Otherppl with Brad Listi

A new 'Craftwork' episode, all about the art of book publicity. My guest is longtime literary publicist Lauren Cerand.

Lauren has more than twenty years of experience running her own thriving global communications …

A new 'Craftwork' episode, all about ghostwriting. My guest is Stuart Horwitz, founder and principal of Book Architecture.

Horwitz has spent over twenty years helping writers become authors. His clients have reached the …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 647, my conversation with author Susan Choi. She won the National Book Award in 2019 for her novel Trust Exercise. This episode first aired on June 10, 2020.

Susan's first …

Lindsay Hunter is the author of the novel Hot Springs Drive, available from Roxane Gay Books.  

Hunter received her MFA in Writing from the School of …

Lexi Freiman is the author of the novel The Book of Ayn, available from Catapult.

Freiman is an Australian writer and editor who graduated from …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 520, my conversation with author Jonathan Ames.

Ames is the author of several books, including I Pass Like Night; The Extra Man; What's Not to Love?; My Less Than Secret …

Michael Cunningham is a Pulitzer Prize winner and the author of the novel Day, available from Random House.

 Cunningham is a novelist, screenwriter, …

Jami Nakamura Lin is the author of the memoir The Night Parade, available from Mariner Books. It is the official November pick of the Otherppl Book Club.

Lin is a Japanese Taiwanese Okinawan American writer, whose work …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 627, my conversation with author and poet Megan Fernandes. Her books include The Kingdom and After, …

Thurston Moore is a founding member of the band Sonic Youth and the author of a new memoir entitled Sonic Life, available from Doubleday Books.

Moore helped found Sonic Youth in New York in 1981 and spent the ensuing …

Justin Torres is the author of the novel Blackouts, a finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction. Available from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Torres is also the author of the debut novel We the Animals, which …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 436, my conversation with Wendy C. Ortiz. Her books include Excavation: A Memoir, Hollywood Notebook, …

A conversation with Dan Sinykin, author of Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature, available from …

Athena Dixon is the author of the memoir-in-essays entitled The Loneliness Files, available from Tin House.

Dixon's other books include the essay …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 564, my conversation with author and visual artist Brad Phillips. His debut story collection, Essays …

A conversation with Lee McIntyre, author of On Disinformation: How to Fight for Truth and Protect Democracy, available from MIT Press.

McIntyre is Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at …

Eliza Clark is the author of the novel Penance, available from Harper Books. It is the official October pick of the Otherppl Book Club.

A native of Newcastle, Clark lives in London, where she previously attended Chelsea …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 244, my conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner Hilton Als. This episode first aired on January 19, …

Elle Nash is the author of the novel Deliver Me, available from The Unnamed Press.

Nash is the author of the novels Gag Reflex (Clash Books, 2022) and Animals Eat Each Other (Dzanc Books), which was featured in the 2018 …

Claudia Dey is the author of the novel Daughter, available from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Dey's previous novel, Heartbreaker, was a Northern Lit and Trillium Book Award finalist. It was named a best book of the year by …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 268, my conversation with Douglas Coupland. This episode first aired on April 13, 2014.

Since 1991 Coupland has written thirteen novels. Including Generation X, Microserfs, …

Roxane Gay is the author of the essay collection Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business, available from …

David L. Ulin is the author of the novel Thirteen Question Method, available from Outpost 19.

Ulin is the author or editor of nearly twenty books, …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 327, my conversation with Frederick Barthelme. This episode first aired on November 5, 2014.

Barthelme studied fiction with John Barth at The Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars …

James Frankie Thomas is the author of the debut novel Idlewild, available from The Overlook Press. It was the official September pick of the Otherppl Book Club.

Thomas is a lifelong New Yorker. He attended the City …

C Pam Zhang is the author of the novel Land of Milk and Honey, available from Riverhead Books.

Zhang's other book is the debut novel How Much of These …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 117, my conversation with Susan Straight, author of the novel Mecca (FSG). This episode first aired on March 5, 2014.

Straight's other novels include the national bestseller …

Vauhini Vara is the author of the story collection This is Salvaged, available from W.W. Norton & Co.

Vara has been a reporter and editor for the …

Mona Awad is the bestselling author of the novel Rouge, available from Marysue Rucci Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

Awad's other books …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 257, my conversation with Natalie Baszile, author of the novel Queen Sugar (Penguin Books). This episode first aired on March 5, 2014.

Baszile is the author of the novel …

Anne Enright is the author of the novel The Wren, The Wren, available from W.W. Norton & Co.

Enright is author of seven novels, most recently Actress. She has been awarded the Man Booker Prize, the Andrew Carnegie …

Karl Ove Knausgaard is the author of the novel The Wolves of Eternity, available from Penguin Press. Translated by Martin Aitken.

Knausgaard's My …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 147, my conversation with Joyce Johnson, author of the biography The Voice is All: The Lonely Victory of Jack Kerouac (Viking). This episode first aired on February 10, 2013.

A new 'Craftwork' episode, all about anti-heroes. My guest is Tod Goldberg, author of the novel Gangsters Don't Die, available from Counterpoint …

Lauren Groff is the bestselling author of the novel The Vaster Wilds, available from Riverhead Books.

Groff is a three-time National Book Award finalist and the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 374, my conversation with Matt Sumell, author of the novel-in-stories Making Nice (Picador). It first aired on August 5, 2015.

Sumell is a graduate of UC Irvine's MFA …

Yiyun Li is the author of the story collection Wednesday's Child, available from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Li is the author of several works of …

Myriam Gurba is the author of the essay collection Creep: Accusations and Confessions, available from Avid Reader Press.

Gurba is a writer and artist. …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 546, my conversation with Laura van den Berg, author of five works of fiction. It first aired on October 10, 2018.

Laura van den Berg was born and raised in Florida. Her …

Maggie Downs is an award-winning journalist, travel writer, and the author of the memoir Braver Than You Think:Around the World on the Trip of My (Mother’s) Lifetime (Counterpoint Press). Her work has appeared in The …

Rebekah Bergman is the author of the debut novel The Museum of Human History, available from Tin House. It is the official August pick of the Otherppl Book Club.

Bergman's fiction has been published in Joyland, Tin …

Today, a special episode remembering the life and work of Tom Hansen, who died this week of esophageal cancer. Hansen was born in Seattle and raised …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 24, my conversation with biographer Charles Shields, author of And So It Goes— Kurt Vonnegut: A Life, available now in trade paperback from St. Martin's Press. It first …

Maya Binyam is the author of the debut novel Hangman, available from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Binyam is a fiction writer and critic whose work has appeared in The Paris Review, The New Yorker, The New York Times …

In today's 'Craftwork' episode, a conversation with Emily Rapp Black about "truth" in creative nonfiction.

Emily is the author of five books of creative nonfiction: Poster Child, The Still Point of the Turning World, …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 364, my conversation with Mat Johnson, author of the novel Invisible Things and other books.

Johnson is a Philip H. Knight Chair of the Humanities at the University of …

Brando Skyhorse is the author of the novel My Name is Iris, available from Avid Reader Press.

Skyhorse's debut novel, The Madonnas of Echo Park, won the 2011 PEN/Hemingway Award and the Sue Kaufman Award for First …

In today's 'Craftwork' episode, a conversation with Kathleen Schmidt. She is a longtime publishing industry veteran with in-depth experience in a …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 460, my conversation with Melissa Febos, author of Body Work, Girlhood, and other books.

Girlhood was a national bestseller, a Lambda Literary Award finalist, and the winner …

Lydia Kiesling is the author of the novel Mobility, available from Crooked Media Reads.

Kiesling is the author of The Golden State, a 2018 National …

Khashayar J. Khabushani is the author of the debut novel I Will Greet the Sun Again, available from Hogarth Books.

Khabushani was born in Van Nuys, California, in 1992. During his childhood he spent time in Iran before …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 684, my conversation with Michael Schumacher, author of Dharma Lion: A Biography of Allen Ginsberg (University of Minnesota Press).

Schumacher has written extensively about …

Jamel Brinkley is the author of the story collection Witness, available from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

Brinkley is the author of A Lucky Man: …

Edan Lepucki is the bestselling author of the novel Time's Mouth, available from Counterpoint Press.

Lepucki's other books include the novels California and Woman No. 17. She is also the editor of Mothers Before: Stories …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 419, my conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winner Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of the bestselling novel The …

Geoff Rickly is the author of the debut novel Someone Who Isn't Me, available from Rose Books. It is the official July pick of the Otherppl Book Club.

Ruth Madievsky is the author of the debut novel All-Night Pharmacy, available from Catapult.

Madievsky is the author of a bestselling poetry …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 491, my conversation with Carmen Maria Machado, author of the bestselling memoir In the Dream House.

Machado's other books include the graphic novel The Low, Low Woods, and …

Jenny Xie is the author of the debut novel Holding Pattern, available from Riverhead Books.

Xie is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn. Originally …

Andrew Lipstein is the author of the novel The Vegan, available from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Lipstein is also the author of Last Resort (FSG, 2022), a novel "you'll think about . . . for weeks after you read the …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 107, my conversation with D.T. Max, New Yorker staff writer and author of Every Love Story is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace, which was published by Viking in …

Nicole Flattery is the author of the novel Nothing Special, available from Bloomsbury.

Flattery is also the author of the story collection Show Them A …

Sarah Rose Etter is the author of the novel Ripe, available from Scribner.

Etter's other books include The Book of X and Tongue Party. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Cut, Electric Literature, Vice, …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 506, my conversation with Elif Batuman.

Elif Batuman's first novel, The Idiot, was a finalist for a …

Patrick deWitt is the author of the novel The Librarianist, available from Ecco.

His other books include the novels French Exit, a national …

Chelsea Hodson is the author of the essay collection Tonight I'm Someone Else, which came out in 2018. She is the founder of the new indie press Rose …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 401, my conversation with Hanya Yanagihara from February 2016.

Hanya Yanagihara is a prize-winning author and the Editor-in-Chief of T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Her …

Tess Gunty is the author of the debut novel The Rabbit Hutch, now available in trade paperback from Vintage. It received the National Book Award for Fiction in 2022.

Gunty earned an MFA in creative writing from NYU, …

Lorrie Moore is the bestselling author of the novel I Am Homeless if This Is Not My Home, available from Knopf.

Moore is the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English at Vanderbilt University. She is the recipient …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 616, my conversation with Tim O'Brien from December 2019.

O'Brien received the 1979 National Book Award …

Leila Slimani is the author of the novel Watch Us Dance, available from Viking. Translated by Sam Taylor.

Slimani is the bestselling author of The Perfect Nanny, one of The New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of …

Alejandra Oliva is the author of Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration, available from Astra House.

Oliva is an essayist, …

Today on the program, a special Pulitzer Prize episode featuring authors Hernan Diaz and Ingrid Rojas Contreras. Diaz won a 2023 Pulitzer Prize in …

Molly Lynch is the author of the debut novel The Forbidden Territory of a Terrifying Woman, available from Catapult.

Lynch grew up on the west coast …

Tania James is the author of the novel Loot, available from Knopf.

James is the author of the novels The Tusk That Did the Damage and Atlas of …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 549, my conversation with Andre Dubus III from October 2018.

Dubus is the author of several books, including Dirty Love, The Garden of Last Days, House of Sand and Fog (a New …

Jasmin 'Iolani Hakes is the author of the debut novel Hula, available from HarperVia.

Hakes was born and raised in Hilo, Hawai'i. Her essays have …

Jim Ruland is the author of the novel Make It Stop, available from Rare Bird Books.

Ruland is the co-author of Do What You Want with Bad Religion, and 

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 448, my conversation with Roxane Gay from January 2017.

Roxane Gay is the bestselling author of the …

Bea Setton is the author of the debut novel Berlin, available from Penguin Books.

Setton was born in Paris to Franco-British parents and has lived in …

Declan Meade is the guest. He is the founding editor and publisher of The Stinging Fly, one of the world’s premiere literary magazines, based in Dublin, Ireland. You may have read about Declan and The Stinging Fly in …

In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 426, my conversation with Jonathan Franzen from August 2016.

He is the author of six novels, most recently Crossroads. He has also published five works of nonfiction, …

In the latest "Craftwork" episode, a deep-dive conversation about the horror genre with author and story expert John Truby. His latest book, The Anatomy of Genres: How Story Forms Explain the Way the World Works, is …

Ivy Pochoda is the author of the novel Sing Her Down, available from MCD Books.

Pochoda's other books include the acclaimed novels Wonder Valley, Visitation Street, and These Women. She won the 2018 Strand Critics Award …

Today I'm launching a new feature on the Otherppl podcast: flashback episodes from the Otherppl archives.

These flashbacks will be short-form, and they will happen on Fridays.

They will feature highlights from past …

Anne Elizabeth Moore is the author of the essay collection Body Horror: Capitalism, Fear, Misogyny, Jokes, available from The Feminist Press. It is …

Samantha Irby is the bestselling author of the essay collection Quietly Hostile, available from Vintage.

Irby's other books include Meaty, Wow, No …

Isabella Hammad is the author of the novel Enter Ghost, available from Grove Press.

Hammad was born in London. Her writing has appeared in Conjunctions, The Paris Review, The New York Times and elsewhere. She was awarded …

Dave Eggers is the author of the all-ages novel The Eyes and the Impossible, available in a deluxe, limited edition, wood-bound hardcover from McSweeney's, and in a traditional hardcover from Knopf Books for Young …

In the latest "Craftwork" episode, a deep-dive conversation about the bestseller lists with Carly Watters, herself a longtime literary agent and the …

Hannah Pittard is the author of the memoir We Are Too Many, available from Henry Holt & Co.

Pittard is the author of four novels. She is a winner …

Emily St. John Mandel is the bestselling author of the novel Sea of Tranquility, now available in trade paperback from Vintage.

Mandel's five previous novels include The Glass Hotel, which has been translated into …

Claire Dederer is the author of Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma, available from Knopf.

Dederer is the author of Love and Trouble, and the New York Times best-selling memoir Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses, which has …

Matthew Zapruder is the author of the memoir Story of a Poem, available from Unnamed Press.

Zapruder is the author of five collections of poetry, …

J. Ryan Stradal is the bestselling author of the novel Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, available from Viking / Pamela Dorman Books.

Stradal is the author of New York Times bestseller Kitchens of the Great …

Jinwoo Chong is the author of the debut novel Flux, available from Melville House. It is the official April pick of the book club.

Chong received an …

Tara Conklin is the author of the novel Community Board. It was the official March pick of the book club.

Conklin was born on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands and raised in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She is the author …

Tiffany Clarke Harrison is the author of the debut novel Blue Hour, available from Soft Skull Press.

Harrison graduated from Salisbury University with …

In the latest "Craftwork" episode, a deep-dive conversation about literary agents with Carly Watters, herself a longtime literary agent and the …

Clancy Martin is the author of How Not to Kill Yourself: A Portrait of the Suicidal Mind, available from Pantheon.

Martin is the acclaimed author of the novel How to Sell (FSG) as well as numerous books on philosophy, …

Alex Mar is the author of Seventy Times Seven: A True Story of Murder and Mercy, available from Penguin Press.

Mar is the author of Witches of America, which was a New York Times Notable Book and Editors' Pick. Her work …

Shannon McLeod is the author of the Nature Trail Stories, available from Thirty West Publishing.

McLeod is the author of the novella, Whimsy (Long Day Press, 2021). Her writing has appeared in Tin House, Prairie Schooner…

Madelaine Lucas is the author of the debut novel Thirst for Salt, available from Tin House.

Lucas is a senior editor of NOON. Born in 1990, she was raised in Melbourne and Sydney as the daughter of a visual artist and a …

Gina Frangello is the guest in the latest 'Craftwork' episode. We talk about the editorial omniscient point of view—what it is, what it can do, and how to use it in your writing.

Gina is the author of the acclaimed …

Jennifer Michael Hecht is the author of The Wonder Paradox: Embracing the Weirdness of Existence and the Poetry of Our Lives, available from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

Hecht, a historian and poet, is the award-winning …

Camonghne Felix is the author of the memoir Dyscalculia: A Love Story of Epic Miscalculation, available from One World Press.

Felix, poet and …

Tracey Rose Peyton is the author of the debut novel Night Wherever We Go, available from Ecco Books.

Peyton received her MFA from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin. Her short fiction …

V. V. Ganeshananthan is the author of the novel Brotherless Night, available from Random House.

Ganeshananthan is the author of Love Marriage, which was longlisted for the Women's Prize and named one of the best books of …

Delia Cai is the author of the debut novel Central Places, available from Ballantine Books.

Cai was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and grew up in central …

Rebecca Makkai is the author of the novel I Have Some Questions for You, available from Viking Books.

Makkai's last novel, The Great Believers, was a …

Chetna Maroo is the author of the debut novel Western Lane, available from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

Maroo lives in London. Her stories have been published in the Paris Review, the Stinging Fly and the Dublin Review,

In today's "Craftwork" episode, a conversation with Courtney Maum about how to write a good book proposal.

Courtney is the author of five books, including the groundbreaking publishing guide that Vanity Fair recently …

Ayobami Adebayo is the author of the novel A Spell of Good Things, available from Knopf.

Adebayo was born in Lagos, Nigeria. Her debut novel, Stay with Me, won the 9mobile Prize for Literature, was shortlisted for the …

Charmaine Craig is the author of the novel My Nemesis, available from Grove Press.

Craig is the author of the novels Miss Burma, longlisted for the National Book Award and the Women's Prize for Fiction, and The Good Men. …

Wendell Steavenson is the author of the novel Margot, available from W.W. Norton & Co. It is the official February pick of the TNB Book Club.

Steavenson, whose writing has appeared in The New Yorker, the Financial …

In this episode of "Craftwork," author Peter Turchi teaches a lesson on how to use shifting power dynamics to write more dynamic scenes in fiction.

Turchi is the author of seven books and the co-editor of three …

David S. Wills is the author of High White Notes: The Rise and Fall of Gonzo Journalism, available from Beatdom Books.

Wills is the founder and editor …

Kevin Maloney is the author of the novel The Red-Headed Pilgrim, available from Two Dollar Radio.

Maloney is the author of Cult of Loretta and the …

In the inaugural episode of Craftwork, a new series from the Otherppl podcast, author Matt Bell teaches a lesson on how to write action in fiction.

Bell is the author most recently of the novel Appleseed (a New York …

Matthew Salesses is the author of the novel The Sense of Wonder (Little, Brown & Co.).

Salesses' other books include the national bestseller Craft …

Bruce Wagner is the author of Roar: American Master, available from Arcade Publishing.

Wagner has written twelve novels and bestsellers, including the famous "Cellphone Trilogy," I'm Losing You (PEN USA finalist), I'll …

Kashana Cauley is the author of the debut novel The Survivalists, available from Soft Skull Press.

Cauley is a former Midtown antitrust lawyer and …

Sean Adams is the author of the novel The Thing in the Snow, available from William Morrow. It is the official January pick of the TNB Book Club.

…

Dorthe Nors is the author of the acclaimed essay collection A Line in the World: A Year on the North Sea Coast (Graywolf Press), translated by …

Here we are again. Another year in the books. Another Holiday Spectacular episode of the Otherppl podcast.

This year, the Spectacular was recorded at …

Sam Lipsyte is the author of the novel No One Left to Come Looking for You (Simon & Schuster).

Lipsyte is the author of the story collections …

Allegra Hyde is the author of the novel Eleutheria, available from Vintage. It is the official December pick of the TNB Book Club.

Hyde's debut story …

Emily Pifer is the author of the award-winning debut memoir The Running Body, available from Autumn House Press.

Pifer received her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of Wyoming and is now a PhD candidate in …

Kyle Spencer is an investigative journalist and the author of Raising Them Right: The Untold Story of America's Ultraconservative Youth Movement and …

Pete Hsu is the author of the story collection If I Were the Ocean, I'd Carry You Home, available from Red Hen Press. It is the official November …

Rich Ferguson, Mary Kerr, and S.A. Griffin are the guests for a roundtable discussion of Beat literature and the new anthology Beat Not Beat: An …

Lynn Steger Strong is the author of the novel Flight, available from Mariner Books.

Strong's other books include the novels Want and Hold Still. Her …

Andrew Sean Greer is a Pulitzer Prize winner and the author of the novel Less is Lost (Little, Brown), a New York Times bestseller.

Greer is the …

Jonathan Escoffery is the author of the debut story collection If I Survive You, available from MCD/FSG.

If I Survive You is a National Book Award …

George Saunders is the author of the story collection Liberation Day, available from Random House.

Saunders is the #1 New York Times bestselling …

Morgan Talty is the author of the debut story collection Night of the Living Rez, available from Tin House. It is the official October pick of The …

A.M. Homes is the author of the novel The Unfolding, available from Viking.

Homes is the author of thirteen books, among them the best-selling memoir …

Chelsea Martin is the author of the novel Tell Me I'm an Artist, available from Soft Skull Press.

Martin is the author of the essay collection Caca …

Elizabeth Strout is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the novel Lucy by the Sea, available from Random House.

Strout is the #1 New York Times…

Jerry Stahl is the author of the memoir Nein, Nein, Nein!: One Man's Tale of Depression, Psychic Torment, and a Bus Tour of the Holocaust, available …

Luke Dani Blue is the author of the debut story collection Pretend It's My Body, available from The Feminist Press. It is the official September pick …

Timothy Willis Sanders is the author of the story collection Modern Massacres (Publishing Genius).

Modern Massacres is Timothy Willis Sanders’s third …

Melissa Chadburn is the author of the debut novel A Tiny Upward Shove, available from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

Chadburn's writing has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times Book Review, The New York …

Nada Alic is the author of the debut story collection Bad Thoughts, available from Vintage. It is the official August pick of The Nervous Breakdown …

Ingrid Rojas Contreras is the author of the memoir The Man Who Could Move Clouds, available from Doubleday.

Contreras was born and raised in Bogotá, …

Lynne Tillman is the author of Mothercare: On Obligation, Love, Death, and Ambivalence, available from Soft Skull.

Tillman is a novelist, short story …

Isaac Fitzgerald is the author of the memoir-in-essays Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional, available from Bloomsbury.

Fitzgerald appears frequently on The Today Show and is the author of the bestselling children's …

David Koepp is the author of the novel Aurora, available from Harper. It is the official July pick of the TNB Book Club.

Koepp has written or …

Teddy Wayne is the author of the novel The Great Man Theory, available from Bloomsbury.

Wayne's other novels include Apartment, Loner, The Love Song of Jonny Valentine, and Kapitoil. He is the winner of a Whiting …

Chantal V. Johnson is the author of the debut novel Post-Traumatic, available from Little, Brown.

Post-Traumatic was named a Best Debut Novel of 2022 …

Austin Kleon is the New York Times bestselling author of a trilogy of books on creativity in the digital age, including Steal Like an Artist—now celebrating its 10th year in print—Show Your Work!, and Keep Going.

Kleon …

Marcy Dermansky is the author of the novel Hurricane Girl, available from Knopf.

Dermansky is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Very Nice, The Red Car, Bad Marie, and Twins. She has received fellowships from …

Sloane Crosley is the author of the novel Cult Classic, available from MCD/FSG.

Crosley is the author of The New York Times bestselling essay …

Abbigail Nguyen Rosewood is the author of the novel Constellations of Eve, available from DVAN/UTTP. It is the official June pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Rosewood was born in Vietnam, where she lived until …

Hernan Diaz is the author of the novel Trust, available from Riverhead. 

A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award, …

Kathryn Miles is the author of Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders (Algonquin Books).

Miles is the author of five books. Her …

Mary Laura Philpott is the author of the memoir-in-essays Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives (Atria Books). It was the official April pick of the TNB Book Club.

Philpott, nationally bestselling author of I …

Brad Listi is the author of the novel Be Brief and Tell Them Everything, available from Ig.

Listi was born in Milwaukee. His other books include the novel Attention. Deficit. Disorder., an LA Times bestseller, and Board, …

Darrel Alejandro Holnes is the author of the poetry collection Stepmotherland (University of Notre Dame Press). It is the winner of the Andres …

Steve Almond is the author of the debut novel All the Secrets of the World, available from Zando.

Almond is the author of ten books of fiction and nonfiction, including the New York Times bestsellers Candyfreak and …

Caren Beilin is the author of the novel Revenge of the Scapegoat, available from Dorothy.

Beilin's other books are Blackfishing the IUD (Wolfman …

Today on the program, a special sneak preview of my new novel, Be Brief and Tell Them Everything, available now for preorder and wherever books are …

Zac Smith is the author of the debut story collection Everything is Totally Fine, available from Muumuu House.

Smith's other books includeTwo Million …

Julia May Jonas is the author of the debut novel Vladimir, available from Avid Reader Press.

Jonas is a playwright and teaches theater at Skidmore …

Anakana Schofield is the author of Bina: A Novel in Warnings, a New York Review Book.

Schofield is an award-winning Irish-Canadian writer of fiction, essays, and literary criticism. Her previous novels are Malarky (2012) …

Kate Folk is the author of the debut story collection Out There, available from Random House.

Folk has written for publications including The New …

Mike Meginnis is the author of the novel Drowning Practice (Ecco Books). It is the official March pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Meginnis is also the author of the novel Fat Man and Little Boy. His fiction has …

Lili Anolik is the author of Hollywood's Eve: Eve Babitz and the Secret History of L.A., available from Scribner.

Anolik is a contributing editor at …

John Keene is the author of Punks: New & Selected Poems, available from The Song Cave.

Keene is a writer, translator, professor, and artist who was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2018. In 1989, Keene joined the Dark …

Cara Blue Adams is the author of the debut story collection You Never Get It Back, winner of the John Simmons Short Fiction Award, available from the …

Lan Samantha Chang is the author of the novel The Family Chao, available from W.W. Norton & Co. It is the official February pick of The Nervous …

Sheila Heti is the author of the novel Pure Colour, available from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

Heti is the author of several books of fiction and …

Antoine Wilson is the author of the novel Mouth to Mouth, available from Avid Reader.

Wilson is also the author of the novels The Interloper and Panorama City. His writing has appeared in The Paris Review, Quarterly West…

I'm sharing a special preview of the new podcast, Well-Read Black Girl from Pushkin Industries. Well-Read Black Girl is the literary kickback you never knew you needed. Glory Edim, author and founder of the …

Debbie Millman is the author of Why Design Matters: Conversations with the World's Most Creative People, available from Harper Design.

Debbie’s podcast, Design Matters is one of the first and longest running podcasts, …

Rachel Krantz is the author of Open: An Uncensored Memoir of Love, Liberation, and Non-Monogamy, available from Harmony Books.

Krantz is one of the three founding editors of Bustle, where she served as Senior Features …

Emmelie Prophete is the author of the novel Blue, available from Amazon Crossing. Translated by Tina Kover. It is the official January pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Born in Port-au-Prince, where she still …

Jami Attenberg is the author of the memoir I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home, available from Ecco.

Attenberg is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books of fiction, including The …

Claire Messud is the author of A Dream Life, available from Tablo Tales.

Messud is the author of seven works of fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers The Emperor’s Children and The Burning Girl, and a new …

Lejla Kalamujic is the author of the novel-in-stories Call Me Esteban, available from Sandorf Passage. Translated by Jennifer Zoble.

Kalamujic is an award-winning queer writer from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Call Me Esteban…

Lou Mathews is the author of the novel Shaky Town, available from Tiger Van Books.

Mathews has written seven books and published two of them, Just Like James and L.A. Breakdown, an LA Times Best Book. He has taught in …

As another year comes to a close, Brad is joined by authors Megan Boyle and Joseph Grantham to celebrate the season and reflect on what's ahead.

Happy …

Stacy D. Flood is the author of the novella The Salt Fields, available from Lanternfish Press.

Originally from Buffalo, and currently living in Seattle, Stacy’s work has been published and performed nationally as well as …

Megan Milks is the author of the novel Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body (The Feminist Press).

Milks is the author of Kill Marguerite and Other Stories (2014), available from Feminist Press in revised and …

Robin McLean is the author of the debut novel Pity the Beast, available from And Other Stories.

McLean worked as lawyer and then a potter in the woods …

Duncan Birmingham is the author of the debut story collection The Cult in My Garage, available from Maudlin House.

Birmingham is a writer and …

Roisin Kiberd is the author of The Disconnect: A Personal Journey Through the Internet, available from Serpent's Tail.

Kiberd's essays have been published in the Dublin Review, the White Review, the Stinging Fly and …

Janice Lee is the author of the novel Imagine a Death, available from Texas Review Press. 

Lee is a Korean-American writer, editor, publisher, and shamanic healer. Author of seven books of fiction, creative nonfiction …

Jocelyn Nicole Johnson is the author of the debut story collection My Monticello, available from Henry Holt & Co.

Johnson's writing has appeared …

Sarah Hall is the author of the novel Burntcoat, available from Custom House. It is the official November pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Hall was born in Cumbria. She is the prizewinning author of six novels …

Dennis Cooper is the author of the novel I Wished, available from Soho Press.

Cooper is the author of the George Miles Cycle, an interconnected sequence of five novels: Closer, Frisk, Try, Guide, and Period. His other …

Larissa Pham is the author of the memoir-in-essays Pop Song, available from Catapult. 

Pham is an artist and writer in Brooklyn. Born in Portland, …

Mike DeCapite is the author of the novel Jacket Weather, available from Soft Skull Press.

DeCapite's other books include the novel Through the …

Louise Erdrich is the author of the novel The Sentence, available from Harper.

One of America's most celebrated authors, Erdrich was awarded the 2021 …

Marlowe Granados is the author of the debut novel Happy Hour, available from Verso Books.

Granados is a writer and filmmaker living in Toronto. She co-hosts The Mean Reds, a podcast dedicated to women-led films. And her …

Matthew Clark Davison is the author of the debut novel Doubting Thomas, available from Amble Press.

Davison is a writer and educator living in San Francisco. He earned a BA and MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco …

Emily Ladau is the author of Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally, available from Ten Speed Press.

Ladau is an internationally known disability rights activist, writer, and speaker. …

Lucy Corin is the author of The Swank Hotel, available from Graywolf Press. It is the official October pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

…

Kate Durbin is the author of the poetry collection Hoarders, available now from Wave Books.

Durbin is a Los Angeles-based artist and author of four …

Catherine Raven is the author of the memoir Fox & I: An Uncommon Friendship, available from Spiegel and Grau.

Raven received her Ph.D. in biology …

Alexandra Kleeman is the author of the novel Something New Under the Sun, available from Hogarth Press.

Kleeman's other books include Intimations, a …

Julie Poole is the author of the poetry collection Bright Specimen, available now from Deep Vellum.

Poole was born and raised in the Pacific …

José Vadi is the author of the debut essay collection Inter State: Essays from California (Soft Skull). 

He received the San Francisco Foundation’s …

Louise Nealon is the author of the debut novel Snowflake (Harper Books), a #1 International Bestseller. It is the official September pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Nealon is a writer from County Kildare, …

Rachel Long is the author of the poetry collection My Darling from the Lions, available from Tin House. First published by Picador in the UK, it was …

Lucie Elven is the author of the debut novel The Weak Spot, available from Soft Skull Press.

Elven has written for publications including The London …

Today on the podcast, an episode devoted to the life and legacy of the late author, activist, diarist, and digital native Mark Baumer. A new book, The One on Earth: Selected Works of Mark Baumer, is available now from …

Anna Qu is the author of Made in China: A Memoir of Love and Labor, available from Catapult.

Qu is a Chinese American writer. She writes personal …

Leigh Stein is the guest. Her new poetry collection, What to Miss When, is available from Soft Skull.

Stein is the author of five books including the …

Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi is the author of the novel Savage Tongues, available from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Her previous novel, Call Me Zebra, …

Katie Crouch is the author of the novel Embassy Wife, available from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. It is the official August pick of the TNB Book Club.

Crouch is the New York Times bestselling author of Girls in Trucks, …

Sam Cohen is the author of the debut story collection Sarahland, available from Grand Central Publishing.

Cohen is a queer, Jewish femme born and …

Kendra Allen is the author of the poetry collection The Collection Plate (Ecco).

Allen was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She is the recipient of …

Tao Lin is the author of the novel Leave Society (Vintage). This is his fourth time on the program.

Lin's other books include Trip: Psychedelics, …

Matthew Specktor is the author of Always Crashing in the Same Car: On Art, Crisis, and Los Angeles, California, available from Tin House.

Specktor’s other books include the novels That Summertime Sound and American Dream …

Reginald Dwayne Betts is the author of the poetry collection Felon, available from W.W. Norton & Co.

Betts is a poet, essayist, and national …

Matt Bell is the author of the novel Appleseed, available from Custom House Books. It is the official July pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

…

Greg Gerke is the author of the essay collection See What I See (Zerogram Press).

Gerke’s work has appeared in Tin House, Film Quarterly, The Kenyon …

Mark Leidner is the author of the poetry collection Returning the Sword to the Stone (Fonograf Editions).

Leidner is also the author of two feature …

Pedro Mairal is the author of the novel The Woman from Uruguay (Bloomsbury), translated by Jennifer Croft.

Mairal was born in Buenos Aires in 1970. He studied a degree in ‘Letras’ (‘Humanities’) at USAL (‘University of …

Forrest Gander is the author of the poetry collection Twice Alive, available now from New Directions. In 2019, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for …

Lana Bastasic is the author of the debut novel Catch the Rabbit, winner of the 2020 European Union Prize for Literature. Available now in translation from Restless Books. The official June pick of The Nervous Breakdown …

Barrett Swanson is the author of the essay collection Lost in Summerland (Counterpoint Press).

Swanson is a contributing editor at Harper’s Magazine. …

Melissa Febos is the author of the essay collection Girlhood (Bloomsbury). It is a national bestseller. 

Her other books include the critically …

Sam Tallent is the guest. His debut novel, Running the Light, is available on Too Big To Fail Press.

Known for whip-quick wit and rollicking …

Courtney Zoffness is the author of Spilt Milk, a collection of memoirs available now from McSweeney's. It is the official May pick of The Nervous …

Elissa Washuta is the author of the essay collection White Magic, now available from Tin House.

Washuta is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and a …

This conversation first aired on June 17, 2015.

It is being reposted in memory of Shanna Mahin, who died last week. She had been battling a …

Gina Nutt is the author of the essay collection Night Rooms, available now from Two Dollar Radio.

Nutt's other books include the poetry collection …

Mik Grantham is the author of the debut poetry collection Hardcore, available from Short Flight / Long Drive Books.

Grantham is the founder and …

Patricia Engel is the author of the novel Infinite Country, available from Avid Reader Press. It is the official April pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Engel is the author of The Veins of the Ocean, winner of …

Andrea Bajani is the author of the novel If You Kept a Record of Sins, available from Archipelago Books. It was translated from the Italian by Elizabeth Harris.

Bajani is one of the most respected and award-winning …

Shannon McLeod is the author of the novella Whimsy, available from Long Day Press.

McLeod is also the author of the essay chapbook Pathetic …

Gina Frangello is the author of the memoir Blow Your House Down, available from Counterpoint Press.

This is Gina's second time on the program. She first appeared in Episode 16 on November 9, 2011.

Frangello's other books …

This episode first aired on March 27, 2013.

It is being reposted in memory of Giancarlo DiTrapano (1974-2021), founder and publisher of Tyrant Books. He died unexpectedly on March 30 in New York City. No official cause …

Hari Kunzru is the author of the novel Red Pill, available now from Knopf.

This is Hari's second time on the program. He first appeared in Episode 57, on April 1, 2012.

Born in London, he is the author of the novels The …

Tod Goldberg is the guest. His critically acclaimed new story collection, The Low Desert, is available from Counterpoint.

This is Tod's third time on …

Yamen Manai is the author of the novel The Ardent Swarm, available now from Amazon Crossing. Winner of the Prix Comar d'Or and the Prix des Cinq Continents, it is the official March pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book …

Vesna Maric is the author of the debut novel The President Shop (Sandorf Passage).

Maric was born in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in 1976. She left the country at sixteen as part of a convoy of refugees bound for the Lake …

Melissa Broder is the guest. Her new novel, Milk Fed, is available from Scribner.

This is Melissa's fourth time on the podcast. She first appeared in Episode 58 on April 4, 2012. Her second appearance was in Episode 404 …

David Tromblay is the guest. His new memoir, As You Were, is available from Dzanc Books. It is the official February pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Tromblay served in the U.S. Armed Forces for over a decade …

Candace Jane Opper is the author of the debut memoir Certain and Impossible Events. It was selected by Cheryl Strayed as the winner of the Kore Press Memoir Award.

Opper is a writer, a mother, and an occasional visual …

Ahmed Naji is the guest. He is the author of three novels, including Using Life (University of Texas Press), which led to his imprisonment in Egypt—and then led to the writing of a new memoir, Rotten Evidence: Reading …

Michael Bible is the guest. His new novel, The Ancient Hours, is available from Melville House.

Support independent booksellers! Get your copy here.

Bible's other books include Empire of Light and Sophia, also from …

Te-Ping Chen is the guest. Her debut story collection, Land of Big Numbers, is available from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. It is the official January …

Rob Doyle is the guest. His new book, Threshold, is available from Bloomsbury.

Doyle's debut novel, Here Are the Young Men, was published in 2014 by …

Gil Adamson is the guest. Her new novel, The Ridgerunner, will be published in the United States by House of Anansi Press on February 2, 2021.

Adamson is the critically acclaimed author of The Outlander, which won the …

George Saunders is the guest. His new book, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, is available from Random House.

This is George's second time on the program. He first appeared in Episode 100, on August 29, 2012.

Saunders is the …

In keeping with the tenets of 2020, this year's holiday episode unfolded online, not in a Zoom room but in a "Skype amphitheater."

With guest …

Alex Branson is the guest. His new novel, Water, Wasted, is available from Rare Bird Books. It is the official December pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Branson works for a non-profit in South Jersey. Before …

Michael Schumacher is the guest. He is the editor of The Fall of America Journals, 1965-1971, by the late Allen Ginsberg, available now from the University of Minnesota Press.

Schumacher is also the author of the …

Travis Hoewischer is the guest. He is the author of the Two Dollar Radio Guide to Naming Your Baby, available now from Two Dollar Radio.

Hoewischer …

Darien Gee is the guest. She has two books out this year. The first is called Other Small Histories, a poetry collection available from Poetry …

Kasey Thornton is the guest. Her debut novel-in-stories, Lord the One You Love is Sick, is available now from Ig Publishing. It is the official November pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Thornton attended both the …

Andrew Weatherhead is the guest. His latest book, $50,000, is available from Publishing Genius.

Weatherhead is a writer and artist from Chicago, …

Sebastian Castillo is the guest. His new book, Not I, is available from Word West Press.

Castillo is the author of 49 Venezuelan Novels (Bottlecap Press). You can find his writing in Hobart, Peach Mag, X-R-A-Y, and …

Jared Yates Sexton is the guest. His new book, American Rule, is available from Dutton.

This is Jared's second time on the program. He first appeared …

Anne Helen Petersen is the guest. Her new book, Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation, is available from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. It is the official October pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

…

Laura Bogart is the guest. Her debut novel, Don't You Know I Love You, is available from Dzanc Books.

Bogart is also a non-fiction writer who focuses …

Dean Koontz is the guest. His new novel, Elsewhere, is available from Thomas & Mercer.

Koontz is the author of fourteen number one New York Times bestsellers, including One Door Away from Heaven, From the Corner of …

Lynn Steger Strong is the guest. Her new novel, Want, is available from Henry Holt.

Strong was born and raised in South Florida. Her first novel, Hold …

Steven Dunn is the guest. His latest novel, water & power, is available from Tarpaulin Sky.

Dunn's other novel, Potted Meat, is also available …

Amy Shearn is the guest. Her new novel, Unseen City, is available from Red Hen Press. It is the official September pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Shearn is the author of the novels The Mermaid of Brooklyn and …

Kathleen Rooney is the guest. Her new novel, Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, is available from Penguin Books.

This is her second time on the program. She first appeared in Episode 274 on May 4, 2014.

Rooney is a founding …

Matthew Salesses is the guest. His new novel, Disappear Doppelgänger Disappear, is available from Little A Publishing.

This is Matthew's second time on the program. He first appeared in Episode 145 on February 3, 2013.

…

David Goodwillie is the guest. His new novel, Kings County, is available from Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.

Goodwillie's other books include the novel American Subversive, a New York Times Notable Book of the …

Emerson Whitney is the guest. He is the author of a memoir called Heaven, available from McSweeney's.

Whitney is also the author of Ghost Box. He …

Nick Flynn is the guest. His new memoir, This is the Night Our House Will Catch Fire, is available now from W.W. Norton & Co. It is the official August pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Flynn is the author of …

Stephen Graham Jones is the guest. His latest novel, The Only Good Indians, is available from Gallery Books.

Jones is the author of twenty-five or so …

Mesha Maren is the guest. Her debut novel, Sugar Run, is available from Algonquin Books.

Maren's short stories and essays can be read in Tin House, The Oxford American, The Guardian, Crazyhorse, Triquarterly, The …

Sabrina Orah Mark is the guest. Her story collection, Wild Milk, is available from The Dorothy Project.

Sabrina grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She …

Hilary Leichter is the guest. Her debut novel, Temporary, is available from Coffee House Press.

Hilary teaches at Columbia University, where she …

Leigh Stein is the guest. Her new novel, Self Care, is available from Penguin.

This is Leigh's third time on the program. She first appeared in Episode 105, on September 16, 2012, and again in Episode 407, with Lux …

Raphael Bob-Waksberg is the guest. He is the creator of the animated television series BoJack Horseman and the author of a new story collection …

Maggie Downs is the guest. Her new memoir, Braver Than You Think: Around the World on the Trip of My (Mother's) Lifetime, is available from Counterpoint Press.

Downs is an award-winning writer based in Palm Springs, …

Jean Kyoung Frazier is the guest. Her new novel, Pizza Girl, is available from Doubleday. It is the official July pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book …

Nikki Dolson is the guest. Her new story collection, Love and Other Criminal Behavior, is available from Bronzeville Books.

Dolson is a writer …

Genevieve Hudson is the guest. Their new novel, Boys of Alabama, is available from Liveright Publishing.

This is their second time on the program. They first appeared in Episode 544 on September 26, 2018.

Hudson's other …

Wayne Koestenbaum is the guest. His new essay collection, Figure It Out, is available from Soft Skull Press.

Koestenbaum has published nineteen books, …

Joseph Di Prisco is the guest. His new novel, The Good Family Fitzgerald, is available from Rare Bird Books. It was the official May pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Di Prisco has published four other novels (…

Meredith Talusan is the guest. Her new memoir, Fairest, is available from Viking.

Talusan is an award-winning journalist and author. She has written features, essays, and opinion pieces for many publications, including …

Brian Allen Carr is the guest. His new novel, Opioid, Indiana, is available from Soho Press.

This is Carr's second time on the program. He first appeared in Episode 135 on December 30, 2012.

Carr is the author of Sip …

Natalie Diaz is the guest. Her new poetry collection, Postcolonial Love Poem, is available from Graywolf Press. It is the official June pick of The …

Brady Hammes is the guest. His debut novel, The Resolutions, is available from Ballantine Books.

Hammes lives in Los Angeles by way of Colorado and …

Spring Washam is the guest. She is the author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage, and Wisdom in Any Moment (Hay House).

Washam is a well-known meditation teacher based in California and Peru. She is considered …

Ashleigh Bryant Phillips is the guest. Her debut story collection, Sleepovers, is available from Hub City Press. It is the winner of the 2019 C. …

Roxane Gay is the guest. A contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, she is the author of several bestselling books, including Bad Feminist…

Susan Choi is the guest. Her novel, Trust Exercise, is available in trade paperback from Henry Holt. It is the winner of the 2019 National Book Award …

The podcast is dark this week, in light of the events of the past few days.

A few brief words on the current state of things, recorded in Los Angeles on June 2, 2020.

Back next week in some capacity.

Hang in there, …

Kristen Millares Young is the guest. Her debut novel, Subduction, is available from Red Hen Press.

Young is a prize-winning journalist and essayist whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Guardian and the New …

Chelsea Bieker is the guest. Her debut novel, Godshot, is available from Catapult Press.

Bieker's forthcoming story collection, Cowboys and Angels, is …

Chris Dennis is the guest. His new story collection, Here is What You Do, is available from Soho Press.

Dennis' work has appeared in The Paris Review, …

Mary South is the guest. Her debut story collection, You Will Never Be Forgotten, is available from FSG Originals.

South is a graduate of Northwestern …

Danielle Trussoni is the guest. Her new novel, The Ancestor, is available from William Morrow.

Trussoni is the New York Times, USA Today, and Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author of the supernatural thrillers …

Rowan Hisayo Buchanan is the guest. Her new novel, Starling Days, is available from The Overlook Press. It is the official April pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Buchanan is also the author of Harmless Like You, …

Kevin Bigley is the guest. His new novel, Comaville, is available from Clash Books.

Bigley is an actor/author. He can be seen on such television as Amazon’s Undone, USA’s Sirens, as well as heard on Netflix’s Bojack …

Juliana Delgado Lopera is the guest. Their new novel, Fiebre Tropical, is available from The Feminist Press. It was the official February pick of The …

Amanda Goldblatt is the guest. Her debut novel, Hard Mouth, is available from Counterpoint Press.

Goldblatt's work can lately be found at NOON, Fence, 

Megan Boyle is the guest. Her novel LIVEBLOG is available from Tyrant Books.

This is Megan's second time on the program. She first appeared in Episode 13 on October 30, 2011.

She is also the author of selected unpublished …

Crissy Van Meter is the guest. Her debut novel, Creatures, is available from Algonquin Books.

She teaches creative writing at The Writing Institute at …

Sarah Kendzior is the guest. Her new book, Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America, is available from Flatiron Books.

This is Sarah's second time on the podcast. She first appeared …

Jenn Shapland is the guest. Her debut, My Autobiography of Carson McCullers, is a genre-bending work of nonfiction. It is available from Tin House …

Deb Olin Unferth is the guest. Her new novel Barn 8 is now available from Graywolf Press. It is the official March pick of the TNB Book Club.

This is …

Monika Woods is the guest. She is a literary agent and founder of Triangle House Literary in New York.

Woods' clients have won the PEN Bingham Award, been listed for the National Book Award, The Kirkus Prize, The Edgar …

Sam Farahmand is the guest. His debut novel, Chimero, is available from dr.Doctor Press.

Farahmand is originally from Los Angeles. His writing has appeared in Electric Literature, Hobart, and PANK Magazine.

He lives in …

Erin Eileen Almond is the guest. Her debut novel, Witches' Dance, is available from Lanternfish Press.

Almond is a novelist, short story writer, essayist and reviewer. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, …

April Dávila is the guest. Her debut novel, 142 Ostriches, is available from Kensington Books.

Dávila received her undergraduate degree from Scripps …

Emily Nemens is the guest. Her debut novel, The Cactus League, is available from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

In 2018, Nemens became the seventh editor of The Paris Review, the nation’s preeminent literary quarterly. …

Megan Fernandes is the guest. Her new poetry collection, Good Boys, is available from Tin House Books. It was a finalist for the Kundiman Book Prize …

Garth Greenwell is the guest. His new book Cleanness is available from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

Greenwell is the author of What Belongs to You, which won the British Book Award for Debut of the Year, was longlisted …

Katharine Coldiron is the guest. Her debut novella, Ceremonials, is available from Kernpunkt Press.

Coldiron's work has appeared in Ms., the …

Nicolette Polek is the guest. Her new story collection, Imaginary Museums, is available from Soft Skull Press.

Polek is a writer from Cleveland, Ohio …

Amina Cain is the guest. Her new novel, Indelicacy, is available from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

This is Amina's second time on the program. She first appeared in Episode 390 on November 25, 2015.

She is also the …

Elaine Kahn is the guest. She is a writer and artist currently based in Los Angeles. Her new poetry collection, Romance or The End, is available from …

Matthew Zapruder is the guest. His latest poetry collection, Father's Day, is available from Copper Canyon Press.

This is his second time on the …

Amanda Yates Garcia is the guest. Her new memoir, Initiated: Memoir of a Witch, is available from Grand Central Publishing.

This is Amanda's second time on the podcast. She first appeared in Episode 444 on December 21, …

Steffie Nelson, Heather John Fogarty, and Sarah Tomlinson are the guests. All are contributors to a new essay anthology called Slouching Towards Los …

Milo Martin is the guest. He is the author of the poetry collections Poems for the Utopian Nihilist (Echo Park Press) and the forthcoming …

Mark Guerin is the guest. His debut novel, You Can See More From Up Here, is available from Golden Antelope Press. It is the official December pick …

Tim O'Brien is the guest. He is the author of The Things They Carried, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle …

Abigail Tarttelin is the guest. Her new novel, Dead Girls, is available from Rare Bird Books. It was the official November pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

This is Abigail's second time on the program. She first …

Fiona Alison Duncan is the guest. Her debut novel, Exquisite Mariposa, is available from Soft Skull Press.

Duncan is a Canadian-American artist, …

Leland Cheuk is the guest. His new novel, No Good Very Bad Asian, is available from C&R Press.

A MacDowell Colony and Hawthornden Castle Fellow, …

Adrienne Brodeur is the guest. Her memoir, Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me, is available from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. It was the official October pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Brodeur has spent the …

Mimi Lok is the guest. Her debut story collection, Last of Her Name, is available from Kaya Press.

Lok is the recipient of a Smithsonian Ingenuity …

Adam Mansbach is the guest. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Go the Fuck to Sleep, and has just published a new book called Fuck, Now There are Two of You.

Go the F*ck to Sleep has been translated …

Ashley Wurzbacher is the guest. A 5 Under 35 honoree, her debut story collection, Happy Like This, won the 2019 John Simmons Short Fiction Award. It …

Steph Cha is the guest. Her new novel, Your House Will Pay, is available from Ecco.

This is Steph's second time on the program. She first appeared in Episode 319 on October 8, 2014.

Cha is also the author of the Juniper …

Jarett Kobek is the guest. His new novel, Only Americans Burn in Hell, is available from We Heard You Like Books.

This is Kobek's third time on the …

Madeline Stevens is the guest. Her debut novel, Devotion, is available from Ecco.

Stevens is from Boring, Oregon and is currently based in Los …

Zulema Renee Summerfield is the guest. Her debut novel, Every Other Weekend, is available in trade paperback from Back Bay Books.

Summerfield holds an …

Elizabeth Cantwell is the guest. Her new poetry collection, All the Emergency-Type Structures, is available from Inlandia Institute.

Cantwell lives in …

Adam Popescu is the guest. His debut novel, Nima, is available from Unnamed Press.

Popescu is a writer and journalist whose work has appeared in The …

Robin Page is the guest. Her debut novel, Small Silent Things, is available from Harper Perennial.

Page was raised in Cincinnati and has degrees from UCLA and UC Irvine’s MFA program. She is married, has two daughters, …

Belén Fernández is the guest. Her new book, Exile: Rejecting America and Finding the World, is available from OR Books. It is the official September pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

After growing up in …

Sarah M. Broom is the guest. Her debut memoir, The Yellow House, is available now from Grove Press.

Broom began her writing career as a newspaper journalist working in Rhode Island, Dallas, New Orleans and Hong Kong (for

Dora Malech is the guest. Her most recent poetry collection, Stet, is available from Princeton University Press.

Malech's other collections include …

Kimberly King Parsons is the guest. Her debut story collection, Black Light, is available now from Vintage.

Born in Lubbock, Texas, Parsons earned a …

Josh Gondelman is the guest. His new book, Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results, is available from Harper Perennial (Sept. 17). 

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R.O. Kwon is the guest. Her bestselling debut novel, The Incendiaries, is available in trade paperback from Riverhead Books.

Named a best book of the year by over forty publications, The Incendiaries was a finalist for …

Chris L. Terryis the guest. His new novel, Black Card, is available from Catapult Press.

This is Terry's second time on the podcast. He first appeared …

Shane Jones is the guest. His latest novel, Vincent and Alice and Alice, is available from Tyrant Books. It is the official August pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

This is Shane's second time on the program. He …

Juliet Escoria is the guest. Her debut novel, Juliet the Maniac, is available from Melville House. It was the official May pick of The Nervous …

Sarah Rose Etter is the guest. Her debut novel, The Book of X, is available from Two Dollar Radio.

She is also the author of the chapbook Tongue Party…

J. Ryan Stradal is the guest. His new novel, The Lager Queen of Minnesota, is available from Viking / Pamela Dorman Books.

This is Stradal's second time on the podcast. He first appeared in Episode 376on August 19, 2015.

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Chip Cheek is the guest. His debut novel, Cape May, is available from Celadon Books.

Cheek's stories have appeared in The Southern Review, Harvard …

Steve Almondis the guest. His new book, William Stoner and the Battle for the Inner Life, is available from Ig Publishing.

This is Steve's fourth time on the program. He first appeared in Episode 9, on October 16, 2011, …

Erin Hosieris the guest. Her new memoir, Don't Let Me Down, is available from Atria Books.

Hosier is also the coauthor of Hit So Hard by Patty Schemel (Da Capo, 2017). She has been a literary agent since 2001 (currently …

Bret Easton Ellis is the guest. His new essay collection, White, is available from Knopf.

Ellis is the author of six novels, including Less Than Zero, …

Karen Stefano is the guest. Her new book, What a Body Remembers: A Memoir of Sexual Assault and Its Aftermath, is available from Rare Bird Books.

It …

Elvia Wilk is the guest. Her debut novel, Oval, is available from Soft Skull Press.

Wilk is a writer and editor living in New York and Berlin. She …

Kathryn Scanlan is the guest. Her new book, Aug 9 — Fog, is available from MCD Books.

Scanlan lives in Los Angeles. Her stories have appeared in NOON, Fence, American Short Fiction, Tin House, Caketrain, and The Iowa …

Jennifer Pastiloff is the guest. Her new book, On Being Human: A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, and Listening Hard, is available from Dutton.

Pastiloff travels the world with her unique workshop On Being Human, a …

Elisa Gabbert is the guest. Her new essay collection, The Word Pretty, is available from Black Ocean Press.

This is Elisa's second time on the …

Saskia Vogel is the guest. Her debut novel, Permission, is available from Coach House Books.

Vogel was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in its sister city, Berlin, where she works as a writer and …

Lydia Fitzpatrick is the guest. Her debut novel, Lights All Night Long, is available from Penguin Press.

Fitzpatrick’s work has appeared in the The O. Henry Prize Stories, The Best American Mystery Stories, One Story, …

Lilliam Rivera is the guest. Her new YA novel, Dealing in Dreams, is available from Simon & Schuster.

Rivera's previous novel, The Education of Margot Sanchez (February 2017) was nominated for a 2019 Rhode Island …

Balli Kaur Jaswal is the guest. Her new novel, The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters, is available from William Morrow. It is the official …

David Shields is the guest. His two most recent books are The Trouble with Men: Reflections on Sex, Love, Marriage, Porn, and Power (Mad Creek Books) and Nobody Hates Trump More than Trump: An Intervention (Thought …

T Kira Madden is the guest. Her new memoir, Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls, is available from Bloomsbury. It was the official March pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

T Kira Madden is a lesbian APIA …

Lori Gottlieb is the guest. Her new memoir, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed, is available from …

Richard Chiem is the guest. His new novel, King of Joy, is available from Soft Skull Press.

This is Richard's second time on the podcast. He first …

Chloe Aridjis is the guest. Her new novel, Sea Monsters, is available from Catapult Press.

Aridjis is a Mexican-American writer who was born in New …

Eva Hagberg Fisher is the guest. Her new book, How to Be Loved: A Memoir of Life-Saving Friendship, is available from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Eva's writing has appeared in the New York Times, Tin House, Wallpaper*, …

Roger McNamee is the guest. His new book Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe, is a New York Times bestseller, available from Penguin Press.

McNamee has been a Silicon Valley investor for 35 years. He co-founded …

Steve Anwyll is the guest. His debut novel, Welfare, is available from Tyrant Books.

Anwyll's work has appeared in Hobart and Tyrant Magazine, among …

Pam Houston is the guest. Her new essay collection, Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country, is available now from W.W. Norton & Co.

…

Sam Lipsyte is the guest. His new novel, Hark, is available now from Simon & Schuster.

This is Sam's second time on the podcast. He first appeared in Episode 154, on March 6, 2013.

Lipsyte is the author of the story …

Sarah McColl is the guest. Her debut memoir, Joy Enough, is available now from Liveright Publishing.

McColl's essays have appeared in Paris Review, …

Madhuri Vijay is the guest. Her debut novel, The Far Field, is available now from Grove Press.

A graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, Vijay was born in Bangalore. She is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize, and her …

Peter Stenson is the guest. His new novel Thirty Seven is available from Dzanc Books. It is the official February pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book …

Brad Phillips is the guest. His new story collection, Essays and Fictions, is available from Tyrant Books.

The late Anthony Bourdain calls it: …

Duke Haney is the guest. His new essay collection, Death Valley Superstars, is available now from Delancey Street Press.

Haney has spent most of his …

Ingrid Rojas Contreras is the guest. Her debut novel, FRUIT OF THE DRUNKEN TREE (Doubleday), is a national bestseller, an Indie Next selection, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and a New York …

Thomas Kohnstamm is the guest. His debut novel, Lake City, is available from Counterpoint Press. It is the official January pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club.

Kohnstamm is also the author of Do Travel Writers Go to …

Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore is the guest. Her new novel SKETCHTASY is available from Arsenal Pulp Press.

Described as "startlingly bold and …

Tommy Pico is the guest. A poet, performer, and screenwriter, he is the author of the poetry collections IRL (Birds, LLC), NATURE POEM, JUNK, and the …

Morris Collinsis the guest. He is the author of the debut novel Horse Latitudes (Dzanc Books). It was the official December 2018 pick of The Nervous …

Brittany Ackerman is the author of the debut memoir The Perpetual Motion Machine (Red Hen Press). Ackerman is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University's Master of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing. Since …

Katya Apekina is the guest. She is the author of the debut novel THE DEEPER THE WATER THE UGLIER THE FISH (Two Dollar Radio). Apekina's short stories …

Anita Felicelli is the author of the debut story collection LOVE SONGS FOR A LOST CONTINENT (Stillhouse Press), winner of the 2016 Mary Roberts …

John Wray is the guest. He is the author of the novel GODSEND (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux). His other novels include The Lost Time Accidents, Lowboy, Canaan's Tongue, and The Right Hand of Sleep. The recipient of a …

Christopher Zeischegg is the author of the memoir BODY TO JOB (Rare Bird Books). A writer, musician, and filmmaker, he spent eight years working in …

Daniel Gumbiner is the author of the debut novel THE BOATBUILDER, available from McSweeney's. It was nominated for the National Book Award. Gumbiner is the managing editor of THE BELIEVER magazine. He was born and …

Lydia Kiesling is the author of the debut novel THE GOLDEN STATE, available from MCD Books. Kiesling is a 2018 National Book Foundation “5 under 35” honoree, and her writing has appeared at outlets including The New …

Brad Listi talks with Leah Dieterich, author of the debut memoir VANISHING TWINS: A MARRIAGE (Soft Skull Press). Dietrich's essays and short fiction …

Andre Dubus III is the bestselling author of the novel GONE SO LONG (W.W. Norton). His other book include "House of Sand and Fog," "The Garden of Last Days," and a memoir called "Townie." A recipient of a Guggenheim …

Meghan O'Gieblyn is the author of the essay collection INTERIOR STATES (Anchor Books). It is the official October pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book …

Kristi Coulter is the author of the essay collection NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM THIS (MCD/FSG Originals). Coulter holds an MFA in creative writing …

Laura van den Berg is the author of the novel THE THIRD HOTEL (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux). Her other books include two collections of stories, The …

Mark Leidner is the author of the story collection UNDER THE SEA (Tyrant Books). Leidner's other books include Beauty Was the Case They Gave Me, …

Genevieve Hudson is the author of A LITTLE IN LOVE WITH EVERYONE (Fiction Advocate), a work of queer commentary, and a story collection called …

Lisa Locascio is the author of the debut novel OPEN ME (Grove Atlantic). Her work has appeared in The Believer, Tin House, n+1, Bookforum, and many …

Joseph Grantham is a poet and the author of the debut collection TOM SAWYER, available now from Civil Coping Mechanisms. Grantham was born in Kansas …

T. Greenwood is the author of the novel RUST & STARDUST (St. Martin's Press). Greenwood has published twelve novels and has received grants from the Sherwood Anderson Foundation, the Christopher Isherwood …

Brad Listi talks with Maggie Nelson, author of the poetry collection SOMETHING BRIGHT, THEN HOLES (Soft Skull Press). Nelson is the author of nine …

Victoria Patterson is the author of the story collection THE SECRET HABIT OF SORROW (Counterpoint Press). Patterson is the author of the novels THE …

Amber Tamblyn is the author of the novel ANY MAN (Harper Perennial) and three books of poetry, including the critically acclaimed best seller, "Dark Sparkler." A book of essays is forthcoming from Crown in 2019. Most …

Adam Greenfield is the author of the debut novel CIRCA (Pelekinesis Press), the official August pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club. Greenfield's short fiction has appeared in many literary magazines, including …

Amanda Stern is the author of the memoir LITTLE PANIC: DISPATCHES FROM AN ANXIOUS LIFE (Grand Central Publishing). Stern's first novel "The Long …

Allie Rowbottom is the author of JELL-O GIRLS: A FAMILY HISTORY (Little, Brown). Her essays can be found in Vanity Fair, Salon, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. She has taught fiction and non-fiction at the University of …

Robert Goolrick is the author of the novel THE DYING OF THE LIGHT (Harper). It is the official July pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club. Goolrick …

Adrienne Celt is the author of the novel INVITATION TO A BONFIRE (Bloomsbury). Celt's debut novel "The Daughters"(Norton/Liveright) won the 2015 PEN Southwest Book Award for Fiction and was named a Best Book of the Year …

Ottessa Moshfegh is the author of the novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation (Penguin Press). Moshfegh's first book, McGlue, a novella, won the Fence Modern Prize in Prose and the Believer Book Award. She is also the …

Bethany C. Morrow is the author of the debut novel MEM (Unnamed Press). A California native, Morrow graduated from the University of California, …

Ruth Ozeki is the author of the novel, A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING (2013), won the LA Times Book Prize and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her other novels include "My …

Poe Ballantine is the author of the novel WHIRLAWAY (Hawthorne Books). He currently lives in Chadron, Nebraska. His work has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The Sun, Kenyon Review, and The Coal City Review. In …

Jamel Brinkley is the author of the story collection A LUCKY MAN (Graywolf Press). Brinkley's fiction has appeared, or is forthcoming, in The Best …

Chelsea Hodson is the author of the essay collection TONIGHT I'M SOMEONE ELSE (Henry Holt) and a chapbook called "Pity the Animal." She is a graduate …

A re-posting of this December 29, 2013 conversation between Brad Listi and Jennifer Michael Hecht, author STAY: A HISTORY OF SUICIDE AND THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST IT. Hecht is a poet, historian, and commentator. Her other …

Aja Gabel is the author of the debut novel THE ENSEMBLE (Riverhead Books). Gabel's short fiction can be found in New England Review, New Ohio Review, Glimmer Train, BOMB, and elsewhere. She has taught fiction, …

Jonathan Evison is the bestselling author of the novel LAWN BOY (Algonquin Books). Evison is the author of four previous novels, including All About …

Michelle Dean is the author of SHARP: THE WOMEN WHO MADE AN ART OF HAVING AN OPINION (Grove Press). Dean is a journalist, critic, and the recipient of the National Book Critics Circle’s 2016 Nona Balakian Citation for …

Adrian Todd Zuniga is the author of the debut novel COLLISION THEORY (Rare Bird Books). Zuniga the host/creator/CCO of Literary Death Match (now featured in over 60 cities worldwide) and host of LDM Book Report on …

Sloane Crosley is the author of the essay collection LOOK ALIVE OUT THERE (MCD Books). Crosley's other books include the bestselling essay …

Brad Listi talks with Tao Lin, author of TRIP: PSYCHEDELICS, ALIENATION, AND CHANGE (Vintage). Lin's other books include Taipei (2013), Richard Yates (2010), Shoplifting from American Apparel (2009), …

Jonathan Ames is the author of the novel YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (Pushkin Press), now a major motion picture starring Joaquin Phoenix. Ames' other books include the novels I Pass Like Night, The Extra Man, Wake Up, …

Melissa Broder is the author of the debut novel THE PISCES, available now from Hogarth Press. Broder is the author of four poetry collections, …

Susan Henderson is the author of the novel THE FLICKER OF OLD DREAMS (Harper Perennial). Henderson is a five-time Pushcart Prize nominee and the recipient of an Academy of American Poets award. Her debut novel, UP FROM …

Lauren Grodstein is the author of the novel OUR SHORT HISTORY, available from Algonquin Books. Grodstein is the author of four other novels, including the New York Times bestseller "A Friend of the Family" and the …

Sarah Kendzior is the author of the essay collection THE VIEW FROM FLYOVER COUNTRY: DISPATCHES FROM THE FORGOTTEN AMERICA (Flatiron Books). A …

Natalia Sylvester is the author of the novel EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME (Little A Books). Sylvester was born in Lima, Peru and came to the U.S. at age four. She was raised in Florida and Texas. Her debut novel CHASING …

Elle Nash is the author of the novel ANIMALS EAT EACH OTHER (Dzanc Books). It is the official April pick of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club. Nash's other works include the chapbooks AVOKA (Ghost City Press, 2017) and i …

Brad Listi talks with Steve Almond, author of BAD STORIES: WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED TO OUR COUNTRY? (Red Hen Press). Almond is the author of nine books of fiction and nonfiction, including the New York Times …

Shauna Barbosa is the author of the poetry collection CAPE VERDEAN BLUES (University of Pittsburgh Press). Barbosa's poems have appeared or are …

Jami Attenberg is the bestselling author of the novel ALL GROWN UP, available in trade paperback from Mariner Books. Attenberg has written about sex, …

Will Mackin is the author of the story collection BRING OUT THE DOG, available from Random House. Mackin is a veteran of the U.S. Navy His work has …

Brad Listi talks with Lynne Tillman, author of the novel MEN AND APPARITIONS, available from Soft Skull Press. Her novels include Haunted Houses; …

Troy James Weaver is the author of the novel TEMPORAL, available from Disorder Press. Weaver is the author of three other books—WITCHITA STORIES, MARIGOLD, and VISIONS. He lives in Kansas, where he works as a florist. 

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Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi is the author of the novel CALL ME ZEBRA (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Oloomi is the winner of a 2015 Whiting Writers' Award, a National Book Foundation "5 Under 35" honoree, the recipient of …