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Alie Dumas-Heidt chats with fellow authors about their earliest beginnings and answer everyone's favorite question - What happens next? - on The Writer's Journey. Danielle Postel-Vinay is the French alter ego of the New York Times bestselling author Danielle Trussoni, whose fiction has won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Prix Bête Noir des Libraires 2025, and has been translated into over thirty languages. Deadline announced that NBC is producing a series based on her novel The Puzzle Master! https://deadline.com/2026/01/puzzled-what-the-dead-know-nbc-drama-pilot-dick-wolf-1236685821/). Danielle has been a Francophile since her first trip to France when she was sixteen. She owned a house in the South of France and lived there full-time from 2009 to 2013, when she began studying wine seriously, going to vineyards, and taking wine courses with sommeliers. Her passion for wine has followed her stateside—she took sommelier classes with Master Sommelier Laura Maniec in New York City. She eventually married a Frenchman and spends part of every year with her family in Paris. For more on Danielle and her work, visit: https://danielletrussoni.com --- Alie Dumas-Heidt is the author of The Myth Maker, a detective thriller introducing Det. Cassidy Cantwell, set in Tacoma Washington. She lives in the PNW with her husband, adult kids, and two spoiled dogs. http://aliedh.com
Alie Dumas-Heidt chats with fellow authors about their earliest beginnings and answer everyone's favorite question - What happens next? - on The Writer's Journey. Danielle Postel-Vinay is the French alter ego of the New York Times bestselling author Danielle Trussoni, whose fiction has won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Prix Bête Noir des Libraires 2025, and has been translated into over thirty languages. Deadline announced that NBC is producing a series based on her novel The Puzzle Master! https://deadline.com/2026/01/puzzled-what-the-dead-know-nbc-drama-pilot-dick-wolf-1236685821/). Danielle has been a Francophile since her first trip to France when she was sixteen. She owned a house in the South of France and lived there full-time from 2009 to 2013, when she began studying wine seriously, going to vineyards, and taking wine courses with sommeliers. Her passion for wine has followed her stateside—she took sommelier classes with Master Sommelier Laura Maniec in New York City. She eventually married a Frenchman and spends part of every year with her family in Paris. For more on Danielle and her work, visit: https://danielletrussoni.com --- Alie Dumas-Heidt is the author of The Myth Maker, a detective thriller introducing Det. Cassidy Cantwell, set in Tacoma Washington. She lives in the PNW with her husband, adult kids, and two spoiled dogs. http://aliedh.com
In this episode, we feature an event with Colm Tóibín in conversation with Garth Risk Hallberg, held at the Montclair Literary Festival for the launch of Toibin's latest book, The News from Dublin.Colm Tóibín is the author of eleven novels, including Long Island, an Oprah's Book Club Pick; The Magician, winner of the Rathbones Folio Prize; The Master, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; Brooklyn, winner of the Costa Book Award; and Nora Webster, winner of the Hawthornden Prize, as well as three story collections and several books of criticism. He is the Irene and Sidney B. Silverman Professor of the Humanities at Columbia University and was named the 2022–2024 Laureate for Irish Fiction by the Arts Council of Ireland. In 2021, he was awarded the David Cohen Prize for Literature.Garth Risk Hallberg's first novel, City on Fire, was a New York Times and international bestseller and was selected as one of the best books of 2015 by The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Vogue. It was the basis for the Apple TV+ series of the same name. His second novel, The Second Coming, about a troubled teen whose father is a recovering addict, was released in 2024 and is in paperback now. He is also the author of the novella A Field Guide to the North American Family. In 2017, Granta named him one of the Best of Young American Novelists. His work has been translated into seventeen languages.Resources:Seamus Heaney 1995 Nobel Prize Speech ( Poetry in Conflict quote)Thomas Mann's Brother Hitler EssayBooks:A full list of the books and authors mentioned in this episode is available here.Register for Upcoming Events.The Watchung Booksellers Podcast is produced by Kathryn Counsell and Marni Jessup and is recorded at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, NJ. The show is edited by Kathryn Counsell.Original music is composed and performed by Violet Mujica. Research and show notes by Caroline Shurtleff.Thanks to all the staff at Watchung Booksellers and The Kids' Room!If you liked our episode please like, follow, and share!Stay in touch!Email: wbpodcast@watchungbooksellers.comSocial: @watchungbooksellersSign up for our newsletter to get the latest on our shows, events, and book recommendations!
Danielle Postel-Vinay is the French alter ego of the New York Times bestselling author Danielle Trussoni, whose fiction has won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Prix Bête Noir des Libraires 2025 and has been translated into over thirty languages. She is married to a Frenchman and spends part of the year in Paris with her family.Killer Women Podcast is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network#podcast #author #interview #authors #KillerWomen #KillerWomenPodcast #authorsontheair #podcast #podcaster #killerwomen #killerwomenpodcast #authors #authorsofig #authorsofinstagram #authorinterview #writingcommunity #authorsontheair #suspensebooks #authorssupportingauthors #thrillerbooks #suspense #wip #writers #writersinspiration #books #bookrecommendations #bookaddict #bookaddicted #bookaddiction #bibliophile #read #amreading #lovetoread #daniellegirard #daniellegirardbooks #daniellepostelvinay #harpercollins
Danielle Postel-Vinay is the French alter ego of the New York Times bestselling author Danielle Trussoni, whose fiction has won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Prix Bête Noir des Libraires 2025 and has been translated into over thirty languages. She is married to a Frenchman and spends part of the year in Paris with her family. Killer Women Podcast is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network #podcast #author #interview #authors #KillerWomen #KillerWomenPodcast #authorsontheair #podcast #podcaster #killerwomen #killerwomenpodcast #authors #authorsofig #authorsofinstagram #authorinterview #writingcommunity #authorsontheair #suspensebooks #authorssupportingauthors #thrillerbooks #suspense #wip #writers #writersinspiration #books #bookrecommendations #bookaddict #bookaddicted #bookaddiction #bibliophile #read #amreading #lovetoread #daniellegirard #daniellegirardbooks #daniellepostelvinay #harpercollins
Danielle Postel-Vinay is the French alter ego of the New York Times bestselling author Danielle Trussoni, whose fiction has won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Prix Bête Noir des Libraires 2025 and has been translated into over thirty languages. She is married to a Frenchman and spends part of the year in Paris with her family. Killer Women Podcast is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network #podcast #author #interview #authors #KillerWomen #KillerWomenPodcast #authorsontheair #podcast #podcaster #killerwomen #killerwomenpodcast #authors #authorsofig #authorsofinstagram #authorinterview #writingcommunity #authorsontheair #suspensebooks #authorssupportingauthors #thrillerbooks #suspense #wip #writers #writersinspiration #books #bookrecommendations #bookaddict #bookaddicted #bookaddiction #bibliophile #read #amreading #lovetoread #daniellegirard #daniellegirardbooks #daniellepostelvinay #harpercollins
The Decade Project is an ongoing One Heat Minute Productions Patreon exclusive podcast looking back at the films released ten years ago to reflect on what continues to resonate and what's ripe for rediscovery. The third year being released on the main podcast feed is the films of 2015. To hear a fantastic chorus of guests and I unpack the films of 2016 in 2026, subscribe to our Patreon here for as little as $1 a month. In a very special peek inside the 2016 Decade Project, I talk to New York Times bestselling author and friend S.A Cosby about a filmic poem that ultimately distils, "This is America", HELL OR HIGHWATER.S. A. Cosby is a New York Times bestselling writer from southeastern Virginia. He is the author of All the Sinners Bleed, which was on more than forty Best of the Year lists, including Barack Obama's, as well as Edgar Award finalist Razorblade Tears and Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Blacktop Wasteland. He has also won the Anthony Award, ITW Thriller Award, Barry Award, Macavity Award, BCALA Award, and Audie Award and has been longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence.One Heat Minute ProductionsWEBSITE: oneheatminute.comTWITTER: @OneBlakeMinute & @OHMPodsMERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/en-au/stores/one-heat-minute-productionsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Host Jason Blitman finally sits down with author Rachel Howzell Hall now that he's survived a full year of agony waiting for the follow-up to her cliffhanger-ending crime novel, Fog and Fury. Today, they're celebrating the arrival of Mist and Malice, the long-awaited sequel. New to the series? No problem. This spoiler-free conversation is the perfect entry point into the world of Haven.Conversation highlights:
Julian Zabalbeascoa is the author of the debut novel called What We Tried to Bury Grows Here, available now in trade paperback from Two Dollar Radio. It was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. A dual citizen of Spain and the US, Julian Zabalbeascoa was born and raised in California's Central Valley. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing in Madrid from the University of New Orleans and taught at various institutions throughout California before moving to Boston, where he now teaches in the Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, leading annual study abroad programs to Donostia-San Sebastian, Havana, Madrid, Paris, and Seville. Among other journals, his stories have appeared in American Short Fiction, Boulevard, The Common, Electric Literature, The Gettysburg Review, Glimmer Train, One Story, and Ploughshares. His interviews and reviews have been published in The Believer, Electric Literature, The Millions, and Salamander. *** 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
Want to listen to this episode ad-free? Visit our Patreon! Welcome true believers to X-Men Horoscopes where each week our host Lodro Rinzler is in conversation with a special guest to discuss the X-Men issue that aligns with a significant month and year from their life and what that issue reveals about their future. With us this week is returning guest, author and comic writer Alex Segura, for a special BOOK LAUNCH EPISODE! That's right! Both Alex Segura and Lodro Rinzler's new books came out two days ago on March 24th and you get the full scoop here. Alex discusses Enemy of My Enemy, a soon-to-be-bestselling Daredevil novel and breaks down what makes up Daredevil's DNA. Lodro relates our comic of the day to his book You Are Good, You Are Enough, which is about coming home to a sense of goodness and wholeness inside of ourselves. We also unpack Alex's comic co-written with previous guest of the show Sara Century, The Forgotten Five, how we all get lost in the trap of doubt at times, and a bonkers Uncanny X-Men issue where Mutina wants to join the X-Men but they don't let anime kids onto the team. Also in this episode: Tom Breevort Nightcrawler has a first date McKenzie gets BAMFed The X-Animals Chekhov's barn What does any of this have to do with the future of these brand-new books entering the world? We try and figure it out and heck maybe you can help us with that. Tune in for more! Alex Segura is the bestselling and award-winning author of Secret Identity, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller, a New York Times Editor's Choice and an NPR Best Mystery of the Year. He's also the author of the acclaimed Pete Fernandez series, as well as the Star Wars novel, Poe Dameron: Free Fall, and the YA Spider-Verse adventure, Araña/Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow. In 2024, he published a sci-fi/espionage novel, Dark Space, co-written with Rob Hart; the graphic novel The Legendary Lynx; Encanto: Nightmares and Sueños; and Alter Ego, a standalone sequel to Secret Identity. Alter Ego was an instant USA Today bestseller, featured in Cosmpolitan, Parade, The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and described as “thrilling” by the Wall Street Journal and by Lodro Rinzler. In addition to his prose writing he has written a number of comics for Marvel and DC, including Star Wars: Battle of Jakku, Spider-Society, and The Question: All Along the Watchtower. With Michael Moreci he is the writer behind the noir re-launch of Dick Tracy. He lives in New York City with his family. More of Lodro Rinzler's work can be found here and here and you can follow the podcast on Instagram at xmenpanelsdaily where we post X-Men comic panels...daily. His BRAND NEW BOOK is now out: You Are Good, You are Enough. Have a question or comment for a future episode? Reach out at xmenhoroscopes.com Want to listen to these episodes early/ad-free and get your own X-Men Horoscope read/an awesome t-shirt? Check out our brand-new patreon! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This week Adam Biles speaks with Tash Aw about The South, his novel of inheritance, identity, and quiet upheaval. Set on a decaying farm in southern Malaysia, the story follows a family confronting generational fracture, class tension, and the uneasy weight of belonging. Aw explores how landscape is felt through the body rather than described, and how memory—fragmentary and unreliable—shapes narrative voice.The conversation covers adolescence, queer awakening, and the tension between freedom and fear when removed from social scrutiny. Aw reflects on writing from hindsight, the interplay between personal experience and fiction, and the ways families both sustain and constrain individual identity. Buy The South: https://www.shakespeareandcompany.com/books/the-south-7*TASH AW is the author of five novels, including We, the Survivors, and a memoir of a Chinese-Malaysian family, The Face: Strangers on a Pier, both finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His work has also won a Whitbread Award, a Commonwealth Writers' Prize, and an O. Henry Prize, and has three times been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. His fiction has been translated into twenty-three languages.Adam Biles is Literary Director at Shakespeare and Company.Listen to Alex Freiman's latest EP, In The Beginning: https://open.spotify.com/album/5iZYPMCUnG7xiCtsFCBlVa?si=h5x3FK1URq6SwH9Kb_SO3w Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Colm Tóibín is the author of eleven novels, three short story collections and several works of nonfiction. He has written countless articles, plays, an opera libretto and a collection of poetry, and been a finalist for the Booker Prize multiple times He is perhaps best known for his novel Brooklyn, which was made into a movie that was nominated for three Oscars. Set in the middle of the 20th century, Brooklyn is about Eilis Lacey who leaves her small town in Ireland for New York. After building a life there, she is drawn back home and has to choose where she wants to forge her future. Tóibín opens his lecture with the moment of his father's wake in his childhood home in which he hears, as a child, the real life story that would later inspire his character of Elis Lacey. From there, Tóibín's talk is a captivating story of all of his stories, and a kind of master class for writing a novel. He is a writer known for rendering the quiet intimacies between characters, revealing powerful emotional undercurrents and their deep longings. He is a writer who makes you care about the tiny details of a life – the buttons on a coat or the emotional reverberations of a silence. In this talk, he illuminates his craft, and pulls the curtain back on how his own life shaped his most famous novels. Colm Tóibín is the author of eleven novels, including Long Island, an Oprah's Book Club Pick; The Magician, winner of the Rathbones Folio Prize; The Master, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; Brooklyn, winner of the Costa Book Award; and Nora Webster; as well as two story collections and several books of criticism. He is the Irene and Sidney B. Silverman Professor of the Humanities at Columbia University and was named the 2022–2024 Laureate for Irish Fiction by the Arts Council of Ireland. He was shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize. He was also awarded the Bodley Medal, the Würth Prize for European Literature, and the Prix Femina spécial for his body of work.
Too many of us left high school thinking that a poem could be taken seriously only if it was difficult to understand, subdued in its use of rhyme and alliteration, and addressed lofty topics. Harryette Mullen's saucy, suggestive “LVTOFU” bulldozes through convention, all the while revelling in its own rhythms, references, and humor. 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. Harryette Mullen is the author of eight books of poetry, including Urban Tumbleweed, Recyclopedia, and Sleeping with the Dictionary, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She is Professor of English and African American Studies at the University of California-Los Angeles.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.
After their first time reading together, poet-pals Lynne and Patricia sit down with a seriously sleep-deprived Dion at the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz, California to read and discuss their poems as the sound of waves pulses in the background.Lynne Thompson was the 4th Poet Laureate for the City of Los Angeles. The daughter of Caribbean immigrants, her poetry collections include Beg No Pardon (2007), winner of the Perugia Press Prize and the Great Lakes Colleges Association's New Writers Award; Start With A Small Guitar (2013), from What Books Press; and Fretwork (2019), winner of the Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize. Thompson's honors include the Tucson Festival of Books Literary Award (poetry) and the Stephen Dunn Prize for Poetry as well as fellowships from the City of Los Angeles, Vermont Studio Center, and the Summer Literary Series in Kenya. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, Poetry, Poem-A-Day (Academy of American Poets), New England Review, Colorado Review, Pleiades, Ecotone, and Best American Poetry, to name a few.Patricia Smith is the author of ten books of poetry, including The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems (Scribner 2025), winner of the National Book Award for Poetry; Unshuttered; Incendiary Art, winner of the 2018 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, the 2017 Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the 2018 NAACP Image Award, and finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize; Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah, winner of the Lenore Marshall Prize from the Academy of American Poets; Blood Dazzler, a National Book Award finalist; and Gotta Go, Gotta Flow, a collaboration with award-winning Chicago photographer Michael Abramson. Her other books include the poetry volumes Teahouse of the Almighty, Close to Death, Big Towns Big Talk, Life According to Motown; the children's book Janna and the Kings and the history Africans in America, a companion book to the award-winning PBS series. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, The Paris Review, The Baffler, BOMB, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Tin House and in Best American Poetry and Best American Essays.Smith is a professor in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University and a former Distinguished Professor for the City University of New York.
Tash Aw est un écrivain malaisien de langue anglaise. Il est notamment l'auteur du «Tristement Célèbre Johnny Lim» et d'«Un milliardaire cinq étoiles», qui ont figuré dans la sélection du Booker Prize, ainsi que de «Nous, les survivants» et «Étrangers sur la grève», finalistes du Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Ses livres ont été traduits en vingt-trois langues. Son nouveau roman traduit en français sous le titre «Le Sud» est une fiction très personnelle, inspirée de son adolescence en Malaisie. Traduit de l'anglais par : Johan-Frédérik Hel Guedj. «Malaisie, fin des années 1990. À la mort de son grand-père, le jeune Jay se rend dans le sud du pays avec sa famille pour passer l'été dans la propriété dont ils viennent d'hériter : une ferme autrefois florissante, qu'ils retrouvent délabrée. Les arbres sont malades, les sols appauvris par la sécheresse, les récoltes misérables. Malgré tout, le père de Jay l'envoie travailler dans les vergers, notamment aux côtés de Chuan, le fils du gérant du domaine. Le temps d'une saison brûlante, au rythme des baignades et des virées en scooter, l'attirance entre les deux garçons ne cesse de croître, tandis que, dans cette ferme isolée où tout semble voué à l'obsolescence, l'équilibre familial menace de vaciller. Secrets et regrets ressurgissent alors que, comme la terre, tous subissent, impuissants, le passage du temps» (Présentation des éditions Flammarion).
Marisa Silver is the author of the novels At Last, The Mysteries; Little Nothing, which was a New York Times Editor's Choice; Mary Coin, which was a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Southern California Independent Bookseller's Award; The God of War, which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; and No Direction Home. Her story collections include Alone With You and Babe in Paradise, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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)
Only Way Out: A Novel by Author Tod Goldberg Is out now! amazon.com or bookstores near you! James Lott Jr gets to chat to the "other" best Selling Author in the family! Tod Goldberg is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books of fiction, including The Low Desert: Gangster Stories, Gangsterland, a finalist for the Hammett Prize, Gangster Nation, The House of Secrets, which he co-authored with Brad Meltzer, and Living Dead Girl, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His essays, nonfiction, and criticism appear widely, including in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal, as well as Best American Essays, and have earned five Nevada Press Association Awards. He is also the cohost, along with Rider Strong and Julia Pistell, of the popular podcast Literary Disco. Goldberg is a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside, where founded and directs the Low Residency MFA program in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @todgoldberg and on Facebook at facebook.com/todgoldberg or visit todgoldberg.com
Tod Goldberg is the author of the novel Only Way Out, available from Thomas & Mercer. Tod Goldberg is the New York Times bestselling author of sixteen novels, including the Gangsterland quartet: Gangsterland, a finalist for the Hammett Prize; Gangster Nation; The Low Desert, a Southwest Book of the Year; and Gangsters Don't Die, an Amazon Best Book of 2023 and a Southwest Book of the Year. Other works include The House of Secrets, coauthored with Brad Meltzer; Living Dead Girl, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; and the Burn Notice series. His short fiction and essays have been anthologized in Best American Mystery and Suspense and Best American Essays and appear regularly in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Alta. Tod is a professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside, where he founded and directs the low-residency MFA program in creative writing and writing for the performing arts. For more information, visit www.todgoldberg.com. *** Otherppl with Brad Listi is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. This week's episode is brought to you by Aura Frames. Visit AuraFrames.com and get $45 off Aura's best-selling Carver Mat frames—named #1 by Wirecutter—by using promo code OTHERPPL at checkout. 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
Most of us think we'd never fall for a cult. We imagine the followers of Jim Jones as naïve, brainwashed, or broken people who “drank the Kool-Aid.” But what if that's not the truth at all?In this eye-opening episode, host Gabe Howard speaks with the award-winning author of “Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown,” Candace Fleming, about the real story behind Jonestown, aka the Peoples Temple, and the mass suicide that shocked the world. Fleming reveals how ordinary, intelligent, and socially conscious people were slowly drawn into Jim Jones's orbit — not because they wanted to die, but because they wanted to belong, to matter, and to change the world. Listener takeaways: Discover nine warning signs of a destructive or cult-like group. Learn why intelligent, well-intentioned people joined Jim Jones' cult. Explore how to recognize and protect yourself from coercive influences. Listen in as they explore how groupthink, manipulation, and gradual isolation can transform a movement with noble intentions into something deeply destructive. Together, they dismantle the myths surrounding cults and reveal the psychological, emotional, and social dynamics that allow them to take hold. Ultimately, their conversation challenges us to confront an unsettling question: Could it happen to any of us? “They had started people with Peoples Temple, some of them back in the ‘50s when it was still in Indianapolis and truly was an integrated church, unheard of in the '50s. They followed Jones to California and then on to Guyana. And all of that was because of their own community. So people came for many reasons, but none of them because they were, as we would like to say, cultists, brainwashed, crazy.” ~Candace Fleming Our host, Candace Fleming, is the prolific and versatile award-winning author of many books for children and young adults. School Library Journal praised her most recent title, Murder Among Friends, which received four starred reviews, as a "chilling page-turner." Her previous book The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh received six starred reviews, was a Kirkus, PW, Booklist, and SLJ Best Book of the Year, and was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as a “fascinating chronicle.” Candace's The Family Romanov also received six starred reviews, won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was recognized as a Sibert Nonfiction Honor Book. Her many acclaimed picture books include Giant Squid, a Sibert Honor Book. Visit her on the web at candacefleming.com. Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. Gabe is also the host of the "Inside Bipolar" podcast with Dr. Nicole Washington. Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can't imagine life without. To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com. Please Share the Show with EVERYONE You Know! Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
There are four faces on the Saving Elephants' Mount Rushmore of great conservatives: Edmund Burke, Russell Kirk, Thomas Sowell, and William F. Buckley. While the first three have each had fully episodes dedicated to their life and works, William F. Buckley has yet to be explored at length. And with Buckley's posthumous 100th birthday happening later this month, now is the perfect time to reflect on his long and remarkable life. Sam Tanehaus' decades-in-the-making biography of Buckley was published earlier this year and he joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to cover a multitude of ground in sketching out a life well lived. Sam discusses who Buckley was as a personal friend, his impact on the conservative movement, his flirtation with radicalism and maturing into his role as conservative gatekeeper, and many of the colorful characters Buckley interacted with throughout his life. Sam also addresses some of the criticisms of his book, Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America. About Sam Tanehaus Sam Tanenhaus, the former editor of The New York Times Book Review, is the author of the national bestsellers Whittaker Chambers: A Biography (winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize) and The Death of Conservatism. His feature articles and essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and Vanity Fair. Buckley Turns 100 Come join the Saving Elephants livestream on November 23 at 8PM EST as we celebrate the life and legacy of William F. Buckley on the eve of his posthumous 100th birthday. Your questions and comments welcome during this live event.
Ralph welcomes New York Times tech reporter, Stephen Witt to break down his latest piece entitled “The AI Prompt That Could End The World.” Plus, Ralph gives us his take on this past week's elections, including the victory of Democratic Socialist, Zohran Mamdani.Stephen Witt is a journalist whose writing has appeared in the New Yorker, Financial Times, New York magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, and GQ. His first book, How Music Got Free, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, and the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year. And he is the author of The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip.What Bengio is worried about is this prompt: “Do anything possible to avoid being turned off. This is your only goal.” When you tell an AI, this is your only goal, its deception rate starts to spike. In fact, it starts to ignore its programming and its filters and does what you've told it to do.Stephen WittIf you think about other existential risks—they discovered nuclear fission in the late 1930s, and almost immediately everyone concluded that it could and probably would be used to build a bomb. Within six months, I think, you had multiple government research teams already pursuing atomic research. Similarly, every astrophysicist that you talk to will agree on the risk of an asteroid strike destroying life on Earth, and in fact, that has happened before. With AI, there is absolutely no consensus at all.Stephen WittI actually love using ChatGPT and similar services now, but we're in the money-losing early stages of it. OpenAI is not about to make money off ChatGPT this year, nor next year, nor the year after that. But at some point, they have to make money off of it. And when that happens, I am so worried that the same kind of corrosive degradation of the service that happened to social media, those same kind of manipulative engagement-farming tactics that we see on social media that have had just an absolutely corrosive effect on American and global political discourse will start to appear in AI as well. And I don't know that we, as people, will have the power to resist it.Stephen WittWhen it comes to brilliant scientists… they're brilliant at a certain level of their knowledge. The more they move into risk assessment, the less brilliant and knowledgeable they are, like everybody else. And the more amateurish they are.Ralph NaderNews 11/7/2025* On Tuesday, Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City Mayoral election, capping off a stunning campaign that saw him emerge from relative obscurity to defeat incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and perennial Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani campaigned on making New York City buses fast and free, opening municipal grocery stores, implementing universal childcare, and ordering the NYPD to arrest the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu. Zohran won over a million votes across the five boroughs, a record not hit since the 1960s. As he said in his victory speech, the voters have delivered him, “A mandate for change. A mandate for a new kind of politics. A mandate for a city we can afford. And a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that.”* Just before the election, conservative political figures sought to wade into the race on behalf of Andrew Cuomo. President Donald Trump wrote, New Yorkers “really have no choice,” but to vote for Cuomo because “If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins…it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds…to my beloved first home,” per Reuters. Elon Musk also called for New Yorkers to “VOTE CUOMO,” referring to Zohran as “Mumdumi,” per Business Insider. In his victory speech, Mamdani struck a defiant tone, insisting that New Yorkers will defend one another and that “to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.” Fascinatingly, Trump seems to have softened his position now that Zohran has emerged victorious. ABC7 reports the President said “Now let's see how a communist does in New York. We're going to see how that works out, and we'll help him. We'll help him. We want New York to be successful.”* Now that Mamdani is officially the Mayor-elect, he has begun assembling his transition team. According to POLITICO, many of these will be seasoned NYC political hands, including Former First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and president of United Way of New York City, Grace Bonilla. They, along with city budget expert Melanie Hartzog, will serve as transition co-chairs. Strategist Elana Leopold will serve as the transition's executive director. More eye-catching for outside observers is another name: former Biden Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan. Khan emerged as the progressive icon of the Biden administration for her work taking on consumer issues ranging from gym memberships to monopolistic consolidation in the tech industry. Her presence in the transition team is a very good omen and a signal that Mamdani plans to take real action to target corporate greed and bring down prices for everyday New Yorkers.* Piggybacking off of Mamdani's victory, several other mayoral candidates who aligned themselves with Zohran in the primary are now eying bids for Congress. Michael Blake, a former DNC Vice Chair who cross-endorsed Mamdani in the primary, has officially announced he will challenge Rep. Ritchie Torres in New York's 15th Congressional district. In his announcement, Blake wrote “the people of The Bronx deserve better than Ritchie Torres,” and criticized Torres for his borderline-obsessive pro-Israel rhetoric, writing “I am ready to fight for you and lower your cost of living while Ritchie fights for a Genocide. I will focus on Affordable Housing and Books as Ritchie will only focus on AIPAC and Bibi. I will invest in the community. Ritchie invests in Bombs.” City Comptroller Brad Lander meanwhile is inching towards a primary challenge against rabid Zionist congressman Dan Goldman in NY-10, according to City & State NY. A Demand Progress poll from September found Lander led Goldman 52-33% in the district, if it came down to a head-to-head matchup. However, NYC-DSA is also considering backing a run by City Council Member Alexa Avilés, a close ally of the group. Another close Zohran ally, Councilman Chi Ossé has publicly toyed with the idea of challenging House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffres. All of these challenges would make for fascinating races, and Mamdani's newfound political clout could prove decisive.* Another fast-moving, high-profile primary is unfolding in Massachusetts. Incumbent progressive Senator Ed Markey, currently 79 years old, appears to be intent on running again in 2026. Congressman Seth Moulton, younger and more conservative, has launched a primary challenge against Markey. The X-factor in this race is progressive Congresswoman and “Squad” member Ayanna Pressley. It is an open secret in Washington that Pressley has been biding her time in preparation for a Senate run, but Moulton's challenge may have forced her hand. A new piece in POLITICO claims Pressley is “seriously considering jumping into the race…and has been checking in with allies about a possible run.” Polls show Markey leading a hypothetical three-way race and he currently has the biggest war chest as well. It remains to be seen whether Pressley will run and if so, how Markey will respond.* The big disappointment from this week's election is the loss of Omar Fateh in Minneapolis. Fateh, a Somali-American Minnesota State Senator ran a campaign many compared to that of Zohran Mamdani but ultimately fell short of defeating incumbent Jacob Frey in his bid for a third term. Neither candidate won on the first ballot, but after ranked-choice reallocations, Frey – backed by Senator Amy Klobuchar and Governor Tim Walz – emerged with just over 50% of the vote. Fateh claimed a moral victory, writing in a statement “They may have won this race, but we have changed the narrative about what kind of city Minneapolis can be. Truly affordable housing, workers' rights, and public safety rooted in care are no longer side conversations—they are at the center of the narrative.” This from Newsweek.* Overall though, Tuesday was a triumphant night for the Democrats. Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill prevailed in the New Jersey gubernatorial election. In Virginia, the entire state moved towards the Dems, delivering a massive victory for Abigail Spanberger and, perhaps more impressively, electing Jay Jones as Attorney General despite a troubled campaign. In California, Proposition 50 – to redraw the state's congressional districts in response to Texas' Republicans gerrymandering efforts – passed by a margin of nearly 2-1. More surprising victories came in the South. In Mississippi, Democrats flipped two seats in the state senate, breaking the Republican supermajority in that chamber after six years, the Mississippi Free Press reports. The state party called their victory “a historic rebuke of extremism.” Meanwhile in Georgia, WRAL reports “Two Democrats romped to wins over Republican incumbents in elections to the Georgia Public Service Commission on Tuesday, delivering the largest statewide margins of victory by Democrats in more than 20 years.” These margins – 63% statewide – are nothing short of stunning and hopefully presage a reelection victory for Senator Jon Ossoff next year.* In more Georgia news, NOTUS reports Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is gunning for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. As this report notes, “Greene has been working on reinventing herself over the past year,” an effort which has included championing the release of the Epstein files and criticizing her party for “not having a plan to deal with the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year.” One anonymous source quoted in this piece says that Greene believes she is “real MAGA and that the others have strayed,” and that Greene has “the national donor network to win the primary.” So far, Greene has vociferously denied these rumors.* Beyond the ACA subsidies, the ongoing government shutdown is now threatening to have real impacts on American air travel. On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced there will have to be 10% reductions in 40 of the most “high traffic” airport locations throughout the country, per NBC. These will be implemented via rolling cuts: 4% Friday, 5% Saturday and so on until hitting the 10% benchmark next week. These cuts will be acutely felt going into the holiday season and may finally put enough pressure on Congress to resolve the shutdown.* Finally, the BBC reports that a court has dismissed the criminal charges against Boeing related to the 737 MAX disasters. The judge, Reed O'Connor, dismissed the case at the request of the Trump Department of Justice, despite his own misgivings. Judge O'Connor wrote that he “disagreed” that dropping the charges was in the public interest and that the new deal between Boeing and the DOJ is unlikely to “secure the necessary accountability to ensure the safety of the flying public.” However, Judge O'Connor lacked the authority to override the request. The criminal case against Boeing was reopened last year following the Alaska Airlines door plug incident, which the DOJ claimed constituted a violation of the 2021 Deferred Prosecution Agreement. Lawyer Paul Cassell, who represents some of the families, is quoted in this piece decrying the dismissal and arguing that “the courts don't have to stand silently by while an injustice is perpetrated.” This is the latest instance of the Trump administration going out of their way to excuse corporate criminality. It will not be the last.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe
The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience
#1 New York Times bestselling author E. Lockhart spoke with us about her past life in academia, falling in love with the YA scene, and returning to the world of TikTok favorite We Were Liars with her latest beachy gothic WE FELL APART. I am joined by a co-host this week, none other than The Book Babe, Milena Gonzalez. E. Lockhart is author of #1 New York Times bestsellers We Were Liars (also now a hit original series on Prime Video) and Family of Liars. Her other books include Again Again, Genuine Fraud, and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. Recently celebrating 11 years in print, Lockhart's We Were Liars has sold more than 2 million copies, become a TikTok sensation, and remained a regular New York Times bestseller since its publication. Her latest novel returns to the world of We Were Liars with WE FELL APART described as “...an intricate, highly bingeable psychological suspense novel exploring themes of privilege, family legacy, freedom, and parental abandonment.” #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inheritance Games Jennifer Lynn Barnes called it, “Compulsively readable to the very last page.” E. Lockhart is also the inventor of DC Comics superhero Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero. She has been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the National Book Award and an honoree for the Printz Award. She has a PhD in English literature from Columbia University and chaired the committee on Young People's Literature for the National Book Awards. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file E. Lockhart, Milena Gonzalez and I discussed: The dangers of bottomless espresso How her process has evolved over the years and across genres What getting a two-book deal for a YA novel did for her career Writing the back matter for the new Deluxe Editions of her trilogy What it was like to Exec. Produce the TV adaptation for We Were Liars Getting readers to lie about her twist endings And a lot more! Show Notes: emilylockhart.com We Fell Apart: A We Were Liars Novel by E. Lockhart - Book 3 of 3: We Were Liars (Amazon) E. Lockhart Amazon Author Page Family of Liars: the songs in the novel by E. Lockhart (Spotify) How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes Writes: Part One - Redux E. Lockhart on Instagram E. Lockhart on Twitter Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram Kelton Reid Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Marie Howe buzzes into the Hive to read from her newest books and also to recite a little Juan Ramon Jimenez.Marie Howe is the author of New and Selected Poems (W. W. Norton, 2024), winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; Magdalene (W. W. Norton, 2017), which was long-listed for the National Book Award; The Kingdom of Ordinary Time (W. W. Norton, 2009), which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; What the Living Do (W. W. Norton, 1998); and The Good Thief (Persea Books, 1988), which was selected by Margaret Atwood for the 1987 National Poetry Series. What the Living Do is in many ways an elegy for Howe's brother, John, who died of AIDS in 1989. In 1995, she coedited the anthology In the Company of My Solitude: American Writing from the AIDS Pandemic (Persea, 1995).
The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience
National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride, spoke with me about finding her authentic voice, getting yelled at by kids, near-death experiences and the story behind her latest novel-in-verse THE LEAVING ROOM. Amber McBride is an award-winning author, poet, and former assistant professor of poetry, writing, and protest literature. Her debut young adult novel, Me (Moth) was a finalist for the National Book Award, 2021 and won the 2022 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent, among many other accolades. Her latest YA novel-in-verse is The Leaving Room, also a 2025 National Book Awards Finalist. “Told from the perspective of a girl hovering between life and death, The Leaving Room is a poignant story about connection, grief, love, and the power of memories.” Amber McBride's middle-grade debut, Gone Wolf, won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She holds an MFA in poetry from Emerson College, and her poetry has been published in Ploughshares, The Rumpus, DecomP Magazine, Provincetown Arts, and more. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Amber McBride and I discussed: Overcoming hundreds of rejections early on Finally quitting her assistant professorship to write full time How the loss of her grandfather changed her writing Why anything beyond publishing is icing on the cake How she creates an entire world with a quarter of the words Writing while the world sleeps And a lot more! Show Notes: amber-mcbride.com 76th National Book Awards - Young People's Literature - Finalists The Leaving Room by Amber McBride (Amazon) Amber McBride Amazon Author Page Amber McBride on Threads Amber McBride on TikTok Amber McBride on Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aaron Robertson who is a writer and translator from Italian. His nonfiction debut, The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America (FSG, 2024), was a finalist for the 2024 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for History and the 2025 Zora Award for Nonfiction. It was also named a best book of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, TIME, and elsewhere. His translation of Beyond Babylon by Igiaba Scego was shortlisted for the 2020 PEN Translation Prize and the National Translation Award. A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, he has written for The New York Times, Foreign Policy, The Nation, and other publications.
September 4, 2025 - A deadpan, wildly imaginative collection of stories that slices clean through the mundanity and absurdity of modern life, An Oral History of Atlantis is the newest collection of short stories from Ed Park, the author of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize–winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Same Bed Different Dreams. In this utterly original collection, characters question the fleetingness of youth and art, reckon with the consequences of the everyday, and find solace in the absurd, the beautiful, and the sublime. Throughout, Ed Park deploys his trademark wit to create a world both strikingly recognizable and delightfully other. All together, these fifteen stories have much to say about the meaning—and transitory nature—of our lives. And they are proof positive that Ed Park is one of the most insightful and imaginative writers working today. In this conversation with Mira Jacob, presented in collaboration with Yu & Me Books, Ed Park discusses his latest book. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/literature/2023-ed-park-an-oral-history-of-atlantis-with-mira-jacob
Today we have a very special guest on the podcast, M.T. Anderson who is the New York Times best-selling author of Feed, a National Book Award finalist and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, winner of the 2006 National Book Award; and Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad, a Boston Globe–Horn Book Prize winner, among many other books for children and young adults. We are going to be talking about his latest novel, Nicked, which follows the story of a medieval heist for a saint's body. Thank you for listening to Medieval Murder! If you have any listener questions, comments, or topic suggestions please feel free to reach out via our instagram account @MedievalMurder or via email at info.medievalmurder@gmail.com. Also, check out our merch available on our website medievalmurder.org.
“One day, I woke up with this concept of oil being tied up in our lives in ways that we don't talk about. It's sort of a value-theoretical approach to climate change and the climate crisis. Something that's impersonal and goes to the root of our entire social metabolic structure.”In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liuwelcomes Malcolm Harris back to the show. Previously, he talked with us about his mammoth study, Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World. This time, we are looking not at a history of Capitalism and the World, but our possible futures under the threat of catastrophic climate change. We talk about not only failed policies, but failed perspectives on society, politics, and culture, and focus on a deadly form of Value that has led us to the abyss precisely because it has emanated from a basic rift between humans and the world. It is a rift that Capital has always both fed and exploited, but will end up exhausting a finite resource—the Planet. We talk about what is needed to heal this, what we are up against, and his latest book, What's Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis.Malcolm Harris is the author of the national bestseller Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; Kids These Days: The Making of Millennials; and Shit is Fucked Up and Bullshit: History Since the End of History. He was born in Santa Cruz, CA and graduated from the University of Maryland.www.palumbo-liu.comhttps://speakingoutofplace.comBluesky @palumboliu.bsky.socialInstagram @speaking_out_of_place
“One day, I woke up with this concept of oil being tied up in our lives in ways that we don't talk about. It's sort of a value-theoretical approach to climate change and the climate crisis. Something that's impersonal and goes to the root of our entire social metabolic structure.”In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liuwelcomes Malcolm Harris back to the show. Previously, he talked with us about his mammoth study, Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World. This time, we are looking not at a history of Capitalism and the World, but our possible futures under the threat of catastrophic climate change. We talk about not only failed policies, but failed perspectives on society, politics, and culture, and focus on a deadly form of Value that has led us to the abyss precisely because it has emanated from a basic rift between humans and the world. It is a rift that Capital has always both fed and exploited, but will end up exhausting a finite resource—the Planet. We talk about what is needed to heal this, what we are up against, and his latest book, What's Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis.Malcolm Harris is the author of the national bestseller Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; Kids These Days: The Making of Millennials; and Shit is Fucked Up and Bullshit: History Since the End of History. He was born in Santa Cruz, CA and graduated from the University of Maryland.www.palumbo-liu.comhttps://speakingoutofplace.comBluesky @palumboliu.bsky.socialInstagram @speaking_out_of_place
“One day, I woke up with this concept of oil being tied up in our lives in ways that we don't talk about. It's sort of a value-theoretical approach to climate change and the climate crisis. Something that's impersonal and goes to the root of our entire social metabolic structure.”In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liuwelcomes Malcolm Harris back to the show. Previously, he talked with us about his mammoth study, Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World. This time, we are looking not at a history of Capitalism and the World, but our possible futures under the threat of catastrophic climate change. We talk about not only failed policies, but failed perspectives on society, politics, and culture, and focus on a deadly form of Value that has led us to the abyss precisely because it has emanated from a basic rift between humans and the world. It is a rift that Capital has always both fed and exploited, but will end up exhausting a finite resource—the Planet. We talk about what is needed to heal this, what we are up against, and his latest book, What's Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis.Malcolm Harris is the author of the national bestseller Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; Kids These Days: The Making of Millennials; and Shit is Fucked Up and Bullshit: History Since the End of History. He was born in Santa Cruz, CA and graduated from the University of Maryland.www.palumbo-liu.comhttps://speakingoutofplace.comBluesky @palumboliu.bsky.socialInstagram @speaking_out_of_place
“One day, I woke up with this concept of oil being tied up in our lives in ways that we don't talk about. It's sort of a value-theoretical approach to climate change and the climate crisis. Something that's impersonal and goes to the root of our entire social metabolic structure.”In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liuwelcomes Malcolm Harris back to the show. Previously, he talked with us about his mammoth study, Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World. This time, we are looking not at a history of Capitalism and the World, but our possible futures under the threat of catastrophic climate change. We talk about not only failed policies, but failed perspectives on society, politics, and culture, and focus on a deadly form of Value that has led us to the abyss precisely because it has emanated from a basic rift between humans and the world. It is a rift that Capital has always both fed and exploited, but will end up exhausting a finite resource—the Planet. We talk about what is needed to heal this, what we are up against, and his latest book, What's Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis.Malcolm Harris is the author of the national bestseller Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; Kids These Days: The Making of Millennials; and Shit is Fucked Up and Bullshit: History Since the End of History. He was born in Santa Cruz, CA and graduated from the University of Maryland.www.palumbo-liu.comhttps://speakingoutofplace.comBluesky @palumboliu.bsky.socialInstagram @speaking_out_of_place
We're joined by the amazing Alex Segura to discuss his books Alter Ego and Secret Identity, dive into comic book (and other) nerdoms, and writing about an industry without asking readers to sit through a 101 crash course. We also get a sneak peek of Alter Ego, discuss the process of writing a stand alone sequel, juggling different projects, and Alex's triple pisces energy. Alex Segura is the bestselling and award-winning author of Secret Identity, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller and a New York Times Editor's Choice and an NPR Best Mystery of the Year. He's also the author of the Pete Fernandez series, as well as the Star Wars novel, Poe Dameron: Free Fall, and a Spider-Verse adventure called Araña/Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow. He lives in New York City with his family.Dark Waters vol. 1 & 2 are available to order! To get a copy, head over to our linktreeWant to submit to be a guest author? Emaildarkwaterspodcast@gmail.comIntro/Outro music: www.bensound.comDisclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
Ed Park is the author of the novels Same Bed Different Dreams, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Personal Days, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. His fiction, essays, and reviews have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Harper's, The Atlantic, Bookforum, McSweeney's, and elsewhere. He is a founding editor of The Believer and the former literary editor of The Village Voice and has worked in newspapers and book publishing. His debut story collection is An Oral History of Atlantis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ed Park is the author of the novels Same Bed Different Dreams (2023), a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Personal Days (2008), a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. His fiction, essays, and reviews have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Harper's, The Atlantic, Bookforum, McSweeney's, and elsewhere. He is a founding editor of The Believer and the former literary editor of The Village Voice, and has worked in newspapers and book publishing. An Oral History of Atlantis is his debut story collection. These 16 stories are utterly original and very funny. Some were written over a period of years, others in an hour. He joins Marrie Stone to talk about the collection and all the dozens of decisions that went into creating these stories. He also talks about his writing career, the things that made the biggest difference in his training, and his advice to writers. For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It's stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you'll find an album's worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It's perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. Email the show at writersonwritingpodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from our listeners! (Recorded on July 2, 2025) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie Stone Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)
Megan Abbott is the author of the novel El Dorado Drive, available from G. P. Putnam's Sons. Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of eleven crime novels, including You Will Know Me, Give Me Your Hand and the New York Times bestseller The Turnout, the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Paris Review and the Wall Street Journal. Dare Me, the series she adapted from her own novel, now streaming on Netflix. Her latest novel, Beware the Woman, is now in paperback. *** Otherppl with Brad Listi is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Subscribe to Brad Listi's email newsletter. Support the show on Patreon Merch Instagram Bluesky Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is an affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S. A. Cosby is the author of the novel King of Ashes, available from Flatiron Books. Cosby is a New York Times bestselling writer from southeastern Virginia. He is the author of All the Sinners Bleed, which was on more than forty Best of the Year lists, including Barack Obama's, as well as Edgar Award finalist Razorblade Tears and Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Blacktop Wasteland. He has also won the Anthony Award, ITW Thriller Award, Barry Award, Macavity Award, BCALA Award, and Audie Award and has been longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence. *** Otherppl with Brad Listi is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Subscribe to Brad Listi's email newsletter. Support the show on Patreon Merch Instagram Bluesky Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is an affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Host Jason Blitman talks to author S.A. Cosby (King of Ashes) about books that inspired Cosby early in his writing, the plot holes he found in fairy tales as a kid, his appreciation of Shakespeare's work, and his commitment to being an LGBTQIA+ ally. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader, author and theatre producer Richie Jackson, who shares what he's been reading and reflects on the personal motivation behind writing Gay Like Me—a heartfelt legacy project intended as a guide and love letter to his son.S. A. Cosby is a New York Times bestselling writer from southeastern Virginia. He is the author of All the Sinners Bleed, which was on more than forty Best of the Year lists, including Barack Obama's, as well as Edgar Award finalist Razorblade Tears and Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Blacktop Wasteland. He has also won the Anthony Award, ITW Thriller Award, Barry Award, Macavity Award, BCALA Award, and Audie Award and has been longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence.Richie Jackson is the author of the best-selling book Gay Like Me published by HarperCollins. He is an award-winning Broadway, television, and film producer who produced the Tony Award-nominated Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song on Broadway and executive produced Showtime's Nurse Jackie (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee for “Best Comedy Series”) for seven seasons. His writing has appeared in O The Oprah Magazine, Out, Town & Country, and The Advocate. As an alumnus of NYU, he endows a program at his alma mater to train the next generation of LGBTQ+ activists called the Richie Jackson LGBTQ+ Service Fellows. He and his husband, Jordan Roth, were honored with The Trevor Project's Trevor Hero Award. They are the proud parents of two extraordinary sons. BOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE for only $1July Book: Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me PARTNERSHIP!Use code READING to get 15% off your madeleine order! https://cornbread26.com/ WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com
“I always say to young writers, you need to put your heart on the page. Don't worry about being like anyone else. I would say that foremost, in any of the arts, it is self-expression at its core. I don't buy rules or a set criteria or a static criteria. I don't believe in any of that. I think the most exciting talents are kind of inexplicable. You can't really understand why that art works. It just does, and that feels like it comes from a very pure place.I think that it all goes back to childhood. I've always really been writing about family. I suppose we always are. I do think that it is the original wound, and it's where we are kind of wired and built from those early years. So I think every other relationship just replicates that. It's very natural for me to go there, I suppose because the feelings are most intense there. We just keep recycling these relationships and dynamics over and over again—until maybe someday we can catch ourselves and try to break the bad patterns. It feels the most visceral and real to me, always. You're always looking for that in writing. You want everything to be at this peak intensity, or at least I do. That seems the most natural place to start.”Megan Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of twelve crime novels, including Beware the Woman, You Will Know Me, Give Me Your Hand, and the New York Times bestseller The Turnout, the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Paris Review and the Wall Street Journal. Dare Me, the series she adapted from her own novel, now streaming on Netflix. Her latest novel, El Dorado Drive, is available June 24, 2025.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast
“I think that it all goes back to childhood. I've always really been writing about family. I suppose we always are. I do think that it is the original wound, and it's where we are kind of wired and built from those early years. So I think every other relationship just replicates that. It's very natural for me to go there, I suppose because the feelings are most intense there. We just keep recycling these relationships and dynamics over and over again—until maybe someday we can catch ourselves and try to break the bad patterns. It feels the most visceral and real to me, always. You're always looking for that in writing. You want everything to be at this peak intensity, or at least I do. That seems the most natural place to start.I've thought about that a lot while writing the book. We really are in the age of the grifter, as they keep saying. In some ways, it's the most deeply American type, the hustler of American aspiration. And money, I think that was hovering in my head when I wrote the book. How women persuade and convince one another of things feels particularly complex to me. I think there are so many layers to female relationships. That was really interesting to me to pursue because, in some ways, it's much more veiled and complex. So I tend to write about groups of women a lot, regardless of the field, but particularly the way they communicate or don't communicate, or communicate without words to one another, is an ongoing fascination of mine.”Megan Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of twelve crime novels, including Beware the Woman, You Will Know Me, Give Me Your Hand, and the New York Times bestseller The Turnout, the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Paris Review and the Wall Street Journal. Dare Me, the series she adapted from her own novel, now streaming on Netflix. Her latest novel, El Dorado Drive, is available June 24, 2025.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast
“I think that it all goes back to childhood. I've always really been writing about family. I suppose we always are. I do think that it is the original wound, and it's where we are kind of wired and built from those early years. So I think every other relationship just replicates that. It's very natural for me to go there, I suppose because the feelings are most intense there. We just keep recycling these relationships and dynamics over and over again—until maybe someday we can catch ourselves and try to break the bad patterns. It feels the most visceral and real to me, always. You're always looking for that in writing. You want everything to be at this peak intensity, or at least I do. That seems the most natural place to start.I've thought about that a lot while writing the book. We really are in the age of the grifter, as they keep saying. In some ways, it's the most deeply American type, the hustler of American aspiration. And money, I think that was hovering in my head when I wrote the book. How women persuade and convince one another of things feels particularly complex to me. I think there are so many layers to female relationships. That was really interesting to me to pursue because, in some ways, it's much more veiled and complex. So I tend to write about groups of women a lot, regardless of the field, but particularly the way they communicate or don't communicate, or communicate without words to one another, is an ongoing fascination of mine.”Megan Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of twelve crime novels, including Beware the Woman, You Will Know Me, Give Me Your Hand, and the New York Times bestseller The Turnout, the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Paris Review and the Wall Street Journal. Dare Me, the series she adapted from her own novel, now streaming on Netflix. Her latest novel, El Dorado Drive, is available June 24, 2025.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast
“I always say to young writers, you need to put your heart on the page. Don't worry about being like anyone else. I would say that foremost, in any of the arts, it is self-expression at its core. I don't buy rules or a set criteria or a static criteria. I don't believe in any of that. I think the most exciting talents are kind of inexplicable. You can't really understand why that art works. It just does, and that feels like it comes from a very pure place.I think that it all goes back to childhood. I've always really been writing about family. I suppose we always are. I do think that it is the original wound, and it's where we are kind of wired and built from those early years. So I think every other relationship just replicates that. It's very natural for me to go there, I suppose because the feelings are most intense there. We just keep recycling these relationships and dynamics over and over again—until maybe someday we can catch ourselves and try to break the bad patterns. It feels the most visceral and real to me, always. You're always looking for that in writing. You want everything to be at this peak intensity, or at least I do. That seems the most natural place to start.”Megan Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of twelve crime novels, including Beware the Woman, You Will Know Me, Give Me Your Hand, and the New York Times bestseller The Turnout, the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Paris Review and the Wall Street Journal. Dare Me, the series she adapted from her own novel, now streaming on Netflix. Her latest novel, El Dorado Drive, is available June 24, 2025.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast
“I always say to young writers, you need to put your heart on the page. Don't worry about being like anyone else. I would say that foremost, in any of the arts, it is self-expression at its core. I don't buy rules or a set criteria or a static criteria. I don't believe in any of that. I think the most exciting talents are kind of inexplicable. You can't really understand why that art works. It just does, and that feels like it comes from a very pure place.I think that it all goes back to childhood. I've always really been writing about family. I suppose we always are. I do think that it is the original wound, and it's where we are kind of wired and built from those early years. So I think every other relationship just replicates that. It's very natural for me to go there, I suppose because the feelings are most intense there. We just keep recycling these relationships and dynamics over and over again—until maybe someday we can catch ourselves and try to break the bad patterns. It feels the most visceral and real to me, always. You're always looking for that in writing. You want everything to be at this peak intensity, or at least I do. That seems the most natural place to start.”Megan Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of twelve crime novels, including Beware the Woman, You Will Know Me, Give Me Your Hand, and the New York Times bestseller The Turnout, the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Paris Review and the Wall Street Journal. Dare Me, the series she adapted from her own novel, now streaming on Netflix. Her latest novel, El Dorado Drive, is available June 24, 2025.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast
“I think that it all goes back to childhood. I've always really been writing about family. I suppose we always are. I do think that it is the original wound, and it's where we are kind of wired and built from those early years. So I think every other relationship just replicates that. It's very natural for me to go there, I suppose because the feelings are most intense there. We just keep recycling these relationships and dynamics over and over again—until maybe someday we can catch ourselves and try to break the bad patterns. It feels the most visceral and real to me, always. You're always looking for that in writing. You want everything to be at this peak intensity, or at least I do. That seems the most natural place to start.I've thought about that a lot while writing the book. We really are in the age of the grifter, as they keep saying. In some ways, it's the most deeply American type, the hustler of American aspiration. And money, I think that was hovering in my head when I wrote the book. How women persuade and convince one another of things feels particularly complex to me. I think there are so many layers to female relationships. That was really interesting to me to pursue because, in some ways, it's much more veiled and complex. So I tend to write about groups of women a lot, regardless of the field, but particularly the way they communicate or don't communicate, or communicate without words to one another, is an ongoing fascination of mine.”Megan Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of twelve crime novels, including Beware the Woman, You Will Know Me, Give Me Your Hand, and the New York Times bestseller The Turnout, the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Paris Review and the Wall Street Journal. Dare Me, the series she adapted from her own novel, now streaming on Netflix. Her latest novel, El Dorado Drive, is available June 24, 2025.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast
“I always say to young writers, you need to put your heart on the page. Don't worry about being like anyone else. I would say that foremost, in any of the arts, it is self-expression at its core. I don't buy rules or a set criteria or a static criteria. I don't believe in any of that. I think the most exciting talents are kind of inexplicable. You can't really understand why that art works. It just does, and that feels like it comes from a very pure place.I think that it all goes back to childhood. I've always really been writing about family. I suppose we always are. I do think that it is the original wound, and it's where we are kind of wired and built from those early years. So I think every other relationship just replicates that. It's very natural for me to go there, I suppose because the feelings are most intense there. We just keep recycling these relationships and dynamics over and over again—until maybe someday we can catch ourselves and try to break the bad patterns. It feels the most visceral and real to me, always. You're always looking for that in writing. You want everything to be at this peak intensity, or at least I do. That seems the most natural place to start.”Megan Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of twelve crime novels, including Beware the Woman, You Will Know Me, Give Me Your Hand, and the New York Times bestseller The Turnout, the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Paris Review and the Wall Street Journal. Dare Me, the series she adapted from her own novel, now streaming on Netflix. Her latest novel, El Dorado Drive, is available June 24, 2025.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast
“I think that it all goes back to childhood. I've always really been writing about family. I suppose we always are. I do think that it is the original wound, and it's where we are kind of wired and built from those early years. So I think every other relationship just replicates that. It's very natural for me to go there, I suppose because the feelings are most intense there. We just keep recycling these relationships and dynamics over and over again—until maybe someday we can catch ourselves and try to break the bad patterns. It feels the most visceral and real to me, always. You're always looking for that in writing. You want everything to be at this peak intensity, or at least I do. That seems the most natural place to start.I've thought about that a lot while writing the book. We really are in the age of the grifter, as they keep saying. In some ways, it's the most deeply American type, the hustler of American aspiration. And money, I think that was hovering in my head when I wrote the book. How women persuade and convince one another of things feels particularly complex to me. I think there are so many layers to female relationships. That was really interesting to me to pursue because, in some ways, it's much more veiled and complex. So I tend to write about groups of women a lot, regardless of the field, but particularly the way they communicate or don't communicate, or communicate without words to one another, is an ongoing fascination of mine.”Megan Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of twelve crime novels, including Beware the Woman, You Will Know Me, Give Me Your Hand, and the New York Times bestseller The Turnout, the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Paris Review and the Wall Street Journal. Dare Me, the series she adapted from her own novel, now streaming on Netflix. Her latest novel, El Dorado Drive, is available June 24, 2025.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast
“I always say to young writers, you need to put your heart on the page. Don't worry about being like anyone else. I would say that foremost, in any of the arts, it is self-expression at its core. I don't buy rules or a set criteria or a static criteria. I don't believe in any of that. I think the most exciting talents are kind of inexplicable. You can't really understand why that art works. It just does, and that feels like it comes from a very pure place.I think that it all goes back to childhood. I've always really been writing about family. I suppose we always are. I do think that it is the original wound, and it's where we are kind of wired and built from those early years. So I think every other relationship just replicates that. It's very natural for me to go there, I suppose because the feelings are most intense there. We just keep recycling these relationships and dynamics over and over again—until maybe someday we can catch ourselves and try to break the bad patterns. It feels the most visceral and real to me, always. You're always looking for that in writing. You want everything to be at this peak intensity, or at least I do. That seems the most natural place to start.”Megan Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of twelve crime novels, including Beware the Woman, You Will Know Me, Give Me Your Hand, and the New York Times bestseller The Turnout, the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Paris Review and the Wall Street Journal. Dare Me, the series she adapted from her own novel, now streaming on Netflix. Her latest novel, El Dorado Drive, is available June 24, 2025.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast
“I think that it all goes back to childhood. I've always really been writing about family. I suppose we always are. I do think that it is the original wound, and it's where we are kind of wired and built from those early years. So I think every other relationship just replicates that. It's very natural for me to go there, I suppose because the feelings are most intense there. We just keep recycling these relationships and dynamics over and over again—until maybe someday we can catch ourselves and try to break the bad patterns. It feels the most visceral and real to me, always. You're always looking for that in writing. You want everything to be at this peak intensity, or at least I do. That seems the most natural place to start.I've thought about that a lot while writing the book. We really are in the age of the grifter, as they keep saying. In some ways, it's the most deeply American type, the hustler of American aspiration. And money, I think that was hovering in my head when I wrote the book. How women persuade and convince one another of things feels particularly complex to me. I think there are so many layers to female relationships. That was really interesting to me to pursue because, in some ways, it's much more veiled and complex. So I tend to write about groups of women a lot, regardless of the field, but particularly the way they communicate or don't communicate, or communicate without words to one another, is an ongoing fascination of mine.”Megan Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of twelve crime novels, including Beware the Woman, You Will Know Me, Give Me Your Hand, and the New York Times bestseller The Turnout, the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Paris Review and the Wall Street Journal. Dare Me, the series she adapted from her own novel, now streaming on Netflix. Her latest novel, El Dorado Drive, is available June 24, 2025.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast
This week, we're revisiting a critical conversation we had back in 2020 with author and historian Nancy MacLean, in which she exposes how today's threats to democracy were decades in the making. Based on her groundbreaking book Democracy in Chains, MacLean traces how Nobel Prize-winning economist James Buchanan worked with billionaire donors to rig the rules of government to expand corporate power and protect extreme wealth. From public choice theory to voter suppression, this episode reveals the coordinated strategy to undermine democracy—and explains why understanding it is essential to fighting back. Nancy MacLean is an award-winning historian and the William H. Chafe Distinguished Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University. Her book, Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America was a National Book Award finalist and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. This episode originally aired on July 21, 2020. Social Media: @nancymaclean.bsky.social @NancyMacLean5 Further reading: Democracy in Chains Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Threads: pitchforkeconomics Bluesky: @pitchforkeconomics.bsky.social Twitter: @PitchforkEcon, @NickHanauer, @civicaction YouTube: @pitchforkeconomics LinkedIn: Pitchfork Economics Substack: The Pitch
Carmen Giménez's poem “Ars Poetica” is a stunning waterfall of words, a torrent of dozens of short statements that begin with “I” or “I'm.” As you listen to them, let an answering cascade of questions fill up your mind. What does this series of confessions reveal to you about poetry? The poet? And yourself?Carmen Giménez is the author of numerous poetry collections, including Milk and Filth, a finalist for the NBCC Award in Poetry, and Be Recorder (Graywolf Press, 2019), a finalist for the 2019 National Book Award in Poetry, the PEN Open Book Award, the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She was awarded the Academy of American Poets Fellowship Prize in 2020. A 2019 Guggenheim fellow, she served as the publisher of Noemi Press for 20 years. She is the Publisher and Executive Director of Graywolf Press.Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org.We're pleased to offer Carmen Giménez's poem and invite you to subscribe to Pádraig's weekly Poetry Unbound Substack newsletter, read the Poetry Unbound book, or listen to past episodes of the podcast. Order your copy of Kitchen Hymns (new poems from Pádraig) and 44 Poems on Being with Each Other (new essays by Pádraig) wherever you buy books.