fiction/non/fiction

Latest Episodes:

S9 Ep. 30 Rebecca Lehmann on Anne Boleyn, Trump, and Treason May 14, 2026

Show notes

Writer Rebecca Lehmann joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss her debut novel, The Beheading Game, a work of speculative historical fiction in which King Henry VIII’s second wife, the beheaded Queen of England Anne Boleyn, comes back to life after her wrongful execution, sews her head back on, and seeks revenge. Lehmann considers the contested history of Anne Boleyn, the outlandish accusations against her, and the ways in which her image has been erased and changed over time. She outlines the reasoning behind her portrayal of Anne, explaining how it was born out of a mix of historical fact and modern perspectives. Lehmann discusses Anne’s often forgotten role as mother to Queen Elizabeth I and how that may have shaped her motives as a queen and a politician. Lehmann also talks about similarities between the chaotic courts and allegedly treasonous advisors of Henry VIII and President Trump and the importance of scapegoats in consolidating political power. She reads from The Beheading Game.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Jennifer Maritza McCauley, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.

Rebecca Lehmann

Others

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

S9 Ep. 29 Scott Anderson on the Iranian Revolution May 07, 2026

Show notes

Veteran war correspondent and Kirkus Prize winner Scott Anderson joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and Jennifer Maritza McCauley to discuss his new nonfiction book King of Kings, a history of the Iranian Revolution. Anderson examines how rapid modernization, inequality, and U.S. influence destabilized Iran, and traces the rise of Ruhollah Khomeini from exiled cleric to revolutionary leader. The conversation explores key mistakes by the Shah, the failures of U.S. intelligence, and how the revolution unfolded in unpredictable ways. Anderson also connects this history to present-day tensions, discussing Iran’s current power structure under Ali Khamenei and the global rise of religious nationalism. Finally, the hosts consider parallels between the Shah’s rule and contemporary political leadership, as well as the limits of American military strategy in the region. Anderson reads from King of Kings.

This podcast is produced by Jennifer Maritza McCauley, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.

Scott Anderson

Others

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

S9 Ep. 28: Liam Callanan on Trump Vs. the Pope Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

Acclaimed novelist Liam Callanan joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss American-born Pope Leo XIV’s recent conflicts with the Trump administration. Callanan, who is Catholic, contextualizes the pope’s critiques of the Iran war and other political comments within the long history of the Vatican’s outspokenness against social injustices. Callanan also talks about the heroine of his most recent novel, When in Rome, a realtor named Claire who finds herself torn between returning to an old flame and taking the veil. He explains Catholicism’s connections to writing and tells the story of his own surreal encounter with the magnetic Pope Francis, who passed away last year. Callanan previews the role faith plays in his upcoming nonfiction debut, Stone Age Astronaut, the biography of a record-setting aviator who becomes a priest. He reads from When in Rome.

This podcast is produced by Jennifer Maritza McCauley, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.

Liam Callanan

Others

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

S9 Ep. 27: Caroline Bicks on Stephen King’s Archives of Horror Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

Writer and scholar Caroline Bicks, the Stephen E. King Chair in Literature at the University of Maine, joins co-hosts Jennifer Maritza McCauley and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss her time in King’s archives, an experience which resulted in her new book Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King. Bicks talks about meeting King and exploring his early drafts, dramatic revisions, exchanges with readers and editors, and undergraduate columns. She situates five of King’s earliest novels in the context of his personal experiences and deepest fears and also considers how she understood the books as a younger reader, as well as what it was like to revisit them. She reflects on King’s writing process and his unique use of language, showcasing how King is not just the king of horror but also a master of craft. Bicks, McCauley, and Ganeshananthan discuss their experiences with King’s novels and the intimate and personal nature of horror writing. Bicks reads from Monsters in the Archives.

This podcast is produced by Jennifer Maritza McCauley, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.

Caroline Bicks

Other texts by Stephen King & screen adaptations based on his work

Others

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

S9 Ep. 26 Chris Hadfield on Final Orbit, Artemis II, and the Future of Space Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

Retired astronaut and novelist Chris Hadfield joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss space exploration, geopolitics, and his new book, Final Orbit.Hadfield recalls watching the Apollo 11 Moon Landing as a child and considers how these historic missions capture public imagination. He explains the risks of reentry and splashdown for Artemis II as well as the scientific promise and political stakes of returning to the Moon in the future. Hadfield also reflects on the ethics of public versus private models of space travel and the possibility of future lunar settlement. Pivoting to fiction, he talks about using the real history of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, Cold War tensions, and China’s early space ambitions to build the alternative-history world of Final Orbit. He describes his research process and how he tackles plot, reveals whether the Apollo Murders series will have another installment, and reads from Final Orbit.

This podcast is produced by Jennifer Maritza McCauley, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.

Chris Hadfield

Others

Artemis II
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
Star Trek
Project Hail Mary
Astra Carta | Sustainable Markets Initiative
"Coming Home May Be the Most Dangerous Part of Artemis II" | The New York Times, April 11

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

S9 Ep. 25 Kathryn Paige Harden on Behavior, Genetics, and Blame Apr 09, 2026

Show notes

Psychologist, behavioral geneticist and writer Kathryn Paige Harden joins co-hosts Jennifer Maritza McCauley and Whitney Terrell to discuss her new book, Original Sin: On the Genetics of Vice, the Problem of Blame, and the Future of Forgiveness. Harden talks about the chemistry of human behavior, how society has shaped its views of different communities, the relationship between hereditability and perceived responsibility, and how those opinions shift as science unlocks more mysteries of the human genome. She also reflects on how her Christian upbringing has influenced her thinking and considers what influence new genetic information might have on our legal system. Harden reads from Original Sin.

This podcast is produced by Jennifer Maritza McCauley, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.

Kathryn Paige Harden

Others

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

S9 Ep. 24 Ana Gavrilovska on Pynchon’s Prescient Technofascism Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

Writer Ana Gavrilovska joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about her recent article for Current Affairs, "Thomas Pynchon Saw American Fascism Coming." Gavrilovska reflects on Pynchon’s long career and his interest in writing about systems, how his time as a technical writer at Boeing informs his work, his classic novels Gravity’s Rainbow and The Crying of Lot 49, and his new novel, Shadow Ticket. She explains why Shadow Ticket’s fictional Airmont family seems like stand-ins for the Trumps and considers the significance of a food-stuffed film that cheese mogul Bruno Airmont watches with his daughter Daphne as many ordinary people go hungry. The three also discuss Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oscar-winning movie One Battle After Another, which takes inspiration from Pynchon’s novel Vineland. Gavrilovska reads from Shadow Ticket.

This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.

Ana Gavrilovska

"Thomas Pynchon Saw American Fascism Coming" | Current Affairs

Thomas Pynchon

Others

One Battle After Another (2025)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

S9 Ep. 23 Ellie Roscher on Fair Game and the Future for Trans Athletes Mar 26, 2026

Show notes

Author Ellie Roscher joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Jennifer Maritza McCauley to talk about her recent book, Fair Game: Trans Athletes and the Future of Sports, which explores the roadblocks transgender athletes face and the triumphs they achieve despite these challenges. Roscher discusses the harmful myths surrounding trans athletes and describes the current bans against their participation as a “solution in search of a problem.” Roscher, who interviewed 20 trans athletes for the book along with her co-author, Dr. Allie Baeth, interrogates the sex-segregation of the sports world and outlines how restrictions put in place to police the participation of trans athletes are rooted in patriarchy and tend to hurt cisgender participants as well. They consider trans athletes competing at the youth level and the negative impacts trans bans have on children who are searching for play and community. She also explains the importance of advocacy and how everyone wins when everyone is allowed to play. Roscher reads from Fair Game.

This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.

Ellie Roscher

Others

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

S9 Ep. 22 Jeff Boyd on Cops, Teachers, and Chicago Mar 19, 2026

Show notes

Novelist Jeff Boyd joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about his new work of literary crime fiction, Hard Times, which is set in Chicago, where he lived previously. The hosts ask about the influence of police procedurals on the portrayal of the novel’s main character, a mixed-race cop named Curtis, and Boyd considers whether there is a gray area between “good cops” and “bad cops.” He also discusses the character of Curtis’s brother-in-law, a high school teacher named Buddy Mack, and reflects on how his own experience as a teacher informed his writing of Buddy as well as the portrayal of students. He explains how his own childhood as the son of a police officer gives him insight into that profession, and shares his experience of hearing feedback from his father. Boyd reads from Hard Times.

This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.

Jeff Boyd

Others

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

S9 Ep. 21 Daisy Hernandez on the Myth of Citizenship Mar 12, 2026

Show notes

Award-winning author Daisy Hernández joins co-hosts Jennifer Maritza McCauley and Whitney Terrell to talk about her new book, Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth. Hernández explains the history of the term “citizenship” and the damaging power it holds over a wide range of marginalized identities. She reflects on how educators can galvanize change around these issues in the classroom, as well as her own family’s relationship with immigration. Hernández reads from Citizenship.

This podcast is produced by Jennifer Maritza McCauley and Whitney Terrell.

Daisy Hernandez

Others

Borderlands/La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldúa
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
James Baldwin Essays
The Walls Have Eyes: Surviving Migration in the Age of AI by Petra Molnar, foreword by E. Tendayi Achiume
Americans in Waiting by Hiroshi Motomura
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected