fiction/non/fiction

Latest Episodes:

S3 Ep. 6: The Language of Abuse: Rene Denfeld and Megan Phelps-Roper on Private and Public Violence in the Trump Era Dec 12, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, writers Rene Denfeld and Megan Phelps-Roper talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about how the private language of abuse has infected the political rhetoric of the Trump era. Denfeld discusses her work as a licensed investigator and talks about writing about verbal abuse, as well as the difference between investing in mass incarceration and investing in justice; Phelps-Roper recounts how she thought about language and audience as a member of the Westboro Baptist Church, and how she considers the same thing now that she has left it.

To hear the full episode, subscribe to the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast 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.

Guests:

Rene Denfeld
Megan Phelps-Roper

Readings for the Episode:

Rene Denfeld

Megan Phelps-Roper

Unfollow
I grew up in the Westboro Baptist Church. Here's why I left, TEDNYC Talk, February 2017

Others

Sonia Sotomayor Raises the Alarm Over Border Patrol’s Lawless Brutality: The Supreme Court is poised to remove all constitutional limits on border agents’ ability to kill. by Mark Joseph Stern, Slate.com, Nov. 13, 2019
Rape is rampant at this women’s prison. Anyone who complains is punished, lawsuit says. by Romy Ellenbogen, The Miami Herald, Dec. 4, 2019
The 25 women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct, by Eliza Reiman, Business Insider, Oct. 9, 2019
The Language of the Trump Administration Is the Language of Domestic Violence, by Jessica Winter, NewYorker.com, June 11, 2018
Men in Power and the Lies They Tell: On Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump, and the Malleability of Truth, by Lacy Johnson, LitHub, Oct. 2, 2019
Topeka Church Protests at Bethesda's Walt Whitman School Over Poet's Sexuality, by Daniel de Vise, The Washington Post, April 25, 2009
"A Humanist View," by Toni Morrison, speech given at Portland State University, May 30, 1975. Transcribed by Keisha E. McKenzie.

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S3 Ep. 5: Live at the Miami Book Fair: Ann and Jeff VanderMeer on Classic Fantasy, Fearsome Ducks, and Dead Astronauts Dec 05, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, taped live at the Miami Book Fair, writer Jeff VanderMeer and editor Ann VanderMeer talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about editing The Big Book of Classic Fantasy anthology, historical understandings of fantasy, editing beyond Anglocentrism, and the significance of animals in fantasy compared to literary fiction. Jeff VanderMeer also talks about his newly launched novel Dead Astronauts, the future of genetic editing, and how to write about animals.

Guests:

Ann VanderMeer
Jeff VanderMeer

Readings for the Episode:

Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, eds.

Jeff VanderMeer

Ann VanderMeer, editor

Others

Jeff VanderMeer's Borne and Dead Astronauts Are Heading to TV, Tor.com, Dec. 3, 2019
Hans-my-Hedgehog: A Tale from the Brothers, Brothers Grimm
Bend Sinister by Vladimir Nabokov

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Where's my new Fiction/Non/Fiction episode? Nov 28, 2019

Show notes

The Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast is taking a break for Thanksgiving. But we'll be back this coming Thursday with a episode featuring Jeff and Ann VanderMeer, recorded live at the Miami Book Fair.

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S3 Ep. 4: Wild Life: Tucker Malarkey, Will Bardenwerper, and Stan Brewer on Hope and Conservation Nov 14, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, writers Tucker Malarkey and Will Bardenwerper, as well as rancher, rider, and member of the Oglala Sioux tribe Stan Brewer talk about their connections to the natural world. Malarkey talks about efforts to save wild salmon, their vital role in the ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest, and how relations between the U.S. and Russia on this issue might provide insight on global climate change cooperation. Bardenwerper and Brewer, the first writer-source duo to appear on the show together, discuss Indian relay horse racing, and horses’ importance to the Lakota community.

Guests:

Tucker Malarkey
Will Bardenwerper
Stan Brewer

Readings for the Episode:

Tucker Malarkey
Stronghold: One Man's Quest to Save the World's Wild Salmon
Will Bardenwerper
“Steal the Thunder,” Outside Magazine, March 14, 2019
The Prisoner in His Palace: Saddam Hussein, His American Guards, and What History Leaves Unsaid
Stan Brewer
Sage to Saddle
Others
Wild Salmon Center (CEO and President Guido Rahr)
Though Labeled ‘Wild,’ That Serving of Salmon May Be Farmed or ‘Faux,’ New York Times, Nicholas St. Fleur, Oct. 28, 2015
How to Tell if Your Salmon Is Truly Wild: Make sure you're getting the real deal, Epicurious, Sheela Prakash, Nov. 3, 2015
‘A State of Emergency’: Native Americans Stranded for Days by Flooding, New York Times, Mitch Smith, March 24, 2019

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S3 Ep. 3. Horror in the Headlines: Victor LaValle and Benjamin Percy on Scary Stories Oct 31, 2019

Show notes

In this special Halloween episode, writers Victor LaValle and Benjamin Percy tell creepy stories, and talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about how writing about politics relates to horror. LaValle explains how devices like monsters make it possible to write about how something feels, rather than merely what happened; Percy discusses doppelgängers, and asks whether politically, the call is coming from inside the house.

To hear the full episode, subscribe to the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (make sure to include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below.

Guests:

Victor LaValle
Benjamin Percy

Readings for the Episode:

Victor LaValle

Benjamin Percy

Earlier F/n/F: Against Genre Snobbery, with Marlon James and Daniel Jose Older

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S3 Ep. 2. The Connie Brothers Era: 45 Years at the Iowa Writers' Workshop Oct 17, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, alumni and staff from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop join Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to honor the retirement of the unmatched Connie Brothers, the Workshop’s administrator for 45 years. Our guests recall their days as students, and the many times Connie provided guidance, encouragement, and compassion to emerging and established writers.

Guests:

● Chris Adrian

● Josh Barkan

● Marcus Burke

● Lan Samantha Chang

● Tameka Cage Conley

● Danielle Evans

● Tom Grimes

● Diane Louie

● Deb West

● Antoine Wilson

● many more

Readings for the Episode:

● Tom Grimes

○ Mentor: A Memoir

○ The Workshop: Seven Decades of the Iowa Writers Workshop

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S3 Ep. 1: The Secret Lives of Editors: Rakesh Satyal, Brian Birnbaum, & M.K. Rainey on the World of Editing Oct 03, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, novelist and editor Rakesh Satyal and Dead Rabbits Books founders Brian Birnbaum and M.K. Rainey talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about editing and being edited. Satyal discusses the ins and outs of big publishing houses, how he revises, and the simple but revealing question he heard another editor ask an author. Birnbaum and Rainey share what it took for them to start Dead Rabbits Books, how they give each other feedback, and why they appreciate fresh eyes on their work.

Guests:Rakesh SatyalBrian BirnbaumM.K. (Katie) Rainey

Readings for the Episode:Rakesh SatyalNo One Can Pronounce My Name by Rakesh Satyal Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal Rakesh Satyal on the pick up line that changed his life LitHub, Nov. 7, 2018No One Can Pronounce My Name' Is A Charming Take On Loneliness And Connection by Maureen Corrigan, NPR, May 10, 2017 Brian BirnbaumEmerald City by Brian Birnbaum Dead Rabbits Podcast Dead Rabbits Episode 33: Vulnerable Discovering an iconic literary character was based on your grandfather LitHub, May 16, 2019M.K. (Katie) RaineyReading Your Work in Public: 12 Tips from Dead Rabbits Reading Series Founder by M.K. Rainey, Writer’s Digest, July 15, 2019Citizen Uncensored: The Power of Student Centered Learning by M.K. Rainey, Writer’s Chronicle, July 2019

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26: In Hong Kong, A Movement Grows: Javier C. Hernández and Xu Xi on the City's Battle With Beijing Sep 19, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, New York Times reporter Javier C. Hernández and fiction writer and essayist Xu Xi talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about Hong Kong, current and past protests, and the powers that have sought to gain control of the city. Hernández talks about the practical realities of covering potentially violent situations and the unique collectivism of current activism. Xu Xi discusses the challenges the movement faces as well as the historical dissonance that makes finding progress difficult.

Guests:Javier C. HernándezXu Xi

Readings for the Episode:Javier C. Hernández The Peacemaker at the Centre of Hong Kong's Turbulent Protests, July 4, 2019When Trump Tweets, the Editor of, "China's Fox News," Hits Back, July 31, 2019 China Calls Hong Kong Protestors who Stormed Legislature ‘Extreme Radicals’, July 2, 2019, with Alexandra Stevenson Protests Put Hong Kong on Collision Course With China’s Communist Party, August 12, 2019, with Amy QinWith Hymns and Prayers, Christians Help Drive Hong Kong’s Protests, June 19, 2019Xu Xi This Fish is Fowl: Essays of Being The Unwalled City Insignificance: Hong Kong Stories Dear Hong Kong: An Elegy for a City Founder of CityU creative writing programme questions decision to cancel it, South China Morning Post, May 4, 2015

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25: An American Abroad: Deborah Landau and Mathangi Subramanian on Expat Writing Sep 05, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, poet Deborah Landau and novelist Mathangi Subramanian talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about their writing lives as Americans abroad. From exploring Paris's rich expat literary history to witnessing the diversity of slums in India, Landau and Subramanian discuss what they found when they began writing in unfamiliar places.

Guests:Deborah LandauMathangi Subramanian

Readings for the Episode:Deborah Landau Orchidelirium The Last Usable Hour The Uses of the Body Soft Targets

Mathangi Subramanian A People’s History of Heaven The Day My Outrage Went Viral, Zora Magazine, Aug. 2Picturing Change photography project (Greeshma Patel)

Others:A Moveable Feast by Ernest HemingwayBehind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine BooHow To Write About Africa by Binyavanga Wainaina, Granta

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24. On Whiteness Part 2: Jess Row and Timothy Yu Talk Writing About Race Aug 29, 2019

Show notes

In the second half of a special two-part episode, novelist and critic Jess Row and poet and critic Tim Yu talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about writing about whiteness in America. Who gets to participate in cultural criticism, and why? Who gets reviewed by and compared to whom, and why? How can white writers render and challenge their communities’ part in the country’s history of racism? Row and Yu also share their responses to Bob Hicok’s recent essay about diversity in poetry. (Find Part I here.)

Guests:Jess RowTim YuReadings for the Episode:Jess Row White Flights Your Face in Mine“What Are White Writers For?” in The New Republic, Sept. 30, 2016“Native Sons: A straight white American man on loving James Baldwin and learning to write about race” in Guernica, Aug. 13, 2013“A Safe Space for Racism,” in The New Republic, Nov. 23, 2016

Tim Yu "The Case of the 'Disappearing' Poet: Why did a white poet see the success of writers of color as a signal of his own demise?" The New Republic, August 7, 2019White Poets Want Chinese Culture Without Chinese People Calvin Trillin's "Have They Run Out of Provinces Yet?" is the latest in a long artistic tradition. The New Republic, April 8, 2016, 100 Chinese Silences

Whitney Terrell The King of Kings County

Others:White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo (book)"The Authentic Outsider: Bill Cheng, Anthony Marra, and the freedom to write what you don’t know," by V.V. Ganeshananthan“The Dominance of the White Male Critic,” by Elizabeth Méndez Berry and Chi-hui Yang, The New York Times, July 5, 2019"The Promise of American Poetry," by Bob Hicok, Utne Reader, Summer 2019 (originally appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Winter 2018)Race, Real Estate, and Uneven Development: The Kansas City Experience, 1900-2010 by Kevin Fox Gotham Playing in the Dark: Whiteness in the literary imagination by Toni Morrison White People by Allan GurganusLiterary Color Lines: On Inclusion in Publishing Fiction/Non/Fiction #8: Dhonielle Clayton and Ayesha Pande Talk Sensitivity Reading January 11, 2018

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