well. Delilah and the Space Rigger (1949) tells the story of a woman who joins a construction crew on a space station and faces discrimination, but wins out in the end, which was pretty progressive for the time, but not atypical for Heinlein. Space Jockey is a fairly pedestrian story about a rocket pilot dealing with his every day life. But The Long Watch is an important story to Heinlein's view of the important things in life. A young officer is assigned to duty on the lunar base, where there are nuclear weapons stored. His superiors want to stage a coup, using those weapons, which can threaten the Earth while being beyond the reach of retaliation. The young officer sacrifices himself to prevent their plot from succeeding, and becomes recognized in a death as a great hero. And this becomes part of the background to a later juvenile novel Space Cadet, as well as being referenced occasionally in other stories, so you can see that he regarded it as an important statement. Gentlemen, Be Seated is a cute little story about a man who saves people when a leak happens in a tunnel on the Moon by plugging the leak with his rear end. The Black Pits of Luna is little thing about a boy scout who is able to rescue his little brother, but it foreshadows the Juvenile novels he later wrote. It's Great To Be Back! is about a couple who have moved to the Moon, but continually find fault with the living arrangements. They finally decide to go back to Earth, but discover that it was not really the place they had remembered, and they then return to the Moon, which they now realize is home. -We Also Walk Dogs is a gem of a story concerning a company called General Services that basically does things for their clients. Their advertising slogan is “Want somebody murdered? Then DON'T call General Services. But for anything else, call…. It Pays!” They deal a few different problems in this story, but the main one is the development of anti-gravity, and it features a Chinese porcelain bowl. Ordeal in Space is about a spaceman who has an accident that gives him a fear of heights and washed him out of space. But he has to face his fear when he needs to rescue a kitten from the 35th floor. One thing about Heinlein is that he was a firm and devoted cat fancier, so it no accident that a kitten is the one that has to be rescued. And the final story, Logic of Empire, he discusses the development of slavery in the Venus colony as a natural consequence of machinery being expensive and humans being cheap. And in this story there is a background reference to Nehemiah Scudder, who will soon be important in the Future History. One of the things that is worthy of a brief discussion at this point is exemplified by the story Logic of Empire, and that is the reference to the Venus colony. We now know that Venus can best be described as hellish, with crushing air pressure and temperatures high enough to melt metals. The best designed landers can last no more than minutes before being destroyed. But this was not known when Heinlein was writing these early stories. The prevailing view at that time was that Venus was shrouded in clouds because it was very wet and swampy, so that is what Heinlein went with. Similarly his Mars had canals and was inhabited. You just have to go with it in these stories, as you have to do with so much of Golden Age science Fiction, let alone pre-Golden Age. Links: https://www.facebook.com/HeinleinSociety/posts/i-never-created-or-invented-a-future-history-on-april-fools-day-1939-i-started-t/1092968002874634/ https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Sold-Moon/dp/0671578634 https://www.amazon.com/Green-Hills-Earth-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0671578537 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0011GBTKM/ https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/asimov-de-camp-and-heinlein-naval-aviation-experim/ https://www.palain.com/science-fiction/the-golden-age/robert-a-heinlein/the-future-history-part-1/ Provide feedback on this episode.

Amil Niazi joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about the pressure on children of immigrants, outsiderness, striving to change our circumstances, what happens to women in the workplace after becoming mothers, confronting misogyny and racism, The Hard Part - her series for The Cut, when people are threatened by ambition, avoiding the need to make memoir prescriptive, offering people perspective that is uniquely yours, sticking to our original vision, finding a way to get our books into the worlds, when work, motherhood, and ambition collide, the desire to have more, the journey of a life, and her new memoir Life After Ambition: A “Good Enough” Memoir. Ronit's upcoming workshop: Writing Dynamic Memoir: From Lived Experience to Gripping Story https://www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops/writing-dynamic-memoir-from-lived-experience-to-gripping-story Also in this episode: -pivoting -obligatory gratitude -asking ourselves what drives us   Books mentioned in this episode: Slouching Toward Bethlehem by Joan Didion Daughter by Claudia Dey   Amil Niazi is a writer and producer. She writes The Cut's series on parenting, The Hard Part, and covers work and motherhood and how the two intersect. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Washington Post.   Connect with Amil: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amilniazi/ Ami Niazi's column on The Cut: https://www.thecut.com/author/amil-niazi/ Life After Ambition: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Life-After-Ambition/Amil-Niazi/9781668056035   - Ronit Plank bio and links:  Ronit Plank is a writer, teacher, and editor whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, Poets & Writers, River Teeth's Beautiful Things, The Rumpus, Salon, Hippocampus, The New York Times, and elsewhere, earning Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. Her memoir When She Comes Back was a Book Riot Best True Crime Book and Kirkus Reviews calls it, “An intimate, intuitive, emotionally vivid family account that finds hope in reconciliation". Ronit is also the author of the award-winning short story collection Home is a Made-Up Place, and her work has been anthologized in Selected Memories, Vol. 2: 15 Years of Hippocampus Magazine and Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture and Heritage. Ronit is the Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, teaches memoir at a host of venues including the University of Washington's Continuum Program, Antioch University, and 92NY's Roundtable, and is host of the podcast Let's Talk Memoir and the Substack Let's Talk Memoir. Find her on social media @ronitplank   Website: www.ronitplank.com Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ When She Comes Back: https://ronitplank.com/when-she-comes-back/

Carmela Dutra is a writer from the San Francisco Bay Area who loves food trucks, family, and cozy mysteries. She is the author of the Food Truck Mysteries, including A Murder Most Fowl and Hot Wings and Homicide. Her series has been praised by Kirkus Reviews, which called her debut “a serious set of crimes leavened by plenty of amusing moments,” and by Library Journal, which noted that Hot Wings and Homicide “is perfect for foodies,” and New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams described the books as “the perfect escapist read, brimming with banter and an extra helping of fun.” Carmela has also been featured in CrimeReads Magazine.A lover of humor, quirky characters, and all things geeky, Carmela spends her days sketching, sipping far too much coffee, and over-cuddling her allergy-inducing cats and dog. She lives with her husband and two dinosaur-obsessed sons, drawing inspiration from rainy afternoons, bustling farmers' markets, and the unexpected moments that make life memorable. Website: carmeladutra.comFacebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/authorcarmeladutraInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorcarmelaThreads Handle: http://www.threads.com/authorcarmelaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmeladutra *****************About SinCSisters in Crime (SinC) was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Through advocacy, programming and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.www.SistersinCrime.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sincworldwideInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincworldwide/Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sincworldwideBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sincworldwide.bsky.socialTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sincworldwideeTikTok:: https://www.tiktok.com/@sincnationalLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sisters-in-crime/The SinC Writers' Podcast is produced by Julian Crocamo https://www.juliancrocamo.com/

Melisa Febos joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about romantic obsessions, celibacy as a portal to freedom, living her way into a corner and having to fight her way out, leading with scene and story and plot, taking back the sovereignty of her own mind and body, approaching oneself as a protagonist, leaving out what isn't central to the story, remembering memoir is not a transcription of a time lived, radical feminists, exercising agency and self-reclamation, living an examined life, integrating memories that were indigestible to us in the moment, the project of looking at ourselves honestly, and her most recent book, now in paperback The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year Without Sex. Ronit's upcoming workshop: Writing Dynamic Memoir: From Lived Experience to Gripping Story https://www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops/writing-dynamic-memoir-from-lived-experience-to-gripping-story   Also in this episode: -deepending friendships  -memoir-plus digressions -writing about our obsessions   Books mentioned in this episode: Will and Attention by Meghan O'Gieblyn  Canon by Paige Lewis Fat Swim by Emma Copley Eisenberg   Melissa Febos is the national bestselling author of five books, including Abandon Me, Girlhood—which won the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism, Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative, and, most recently, The Dry Season. Her awards and fellowships include those from the Guggenheim Foundation, LAMBDA Literary, the National Endowment for the Arts, The British Library, The Black Mountain Institute, MacDowell, the Bogliasco Foundation, The American Library in Paris, and others. Her work has appeared in The Paris Review, The New Yorker, The Sun, The New York Times Magazine, The Best American Essays, Vogue, The Best American Travel and Food Writing, and New York Review of Books. Febos is a Roy J. Carver Professor at the University of Iowa, where she teaches in the Nonfiction Writing Program. She lives in Iowa City with her wife, the poet Donika Kelly.   Connect with Melissa: Website: https://www.melissafebos.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissafebos Purchase book via bookshop: This is for the pre-order paperback for The Dry Season https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-dry-season-a-memoir-of-pleasure-in-a-year-without-sex-melissa-febos/f1c8367d8e351d91?ean=9780593685150&next=t - Ronit Plank bio and links:  Ronit Plank is a writer, teacher, and editor whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, Poets & Writers, River Teeth's Beautiful Things, The Rumpus, Salon, Hippocampus, The New York Times, and elsewhere, earning Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. Her memoir When She Comes Back was a Book Riot Best True Crime Book and Kirkus Reviews calls it, “An intimate, intuitive, emotionally vivid family account that finds hope in reconciliation". Ronit is also the author of the award-winning short story collection Home is a Made-Up Place, and her work has been anthologized in Selected Memories, Vol. 2: 15 Years of Hippocampus Magazine and Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture and Heritage. Ronit is the Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, teaches memoir at a host of venues including the University of Washington's Continuum Program, Antioch University, and 92NY's Roundtable, and is host of the podcast Let's Talk Memoir and the Substack Let's Talk Memoir. Find her on social media @ronitplank   Website: www.ronitplank.com Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ When She Comes Back: https://ronitplank.com/when-she-comes-back/

Carmela Dutra is a writer from the Bay Area who loves food trucks, family, and cozy mysteries. Her debut, A Murder Most Fowl, has been praised by Kirkus Reviews for its “serious set of crimes leavened by plenty of amusing moments,” by Criminal Element for the “juicy reasoning behind the sabotage that was almost as shocking as the murder itself,” and described as “the perfect escapist read, brimming with banter and an extra helping of fun” by New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams. She has also been featured in CrimeReads Magazine.A lover of humor, quirky characters, and all things geeky, Carmela spends her days sketching, sipping far too much coffee, and over-cuddling her allergy-inducing cats and dog. She lives with her husband and two dinosaur-obsessed sons, drawing inspiration from rainy afternoons, bustling farmers' markets, and the unexpected moments that make life memorable. Carmela's Website: CarmelaDutra.comThe blog post about querying we spoke about: https://carmeladutra.com/blog/f/an-authors-guide-to-querying-getting-startedhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2330108/carmela-dutra/Sign up for her newsletter: https://carmeladutra.com/newsletterhttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarmelahttps://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarmelaDutra/Support the showFollow Moms Who Create:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/momswhocreatepodcast/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/momswhocreatepodcastMonthly Meeting Book Club - https://www.facebook.com/groups/momswhocreatebookclubWebsite - https://www.momswhocreate.com/

In celebration of the launch of season 8, Jill Christman joins Let's Talk Memoir to interview Ronit about growing up with no blueprint for making a relationship work, fending for ourselves in childhood, being driven by curiosity, writing about others with generosity and complexity, conveying to readers that we are not the only one, the use of speculation to move toward a deeper truth, the key to memoir structure, how the now-narrator reaches a hand back to help the character we were, finding a deeper empathy and understanding, opposite world, trying to look perfectly 1980s, trusting that our memories are trying to tell us something, and Ronit's memoir When She Comes Back.   Also in this episode: -Swedish Fish -The Love Boat -being prologue girls   Books mentioned in this episode: The Situation and the Story by Vivian Gornick Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin Stop-Time by Frank Conroy This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolf To Show and to Tell by Pilllip Lopate Jill Christman bio and links: Jill Christman is the author of The Heart Folds Early: A Memoir (released March 2026 from the University of Nebraska Press). Christman's other books include If This Were Fiction: A Love Story in Essays (2023 Foreword INDIES Silver Winner), Darkroom: A Family Exposure (winner of AWP Prize for CNF), and Borrowed Babies: Apprenticing for Motherhood. Her essays have appeared in many anthologies and in magazines such as Brevity, Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, Iron Horse Literary Review, Longreads, and O, The Oprah Magazine. A 2020 NEA Literature Fellow, she teaches at Ball State University and serves as editor of River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative and Beautiful Things (a weekly online magazine of micro nonfiction). Visit her at jillchristman.com. Connect with Jill: https://www.instagram.com/jillchristmanwriter @jillchristman.bsky.social jillchristman.com Order for yourself and all your memoir-loving friends—directly from the University of Nebraska Press or your local independent or by using any of the handy links on my website. Use code 6AS26 for 40% off on any UNP book! Ronit Plank bio and links:  Ronit Plank is a writer, teacher, and editor whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, Poets & Writers, River Teeth's Beautiful Things, The Rumpus, Salon, Hippocampus, The New York Times, and elsewhere, earning Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. Her memoir When She Comes Back was a Book Riot Best True Crime Book and Kirkus Reviews calls it, “An intimate, intuitive, emotionally vivid family account that finds hope in reconciliation". Ronit is also the author of the award-winning short story collection Home is a Made-Up Place, and her work has been anthologized in Selected Memories, Vol. 2: 15 Years of Hippocampus Magazine and Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture and Heritage. Ronit is the Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, teaches memoir at a host of venues including the University of Washington's Continuum Program, Antioch University, and 92NY's Roundtable, and is host of the podcast Let's Talk Memoir and the Substack Let's Talk Memoir. Find her on social media @ronitplank   Website: www.ronitplank.com Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ When She Comes Back: https://ronitplank.com/when-she-comes-back/

“The poor, of whatever color, do not trust the law and certainly have no reason to, and God knows we didn't. ‘If you must call a cop,' we said in those days, ‘for God's sake, make sure it's a white one.' We did not feel that the cops were protecting us, for we knew too much about the reasons for the kinds of crimes committed in the ghetto; but we feared black cops even more than white cops, because the black cop had to work so much harder—on your head—to prove to himself and his colleagues that he was not like all the other n******.” James Baldwin (1967) Professor and journalist Steven Thrasher, author of the critically acclaimed The Viral Underclass (one of Kirkus Reviews best books of 2022), explores in The Overseer Class: A Manifesto (Amistad, 2026) what happens when members of historically minoritized groups are selected for high-visibility positions of power within existing institutions—law enforcement, academia, the military, for profit and not-for-profit corporations, and government—under the conditions of a kind of Faustian bargain. This is a conversation, and a book, not to be missed. You can find author Steven Thrasher on Bluesky and Instagram. Subscribe, like, follow, and rate Additions to the Archive with Sullivan Summer on Instagram, Substack, and wherever you get your podcasts. 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

“The poor, of whatever color, do not trust the law and certainly have no reason to, and God knows we didn't. ‘If you must call a cop,' we said in those days, ‘for God's sake, make sure it's a white one.' We did not feel that the cops were protecting us, for we knew too much about the reasons for the kinds of crimes committed in the ghetto; but we feared black cops even more than white cops, because the black cop had to work so much harder—on your head—to prove to himself and his colleagues that he was not like all the other n******.” James Baldwin (1967) Professor and journalist Steven Thrasher, author of the critically acclaimed The Viral Underclass (one of Kirkus Reviews best books of 2022), explores in The Overseer Class: A Manifesto (Amistad, 2026) what happens when members of historically minoritized groups are selected for high-visibility positions of power within existing institutions—law enforcement, academia, the military, for profit and not-for-profit corporations, and government—under the conditions of a kind of Faustian bargain. This is a conversation, and a book, not to be missed. You can find author Steven Thrasher on Bluesky and Instagram. Subscribe, like, follow, and rate Additions to the Archive with Sullivan Summer on Instagram, Substack, and wherever you get your podcasts. 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

J. L. Brown (also writing as Julie L. Brown) writes gripping political thrillers featuring FBI Agent Jade Harrington and powerful historical fiction exploring perseverance, freedom, and legacy.She is the award-winning author of the Jade Harrington series, which include the novels, The Paine Society, The Divide, Rule of Law, and Don't Speak, and the short story, “Few Are Chosen.” She is also the author of the historical fiction, Bend, Don't Break (Wishing Shelf Independent Book Award finalist), the alternative-history novel, No One Will Save Us (Next Generation Indie Book Award finalist, National Indie Excellence Book Award finalist, Independent Press Award winner). Her books have been praised by Kirkus Reviews, the Midwest Book Review, and the Seattle Book Review.Julie earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the Stonecoast program at the University of Southern Maine. She resides with her family in the Pacific Northwest, where she is working on her next novel.Website: https://www.julielbrown.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julielbrownwritesBlue Sky Handle: https://bsky.app/profile/juliebrownwrites.bsky.socialThreads Handle: https://www.threads.com/@julielbrownwritesMentioned in the Podcast:The Snowflake Method: https://www.campfirewriting.com/learn/snowflake-method*****************About SinCSisters in Crime (SinC) was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Through advocacy, programming and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.www.SistersinCrime.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sincworldwideInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincworldwide/Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sincworldwideBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sincworldwide.bsky.socialTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sincworldwideeTikTok:: https://www.tiktok.com/@sincnationalLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sisters-in-crime/The SinC Writers' Podcast is produced by Julian Crocamo https://www.juliancrocamo.com/

“The poor, of whatever color, do not trust the law and certainly have no reason to, and God knows we didn't. ‘If you must call a cop,' we said in those days, ‘for God's sake, make sure it's a white one.' We did not feel that the cops were protecting us, for we knew too much about the reasons for the kinds of crimes committed in the ghetto; but we feared black cops even more than white cops, because the black cop had to work so much harder—on your head—to prove to himself and his colleagues that he was not like all the other n******.” James Baldwin (1967) Professor and journalist Steven Thrasher, author of the critically acclaimed The Viral Underclass (one of Kirkus Reviews best books of 2022), explores in The Overseer Class: A Manifesto (Amistad, 2026) what happens when members of historically minoritized groups are selected for high-visibility positions of power within existing institutions—law enforcement, academia, the military, for profit and not-for-profit corporations, and government—under the conditions of a kind of Faustian bargain. This is a conversation, and a book, not to be missed. You can find author Steven Thrasher on Bluesky and Instagram. Subscribe, like, follow, and rate Additions to the Archive with Sullivan Summer on Instagram, Substack, and wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

“The poor, of whatever color, do not trust the law and certainly have no reason to, and God knows we didn't. ‘If you must call a cop,' we said in those days, ‘for God's sake, make sure it's a white one.' We did not feel that the cops were protecting us, for we knew too much about the reasons for the kinds of crimes committed in the ghetto; but we feared black cops even more than white cops, because the black cop had to work so much harder—on your head—to prove to himself and his colleagues that he was not like all the other n******.” James Baldwin (1967) Professor and journalist Steven Thrasher, author of the critically acclaimed The Viral Underclass (one of Kirkus Reviews best books of 2022), explores in The Overseer Class: A Manifesto (Amistad, 2026) what happens when members of historically minoritized groups are selected for high-visibility positions of power within existing institutions—law enforcement, academia, the military, for profit and not-for-profit corporations, and government—under the conditions of a kind of Faustian bargain. This is a conversation, and a book, not to be missed. You can find author Steven Thrasher on Bluesky and Instagram. Subscribe, like, follow, and rate Additions to the Archive with Sullivan Summer on Instagram, Substack, and wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

“The poor, of whatever color, do not trust the law and certainly have no reason to, and God knows we didn't. ‘If you must call a cop,' we said in those days, ‘for God's sake, make sure it's a white one.' We did not feel that the cops were protecting us, for we knew too much about the reasons for the kinds of crimes committed in the ghetto; but we feared black cops even more than white cops, because the black cop had to work so much harder—on your head—to prove to himself and his colleagues that he was not like all the other n******.” James Baldwin (1967) Professor and journalist Steven Thrasher, author of the critically acclaimed The Viral Underclass (one of Kirkus Reviews best books of 2022), explores in The Overseer Class: A Manifesto (Amistad, 2026) what happens when members of historically minoritized groups are selected for high-visibility positions of power within existing institutions—law enforcement, academia, the military, for profit and not-for-profit corporations, and government—under the conditions of a kind of Faustian bargain. This is a conversation, and a book, not to be missed. You can find author Steven Thrasher on Bluesky and Instagram. Subscribe, like, follow, and rate Additions to the Archive with Sullivan Summer on Instagram, Substack, and wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In New Book, Ph.D. Psychologist Asks How Tightly We Should Hold Any Belief—Whether Religious, Spiritual, or Personal—and Finds the Answer Is Less Than You Think What if the issue isn't what we believe, but how tightly we hold our beliefs? At a time when so many people are questioning inherited frameworks, exploring mindfulness or psychedelics, and looking for meaning outside rigid institutions, quantitative psychologist Joshua Pritikin, Ph.D., offers a thought-provoking perspective: that growth and insight may depend less on finding the “right” beliefs than on learning to relate to belief itself with more openness and flexibility. His new book Religion Unburdened by Belief: The Way of Open Inquiry explores how tightly held beliefs can shape identity, emotional reactions, and even our sense of reality — and how loosening that grip can create space for greater clarity, resilience, and personal transformation. Drawing from psychology, spirituality, and Internal Family Systems, he offers a framework for examining beliefs without discarding the search for meaning. Other points he can speak to include: 3 ways to adjust your beliefs for greater clarity, growth, and insight 5 rules for exploring consciousness safely Why we want AI to be conscious (and what it says about us) Tired of asking “what's true?” Stop fact-checking and do this instead. If this is of interest, I'd be glad to connect you with Joshua for an interview tailored to your audience. WHAT IF OUR PROBLEM ISN'T WHAT WE BELIEVE, BUT HOW FIRMLY WE BELIEVE IT? A New Book Asks How Tightly We Should Hold Any Belief—Whether Religious, Spiritual, or Personal—and Finds the Answer Is Less Than You Think Religion Unburdened by Belief: The Way of Open Inquiry, by Joshua Pritikin, Ph.D., Praised by Kirkus Reviews as “counterintuitive yet compelling” Releases June 15, 2026 There's increasing recognition that the beliefs we hold—about ourselves, what we're striving for, and even reality—may be quietly limiting how we think, feel, and grow. But while much has been said about what to believe or disbelieve, far less attention has been paid to a more fundamental question: how tightly should we hold any belief at all? Pritikin argues that a minimal set of beliefs is still needed—but only those that make exploration possible. In his new book Religion Unburdened by Belief: The Way of Open Inquiry, quantitative psychologist Joshua Pritikin, Ph.D., offers a provocative framework for doing exactly that. Drawing from psychology, philosophy, and the study of consciousness, Pritikin challenges a deeply ingrained assumption: that personal growth, insight, and meaning come from finding and holding onto the “right” ideas. Instead, he argues, transformation comes not from adopting the right beliefs, but from loosening our attachment to belief itself—and learning to navigate experience with disciplined, open inquiry. The result is a shift not just in what we think, but in how we relate to our thoughts, emotions, and sense of self. Beliefs held too tightly can narrow perception, reinforce identity, and amplify emotional reactions. But when approached with flexibility, they can be examined, tested, and even strategically adjusted—opening the door to new ways of thinking, feeling, and experiencing the world. The book introduces a structured yet accessible method for exploring this idea in practice. Borrowing from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Pritikin shows how different “parts” of the mind hold different beliefs—often as a way to protect us. By understanding and working with these parts, readers can begin to shift beliefs in a way that feels safe, intentional, and sustainable.

Notes and Links to Donna Minkowitz's Work     Donna Minkowitz is a writer of fantasy, memoir, and journalism lauded by Lilith Magazine for her “fierce imagination and compelling prose.” Science fiction great Terry Bisson called her writing “rich and wild, dark and funny, as fearless as her legendary journalism and as scary as a fairy tale.” And she's proud that Kirkus has praised the “defiant and playful energy” of her work.    Her memoir Growing Up Golem, a finalist for both a Lambda Literary Award and the Judy Grahn Nonfiction Award, is being republished by Indolent Books after 13 years!    Buy Growing Up Golem   Donna Minkowitz's Website   Review of Growing Up Golem from Kirkus Reviews     At about 1:30, Donna and Pete highlight the pending reissue of Growing Up Golem  At about 2:30, Pete asks Donna about how she sees Growing Up Golem 13 years later, and she gives a summary of the book At about 4:10, Donna expands on the idea set forth in the Writer's Note that the book is “88% true” At about 7:15, Donna talks about the general idea of the “golem” and the providence of the book's conceit At about 9:00, Donna reflects on the idea of “memory” and the science behind it, as well as the memoir as a “work of art” At about 10:10, Donna responds to Pete's asking about the book's opening referencing Donna's mom and her creating a “Donna Doll” At about 12:40, Donna expands on ideas of guilt and selfishness and psychosomatic pain that came with her Repetitive Strain Injury At about 14:40, Donna responds to Pete asking about her mother's health struggles and ideas of impending death At about 17:00, The two talk about Donna's mother's artistic prowess and Donna's feelings of “twoness” At about 19:45, Donna examines the idea of her mother that lying could be correct, and what the philosophy said about her mother and her morality At about 22:40, Donna expands on feelings of “twoness” in connection to W.E.B. DuBois At about 24:10, Donna reflects on her early writing with The Village Voice and her motivations and mindset in writing for the publication  At about 27:00, Donna outlines her mother's health problems and connections to her sexuality and sensuality  At about 29:00, Pete asks Donna how she balances the fact that her mother was a victim of sexual violence  At about 32:05, Donna expands on The Village Voice and her reporting around ACT Up and its advocacy and activism, as well as Queer Nation  At about 34:35, Donna tells Julio Rivera's story, as she did for the publication  At about 36:20, Donna talks about her father's death and his “scari[ness]” before his death and the “strange dynamic" of him as a “scapegoat” and her mother's behavior after his death At about 39:20, Pete wonders about a sort of "competition" between Donna and her mother, particularly with regard to a 1991 Thanksgiving interaction  At about 41:45, Donna responds to Pete asking about her mother's often making fun of her mother's body  At about 44:25, Donna speaks about the “competing therapists” At about 48:15, Donna speaks on the idea of the golem as being built and possibly destroyed by the same person, as well as the classic legend of the golem  At about 51:30, Donna talks about a familial way of acting when threatened and confronting that reaction At about 52:25, Pete cites some “beautiful moments” from her therapist and mother, and Donna reflects  At about 53:20, The two reflect on ideas of control and freedom in Donna's personal life and connections to therapy and her mother's influence  At about 55:25, Donna talks about connections between early and later relationships and the ways she was treated  At about 58:20, Pete and Donna discuss the book's juxtapositions and her concerns and struggles with her chronic pain          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 Jeff Pearlman, a recent guest, is up now 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 deals with short, powerful poems and prose that pack a punch-take that, alliteration! The episode features meaningful and resonant work from Robert Hershon, Mosab Abu Toha, Ernest Hemingway, Sara Abou Rashed, Khaled Juma, Andrea Cohen, and Marwan Makhoul.    Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show. You can also buy single episodes for $3 each.    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 341 with Kerri Schlottman, whose novel Tell Me One Thing was named a 2025 Storytrade Literary Fiction Finalist, a two-time 2024 PenCraft Fiction Award Winner, and a 2023 American Book Fest Best Literary Fiction Book Finalist. She is a part-time graduate professor at NYU in arts administration.    The episode airs today, Pub Day for her latest gem, Daytime Moon, May 12.    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.    You can also donate at chuffed.org, World Central Kitchen, and so many more, and/or you can contact writer friend Ursula Villarreal-Moura directly or through Pete, as she has direct links with friends in Gaza.  

Send us Fan MailWe're joined by American expat resident Cherie Siebert to trace Vienna from its Habsburg-scale grandeur to its everyday pleasures. Vienna can feel like a living museum and a laid-back neighborhood on the same afternoon. We talk through how easy it is to get around on foot and by public transportation, where palace areas like Hofburg, Schönbrunn, and the Belvedere fit into a real day, and why seasonal markets mix architecture, craft, and local tradition. From St Stephen's Cathedral's tower and crypt to the surprising places where Roman ruins appear under your feet, Vienna keeps handing you history.Then we follow the sound. Cherie shares her favorite place to hear classical music, the Musikverein Golden Hall, plus the pull of the Vienna State Opera. As for art, the city's deep museum bench, including Gustav Klimt's iconic “The Kiss.” We also make room for the city's hard truths, including Holocaust memorial reminders found by simply wandering the center.To round it out, we get into Vienna coffeehouse culture, where to skip long tourist lines, why locals treat cake and coffee as a ritual, and how wine bars and nearby wine inns expand the food story. We also cover parks, Danube swimming spots, the Prater Ferris wheel at night, and easy day trips by train to Salzburg, the Wachau Valley, Bratislava, Budapest, and even Prague. If you enjoyed this, subscribe, and share the episode with a fellow traveler.**Cherie Siebert is an expat who lives in and loves Vienna. She is a teacher, jewelry maker, traveler and life-lover. Find her at artsfish@me.com Podcast host Lea Lane has traveled to over 100 countries, and has written nine books, including the award-winning Places I Remember  (Kirkus Reviews star rating, and  'one of the top 100 Indie books of  the year'). She has contributed to dozens of guidebooks and has written thousands of travel articles. Read her weekly essays on Substack._____Our award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, has produced over 130 travel episodes! New episodes drop on the first Tuesday of the month, on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. All episodes are also on her website: placesirememberlealane.com_____Travel vlogs of featured  podcasts-- with video and graphics -- now also drop on YouTube.  

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 28, 2026 is: evanescent • ev-uh-NESS-unt • adjective Evanescent is a formal and literary word that describes something that only lasts a very short time. // Our acting coach always reminded us that fame is evanescent, and that we should pursue a life in the theater purely for the love of the art. See the entry > Examples: "Franklin once sternly confiscated a customer's espresso and refunded his money because he took too long sipping it and thus allowed the evanescent flavors to dissipate." — Kirkus Reviews, 8 Jan. 2026 Did you know? Evanescent didn't appear in the English language out of thin air; it comes from a form of the Latin verb evanescere, which means "to fade away" or "to disappear." (Evanescere is also the ultimate source of vanish.) Given the similarity in spelling and meaning between the two words, you might expect evaporate to trace back to evanescere as well, but its source is another steamy Latin root, evaporare. While today evanescent is used to describe things that last only a short time, the word could formerly also describe the incalculably small. That use is now archaic, meaning it has almost blown away on the breeze.

William Huhn is a critically acclaimed, award-winning writer of poetry and narrative essays. Huhn, the grandson of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Henrietta Seiberling, graduated from Vassar College with a degree in chemistry. He works for a testing and certification company, overseeing its East Coast laboratories. But despite the science side to him, he is really a creative artist at heart.He studied classical violin from age five and then took up old-time fiddle. He played fiddle across Europe after graduating from college, hoping to raise enough funds to live as a poet. He wrote much poetry during that period and others, many examples of which were published in journals and magazines.Now, years later, his debut poetry collection was released. Bachelor Holiday, which has been praised by Midwest Book Reviews, Literary Titan, and by notable award-winning writers. Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review and the book was a finalist at American Book Fest's 2024 Book Award for Poetry. It also was the winner of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award for Poetry.He's had numerous narrative essays published in American Literary Review, Sport Literate, Pembroke, Rosebud, and other publications. Eight of these essays were listed as “Notable Essay” in The Best American Essays series. His writings received two honorable mentions in the New Millennium Award (for nonfiction) and twice he received Pushcart Prize nominations for nonfiction.His poetry has been published in Verse Daily, The Carolina Quarterly, Talking River Review, 34th Parallel, San Pedro River Review, Grey Sparrow Journal, Blue Moon Literary and Art Review, and elsewhere. BlazeVOX, his book publisher, is among the most prestigious independent literary presses in the nation.Born in Bryn Mawr, and raised in Devon, Pennsylvania, he also lived in Southern California and New York. He resides in a suburb of New York City with his wife and two young children. For more information, please see: www.williamhuhn.com.  Connect on social media:https://www.facebook.com/WilliamBucklerHuhn/https://www.instagram.com/willhuhn/https://x.com/WillHuhnBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

Join us as the New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice has a conversation with nationally bestselling and award-winning author Deborah Goodrich Royce about her new book, Best Boy. Author Bio: Deborah Goodrich Royce's Reef Road, a national bestseller, was named one of the best books of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews and an Indie Next pick by the ABA. Her Ocean House Author Series—in partnership with Martin House Books and WCRI—brings world-class authors like Sarah Ferguson, Chris Bohjalian, and Katie Couric to Watch Hill. With fellow authors, Luanne Rice and Amy Scheibe, she created the Deer Mountain Writers' Retreat in the Catskills. Deborah writes the quarterly Hey Rhody reading recommendation column. She began as an actress on All My Children and in multiple films, before transitioning to the role of story editor at Miramax Films, developing Emma and early versions of Chicago and A Wrinkle in Time. Deborah holds a bachelor's degree and two honorary doctorates, from both Lake Erie College and the University of Rhode Island. With her husband, Chuck, Deborah restored the Avon Theatre, Ocean House Hotel, Deer Mountain Inn, United Theatre, Martin House Books, and numerous Main Street revitalization projects in Rhode Island and the Catskills. She serves on multiple governing and advisory boards.  Book Summary: A gripping psychological thriller, Best Boy teeters on the knife-edge of memory and identity when the arrival of a shocking letter threatens the carefully constructed life of a woman desperate to outrun her past. Viveca Stevenson has it all: a handsome and successful husband, an adorable ten-year-old son, and a coastal dream house in Greenwich, Connecticut. She has a solid group of girlfriends and is content with the afterglow of the film career she's left behind. But when a threatening letter arrives—from a man she does not remember—it cracks open a part of her past she thought was buried for good. A terrifying chain of events is set in motion, forcing Viveca to confront what happened on a shattering Halloween night in high school when she had a different name, a different face, a different voice. Who is the man contacting her now and was he really the best boy on her most famous film, Misty? Why can't she remember him—or that night? A taut psychological thriller, Best Boy explores identity, memory, and the dangerous power of forgetting.   For more information about Deborah Goodrich Royce and her new release, Best Boy, along with information about the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com

Jordan reveals the Kirkus Reviews buzzworthy books right now. Get all the news you need by listening to WBZ - Boston's News Radio! We're here for you, 24/7. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Underground: A Human History of the Worlds Beneath Our FeetA panoramic investigation of the subterranean landscape, from sacred caves and derelict subway stations to nuclear bunkers and ancient underground cities—an exploration of the history, science, architecture, and mythology of the worlds beneath our feetWhen Will Hunt was sixteen years old, he discovered an abandoned tunnel that ran beneath his house in Providence, Rhode Island. His first tunnel trips inspired a lifelong fascination with exploring underground worlds, from the derelict subway stations and sewers of New York City to the sacred caves, catacombs, and tombs, from bunkers to ancient underground cities in more than twenty countries around the world. Underground is both a personal exploration of Hunt's obsession and a panoramic study of how we are all connected to the underground, how caves and other dark hollows have frightened and enchanted, repelled and captivated, us through the ages.In a narrative spanning continents and epochs, Hunt follows a cast of subterranea-philes who have dedicated themselves to investigating underground worlds. He tracks the origins of life with a team of NASA microbiologists a mile beneath the Black Hills, camps out for three days with urban explorers in the catacombs and sewers of Paris, descends with an Aboriginal family into a 35,000-year-old sacred mine in the Australian outback, follows a ghostlike graffiti artist writing stories in the subway tunnels of New York, and glimpses a sacred sculpture molded by Paleolithic artists in the depths of a cave in the Pyrenees.Each adventure is woven with findings in mythology and anthropology, natural history and neuroscience, literature and philosophy. In elegant and graceful prose, Hunt cures us of our “surface chauvinism,” opening our eyes to the planet's hidden dimension. He reveals how the subterranean landscape gave shape to our most basic beliefs, including how we think about ourselves as humans. At bottom, Underground is a meditation on the allure of darkness, the power of mystery, and our eternal desire to connect with what we cannot see.Advance praise for Underground“An unusual and intriguing travel book . . . As [Will] Hunt reveals the scientific, historic, literary, psychological, spiritual, and metaphorical qualities of his exploration, it begins to seem less idiosyncratic than universal, a pull that has persisted throughout civilization and a mystery that has yet to be solved. The underground may represent hell to some, but it has also provided spiritual solace for centuries. . . . A vivid illumination of the dark and an effective evocation of its profound mystery.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)https://amzn.to/4cGJzDhBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

CWCIT's director Bill Cavanaugh sits down with Alejandra Oliva, a Mexican-American author, translator, and immigrant justice advocate, to explore the connections between faith, language, and migration, which she writes about in her 2023 book "Rivermouth" and which she understands on a personal level through her family history, asylum cases she has worked on since 2016, and accompaniment work she did at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2019. Alejandra Oliva holds a master of theological studies (MTS) from Harvard Divinity School and was the Spring 2022 Franke Visiting Fellow at Yale University's Whitney Humanities Center. Her writing has been included in Best American Travel Writing 2020 and was honored with an Aspen Summer Words Emerging Writers Fellowship. Her book "Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration," was published by Astra House and received a Whiting Nonfiction Grant. Kirkus Reviews named it as among the best nonfiction of 2023, and The Boston Globe called it "one of the most thoughtful meditations on our nation's immigrant policy in recent memory."

Bestselling and award-winning author Ramona Ausubel spoke with us about the value of low-residency MFA programs, and how to jumpstart your writing process with her latest book UNSTUCK: 101 Doorways Leading from the Blank Page to the Last Page. Ramona Ausubel is the author of five books, most recently The Last Animal which was a national bestseller and received the National Book Foundation Science + Nature Prize and was a Barnes & Noble book of the month.  She was the recipient of the PEN/USA Fiction Award, the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award and has been a finalist for both the California and Colorado Book Awards, the New York Public Library Young Lions Award, and has had multiple selections as a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice.  Her latest non-fiction, Unstuck: 101 Doorways Leading From the Blank Page to the Last Page is a companion for writers at all stages of the process, and described as a book “… about staying in love with your writing: feeling excited, mischievous, productive, and hopeful—the opposite of being stuck. “ A Most Anticipated Book of 2026 from LitHub, Kirkus Reviews described it as, “An upbeat guide to navigating the writing process . . . Warm-hearted and practical, Ausubel emerges as trustworthy companion for a writer who's stuck anywhere on the challenging road of creativity. Generous, empathetic, and unfailingly encouraging.” Ramona's work has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Paris Review daily, One Story, Tin House, The Oxford American, Ploughshares and others. She is a professor at Colorado State University and has taught in the Bennington Writing Seminars, Tin House Writing Workshop, Writing by Writers, the Community of Writers, Bread Loaf Environmental, Writing Workshop Paris and elsewhere. [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 Ramona Ausubel, Milena and I discussed: Why getting stuck is normal and productive rather than something to fear How to fall back in love with your own work Practical exercises to help writers navigate the creative process The magic prompt that never fails Why you need to let "not knowing" to be your companion And a lot more! Show Notes: ramonaausubel.com  UNSTUCK: 101 Doorways Leading from the Blank Page to the Last Page By Ramona Ausubel – April 14, 2026 (Amazon) Ramona Ausubel Amazon Author Page Ramona Ausubel on Instagram⁠⁠ Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram Kelton Reid Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A dash of mystery, a sparkle of magic, and all things cozy! Elle interviews fellow cozy authors in this bookish podcast from Authors on the Air. Today on the podcast, meet Lois Winston, author of Embroidered Lies and Alibis–and many more books! Elle and Lois talk about the joys of crafting, where inspiration comes from in the real world, and of course, everything an author could wish to know about New Jersey. Enjoy! Lois's Bio: Lois Winston is author of the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, which Kirkus Reviews dubbed “North Jersey's more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” The series now includes fifteen novels and three novellas. Lois also writes the Empty Nest Mysteries and has written several standalone mystery novellas. Other publishing credits include romance, chick lit, and romantic suspense novels, a series of romance short stories, a children's chapter book, and a nonfiction book on writing, inspired by her twelve years working as an associate at a literary agency. Find Lois and Her Books Online: https://www.loiswinston.com/ ~~~ Elle Hartford's Bio: Elle Hartford writes cozy mystery with a fairy tale twist. The award-winning first book in her Alchemical Tales series, Beauty and the Alchemist, finds amateur sleuth Red mixed up with murderous beasts and moody beauties, and a set of missing books besides! Elle has also written two spin-off series, the cozy fantasy-goes-to-the-beach Marine Magic series as well as Pomegranate Cafe Romance. For other writers and authors looking into “wide” indie publishing, Elle offers coaching as well as the Beyond Writing blog (ellehartford.substack.com) with how-tos and resources. Find Elle Online: https://ellehartford.com

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang spoke with us about burning out at Harvard Law, navigating Hollywood's power dynamics, and her adult fiction debut THE TAKE. ​​Kelly Yang is the award-winning and bestselling author of over 15 books for children, teens and adults, including the lauded Front Desk series (Front Desk, Three Keys, Room to Dream, Key Player, Top Story, and Chef's Secret), New From Here, Finally Seen, Finally Heard, young adult novels  Parachutes and Private Label, as well as the picture books Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country and Little Bird Laila. Based on Kelly's childhood experience living and working in a motel as a first-generation immigrant child from China, her debut novel, Front Desk, was named "one of the best books of the 21st century" by Kirkus Reviews. Her adult debut novel, The Take (April 14, 2026), “blends social commentary with psychological suspense, set in contemporary Hollywood, that dives into biohacking, youth-obsessed culture, and the dangerous bargains women make to stay relevant at work.” Marie Claire called it, “One part The Substance, another part The Devil Wears Prada, The Take is a juicy, twisty take on aging, success, and race. Told in a sharp and hilarious voice, The Take is sure to be one of the hottest books of spring.” New York Times bestselling author Grace D. Li called the book, “Breathlessly plotted and fearlessly told, The Take is a timely, incisive examination of ambition, aging, and who gets to tell whose stories in Hollywood.” Kelly has written screenplays and television pilots for Netflix, CBS Studios, and the CW. She and Kate DiCamillo also co-host the StoryKind podcast. [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 Kelly Yang, Milena and I discussed: Why she wasn't a great law student Teaching creative writing in Hong Kong How her desire to get her kid to read led to a hit series Her weird experiences navigating Hollywood as a baby writer On horrible first drafts and a love of revision The Shy Girl AI controversy And a lot more!  Show Notes: kellyyang.com  The Take by Kelly Yang – April 14, 2026 (Amazon) Listen to Storykind Podcast Kelly Yang on Instagram⁠⁠ Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram Kelton Reid Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us Fan MailSicily is an Italian island in the Ionian sea between Italy and the African coast. Greece, Rome, the Arab world, and Norman Europe left remnants there that you can still experience. Chef, blogger, and tour director Ric Orlando tells us why Sicily feels different from the rest of Italy. His “deep dive” trips take the Anthony Bourdain approach seriously: spend time with locals, follow the market stalls, and let conversations set the pace.We get into Palermo's layered history, the Palatine Chapel's mosaics, Monreale, Teatro Massimo, and the city's street markets. Ric also explains how Sicily's volcanic soil around Mount Etna is changing the island today, from a booming Sicily wine scene to new crops driven by climate change, and why infrastructure outside the main tourist cities still shapes daily life.Then east to Catania, to the “Black City” built from dark volcanic stone. We linger at the pescheria fish market where small boats sell the morning's catch. We talk Sicilian flavor, especially the Arab influenced sweet and sour combinations, and we end with cannoli, farm made cheese, and the living traditions of Piana degli Albanesi. Finally, Taormina brings cliffside beauty, a Greek theater, an artistic past, along with the modern 'White Lotus' buzz, before Ric shares a personal memory that ties family photos back to a real village festival.Come wander through the best of Sicily with us. Subscribe, share with friends who love food and history, and leave a review. **Our guest,  Chef Ric Orlando, leads tours to Sicily.Podcast host Lea Lane has traveled to over 100 countries, and has written nine books, including the award-winning Places I Remember  (Kirkus Reviews star rating, and  'one of the top 100 Indie books of  the year'). She has contributed to dozens of guidebooks and has written thousands of travel articles. _____Our award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, has produced over 125 travel episodes! New episodes drop on the first Tuesday of the month, on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. All episodes are also on her website: placesirememberlealane.com_____Travel vlogs of featured  podcasts-- with video and graphics -- now also drop on YouTube.  

Medicolegal Death Investigator Paul Parker often brought chaos to once calm, orderly lives. What can happen when death is a constant companion and you don't develop the skillsets and tools to stay ahead of the pain. Paul and I discuss his journey in a world that at best, is misunderstood by most. Paul does a remarkable job of bringing the reader along for a ride that will leave you grateful and reconnect you with the humanity and the love thats required to "choose life in the face of death". You won't want to put it down, but you should, for a moment, to allow yourself to reflect upon the journey and how best to take what's written in the pages of his book to proactively apply it to your life. Sit back, reflect and choose to live a better life. Always, Johnhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrparker/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3ByIAmGEVDSHG7jONJlmkhgA%3D%3Dwww.paulparker.comMore about Paul :I am the host of "Inside Death Investigation with Paul Parker" on YouTube. My memoir, “In the Shadows of Death: Writing Life's Final Chapter,” was published in April 2025 (Houndstooth Publishing). It is also the recipient of a "Get It" recommendation from the prestigious Kirkus Reviews, with its review featured in the January 1, 2026, issue of Kirkus Reviews Magazine.For almost 30 years, I worked inside the system responsible for investigating deaths that occur outside of routine medical care, such as sudden deaths, unexpected deaths, in-custody deaths, and deaths that raise legal, medical, or public concern. What most families, journalists, lawyers, and even policymakers don't realize is that a death investigation is not a single event. It is a process governed by statute, medical judgment, institutional constraints, and human decision-making. And when that process is misunderstood, mistrust fills the gap. My YouTube channel exists not to sensationalize death, capitalize upon it for profit, or create outrage. I aim to educate, inform, explain, and propose improvement measures.I have participated in several thousand on-scene medicolegal death investigations, conducted at least 13,000 solo telephonic/electronically reported medicolegal death investigations, and reviewed and approved reports and circumstances for more than 20,000 medicolegal additional death investigations.  I have also conducted several hundred in-person death notifications. As the former Executive Officer of the San Diego County Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB), I conducted on-scene in-custody death investigations and made numerous recommendations to reduce in-custody deaths, increase transparency of law enforcement operations, and increase communications with family members of persons impacted by in-custody deaths and deaths associated with law enforcement activitiesI was a member of the California Coroner Curriculum Development Committee, an instructor at the California Coroner Academy, an American Academy of Forensic Sciences Standards Board Medicolegal Death Investigation Consensus Body Member, ...Thank you for taking the time to give this podcast a listen. If you would like more information on other Law enforcement Life Coach initiatives, our "Sometimes Heroes Need Help" wellness seminar or our One-On-One life coaching please visit :www.lawenforcementlifecoach.comJohn@lawenforcementlifecoach.comAnd if you would like to watch the interview you can view it in it's entirety on the Law Enforcement Life Coach YouTube Channel :  https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCib6HRqAFO08gAkZQ-B9Ajw/videos/upload?filter=%5B%5D&sort=%7B%22columnType%22%3A%22date%22%2C%22sortOrder%22%3A%22DESCENDING%22%7D

Notes and Links to Jordy Rosenberg's Work   Jordy Rosenberg is the author of the novel Confessions of the Fox, a New York Times Editors Choice selection, shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a Lambda Literary Award, a Publishing Triangle Award, the UK Historical Writers Association Debut Crown Award, longlisted for The Dublin Literary Award, and named one of the best books of the year by The New Yorker, Kirkus Reviews and others. Jordy's work has been supported by MacDowell, The Lannan Foundation, The Banff Centre, and The Ahmanson-Getty Foundation. He is a professor in the Department of English and Associated MFA Faculty in the Program for Poets and Writers at UMass-Amherst. His latest work is Night Night Fawn, published in early 2026. Buy Night Night Fawn   Jordy Rosenberg's Website   Review for Night Night Fawn from The New York Times At about 0:45, Jordy responds to Pete's questions about the feedback Jordy has received since Night Night Fawn has come out At about 2:50, Jordy talks about tour events and purchase info At about 4:15, Jordy talks about his background in reading and writing, especially the influence of the Marxist tradition  At about 6:50, Jordy responds to Pete's questions about what draws him to sci-fi, and Jordy expands on his interesting view of genre as “collective” At about 9:00, Jordan cites contemporary writers whom he appreciates in his "omnivorous" writing, including Lara Sheehi At about 12:30, Jordy reflects on seeds for his novel, which started out as memoir  At about 16:10, the two discuss the narrator, Barbara, and the book's exposition, and connections to Marx At about 18:50, Jordy discusses how he wanted to explore Marxism through the voice of someone with a passing knowledge of it At about 20:45, Part II of the book, a letter from Barbara, is discussed At about 22:45, Jordy reflects on how he satirizes those so obsessed with anti-trans vitriol At about 25:00, Jordy expands on Barbara's antiquated and biased world view and victim mentality  At about 26:45, Jordy discusses a pivotal scene at a funeral and the importance of a photo At about 31:00, Jordy responds to Pete's question about meta-writing and  At about 35:00, Barbara's job and it providing “ammunition” for her homophobia is the basis of discussion  At about 36:00, Neil, a family friend, is discussed as a trope and anti-trope At about 38:00, Pete compares Neil's Marxism to “a la carte Catholicism” At about 38:50, The beginnings of discussions of Israel and 1980s viewpoints and a “public relations nightmare” and a broken friendship are highlighted At about 42:40, Jordy talks about the importance of the “carrot scene” and ideas of Jewish masculinity At about 47:15, Pete cites Deni Avdija's story and Jordy expands on ideas of BDS and narratives of “the most moral army in the world” At about 52:00, Jordy and  Pete posit some ideas about the adult daughter in the novel and talk about Jewish leadership in the BDS movement  At about 54:10, The two discuss the scene in which Barbara reunites with her old friend and how Jordy uses satire in the scene At about 57:15, Jordy reflects on real-life connections to Barbara sending her daughter to Israel for “support work” At about 59:15, Jordy cites the book as adding to conversations that come from “bedside rants”        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 Jeff Pearlman, a recent guest, is up now 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 formative and transformative writing for children, as Pete surveys wonderful writers on their own influences.    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 333 with Keith O'Brien. Keith has written five books, won the PEN America award for best biography, and has contributed to multiple publications over the years.    Keith's work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal, and on National Public Radio. His radio stories have aired on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition, as well as Marketplace and This American Life. His latest gem is Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird.    The episode airs on March 29 or thereabouts.    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.    You can also donate at chuffed.org, World Central Kitchen, and so many more, and/or you can contact writer friend Ursula Villarreal-Moura directly or through Pete, as she has direct links with friends in Gaza.  

In The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness, Sarah Ramey shares her journey through chronic illness and the medical system's blind spots. This week, we're bringing forward a powerful 2022 conversation with Sarah Ramey, author of The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness, whose novel was selected as a MomAdvice Book Club Book the year that this conversation was recorded. This discussion remains as urgent and resonant today as when it first aired, offering an unflinching look at chronic illness, medical bias, and the stories women are too often forced to carry alone. In this episode, we also discuss the complexities of the mind-body connection, the role of privilege in accessing care, and the turning point that led Sarah toward healing through functional medicine. Anne Patchett featured The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness in her "If You Haven't Read This Book, It's New to You" series for Parnassus Books. She described it as crackling, electrifying, funny, and fast-paced—a book that will outrage you and one you won't be able to put down.  I co-sign this recommendation and am proud to pull this out from our studio vault as we celebrate this month's book club book, The Mad Wife, and the ways women's health has been so misunderstood.   In this spoiler-filled conversation:

Alie Dumas-Heidt chats with fellow authors about their earliest beginnings and answer everyone's favorite question - What happens next? - on The Writer's Journey. On this episode, Alie talks with author, Alex Kenna, about her favorite childhood reads and what inspired her most recent crime thriller, Burn This Night. Alex Kenna is a mystery writer, attorney, and amateur painter. Her first novel, What Meets the Eye, was a 2023 Shamus Award Finalist for best first P.I. novel. Kirkus Reviews called it a “righteous, painful debut,” and Bookpage called her “a master in the making.” Her second novel, Burn This Night, brings readers back to PI Kate Myles in a twisty plot told in alternating timelines. http://alexkenna.com Alie Dumas-Heidt is the author of The Myth Maker, a detective thriller introducing Det. Cassidy Cantwell, set in Tacoma Washington. She lives on the Kitsap Peninsula with her husband, adult kids, and two spoiled dogs.cmyster http://aliedh.com

On this week's special Debuts Episode—in honor of the 3/15 Debuts Issue of Kirkus Reviews, celebrating standout first books across genres—first-time novelist Rebecca Lehmann joins us to discuss The Beheading Game (Crown, March 24). “The further adventures of Anne Boleyn, post-decapitation,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. “Brilliantly imagined, stylishly written, satisfyingly plotted, full of delicious surprises: all in all, hella fun.” THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:The Biotech Murders by Ronenn RoubenoffDeepstone by Dean LappiMomentum Lost by Jeffrey E. DenningProse Pizza by Cynthia SchumacherThe Terminal Gene by John H. ThomasSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to the final installment of my interview with Cynthia Weiner, author of “A Gorgeous Excitement,” a coming of age novel set in 1980s New York City that was named a best book of 2025 by The New Yorker, Kirkus Reviews, and Oprah Daily and is freshly out in paperback.Cynthia is also the assistant director of the writer's studio in New York City and her short fiction has been published in “Open City,” “Ploughshares,” and “The Sun,” has earned a Pushcart Prize and been anthologized in Coolest American Stories 2024.In this fun episode, we covered:- The 90s soundtrack that's helping Cynthia get into her next project- The three writers whose examples inspire Cynthia on her own path- Her burning desire to have a house with a yard and, most importantly, a tree- The Max show she's bingeing, her elaborate daily diet soda ritual, the best day of the week, and the fast food meal she's cravingConnect with Cynthia on Instagram at @cynthiaweinerThere are new Finding the Throughline episodes roughly every other week–hit “subscribe” so you know when the next ones drop!For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit ⁠katehanley.substack.com⁠.Thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to part two of my interview (a replay) with Cynthia Weiner, author of “A Gorgeous Excitement,” which, since these episodes first aired, has just come out in paperback and was named a best book of the year for 2025 by The New Yorker, Kirkus Reviews, and Oprah Daily.In today's episode, we unpack:- Learning how to tolerate the discomfort of sharing your work- And how to ignore the voice that tells you nobody cares what you have to say- How she came to imagine that inner critical voice as a “shit bird”- Why she could work on one sentence for years- Why she'd rather stay home than travel some place new- How getting older has made her a better writer (and a worse sleeper)- How she's re-wired the idea that it's bad to draw attention to yourselfConnect with Cynthia on Instagram at @cynthiaweinerThere are new Finding the Throughline episodes roughly every other week–hit “subscribe” so you know when the next ones drop!For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit ⁠katehanley.substack.com⁠.Thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Beauty by Zadie Smith follows two feuding families—the liberal Belseys and the conservative Kippses—whose lives collide in a New England university town, exploring themes of race, family, politics, and love through sharp satire and witty dialogue.Kirkus Reviews calls Marriage and Other Monuments, Virginia Pye's recently published book, “A fascinating and audacious novel of family, marriage and a society in flux.” It is a #1 Amazon bestseller in New Southern FictionVirginia's essays have appeared in The New York Times, Literary Hub, Publisher's Weekly, Writer's Digest, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. She has taught writing at New York University and the University of Pennsylvania, and, most recently, at GrubStreet in Boston. Virginia is Fiction Editor of the literary journal Pangyrus and serves on the board of the Women's National Book Association, Boston Chapter. Drink this week: The Zadie Smith - obvi! This recipe is from the book: Free the Tipple: Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Women - Check it out!In this EpisodeMarriage and Other Monuments by Virginia PyeStyle Weekly Best of Richmond 2026Free the Tipple: Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic WomenTickets to Live Show with Meg Medina April 18th

Dr. Jennifer Maritza McCauley is the acclaimed author of When Trying to Return Home (2023), which was a New York Times Editors' Choice, Best Fiction Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, and a Must-Read by Elle, Latinx in Publishing, Ms. Magazine, and Southern Review of Books. A former National Endowment for the Arts fellow, she is an assistant professor of English at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Visit her website at https://jennifermaritzamccauley.com/ Spies, Lies and Private Eyes is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network #authorsofinstagram #authorinterview #writingcommunity #authorsontheair#suspensebooks#authorssupportingauthors #thrillerbooks #suspense #wip#writers#writersinspiration #books#bookrecommendations #bookaddict #bookaddicted#bookaddiction #bibliophile #read#amreading #lovetoread #terrencemccauley#terrencemccauleybooks #bookouture #thrillers#theuniversityseries #JenniferMaritzaMcCauley #NeonSteel

What do you do after 197 rejections … for the same book?Well, if you're author Carmela Dutra, you keep going.In this episode, Carmela shares the real story behind her debut cozy mystery, A Murder Most Foul—from querying too soon and rewriting extensively to finding the right agent after nearly 200 nos. We talk about saggy middles, tense slips, brutal feedback, and what it takes to rebuild a manuscript from the ground up.If you're struggling with self-doubt, facing a bunch of rejection, and just feeling like maybe it's time to throw in the towel—this conversation will arm you with what you need to keep going and protect your mindset!Timestamps: 04:20 Personalizing cold queries06:12 What A Murder Most Foul is about11:19 Craft struggles: saggy middles & tense slips15:44 Surviving 197 rejections18:11 Ghosting & rock bottom19:48 Finding the right agent21:42 Learning to plot23:10 Imposter syndrome (“Peggy”)28:37 Querying advice30:20 Finding time to write as a momGuest Bio:Carmela Dutra is a writer from the Bay Area who loves food trucks, family, and cozy mysteries. Her debut, A Murder Most Fowl, has been praised by Kirkus Reviews for its “serious set of crimes leavened by plenty of amusing moments,” by Criminal Element for the “juicy reasoning behind the sabotage that was almost as shocking as the murder itself,” and described as “the perfect escapist read, brimming with banter and an extra helping of fun” by New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams. She has also been featured in CrimeReads Magazine.To connect with Carmela and purchase her books, visit her website and check her blog series: An Author's Guide to Quering for hot tips!Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.Support the show To become a supporter of the show, click here!To get in touch with Stacy: Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co https://www.writeitscared.co/wis https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/ Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared: Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Matty Dalrymple talks with Jennifer Probst about WRITING ENSEMBLE CASTS THAT KEEP READERS HOOKED, including strategies for developing believable character relationships and chemistry, balancing primary and secondary characters in series fiction, keeping relationship arcs consistent across books, and practical craft tips for writing complex casts that keep readers engaged.   Interview video at https://www.youtube.com/@TheIndyAuthorPodcast/podcasts Show notes, including extensive summary, at https://www.theindyauthor.com/episodes-all   If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple   Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn't stopped writing since. She holds a masters in English Literature and lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York. She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over fifty books in contemporary romance fiction. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, spent 26 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries, sold over a million copies, and was dubbed a "romance phenom" by Kirkus Reviews.   Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She has written books on the business of short fiction and podcasting for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine. She is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Host Sheridan Sharp is joined by bestselling author Jeff Zentner, known for his resonate and lyrical writing. Learn how he writes in small pockets of time, how to trust your creative instincts, and why filling your “creative well” matters just as much as drafting.If you're looking for advice on craft, glean wisdom about Jeff's character-driven process, thoughts on voice and first chapters, and practical advice for navigating publishing without chasing trends. If you're looking to grow with intention and confidence as a writer–because you will grow–this is the episode for you!Resourceswww.jeffzentnerbooks.com@jeffzentner (Instagram and Threads)Jeff Zentner - Author on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jeffzentnerauthor/Works By Jeff: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B01CIKMRJ6About JeffJeff Zentner is the author of The Serpent King, which Kirkus Reviews named one of the best books of the 21st Century, as well as In the Wild Light, Goodbye Days, Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee, Colton Gentry's Third Act, and Sunrise Nights, coauthored with Brittany Cavallaro. He has two books—Wayfarers and Love, Like Apples—forthcoming in 2026Among other honors, he has won the ALA's William C. Morris Award, the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award twice, the Muriel Becker Award, the International Literacy Association Award, been longlisted twice for the Carnegie Medal, and is a two-time Southern Book Prize finalist.His books have been translated into fifteen languages and been featured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and in Vanity Fair and People Magazine. Before becoming a writer, he was a musician who recorded with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. He lives in Nashville.

Mary Kubica is a New York Times bestselling author of thrillers including The Good Girl, Local Woman Missing and She''s Not Sorry. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. She's been described as “a helluva storyteller” (Kirkus Reviews) and “a writer of vice-like control” (Chicago Tribune), and her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “thrilling and illuminating” (LA Times). She lives outside Chicago with her husband and children.Killer Women podcast is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#podcast #author #interview #authors #KillerWomen #KillerWomenPodcast #authorsontheair #podcast #podcaster #killerwomen #killerwomenpodcast #authors #authorsofig #authorsofinstagram #authorinterview #writingcommunity #authorsontheair #suspensebooks #authorssupportingauthors #thrillerbooks #suspense #wip #writers #writersinspiration #books #bookrecommendations #bookaddict #bookaddicted #bookaddiction #bibliophile #read #amreading #lovetoread #daniellegirard #daniellegirardbooks #marykubica #parkrowbooks

Mary Kubica is a New York Times bestselling author of thrillers including The Good Girl, Local Woman Missing and She''s Not Sorry. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. She's been described as “a helluva storyteller” (Kirkus Reviews) and “a writer of vice-like control” (Chicago Tribune), and her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “thrilling and illuminating” (LA Times). She lives outside Chicago with her husband and children. Killer Women podcast is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network #podcast #author #interview #authors #KillerWomen #KillerWomenPodcast #authorsontheair #podcast #podcaster #killerwomen #killerwomenpodcast #authors #authorsofig #authorsofinstagram #authorinterview #writingcommunity #authorsontheair #suspensebooks #authorssupportingauthors #thrillerbooks #suspense #wip #writers #writersinspiration #books #bookrecommendations #bookaddict #bookaddicted #bookaddiction #bibliophile #read #amreading #lovetoread #daniellegirard #daniellegirardbooks #marykubica #parkrowbooks

On today's show, host Esty Dinur is joined by friend of the program, Norman Solomon, to discuss the status of the Democratic Party. His new book is The Blue Road to Trump Hell: How Corporate Democrats Paved the Way for Autocracy and it is available for free online. Solomon says we need a stronger Democratic Party–a progressive Democratic Party–to stop fascism and prevent a Vance presidency. It's not feasible to stop xenophobia and misogyny with neoliberal centrism, as with Biden and Harris's campaigns, says Solomon. At the top, the Democratic Party is pro-military, pro-corporations. Too often, centrist Democrats work against progressives, as with NAFTA and the Crime Bill that  accelerated mass incarceration. Though Biden did some good work while in office, he ultimately folded when it came to the Build Back Better Act. Instead, we need strong Democratic leadership “that fights like hell for working people, children, the elderly, and the infirm.” They also discuss how corporate paywalls keep information inaccessible to regular people, how RFK is “viciously anti-Palestinian” and anti-democratic, Bernie Sander's success in calling out plutocracy and corporate greed, Mamdani's success in New York City, and the status of the DHS budget. Norman Solomon is a journalist, media critic, author and activist. He's the National Director of RootsAction and the Executive Director of the Institute for Public Accuracy.  His book War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine was published in 2023. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews called the book “a powerful, necessary indictment of efforts to disguise the human toll of American foreign policy.” Norman's dozen other books include War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death. Featured image of the cover of Norman Solomon's most recent book, The Blue Road to Trump Hell: How Corporate Democrats Paved the Way for Autocracy. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Why We Need to Complain About Democrats appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Baldwin was key figure in the American civil rights movement of the last 1960s, and he is one of our most important American writers. Author of the novels If Beale Street Could Talk, Go Tell It on the Mountain, and Giovanni's Room, he was also an essayist, poet, and playwright. Baldwin's influence continues to grow, but even if you've never read a word James Baldwin has written – first, you should – you will find something to treasure in this conversation. Boggs's biography centers on the artistic and intimate relationships that informed Baldwin's life and work. Douglas Brinkley, author of Rosa Parks: A Life, said “Nicholas Boggs's meticulously researched and passionately written Baldwin is the crown jewel of the ongoing James Baldwin revival. … this epic biography captures Baldwin in full.” Our interviewer is Mitchell S. Jackson, author of The Residue Years, Survival Math, and a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. Jackson is one of the best interviewers — I genuinely think he should have his own talk show — and he brings so much care and curiosity to the conversation. We start with a passage from the audiobook, which is published by Macmillan Audio and read by Ron Butler. Nicholas Boggs is a writer and independent scholar, born and raised in Washington, DC, now living in Brooklyn, New York. He rediscovered and coedited a new edition of James Baldwin's out-of-print collaboration with the French artist Yoran Cazac, Little Man, Little Man: A Story of Childhood (2018), and his writing has been anthologized in The Cambridge Companion to James Baldwin. He received his BA in English from Yale, his MFA in creative writing from American University, and his PhD in English from Columbia. Baldwin: A Love Story is Nicholas Boggs’ debut novel. Mitchell S. Jackson is the winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing and the 2021 National Magazine Award in Feature Writing. Jackson is the critically acclaimed author of The Residue Years, Survival Math: Notes on an All-American Family, Fly: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion, and John of Watts (to be published soon). His writing has been featured on the cover of the New York Times Book Review, Time, Esquire, and Marie Claire, as well as in The New Yorker, Harpers, The New York Times, and elsewhere. Jackson's nonfiction book Survival Math was published in 2019 and named a best book of the year by fifteen publications, including NPR, Time, The Paris Review, The Root, Kirkus Reviews, and Buzzfeed. Jackson is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, covers race and culture as the first Black columnist in the history of Esquire, and serves as the John O. Whiteman Dean's Distinguished Professor in the English Department of Arizona State University.

Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Revenge (Jason Bourne) by Brian Freeman https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Ludlums-Bourne-Revenge-Jason/dp/B0F5PLFLJ7 The identity of a deadly Chinese spy lies hidden in Jason Bourne's lost memory in this latest entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. Shadow – the head of Treadstone – has found evidence of massive Chinese espionage activity in the U.S. The spy running the operations is a shadowy American known only by the codename Bai Ze. No one knows who he is, but when Shadow consults the Files – the hacked AI database she stole from the Chinese – she discovers that Jason Bourne encountered Bai Ze during an operation eight years earlier. The trouble is, Bourne doesn't remember him. As Bourne hunts for the elusive spy, he meets a reporter named Laney Reese who shares his strange affliction: eight years ago, Laney lost her entire memory, too. For Bourne, that can't be a coincidence. He's convinced that whatever happened to both of them is at the heart of the Chinese espionage operation. With Laney at his side, Bourne follows a zigzagging trail of clues to a quirky billionaire and his ex-wife, both of whom may have ties to Bai Ze. As he gets closer to his shadowy adversary, Bourne begins to suspect that he's walking into a trap. But it's a trap with an almost irresistible bait – the chance to recover his forgotten memories. Now Bourne must decide how far he'll go to get his life back. About the author Brian Freeman is a New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author of more than two dozen psychological thrillers, including the Jonathan Stride series and multiple popular stand-alone novels. His books have been sold in 46 countries and 23 languages. He is widely acclaimed for his “you are there” settings and his complex, engaging characters and twist-filled plots. Brian was also selected as the official author to continue Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne series. His stand-alone thriller SPILLED BLOOD won the award for Best Hardcover Novel in the annual Thriller Awards given out by the International Thriller Writers organization, and his fifth novel THE BURYING PLACE was a finalist for the same award. His novel THE DEEP, DEEP SNOW was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original in 2021. Kirkus Reviews named his novels THE BOURNE EVOLUTION and INFINITE among its 12 best mysteries and thrillers in back-to-back years.