Podcasts about National Book Award

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comGeorge is a journalist and novelist. He was a long-time staff writer at The New Yorker, now a staff writer at The Atlantic. He's the author of 10 books, including The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America — which won the National Book Award — and Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century. His new novel is called The Emergency. It's a parable of our polarized times — and a deeply unsettling one. We had this conversation the afternoon after I finished the book, and, as you'll see, it really affected me emotionally. For two clips of our convo — on the clarity of Orwell's writing, and the savior complex of the woke — head to our YouTube page.Other topics: raised by two Stanford professors; his dad accused of fascism by his leftist students and red-baited by the right; his dad's stroke and subsequent suicide at a young age; George's time in the Peace Corps; how Orwell's Homage to Catalonia “saved me”; entering journalism at 40; reporting in Iraq; Orwell's contempt for elites; Auden and Spender; the ideologies of intellectuals; the young turning on their elders; the summer of 2020; Camus' La Peste; January 6; Orwell's bigotries; his love for the countryside and common decency; Animal Farm; Nineteen Eighty-Four; Hitchens; utopianism; Nietzsche and slave morality; Fukuyama and boredom; the collapse of religion; intra-elite competition; Mamdani; the Gaza protests; virtue signaling; struggle sessions; mobs on social media; the loss of gatekeepers; the queer takeover of the gay rights movement; the brutality of meritocracy; Nick Fuentes; Trump's multi-racial win; his Cabinet picks as trolling; the utter capitulation of Vance; Haidt and smartphones; and our post-literate democracy.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy. Coming up: Shadi Hamid in defense of US interventionism, Simon Rogoff on the narcissism of pols, Arthur Brooks on the science of happiness, Vivek Ramaswamy on the right, and Jason Willick on trade and conservatism. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Walter Mosley has been writing Easy Rawlins detective novels for more than 40 years now. The National Book Award-winning author joins Tom Power to talk about his 17th and latest book in the series, “Gray Dawn: An Easy Rawlins Mystery.” Walter opens up about his beloved character, why he says Easy's role is to testify about Black history in America, and why this time he's done something he almost never does: written an introductory author's note.

There's a lot of debate these days about what it means to be a man. But maybe the answer is simpler than we think, and a lot of masculinity just comes down to confident competence. A broad set of know-how. The ability to get stuff done. The capacity to move through the world with purpose and skill.As someone who's lived several lives in one, Elliot Ackerman certainly embodies that ethos. He's a decorated Marine, a former CIA paramilitary officer, a National Book Award-nominated novelist, and now the writer of A Man Should Know, a column at The Free Press that explores the small but significant skills that shape a man's life.Today on the show, Elliot and I talk about why young men are struggling, how intention, discipline, and competence can change the way a man carries himself, and a few of the specific skills a man should know — from how to wear a watch to how to give a eulogy.Resources Related to the PodcastElliot's novelsElliot's "A Man Should Know:" columns:How to Introduce YourselfHow to Be a FriendHow to Own a WatchFields of Fire by James WebbThe Things They Carried by Tim O'BrienThe Catcher in the Rye by J. D. SalingerAoM Article: 100 Skills Every Man Should KnowAoM Skills ArchivesAoM Podcast #307: Make Your Bed, Change the WorldAoM Article: 10 Ways to Be a Better Husband TodayAoM Article: How to Choose a WatchAoM Article: How to Give a EulogyAoM Article: A Eulogy for My Grandfather, William D. HurstThe Poetics of Manhood: Contest and Identity in a Cretan Mountain Village by Michael HerzfeldAoM Article: MacGyver Manhood and the Art of Masculine ImprovisationFree Press discount code: subscribe at thefp.com/manliness, and save 10% off your first yearConnect With Elliot AckermanElliot on IGElliot on XSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Megha Majumdar's A Burning came out in 2020. It was an instant NYT bestseller and was nominated for a number of prestigious awards, including the National Book Award, and was named one of the best books of that year by a number of media outlets. Her latest, A Guardian and a Thief, is enjoying perhaps even more success. It was a finalist for the National Book Award and was Oprah's pick for October. Like A Burning, A Guardian and a Thief is set in contemporary India (this one in the near-distant future). And, like A Burning, Megha allows us to fall in love with her characters and then puts them on a painful collision course. This time, the climate crisis has accelerated a famine in Calcutta which is forcing good people to act desperately and sometimes violently. Megha joins Marrie Stone to talk about it. They talk about structuring a “ticking timebomb novel,” and telling a story over the course of seven days. They discuss incorporating backstory without losing forward momentum, and how to make even minor characters full and rich portraits. And they talk about endings, the art of surprising inevitability, and striking the right emotional tone. She also shares her favorite current read: Loot by Tania James. All this 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 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 November 20, 2025) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie Stone Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)

Megha Majumdar was on the short list for the National Book Award, and we were rooting hard for her to win. She may not have won THIS year, but her talent and her world building skills had us clamoring for more, so we have no doubt you will see her name on the list again. A Guardian and a Thief is a novel that asks (and not didactically) what you would do, what morals would you compromise, to survive. What would you do to ensure your children survive? We talk to Megha and then discuss a new unique Chicagoland Independent Bookseller holiday tradition with a local organizer.  Join us and Happy Thanksgiving. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar A Burning by Megha Majumdar Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens In Other Rooms, Other by Daniyal Mueenuddin This is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal Mueenuddin The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri Sing to It: New Stories by Amy Hempel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It is The Stacks Book Club day, and Page Break founder Mikey Friedman is back to discuss National Book Award-winner Justin Torres's debut novel, We the Animals. Set in rural upstate New York in the 1980s, this coming-of-age novel traces the experiences of three mixed-race brothers bustling through boyhood while navigating the violence and chaos within their household. In our conversation, we chat about what sets this book apart from other coming-of-age stories, how this functions as a sensory novel, and the ways the book explores shame and desire without judgment. There are spoilers in this episode.Make sure you listen to the end of the episode to hear what our January book club pick will be!You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/11/26/ep-400-we-the-animalsConnect with Mikey: Instagram | TikTokConnect with Page Break: Instagram | WebsiteConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | SubscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's not quite accurate to say that Hester Kaplan's father Justin Kaplan was a man of few words because Justin Kaplan was a man of many. His first book, a biography of Mark Twain published in 1966, won both the Pulitzer and the National Book Award, a debut that ensured Kaplan would enjoy a long and prestigious career as an author and editor. It was an idyllic life in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that he shared with his wife Anne Bernays, also a novelist, and their three daughters.But Hester doesn't remember her father ever looking her in the eyes or letting any of his three kids call him ‘Dad,' not out of any cruelty or neglect, but more of a mysterious inability to go there. Hester remembers the steady clickety clack of his typing behind the study door as a child as he wrote, his quiet retreat in a household filled with estrogen, and craved the connection over his own memories of growing up that were never revealed.Even after Hester became an author herself, she had never read any of her father's work - nor had he read hers. But after his death in 2014, Hester embarked on a new book, TWICE BORN: Finding My Father in the Margins of Biography (available now), wherein she biographs the biographer, unearthing not only the parallels between Joe/Justin's interior life and those of the literary giants he memorialized, but also finds intimacy in her memories of a surprisingly tender man who eschewed sentimentality but nevertheless always had a chestnut for the people he loved. Here's more of my conversation with Hester Kaplan. Get full access to Tell Me About Your Father at tellmeaboutyourfather.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, award-winning literary translator Lisa Dillman — who has translated more than thirty novels from Spanish and Catalan into English — opens a window into the art and craft of translation. She explains what draws her to a book, from voice and cultural depth to linguistic challenge, and walks us step by step through her process, from deep research to “entering character” on the page. Lisa reflects on being a National Book Award finalist for Abyss, how recognition has shaped (and pressured) her work, and what teaching at Emory University has taught her about language, literature, and nuance. From the role of translation in bridging cultures at fairs like Sharjah, to the impact of AI and digital publishing on the future of the profession, this conversation is a masterclass in how stories travel across borders. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in the UAE by tuning in on 95.00 FM or online at www.pulse95radio.net Follow us on social media: @Pulse95Radio #SharjahInternationalBookFair #SIBF2025 #LisaDillman #LiteraryTranslation #SpanishLiterature #WorldLiterature #Pulse95Radio

Exploring and Collecting African American History Harriet Tubman is, if surveys are to be trusted, one of the ten most famous Americans ever born. Yet often she's a figure more out of myth than history, often rightly celebrated but seldom understood. Tiya Miles's Night Flyer changes all that, probing the ecological reality of Tubman's surroundings and examining her kinship with other enslaved women who similarly passed through a spiritual wilderness and recorded those travels in profound and moving memoirs. Tiya Miles is the author of eight books, including four prizewinning histories about race and slavery. She is a two-time winner of Yale's Frederick Douglass Prize and a two-time winner of the National Council on Public History Book Award. Her 2021 National Book Award winner, All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake, was a New York Times bestseller that won eleven historical and literary prizes, including the Cundill History Prize. All That She Carried was named A Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, NPR, Publisher's Weekly, The Atlantic, Time, and more.  Her latest work, Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith and Dreams of a Free People, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in biography.  Her other nonfiction works include Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation, The Dawn of Detroit, Tales from the Haunted South, The House on Diamond Hill, and Ties That Bind. Miles publishes essays and reviews in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, The New York Review of Books, and other media outlets. Miles is also the author of the novel, The Cherokee Rose, a ghost story set in the Native American plantation South. Check out more books by this author at your library. Miles has consulted with colleagues at historic sites and museums on representations of slavery, African American material culture, and the Black-Indigenous intertwined past, including, most recently, the Fabric of a Nation quilt exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Her work has been supported by a MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Award, the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Guggenheim Foundation.  Miles was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and she is currently the Michael Garvey Professor of History and Radcliffe Alumnae Professor at Harvard University. You can find her online at https://tiyamiles.com/ or on Facebook and Instagram  @TiyaMiles. Interviewer Tammy Cherry has taught at FSCJ as an English professor for 22 years. Along with composition classes, Tammy teaches African American literature and honors classes. She is a lifelong Jacksonville resident and recently served as co-host for the WJCT podcast Bygone Jax. --- Never miss an event! Sign up for email newsletters at https://bit.ly/JaxLibraryUpdates  Jacksonville Public LibraryWebsite: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaxlibrary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaxLibrary/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaxlibrary/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxpubliclibraryfl Contact Us: jplpromotions@coj.net 

Jane and Dion plumb the mysteries when they read and discuss Hirshfield's newest book, The Asking: New and Selected, which recently came out in paper book. Award-winning poet, essayist, and translator Jane Hirshfield is the author of ten collections of poetry, including The Asking: New and Selected Poems (2023); Ledger (2020); The Beauty (2015), longlisted for the National Book Award; Come, Thief (2011), a finalist for the PEN USA Poetry Award; and Given Sugar, Given Salt (2001), a finalist for the National Book Critics Award. Hirshfield is also the author of two collections of essays, Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry (1997) and Ten Windows: How Great Poems Transform the World (2015), and has edited and co-translated four books collecting the work of world poets from the past: The Ink Dark Moon: Poems by Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu, Women of the Ancient Court of Japan (1990); Women in Praise of the Sacred: Forty-Three Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women (1994); Mirabai: Ecstatic Poems (2004); and The Heart of Haiku (2011). 

Tracy K. Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, memoirist, editor, translator and librettist. She served as the 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017-2019. Smith is the author of five poetry collections: Such Color: New and Selected Poems, which won the 2022 New England Book Award; Wade in the Water, which was awarded the 2018 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award; Life on Mars, which won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize; Duende, winner of the 2006 James Laughlin Award of the Academy of American Poets; and The Body's Question, which received the 2003 Cave Canem Prize. Her memoir, Ordinary Light, was a finalist for the 2015 National Book Award in nonfiction. She is the Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard University, and a Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at Harvard Radcliffe Institute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we take you inside the Undergraduate Student Government debate and endorsements, as well as feature a National Book Award from a Princeton Creative Writing Professor. ###Recent Editorial Board Pieces on USGhttps://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2025/11/princeton-opinion-ed-board-usg-missteps-path-forwardhttps://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2025/10/princeton-opinion-ed-board-usg-dining-table-failure

Literature isn't a horse race. Taste is subjective, and artistic value can't be measured in terms of “winners" and “losers.”That doesn't mean it's not fun to try.The book world's awards season officially kicked off on Oct. 9, when the Hungarian novelist Laszlo Krasznahorkai won the 2025 Nobel Prize, and continued this month when the Booker Prize in England went to the novel “Flesh,” by the British writer David Szalay (also of Hungarian descent, as it happens). Then this week, five National Book Award winners were crowned in various categories at a ceremony in New York.On this episode of the podcast, the host MJ Franklin talks with his fellow Book Review editors Emily Eakin, Joumana Khatib and Dave Kim about the finalists, the winners and what this year's big book awards might tell us about the state of literature in 2025.We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review's podcast in general. You can send them to books@nytimes.com. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Today, we take you inside the Davis IC's Trivia Night event as part of international education week, cover Patricia Smith's National Book Award for poetry, and finish out with the Princeton men's basketball game against the Iona Gaels.

William Vollmann is often spoken about due to his prolific writing, but he may also be one of the most important American writers alive today. From climate change, to poverty, to the history of the indigenous peoples of the Americas and to the second World War, William Vollmann has written about many of the most polarizing topics in our cultural conversations.Today we do a deep dive on his National Book Award winning work: Europe Central.Join our book club! (we're donating $10 to Firstbook.org for every new member who joins during the month of November!)  / lifeonbooks  Get the Freedom App to remove distractions and read more books:https://freedom.sjv.io/N9074OJoin the Life on Books mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest book giveaways, projects, and more!https://linktw.in/BRYAnVhWant to read one book from every country? Check out our resource online:https://linktw.in/ZeoltyWant to know my all time favorite books? Click the link below!https://bookshop.org/shop/lifeonbooksFollow me on Instagram:  / alifeonbooks  Follow Andy on Instagram  / metafictional.meathead  Books mentioned in this episode:Europe Central by William Vollmannhttps://amzn.to/3JozJLohttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780143...The Pale King by David Foster Wallacehttps://amzn.to/47PeURQhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780316...Butterfly Stories by William T. Vollmannhttps://amzn.to/4a3xDeUhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780802...Frankenstein by Mary Shelleyhttps://amzn.to/4peNuf8https://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780141...Poor People by William T. Vollmannhttps://amzn.to/4a5nSgjhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780060...Whores for Gloria by William T. Vollmannhttps://amzn.to/4oWuu5ihttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780307...Ask the Dust by John Fantehttps://amzn.to/3LN1LRThttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780060...A Table for Fortune by William T. Vollmannhttps://amzn.to/4oxK2fyhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9781648... An Afghanistan Picture Showhttps://amzn.to/3LOmIfaSee more of Vollmann's works here:

In Episode 31 DDSWTNP get the chance to talk about DeLillo with his friend, colleague, and editor Gerald Howard, whose distinguished career in publishing at Viking Penguin, Norton, and Doubleday spanned nearly 50 years and was marked by his work not only on Libra but important books by David Foster Wallace, Paul Auster, and so many others. We hear Gerry recount first reading the DeLillo of Americana and “Total Loss Weekend” in the 1970s, seeing a book titled “Panasonic” (eventually, White Noise) arrive at Viking Penguin, and having an 800-page manuscript about the JFK assassination later hit his desk. So many great stories mark this episode, including DeLillo's funny “speech” upon receiving the National Book Award for White Noise, his reasons for seeking a new publisher after The Names, the legal reasoning behind the Author's Note at the end of the hardcover Libra, and what Gerry for personal reasons regards as one of the funniest of DeLillo's many funny passages: an editor's remarks to Bill Gray about the literary marketplace in Mao II. Gerry talks as well about Catholicism, DeLillo's massive influence on younger writers, and who, along with DeLillo, comprised his personal “trinity” of greatest authors. And at the end we wish a happy 89th birthday to Don DeLillo! With this interview episode, we also extend the biographical “Lives of DeLillo” series we began with our November 20 releases the past two years. Huge thanks to Gerry for sharing so many remarkable stories, insights, and readings. Be sure to pick up Gerald Howard's new book, The Insider: Malcolm Cowley and the Triumph of American Literature, available this month from Penguin Random House and discussed at the end of this episode. Finally, a note on production: when other technology failed us, we decided to record this interview as a phone call, with obviously a lower sound quality than our listeners are used to. Gerry was wonderfully patient and flexible through it all, and his voice comes through clearly, in a recording that, in its crackles, we'd like to think, captures some spirit of DeLilloan Ludditism.  Image of Mao II woodcut in episode cover art is courtesy of Gerald Howard. List of works mentioned in this episode: A. Scott Berg, Max Perkins: Editor of Genius. New York: Dutton, 1978. Don DeLillo, “Total Loss Weekend,” Sports Illustrated, Nov. 27, 1972. https://web.archive.org/web/20110822080327/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1086811/index.htm Gerald Howard, “Stockholm, Are You Listening? Why Don DeLillo Deserves the Nobel.” Bookforum, April/May 2020. https://www.bookforum.com/print/2701/why-don-delillo-deserves-the-nobel-23926 ---. “The Puck Stopped Here: Revisiting ‘Cleo Birdwell' and her National Hockey League Memoir.” Bookforum, December/January 2008. https://www.bookforum.com/print/1404/revisiting-cleo-birdwell-and-her-national-hockey-league-memoir-1406 ---. “The American Strangeness: An Interview with Don DeLillo.” Hungry Mind Review, 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/19990129081431/www.bookwire.com/hmr/hmrinterviews.article$2563 ---. “I Was Gordon Lish's Editor.” Slate, October 31, 2007. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2007/10/editing-the-infamous-gordon-lish.html ---. The Insider: Malcolm Cowley and the Triump of American Literature. Penguin Random House, 2025. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/561292/the-insider-by-gerald-howard/9780525522058 Listeners interested in Gerald Howard's huge impact on publishing in general might turn to the pages about his achievements in Dan Sinykin's Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature (Columbia UP, 2023) and D.T. Max's Every Love Story is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace (Penguin, 2012). A correction: DeLillo's remark on “around-the-house-and-in-the-yard” fiction is from Robert R. Harris's “A Talk with Don DeLillo,” New York Times Book Review, Oct. 10, 1982.

Palaver by National Book Award finalist Bryan Washington is a moving story about mother and son, identity, home and humanity. Bryan joins us to talk about Tokyo, writing in 3rd person, navigating intimacy, utilizing space on the page, honesty, memory and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang.                     New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Palaver by Bryan Washington Lot by Bryan Washington Memorial by Bryan Washington Family Meal by Bryan Washington No Time to Spare: Thinking about What Matters by Ursula K. Le Guin Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story by Ursula K. Le Guin Koolaids by Rabih Alameddine The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar The Antidote by Karen Russell North Sun: Or, the Voyage of the Whaleship Esther by Ethan Rutherford Featured Books (TBR Top Off): Middle Spoon by Alejandro Varela The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong  

Patti Smith, “the Godmother of Punk,” has lived a wild life and accumulated so much wisdom in the process. In the 1960s and '70s, Smith was a fixture of the New York City creative scene — hanging out with the likes of Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Allen Ginsberg and Robert Mapplethorpe. Merging her own poetry with an ace backing band, she became a global rock star. Then she gave it up, moved to Michigan, raised a family, and remade herself into a best-selling author. Her stunning memoir “Just Kids” won the National Book Award and is one of the books that I've kept returning to, again and again.There is clearly something unusual about Smith. People who know her have described her as “shamanistic.” But even for those of us who will never become rock stars, there's something inspiring — and oddly relatable — in how she thinks about life. So I was excited to have the opportunity to sit down with her and learn more.Smith is out with a new memoir, “Bread of Angels,” and is on tour for the 50th anniversary of her breakthrough album, “Horses.” We talk about that book and that album and so much more: the boundless curiosity that drives her; the books that shaped her; her childhood communion with a snapping turtle; what Andy Warhol was like; what color she thinks the soul is; and a lot more that's hard even to describe.This episode contains strong language.Mentioned:“Pan's Labyrinth” by Guillermo del ToroGrimm's Complete Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm GrimmBread of Angels by Patti SmithJust Kids by Patti Smith“The Dark Blot” by Gérard de Nerval“Genie” by Arthur Rimbaud“Guernica” by Pablo Picasso“The Last Supper” by Andy WarholBook Recommendations:The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo CollodiFrankenstein by Mary ShelleyThe Poetry of Sylvia Plath Edited by Claire Brennan2666 by Roberto BolañoThoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Annika Robbins. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show's production team also includes Marie Cascione, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Michelle Harris, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Caryn Rose and Annika Robbins. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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.

Adam Johnson won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 for his novel, The Orphan Master's Son. He won the National Book Award in 2015 for his story collection, Fortune Smiles. He also authored Parasites Like Us and Emporium. Every novel and story is unlike anything that's come before it. His latest, The Wayfinder, is no exception. Set over 1,000 years ago in the South Pacific, it weaves together the stories of two families and two islands and their opposing views of the world. Adam joins Marrie Stone to talk about how he's not only expanded the idea of what a novel can do, but reimagined it entirely. He talks about how oral traditions of storytelling informed the creation of this book and the massive amounts of research necessary to write it. He talks about what forces shaped the writer he's become, and the many insights about story he shares with his students (Adam teaches in the Wallace Stegner Fellowship program at Stanford). This conversation contains a wealth of insights into craft, process, and storytelling. It also includes a passage from the book which Adam reads and dissects for the listener. (Warning: the passage contains difficult material. Listener discretion is advised.) 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 November 11, 2025) Host: Barbara DeMarco-BarrettHost: Marrie StoneMusic: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)

Megha Majumdar's new novel takes place in a near-future Kolkata struck by climate change. There, one family's possibility of escape is jeopardized when their passports are stolen. A Guardian and a Thief, a finalist for the 2025 National Book Award, weaves together their plot with the story of their burglar. In a conversation with Here & Now, Majumdar tells Jane Clayson that hope isn't always noble in situations of crisis.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Patti Smith's album “Horses” came out fifty years ago, on November 10, 1975, launching her to stardom almost overnight. An anniversary reissue came out this year, to rapturous reviews. Yet being a rock star was never Smith's intention: she was a published poet before “Horses” came out, and had also written a play with Sam Shepard. Music was an afterthought, as she tells it, a way to make her poetry readings pop. “I didn't want to be boring,” she tells David Remnick. In recent years, it may finally be that more people know Smith as a writer than as a musician. Her memoir “Just Kids,” about her friendship with the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, won a National Book Award. “M Train” reflected on her withdrawal from music as she raised a family. In her newest memoir, “Bread of Angels,” Smith writes intimately about the loss of her husband, her brother, and close friends; she also shares a startling revelation about her family and past. It's a book that was challenging for her and took her years to write. “I write profusely—fiction, fairy tales, all kinds of things that aren't even published—without a care,” she says. “Writing a memoir, bringing other people into it, one has to really be prudent, and search themselves and make sure that they're presenting the right picture.” New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.

Phil Klay is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and National Book Award–winning author of Redeployment, Missionaries, and Uncertain Ground, whose work examines the moral and emotional toll of modern war. How do soldiers make sense of what they've done when the meaning of war keeps changing? Why does true patriotism demand not blind loyalty, but the courage to question—and to forgive? Released on Veterans Day, this conversation dives into the nature of service, moral injury, and the fight to keep faith—with one's country, and with oneself. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phil Klay is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and National Book Award–winning author of Redeployment, Missionaries, and Uncertain Ground, whose work examines the moral and emotional toll of modern war. How do soldiers make sense of what they've done when the meaning of war keeps changing? Why does true patriotism demand not blind loyalty, but the courage to question—and to forgive? Released on Veterans Day, this conversation dives into the nature of service, moral injury, and the fight to keep faith—with one's country, and with oneself. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Rachel and Simon speak to the American novelist Susan Choi. Born in Indiana to a Korean father and Jewish mother, Susan is the author of six novels: "The Foreign Student" (1998), "American Woman" (2003), "A Person of Interest" (2008), "My Education" (2013), "Trust Exercise" (2019) and "Flashlight" (2025). In 2004 "American Woman" was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and in 2019 "Trust Exercise" won the National Book Award for Fiction. (It was also a bestseller in America and picked by Barack Obama as one of his books of the year.) "Flashlight" was shortlisted for this year's Booker Prize. We spoke to Susan about working as a fact-checker at the New Yorker, the role of literary prizes and about turning "Flashlight" from a short story into a novel.  In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes.  We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (seven are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel. A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Angela Flournoy's debut novel The Turner House was a finalist for the National Book Award and won the VCU Cabell First Novel Prize and was a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and an NAACP Image Award. Her new novel, The Wilderness, was long listed for the National Book Award and was a finalist for the Kirkus Prize.  Her nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Nation, The Los Angeles Times and The New Yorker among others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anna and Geoff discuss their Booker Prize winner predictions. We haven't read enough of the shortlist to know who will win, but Geoff is tipping THE LAND IN WINTER (a DNF for Anna).   Our book of the week is FLASHLIGHT by Susan Choi. This is Choi's follow-up novel after winning the National Book Award for TRUST EXERCISE. It is a sweeping family saga set in America, Japan and Korea.  Shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize, we could not say we loved this one but it got us talking.   How much cat litter detail is too much?  Would Tobias really have gone to Japan or would he be trekking around Nepal? Could we read a whole novel of Serk? How many unlikeable characters in a novel is too many?  And we revisit 'that year' when Margaret Atwood and Bernadine Evaristo won jointly.   Coming up: CREATION LAKE by Rachel Kushner.   Follow us!   Instagram: @abailliekaras Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Substack: Books On The Go   Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

#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

Joe Sudbay guests hosts while John is on his California cruise trip. Joe discusses Trump's Halloween glitzy Great Gatsby party - flouting lavishness while millions panic over SNAP benefits being constrained. He also talks about the major elections happening in New Jersey, Virginia, California, and New York. Then, he speaks with Jessica Mackler who is the president of EMILYs list. EMILYs List is backing both Democratic governor candidates (Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia), as well as women candidates in every top red-to-blue flip opportunity in Virginia's House of Delegates races. In the last Southern state without an abortion ban, this year, Virginia's House will determine if voters can protect reproductive freedom through a constitutional amendment. And then finally, Joe interviews Alejandro Varela. His debut novel, The Town of Babylon was a finalist for the National Book Award. His latest novel, Middle Spoon, was published by Viking on September 9, 2025. His novels and stories take public health topics — from systemic racism to gentrification to sexuality — and make them accessible and memorable. Varela is an editor-at-large of Apogee Journal, and holds a masters degree in public health from the University of Washington.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Legendary author Walter Mosley joins the podcast to discuss his latest Easy Rawlins mystery "Gray Dawn," the 17th installment in a series that has captivated readers for over three decades. We explore how Easy has evolved from post-war Los Angeles to present day, the moral complexities of his characters, and Mosley's unwavering commitment to telling stories that reflect the full humanity of Black men. From winning the National Book Award's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters to creating unforgettable detectives who navigate unjust systems, Mosley shares insights on his craft, his legacy, and what stories still need to be told.

The ladies break out the poetry crystal ball and predict the winner of the 2025 National Book Award for Poetry.Please Support Breaking Form!Review the show on Apple Podcasts here.Aaron's STOP LYING is available from the Pitt Poetry Series.James's ROMANTIC COMEDY is available from Four Way Books.Show Notes:The 76th National Book Awards Ceremony will be streamed live on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at 8:00 PM EST. You can watch the free livestream by registering on the National Book Foundation's website at nationalbook.org/awards. It will also be available on Facebook and YouTube. The poem we read of Calvocoressi's is "Praise House: The New Economy"; check out their website: https://www.gabriellecalvocoressi.com/ Read the poem by Ross Gay that Calvocoressi references: "Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude" We talked about Cathy Linh Che on our show "(Taylor's Version)"; read the title poem  "Becoming Ghost." Visit Che's website: https://www.cathylinhche.com/Tiana Clark maintains an online presence at https://www.tianaclark.com. Read "After the Reading" here. We interviewed Richard Siken in episode 12 of this season (season 3). "Flevato" is from I Do Know Some Things, though it was first published in Four Way Review. Visit Siken online at https://richard-siken.com. Read Patricia Smith's poem "70." And feel free to read more work on her website: https://www.wordwoman.ws/

Every once in a while I like to just record on my own! Especially when life gets hectic! We get a guest author recommendation from Kristin Bair, author of Clementine Crane Prefers Not To.I share a story about why I'll never wear white pants again, I talk about the National Book Award fiction contenders and I recommend five great reads. Enjoy!In November, we'll be reading Washington Black and watching the TV series in my online bookclub on Substack. Come join us! Books Recommended: The Ex-Boyfriend's Favorite Recipe Funeral Committee by Saki Kawashiro Ghost Fish by Stuart PennebakerA Truce That Is Not Peace by Miriam ToewsWhale Fall by Elizabeth O'ConnorThe Road to the Country by Chigozie ObiomaRegister to watch the National Book Awards Support the showGet your Books Are My People coffee mug here!I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Joan Silber is the author of ten books of fiction, as well as The Art of Time in Fiction which looks at how fiction is shaped and determined by time, with examples from world writers. She's been on the show three times in the past to talk about Fools, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award; Secrets of Happiness, which was a Washington Post Best Book of the year and a Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of the Year; and Improvement, which won The National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Her latest is Mercy. It's told in six chapters, or six stories, each from a different character's point of view (POV). It takes place over the course of 50 years and comes in at a lean 240 pages. Joan joins Marrie Stone to talk about the book, using it as a craft lesson to discuss managing time in fiction and POV choices, how to write about drug use and sex, and how to treat characters with generosity. One chapter appeared as a standalone piece in the New Yorker (“Evolution”), and Joan discusses that chapter in detail (she also talked about it with the New Yorker). Along the way, they also discuss how she's been influenced by Alice Munro, Anton Chekov, and Grace Paley. Paley was one of Joan's undergrad instructors and Joan shares one of Paley's writing prompts. She also discusses the writers she teaches with respect to character generosity (including Chekov and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie). 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 October 30, 2025) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie Stone Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)

Lauren Groff reads her story “Mother of Men” from the November 10, 2025, issue of the magazine. Groff's work of fiction include the novels “Fates and Furies” and “Matrix,” both of which were finalists for the National Book Award, and “The Vaster Wilds,” which was published in 2023. A new story collection, “Brawler,” will come out in February of 2026. In 2024, she opened the bookstore The Lynx in Gainesville, Florida.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Journalist Julia Ioffe returns to The Naked Pravda to discuss her new book, Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy, which was recently listed as a finalist for the National Book Award. Julia describes her years-long writing process, the blending of memoir and historical analysis, and the unique perspective provided by the narratives of women from the top echelons of Soviet and Russian society. The episode provides a detailed look at the complexities of Soviet and Russian feminism, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in this history and gender studies. Timestamps for this episode: (2:25) Chronological structure and key figures(6:07) Stalin's daughter: A metaphor for Russia(9:49) Challenges of historical accuracy(18:09) Balancing American paradigms and Russian perspectives(29:22) Class and cultural differencesКак поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

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).

At the table: Dagne Forrest, Samantha Neugebauer, Jason Schneiderman, Kathleen Volk Miller, Lisa Zerkle   This recording had a rough start, Slushies. We're talking technical difficulties, disappearing dogs, and tomato-eating cats. But we rallied in time to discuss two poems from Eli Karren. Jason hails the Whitmanian, associative line found in these poems. We're taken with the specificity of detail, right down to botanical names and brands of beer. And speaking of Whitman, Kathy shares this scathing review of his then newly published Leaves of Grass. Lisa gives a shout out to Asheville as they welcome visitors one year after Hurricane Helene. Sam remembers that nearby North Carolina mountain towns stood in for the Catskills in the movie “Dirty Dancing.”  And we close with a poetry book recommendation, Gabrielle Calvocoressi's The New Economy, just named to the National Book Award's Short List. Stay tuned for our next episode, also featuring a poem from Eli Karren. As always, thanks for listening! Eli Karren is a poet and educator based in Austin, TX. His work can be found in the swamp pink, At Length, Palette Poetry, and the Harvard Review.    Mountain Laurel Last summer I drank until blackout, then chatted about Cronenberg with my neighbor. My head lolled over the fenceline. Even the ivy judged me. In the morning, I woke early to go to the pool, imagining a polar plunge as the ideal hangover cure. Really, it was a baptism. The purple light erupting first, over the city, mirrored back across the water, like a shattered jar of preserves, before the orange took hold, a tiny flame cupped between hands, being blown full to life. How Old Testament of me! To dip my head beneath the current, still in the blackness, and rise to the light. To watch the old men, naked and shriveled, towel off in the cold air, speaking of a tree that was to be sheared, their bodies backlit by roosting bats and mountain laurel. I don't remember the last night I didn't drink. For the longest time I said it was a response to the boredom. To the loneliness. I had kept myself distracted with NBA highlights and foreign films. With amateur pornography and snapchat filters. In a way, I felt as though I was already dead. A ghost wearing a human suit. That at any moment I could be cracked open. That inside, was the rising tide of a summer storm, turning the sky ominous and teenage. Maybe, feathers. Stuffing. Packing peanuts.   Elegy for the East Side Just tonight, walked from one end to the other, sequestered to the sidestreets, skipping over puddles and burned books Everything clumsy and beautiful and new Popped in for a drink at the garden supply store Noticed all the young couples sipping cocktails from flowerpots, kissing over pinwheels & lawn gnomes Could make out over the sound of small talk, the DJ spinning Plantasia The wisteria and wilted chard seeming nonplussed noncommittal This place isn't the same since you left it Outside Mama Dearest the Cryptobros try to film themselves jumping a Cybertruck on a Lime Scooter Their wives hold Hamms in a semi-circle and look slightly like a Midwestern coven So elegant in their clear disdain Inside the parlor, the shrill recreation of a hunting cabin Taxidermied deer heads pepper the space between pin up girls, creating a dichotomy of destructive desire Nothing a shot of Malort and some curly fries couldn't handle On the corner, telephone pole advertisements proffer mass ascension and a wet T-shirt contest A candlelit vigil at the American Sniper's grave A shotgun of Lonestars chased down with a shotgun of Modelo The Texas sky somehow wider than ever The frequencies of bluebonnet giving way to indigo and periwinkle The quiet streets to house shows and seances This, so unlike the night we met No stars No fireworks No strangers in the street holding sparklers as we find each other in the handsy cocoon of porchlight No, only the moon sitting on the treeline like the egg sac of a wolf spider But on the water a cross between a duck boat and a pedal pub tied together with purple fairy lights Someone new, pumping her legs beside me The first to stir more than leaf litter and carcinogenic pollen Licking the salt from the rim of my margarita and shrugging A shorthand to say she is taking me home

National Book Award finalist Sarah Smarsh speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her career writing memoir, essays, and journalism centered on the experience of the rural working class in the US. Her essay in The Common's fall 2014 issue, “Death of the Farm Family,” became part of her 2018 book Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, which became an instant New York Times bestseller, was shortlisted for the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize, and named on President Barack Obama's best books of the year list. Smarsh discusses her most recent book, a collection of essays from 2012 to 2024 titled Bone of the Bone: Essays on America from a Daughter of the Working Class (Scribner, 2024), out this fall in paperback. The conversation ranges from what the media gets wrong about working class Americans to how our understanding of and interest in talking about class and access has changed since the early 2000s. Stick around to hear how Smarsh manages the dual identities of rural Kansas farm kid and nationally recognized writer-commentator on class and culture, and hear what she's working on next. Born a fifth-generation Kansas wheat farmer on her paternal side, Sarah Smarsh is a journalist who has reported for the New York Times, Harper's, the Guardian, and many other publications. Her 2020 book She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is a frequent political commentator and speaker on socioeconomic class. A former writing professor, Smarsh has served as a Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and a Pritzker Fellow at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. She lives in rural Kansas, where she is currently at work on a book about the endangered tallgrass prairie ecosystem. ­­Read Sarah Smarsh's essay “Death of the Farm Family” in The Common here. Learn more about her books and work at her website. 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 at here, and follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook. Emily Everett is managing editor of the magazine and host of the podcast. Her new debut novel All That Life Can Afford is the Reese's Book Club pick for April 2025. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Modern Love column, 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

Charles Yu has written a lot about the nature of reality, how we understand what is real, and the assumptions we make about each other and the universe we live in. Yu’s first novel, “How to live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe,” follows a time machine repairman who is searching for his father who is lost in time and memory. His latest book, National Book Award winning “Interior Chinatown,” takes place in a Chinese restaurant that’s also the set for a police procedural TV show and a sendup of stereotypes of Asian American characters. Yu spoke to us on February 29, 2024 in front of an audience of students from Ida B. Wells High School.

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

Russian forces attacked an energy facility in the Chernihiv region overnight, leaving its northern part without power and in some cases without water. Power engineers are working to repair the damage and restore electricity. Also, Emmanuel “Meme” del Real, founding member of the Mexican band Café Tacvba, which redefined Latin rock with humor and experimentation, steps into the spotlight with "La Montaña Encendida" ("The Burning Mountain") — his first solo album. And, National Book Award winner Ha Jin is set to publish a new coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Plus, Italy is celebrating the 50th birthday of Pimpa, the beloved Italian children's comic character with a penchant for adventure, this year.Listen to today's Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jeff and Rebecca applaud the news that Jeff Hiller will be hosting the National Book Awards in November before talking about more book news from the week. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. Discussed in this episode: The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Maggie by Katie Yee wins the Barnes & Noble Discover Award Jeff Hiller will host the National Book Awards First book acquired from The Black List Texas school district bars students from school libraries The Millions fall book preview i Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vincenzo Latronico is the author of the novel Perfection, available from New York Review Books. Translated by Sophie Hughes. Perfection was longlisted for the National Book Award for Translated Literature and is a finalist for the International Booker Prize. Born in Rome, Vincenzo Latronico studied philosophy at the University of Milan and has since published numerous books in Italian, including The Conspiracy of Doves and Gymnastics and Revolution. In addition to his own writing, he has also translated the work of many writers into Italian including work by George Orwell, Oscar Wilde, and Alexander Dumas. He lives in Milan.  Sophie Hughes is a translator of Spanish and Italian literature. Her translation of The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zerán was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2019, and her translation of Fernanda Melchor's Hurricane Season was shortlisted for the same prize. Her writing and translations have appeared in McSweeney's, The Guardian, The Paris Review, The White Review, Frieze and The New York Times. She lives in the United Kingdom. *** ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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

The Wayfinder by Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Adam Johnson is a gripping story of community and survival centered on one resilient young girl. Adam joins us to talk about storytelling, innocence, navigation, mythology, masculinity, literary fiction and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang.                     New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson Parasites Like Us by Adam Johnson The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson Emporium by Adam Johnson The Stand by Stephen King Featured Books (TBR Top Off): The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson Moloka'i by Alan Brennert The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese  

Angela Flournoy is the author of the novel The Wilderness, available from Mariner Books. It was longlisted for the National Book Award and is a finalist for the Kirkus Prize. Flournoy's debut novel, The Turner House, was a finalist for the National Book Award, a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, an Indie Next pick, and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, and she has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Flournoy has taught at the University of Iowa, Princeton University, and UCLA. She lives in New York. *** ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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

The Late Show Book Club chats with Jason Mott, author of the novel "People Like Us," our September book club pick, about writing his next book after winning the National Book Award, how grief and humor are connected, and his favorite books of all time. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sharifah Williams joins Jeff to talk about the 2025 Nobel for Literature, National Book Award finalists and more award season news. Then, Hachette CEO David Shelly talks to Jeff about book banning, inclusivity, and other issues facing the publishing world. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature 2025 National Book Award Finalists Kirkus Prize Announced Baker & Taylor going away? The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson Audition by Katie Kitamura Near Flesh by Katherine Dunn 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

Angela Flournoy's newest, The Wilderness was on the long list of nominees for the National Book Award, and we believe if you read it, it's easy to see why. The story of four friends growing apart and together, it's a lyrical work of real beauty. Over a series of decades, these four friends tell you in their distinct voices about the important turning points in their lives, giving readers a rich glimpse into what makes them who their are. We talk to Angela about her wonderful novel and then we pivot to Writer's Block, a bookstore with two locations in Florida.  Join us. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy The Turner House by Angela Flournoy Brown Girls, Brownstones by Paule Marshall Beloved by Toni Morrison Workhorse by Caroline Palmer Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yale historian and memoirist Carlos Eire recounts his extraordinary journey from being an 11-year-old Cuban boy in Operation Peter Pan—sent to the United States to escape Fidel Castro's regime—to becoming a National Book Award–winning author and chaired professor at Yale. Eire discusses the painful separation from his family, the challenges of assimilation, and the lifelong tension between his Cuban and American identities, themes he explores in his acclaimed memoirs Waiting for Snow in Havana and Learning to Die in Miami. The conversation also delves into Eire's recent book They Flew: A History of the Impossible, which examines early modern testimonies of levitation, bilocation, and miracles, and how belief, culture, and skepticism shaped their reception. Eire also reflects on Cuban history, the failures of the Castro regime, the broader Hispanic experience in America, and the enduring clash between materialist skepticism and openness to mystery. Subscribe to Uncommon Knowledge at hoover.org/uk

Karen Russell joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Stone,” by Louise Erdrich, which was published in The New Yorker in 2019. Russell is the author of six books of fiction, including the story collections “Vampires in the Lemon Grove” and “Orange World and Other Stories” and the novels “Swamplandia!,” which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2012, and “The Antidote,” which came out earlier this year and was long-listed for the National Book Award. Russell, the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, was included in the magazine's “20 Under 40” Fiction Issue in 2010. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices