fiction/non/fiction

Latest Episodes:

24. On Whiteness Part I: Jess Row and Timothy Yu Talk Writing About Race Aug 22, 2019

Show notes

In the first half of a special two-part episode, novelist and critic Jess Row and poet and critic Tim Yu talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about writing about whiteness in America. How can white writers render their communities’ part in the country’s history of racism, and also challenge them? Row and Yu also share their responses to Bob Hicok’s recent Utne Reader essay about diversity in poetry.

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: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

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 The Huntsman

Others:White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo (book)"White Fragility," by Robin DiAngelo (article)"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: Conversations about our monuments, museums, screens and stages have the same blind spots as our political discourse,” 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)"Have They Run Out of Provinces Yet?" by Calvin Trillin, The New Yorker, March 28, 2016Orientalism by Edward SaidMapping Prejudice

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23: The Iranian Revolution at 40: Jasmin Darznik and Dina Nayeri On the Anniversary of the Republic Aug 08, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, Iranian-American novelists and memoirists Jasmin Darznik and Dina Nayeri talk to hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. How has the country changed in four decades, and what is it like to write about the preceding and subsequent history?

Guests:Jasmin DarznikDina Nayeri

Readings for the Episode:Jasmin Darznik The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life Song of a Captive Bird***Dina Nayeri A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea Refuge The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You The ungrateful refugee: ‘We have no debt to repay’, April 4, 2017, The Guardian

Others: Forugh Forrokhzad

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22: Space is the Place: Jonathan Fetter-Vorm and Mary Anne Mohanraj on the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11's Moon Landing Jul 25, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, author and illustrator Jonathan Fetter-Vorm and science fiction writer Mary Anne Mohanraj talk to hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and how space exploration has been rendered in images, nonfiction, and fiction. What has been erased from the history of space exploration, and what might the future hold?

Guests:Jonathan Fetter-VormMary Anne Mohanraj

Readings for the Episode:

By Jonathan Fetter-VormMoonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight

Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb

Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War “To the Moon, but Not Back: You might be surprised what humans left behind on the lunar surface,” The New York Times, July 19, 2019By Mary Anne MohanrajLinks to Mary Anne Mohanraj’s Jump Space stories, minus The Stars Change:The Stars ChangeOthers:Carrying the Fire by Michael CollinsHidden Figures by Margot ShetterlyThe Right Stuffby Tom WolfeApollo 13 (film)Apollo 13 by James Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger“To Make It to the Moon, Women Have to Escape Earth’s Gender Bias,” by Mary Robinette KowalMary Robinette Kowal on Twitter about peeing in space“Captain Marvel,” (film)“Star Wars (A New Hope)” (film)

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21: The Military in a Time of Trump: Elliot Ackerman and Anuradha Bhagwati on the Armed Services Past and Future Jul 11, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, novelist Elliot Ackerman and memoirist Anuradha Bhagwati talk about how the military has—and hasn’t—changed during Donald Trump’s time as Commander in Chief. They also discuss their own experiences as Marines, the history of the American military, and how its future may affect the country and the world.

Guests:Elliot AckermanAnuradha Bhagwati

Readings for the Episode:Waiting for Eden: a novel, by Elliot Ackerman Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning, by Elliot Ackerman Dark at the Crossing: A Novel, by Elliot Ackerman Green on Blue: A Novel, by Elliot Ackerman Unbecoming: A Memoir of Disobedience, by Anuradha Bhagwati “What to Make of Military Endorsements,” by Elliot Ackerman, The New Yorker, Sept. 8, 2016 “A Former Marine Looks Back on Her Life in a Male-Dominated Military,” by V. V. Ganeshananthan, The New York Times, April 21, 2019 The Good Lieutenant, by Whitney Terrell“Donald Trump’s ‘Salute to America’ Was Not a Complete Authoritarian Nightmare,” by Joshua Keating, July 4, 2019, Slate.comFields of Fire by Jim WebbThe Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

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20: A Court Supreme: Irin Carmon and Jay Wexler on Writing About SCOTUS and Justice in Fiction and Nonfiction Jun 27, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, New York Magazine senior correspondent Irin Carmon (co-author of Notorious RBG) and novelist and Boston University law professor Jay Wexler (author of Tuttle in the Balance) talk about news coverage and fictional depictions of the Supreme Court. How partisan is the Court becoming? Why use humor to write fiction about the nine Justices? Ruth Bader Ginsburg was Vladimir Nabokov’s student—what effect has this had on her writing, and how are she and other liberal justices contending with their Trump-appointed colleagues?

Guests:

● Irin Carmon

● Jay Wexler

Readings for the Episode:

● Irin Carmon’s archive at New York Magazine

● “Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Clarence Thomas Are Officially at War Over Abortion,” The Cut, May 28, 2019, by Irin Carmon

● “The big cases: Here are the U.S. Supreme Court’s most consequential cases in its current term, which runs from Oct. 2018 to June 2019.” By Han Huang, Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung, Reuters Graphics

● Tuttle in the Balance, by Jay Wexler

● The Adventures of Ed Tuttle, Associate Justice, and Other Stories, by Jay Wexler

● Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburgby Irin Carmon, Shana Knizhnik

● Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley

● Our Non-Christian Nation: How Atheists, Satanists, Pagans, and Others Are Demanding Their Rightful Place in Public Lifeby Jay Wexler

● Ari Richter, artist

● “The Census Case Is Shaping Up to Be the Biggest Travesty Since Bush v. Gore,” by Richard L. Hasen, Slate, June 25, 2019

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19: Podcasting Pro Tips and Jonny Diamond on Creating LitHub Radio Jun 13, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan share how they started the podcast, and offer podcasting tips with some help from friends who host their own shows. Then LitHub.com editor-in-chief Jonny Diamond speaks about the launch of LitHub Radio and his five-year anniversary as LitHub.com’s content czar, as well as his own writing.

Guests:

● Jonny Diamond

● Tanzila “Taz” Ahmed, David Naimon, Zahir Janmohamed, and Connor Stratton (via AWP)

Readings for the Episode:

● The Power of Facebook: How Big is Too Big? Alexis C. Madrigal and Alexander Chee on the Darker Side Social Media, Fiction/Non/Fiction Episode 3, Season 1

● What Facebook Did to American Democracy by Alexis C. Madrigal

● The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges

● Exploring What an Interruption is in Conversation, by Katherine Hilton, Stanford University Doctoral Student

● How Luminary’s Messy Debut Ended Up Roiling the Podcast Industry, Vulture

● Lumbersexuality, a Sport and a Pastime by Jonny Diamond, Longreads

● Close Talking: A Poetry Podcast hosted by Connor Stratton and Jack Rossiter-Munley

● #GoodMuslimBadMuslim hosted by Tanzila "Taz" Ahmed and Zahra Noorbakhsh

● Between the Covers hosted by David Naimon

● The Racist Sandwich Podcast hosted by Soleil Ho and Zahir Janmohamed

● The Maris Review hosted by Maris Kreizman

● Otherppl hosted by Brad Listi

● Slate's Political Gabfest hosted by Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz

● So Many Damn Books hosted by Christopher Hermelin and Drew Broussard

● 538 Politics Podcast hosted by Nate Silver and the FiveThirtyEight team

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18: Slouching Toward Gilead: Anjali Enjeti and Lacy Johnson on the new anti-abortion laws May 30, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, Anjali Enjeti and Lacy Johnson speak with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about recent news and legislation about abortion, as well as its depiction in literature and film.

Guests:

● Lacy Johnson

● Anjali Enjeti

Readings for the Episode:

● “Is Masculinity a Terrorist Ideology? Lacy Johnson on Rachel Louise Snyder and the Ways We Name Violence,” on LitHub

● The Reckonings by Lacy Johnson

● “Governor Kemp Is Turning Georgia Into Gilead,” by Anjali Enjeti in Dame Magazine, April 1, 2019

● “Borderline,” by Anjali Enjeti, from Prime Number Magazine No. 79

● Abortion Bans: 8 States Have Passed Bills to Limit the Procedure This Year

● “Embryos Don’t Have Hearts,” by Katie Heaney● Invisible Sisters by Jessica Handler

● Dirty Dancingdir. Emile Ardolino (1987)

● The Mothers by Brit Bennett

● The Cider House Rules by John Irving

● Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

● “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway from Men Without Women

● Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” from “The Girl’s” Point of View by Rachel Klein from McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, July 21, 2017

● “Missouri could become first US state without an abortion clinic,” by Jessica Glenza, May 28, The Guardian.

● “The Real Origins of the Religious Right” by Randall Balmer in Politico Magazine May 27, 2014

● Gwendolyn Brooks, “the mother”

● Pro, by Katha Pollitt

● The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

● Our Bodies, Ourselves

● “An Abortion That Saved My Life,” by Susan Ito, in Refinery 29, January 22, 2015.

● The Bible

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17: Against Genre Snobbery: Marlon James and Daniel José Older on the Intersections of Literary and Genre Writing May 16, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, taped live at the inaugural Wordplay in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Marlon James and Daniel José Older speak with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the politics of literary categories. They talk about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the history of queerness in Africa, the importance of plot, the Wookieepedia, writing violence and respecting readers, and the details of dinosaurs.

Guests:

● Marlon James

● Daniel José Older

Readings for the Episode:

● Black Leopard, Red Wolfby Marlon James

● Dactyl Hill Squad & Dactyl Hill Squad: Freedom Fireby Daniel Jose Older

● Hollywood Wivesby Jackie Collins

● Buffy the Vampire Slayer

● The Iliadby Homer

● All the President’s Menby Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

● Madame Bovaryby Gustave Flaubert

● Octavia Butler

● The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ringby J.R.R. Tolkien

● 100 Years of Solitudeby Gabriel Garcia Marquez

● The Stand & It by Stephen King

● Shogunby James Clavell

● Avatar: The Last Airbender

● Star Wars: A New Hope

● The Harry Potter Seriesby J.K. Rowling

● Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

● Pokémon Detective Pikachu

● Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

● Jesmyn Ward

● Nicholson Baker

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16: Democrats in the Bardo: George and Paula Saunders on Politics and Writing May 02, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, taped live at the Unbound Book Festival in Columbia, Missouri, George and Paula Saunders talk to hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about writing, politics, class, and the contenders for the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election.

Guests:

● George Saunders

● Paula Saunders

Readings for the Episode:

● 10th of Decemberby George Saunders

● Lincoln in the Bardoby George Saunders

● Pastoralia by George Saunders

● CivilWarLandin Bad Decline by George Saunders

● The Distance Homeby Paula Saunders

● War and Peaceby Leo Tolstoy

● “Robert Kennedy Saved from Drowning” by Donald Barthelme

● The Unpopular Mr. Lincolnby Larry Tagg

● American Pastoral by Philip Roth

● "Grief" by Anton Chekhov

● Beto O’Rourke on Medium

● Books by Curtis Sittenfeld

● The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison

● Promise Me, Dad by Joe Biden

● “E Pluribus Unum?” by Stacey Abrams

● Bob Hillman, "Carveresque," from the album Some of Us Are Free, Some of Us Are Lost

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15: Emily Raboteau and Omar El Akkad Tell a Different Kind of Climate Change Story Apr 18, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, novelists Emily Raboteau and Omar El Akkad discuss telling the stories of climate change with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. Raboteau talks about her recent NYRB article, "Climate Signs," and El Akkad shares how his history as a journalist connects to his novel, American War,

Readings for the Episode:

● “Climate Signs” by Emily Raboteau, New York Review Daily

● The Professor's Daughterby Emily Raboteau

● Searching for Zionby Emily Raboteau

● American Warby Omar El Akkad

● Gold Fame Citrusby Claire Vaye Watkins

● “Flying Cars Could Save us from Climate Change,” by Jen Christensen, CNN

● “Climate Change: European Team to drill for ‘oldest’ ice in Antarctica” by Jonathan Amos, BBC

● “Atchafalaya” by John McPhee, The New Yorker

● The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warmingby David Wallace-Wells

● “There's so much CO2 in the atmosphere that planting trees can no longer save us,” by Rob Ludacer and Jessica Orwig, Business Insider

● "Young Readers Ask: The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells," by Geronimo LaValle, Orion Magazine