Podcasts about Lambda Literary Award

Why would I ever want to have a body and why should I allow it to want what it wants?Today we meet Jill Rosenberg and we're talking about the queer book that saved her life: Sea of Tranquility by Paul Elliott Russell. And Paul joins us for the conversation!Jill is a graduate of Vassar College and the MFA Program at the University of Montana. Her fiction has been published by the Kenyon Review, Swamp Pink, Black Warrior Review, and other journals. Her collection of stories, Now I'm Photogenic and Other Stories I Tell Myself won the St. Lawrence Book Prize and is out now!Paul Elliott Russell is a four-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and two time winner of the Ferro-Grumley Award for Fiction. He is the author of seven novels and his upcoming novel The Angels Came to Sodom in the Evening will be out this fall. His 1995 nonfiction book, The Gay 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Gay Men and Lesbians, Past and Present has been translated into ten languages. He taught at Vassar College for 38 years till retirement in 2021. The Library of Homosexual Congress will publish his short story collection titled Desire in the Fall of 2027.Sea of Tranquility is the story of a splinted nuclear family - spanning from the optimistic time of the first moon shot to the bleak time of the early AIDS years.Connect with Jill and PaulJill's website: jillrosenberg.mePaul's website: paulrussellwriter.comOur BookshopVisit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbookBuy your copy of Sea of Tranquility here: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780312303723But your copy of Now I'm Photogenic and Other Stories I Tell Myself: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781625572172Pre-order The Angels Came To Sodom in the Evening: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781917352161Become an Associate Producer!Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbookCreditsHost/Founder: John ParkerExecutive Producer: Jim PoundsAssociate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Troy Ford, Jonathan Fried, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, Sean Smith, and Karsten VagnerPatreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, Sofia Nerman, and Gary Nygaard.Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy EricksonQuatrefoil LibraryQuatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1Support the show

I came out and needed to understand: what kind of gay am I?Today we meet Dr. Perry Zurn and we're talking about the queer book that saved his life: Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg.Dr. Zurn is Provost Associate Professor of Philosophy at American University. He researches primarily in political philosophy, critical theory, and LGBTQ+ studies and has collaborated in psychology and network neuroscience. Dr. Zurn is the author or coauthor of 100+ additional publications in philosophy, political theory, LGBTQ+ studies, and network science and has given 250+ talks at local, national, and international venues. His work has been featured in over 50 media outlets, ranging from podcasts, to radio, television, and mainstream news outlets. His newest book Cisgender: Disorienting a Category comes out this July.Stone Butch Blues was Leslie Feinberg's first novel published in 1993. The novel won the 1994 American Library Association Stonewall Book Award and 1994 Lambda Literary Award. Groundbreaking in its time for its exploration of gender, the novel established Feinberg as the first author to put forward a Marxist version of “transgender liberation.” The novel has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and has even been passed hand-to-hand inside prisons. The earnings from a translated version went to ASWAT Palestinian Gay Women.Leslie Feinberg identified as an anti-racist white, working-class, secular Jewish, transgender, lesbian, female, revolutionary communist. Feinberg was a journalist for Workers World and edited the "Political Prisoners" page for 15 years, ultimately serving as managing editor. Feinberg also wrote "Lavender & Red" for Workers World which was a 120-part series exploring the links between socialism and LGBT history. They also authored: Rainbow Solidarity in Defense of Cuba, Transgender Warriors: Making History and Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue, and the novel Drag King Dreams. Feinberg died on November 15, 2014 and hir last words were: “Remember me as a revolutionary communist.”Connect with Perrywebsite: perryzurn.combluesky: @perryzurn.bsky.socialOur BookshopVisit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbookHow to get your copy of Stone Butch Blues:Print on Demand Paperback through LuluGet a free PDF copy of Stone Butch Blues here: https://www.lesliefeinberg.netAsk your local library or independent bookstore!Buy your copy of Cisgender: Disorienting a Category here: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781478038771Become an Associate Producer!Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbookCreditsHost/Founder: John ParkerExecutive Producer: Jim PoundsAssociate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Troy Ford, Jonathan Fried, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, Sean Smith, and Karsten VagnerPatreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, Sofia Nerman, and Gary Nygaard.Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy EricksonQuatrefoil LibraryQuatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1Support the show

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.  

Is it anthropology or a high-stakes hoax?In this episode of the Varn Vlog, we dive deep into the enigmatic life of Carlos Castaneda with author and visual artist Ru Marshall. Marshall's expansive new biography, American Trickster (OR Books), unearths the startling reality behind the man who convinced the world he was apprenticed to a Yaqui sorcerer named Don Juan.We explore how Castaneda transitioned from a UCLA PhD candidate to a global counterculture icon, selling tens of millions of books while living a life of elaborate reinvention—including claiming to be Brazilian despite being Peruvian. Marshall details the darker side of Castaneda's "Nagual" legacy: his transformation into a cult leader, his manipulation of academic elites like Harold Garfinkel, and the tragic disappearances of the women in his inner circle following his death.In this episode, we discuss:The Academic Scam: How Castaneda used "ethnomethodology" to seduce brilliant sociologists and anthropologists at UCLA.The Arana Family Secret: The "Mark of the Arana" and the dark Peruvian history Castaneda spent his life running from.Tensegrity and Cultism: The transition from bestselling author to a high-control leader who promised his followers they would never die.The Death Valley Mystery: The discovery of Nuri Alexander's remains and the final "flight into infinity" that turned fatal for his followers.Ru Marshall is an acclaimed writer and visual artist whose work explores the intersections of faith, identity, and cultural mythology. Their debut novel, Separate Reality, was a Lambda Literary Award finalist for Debut Fiction. Marshall's insightful non-fiction and essays have been featured in prominent outlets including Salon, n+1, Evergreen Review, and Kenyon Review. Their most recent work, American Trickster: A Biography of Carlos Castaneda, is the culmination of nearly two decades of research into one of the 20th century's most complex and controversial literary figures.Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian

A. J. Bermudez speaks to Emily Everett about her story “The Sixteenth Brother,” which appears in The Common's fall issue. With a fable-like feel, the story explores the dynamics of family and gender roles in Morocco, as fifteen brothers scheme to convince their youngest sibling to allow the sale of the family's ancient and opulent riyad. A. J. discusses the story's framing device—a storyteller relaying it, almost like gossip—and how it creates both intimacy and distance. She also talks about her work in film, and the interplay between writing for the page and for the screen. A. J. Bermudez is an award-winning writer and director who divides her time between Los Angeles and New York. She is the author of Stories No One Hopes Are About Them, winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award and a Lambda Literary Award finalist. She is a recipient of the PAGE Award, the Diverse Voices Award, the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize, the Pushcart Prize, and the Steinbeck Fellowship. In addition to writing and filmmaking, she is also a former boxer and EMT, and her work gravitates toward contemporary intersections of power, privilege, and place. ­­Read the story in The Common here. Learn more about A. J. and her work here. The Common is a print and online literary magazine publishing stories, essays, and poems that deepen our collective sense of place. On our podcast and in our pages, The Common features established and emerging writers from around the world. Read more and subscribe to the magazine here, and follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook. Emily Everett is managing editor of the magazine and host of the podcast. In 2025 her debut novel All That Life Can Afford was a Reese's Book Club pick, and her work appeared in The New York Times Modern Love column. Previous publications include the Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, Tin House, and Mississippi Review. She was a 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow in Fiction. 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

A. J. Bermudez speaks to Emily Everett about her story “The Sixteenth Brother,” which appears in The Common's fall issue. With a fable-like feel, the story explores the dynamics of family and gender roles in Morocco, as fifteen brothers scheme to convince their youngest sibling to allow the sale of the family's ancient and opulent riyad. A. J. discusses the story's framing device—a storyteller relaying it, almost like gossip—and how it creates both intimacy and distance. She also talks about her work in film, and the interplay between writing for the page and for the screen. A. J. Bermudez is an award-winning writer and director who divides her time between Los Angeles and New York. She is the author of Stories No One Hopes Are About Them, winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award and a Lambda Literary Award finalist. She is a recipient of the PAGE Award, the Diverse Voices Award, the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize, the Pushcart Prize, and the Steinbeck Fellowship. In addition to writing and filmmaking, she is also a former boxer and EMT, and her work gravitates toward contemporary intersections of power, privilege, and place. ­­Read the story in The Common here. Learn more about A. J. and her work here. The Common is a print and online literary magazine publishing stories, essays, and poems that deepen our collective sense of place. On our podcast and in our pages, The Common features established and emerging writers from around the world. Read more and subscribe to the magazine here, and follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook. Emily Everett is managing editor of the magazine and host of the podcast. In 2025 her debut novel All That Life Can Afford was a Reese's Book Club pick, and her work appeared in The New York Times Modern Love column. Previous publications include the Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, Tin House, and Mississippi Review. She was a 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow in Fiction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

A. J. Bermudez speaks to Emily Everett about her story “The Sixteenth Brother,” which appears in The Common's fall issue. With a fable-like feel, the story explores the dynamics of family and gender roles in Morocco, as fifteen brothers scheme to convince their youngest sibling to allow the sale of the family's ancient and opulent riyad. A. J. discusses the story's framing device—a storyteller relaying it, almost like gossip—and how it creates both intimacy and distance. She also talks about her work in film, and the interplay between writing for the page and for the screen. A. J. Bermudez is an award-winning writer and director who divides her time between Los Angeles and New York. She is the author of Stories No One Hopes Are About Them, winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award and a Lambda Literary Award finalist. She is a recipient of the PAGE Award, the Diverse Voices Award, the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize, the Pushcart Prize, and the Steinbeck Fellowship. In addition to writing and filmmaking, she is also a former boxer and EMT, and her work gravitates toward contemporary intersections of power, privilege, and place. ­­Read the story in The Common here. Learn more about A. J. and her work here. The Common is a print and online literary magazine publishing stories, essays, and poems that deepen our collective sense of place. On our podcast and in our pages, The Common features established and emerging writers from around the world. Read more and subscribe to the magazine here, and follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook. Emily Everett is managing editor of the magazine and host of the podcast. In 2025 her debut novel All That Life Can Afford was a Reese's Book Club pick, and her work appeared in The New York Times Modern Love column. Previous publications include the Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, Tin House, and Mississippi Review. She was a 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow in Fiction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the program, a trip into the archive and a return to Episode 598, my first conversation with author Kimberly King Parsons. We were discussing her debut story collection, Black Light, which went on to be nominated for the National Book Award. Air date: September 18, 2019. Kimberly King Parsons is a National Book Award-nominee and the bestselling author of We Were the Universe, a New York Times Editors' Choice, winner of the Oregon Book Award, a finalist for the LAMBDA Literary Award and the Texas Book Award, a Dakota Johnson Book Club pick ranked #2 on TIME Magazine's Best Books of 2024, and a best book of the year in Elle, Oprah Daily, Marie Claire, Marie Claire UK and others. Parsons's debut collection, Black Light, was a finalist for the Edmund White Award, the Story Prize, and the Texas Institute of Letters Award. Parsons teaches at Pacific University and lives in Portland. *** ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Otherppl with Brad Listi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, etc. Get ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠How to Write a Novel,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ the debut audio course from DeepDive. 50+ hours of never-before-heard insight, inspiration, and instruction from dozens of today's most celebrated contemporary authors. Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brad's email newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠proud affiliate partner of Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-----To end National Poetry Month, we welcome Emanuel Xavier, a Brooklyn-born poet and author of several poetry collections, with today's episode focusing on Still, We Are Sacred.Emanuel opens up and gets vulnerable with his cultural identity and how his struggles, desires, warmth and pain all bleed into his poetry in a truly cohesive and masterful way!He's been a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards and the International Latino Book Awards, has had his work appear in Best American Poetry and numerous other publications. He is currently working on a memoir and a screenplay based on his novel Christ-LikeWanna know more about Manuel and check out his expansive poetry collection alongside Still, We Are Sacred ? Check out the links below!-----Follow ITBR on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ivorytowerboilerroom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@dr.andrewrimby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can watch video episodes of the podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@ivorytowerboilerroom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thanks to our following sponsors! To subscribe to The Gay and Lesbian Review visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠glreview.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Click Subscribe and enter promo code ITBRChoice to get a free issue with a subscription purchase. Follow them on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@theglreview⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@g_and_lr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to Broadview Press, an independent academic publisher, for all your humanities related books. Use code ivorytower for 20% off your⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ broadviewpress.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠order. Follow them on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@broadviewpress⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks to the ITBR team! Dr. Andrew Rimby (Host and Director), Mary DiPipi (Chief Contributor), and Sean Penta (Intern)

Michelle Tea is the author of over a dozen books of memoir, fiction, poetry and children's lit. Her memoir Valencia won the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Fiction. Her recent-ish essay collection, Against Memoir, was awarded the PEN/America Diamonstein-Speilvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. She is also the recipient of the legendary Rona Jaffe Awards, and a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow.

Notes and Links to Sarah Aziza's Work     Sarah Aziza (she/هي ) is a Palestinian American writer, translator, and artist with roots in ‘Ibdis and Deir al-Balah, Gaza. She is the author of The Hollow Half. Winner of the Palestine Book Awards, The Hollow Half is a genre-bending work of memoir, lyricism, and oral history exploring the intertwined legacies of diaspora, colonialism, and the American dream. It is available wherever books are sold.    Sarah's award-winning journalism, poetry, essays, and experimental nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Best American Essays, The Baffler, Harper's Magazine, Mizna, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Nation, among other publications. The recipient of fellowships from Fulbright, MacDowell, the Asian American Writers Workshop, Tin House Writers' Workshop, and numerous grants from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, she has lived and worked in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Jordan, South Africa, Palestine, and the United States.  Buy The Hollow Half   Sarah Aziza's Website   Review of The Hollow Half from Kirkus Reviews   Sarah on Democracy Now Discussing Her Memoir     At about 2:30, Sarah talks about her language and reading life growing up At about 5:10, Sarah expands upon readings that inspired and challenged her At about 13:00, Pete and Sarah discuss ideas of writing as “political,” inspired by Marwan Makhoul, and Sarah cites a gripping poem by Noor Hindi At about 15:20,  At about 17:30, Sarah responds to Pete asking about the book's title and ideas of generational trauma and Sarah's Americanness  At about 20:30, Sarah talks about his father “pouring his hope” into her and sheltered and open pain  At about 22:20, Pete uses a Hasan Minhaj routine and Sarah expands on ideas of first generation and immigrant parents' relationships  At about 23:20, Sarah reflects on ideas of love's multiple meanings and connects these myriad ideas to much of the book and calls the book “an offering…in a time of suffering” At about 28:00, The two discuss the vagaries of Arabic and translation and its challenges and beauty  At about 33:20, Pete recounts the book's opening, and Sarah expands on her grandmother's life and struggles and joys and how Sarah is connected to her grandmother-”Sittoo” At about 37:25, The two meditate on the “small victories” of Sarah's grandmother  At about 39:05, Sarah explains how she sees her recovery/”recovered” and her present and past with anorexia At about 41:45, Sarah responds to Pete asking about an emblematic scene from the memoir where an IpHone asks to verify her identity  At about 43:05, Sarah discusses the idea of “better than what?” especially as a child At about 45:15, Sarah talks about her family's connections to ‘Ibdis, Gaza, and the fact that so much stolen and ethnically-cleansed land in Palestine is open/unused At about 48:15, Sarah talks about her time recovering from prolonged anorexia  At about 50:45, Pete notes the specific and universal in the book, as he and Sarah discuss the impulse to bury oneself in work At about 53:10, Sarah expands on reasoning for writing the book and in particular “put[ting] into place” her family history and finding a place to publish a story like hers that she feels is rarely published At about 55:20, Sarah talks about her grandmother's time living with Sarah and her family At about 57:30, Sarah responds to Pete's questions about the anorexia ward and how she saw and sees the employees there At about 1:00:45, Sarah talks about the ways in which photos opened up ideas and research and thoughts of her grandmother and her history  At about 1:03:20, Pete talks about ideas of misogyny that is specific to non-white women  At about 1:03:50, Sarah reflects on and outlines two pivotal and damaging experiences in which white neighbors showed surprise and revulsion At about 1:06:45, The two discuss Sarah's parents and their foundation and Foundation  At about 1:08:45, Sarah responds to Pete's questions about research for the book At about 1:11:00, Sarah expands on connections between the personal and the geopolitical in her work and research At about 1:11:30, Sarah recounts the story of some early involvement with pro-Palestine efforts and emotional and physical assaults At about 1:13:00, Sarah talks about being in Middle East and ideas of “humanizing” and “a political awakening” in the US and Middle East At about 1:17:10, Sarah talks about connections between resistance and love At about 1:20:25, Pete cites Ernest Hemingway in citing Sarah's family connections to Gaza At about 1:22:00, Sarah talks about the idea of “yes” and a meaningful part of the book and interpretations of being “half…” Palestinian, etc. At about 1:27:10, Sarah talks about parallels between her partner's love for her and her choice to love Palestine on a daily basis At about 1:28:00, Pete asks Sarah about ways forward, and how we get people to not “look away,” and she talks about inspiration       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.    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 340 with Donna Minkowitz, a writer of fantasy, memoir, and journalism lauded by Lilith Magazine for her “fierce imagination and compelling prose.” Her first book, Ferocious Romance, won a Lambda Literary Award for Best Book On Religion/Spirituality. She is also the author of the novel DONNAVILLE, published in 2024.    She and Pete will be revisiting her memoir Growing Up Golem, a finalist for both a Lambda Literary Award and Judy Grahn Nonfiction Award.     The episode airs on May 5.    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.

Darius Stewart reads his review, "Permeable Devotion": A Review of The Natural Order of Things by Donika Kelly (Graywolf Press, 2025).Darius Stewart is the author of Intimacies in Borrowed Light: Poems (EastOver Press, 2022) and Be Not Afraid of My Body: A Lyrical Memoir (Belt Publishing, 2024), which was named a 2025 Stonewall Book Award–Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Honoree and a Lambda Literary Award finalist for Gay Memoir/Biography. His essays have appeared or are forthcoming in Arkansas International, Brink, Bat City Review, Brooklyn Review, Colorado Review, Fourth Genre, and Salamander, among others, and received a Notable Essay distinction in Best American Essays 2022. He lives in Iowa City with his dog, Gizmo.

Send us Fan MailConnection is like a light in a dark space. The more light there is, the brighter the room becomes. And the more trans men of color connect with each other, the bigger our families become. In this episode of Dem Bois Podcast, my guest, award-winning author KB Brookins, shares their journey of navigating identity, writing, and family dynamics. We discuss the importance of visibility and connection, the nuances of Black womanhood and manhood, the precarity of these identities, and the significance of diverse representation in literature. We talk:09:05 - Understanding gender and self-discovery21:14 - Advice for navigating queerness and family34:22 - The journey of writing a memoir44:36 - Exploring freedom through poetry55:18 - Trans News That Doesn't SuckEpisode References:1946 (movie)Dearborn (book) By Ghassan ZeineddineErin In The MorningAutostraddleLGBTQ NationLearning to Shut Out the Noise with Ja'Mel Ashely WareRead more about KB in their bio below:KB Brookins is the author of three books, including Pretty (2024), winner of the Lambda Literary Award in Transgender Nonfiction. They are an ACLU of Texas Artist-in-Residence and a Black Mountain Institute Shearing Fellow at UNLV. @earthtokb on Instagram, TikTok, and SubstackTrans News That Doesn't SuckFreedom House Celebrate 10 years of Dem Bois Inc.!2026 marks ten years of Dem Bois Inc. To honor this milestone, we invite you to join our 10 for 10 campaign by giving $10 a month to help sustain the care, leadership, and visibility that trans men of color deserve.Your support helps build a future rooted in care, visibility, and possibility.Donate today!Donate today to support Transmasc Gender Affirming Grants and Community Wellness Packages for Trans Men of Color!The  Visibility = Possibility™️ Merch is here! - Not just merch, but a movement! Dem Bois Community Voices Facebook Group is a safe, moderated sanctuary where trans men of color can connect authentically, discuss podcast episodes, share powerful experiences, and build support networks. Dem Bois YouTube Channel! - @demboisinc - Exclusive content you won't find anywhere else!

Dion and Richard read and discuss "Dream Song 14," by John Berryman and then read from his newest book, I Do Know Some Things, a finalist for the National Book Award. We also discuss how one can become insufferable upon learning they have won or placed in a prize. Richard Siken is a poet, painter, and author of several books. His book Crush won the 2004 Yale Series of Younger Poets prize, selected by Louise Glück, a Lambda Literary Award, a Thom Gunn Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His other books are War of the Foxes (Copper Canyon Press, 2015) and I Do Know Some Things (Copper Canyon Press, 2025), which was a finalist for the National Book Award. Siken is a recipient of fellowships from Lannan Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Managing Editor Vanessa Diaz is joined by Associate Editor Erica Ezeifedi to discuss the Lambda Literary Award finalists, the latest A.I. publishing freakout, messy internet discourse, and more. Moms, Dads, Grads season is coming up! Send your recommendation requests for gifts–or reads for yourself!—to podcast@bookriot.comFollow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Join The Book Riot Podcast Patreon for bonus content and ad-free listening. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Don DeLillo's hockey romance Amazons will return to stores Lambda Literary finalists Librarian Luanne James Fights Censorship Demands of Rutherford County Library System's Board Lindy West's How-Not-To Guide to Polyamory ICYMI Podcast: Why the Internet Is Arguing About Its Favorite Feminist Bridgerton Season 5 announcement trailer dropped AI is Writing Fiction. Publishers are Unprepared Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  

Notes and Links to Davina Agudelo's Work        Davina Agudelo-Ferreria is a Colombian-American bilingual poet, writer and the founder of her independent publishing company, Alegría Publishing. Agudelo-Ferreira was born in Miami and raised in Medellín, Colombia until the age of 17.    Alegría Publishing was created in 2020 to spotlight modern Latino/x stories and give a special opportunity for upcoming writers to have a platform to present their work.     She also runs the bilingual Alegría magazine, which was founded in 2012 and is published digitally and printed quarterly.  2021 Article in Remezcla: “With Alegría Bilingual Media, Colombiana Davina A. Ferreira Is Uplifting Latine Storytelling   Publishing on Instagram At about 1:40, Davina shares some good Medellin, Colombia slang At about 3:20, Davina expands upon her upbringing and her language and literary lives and literature and writing were places of “refuge” for her At about 6:10, Davina talks about “gatekeepers” and difficulty in getting to read diverse writers and publish; she talks about her publishing company as a response to that  At about 7:50, Davina responds to Pete's asking about her early writing-poetry, journals, etc. At about 9:50, Pete cites Ingrid Rojas Contreras in asking Davina about connections between Colombian cultures and magic realism At about 11:35, Davina responds to Pete's wondering about her take on diversity in publishing and any positive changes in recent years At about 14:15, Davina reflects on the usage of Latine and Latinx At about 16:05, Davina talks about the name of her publishing company and its significance  At about 17:45, Davina expands on alegria vs. joy and their power At about 18:20, Davina talks about the publishing company and its mission and challenges around the COVID pandemic At about 23:05, Davina responds (en español) to Pete asking about her own writing-likes and specialties  At about 26:00, Pete asks Davina (en español) about balancing the personal and the universal, and the balance between the romantic and the cheesy  At about 28:20, Davina outlines the year-round work at a publishing company  At about 30:15, Davina discusses future projects for Alegria Publishing       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 332 with Jordy Rosenberg, the author of the novels Confessions of the Fox (2018) and Night Night Fawn (2026). Confessions of the Fox was a New York Times Editors Choice selection, shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a Lambda Literary Award, and has been recognized by The New Yorker, the Huffington Post, among other places, as one of the Best Books of 2018. Jordy is a professor in the Department of English and Associated MFA Faculty in the Program for Poets and Writers at The University of Massachusetts-Amherst.    The episode airs on March 24.    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.

This week features a conversation on humor in fiction featuring two masters of the genre: Kristen Arnett, author of Mostly Dead Thingas and, most recently, Stop Me If You've Heard This One, the story of a lesbian clown navigating life, love, and art in Florida; and Jess Walter, author of Beautiful Ruins and, most recently, So Far Gone, about a journalist living off the grid who is forced back into society to help his grandchildren. The conversation is moderated by OPB's Jess Hazel, host of Morning Edition. As they discuss, Jess and Krisetn are both writers of place, and are often writing about people who might be thought of as outsiders or marginal. Kristen is a Florida writer, by her own description everything she writes is about Florida, specifically Orlando and Central Florida. And Jess ranges in his work but often, including in So Far Gone, returns to the American Northwest, here to the Eastern Northwest; he also delivers a defense of Spokane, his birthplace and long-time hometown. The episode starts with the author's favorite knock-knock jokes, both of which are very personal choices and give some insight into what these funny writers find funny. What comes through as a primary connection between Jess and Kristen's work is their fascination with people. Writing is a way to try to better understand people, including people drastically different from the writer, which is a deeply empathetic project. Humor is a way to understanding other people and to connecting with people across some of the things that might seem to divide us. Kristen Arnett is the author of the novel With Teeth, which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in fiction, and the New York Times bestselling novel Mostly Dead Things, which was shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, TIME, The Cut, Oprah Magazine, and elsewhere. She lives in Orlando, Florida. Jess Walter is the author of eleven books, most recently the novels So Far Gone, The Cold Millions and Beautiful Ruins; The Zero, a finalist for the National Book Award and Citizen Vince, winner of the Edgar Award for best novel. His work has been published in 34 languages and his short fiction has won O. Henry and Pushcart prizes, appeared three times in Best American Short Stories, and is collected in the books The Angel of Rome and We Live in Water. Walter lives in Spokane, Washington. Jess Hazel has hosted Morning Edition for OPB since 2024. They graduated with a BA in Journalism at the University of Montana and have previously hosted Morning Edition in Montana and Southern Colorado. Hazel has a voracious appetite for stories and treasures books that make them laugh, cry or cringe.

This week we are joined by the incomparable Zena Sharman (she/her). Zena is an essayist and non-fiction writer who is a fan and student of the film 9 to 5 (1980). If you don't know the movie, you almost certainly know the song of the same name written and performed by one of its stars, Dolly Parton. And if you don't know the song, you most definitely know the two other leads of the movie: Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda! And if you don't know them, well hell, we can't wait to introduce you!In the episode, Hannah and Zena lead us through a history of the feminist labour organizing that directly led to the film's creation. They introduce us to Karen Nussbaum who co-founded an organization called 9to5 in the early 1970s. Nussbaum and Jane Fonda became friends and allies through anti-Vietnam war organizing and developed 9 to 5 (the film) in effort to surface the struggle of working women at the time.Hannah then draws on work from historian Dorothy Sue Cobble who argues that contemporary disillusionment about feminism has a lot to do with historical amnesia about the actual diversity of feminist organizing. Hannah suggests that the 1980 screwball comedy 9 to 5, with its depiction of women from notably different backgrounds and with pointedly different gender presentations, might be exactly the feminist text we need in our present political moment. The conversation also touches on queer-coded characters in the story and the super queer team behind the film.Come for the love of Dolly Parton and stay for the rich conversation about labour organizing, cultural consumption, moral purity and coalition building!More ZenaZena is the editor of several anthologies, including The Care We Dream Of: Liberatory & Transformative Approaches to LGBTQ+ Health and Lambda Literary Award-winning The Remedy: Queer and Trans Voices on Health and Health Care. You can buy her newest book, Staying Power (Arsenal Pulp Press), here! Full link: https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/S/Staying-PowerRelated EpisodesSapphic x Radical FeminismWorks CitedCobble, Dorothy Sue. The Other Women's Movement : Workplace Justice and Social Rights in Modern America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sfu-ebooks/detail.action?docID=740297. Scott, Katherine. “A timeline: The pandemic's impact on women in the workforce.” Canada Centre for Policy Alternatives 2 July 2024. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/a-timeline-the-pandemics-impact-on-women-in-the-workforce/. Sharman, Zena. Staying Power: On Queerness, Inheritances, and the Families We Choose. Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2026.Support Material GirlsTo learn more about the show, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca (you can also find transcripts here!). Want to support the podcast and our tiny, hard-working team? Check out all the content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. Bonus episodes, bloopers, merch, watch-alongs, and more! Need a last minute gift for a friend or family member? You can gift a Patreon subscription at this link: https://www.patreon.com/ohwitchplease/gift!Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman is joined by T Kira Madden, author of the acclaimed memoir Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls, to discuss her debut novel, Whidbey.Conversation highlights include:⛴️ T Kira's trip to Whidbey Island☀️ The trauma of growing up in Florida

This week we are joined by the incomparable Zena Sharman (she/her). Zena is an essayist and non-fiction writer who is a fan and student of the film 9 to 5 (1980). If you don't know the movie, you almost certainly know the song of the same name written and performed by one of its stars, Dolly Parton. And if you don't know the song, you most definitely know the two other leads of the movie: Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda! And if you don't know them, well hell, we can't wait to introduce you!In the episode, Hannah and Zena lead us through a history of the feminist labour organizing that directly led to the film's creation. They introduce us to Karen Nussbaum who co-founded an organization called 9to5 in the early 1970s. Nussbaum and Jane Fonda became friends and allies through anti-Vietnam war organizing and developed 9 to 5 (the film) in effort to surface the struggle of working women at the time.Hannah then draws on work from historian Dorothy Sue Cobble who argues that contemporary disillusionment about feminism has a lot to do with historical amnesia about the actual diversity of feminist organizing. Hannah suggests that the 1980 screwball comedy 9 to 5, with its depiction of women from notably different backgrounds and with pointedly different gender presentations, might be exactly the feminist text we need in our present political moment. The conversation also touches on queer-coded characters in the story and the super queer team behind the film.Come for the love of Dolly Parton and stay for the rich conversation about labour organizing, cultural consumption, moral purity and coalition building!More ZenaZena is the editor of several anthologies, including The Care We Dream Of: Liberatory & Transformative Approaches to LGBTQ+ Health and Lambda Literary Award-winning The Remedy: Queer and Trans Voices on Health and Health Care. You can buy her newest book, Staying Power (Arsenal Pulp Press), here! Full link: https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/S/Staying-PowerRelated EpisodesSapphic x Radical FeminismWorks CitedCobble, Dorothy Sue. The Other Women's Movement : Workplace Justice and Social Rights in Modern America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sfu-ebooks/detail.action?docID=740297. Scott, Katherine. “A timeline: The pandemic's impact on women in the workforce.” Canada Centre for Policy Alternatives 2 July 2024. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/a-timeline-the-pandemics-impact-on-women-in-the-workforce/. Sharman, Zena. Staying Power: On Queerness, Inheritances, and the Families We Choose. Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2026.Support Material GirlsTo learn more about the show, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca (you can also find transcripts here!). Want to support the podcast and our tiny, hard-working team? Check out all the content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. Bonus episodes, bloopers, merch, watch-alongs, and more! Need a last minute gift for a friend or family member? You can gift a Patreon subscription at this link: https://www.patreon.com/ohwitchplease/gift!Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jordy Rosenberg is a professor in the MFA program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He's the author of the 2018 novel, Confessions of the Fox, which was the NYT Editors' Choice selection, shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and a Lambda Literary Award and a recipient of a number of other accolades. His latest, Night Night Fawn, is part novel, part autofiction, part unauthorized fictionalized memoir of a character inspired by Jordy's mother. It tackles transgenderism, homophobia, Marxism, Zionism, all through the lens of both history and this contemporary moment we're living through. He joins Marrie Stone to pick the book apart on the craft level, including writing from the POV of your own antagonist, capturing a strong and singular voice, using different textures (letters, movies, other novels, appendices, etc.) in fiction, using sex scenes and other scenes of various kinds of intimacy to show power dynamics, and so much more. For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It's stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you'll find an album's worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It's perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website. (Recorded February 26, 2026) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie StoneMusic: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)

By bringing together academics and journalists that utilise gender and media studies, as well as history and international relations, this interdisciplinary panel will speak to the relationship between the family and nation-building, the role of media and advertising in representing the mother figure, and through real life stories explore how people in the Middle East and the diaspora have redefined what family looks like. Meet our speakers Dr Polly Withers is a feminist cultural studies researcher, currently leading the Leverhulme Early Career Project ‘Neoliberal Visions: Gendering Consumer Advertising and its Resistances in the Levant', which considers how commercial advertising mediates shifts in gender and sexuality in post-Oslo Palestine and current-day Jordan. Prior to this, Polly's work focused on the gender and sexuality politics of 'alternative' music and subcultural participation in contemporary Palestine and its diaspora. Her work has appeared in Feminist Media Studies, the British Journal of Middle East Studies, and related gender and cultural studies outlets. She is currently working on a single-author monograph based on her Leverhulme research. Dr Andrew Delatolla is Associate Professor in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Leeds. His research interests centre on the intersections of race and sexuality in relation to statehood and state formation. He has recently concluded a funded project examining the politics of LGBTIQ+ rights in the Spanish overseas territories of Ceuta and Melilla and is currently part of an AHRC-DFG funded project examining transformations in gender and sexual governance in post-Soviet Muslim majority republics. His recent publications include a co-authored chapter, with Karim Chedid, in the anthology This Queer Arab Family edited by Elias Jahshan and a co-authored article with Hossein Cheaito in the European Journal of Politics and Gender on LGBTIQ+ activism in Lebanon. Elias Jahshan (he/him) is a Lebanese-Palestinian journalist and writer, and the editor of groundbreaking anthologies THIS ARAB IS QUEER (2022) and THIS QUEER ARAB FAMILY (2025), both published by Saqi Books. This Arab Is Queer was a 2023 Lambda Literary Awards finalist in the USA and shortlisted for the 2023 Bread & Roses Award in the UK, and has been translated into Italian and soon in French. His short memoirs have been published in several anthologies, and he has written for The Guardian, The New Arab, Raseef22, My Kali, and more. Meet our chair Hakan Sandal-Wilson is Assistant Professor of Gender, Peace and Security at the Department of Gender Studies. He is a political sociologist whose teaching and research explore how gender and sexuality intersect with democracy, conflict, and ethnic and religious difference.

Lambda Literary Award finalist TJ Alexander returns to the podcast to read from their upcoming Regency romance, A LADY FOR ALL SEASONS! They talk about writing in Lord Byron as a supporting character, the role of poetry and gossip in the novel, and exploring themes of commercial art versus art for art's sake. Then they help me debut a brand new segment: Katherine's Quick Questions! 00:00 Introducing TJ Alexander  03:07 Reading from A LADY FOR ALL SEASONS 15:43 Interview: Lord Byron and Writing Process 29:09 Katherine's Quick Questions with TJ Alexander 33:48 Conclusion   Find out more about TJ Alexander at: https://tjalexander.com/   HRS is an affiliate of Libro.fm! Sign up for a new monthly membership and get three audiobooks for the price of one with code HISTORICAL! (As an affiliate, HRS may earn a portion of your purchase, for which we thank you!) Check out the official HRS playlist at: https://tidd.ly/4hgCquh    Shop the official HRS bookshelves on Bookshop.org to support authors, independent bookstores, and this podcast! Check it out at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/katherinegrantromance   Follow HRS on Instagram (@historicalromancesampler)    Find out more about your host Katherine Grant: Instagram (@katherine_grant_romance) Facebook (@Katherinegrantromanceauthor)  Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19872840.Katherine_Grant) Bookbub (https://www.bookbub.com/authors/katherine-grant)

This question has followed me around my whole life: where do I come from?Today we meet Karsten Vagner and we're talking about the queer book that saved his life: The Prince of Los Cocuyos by Richard Blanco. And Richard joins us for the conversation!Karsten Vagner was born in Bogotá, Colombia and grew up outside of New York City. He has worked in tech startups for the past 20 years, and has been awarded for his leadership, including for being a notable LGBTQ executive in New York. He has worked on community building projects with the New York City Council, was one of the first organizers with Swing Left after the 2016 election, and has been a volunteer at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center in New York City. Karsten lives with his husband and daughter in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he has held elected office and is an organizer of the town's annual Pride celebration.Richard Blanco was the youngest and first Latinx, immigrant, and gay poet to serve as the fifth Presidential Inaugural Poet in US History as awarded by President Barrack Obama. Originally born in Madrid, to Cuban Exile parents, Richard was raised in Miami in a working-class family. His writing explores cultural identity, place, and belonging. He is the author of several poetry collections, including his most recent Homeland of My Body. He has written two memoirs, including The Prince of Los Cocuyos. He serves as Education Ambassador for The Academy of American Poets and is an Associate Professor at Florida International University. He has received numerous awards, including a Lambda Literary Award, and in 2023, President Biden awarded him the National Humanities Medal.Connect with Karsten and RichardKarsten's instagram: @gaysingreenwichRichards's website: richard-blanco.comOur BookshopVisit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbookBuy your copy of The Prince of Los Cocuyos here: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780062313775Become an Associate Producer!Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbookCreditsHost/Founder: John ParkerExecutive Producer: Jim PoundsAssociate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Troy Ford, Jonathan Fried, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, Sean Smith, and Karsten VagnerPatreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, Sofia Nerman, and Gary Nygaard.Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy EricksonQuatrefoil LibraryQuatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1Support the show

In fewer than two dozen lines, Cyrus Cassells's poem “Jasmine” offers readers a multisensory, cinematic immersion into late spring life in Rome. Not only is the “sweet, steady broadcast” of jasmine ever-present amid “the joyous braiding of sun and rain”, but there's also Daria, a “crone-glorious” neighbor, with a story about her romance with the gallant Galliano. It's la dolce vita, without overindulgence or artifice. We invite you to subscribe to Pádraig's weekly Poetry Unbound Substack, read the Poetry Unbound books and his newest work, Kitchen Hymns, or listen to all our Poetry Unbound episodes.  Cyrus Cassells, former poet laureate of Texas, is the author of 11 books of poetry, including Is There Room for Another Horse on Your Horse Ranch? (2024), The World That the Shooter Left Us (2022), and More Than Watchmen at Daybreak (2020). Cassells's honors include the 2025 Jackson Poetry Prize from Poets & Writers, a Guggenheim fellowship, a Lambda Literary Award, a Lannan Literary Award, an NAACP Image Award nomination, a National Poetry Series selection, two NEA grants, two Pushcart Prizes, and the Poetry Society of America's William Carlos Williams Award. He is a Regents' and University Distinguished Professor of English at Texas State University.Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TV and film veteran, Jeff Rake, (creator of the hit series, Manifest) and USA Today bestselling and award nominated author, Rob Hart, discuss their new release, DETOUR. A team of astronauts launches into outer space carrying the hope for humanity's future. But things change while they're away, and the differences are chilling. How far will they go to figure out what happened while they were in space, and whether things can ever go back to the way they were? "A fast-paced, cinematic space…will leave you breathless, anxious, and questioning everything you know.”—Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author Listen in as we chat about why the people in stories matter, what makes us who we are, and their favorite episodes of the TV show we all watched as kids! https://www.mariesutro.com/twisted-passages-podcast https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2335262/jeff-rake/ https://robwhart.com ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Jeff Rake recently served as creator, executive producer, writer, and showrunner for NBC/Netflix's Manifest. He previously developed and executive produced The Mysteries of Laura, which aired for multiple seasons on NBC and in more than one hundred countries. His past credits include consulting producer on The CW's Beauty and the Beast, TNT's Franklin & Bash and Hawthorne, and Fox's Bones. Rake also executive produced ABC's Cashmere Mafia and Boston Legal, NBC's Miss Match, and Fox's The $treet. On the feature side, he has written screenplays for MGM and Disney. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their many children. Rob Hart is the USA Today bestselling author of the Assassins Anonymous series, as well as The Paradox Hotel, which was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award, and The Warehouse, which was translated into more than twenty languages. He also wrote the novella Scott Free with James Patterson, the comic book Blood Oath with Alex Segura, and the novel Dark Space, also with Segura. He lives in Jersey City.

Host Jason Blitman sits down with literary icon John Irving to discuss his latest novel, Queen Esther. Their wide-ranging conversation touches on the story behind Irving's first tattoo, what it truly means to be an ally, where he finds optimism in uncertain times, and the deeply personal experiences that continue to shape his writing—plus plenty more along the way.John Irving was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1942. His first novel, Setting Free the Bears, was published in 1968, when he was twenty-six. He competed as a wrestler for twenty years, and coached wrestling until he was forty-seven. He is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 1980, Mr. Irving won a National Book Award for his novel The World According to Garp. In 2000, he won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. In 2013, he won a Lambda Literary Award for his novel In One Person. Internationally renowned, his novels have been translated into almost forty languages. His all-time bestselling novel, in every language, is A Prayer for Owen Meany. A dual citizen of the United States and Canada, John Irving lives in Toronto.Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Author Events Series presents Jaquira Diaz | This Is the Only Kingdom In Conversation with Airea D. Matthews When Maricarmen meets Rey el Cantante, beloved small-time Robin Hood and local musician on the rise, she begins to envision a life beyond the tight-knit community of el Caserío, Puerto Rico - beyond cleaning houses, beyond waiting tables, beyond the constant tug of war between the street hustlers and los camarones. But breaking free proves more difficult than she imagined, and she soon finds herself struggling to make a home for herself, for Rey, his young brother Tito, and eventually, their daughter Nena. Until one fateful day changes everything. Fifteen years later, Maricarmen and Nena find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation as the community that once rallied to support Rey turns against them. Now Nena, a teenager haunted by loss and betrayal and exploring her sexual identity, must learn to fight for herself and her family in a world not always welcoming. For lovers of the Neapolitan novels, This is the Only Kingdom is an immersive and moving portrait of a family - and a community - torn apart by generational grief, and a powerful love letter to mothers, daughters, and the barrios that make them. Born in Puerto Rico, Jaquira Díaz was raised between Humacao, Fajardo, and Miami Beach. She is the author of Ordinary Girls: A Memoir, winner of a Whiting Award, a Florida Book Awards Gold Medal, a Lambda Literary Awards finalist, an American Booksellers Association Indies Introduce Selection, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection, an Indie Next Pick, a Library Reads pick, and finalist for the B&N Discover Prize. The recipient of the Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction, the Alonzo Davis Fellowship from VCCA, two Pushcart Prizes, an Elizabeth George Foundation grant, and fellowships from MacDowell, the Kenyon Review, Bread Loaf, Sewanee, the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, and the Black Mountain Institute at UNLV, Díaz has written for The Atlantic, The Guardian, Time Magazine, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, and The Fader, and her stories, poems, and essays have been anthologized in The Best American Essays, The Breakbeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext, Best American Experimental Writing, and The Pushcart Prize anthology. In 2022, she held the Mina Hohenberg Darden Chair in Creative Writing at Old Dominion University's MFA program and a Pabst Endowed Chair for Master Writers at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. She lives in New York and teaches at Columbia University. Airea D. Matthews received a BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as an MFA from the Helen Zell Writers' Program and an MPA from the Gerald Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She is the author of Bread and Circus (Scribner Books, 2023), winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Poetry, the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award, and was a finalist for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. Her poetry collection, Simulacra (Yale University Press, 2017), was selected by Carl Phillips as the winner of the 2016 Yale Series of Younger Poets. Because you love Author Events, please make a donation when you register for this event to ensure that this series continues to inspire Philadelphians. Books will be available for purchase at the library on event night! All tickets are non-refundable. (recorded 10/30/2025)

Edgar Gomez joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about growing up poor in Florida, wanting to believe in the American dream and realizing it's not accessible, surviving a precarious childhood, reckoning with trauma, grappling with and excavating shame, what queer people want vs. what they get, navigating sex work, the Pulse nightclub tragedy, when to tell family about our memoirs, writing about others with generosity, staying true to our identity, fighting for joy, and their memoir in essays Alligator Tears.   Also in this episode: -staying true to ourselves -growing up NicaRican -navigating queerness   Books mentioned in this episode: Butterfly Boy by Rigoberto Gonzalez Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden Their Eyes Were Watching God by Nora Neale Hurston   Edgar Gomez is a queer NicaRican writer born and raised in Florida. He is the author of the memoir High-Risk Homosexual, winner of the American Book Award, a Stonewall Israel-Fishman Nonfiction Book Honor Award, and the Lambda Literary Award. Their sophomore book, Alligator Tears, was released in February 2025 and was called "Triumphant, dazzling, and unfailingly stylish" by Publisher's Weekly. A graduate of the University of California's MFA program, Gomez has written for The LA Times, Poets & Writers, Lithub, New York Magazine, and beyond. He has received fellowships from The New York Foundation for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, and The Black Mountain Institute. He lives between New York and Puerto Rico. Find him across social media @OtroEdgarGomez.   Connect with Edgar: Website: EdgarGomez.net @OtroEdgarGomez on Bluesky and instagram.  Get the book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/743399/alligator-tears-by-edgar-gomez/   – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com   Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank   Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social   Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers

EPISODE 624 - Beverly Burch - What You Don't Know - One contrary ghost, two women, three trianglesAbout the authorMy newest book is the novel, What You Don't Know. I also have four collections of poetry and two nonfiction books. My work has won a Lambda Literary Award, a John Ciardi Prize, a Gival Poetry Prize and was a finalist for Audre Lorde Award. I live in the Bay Area with my wife and two Maine coon cats, Mac & Zadie.Praise For What You Don't Know“A dazzling story, containing so much more than the width of its spine. Love is all over the place in this novel, and you don't know which way it will turn next, and you stay glued to the page to find out. Burch reminds us that life is complex and dynamic and we really don't know what might happen next.”—Nina Schuyler, award-winning author of In This Ravishing World“Dreamy and poetic, What You Don't Know chronicles the awakening of two young women to the intertwined forces of grief and desire. Set in soul-freeing San Francisco and music-rich Nashville, this immersive novel deeply explores the hearts of its characters.”—Lucy Jane Bledsoe, award winning author of Tell the RestOne contrary ghost, two women, three triangles, four children: What You Don't Know is a bisexual love story from the Music City, the Blueridge Mountains and the Bay Area.Chloe, beautiful, whip-smart, flees a difficult childhood and sexual betrayal to the Bay Area where she falls in love with a woman. Afraid of this love, she devotes herself to making money instead. At 29 she moves to Nashville and meets Peter, a producer whose wife Angie recently died. Angie still seems to be around though, quietly coaching Chloe about Peter and helping her twin sister Rosie through grief. Rosie is devastated by the loss of Angie and dislikes Chloe immediately, that is, until she becomes intrigued by her. After Chloe marries Peter, their relationship grows close, displeasing Angie. Chloe realizes she's in love with Rosie, creating yet another triangle. A terrible accident ensues that upends everyone's lives again, but bringing Chloe home to her true desires.https://www.beverlyburch.com/Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

Am I in love with a woman or am I a woman who's in love with women?Today we meet Lauren Sanders and we're talking about the queer book that saved her life: Nightwood by Djuna Barnes.Lauren Sanders (she/they) is the author of the novel Kamikaze Lust, which won a 2000 Lambda Literary Award and was reissued this fall in a 25th anniversary edition. Her other novels include With or Without You (a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award) and The Book of Love and Hate. Short fiction, reviews, rants, etc. have appeared in various publications. By day they run editorial and digital strategy for a national foundation working in education and the arts. Lauren lives in the nation of Brooklyn with her partner and staffie mix, Maverick.Djuna Barnes (1892-1982) was born in Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY, and worked as a journalist in New York before leaving the country to spend many years in Paris and London. She returned to New York in 1941, and lived in Greenwich Village until her death.Connect with Laurenwebsite: laurenisanders.cominstagram: @lisanders99facebook: facebook.com/lauren.i.sanderslinkedin: linkedin.com/in/lauren-sanders-5345b67Our BookshopVisit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbookBuy Nightwood: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780811216715Buy Kamikaze Lust: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781888451085Become an Associate Producer!Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbookCreditsHost/Founder: John ParkerExecutive Producer: Jim PoundsAssociate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Troy Ford, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean SmithPatreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, Sofia Nerman, and Gary Nygaard.Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy EricksonQuatrefoil LibraryQuatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1Support the show

Jaquira Díaz was raised between Humacao, Fajardo, Puerto Rico and Miami Beach. She is the author of Ordinary Girls: A Memoir, winner of a Whiting Award, a Florida Book Awards Gold Medal, a Lambda Literary Awards finalist, an American Booksellers Association Indies Introduce Selection, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection, an Indie Next Pick, a Library Reads pick, and finalist for the B&N Discover Prize. Her stories, poems, and essays have been anthologized in The Best American Essays, The Breakbeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext, Best American Experimental Writing, and The Pushcart Prize anthology. Her debut novel, This Is the Only Kingdom, was longlisted for the Center for Fiction 2025 First Novel Prize. She lives in New York and teaches at Columbia University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Notes and Links to Myriam Gurba's Work       Myriam Gurba is a writer and activist. Her first book, the short story collection Dahlia Season, won the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction. O, the Oprah Magazine ranked her true-crime memoir Mean as one of the “Best LGBTQ Books of All Time.” Her recent essay collection Creep: Accusations and Confessions was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle award for Criticism, and won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction. She has written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and Paris Review. Her next book, Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings, published by Timber Press, is out today, October 21. Buy Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings   Myriam's Website   Los Angeles Daily News Review of Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings At about 1:50, Myriam discusses her mindset as the book is to be published, and she shares early feedback and reviews At about 4:05, Myriam talks about being inspired a bit by Borges' short story collection, Labyrinths, and more so from mythologies for Mesoamerica and the Minotaur At about 5:20, Myriam defines an important term At about 6:30, Myriam talks about writing from the perspective of a child and connections to The Secret Garden At about 8:30, “halycon” talk! At about 9:20, Myriam talks about the book's epigraph/opening saying, which comes from Myriam's grandfather Ricardo Serrano Ríos, as well as an early message/challenge to the reader At about 12:30, Myriam responds to Pete's questions about the differences between carefree childhoods and an encroaching world of homes and development, and nature being pushed aside At about 14:55, Myriam provides background on the book's main locale, Santa Maria, and its changes in her lifetime At about 15:45, The two talk about “claiming” of land and “renaming” and its connection to colonization  At about 18:20, Myriam discusses "indigeneity imposed from outside” in relation to a profound quote Pete notes from the book At about 20:20, Myriam talks about Western terms and ideas that make it difficult to describe and document Chumash and other indigenous contemporary life and geographical boundaries  At about 22:15, Myriam shares the story from the book about Deborah Miranda and a young child's shocked realization  At about 24:15, Pete notes some great puns, and Myriam expands on multiple meanings of “hoja” and connections between literacy and botany and the At about 26:05, Myriam talks about her use of The Santa Maria Times and its archive in building a history of the “settler town through the perspective of settlers”  At about 28:00, Myriam highlights Santa Maria-born Ida Mae Bochmann as an example of a certain time of progressive and colonizing woman  At about 30:20, Myriam reflect on the “communal garden” that was pre-European California At about 32:00, Pete and Myriam discuss the importance of paper and indigenous practices and priorities  At about 35:10, Myriam responds to Pete's questions about how she balances the macro- and the micro-, the allegorical and literal At about 36:45, BARS At about 39:30, “allegorical memoir” and “botanical criticism” are two possible genres that Myriam imagines for her "kaleidoscopic" book; she also talks about her love of writing and solving puzzles At about 42:00, Corn talk! Myriam shares some frightening stories about encounters with Midwestern cornfields  At about 45:50, The two discuss a resonant homecoming scene  At about 47:10, Myriam reflects on how local travel and local appreciation inform her argument about “[our] homes hav[ing] multitudes” At about 48:45, The two discuss the humungous industry that is agriculture, and Myriam talks about focusing in on Santa Barbara County's strawberry industry At about 51:30, Myriam talks about the history of Japanese-American farmers dispossessed by the internment camps of World War II At about 53:45, Myriam makes salient points about catharsis, emphasizing its conditionality-she cites “conditional catharsis”-and chats about susto and “cleansing” At about 58:50, Myriam talks about “the ethos of the local” and recommends Octavia's Bookshelf and The Theodore Payne Society , and she also shares book tour events      You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you're checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Hannah Pittard, a recent guest, is up at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete's one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of flawed characters, protagonists who are too real in their actions, and horror and noir as being where so much good and realistic writing takes place.    Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.     This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he's convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 306 with Shea Serrano, an American author, journalist, humorist, and former teacher. He is best known for his work with the sports and pop culture websites, The Ringer and Grantland, as well as his books, including The Rap Year Book, Basketball and Movies, all of which charted on The New York Times best-sellers list.      The episode drops on  Pub Day, October 28, the date the episode airs.    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.

Notes and Links to Erin Somers' Work       Erin Somers is a writer, reporter, and book critic based in the Hudson Valley. Her fiction, essays, and criticism have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Esquire, GQ, The Nation, The New Republic, Best American Short Stories, and elsewhere. Her first novel, Stay Up With Hugo Best (2019), was a Vogue Magazine Best Book of the Year.      Her second novel, The Ten Year Affair, was named a most anticipated book by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vulture, Bustle, LitHub, W Magazine, The Millions, Orion, and Our Culture, and a best book of the month by Apple Books and People Magazine. It is published by Simon & Schuster as of today, October 21. Buy The Ten Year Affair   Erin's Website   Erin on NPR All Things Considered New York Times Review of The Ten Year Affair   Erin's Book Tour/Events   At about 1:25, Erin talks about her mindset as Pub Day approaches on October 21 At about 3:20, Pete asks Erin about her relationship with reading and the written word At about 8:00, Erin discusses pivotal text and writers that cemented her love for reading and writing, including some GGMarquez classics read in a beautiful "ceremony" with her father  At about 9:50, Erin gives background on her foray into screenwriting and how her father encouraged her writing At about 11:15, Erin highlights “funny” writers like George Saunders, Lorrie Moore, and Sam Lipsyte as “approachable” in style and subject matter At about 12:40, Erin responds to Pete's question about “exercising different parts of the brain” in writing fiction and nonfiction At about 13:15, Erin shouts out places to buy her book and outlines her book tour At about 15:25, Erin discusses the book's seeds and the title's provenance, and references how the book started out as a successful short story At about 17:30, The two discuss the book's opening and the two main characters' early alliance  At about 23:25, Erin describes how she worked to draw Elliott, Cora's husband, as against archetype At about 25:00, Erin responds to Pete's question about posing four main characters-two couples-so close to each other  At about 26:50,  At about 27:50, Pete and Erin stumble through some possible casting moves for a possible future movies At about 28:50, The two discuss the differing roles of the men and pregnant women, and the two fanboy/girl over Rachel Yoder's Nightbitch At about 30:20, Pete wonders about Sam parrying the advances of Cora At about 31:30, Pete skirts plot spoilers in discussing the book's parallel plotline and compliments the fact that the st At about 33:00, Erin discusses how the contrast between “banal reality” and the parallel world allowed her to have “fun” and “experiment with techniques” At about 34:00, Erin responds to Pete's question about standing in judgment of Cora's behaviors, and Erin brings up interesting points about professional and class mobility and dissatisfaction  At about 36:25, Elliott and Cora's relationship is analyzed, with particular attention to Cora's anxieties and Elliott's loss that continues his depression At about 39:00, Pete asks Erin how she was able to “delicately” write about the Covid era  At about 41:35, Erin analyzes a telling quote by Jules, Sam's wife, with regard to ideas of unhappiness, and the two discuss the physical proximity of the couples At about 43:00, Erin gives insight on an interesting dialogue full of lies at a joint 40th birthday party At about 44:10, Erin responds to Pete's question about the families of Sam and Cora as “collateral damage” At about 46:40, Erin responds to Pete's question about aging, with regard to Cora's anxieties At about 48:30, The two discuss a meaningful dream sequence and ideas of freedom post-parenthood At about 51:10, Pete highlights some funny and resonant lines in the book, including a podcast about rope      You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you're checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Hannah Pittard, a recent guest, is up at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete's one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of flawed characters, protagonists who are too real in their actions, and horror and noir as being where so much good and realistic writing takes place. Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.     This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he's convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 305 with THE Myriam Gurba, a writer and activist. O, the Oprah Magazine ranked her true-crime memoir Mean as one of the “Best LGBTQ Books of All Time.” Her recent essay collection Creep: Accusations and Confessions was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle award for Criticism, and won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.    This episode airs today, October 21, Pub Day for her newest book, Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings.     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.

Notes and Links to Nishant Batsha's Work       Nishant Batsha is the author of the novel A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart (ecco/HarperCollins). Set between California and New York at the dawn of World War I, A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart is an expansive and poignant story of love, radical ambition, and intellectual rebirth—all drawn from a lost American history.   His first novel, Mother Ocean Father Nation (ecco/HarperCollins) was a finalist for 2023 Lambda Literary Award, longlisted for a 2023 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, and named one of the best books of 2022 by NPR. It also won Honorable Mention in the prose category of the 2024 Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS) Book Awards.   He is currently at work on a third novel. This project has received monetary support from The de Groot Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts.   Nishant holds a PhD in history from Columbia University where he was a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow. He also works as a ghostwriter for public officials, CEOs, and leaders across various industries. Material he has ghostwritten has appeared in the New York Times and Politico, among other publications. He lives in Buffalo, NY with his wife and two children. Buy A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart   Nishant's Website   BookPage Review for A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart   Interview for Los Angeles Review of Books   At about 1:15, Nishant gives purchasing info for his novel At about 1:45, Nishant talks about his childhood connections to language and literature  At about 4:15, Nishant recounts how he began to embrace history and becoming a historian  At about 7:20, Nishant responds to Pete's comments about connections between his main character Cora and him and other writers with regard to “the intoxication” of writing finding audience At about 9:20, Nishant talks about history and literature and “seeking out sameness”  At about 10:30, Nishant talks about being “so taken” by Marilyn Robinson's Gilead At about 11:40, Nishant shouts out as writers who have thrilled and inspired him, including Sebald and Han Kang At about 14:30, Nishant reflects on Conrad's Heart of Darkness At about 16:50, Pete asks Nishant about seeds for the book At about 19:00, Nishant lays out much of the work of M.N. Roy and Evelyn Trent, inspirations for the book's protagonists, Indra and Cora At about 22:05, Nishant talks about research for his book At about 24:25, Pete lays out some of the book's exposition At about 25:30, Nishant responds to Pete's question about what draws Indra and Cora together  At about 28:10, Nishant reflects on the “in-betweeness” of Cora and how she connects to Indra At about 32:25, Nishant gives background on the Ghadar Party, which is so important in the novel At about 35:15, Nishant responds to Pete's question about how Indra saw “action” and resistance  At about 38:40, Nishant outlines how he sees the novel as a sort of “parlor drama” At about 39:45, Nishant explains the significance of Indra receiving being called “cosmopolitan” as a compliment  At about 42:30, The two discuss the etymology of the term “cosmopolitan” At about 44:40, Pete and Nishant reflect on ideas of consumerism and creativity, and Nishant gives background on the real-life Rachel Crothers At about 46:25, The two discuss the contradictions of Dawson in the novel, based on David Starr Jordan and his views on anti-imperialism and eugenics  At about 49:40, the two reflect on the “strange and weird ideas” of the late 19th and early 20th centuries-a “heady time” and connections to the US military in the Philippines  At about 50:45, Scullion (based on John Osborne Varian) and his views of political and cultural change are discussed, in how the beliefs affect Indra At about 54:00, Nishant discusses ideas of class and caste in connection with Indra At about 58:15, Nishant traces the real-life connection between M.N. Roy and Bal Gangadhar Tilak At about 1:00:20, Nishant reflects on lies as a throughline of the novel, and the “danger” of the lie At about 1:01:20, Pete notes the universal and singular beauty of the book At about 1:02:00, Pete shares one of many examples of the beautiful sentences in the novel, and Nishant talks about his philosophy of writing-sentence length, etc.  At about 1:05:00, Nishant talks about the history and significance of the novel's title You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you're checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Hannah Pittard, a recent guest, is up at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete's one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of flawed characters, protagonists who are too real in their actions, and horror and noir as being where so much good and realistic writing takes place. Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.     This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he's convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 302 with Ellen Birkett Morris, a second-time guest and the author of Beware the Tall Grass, winner of the Donald L. Jordan Award for Literary Excellence, judged by Lan Samantha Chang, published by CSU Press. She is also the author of Lost Girls: Short Stories, winner of the Pencraft Award and finalist for the Clara Johnson, IAN and Best Book awards. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, AARP's The Ethel, Oh Reader magazine, and on National Public Radio. This episode airs on October 7. 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.

Notes and Links to Nathan Thrall's Work       Nathan Thrall is an American writer living in Jerusalem. In 2024, he received the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction for A Day in the Life of Abed Salama. An international bestseller, it was translated into more than thirty languages, selected as a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and named a best book of the year by over twenty publications, including The New Yorker, The Economist, and Time. He is also the author of The Only Language They Understand. His reporting, essays, and criticism have appeared in the London Review of Books, The Guardian, The New York Times Magazine, and The New York Review of Books. He spent a decade at the International Crisis Group, where he was director of the Arab-Israeli Project, and has taught at Bard College.  Buy A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy   Nathan's Website   2021 The New York Review of Books Article: “A Day in the Life of Abed Salama”   At about 1:15, Nathan recounts the experience of winning the Pulitzer Prize, and notes the wonderful ways in which the book's protagonists and others close to him have celebrated the achievement  At about 3:20, Nathan provides purchasing info and book details  At about 4:15, Nathan responds to Pete's question about the added significance of the book being published on October 3, 2023, four days before a pivotal event At about 6:30, Nathan reflects on how “nothing [much] has changed” regarding the organizations (the “gatekeepers”) who cancelled events with him and Abed Salama, with perhaps more of these organizations digging in on standing with Israel At about 9:30, Nathan notes that “organized political money” is all on one side in the “corrupt political system” At about 12:35, Pete wonders about the “tail wagging the dog” regarding the voting public and the politicians, and Nathan expands upon the reasoning and details for this “gap” At about 14:35, Pete asks Nathan about seeds for the book, and about how the book speaks to the idea that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict did not start on October 7, 2023 At about 15:35, Nathan explains the apartheid and “walled ghetto” at the center of the book, and talks about how this ghetto is a microcosm for Israeli policy At about 18:30, Nathan responds to Pete's questions about and admiration for his objective hand in writing the book At about 20:45, Pete sets the book's exposition At about 21:45, Nathan notes the “striking” fact of talking to parents with their “unwarranted” guilt since the bus accident, in response to Pete wondering about Nathan's broaching such a horrible topic with survivors At about 24:05, The two reflect on the innocence of youth as Nathan recounts the details of parents and family looking for their children and relatives after the bus accident At about 27:30, Nathan explains how just the telling of the basics of Abed's story, including his odyssey just to find his son in the hospital, was to “tell of apartheid” At about 29:00, Pete compliments the ways in which Nathan's tracing Abed's childhood and youth and Nathan expounds on how the personal stories have the reader see “the world through [the character's eyes]” At about 31:45, Nathan shares a recent experience that shows how life is micromanaged for Palestinians in Israel, revolving around a bridge crossing for Abed, his wife Haifa, and Nathan At about 34:45, Pete asks Nathan to explain the colored-permit system involving Palestinian ID cards and how the intifadas changed the processes, including for Abed At about 39:50, Pete and Nathan talk about different Palestinian cultural and political factions, as described in the book At about 40:30, Nathan explains “bypass roads” and the ways in which they represent Israeli control of Palestinians' lives; in so doing, he points out inaccuracies in the ways that democracy and Israel have often been linked  At about 47:35, Nathan expands on “fabric of life roads” and “sterile roads”-brutally racist as an official name-and “gerrymandering”-mapping-done by Dany Tirza, featured pretty prominently in the book At about 50:05, Nathan talks about schooling for Palestinians and how Israeli control is rendered in the book-he describes the "forensic analysis” of the bus accident and homes in on the forced walling-in of Palestinians  At about 53:00, Nathan further explains land use and land possession as strategies  At about 54:35, Pete remarks on the banal of the Israeli Occupation and asks Nathan's thoughts on the “reverberations” of Israel's seemingly-small and detailed actions/policy of moving the Palestinians out  At about 58:00, Nathan responds to Pete's questions about how an average Jewish Israeli lives his/her life with “informational apartheid”  At about 1:01:05, Nathan states the common narrative about Israel's history and the continued bloodshed for average Israelis At about 1:04:15, Nathan recounts an anecdote about a publishing company that has asked him multiple questions about early Israeli history  At about 1:06:05, Nathan reflects on the task of sitting with parents and relatives during the emotionally-wrenching times and listening to their stories     You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you're checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Hannah Pittard, a recent guest, is up at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete's one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of flawed characters, protagonists who are too real in their actions, and horror and noir as being where so much good and realistic writing takes place.    Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.     This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he's convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 301 with Nishant Batsha, the author of the novel A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart, his 2025 novel set between California and New York at the dawn of World War I. His first novel, Mother Ocean Father Nation was a finalist for 2023 Lambda Literary Award, longlisted for a 2023 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, and named one of the best books of 2022 by NPR.    This episode airs on October 7.    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.

Inner Moonlight is the monthly poetry reading series at the Wild Detectives in Dallas. Curated by Dallas poet Logen Cure, the in-person show is the second Wednesday of every month in the Wild Detectives backyard. We love our podcast fans, so we release recordings of the live performances every month for y'all! On 9/10/25, we collaborated with SMU Project Poëtica to feature three poets, Aaron Smith, Denise Duhamel, and Luisa Muradyan, all of whom have books published by SMU Project Poëtica/Bridwell Press!Aaron Smith is the author of five books of poetry with the University of Pittsburgh Press, most recently Stop Lying (2023). With the poet Maureen Seaton, he co-authored the book Beautiful People (2025). He is a three-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and a two-time finalist for the Publishing Triangle's Thom Gunn Award. His work has appeared in The Baffler, The New York Times, Ploughshares, Poetry, and Best American Poetry. He is the cohost of the podcast Breaking Form and an associate professor of creative writing at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.Denise Duhamel and the late Maureen Seaton co-authored six collections, the most recent of which is Tilt (Bridwell Press, 2025). Denise's solo books include Pink Lady (Pitt Poetry Series, 2025), Second Story (Pittsburgh, 2021), and Scald (Pittsburgh, 2017). Blowout (Pittsburgh, 2013) was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. A recipient of NEA and Guggenheim Fellowships, she is a distinguished university professor at Florida International University in Miami.Luisa Muradyan is originally from Odesa, Ukraine and is the author of I Make Jokes When I'm Devastated (Bridwell Press, 2025) When the World Stopped Touching (YesYes Books, 2027), and American Radiance (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). She holds a Ph.D. in Poetry from the University of Houston and won the 2017 Raz/ Shumaker Prairie Schooner Book Prize. Additionally, Muradyan is a member of the Cheburashka Collective, a group of women and nonbinary writers from the former Soviet Union. Additional work can be found at Best American Poetry, the Threepenny Review, Ploughshares, and Only Poems among others.www.innermoonlightpoetry.com

Lambda Literary Award-winning author, Ann Aptaker's Cantor Gold faces the questions of who are her real friends, and how far she would go to avenge their deaths.Early November, 1958New York CityArt thief and smuggler Cantor Gold's latest underworld caper begins when she arrives at big-time bookie Nick Fortunato's apartment to celebrate his birthday, a ritual the two friends have enjoyed for years. But Nick is missing, and there's blood on the living room carpet. It's not Nick's blood, though. Nick's death still awaits him. Despite crime lord Sig Loreale's best plans to protect Nick, with whom Sig has financial dealings, a killer finds Nick hidden away in a cheap hotel owned by Loreale.Among the players in this tale of friendship, betrayal, and the competition for power between the young and the aging, is the beautiful and possibly deadly Abbey O'Brien. She was Nick's right hand in his bookie operation, and now that he's dead, she stands to either gain big or lose even bigger.The operatives and bettors in Nick's bookmaking business have a stake in Nick's death, too…and motives to either solve his murder or get him out of the way: there's Freddie Holmes, who sizes you up before you're allowed entry into the betting parlor; Mike Leandro, leader of the crew that takes phoned-in bets; Chickie D'Andrea, who posts the odds from every track and sporting event; Harry “Horsehide” Lanz, a major gambler and trackside aficionado; Sylvia Georgiadis, an aging grand dame of the gambling world; and others.Assisting Cantor, as always, are her young Guy Friday Judson Zane; cabbie, sometime getaway driver and sometime friend with benefits Rosie Bliss; and Cantor's criminal mentor Esther “Mom” Sheinbaum.And always circling are the cops.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/houseofmysteryradio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Anyone's Ghost, August Thompson captures the ache of growing up while growing as a writer after his hard-won pursuit of the MFA program at NYU.How do you write a coming-of-age story that's both deeply vulnerable and slyly funny, all while resisting clichés about queerness and masculinity? August Thompson joins me to talk about his debut novel, Anyone's Ghost, a Lambda finalist and one of my favorite under-the-radar gems.From his MFA experience at NYU to navigating long COVID while finishing the book, Thompson reflects on the highs and lows of becoming a first-time author and the vulnerable process of rejection. He also shares how humor, bisexuality, and memory shape his storytelling, which major literary prizes have now recognized with adoration.In our funny conversation, August and I discussed:How Art Helped Form the Bones of August's Story – August shares the books, films, and music that inspired his book, which even brought in the lead singer from The National for a book signing moment of his dreams at The Strand.Mining Adolescence for Humor– The role of humor was as imperative as Thompson's love story, and why he wanted to balance this story with this unexpected levity amidst the yearning.The Fresh Perspective on Sexuality For Readers – Thompson discusses his approach to writing about bisexuality and the narratives regarding male bisexuality that he still wishes to see in publishing, while celebrating being longlisted for a Lambda Literary Award.

In which we talk about a book dying on submission (and the pain of that!) as well as being STUBBORN enough to keep going. Alexandria Bellefleur is a bestselling and award-winning author of swoony contemporary romance often featuring loveable grumps and the sunshine characters who bring them to their knees. Her debut novel, Written in the Stars, was a 2021 Lambda Literary Award winner and a 2020 winner of The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction. The Devil She Knows is her most recent novel.

July, August & September — Dante's New South Mega ReturnRichard Blanco — Selected by President Obama as the fifth Presidential Inaugural Poet, Blanco was the youngest, first Latinx, immigrant, and gay person in that role. In 2023, President Biden awarded him the National Humanities Medal. Born to Cuban exile parents and raised in Miami, Blanco explores identity, belonging, and place in works like Homeland of My Body, For All of Us, One Today, and The Prince of Los Cocuyos. His honors include the Agnes Starrett Prize, PEN America Beyond Margins Award, Patterson Prize, and Lambda Literary Award. Blanco is Education Ambassador for The Academy of American Poets, Associate Professor at Florida International University, and Poet Laureate of Miami-Dade County. www.richard-blanco.comSamiya Bashir — Poet, writer, librettist, and multimedia artist described as “a dynamic, shape-shifting machine of perpetual motion.” Her work has been seen from Berlin to Accra, Florence to across the U.S. She is the author of Field Theories (Oregon Book Award) and I Hope This Helps (Nightboat Books, 2025). Honors include the Rome Prize, Pushcart Prize, and Oregon Arts & Culture Council Fellowship, with residencies at MacDowell and the Atlantic Center for the Arts. She is reigniting Fire & Inkwell to support LGBTQ+ artists and writers of African descent. www.samiyabashir.comOctavio Quintanilla — Author of If I Go Missing (2014) and Poet Laureate of Texas. His poetry, fiction, translations, and Frontextos (visual poems) appear in Alaska Quarterly Review, Texas Observer, Green Mountains Review, and more. Exhibitions include Southwest School of Art, Weslaco Museum, and the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. Regional editor for Texas Books in Review, poetry editor for Voices de la Luna, and faculty in Literature & Creative Writing at Our Lady of the Lake University. www.octavioquintanilla.com  |  IG: @writeroctavioquintanilla  |  X: @OctQuintanillaVince Herman (Leftover Salmon) — Since co-founding Leftover Salmon in 1989, Herman's joyful, theatrical energy has defined the band. After moving from West Virginia to Boulder, CO, he briefly joined the Left-Hand String Band before forming Salmon Heads; both merged on New Year's Eve 1989 to become Leftover Salmon. Decades on, Herman continues to bring his eclectic musical vision to audiences everywhere.Additional Music: Alain Johannes — www.alainjohannes.com  |  Documentary: YouTubeSponsorsThe Pickens County Chamber of CommerceThe CrownBright Hill PressSpecial ThanksUCLA Extension Writing ProgramMercer University PressRed Phone BoothAlain Johannes — original score: www.alainjohannes.comHost Clifford Brooks — The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysics, Athena Departs, Old Gods: www.cliffbrooks.com/how-to-orderCheck out his Teachable courses, The Working Writer and Adulting with Autism, here: brooks-sessions.teachable.com

What this book showed me was how to balance pieces of myself that didn't fit together.Today we meet Abdi Nazemian and we're talking about the queer book that saved his life: Another Country by James Baldwin.Abdi Nazemian spent his childhood in a series of exciting locations (Tehran, Paris, Toronto, New York), but could usually be found in his bedroom watching old movies and reading. His first novel, The Walk-In Closet, was awarded Best Debut at the Lambda Literary Awards. He has written three young adult novels: The Authentics, Like a Love Story, and The Chandler Legacies. As Head of Development for Water's End Productions, Abdi has been an executive producer or associate producer on numerous films, including Call Me By Your Name, It Happened In L.A., The Price, The House of Tomorrow, and Little Woods.Another Country, stunning for its emotional intensity and haunting sensuality, depicts men and women, blacks and whites, stripped of their masks of gender and race by love and hatred at the most elemental and sublime. It was nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.James Baldwin was born in 1924 and educated in New York. The author of over twenty works of fiction and non-fiction, Baldwin received numerous accolades, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Ford Foundation Grant.Connect with Abdiwebsite: abdinazemian.cominstagram: @abdaddyOur BookshopVisit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbookBuy Another Country: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780679744719Become an Associate Producer!Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbookCreditsHost/Founder: John ParkerExecutive Producer: Jim PoundsAssociate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean SmithPatreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, Sofia Nerman, and Gary Nygaard.Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy EricksonQuatrefoil LibraryQuatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1Support the show

Richard Siken is a poet and painter. His book Crush won the 2004 Yale Series of Younger Poets prize, selected by Louise Glück, a Lambda Literary Award, a Thom Gunn Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His other books are War of the Foxes (Copper Canyon Press, 2015) and I Do Know Some Things (Copper Canyon Press, 2025). Siken is a recipient of fellowships from Lannan Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in Tucson, Arizona. Find more info here: https://richard-siken.com/ As always, we'll also include the live Prompt Lines for responses to our weekly prompt. A Zoom link will be provided in the chat window during the show before that segment begins. For links to all the past episodes, visit: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: Write a poem that touches on hair. Next Week's Prompt: Write a poem that features electricity. The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, then becomes an audio podcast. Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts.

On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Mansi Aneja chats with writer and Antioch nonfiction faculty member, Edgar Gomez. Gomez is a queer NicaRican writer born and raised in Florida. He is the author of the memoir High-Risk Homosexual that was released in 2022 and won the American Book Award, a Stonewall Israel-Fishman Nonfiction Book Honor Award, and the Lambda Literary Award. Get to know Gomez, his writing process, and the journey of his second book that was released in February 2025 entitled Alligator Tears. This episode was produced by Bo Thomas Newman and mastered by Mitko Grigorov.

How do we live radiantly when the world seems bent on our erasure?Today we meet Caro De Robertis and we're talking about the queer book that saved their life: Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin, translated by Bonnie Huie.Caro's books best-selling books have Stonewall Book Awards and the Golden Poppy Octavia E. Butler Award; and, they have been finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award, Lambda Literary Award, and the Kirkus Prize. These books include The Palace of Eros, The President and the Frog, Cantoras, The Gods of Tango, and Perla. Caro was the first openly nonbinary person to received the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature. A professor at San Francisco State University, Caro is co-curating Conjuring Power: the Roots & Futures of Queer & Trans Movements, for San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. It will open Spring 2026. Their newest book is So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color.Set in the post-martial-law era of late-1980s Taipei, Notes of a Crocodile is a coming-of-age story of queer misfits discovering love, friendship, and artistic affinity while hardly studying at Taiwan's most prestigious university. Told through the eyes of an anonymous lesbian narrator nicknamed Lazi, this cult classic is a postmodern pastiche of diaries, vignettes, mash notes, aphorisms, exegesis, and satire by an incisive prose stylist and major countercultural figure.Connect with Carowebsite: caroderobertis.cominstagram: @caro_derobertisOur BookshopVisit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbookBuy Notes of a Crocodile: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781681370767Buy So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781643756875Become an Associate Producer!Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbookCreditsHost/Founder: John ParkerExecutive Producer: Jim PoundsAssociate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean SmithPatreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, Sofia Nerman, and Gary Nygaard.Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy EricksonQuatrefoil LibraryQuatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1We're in Iceland for PRIDE, so we're taking this week off! We'll be back with a new episode on August 12th with guest Caro De Robertis talking about the queer book that saved their life: Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin, translated by Bonnie Huie.Support the show

Where are all the queer people in history?Today we meet Ilana Masad and we're talking about the queer book that saved her life: Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg. And Jordy joins us!Ilana Masad is a writer of fiction, nonfiction, and criticism. Their work has appeared in The New Yorker, New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post, NPR, The Atlantic, StoryQuartlerly, Catapult, Buzzfeed, Joyland, The Account, and many more. She is the author of the novel All My Mother's Lovers and the forthcoming Beings.Jordy Rosenberg is the author of the novels Confessions of the Fox and Night Night Fawn, as well as a scholarly monograph about 18th-century religious enthusiasts. Confessions was shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a Lambda Literary Award, among many other awards. Jordy is a professor in the Department of English and Associated MFA Faculty in the Program for Poets and Writers at The University of Massachusetts-Amherst.In Confessions of the Fox, Jack Sheppard and Edgeworth Bess were the most notorious thieves, jailbreakers, and lovers of eighteenth-century London. Yet no one knows the true story. Their confessions have never been found. Until now. Reeling from heartbreak, a scholar named Dr. Voth discovers a long-lost manuscript—a gender-defying exposé of Jack and Bess's adventures. But is it autobiography or a hoax? As Dr. Voth is drawn deeper into Jack and Bess's tale of underworld resistance and gender transformation, it becomes clear that their fates are intertwined—and only a miracle will save them all.Connect with Ilana and Jordywebsite: ilanamasad.cominstagram: @ilanaslightlyignorantbluesky: @ilanaslightlynewsletter: buttondown.com/imasadcriticwebsite: jordy-rosenberg.cominstagram: @jordyrosenbergOur BookshopVisit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbookBuy Confessions of the Fox: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780399592287Pre-order Beings: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781639737000Become an Associate Producer!Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbookCreditsHost/Founder: John ParkerExecutive Producer: Jim PoundsAssociate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean SmithPatreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, Sofia Nerman, and Gary Nygaard.Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy EricksonQuatrefoil LibraryQuatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1Support the show

All memoirists at some point in the writing process will grapple with what's theirs to tell. This week's show focuses on this all-important topic of permission. When do you need it? Who gives it to you and when and for what purpose? And do you need permission at all—from anyone but yourself? Centered around topics in guest Elissa Altman's latest book, which is titled Permission, this is an empowering, deep-felt, and permission-giving episode—and something all writers, especially memoirists, can use to stay the course and keep going. Elissa Altman is the author of the Permission: The New Memoirist and the Courage to Create and the award-winning author of three memoirs: Motherland; Treyf; and Poor Man's Feast. Altman's work has appeared everywhere from Bitter Southerner and Orion to The Guardian, Narrative, O: The Oprah Magazine, Lion's Roar, Krista Tippett's On Being, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington. She has a popular Substack, Poor Man's Feast, and she's also a James Beard Award-winner for narrative food writing and was a finalist for the 2020 Lambda Literary Award in Memoir. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All memoirists at some point in the writing process will grapple with what's theirs to tell. This week's show focuses on this all-important topic of permission. When do you need it? Who gives it to you and when and for what purpose? And do you need permission at all—from anyone but yourself? Centered around topics in guest Elissa Altman's latest book, which is titled Permission, this is an empowering, deep-felt, and permission-giving episode—and something all writers, especially memoirists, can use to stay the course and keep going. Elissa Altman is the author of the Permission: The New Memoirist and the Courage to Create and the award-winning author of three memoirs: Motherland; Treyf; and Poor Man's Feast. Altman's work has appeared everywhere from Bitter Southerner and Orion to The Guardian, Narrative, O: The Oprah Magazine, Lion's Roar, Krista Tippett's On Being, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington. She has a popular Substack, Poor Man's Feast, and she's also a James Beard Award-winner for narrative food writing and was a finalist for the 2020 Lambda Literary Award in Memoir. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this very special episode of WellRED aka "The Drew Skeew!" Drew sits down one on one with Author L.A. Fields! L.A. Fields is the award-winning author of LGBT novels, short stories, and scholarship, including the Lambda Literary Award finalists My Dear Watson (a Sherlock Holmes pastiche) and Homo Superiors (a modern Leopold and Loeb retelling). Summary of their new book River Trash!: Singer-songwriter Whitney Thorn is a 50-year-old recovered crystal meth addict and the well-known son of country music royalty. Struggling comedian and former nurse Graham Morrow is down and out at 35, living back home with his mother. They meet at an unauthorized show in a Louisiana field and take a chance on shacking up together, creating art at leisure and exploring each other with curiosity and wonder. But with hurricanes ravaging other parts of the South and death tolls rising due to COVID-19, eventually trouble finds them. River Trash is a slice of Americana, a love story, and a bottle novel that takes place mainly indoors. Two men seek to know one another while a chaotic world swirls around them. Check out L.A.'s work at https://lafields.webflow.io/ TraeCrowder.com for tickets WeLoveCorey.com for Bonus Stuff DrewMorganComedy.com for all things Drew Sponsor links: Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Download the Rocket Money app and enter my show name wellRED podcast in the survey so they know I sent you! Don’t wait! Download the Rocket Money app today and tell them you heard about them from my show! Get up to 10 FREE meals and a free high protein item for life at HelloFresh.com/wellred10fm One item per box with active subscription. Free meals applied as discount on first box, new subscribers only, varies by plan.