fiction/non/fiction

S8 Ep. 5: Jess Walter on the Election Oct 31, 2024

In the lead-up to the presidential election, novelist Jess Walter returns to the show to revisit his previous comments about former president Donald Trump. Walter joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss Trump’s dangerous decisions and inflammatory rhetoric, as well as how reactions to him have changed since 2016. Walter talks about former Trump cronies who have abandoned the candidate and endorsed Kamala Harris, and reflects on the inaction that has made it possible for Trump, a felon, to run for the presidency once more. He hazards a prediction about the election results, and reads from his short story “Town and Country,” which appeared in his recent story collection Angel of Rome.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Jess Walter

Others:

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S8 Ep. 4: Stephen Markley on The Deluge to Come Oct 24, 2024

In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, novelist Stephen Markley joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss his novel The Deluge, which predicts and depicts the impact of climate change over the next couple of decades. Markley talks about researching and portraying the scale of catastrophic climate events, the role of the markets and other financial considerations in pushing world leaders to take the issue seriously, and which character in his novel was previously Kamala Harris. Markely also reflects on how in revision, he repeatedly had to scale up his fictional disasters to keep them ahead of actual events, the uncanny experience of forecasting disasters like Helene, and the movement leaders—including Bill McKibben, Al Gore, and James Hansen—he felt compelled to include in his novel. Markley reads from The Deluge.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Cheni Thein.

Stephen Markley

Others:

Matthew Salesses on the Possibilities of Climate Fiction| Literary Hub
1984 by George Orwell
Ali Zaidi
Weather Underground
Climate Defiance
The End of Nature by Bill McKibben
The Stand by Stephen King
The Inflation Reduction Act
The Green New Deal
“Helene, Milton losses expected to surpass ‘truly historic’ $50 billion each” - CBS News
“Beyond Helene: Hurricane death toll tops 300 lives, with month left in season” - USA Today
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 4 Episode 15: Workshop Politics: Matthew Salesses on Centering the Marginalized Writer

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S8 Ep. 3: Anne Curzan on Our Changing Language Oct 17, 2024

Linguist, writer, and professor Anne Curzan joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss how language is constantly changing—and how that’s okay. Curzan talks about how, in her work as an English language historian, she’s learned that people have always been critical of usage changes; Ben Franklin, for instance, didn’t care for colonize as a verb. But, Curzan explains, as much as “grammandos” bemoan the evolution of language, it can’t be stopped—singular “they,” “funnest,” and “very unique” are here to stay. Curzan reads from her book, Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Language.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Anne Curzan

Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words
“‘They’ has been a singular pronoun for centuries. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s wrong.” | October 21, 2021 | The Washington Post

Others:

Grammando
Declaration of Independence
Dreyer’s English: And Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer
The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season: One Episode, 12: “C. Riley Snorton and T Fleischmann Talk Gender, Freedom, and Transitivity”
Antonin Scalia
Will Shortz
Maxine Hong Kingston
The American Heritage Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

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S8 Ep. 2: Jeff Sharlet on ‘Sanewashing’ and Fascism Oct 10, 2024

Nonfiction writer Jeff Sharlet joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss how mainstream media outlets sanitize Donald Trump’s rhetoric in their reporting rather than straightforwardly describing his words and behavior, an approach recently dubbed “sanewashing” by The New Republic’s Parker Molloy. Sharlet analyzes the term’s usefulness and also its limitations; talks about the need to describe fascism using the word itself; and reflects on who is now at the center of political discourse and who is at the fringe. He also considers whether popular new media influencers like the MeidasTouch Network and YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen are really filling the need to describe Trump as he is. He reads from his book, The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Jeff Sharlet

Others:

"This genius website captures Trump’s weirdest debate quotes," by Grace Snelling | Fast Company
Lenny Bruce
The White Album by Joan Didion
The Anatomy of Fascism by Robert O. Paxton
Rick Perlstein
Brian Tyler Cohen
MeidasTouch Network
Jeffrey Ruoff
Susan Faludi
Lane Kirkland
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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S8 Ep. 1: Lola Milholland on the Housing Crisis and Communal Living Oct 03, 2024

As the housing crisis worsens and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris makes lowering housing prices a key part of her agenda, nonfiction writer Lola Milholland joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her experience with communal living. With traditional single-family homes economically out of reach for many Americans, Milholland talks about the social and financial benefits of living with others, including shared cooking and meals. She cautions that living with roommates will not solve the housing crisis and talks about the need for widespread and systemic change. She reads from her book, Group Living and Other Recipes.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Lola Milholland

Group Living and Other Recipes
Umi Organic
Living With Roommates Is Sorely Underrated |TIME
Can a $9 Lunch Cure Loneliness? | Oprah Daily

Others:

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7, Episode 33: “Brandy Jensen on the Mainstreaming of Polyamory”
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7, Episode 29: “Jen Silverman on Generational Divides in American Politics”
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7, Episode 52: “Myriam J.A. Chancy on Haitian American Communities”
Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard
Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard: “Home Prices Far Outpace Incomes”
The Gift: How the Creative Spirit Transforms the World by Lewis Hyde

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S7 Ep. 52: Myriam J.A. Chancy on Haitian American Communities Sep 26, 2024

Following Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s racist smears against Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, author Myriam J.A. Chancy joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about Haitian history and independence; imperialism in Haiti; immigration to and from Haiti; the positive and negative impacts social media has on Haitian communities; and how the current discourse obscures both Haitian past and present. Chancy reflects on the importance of translating Haitian literature into English, recommends the work of several other writers, and discusses the Expo of ’49, which brought people from around the world to Haiti. She reads a related scene from Village Weavers.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Myriam J.A. Chancy

Others:

Cléanthe Desgraves Valcin
Yanick Lahens
Marie-Célie Agnant
Valérie Bah
Lyonel Trouillot
Gary Victor
Mackenzy Orcel
Kettly Mars
“'It just exploded': Springfield woman claims she never meant to spark false rumors about Haitians” by Alicia Victoria Lozano | NBC News
“Opinion | Trump Knows What He’s Doing in Springfield. So Does Vance.” by Jamelle Bouie| The New York Times

“Marianne Williamson Defends Donald Trump’s Bizarre Haitian Pet-Eating Conspiracy” by Liam Archacki| Daily Beast

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S7 Ep. 51: Ellen Emerson White on the First Woman President, Real and Imagined Sep 19, 2024

As Vice President Kamala Harris's historic campaign for the presidency enters its final weeks, writer Ellen Emerson White joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her prescient 1984 novel The President's Daughter, which imagines the first woman president’s campaign and early days in the White House from the point of view of her teenage daughter. White reminisces about beginning the YA book when she was still a teenager herself and notes the uncanny similarities between a fictional presidential debate that appears in the book and the recent Trump-Harris showdown. White reflects on the qualities her character Katharine Powers shares with Kamala White—notably, a “likable, elegant swagger”—as well as how Powers’s cool bearing contrasts with Harris’s reputation for warmth. She talks about hitting pause on her current writing project following Harris’s entrance into the race, and reads from The President’s Daughter.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Ellen Emerson White

Others:

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7 Episode 50: “Thomas Frank on How the Harris-Walz Ticket Can Win Red State Voters”
The Apprentice

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S7 Ep. 50: Thomas Frank on How the Harris-Walz Ticket Can Win Red State Voters Sep 12, 2024

Political and cultural critic Thomas Frank joins host Whitney Terrell to discuss how Democrats and Republicans courted voters from the Midwest and South at their respective conventions. Frank gives reports from the floors of both the Republican and Democratic national conventions, which he attended. He analyzes the efforts that the Trump-Vance and Harris-Walz tickets have made to attract union and working class, “red state” votes. He also reads a passage from his famed 2004 book What’s the Matter with Kansas on the origin of the terms “red state” and “blue state” and discusses the surprising staying power, and fundamental absurdity, of these categories.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Thomas Frank

Others:

Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 3, episode 22: “The Unpopular Tale of Populism: Thomas Frank on the Real History of an American Mass Movement”
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5, episode 31: “What Do Dems Do Now? Thomas Frank on How the Left Can Counter a Rogue Supreme Court”
David Brooks
John Podhoretz
Blake Hurst
Hulk Hogan
Kid Rock
Ted Cruz
Tucker Carlson
“Acid, amnesty - and abortion: 1972 and all that” by Michael Cross | Law Society Gazette | May 4, 2022
George McGovern
George Wallace
The New Deal
Robert Reich

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S7 Ep. 49: Alissa Quart on J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy and the Dangerous Lie of American Bootstrap Narratives Sep 05, 2024

Nonfiction writer Alissa Quart joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss how the American obsession with “bootstrap narratives” led to the publishing industry championing Hillbilly Elegy, the bestselling and problematic memoir by J.D. Vance, who was subsequently elected to the Senate and is now the Republican vice presidential nominee. Quart talks about Vance’s failure to credit those who have contributed to his success and reflects on both the fetishization of poverty and the importance of authentic representation. She also explains the long tradition of self-made man narratives and their underlying queer romantic elements, and compares Vance’s work to that of writers like Laura Ingalls Wilder and Horatio Alger. She critiques Vance’s recent remarks about childless and professional women and suggests the need for a more nuanced and expansive understanding of community. Quart talks about the nonprofit she leads, the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and reads from her book, Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Alissa Quart

Others:

Laura Ingalls Wilder
Horatio Alger
Barbara Ehrenreich
Dorothy Allison
Elizabeth Catte
Alex Miller
Bobbi Dempsey
Ann Larson
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6, Episode 32: “The East Palestine Train Derailment and Your Health: Kerri Arsenault on the Pervasive and Ongoing Risks of Dioxin”
“‘Dangerous and un-American’: new recording of JD Vance’s dark vision of women and immigration” by Jason Wilson | The Guardian
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
Going for Broke with Ray Suarez | The Nation
Going for Broke | NPR

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S7 Ep. 48: Joshua Kaplan on AP3 and the Future of American Militias Aug 29, 2024

ProPublica reporter Joshua Kaplan joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss his recent article on militia group American Patriots Three Percent, or AP3. Kaplan talks about group founder Scot Seddon, a former Army reservist, and how he created a movement whose members number gun control and the “LGBTQ agenda” among their grievances. Kaplan also reflects on AP3’s ties to law enforcement, the military, and elected officials, as well as their calculated attempts to brand themselves. He considers the recent history of militias in the U.S., including the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and explains how that led to a loss of momentum for the movement, the subsequent rise of recruiting via Facebook, and the environment that allowed for the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Finally, he reflects on how Donald Trump fans the flames of extremist groups like AP3. Kaplan reads from his article.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Joshua Kaplan

"Armed and Underground: Inside the Turbulent, Secret World of an American Militia"

Others:

Oklahoma City Bombing
“Trump to Host ‘The J6 Awards Gala’ at His Bedminster Golf Club” by Owen Lavine | The Daily Beast
BlacKkKlansman
Mad Max
Keith Kidwell
Oath Keepers
Southern Poverty Law Center

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S7 Ep. 47: Iris Jamahl Dunkle and Kelly McMasters on Biographical Ethics Aug 22, 2024

Following Elon Musk’s estranged daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson’s accusations of unethical behavior on the part of Musk’s authorized biographer, memoirist Kelly McMasters and biographer Iris Jamahl Dunkle join co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about the ethics of biography. Dunkle, the author of Riding Like the Wind: The Life of Sanora Babb, talks about using archives to restore the history of Babb, the writer whose notes John Steinbeck used to research The Grapes of Wrath, and how women’s lives are often wrongly or incompletely depicted. McMasters, a memoirist whose recent book The Leaving Season: A Memoirportrays many people close to her, talks about the impossibility of writing honestly about her life without including her children, the two people with whom she spends the most time. Dunkle and McMasters discuss Wilson’s accusations against Walter Isaacson, whom she says did not directly contact her for comment for his recent book about her father, although much of his book refers to her life. The group also discusses recent revelations that Alice Munro failed to act when she learned that her second husband had abused her daughter, and how authorized biographies often omit full accounts of the truth. Dunkle and McMasters read from their work.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Iris Jamahl Dunkle

Kelly McMasters

Others:

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
“Musk’s Daughter Flames Dad’s Biographer: ‘You Threw Me to the Wolves’” by Dan Ladden-Hall | Daily Beast
J.D. Salinger
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
“What do we Know about Alice Munro Now?” by Contance Grady | Vox
La Belle Noiseuse
The Hyacinth Girl: T.S. Eliot’s Hidden Muse by Lyndall Gordon
Loving Sylvia Plath: A Reclamation by Emily Van Duyne
Jackson Pollock
“What Virginia Woolf’s ‘Dreadnought Hoax’ Tells Us About Ourselves” by Danell Jones | January 25, 2024 | Literary Hub
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6 Episode 19: “The Lives of the Wives: Carmela Ciuraru on Marriage, Writing, and Equity”

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S7 Ep. 46: Francine Prose on What 1974 Can Teach Us About 2024 Aug 15, 2024

Novelist Francine Prose joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her new book, 1974: A Personal History. Prose talks about her relationship with Tony Russo, who in collaboration with Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, a whistleblowing act which revealed decades of government lies about U.S. involvement in Vietnam; how the politics and progressive activism of today compare to those of half a century ago; and why that year was politically pivotal. She also reflects on how in 1974, the idea of government dishonesty was shocking, whereas today it’s a given. Prose reads from the book.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Francine Prose

Others:

The Heritage Foundation
The Sixties: Big Ideas, Small Booksby Jenny Diski
Opus Dei
J.D. Vance
Patty Hearst
RAND Corporation
Daniel Ellsberg
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6, Episode 46: “Samuel G. Freedman on What Hubert Humphrey’s Fight for Civil Rights Can Teach Us Today”
Ground Truth | NPR
Journey to Italy
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Cato Institute
Pentagon Papers
Espionage Act
Comstock Act
Wag the Dog
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon

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S7 Ep. 45: Jasmin Graham on Understanding Sharks Aug 08, 2024

Marine biologist Jasmin Graham joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her new book, Sharks Don’t Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist, which is about the beauty and diversity of sharks and her career studying them inside and outside of academia. Graham, who left a doctoral program and subsequently founded the community-based organization Minorities in Shark Science to make the field more accessible and inclusive, unpacks how Jaws-inspired fears about sharks fail to understand the species. She also talks about seeing similarities in how sharks and Black people are misrepresented, misunderstood, brutalized, and threatened. Graham reads from Sharks Don’t Sink.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Jasmin Graham

Others:

"50 Years Ago, ‘Jaws’ Hit Bookstores, Capturing the Angst of a Generation" by Brian Raftery | The New York Times
Opinion | "What is Trump’s shark story really about?" by Eugene Robinson | The Washington Post
Opinion | "What is going on inside Trump’s mind?" by Eugene Robinson | The Washington Post
Jaws by Peter Benchley
Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane
Finding Nemo
Shark Tale
Shark Week
SharkFest
Apocalypse Now
Anthony Swofford
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7, Episode 25: "Ivy Pochoda on Caitlin Clark and Women Athletes”
Nyad
“Donald Trump Mocked Over 'Bizarre Rant' About Sharks” | video | Newsweek

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S7 Ep. 44: Ellie Palmer and Elle Everhart on the Rise of Romance Aug 01, 2024

Romance novelists Elle Everhart and Ellie Palmer join co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about the genre’s increasing popularity. Everhart, the London-based author of the new book Hot Summer, featuring a protagonist who joins the cast of a reality show only to realize she’s interested in a fellow contestant, discusses coming to romance writing as a fourth grader fascinated by kissing, and wonders why as sales boom, the U.S.—but not the U.K.—is seeing more romance-specific bookstores. Palmer, the author of the new book Four Weekends and a Funeral, whose main character is a carrier of the BRCA1 mutation, recalls falling in love with the genre as she prepared for her own preventative double mastectomy. She reflects on how the genre’s structure promises positive endings for those who need them at challenging moments, and how the language of romance gave her a way to think about her own body and sexuality. Everhart reads from Hot Summer and Palmer reads from Four Weekends and a Funeral.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Elle Everhart

Ellie Palmer

Four Weekends and a Funeral

Others

"9 New Books We Recommend This Week" | May 4, 2023 | The New York Times
"Hot and Bothered: Four New Romance Novels" by Olivia Waite | August 7, 2020 | The New York Times
Nora Ephron
Nancy Meyers
Mhairi McFarlane
Beth O'Leary
Talia Hibbert
Bolu Babalola
“A Romance Bookstore Boom” by Olivia Waite | The New York Times
“Emily Henry is Proud to be Called a Romance Writer” by | The New York Times
Olivia Waite
Jodi Picoult
Love Island
Tropes & Trifles

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S7 Ep. 43: Harry Siegel on the Supreme Court, Bribery, and Scofflaws Jul 25, 2024

New York Daily News columnist Harry Siegel joins co-host V.V. Ganeshananthan and guest co-host Matt Gallagher to talk about his recent piece about the Supreme Court’s decision to permit what he has dubbed “after-the-fact bribery.” Siegel, who has covered corruption for years, explains how the legality of accepting gratuities, tips, and gifts has become so nuanced that it’s now almost impossible to prosecute a politician who’s been bought off, and details why the newest version of the law is “fundamentally incoherent.” Siegel also talks about the language, literature, and history around ducking the rules, including the origin of the word “scofflaw,” and reads froma recent New York Daily News article.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Harry Siegel

“Supreme Court Legalizes After-the-Fact Bribery” New York Daily News | June 6, 2024
“Scofflaw Trump is a Defaming Menace to America” New York Daily News | January 27, 2024
The muckrackers and the gunslingers: What’s in the balance as the Supreme Court gets ready to take up a legal challenge to New York’s tough firearm laws” New York Daily News | February 1, 2019

Others:

“English, loanword champion of the world” by Britt Peterson | The Boston Globe | June 29, 2014
Breaking Bad
The Sopranos
Succession
Bad English: A History of Linguistic Aggravations by Amman Shea
Thomas Malthus
Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis
e.e. cummings
Krazy KatbyGeorge Harriman
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren
The Last Hurrah by Edwin O’Connor
Democracy by Joan Didion
Democracy and American Novel by Henry Brooks Adams
Primary Colors by Joe Klein
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall by William R. Riordon
The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
The Man in the Arena: Selected Writings of Theodore Roosevelt: A Reader by Theodore Roosevelt

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S7 Ep. 42: Sally Franson and Emily Nussbaum on Reality TV Jul 18, 2024

Novelist Sally Franson and critic Emily Nussbaum join host V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about reality television. Franson, a recent reality TV show winner whose new novel, Big in Sweden, is from the point of view of a woman who joins the cast of a program in that country, reflects on transforming her real-life experience into fiction. Nussbaum, a staff writer at The New Yorker whose new nonfiction book, Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV, addresses the history of what she calls the “dirty documentary” genre, discusses the hundreds of interviews she conducted with reality show staff, as well as the form’s surprisingly early origins and the influence of The Apprentice on national politics. Nussbaum and Franson trade notes on how the relationships between people on camera and people behind the camera influence edited footage; the way race was and is handled on reality television; and what it’s like to be a contestant or producer. They also talk about poor labor conditions on sets and what that means to the genre. They read from their work.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Sally Franson

Emily Nussbaum

Others:

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S7 Ep. 41: Phil Elwood on Doing PR for All the Worst Humans Jul 11, 2024

In the wake of the recent Trump-Biden debate, public relations operative Phil Elwood joins co-host V.V. Ganeshananthan and guest co-host Matt Gallagher to talk about his career spinning stories in favor of infamous international leaders. Elwood, whose clients previously included figures like Libya’s Gaddafi family and Syria’s al-Assads, recalls his strangest assignments, his biggest regret—helping Qatar to secure soccer’s World Cup—and his proudest accomplishments, including spotlighting the mental health treatment that has helped him. He reflects on how his career shifted when he was swept up in then-FBI Director Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, and also explains tactics such as “detonating the bomb in a safe location,” which means giving an unavoidable, damaging story to a second-tier publication so that the “hit isn’t so bad.” Elwood reads from his new book, All the Worst Humans: How I Made News for Dictators, Tycoons, and Politicians.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Phil Elwood

All the Worst Humans: How I Made New for Dictators, Tycoons, and Politicians

Others:

“Sri Lanka, Lobbyists and War Crimes” by Ken Silverstein | Harper’s Magazine | October 23, 2009
“Gunner Palace,” by Peter Travers | Rolling Stone | February 24, 2005
“Nothing seemed to treat their depression. Then they tried ketamine,” by Meryl Kornfield | The Washington Post | September 12, 2022
John Grisham
Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election by Robert Mueller | U.S. Department of Justice | March 2019

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From the Archives: S1 Ep. 6: Kiki Petrosino and Jess Walter on All the President's Shakespeare Jul 04, 2024

As Literary Hub observes July 4, we return to our archives for a 2017 episode that remains relevant today. We will return with a new episode July 11.

In episode 6, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell talk political betrayal past and present with novelist Jess Walter and poet Kiki Petrosino. Jess Walter once interviewed an ailing Mark Felt, aka "Deep Throat" of Watergate fame, and he gives us the skinny on the literary qualities of Nixon, Trump, Flynn, NY mobsters, and his 2005 novel Citizen Vince. Plus, would John Gotti have liked the president? On the eve of the release of her new book, Witch Wife, Kiki Petrosino talks to us about MacBeth's witches and how Shakespeare can help us decode our current age of political skulduggery. What Trump Administration officials would you cast in Macbeth? Readings: All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward; Citizen Vince by Jess Walter; Witch Wife by Kiki Petrosino; The Tragedy of Macbeth; The Tempest; The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

In the Stacks: J.J. Cantrell interviews Annie Philbrick of Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT and Savoy Bookshop & Cafe in Westerly, Rhode Island.

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S7 Ep. 39: Maxim Loskutoff on the Unabomber and the Myth of the American West Jun 27, 2024

Novelist Maxim Loskutoff joins co-host V.V. Ganeshananthan and guest co-host Matt Gallagher to talk about his new novel, Old King, which is about Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, who moved to Montana to withdraw from society. Loskutoff, who grew up in Missoula, Montana, discusses the mythology that draws men like Kaczynski—who sought to be in nature, and to avoid technology and other people—to his home state; the gap between the imaginary American West and its reality; and how these connect to American settler colonialism. He also explains how he positioned the Kaczynski of his novel not as a hero or even an antihero, but as a symbol of this dark and unhealed facet of American society. Loskutoff reads from Old King.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Maxim Loskutoff

Others

William Kittredge
Richard Hugo
Lewis and Clark
Billy the Kid
Jack Kerouac
“The Story of Jack and Neal: the friendship that made On the Road—and the Beat Generation—possible” by James Parker, The Atlantic, March 11, 2022

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S7 Ep. 38: Nicolás Medina Mora on Mexico’s First Woman President and the Country’s Political Future Jun 20, 2024

Journalist and novelist Nicolás Medina Mora joins co-host V.V. Ganeshananthan and guest co-host Matt Gallagher to talk about Mexico’s president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who will be the first woman and first Jewish person to lead the country. Medina Mora explains current president Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s history, his hold on Mexico’s political imagination, and how his connections to Sheinbaum will affect policy moving forward as he uses his last days in office to attempt 18 changes to Mexico’s constitution. Medina Mora, who is an editor at the Mexican magazine Nexos, reflects on writing about Lopez Obrador through both fiction and journalism. He elaborates on a pre-election piece he wrote for The New York Review of Books and also reads from his novel, América del Norte, in which he plays with the relationship between fiction and nonfiction.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Nicolás Medina Mora

Others

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7, Episode 32: "Claire Messud on Blurring Family History and Fiction"
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7, Episode 17: "Ed Park on Korea’s Past, Real and Imagined"
"Mexico’s outgoing president pushes ahead with plan to fire 1,600 judges" by Christine Murray | Financial Times
"Mexico’s bloodiest election in history sends new asylum-seekers to the US border" by Caitlin Stephen Hu, David Culver, Norma Galeana and Evelio Contreras| CNN
The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen

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S7 Ep. 37: Karen Solt on Being Gay in the Navy, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ and Hiding for Her Life Jun 13, 2024

In this Pride Month episode, Navy veteran and author Karen Solt joins co-host V.V. Ganeshananthan and guest co-host Matt Gallagher to talk about her experience of being gay while serving in the military. Solt, who retired as a senior chief petty officer in 2006 and served both before and during “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” talks about the Clinton-era policy that prohibited the harassment of gay service members while requiring that they stay closeted. Solt explains the impossible position gay military members were in before and during DADT, as they faced questioning from investigators, the threat of losing their jobs if found out, and being separated from their partners rather than being moved together as their straight counterparts often were. Solt reads from her book, Hiding for My Life: Being Gay in the Navy.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Karen Solt

Hiding for My Life: Being Gay in the Navy

Others

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7, Episode 30: “Tracie McMillan on the Myth of Colorblindness”
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 2, Episode 21: “Elliot Ackerman and Anuradha Bhagwati on the Role of the Military in American Politics”
The Lieutenant by Andrew Dubus
Roger & Me

A Former Marine Looks Back on Her Life in a Male-Dominated Military, by V.V. Ganeshananthan, The New York Times | April 17, 2024

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S7 Ep. 36: Akuna Robinson on Going the Distance With Through Hiking Jun 06, 2024

With summer approaching, Army veteran and long-distance hiker Akuna Robinson joins host V.V. Ganeshananthan and guest co-host Matt Gallagher to talk about the experience of through hiking, or long-distance hiking a trail from end to end. Robinson, the first Black man to complete the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail—the Triple Crown of through hiking—recounts how he was inspired by the movie Wild to attempt the Pacific Crest Trail as a way of managing post-traumatic stress disorder from his military service in Iraq. Robinson reflects on encountering greater diversity on the trail in recent years, seeing the landscape affected by climate change, and the individualized nature of packing for a months-long journey. He also discusses hiking with Gallagher, and reading and writing on the trail. Gallagher reads from his 2021 ESPN profile of Robinson.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Akuna Robinson

“Iraq War veteran Will 'Akuna' Robinson is the trailblazing superstar of thru-hiking,” by Matt Gallagher | ESPN | Nov. 11, 2021
“For first Black man to wear hiking's 'triple crown,' the trails are a place for healing,” by Dakota Kim | Los Angeles Times | Feb. 23, 2023

Others:

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
Wild (movie)
Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character by David Straithairn and Jonathan Shay
Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming by Jonathan Shay, Senator Max Cleland
Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart: An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail by Carrot Quinn
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 3, Episode 4: “Wild Ecologies: So Go the Salmon, So Goes the World, with Tucker Malarkey, Will Bardenwerper, and Stan Brewer
Pacific Crest Trail
Appalachian Trail
Continental Divide Trail

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S7 Ep. 35: Remembering Alice Munro: Jonny Diamond on His Mother and the Great Canadian Writer May 30, 2024

Editor and writer Jonny Diamond joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about Nobel Prize-winning short story writer Alice Munro, who passed away May 13 in the same Canadian town where Diamond’s mother died 12 years earlier. He outlines what made the lives of the two women similar—namely, marrying young and starting families within the parameters of 1950s expectations, and then finding their own voices after divorcing in the 1970s—and discusses how beautifully Munro wrote about the interiority of those who lived that life or an adjacent life. He reads from his Literary Hub essay, “My Mother Will Live Forever in the Stories of Alice Munro.”

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Jonny Diamond

“My Mother Will Live Forever in the Stories of Alice Munro” | Literary Hub

Others:

Fiction/Non/Fiction: Season 1, Episode 19: “Podcasting Pro-Tips and Jonny Diamond on Creating Lit Hub Radio”
Fiction/Non/Fiction: Season 7, Episode 32: “Claire Messud on Blurring Family History and Fiction”
Alice Munro
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Laurence
Carol Shields
James Baldwin
John Keats
Walt Whitman
Simone de Beauvoir
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
“Inside Alice Munro’s Notebooks” by Benjamin Hedin | Paris Review
“Wood” by Alice Munro | The New Yorker | November 16, 1980

“Kindling The Creative Fire: Alice Munro's Two Versions of ‘Wood'" by Lisa Dickler Awano | New Haven Review | May 30, 2012

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S7 Ep. 34: Prizes and Protests: Monica Youn on PEN, Activism at Literary Awards, and Gaza May 23, 2024

Following the cancellation of PEN America’s annual literary awards ceremony as well as its World Voices Festival, acclaimed poet Monica Youn joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about political protests and literary prizes. Youn recounts the sequence of events that led her and eight other finalists for PEN’s $75,000 Jean Stein Book Award—as well as a number of nominees in other categories—to withdraw their work from consideration in protest of PEN’s position on Gaza. She explains how PEN’s efforts regarding Gaza and Palestine have failed to match its advocacy for writers in danger in other places, like Ukraine, and discusses whether the organization is living up to its mission to protect free expression. She also describes the situation for student protesters on her own campus, the University of California, Irvine. Youn reads from her most recent collection, From From.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Monica Youn

Others:

"PEN America calls off awards ceremony amid criticism over its response to Israel-Hamas war," by Hillel Italie |AP News
"The PEN Awards and World Voices Festival Are on the Brink of Collapse," by Dan Sheehan | Literary Hub
"A Leading Free Expression Group Is Roiled by Dissent Over Gaza," by Jennifer Schuessler | The New York Times
American Writers Against the Vietnam War | Wikipedia
Fiction/Non/Fiction: Season 5, Episode 10: “‘How on Earth Do You Judge Books?’ Susan Choi and Oscar Villalon on the Story Behind Literary Awards”
Anthony Cody
Mai Der Vang
Suzanne Nossel
Natalie Diaz
“PEN Union Cries Foul in Contract Talks as Criticism of PEN America Intensifies,” by Jill Milliot and Sophia Stewart | Publishers Weekly

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S7 Ep. 33: Polycules and Cuddle Piles: Brandy Jensen on the Mainstreaming of Polyamory May 16, 2024

Writer Brandy Jensen joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about polyamory’s place in the contemporary imagination. Jensen discusses the connections between polyamory and politics, noting its links to queer community and its defiance of normative gender roles. She analyzes protections for the rights of multiple-partner relationships in Massachusetts, New York, and California. Jensen also considers the language of polyamory and how it has been portrayed in current and past literature, especially science fiction. She reads from her recent Yale Review article, “The Polycrisis.”

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Brandy Jensen

“The Polycrisis” | Yale Review

Others:

More: A Memoir of Open Marriage by Molly Roden Winter
“On the Cover of New York: A Practical Guide to Polyamory,” by Priyanka Mantha | New York Magazine
“Lessons From a 20-Person Polycule: How they set boundaries, navigate jealousy, wingman their spouses and foster community.” by Daniel Bergner | The New York Times Magazine
“Polyamory, the Ruling Class’s Latest Fad,” by Tyler Austin Harper | The Atlantic
“Scenes from an Open Marriage,” by Jean Garnett | The Paris Review |June 29, 2022
Oneida Community
Octavia Butler
N.K. Jemisin
Sally Rooney
American Poly: A History by Christopher Gleason
Couplets: A Love Story by Maggie Millner

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S7 Ep. 32: This Strange Eventful History: Claire Messud on Blurring Family History and Fiction May 09, 2024

Author Claire Messud joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about how the lines between autobiography and fiction blur, and the ways that families—real and imagined—hide their true histories. Messud’s new novel, This Strange Eventful History, out Tuesday, draws on her own family’s complex past, including their connections to French colonialism in Algeria. Messud talks about using her grandfather’s 1,500-page handwritten memoir as source material, creating a story that spans the globe, how ordinary lives intersect with history, and including a character interested in questioning, editing, translating, and transforming family tales into a story for a different audience, as writers often do. She reads from the novel.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Amanda Trout.

Claire Messud

Others:

France in Algeria
The Art of Losing by Alice Zeniter
Elias Canetti
Alice Munro
Ulysses by James Joyce
In an Antique Land by Amitav Ghosh
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 4, Episode 7, Claire Messud and Brendan O’Meara on Creative Nonfiction in an Era of ‘Fake News’

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S7 Ep. 31: Come Together: Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor on Solidarity, Change, and Our Interconnected World May 02, 2024

Authors and organizers Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the concept of solidarity, its reliance on relationship-building, and how it has been expressed in political movements, from recent pro-Palestine activism in the U.S. to the Polish organization Solidarność, a trade union founded in the 1980s. Hunt-Hendrix and Taylor, authors of a new book called Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea, also reflect on how solidarity relates to their own work. Hunt-Hendrix recalls her dissertation on solidarity, and Taylor discusses her role as a founder of the Debt Collective, a union of debtors. They interrogate two kinds of solidarity, transformative and reactionary, as they exist across the political spectrum, and read from Solidarity.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Llewyn Crum.

Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor

Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea by Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor
Capitalism Cries: Class Struggles in South Africa and the World by Leah Hunt-Hendrix, William K. Carroll, Vishwas Satgar
The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart by Astra Taylor

Others:

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee
There’s Going To Be Trouble by Jen Silverman
The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, a Study in Religious Sociology by Emile Durkheim
Fiction/Non/Fiction: Season 7, Episode 29, “Jen Silverman on Generational Divides in American Politics”
“Zibby Owens withdraws sponsorship for the National Book Awards over its ‘pro-Palestinian agenda,’” by Dan Sheehan | LitHub
Solidarność
“The Triumph and Tragedy of Poland’s Solidarity Movement,” by David Ost | Jacobin | August 24, 2020
A Land for All
Standing Together

Emory is Everywhere (via Twitter)

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S7 Ep. 30: Cashing in on the White Bonus: Tracie McMillan on Privilege, Generational Wealth, and the Myth of Colorblindness Apr 25, 2024

Author and journalist Tracie McMillan joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the concept of the “white bonus” and how systemic bias generates white wealth not only in daily life but across generations. She references racial covenants, incarceration rates, and housing codes that continue to impact families, Black and white, to this day. She comments on the challenges of writing about her own experiences while also working as a journalist, and reads an excerpt from her new book, The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Charlie Sheckells.

Tracie McMillan

Others:

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S7 Ep. 29: There’s Going to Be Trouble: Jen Silverman on Generational Divides in American Politics Apr 18, 2024

As the presidential election heats up and President Joe Biden struggles to keep young voters’ support, novelist Jen Silverman joins co-host V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss generational divides in U.S. politics. Silverman, whose new book, There’s Going to Be Trouble, follows the political and sexual awakenings of a father and daughter in different eras, talks about how young people’s involvement in politics now compares to previous generations’ engagement. They address the question of whether today’s 20-something voters are more likely to protest than vote, consider how social media and technology relate to in-person conversations and activism, and reflect on the need to name and engage with the failures of earlier generations. Silverman also explains why they chose to write about anti-Vietnam War protests at Harvard in 1968 and the gilet jaunes (Yellow Vest) protests in Paris fifty years later, and reads an excerpt from There’s Going to Be Trouble.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Alijah Smith.

Jen Silverman

Others:

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S7 Ep. 28: How We Talk About Cancer: S.L. Wisenberg on Kate Middleton and the Language of the Big C Apr 11, 2024

In the wake of the news that Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has cancer, author S.L. (Sandi) Wisenberg joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the control that public—and private—figures should have over the disclosure of their diagnoses. Wisenberg, who survived breast cancer, and Terrell, who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, name books they have read that have helped them discover humor in their journey from testing to treatment, and reflect on the challenging nuances of what it means to have cancer. They talk about how and when they decided to tell their loved ones, friends, and students about their condition. Wisenberg reads from her 2009 book The Adventures of Cancer Bitch, which will be reissued in paperback in October.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Jasmine Shackleford.

S.L. (Sandi) Wisenberg

Others:

“Princess of Wales Apologizes, Saying She Edited Image,” by Mark Landler and Lauren Leatherby | The New York Times
Kate Middleton announces her cancer diagnosis | NBC News
Time on Fire: My Comedy of Terrorsby Evan Handler
Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comicsby Miriam Engelberg
Memoir of a Debulked Woman by Susan Gubar
Our Cancer Yearby Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner
The Cancer Journalsby Audre Lorde
Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book by Susan Love
Señor Wences
American Splendor
Running in the Familyby Michael Ondaatje
Dick York
Nora Ephron
Carl Bernstein

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REDUX: S7 Ep. 27: David Baron on What Literature Tells Us About the 2024 Eclipse Apr 06, 2024

In anticipation of the total solar eclipse forecast for April 8, author and journalist David Baron joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his award-winning book, American Eclipse, which chronicles the remarkable solar eclipse of 1878. Baron, a self-proclaimed umbraphile, or eclipse chaser, explains why he chose to write about the Wild West-era event, which darkened skies from Montana to Texas. He also talks about what has driven him to see eight total solar eclipses across the globe. As the upcoming eclipse is forecast to affect a sizable swath of the U.S.—the last time this will happen until 2045—he reflects on why these rare occurrences captivate humanity and discusses how their lore has influenced famous writers, including Mark Twain and Emily Dickinson. He reads from American Eclipse.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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Amanda Trout.David BaronAmerican Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the WorldBeast In The Garden: The True Story Of A Predator’s Deadly Return To Suburban AmericaTED Talk: "You owe it to yourself to experience a solar eclipse"Others:"It Sounded as if the Streets Were Running" by Emily DickinsonKing Lear by William Shakespeare The Eclipse by James Fenimore Cooper"Battle of the Eclipse in the Lydian and Median War of Ancient Greece" | GreekBoston.com A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark TwainTeaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters by Annie DillardSuperman IV: The Quest for PeaceLog Your Eclipse | Eclipse-Chasers.com“Eclipse Literature” by Lara Dodds | Northwestern UniversityThe Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and the Moon

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S7 Ep. 27: David Baron on What Literature Tells Us About the 2024 Eclipse Apr 04, 2024

In anticipation of the total solar eclipse forecast for April 8, author and journalist David Baron joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his award-winning book, American Eclipse, which chronicles the remarkable solar eclipse of 1878. Baron, a self-proclaimed umbraphile, or eclipse chaser, explains why he chose to write about the Wild West-era event, which darkened skies from Montana to Texas. He also talks about what has driven him to see eight total solar eclipses across the globe. As the upcoming eclipse is forecast to affect a sizable swath of the U.S.—the last time this will happen until 2045—he reflects on why these rare occurrences captivate humanity and discusses how their lore has influenced famous writers, including Mark Twain and Emily Dickinson. He reads from American Eclipse.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Amanda Trout.

David Baron

Others:

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S7 Ep. 26: En Vogue: Sally Franson on Fashion and Literature Mar 28, 2024

Novelist Sally Franson joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about Fashion Week 2024, the role fashion plays in characterization, and how stylish authors and characters have modeled and influenced tastes and trends. Franson reflects on her time working in the industry and discusses insiders’ perceptions of various Fashion Weeks around the globe. She discusses literary style icons including Isabel Archer, Nancy Mitford, James Baldwin, and Bridget Jones, and considers the influence of fashion in her first novel, A Lady’s Guide To Selling Out, which has just been reissued in paperback. She reads an excerpt from that book.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Sally Franson

Others:

"Top 10 best-dressed characters in fiction" by Amanda Craig, July 1, 2020 | The Guardian
“The Best Looks from New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2024” | Elle.com
"Off the page: fashion in literature" by Helen Gordon, September 18, 2009 | The Guardian
"Literature-inspired menswear collections for summer 2024" by Paschal Mourier| France24
"Anna Sui’s new collection is inspired by Agatha Christie, so obviously the runway was at the Strand." by Emily Temple | Literary Hub
James Baldwin
Joan Didion
Not-Knowing by Donald Barthelme
Rachel Comey and The New York Review of Books
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

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S7 Ep. 25: Ivy Pochoda on Iowa Basketball Star Caitlin Clark and Women Athletes in Popular Culture Mar 21, 2024

Following a record-smashing performance by University of Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark, now the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball, novelist and former professional squash player Ivy Pochoda joins host V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about portrayals of women athletes in media, literature, and film. Pochoda considers the gender binary that continues to divide most sports and how athletes from Serena Williams to Lynette Woodard to Clark have been treated differently due to systemic bias. She discusses the lack of adult literary fiction featuring women athletes, as well as her new favorite novel in this category, the Booker-nominated Western Lane. Pochoda also reflects on how her athletic training helps her as a writer and reads an excerpt from a middle grade fantasy book she wrote with Kobe Bryant, Epoca: The Tree of Ecrof, in which sports play a central role.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Ivy Pochoda

Sing Her Down
These Women
Wonder Valley
Visitation Street
Epoca: The Tree of Ecrof(with Kobe Bryant)

Others:

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S7 Ep. 24: Lessons for Survival: Emily Raboteau on Mothering and Climate Change Mar 14, 2024

Writer Emily Raboteau joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about mothering in the face of climate change and systemic inequality. Raboteau discusses the difference between “resilience” and “trauma-informed growth,” and considers which one more realistically describes how people react to devastation. She also reflects on writing about Indigenous communities and histories, developing language to capture shifting environmental realities, and the intersections of climate and racial justice. Finally, she explains the influence of her late father, Albert Raboteau, a groundbreaking professor of African American religion, on her community-minded approach to these topics. She reads from Lessons for Survival, her new collection of essays about care and mothering in the climate crisis.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Emily Raboteau

Others:

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S7 Ep. 23: Alabama’s Embryos: Briallen Hopper on the Personal and Political Consequences of the New IVF Court Decision Mar 07, 2024

Writer Briallen Hopper joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about in vitro fertilization and the recent Alabama State Supreme Court ruling declaring that frozen embryos have the same rights as children. Hopper speaks about the science and thought behind freezing embryos versus eggs, as well as the religious language embedded in the court’s decision. She reads an excerpt from a 2019 Washington Post essay about her choice to freeze embryos as a single person and reflects on repeating the process later, with a partner.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Briallen Hopper

Hard to Love: Essays and Confessions
Gilead Reread (forthcoming, Columbia University Press)
“Single Women Looking to Extend their Fertility Usually Freeze Eggs. I Froze Embryos.”|Washington Post, May 10th, 2019

Others:

James LePage, et al. v. The Center for Reproductive Medicine and Mobile Infirmary Association | Supreme Court of Alabama
The Human Life Protection Act | Alabama - May 15, 2019
Tammy Duckworth | Access to Family Building Act
Dobbs |The Supreme Court- June 24, 2022
The Radical Freedom Of IVF by Krys Malcolm Belc, Romper

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S7 Ep. 22: Hit ’Em Where It Hurts: Rachel Bitecofer on Democratic Strategies to Counter Republicans in the 2024 Election Feb 29, 2024

Rachel Bitecofer, author of the new book Hit ’Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game, joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk shop about the election strategies Democrats should implement to combat Republicans and prevent fascism. Bitecofer discusses how Republicans use “negative partisanship” to win elections by slamming Democrats as a whole, and argues that Democrats must turn the tables and attack the GOP’s now-extremist brand, which poses an urgent threat to Americans. Bitecofer reads from a section of Hit ’Em Where it Hurts that describes what it means to “wedge” an issue, and talks about how Democrats can do this.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Rachel Bitecofer

Hit ’Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game, with Aaron Murphy

Others:

Dobbs |The Supreme Court
State of the Union Address 2023
Project 2025: Presidential Transition Project
Stephen Miller(Southern Poverty Law Center)
"At CPAC, Stephen Miller Describes His Plan to Round Up Migrants into Camps and Deport Them" | MediaMatters for America
"The Benghazi Timeline, Clinton Edition” by Eugene Kiely, June 30, 2016 | factcheck.org
Hur Report | The Justice Department
"Trump vows to end birthright citizenship for children of immigrants in US illegally" by Ted Hesson | Reuters

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S7 Ep. 21: The Road From Belhaven: Margot Livesey and What Literature Can Tell Us About The Future Feb 22, 2024

As the 2024 Presidential race heats up, award-winning fiction writer Margot Livesey joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss the value of seeing the future in politics and in family life. Are the polls right? Will Donald Trump beat President Joe Biden in the November election? Livesey talks about the role predictions play in our political landscape and in her new novel, The Road from Belhaven, in which a young woman named Lizzie Craig, raised by her grandparents in 19th century Scotland, has the gift of second sight. Livesey discusses the ways that literature has handled the concept of “seeing the future” over time, including the role second sight plays in Macbeth. She reads from her novel.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Margot Livesey

Others

Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
Fiction/Non/Fiction: Season 3, Episode 24: “Summer Books Extravaganza: Margot Livesey and Jaswinder Bolina on Beach Reading When the Beach is Closed”
Fiction/Non/Fiction: Season 5, Episode 35: "Boris Johnson: Margot Livesey on British Politics, the Brexit Blunder, and the Prime Minister’s Lies"
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
L.M. Montgomery

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S7 Ep. 20: ‘They Want What We Have’: Matt Gallagher on Supporting Ukrainians' Struggle for Liberation Feb 15, 2024

Two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, novelist, journalist, and veteran Matt Gallagher joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss the current state of the Russo-Ukrainian war and why the country desperately needs the emergency aid in a bill currently under consideration in Congress. Gallagher, whose new novel Daybreak is set in Ukraine, weighs in on where the U.S. stands on the war by comparing it to military conflicts of the past, from World War II to more recent involvements in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. He also reflects on how reporting and training civilians in Ukraine influenced Daybreak, in which an Army veteran explores his own motivations for aiding the country’s fight for freedom as well as the flawed, messy realities of war. He reads from the novel.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Matt Gallagher

Others:

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S7 Ep. 19: American Fiction: Jacinda Townsend and James Bernard Short on the Joy, Pathos, and Complexity of Black Experience in the Oscar-Nominated Film Feb 08, 2024

Novelist Jacinda Townsend and writer James Bernard Short join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the movie American Fiction, which is based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett. Townsend and Short discuss how the film addresses race in the publishing industry via its central character, Black author Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, who tries to make an ironic point by writing a book exploiting Black stereotypes and finds, to his dismay, that it’s received in earnest and a bestseller. Townsend and Short analyze director Cord Jefferson’s approach and the film’s themes of family dysfunction, freedom in storytelling, and the importance of portraying the complexity of Black lives.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Jacinda Townsend

James Bernard Short

Others:

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S7 Ep. 18: AWP 2024 Preview: Glenn North on Kansas City’s Jazz, Poetry, and Barbeque Feb 01, 2024

With AWP’s annual conference headed to Kansas City next week, poet and activist Glenn North joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to tell incoming writers where to find the best food and coolest hangouts in the city. North discusses Kansas City’s diversity, its history of racial covenants, and its newly rejuvenated Crossroads Arts District, which is near the convention site. North and Terrell, who also lives in Kansas City, highlight a variety of spots to check out, including the Green Lady Lounge, Swordfish Tom’s, The Blue Room, the American Jazz Museum, and Kansas City’s not-to-miss barbeque scene. North reads his poem, “Harmony on the Vine,” about the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District, where he is the current poet laureate, as well as an excerpt from his poem for the 25th anniversary of the American Jazz Museum.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Glenn North

Others:

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S7 Ep. 17: ‘What is History?’: Ed Park on Korea’s Past, Real and Imagined Jan 25, 2024

Novelist Ed Park joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss the role of alternate histories and counternarratives in popular culture, public record, and the general consciousness, via his new novel, Same Bed Different Dreams. Park talks about depicting and reimagining well known events and eras, including the Japanese occupation of Korea between 1910-1945; Korean resistance to that occupation in the form of the Korean Provisional Government; the post-World War II division of Korea into North and South, which became sovereign nations in 1948; and the Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to until 1953. He reflects on writing about more recent history, as well as his hometown of Buffalo, New York. The conversation suggests that positive alternate timelines, like the one Park creates, invite readers to learn more about actual events, whereas a more pernicious spin on the past may edit for the benefit of a particular group. Park reads from the novel.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Ed Park

Others:

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S7 Ep. 16: Former Biden Speechwriter Nate Rawlings on Claudine Gay, Neil Gorsuch, and the Politics of Plagiarism Jan 18, 2024

Journalist Nate Rawlings, who spent a stint as a speechwriter for then-Vice President Joe Biden, joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the politics (and nuances) of plagiarism. Rawlings discusses how plagiarism accusations derailed Joe Biden’s presidential run in 1987. He examines how the right-wing activist-led plagiarism accusations against former Harvard President Claudine Gay fit into the context of prior plagiarism scandals, and considers the possibility that new technologies like AI will intensify future politically motivated attacks. He also reflects on why some plagiarism allegations stick and shift opinion, and others don’t.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Nate Rawlings

Nate Rawlings | TIME.com

Others:

"The North’s Jim Crow" by Andrew W. Kahrl|The New York Times,May 27, 2018

"How We Squeezed Harvard to Push Claudine Gay Out" by Christopher Rufo | Wall Street Journal

Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America by Cody Keenan

What It Takes: The Way to the White House by Richard Ben Cramer

"Plagiarism charges downed Harvard’s president. A conservative attack helped to fan the outrage" by Collin Binkley and Moriah Balingit | AP

Elise Stefanik

Claudine Gay

“Echoes of Biden’s 1987 plagiarism scandal continue to reverberate” by Neena Satija | The Washington Post, June 5, 2019

Democratic Primary Debate, August 23, 1987

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6, Episode 46, “Samuel G. Freedman on What Hubert Humphrey’s Fight for Civil Rights Can Teach Us Today”

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6, Episode 16, “Chatbot vs. Writer: Vauhini Vara on the Perils and Possibilities of Artificial Intelligence”

Nadia Schadlow, Small Wars Journal

Peggy Noonan

“Boys of Pont du Hoc” speech by Peggy Noonan for Ronald Reagan, June 6, 1984

“I see the boys of summer,” by Dylan Thomas

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S7 Ep. 15: Bookstores Against Bans: Lauren Groff on Opening The Lynx in Florida Jan 11, 2024

Novelist Lauren Groff joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss the new independent bookstore she and her husband are planning in Gainesville, Florida. The Lynx, which Groff aims to open this spring, will feature banned books, an act of resistance in a state where more than half of school districts have seen book banning activity over the past two years. Groff reads from her recent novel, The Vaster Wilds.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Lauren Groff

The Monsters of Templeton

Delicate Edible Birds

Florida

The Lynx, A Bookstore in Gainesville, FL | Indiegogo

Others:

"Gainesville author Lauren Groff hopes new downtown bookstore will 'link' community together” by Lillian Lawson | The Gainesville Sun

"A new report shows how corrosive book banning is. Novelist Lauren Groff is fighting back" by Emily St. Martin | Los Angeles Times

"A Look Ahead to 2024: Laws and Book Bans in Florida, Iowa, and Illinois | Censorship News" | School Library Journal

"Spineless Shelves: Two Years of Book Banning" | PEN America

"Thousands of books were banned in Central Florida in 2023. Here's what to expect in 2024" by Danielle Prieur | NPR

"Nearly 700 books, including celebrity bestsellers, banned in Orange County, Florida" | PEN America

“Why Toni Morrison’s Books Are So Often the Target of Book Bans” by Olivia Waxman |Time |January 31, 2022

“Florida County Bans 673 Books, Including ‘Paradise Lost,’ ‘The Color Purple’ to Comply With State Law” by Alec Dent | The Messenger

“Book Bans Are Rising Sharply in Public Libraries” by Elizabeth A. Harris and Alexandra Alter | The New York Times

Florida Freedom to Read Project

Hernan Diaz

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5, Episode 12: “Intimate Contact: Garth Greenwell on Book Bans and Writing About Sex”

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6, Episode 52: “Brooklyn Public Library’s Leigh Hurwitz on Helping Young People Resist Censorship”

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S7 Ep. 14: Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and the Model Minority Myth: Prachi Gupta on the Rise of Indian American Presidential Candidates Jan 04, 2024

As Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy vie for the Republican presidential nomination, Indian American reporter and memoirist Prachi Gupta joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan put these politicians into historical perspective. She discusses how the myth of Indian American exceptionalism has been used to further white supremacy and suppress other minority groups, and also analyzes how Haley and Ramaswamy perpetuate the misguided notion of the U.S. as a meritocracy. Gupta discusses the role that class and caste has played in immigration from India; how gender affects diaspora politics; the appeal of assimilation and hierarchy; and the performance of authenticity. She reads from her debut memoir, They Called Us Exceptional: And Other Lies that Raised Us.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Prachi Gupta

They Called Us Exceptional
AOC: Fighter, Phenom, Changemaker
“Vivek Ramaswamy and the lie of the ‘model minority’” | Vox
“Kamala Harris and the Complicated, Burdened Joy of Representation” | Jezebel

Others:

Latest political polls from 538
“The mystery of Vivek Ramaswamy’s rapid rise in the polls” by Steven Shepard, August 12, 2023 | Politico
“Who won the third Republican debate? Winners and losers after things got nasty in Miami” by Karissa Waddick |USA Today
“Despite Nikki Haley’s back and forth, the Civil War was about slavery” by Ben Brasch | The Washington Post
“Nikki Haley's latest campaign ad focuses on her husband Michael's service with the National Guard. Meet their family.” by Talia Lakritz | Business Insider
“Trump referred to Haiti and African nations as 'shithole' countries” by Ali Vitali, Kasie Hunt and Frank Thorp V, January 11, 2018 | NBC News
“Vivek Ramaswamy takes questions about his Hinduism — one Bible verse at a time” by Alex Tabet, Katherine Koretski and Emma Barnett | NBC News
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 5 Episode 6, “Nadifa Mohamed on Writing the Convoluted Terrains of Immigration”
South Asian Digital Archive
Desi Wall of Shame
“Ramaswamy Pushes Fringe Idea About Jan. 6 at Town Hall in Iowa” by Anjali Huynh | The New York Times
Rupi Kaur

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S7 Ep. 13: Holiday Archives: Danez Smith on Poetry, Blackness, and Friendship Dec 28, 2023

In this holiday re-broadcast of an episode from April 23, 2020, acclaimed poet Danez Smith discusses the role friendship plays in their most recent collection of poetry, Homie. Smith talks to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the isolating effect COVID-19 has had on black communities, using space on the page inventively, and writing about money. This episode is presented in conjunction with the Loft Literary Center’s literary festival, Wordplay, which in 2020 was a virtual event.

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.

This episode was produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Guests:

● Danez Smith

Selected

readings for the episode:

●

○

○

○

○

what was said on the bus stop: a new poem by Danez Smith

○

my president

○

VS podcast, from the Poetry Foundation, hosted by Danez Smith and Franny Choi

●

Others

○

Corona Correspondences: #28 by Danielle Evans (The Sewanee Review)

○

Review: ‘Homie,’ a Book of Poems That Produces Shocking New Vibrations by Pahrul

Sehgal

○

Frank O’Hara

○

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

○

○

○

○

Poem for Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer by June Jordan

○

Recordings of June Jordan from the Radcliffe

Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University Digitized recordings and more

digitized recordings

○

‘Feet’ and ‘Spoon’ from Catalog

of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay

○

Mirrors: Stories of

Almost Everyone by Eduardo Galeano

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S7 Ep. 12: The Best Books Machine: Lydia Kiesling on Making the Lists—or Not Dec 21, 2023

Novelist and critic Lydia Kiesling joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss the creation and the spirit of year-end book lists. She talks about list culture getting its start at the small, online literary magazine, The Millions, and its eventual spread to seemingly every media outlet. The three grapple with the significance of inclusion on these lists, whether they really sell more books, and the ethics of their construction. Kiesling reads from her new novel, Mobility.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Lydia Kiesling:

The Golden State

Mobility

Others:

Books We Love | NPR

A Year in Reading: 2023 | The Millions

100 Notable Books of 2023 | New York Times

The 10 Best Books Through Time | New York Times

A Year in Reading: 2023 | The Millions

“Crime,” by Marilyn Stasio, August 19, 2001| New York Times

“‘Terrorist’ – to Whom? V.V. Ganeshananthan’s novel ‘Brotherless Night’ reveals the moral nuances of violence, ever belied by black-an-white terminology” by Omar El Akkad, Jan. 1, 2023 | New York Times

Molly Stern

The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

The Collected Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Stand by Stephen King

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

The Poisonwood Bibleby Barbara Kingsolver

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Ali & Nino by Kurban Said

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

1984 by George Orwell

Pod Save America(podcast)

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S7 Ep. 11: The Free and the Freed: Tracy K. Smith on Liberty Dec 14, 2023

Pulitzer-Prize winning writer Tracy K. Smith joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss the difference between being “free” and being “freed.” She suggests that citizens of the United States fall into one category or the other. The first appear to have descended from those who were always free. The second descend from those who were acted upon by those in the first category. Smith talks about the research she’s done to understand the roles her forefathers played in this country’s armed conflicts and the connections between the military and our historical understanding of freedom. She reads from her new collection of essays, To Free the Captives.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Tracy K. Smith

Others:

Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 4 Episode 9: “Tracy K. Smith and Kawai Strong Washburn on Biden’s Debts to His Base (Especially Black Women)”
The 1619 Project
Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture
W.E.B. Du Bois
“The Glaring Contradiction of Republicans’ Rhetoric of Freedom” by Ronald Brownstein |The Atlantic, July 8, 2022
“Trump’s Second-Term Plans: Anti-‘Woke’ University, ‘Freedom Cities’” by Andrew Restuccia | The Wall Street Journal

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S7 Ep. 10: Chicago in Verse: Taylor Byas on Writing About Her Hometown Dec 07, 2023

Poet Taylor Byas joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss writing about Chicago, which she does in her Maya Angelou Book Award-winning collection of poetry, I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times. She talks about growing up in the country’s most segregated city, and considers its long traditions of Black, working-class, and ethnic literature, including writers like Nate Marshall, Lorraine Hansberry, Patricia Smith, and Jose Olivarez. She explains how moving away has given her a new perspective on Chicago’s politics, history, crime, and beauty. She reads a poem (“You from “Chiraq”?”) addressing how outsiders view the city, as well as from a crown of sonnets about the South Side.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Taylor Byas

Others:

Richard Wright
Saul Bellow
Gwendolyn Brooks
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Nelson Algren
Stuart Dybek
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Nate Marshall
1919 — Eve L. Ewing
Patricia Smith
Promises of Gold by Jose Olivarez
Carl Sandburg
Chi-Raq (film, dir. Spike Lee)
Gordon Parks
Brandon Johnson

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S7 Ep. 9: American Farce: Timothy Schaffert on the Literary Parallels for the House GOP Clusterf**k Nov 30, 2023

Novelist Timothy Schaffert joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss how the concept of farce relates to today’s GOP-controlled House of Representatives. Schaffert describes the lack of self-awareness in both fictional and real-life characters, including politicians like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, and analyzes how it renders them comical, absurd, and maddening to watch. He talks about what observers can learn from those behaviors, and also reads from his forthcoming book, The Titanic Survivors Book Club.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Timothy Schaffert

Others:

The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season One, Episode Three: “The Power of Facebook: How Big is Too Big?”
“The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season Three, Episode Nine: “All the President’s Henchmen: Susan Choi and Garrett Graff on the Citizens of the Swamp”
Tartuffe by Molière
Beetlejuice
Airplane!
Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco
“The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon” by Karl Marx
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Jean Cocteau

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S7 Ep. 8 Indigenous Imaginations: Native American Writers on Their Communities Nov 22, 2023

On Thanksgiving, the show returns to an episode with playwright Rhiana Yazzie and novelist Brandon Hobson, who joined hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell in February 2019 to discuss Native literature. These interviews were recorded in the wake of viral images showing Covington Catholic students disrespecting Native activist Nathan Phillips in Washington, D.C. The episode turns the focus away from the MAGA hats and back to the Indigenous Peoples March and Indigenous writing.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Andrea Tudhope.

Rhiana Yazzie

● Nancy

● Ady

● Queen Cleopatre and Princess Pocahontas

● New Native Theatre

Brandon Hobson

● Deep Ellum

● Desolation of Avenues Untold

● Where the Dead Sit Talking

● The Removed

● The Storyteller

Others:

● Mekko and Barking Water by Sterlin Harjo

● Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

● Stewart O’Nan

● Louise Erdrich

● “The Indigenous Peoples March was about a Lot More than the Kids in MAGA Hats,” by Tekendra Parmar | Washington Post

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S7 Ep. 7: American Precariat: Zeke Caligiuri on the Incarcerated Writers Who Edited An Anthology on Class Nov 16, 2023

Writer and editor Zeke Caligiuri joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss American Precariat: Parables of Exclusion, a new collection of essays on class he co-edited along with eleven other incarcerated writers. The volume’s contributors include Eula Biss, Kao Kalia Yang, Lacy M. Johnson, Valeria Luisielli, Kiese Laymon, and many others. Caligiuri, who worked on the book while in Minnesota correctional facilities and is now free, discusses the challenges of creativity and the literary life in prison settings, as well as how the book came to be. He also reflects on the idea that “the history of class hasn't always been written by the powerful, but they have always been its editors,” as he writes in a foreword, which he reads from during the episode.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Zeke Caligiuri

American Precariat: Parables of Exclusion (ed.)
This is Where I Am
Prison Noir (ed. Joyce Carol Oates)
The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting a Writer’s Life in Prison (ed. Caits Meissner)
How a Collective of Incarcerated Writers Published an Anthology From Prison - Electric Literature
“Before I Was Anything” (poem) Literary Hub

Others:

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S7 Ep. 6: Jordan Peele’s Out There Screaming: Lesley Nneka Arimah on Why Black Horror Speaks to Us Now Nov 09, 2023

Fiction writer Lesley Nneka Arimah joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss how Black horror writing speaks to our current cultural moment. She talks about editor/director Jordan Peele’s new anthology, Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror, in which her work is included, and how she went from avoiding horror to writing it. Arimah reads from her story “Invasion of the Baby Snatchers,” explains its origins in her own fears, and shares an alternative ending.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Lesley Nneka Arimah

What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror (ed. Jordan Peele)

Others:

Jordan Peele
Toni Morrison
Stephen King
“Black horror is having a big moment. So is its pioneer, Tananarive Due” by Paula L. Woods | L.A. Times
N.K. Jemisin
Nnedi Okorafor
Violet Allen
The Nesting by C.J. Cook
The Leech by Hiron Ennes
Rebecca Roanhorse

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S7 Ep. 5: Shir Alon and Joseph Farag On How Palestinian and Israeli Literature Has Handled the Ongoing Conflict Nov 02, 2023

In the wake of the recent violence in Palestine and Israel, the show returns to an interview taped in June 2021 with scholars Shir Alon and Joseph Farag, who join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss how Palestinian and Israeli writers have written about the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Farag talks about the evolution of the portrayal of the Palestinian self in literature throughout history, as well as some of the themes and writers discussed in his book, Palestinian Literature in Exile: Gender, Aesthetics and Resistance in the Short Story. Alon explains how the unprocessed trauma of the history of massacre and expulsion of Palestinians seems to stage an appearance in Israeli literature every decade. She also talks about Dolly City by Orly Castel-Bloom, Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, and Funeral at Noon by Yeshayahu Koren.

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 episode is produced by Andrea Tudhope and Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings:

Shir Alon

Static: Labor, Temporality, and Literary Form in Middle Eastern Modernisms (forthcoming book)
“The Ongoing Nakba and the Grammar of History,” LA Review of Books
“No One to See Here: Genres of Neutralization and the Ongoing Nakba”
“Gendering the Arab-Jew: Feminism and Jewish Studies After Ella Shohat”

Joseph Farag

Others

Updated links:

Original links:

Amos Oz
David Grossman
Facing the Forests by A. B. Yehoshua
Khirbet Khizeh by S. Yizhar
The Old New Land (Altneuland) by Theodor Herzl
Men in the Sun, Palestine's Children: Returning to Haifa and Other Stories, andAll That's Left to You: A Novella and Other Stories by Ghassan Kanafani
"A Lover from Palestine," "ID Card," and many others by Mahmoud Darwish
The Ship by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra
Wild ThornsandPassage to the Plaza by Sahar Khalifeh
Eye of the MirrorandA Balcony Over the Fakihani by Liana Badr
Nathan Alterman
Funeral at Noon by Yeshayahu Koren
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
Dolly City by Orly Castel-Bloom
The Sound of Our Steps by Ronit Matalon
Waltz with Bashir (film) by Ari Folman
The Pessoptimist by Emile Habibi
Divine Intervention, The Time that Remains, and It Must Be Heaven (films) by Elia Suleiman

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S7 Ep. 4: Writing Gentrification: Jonathan Lethem on Brooklyn Now and Then Oct 26, 2023

Novelist Jonathan Lethem joins host Whitney Terrell live at the Cider Gallery in Lawrence, Kansas. Lethem discusses his new book, Brooklyn Crime Novel, which is set in the neighborhood where he grew up—and where he also set his 2003 novel Fortress of Solitude. They discuss terms like blockbusting and redlining, and the ways that Lethem’s writing explores the ramifications of real estate manipulation on residents of these cities and others around the nation. Lethem reads from Brooklyn Crime Novel and talks about the book’s inventive approach to time.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Jonathan Lethem

Others:

James Alan McPherson
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Black Spring by Henry Miller
Another Country by James Baldwin
James Joyce
Patricia Highsmith
Iris Murdoch
Henry James
Mark Twain
Benito Cereno by Herman Melville
Ralph Ellison

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S7 Ep. 3: Freeman’s: Conclusions: John Freeman and Omar El Akkad on a Literary Magazine’s Final Issue Oct 19, 2023

Poet, editor, and writer John Freeman and novelist Omar El Akkad join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the final issue of Freeman’s, a literary magazine founded in 2015. El Akkad, a contributor to the volume, describes founding editor Freeman’s intense and uniquely broad interest in literature, as well as his unusual ability to curate collections of pieces that are in conversation with one another. Freeman explains the work and support that made the magazine possible, and reflects on the moment when he decided to pursue it, as well as how he decided to conclude it. They discuss the publication as a project that created a valuable network of literary connections and gave many writers a new context and outlet for their work. El Akkad reads from “Pillory,” his story which appears in the final edition of Freeman’s, and talks about how he came to write it.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

John Freeman

Omar El Akkad

Others:

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S7 Ep. 2: The Return of #MeToo: Rebecca Makkai on New Allegations and the Progress of the Past Five Years Oct 12, 2023

Novelist Rebecca Makkai joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about new accusations of sex crimes or sexual misconduct, this time leveled against comedian Russell Brand, actor Danny Masterson, and Spanish Soccer Federation president Luis Rubiales. Makkai observes that since the start of the #MeToo movement, more people are willing to take such accusations seriously, but also describes the repetitive nature of the abuse as discouraging. She reads from her recent novel, I Have Some Questions for You, which, in part, asks readers to reconsider the way they think of sex, class, and race.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Rebecca Makkai

Others:

Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 1, Episode 2: “Jia Tolentino and Claire Vaye Watkins Talk Abuse, Harassment, and Harvey Weinstein”
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 1, Episode 22: “Alice Bolin and Kristen Martin on the Problem With Dead Girl Stories”
“Russell Brand’s Timeline of Scandal and Controversy,” by Alex Marshall, New York Times
“Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in rape case,” by Alli Rosenbloom, CNN
“Luis Rubiales resigns as Spanish soccer president following unwanted kiss with World Cup winner Jennifer Hermoso,” by Issy Ronald, Homero De la Fuente, Patrick Sung and Zoe Sottile, CNN
StoryStudio Chicago

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S7 Ep. 1: The AI Pirates: The Atlantic’s Alex Reisner on Books3, Copyright, and How Big Tech is Stealing Our Books Oct 05, 2023

Writer, programmer, and tech consultant Alex Reisner joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about his recent Atlantic articles on Books3, a massive data set that includes hundreds of thousands of pirated e-books, and that Meta and other companies have used to train generative AI. Reisner explains how he extracted book names and titles from long strings of text in Books3 to create a searchable database, and why not finding yourself in the database doesn’t mean your work is safe. He also reflects on the dangers of metaphorical language in discussing AI, what he’s heard from legal experts, what publishers are and aren’t doing, and how piracy has shifted from benefiting individuals to helping corporations profit. Reisner reads from his groundbreaking Atlantic coverage.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Alex Reisner in The Atlantic

Others:

Open Letter to Generative AI Leaders (The Authors Guild)
Practical Tips for Authors to Protect Their Works from AI Use (The Authors Guild)
“Some writers are furious that AI consumed their books. Others? Less so,” by Sophia Nguyen, The Washington Post
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 6, Episode 17: “Chatbot vs. Writer: Vauhini Vara on the Perils and Possibilities of Artificial Intelligence”
“My Books Were Used to Train AI,” by Stephen King, The Atlantic
“Murdered by My Replica?” by Margaret Atwood, The Atlantic
“My Books Were Used to Train Meta’s Generative AI. Good.” by Ian Bogost, The Atlantic
Alice Munro
Rebecca Solnit
Meghan O’Rourke
George Saunders
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Martin Amis
“Sarah Silverman is suing OpenAI and Meta for copyright infringement,” by Wes Davis, The Verge

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S6 Ep. 52: Librarians Against Book Bans: Brooklyn Public Library’s Leigh Hurwitz on Helping Young People Resist Censorship Sep 28, 2023

In anticipation of Banned Books Week, Brooklyn Public Library’s collections manager Leigh Hurwitz joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss how the recent, dramatic rise in book bans disproportionately affects young people, and why BPL has chosen to offer access to its half a million eBooks and audiobooks to every person in the U.S. between the ages of 13 to 21. Hurwitz, one of the librarians behind the groundbreaking digital library card program launched in April 2022, talks about how in its first eighteen months, Books Unbanned has helped more than 7,000 users in all 50 states to access the books they need. Hurwitz unpacks the range of reasons teens cite for needing the cards, including privacy, lack of transportation, and—in some places—the requirement to get a parental signature or use a deadname to acquire a physical card at the local library. They also explain the positive responses from Books Unbanned readers who are able to see marginalized aspects of their identities portrayed on the page for the first time. Hurwitz reads from their Vice article about the program.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Leigh Hurwitz

Others:

Banned in the USA: The Mounting Pressure to Censor | PEN America
Books Unbanned | Brooklyn Public Library
“Brooklyn Library’s ‘Books Unbanned’ Team Wins Accolades,” by James Barron, New York Times
How the Brooklyn Library Helped Fight Book Bans in Oklahoma by James Barron, New York Times, Sept. 12, 2022
Introducing: Borrowed and Banned | Brooklyn Public Library
PEN America & BPL Freedom to Read Advocacy Institute
BookMatch and BookMatch Teen
Reddit AMA with Freedom Forum
Libraries for the People
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 6, Episode 45: Celeste Ng on the GOP’s War on Children
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 5, Episode 12: Intimate Contact: Garth Greenwell on Book Bans and Writing About Sex
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 6, Episode 13: Censoring the American Canon: Farah Jasmine Griffin on Book Bans Targeting Black Writers
“Readers Can Now Access Books Banned in Their Area for Free With New App,” by Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine

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S6 Ep. 51: Art Under Fire in Ukraine: Tetyana Ogarkova and Volodymyr Yermolenko on How Artists Are Responding as the Fighting Drags on Sep 21, 2023

Eighteen months into the invasion of Ukraine, Tetyana Ogarkova and Volodymyr Yermolenko, hosts of the podcast Explaining Ukraine,return to talk to co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan about how the war has affected Ukrainian artists and how they’re responding. They talk about the actions of deeply engaged writers and intellectuals they know, like Yaryna Chornohuz, a young poet who’s an activist and has joined the army as a paramedic. They also give an update on what’s happening at the front and the possibility of the formation of an international war tribunal to investigate crimes of the Russian Federation.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Tetyana Ogarkova and Volodymyr Yermolenko

Explaining Ukraine (podcast)
Ukraine in Histories and Stories

Others:

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6, Episode 2: “How Dostoevsky’s Classic Has Shaped Russia’s War in Ukraine, with Explaining Ukraine’s Tetyana Ogarkova and Volodymyr Yermolenko”
Yaryna Chornohuz
"Being a poet and a woman on the frontline - with Yaryna Chornohuz" (Explaining Ukraine)
Timothy Snyder
"Timothy Snyder: Freedom as a Value and a Task - a Talk in Kyiv" (Explaining Ukraine)
Joseph Heller
Thomas Pynchon
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
“Guernica” by Pablo Picasso
“The Parable of the Old Man and the Young,” by Wilfred Owen
“Remembering Ukrainian novelist Victoria Amelina, killed by a Russian missile,” by Joanna Kikissis
Kateryna Kalytko

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S6 Ep. 50: The African Coups: Leila Aboulela on Why They Happen, and the Violence in Sudan Sep 14, 2023

Novelist Leila Aboulela joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan on their 200th episode to talk about the fighting between rival military factions in her native Sudan, which has displaced millions of civilians. She compares the situation of Sudan, which underwent a coup in 2019, with the six other African countries that have experienced coups since 2020. Aboulela explains the historical precedents and particularities and reflects on how, when a country’s military is its mightiest institution, a coup can be the only way to change leadership. She also reads from her new novel River Spirit, which covers the period of time leading up to the British occupation of Sudan.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Leila Aboulela

Others:

“What’s behind the wave of coups in Africa,” Al Jazeera
“Chaos in Sudan: Who Is Battling for Power, and Why It Hasn't Stopped,” by Declan Walsh and Abdi Latif Dahir
"How To Write About Africa," Granta, by Binyavanga Wainaina, 2005
“Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenyan Writer And LGBTQ Activist, Dies At 48,” by Colin Dwyer, NPR, May 22, 2019
Sudan, a coup laboratory - ISS Africa
Khartoum(1966 film)

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S6 Ep. 49: Georgia’s Fani Willis Takes on Trump: Maurice Carlos Ruffin on the History of Powerful Black Women Challenging the Establishment Sep 07, 2023

Fiction writer Maurice Carlos Ruffin joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the literary and historical antecedents to Fani Willis, the Georgia prosecutor who has filed a RICO case against Trump and 18 co-defendants for their illegal attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He discusses the long history of Black women who have challenged the white establishment when it comes to issues like political corruption, incarceration, and violence. He reads from his forthcoming novel The American Daughters, historical fiction about an enslaved woman who joins a society of spies.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Maurice Carlos Ruffin

We Cast a Shadow
The Ones Who Don’t Say I Love You
The American Daughters(forthcoming in 2024)
“Returning the Gaze” | VQR Online

Others:

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S6 Ep. 48: Is Kansas the Future of Press Censorship?: Sherman Smith on the Police Raid at a Small-Town Newspaper Aug 31, 2023

Kansas Reflector editor-in-chief Sherman Smith joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the police raid on the tiny Marion County Record. He explains the newspaper’s investigation of the DUI history of a local restaurant owner who’d applied for a liquor license, which led to an August 11 raid of both the newspaper’s office and publishers’ home. The local magistrate, with her own DUI history, signed the warrant that alleged possible identity theft by one of the reporters. Sherman explains what the police took, why it was ultimately returned, and why he’s encouraged by the national and international response that sends the message that this treatment of journalists will not be tolerated. He also reads from the Reflector’s initial reporting.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Sherman Smith

Kansas Reflector
“Police stage ‘chilling’ raid on Marion County newspaper, seizing computers, records and cellphones,” by Sherman Smith, Sam Bailey, Rachel Mipro, and Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
“Sheriff's office agrees to destroy evidence obtained from raid on Kansas newspaper,” Kansas Reflector

Others:

Marion County Record
MacGyver
Carl Hiaasen
“Judge who approved raid on Kansas newspaper has history of DUI arrests,” by Chance Swaim, Wichita Eagle
Hunter Biden
Kris Kobach
American Press Institute
Rachel Maddow
States Newsroom

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S6 Ep. 47: Lit Hub’s American Vacation: Novelist Julie Schumacher on How We Travel Now Aug 24, 2023

As summer draws to an end, Thurber Prize-winning novelist Julie Schumacher joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the state of the American vacation and how holidays are portrayed in literature. Schumacher discusses her new comic novel, The English Experience, a sequel to Dear Committee Members that focuses on university professor Jay Fitger leading a study abroad trip to England. She reflects on favorite travel narratives, how technology has changed the way we vacation, and the ethics of tourism in relation to colonialism and climate change. She reads from The English Experience.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Julie Schumacher

The English Experience
The Shakespeare Requirement
Dear Committee Members
"Was This Student Dangerous?"- The New York Times, June 18, 2014

Others:

The Parent Trap (1961)
Henry James
The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton
Voyage Around My Room by Xavier de Maistre
Baby-sitters on Board! by Ann M. Martin
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The British Museum
Rich in Love by Josephine Humphreys
A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid
The 31 Places to Go in 2010 - The New York Times

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S6 Ep. 46: How Progressives Win: Journalist Samuel G. Freedman on What Hubert Humphrey’s Fight for Civil Rights Can Teach Us Today Aug 17, 2023

Award-winning journalist and professor Samuel G. Freedman joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about what progressives today can learn from an unexpected source: Democratic politician Hubert Humphrey. Freedman explains how today’s battles against far-right bigotry parallel the fight for civil rights Humphrey engaged in alongside Jewish and Black Americans in the 1940s. Freedman talks about the importance of progressive alliances and reads from his new book, Into the Bright Sunshine: Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Samuel G. Freedman

Others:

Robert Caro
Michael Shapiro
A Campus Divided by Riv-Ellen Prell
Sam Scheiner
Cecil Newman
Charles Lindbergh
Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota
The Call
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6 Episode 6: “Nancy Pelosi’s Majority: Matthew Clark Davison’s San Francisco Take on a National Leader”
“75 years ago, Hubert H. Humphrey called for Dems to ‘walk into the bright sunshine of human rights’” by Cathy Wurzer and Gretchen Brown | Minnesota Public Radio

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S6 Ep. 45: The Kids Are Not All Right: Celeste Ng on the GOP’s War on Children Aug 10, 2023

Bestselling novelist Celeste Ng joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the wide range of GOP policies and initiatives hurting children. This includes recent news of Ron DeSantis pushing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that authorizes Florida to take emergency custody of trans children “threatened with” receiving gender-affirming care, and justifies the action by classing that care as “physical harm.” They discuss her novel, Our Missing Hearts, which features a young protagonist separated from his Chinese-American mother because of a troublesome fictional law called the Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act. Ng reads from her novel, newly out in paperback.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Celeste Ng

Others:

State Bill 254
“Judge Sides With Families Fighting Florida’s Ban on Gender Care for Minors,” by Rick Rojas and Azeen Ghorayshi, The New York Times
“Florida Passes Bill Allowing Trans Kids to Be Taken From Their Families,” by Tori Otten, The New Republic
“Florida Advanced a Bill That Could Separate Trans Kids From Affirming Parents,” by Samantha Riedel, Them
“Parents seeking treatments for trans kids could lose custody of child under new Florida bill,” by Sam Sachs, WFLA
“Nebraska Mom Helped Her Daughter Get an Abortion. Now Her Daughter Has Been Sentenced to Jail,” by Madison Pauly, Mother Jones
“Houston's plan to convert some school libraries into discipline centers is criticized,” by Dominic Anthony Walsh, NPR
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 5, Episode 13: "Censoring the American Canon: Farah Jasmine Griffin on Book Bans Targeting Black Writers"
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 1, Episode 10: "Anti-Semitism and the Authoritarian Playbook"
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 5, Episode 12: "Intimate Contact: Garth Greenwell on Book Bans and Writing About Sex"

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S6 Ep. 44: The Summer of Love or Hate: Dawnie Walton on American Concert Culture Aug 03, 2023

Journalist and novelist Dawnie Walton joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about U.S. concert culture. Why are live concerts so popular this summer and why have they so often become violent? Walton discusses how recent examples of fan violence speak to racism and sexism in American culture, as well as the role social media plays in fandom. Finally, she reads from her 2021 novel, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, which focuses on the fictional partnership between a Black American woman, singer Opal Jewel, and a white British man, guitarist Neville Charles, and discusses her story’s connection to the infamous Altamont Free Concert in 1969.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Lynn Snyder and Anne Kniggendorf.

Dawnie Walton

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

Others:

“It's ‘Bey Day’ in ‘Swiftieapolis,’” by Tommy Wiita, Bring Me The News
“How Taylor Swift Broke Ticketmaster,” by Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, Nov. 18, 2022
“No report filed for alleged attack at Monica concert: Detroit police,” by Jakkar Aimery, The Detroit News
“Bebe Rexha Hit in the Face by Thrown Cell Phone at NYC Concert,” by Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone
“Ava Max and Bebe Rexha were attacked by men on stage at their own concerts, why?” by Furvah Shah, Cosmopolitan Magazine
“The Chaos of Altamont and the Murder of Meredith Hunter,” by Sasha Frere-Jones, The New Yorker, Mar. 28, 2019
“Jason Aldean's 'Small Town' is part of a long legacy with a very dark side,” by Amanda Marie Martinez, National Public Radio
“The traumatic story of Merry Clayton and The Rolling Stones,” by Arun Starkey, Far Out Magazine, Dec. 25, 2021
Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions, by Francesca T. Royster

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S6 Ep. 43: X Marks the Spot: Robin Sloan on Social Media After Twitter Jul 27, 2023

Bestselling novelist and former Twitter employee Robin Sloan joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about how Elon Musk’s ownership of Twitter and the rise of new platforms like Mastodon, Bluesky, and Meta’s Threads are shaping a new ecosystem of social media. The co-hosts and Sloan grapple with the unruliness of Twitter over time, political polarization on different platforms and the risks of disinformation, and what the end of Twitter—now rebranded as X—might look like. Sloan reflects on the role social media plays (or doesn’t) in authors’ careers, as well as his own decision to leave Twitter. Finally, he reads from his 2012 novel Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Amanda Trout and Anne Kniggendorf.

Robin Sloan

Others:

“Robin Sloan leaves Twitter's Media Partnerships team,” The Next Web, November 11, 2011
“Bay Area author Robin Sloan dishes on 'Sourdough,' Twitter and books,” San Jose Mercury-News, May 18, 2019
“How to Write Science Fiction That Isn't 'Useful,'” Robin Sloan interviewed by Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, May 15, 2020
“The Age of Social Media Is Ending,” by Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, Nov. 10, 2022
“Threads users looking for 'genuine connection' as Twitter-like social media platform goes back to basics,” ABC News (Australia), July 14, 2023.
“Social Media Is Dead,” by Edward Ongweso Jr., Vice, Nov. 8, 2022.
“Social Media Died When It Stopped Being Social and Became About Making Money,” by Enrique Dans, Forbes, May 13, 2019
“With the rise of AI, social media platforms could face perfect storm of misinformation in 2024,” CNN Business, July 17, 2023
“Threads, Twitter, and the Future of Social Media,” by Sriram Krishnan, The New York Times (Opinion), July 15, 2023
“Zombie Twitter Has Arrived,” by Ian Bogost and Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, July 6, 2023
“The Weaponization of Social Media and Real World Consequences,” by Dave Davies, National Public Radio, October 9, 2018
“Conservative social networks like Gettr and Parler keep making the same mistake,” by Casey Newton, The Verge, Jul 6, 2021
“Tucker Carlson's show on Twitter makes ad deal with anti-ESG shopping app” by Brian Schwartz, CNBC, July 16, 2023
“Taylor Swift Gets Political On Social Media As Nashville Elections Start,” by Aimée Lutkin, Elle, July 15, 2023
“Despite cries of censorship, conservatives dominate social media,” by Mark Scott, POLITICO, Oct. 26, 2020
“Robin Sloan's 'Sourdough' Is a Fascinating Riddle” by Andy Newman, The Atlantic, Dec. 5, 2017
“Book Armageddon is a Myth: Interview with Robin Sloan” by Lex Berko, Vice, April 10, 2013
“More than eight-in-ten Americans get news from digital devices” Jan. 2021 Study by Elisa Shearer, Pew Research Center, Jan. 12, 2021
“Conservative Social Media— A New Norm?” by Kayla Morrison, Brown Political Review, Dec. 3, 2022
“Robin Sloan: Describing the emotions of life online,” by Josh Kramer, New Public, Mar. 13, 2022
“Computer Stories: A.I. Is Beginning to Assist Novelists—Robin Sloan” by David Streitfeld, The New York Times, Oct. 18, 2018
“The Infinite Deaths of Social Media” by Jason Parham, WIRED, May 4, 2022
“Social media is doomed to die” by Ellis Hamburger, The Verge, April 18, 2023
“The Future of Social Media Is a Lot Less Social” by Brian X. Chen, The New York Times, April 19, 2023
“Delhi Man Creates Device Which Allows You To Order Pizza With Your Mind,” by Anoushka Sharma, NDTV, July 21, 2023

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S6 Ep. 42: SCOTUS vs. MFA: Jaswinder Bolina on How the End of Affirmative Action Will Affect Writing Program Admissions Jul 20, 2023

Poet Jaswinder Bolina joins co-host Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about how the Supreme Court’s decision to outlaw the consideration of race in college admissions will affect MFA programs. The group reflects on why diversity is a crucial part of any writer’s education and the risk that this decision will change writing programs for the worse. Comparing the MFA admissions processes for their respective institutions, the three also discuss how everything from scholarships to the workshop environment may be affected, and Bolina speaks about the importance of diverse faculties. He reads from his essay “American, Indian” and Ganeshananthan reads a section of Supreme Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s dissent—both examples of how it is impossible to think about American writing, or American history, without considering race.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Cheri Brisendine and Anne Kniggendorf.

Jaswinder Bolina

English as a Second Language and Other Poems(forthcoming October 2023)
44th of July
Phantom Camera
Carrier Waves
The Tallest Building in America
“American, Indian” - The Paris Review

Others:

Supreme Court Rejects Affirmative Action at Harvard and UNC - The New York Times
20-1199 Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College
“Creativity And Diversity: How Exposure To Different People Affects Our Thinking” by Shankar Vedantam, Jennifer Schmidt, Parth Shah, Tara Boyle, NPR
Quiz Show directed by Robert Redford
SCOTUS affirmative action ruling: Harvard and UNC students, alums react
Here's what happened when affirmative action ended at California public colleges by Emma Bowman, NPR
Michigan's ban on affirmative action upheld by Supreme Court | CNN
20-1199 Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (06/29/2023)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a bill banning DEI initiatives in public colleges : NPR by Jaclyn Diaz
James Tate
Column: On affirmative action, Justice Jackson blasts her colleagues' 'let-them-eat-cake obliviousness'
Affirmative action in college admissions and why military academies were exempted by the Supreme Court - CBS News by Caitlin Yilek and Kathryn Watson
What Counts as Discrimination on a College Campus? By Kelly Field, The Chronicle of Higher Education
Pulp Fiction directed by Quentin Tarantino
Jhumpa Lahiri
Ernest Hemingway
Zadie Smith
Read the full text of the dissents in the Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling by Sotomayor and Jackson - CBS News
Jim Crow Laws | American Experience | Official Site | PBS
Homestead Act (1862) | National Archives
Will Essay Prompts Get Students in After the Affirmative Action Ruling? By Scott Jaschik
Highlights of the Affirmative Action Opinions and Dissents by Charlie Savage, New York Times

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S6 Ep. 41: Owner of a Lonely Heart: Beth Nguyen on Memoir, Mothering, and Refugeedom Jul 13, 2023

Novelist and nonfiction writer Beth Nguyen joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about her new memoir, Owner of a Lonely Heart, which is about her separation from and connection to her mother. Nguyen explains how when she came to the U.S. as a refugee, her mother was left behind in Vietnam. She discusses how returning to scenes depicted in her previous memoir, Stealing Buddha’s Dinner, prompted her to reassess and revise her memories of her mother, including their eventual reunion. She also reflects on how becoming a parent herself has shifted her perspectives. She reads from Owner of a Lonely Heart, speaks about the rise in anti-Asian racism, and, finally, turns to the intersection between poetry and nonfiction.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Rachel Layton and Anne Kniggendorf.

Beth Nguyen

Others:

Phillip Lopate
“Tracing a tragedy: How hundreds of migrants drowned on Greece’s watch,” The Washington Post
“Missing Titanic Submersible ‘Catastrophic Implosion’ Likely Killed 5 Aboard Submersible,” The New York Times
“Trump Defends Using ‘Chinese Virus’ Label, Ignoring Growing Criticism,” The New York Times, March 18, 2020
“How violence against Asian Americans has grown and how to stop it, according to activists,” by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, April 11, 2022, PBS NewsHour
Asian American Month
Miss Saigon by Claude-Michel Shöenberg and Alain Boublil
The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Platoon, directed by Oliver Stone
Full Metal Jacket, directed by Stanley Kubrick
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
“America Ruined My Name For Me: So I Chose A New One” by Beth Nguyen, The New Yorker
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 2, Episode 7: Bich Minh Nguyen on the Refugee Experience of Holiday Narratives

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S6 Ep. 40: In Memory of Cormac McCarthy: Oscar Villalon on an Iconic Writer’s Life, Work and Legacy Jul 06, 2023

Editor and literary critic Oscar Villalon joins V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to celebrate the life and legacy of the novelist Cormac McCarthy, who died last month. The hosts and Villalon reflect on McCarthy’s vast vocabulary and cinematic descriptions, in which he juxtaposed lyrical prose with graphic violence. Villalon considers McCarthy’s use of regionally accurate Spanish in the Border Trilogy as evidence of the author’s broad understanding of the U.S.’s multilingual diversity. Villalon also reads and discusses a passage from McCarthy’s 1994 novel The Crossing, the second book in the trilogy.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Todd Loughran.

Oscar Villalon

ZYZZYVA
LitHub
“Barbarians at the Wall,” by Oscar Villalon, from Virginia Quarterly Review
Oscar Villalon (@ovillalon) · Twitter

Cormac McCarthy

The Orchard Keeper (1965)
Outer Dark (1968)
Child of God (1974)
Suttree (1979)
Blood Meridian, Or the Evening Redness in the West (1985)
All the Pretty Horses (1992)
The Crossing (1994)
Cities of the Plain (1998)
No Country for Old Men (2005)
The Road (2006)
The Passenger (2022)
Stella Maris (2022)

Others:

“Cormac McCarthy, Novelist of a Darker America, Is Dead at 89,” by Dwight Garner, The New York Times
“Cormac McCarthy Had a Remarkable Literary Career. It Could Never Happen Now,” by Dan Sinykin, The New York Times
“Albert R. Erskine, 81, an Editor For Faulkner and Other Authors,” by Bruce Lambert, The New York Times
Paul Yamazaki on Fifty Years of Bookselling at City Lights, by Mitchell Kaplan, Literary Hub
“Crossing the Blood Meridian: Cormac McCarthy and American History,” by Bennett Parten, Los Angeles Review of Books
Oprah's Exclusive Interview with Cormac McCarthy - Video - June 1, 2008
Oprah on Cormac McCarthy’s Life In Books
Oprah’s Book Club
William Faulkner
Cormac McCarthy, MacArthur Foundation Grant
City Lights Booksellers and Publishers
The Crystal Frontier by Carlos Fuentes
Roberto Bolaño
Larry McMurtry
King James Version of the Bible/Old Testament/Apostle Paul
Saul Bellow
Ernest Hemingway
Caroline Casey
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1, Episode 7: What Was It Like to Care About Books 20 Years Ago?
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1, Episode 24: Oscar Villalon and Arthur Phillips on Getting That Big, Fat Writer’s Advance
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5, Episode 10: ‘How on Earth Do You Judge Books?’: Susan Choi and Oscar Villalon on the Real Story Behind Literary Awards

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S6 Ep. 39: The Kids Are at Work: Jean Kwok On Recent Efforts to Loosen Child Labor Laws and Her Years as a Child Worker in New York Jun 29, 2023

Novelist Jean Kwok joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss recent changes to child labor laws in the U.S., as more than 10 states have proposed or enacted legislation that would loosen restrictions on minors working. The three talk about what the shift means in relation to labor shortages and consider migrant children’s unique vulnerability to exploitation. Kwok describes working in a New York factory from kindergarten through high school and how that experience continues to affect her life. She also reads from her novel Girl in Translation, which isbased on her years as a child worker.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Jean Kwok

Others:

Adrian Dickey
‘Dumb and dangerous’: US sees surge in efforts to weaken child labor regulations, by Michael Sainato, The Guardian
“Iowa Governor Signs Law to Loosen Child Labor Regulations” by Katarina Sostaric, Iowa Public Radio
“Iowa Senate Republicans Pass Bill to Relax Some Child Labor Laws” by Katarina Sostaric, Iowa Public Radio
‘It’s just crazy’: Republicans attack US child labor laws as violations rise” by Michael Sainato, The Guardian
“Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the U.S.” by Hannah Dreier, The New York Times.
“Republicans and Democrats have different top priorities for U.S. immigration policy” by J. Baxter Oliphant and Andy Cerda, Pew Research Center
“House G.O.P., Divided Over Immigration, Advances Border Crackdown Plan,” by Karoun Demirjian, The New York Times
“Jean Kwok, Author of Girl in Translation” by Jen Chung, The Gothamist
“Children as young as 12 work legally on farms, despite years of efforts to change law” by Andrea Hsu, NPR
‘We give our blood so they live comfortably’: Sri Lanka’s tea pickers say they go hungry and live in squalor,” by Jeevan Ravindran, The Guardian
“Meet the urban sharecroppers,” by Tanis Taylor, The Guardian
China’s One-Child Policy - The New York Times

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S6 Ep. 38: Everybody Hates Joe: Jacinda Townsend on Why Democrats Are Skeptical of President Biden—and What He Must Do To Win Them Back Jun 22, 2023

Novelist Jacinda Townsend joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss Joe Biden’s stubbornly low poll numbers among Democrats, which persist despite his legislative accomplishments. Townsend talks about the administration’s struggles to communicate its goals and achievements and explains why Biden’s policy decisions—past and present—have often disappointed Black and younger voters. Townsend reads from her novel Mother Country and reflects on the aftermath of the Biden administration’s plan to forgive student debt.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Jacinda Townsend

Others:

Affordable Care Act
“Did William Henry Harrison Really Die From Pneumonia?” by Christopher Klein
Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign
“SOTU: Joe Biden’s Economy By the Numbers” by Tim Smart
“Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New Clean Energy Projects”
“President Biden Announces Student Loan Relief for Borrowers Who Need It Most”
“President Biden to Sign Executive Order Protecting Access to Reproductive Health Care Services”
“Biden picks Ketanji Brown Jackson as historic U.S. Supreme Court nominee” by Jeff Mason, Jarrett Renshaw, and Lawrence Hurley
Harvard CAPS Harris Poll
“Former President Donald Trump's second indictment, annotated” by Zachary B. Wolf and Curt Merrill
Biden’s Numbers, January 2023 Update
Biden-Harris Administration Launches First CHIPS for America Funding Opportunity
Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook
“Biden signs bipartisan bill that suspends debt limit until 2025, cuts spending” by Chris Megerian
Biden-Harris Administration Announces $502 Million for High-Speed Internet in Rural Communities
“Network Free K.C.” by Whitney Terrell
“Biden Administration Announces Savings on 43 Prescription Drugs as Part of Cost-Saving Measures Under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act”
“Biden Supported A Constitutional Amendment To End Mandated Busing In 1975” by Domenico Montanaro
“Did Joe Biden Say He Didn't Want His Kids Growing Up in a 'Racial Jungle'?” by Bethania Palma
Jesse Helms
“Did the 1994 crime bill cause mass incarceration?” by Rashawn Ray and William A. Galston
“New Process to Discharge Student Loans in Bankruptcy” by John Rao
“Student Loan Debt by Gender” by Melanie Hanson
Reaganomics
Jimmy Carter
“Biden Job Approval, Direction Of Country: IBD/TIPP Poll”
“Joe Biden’s 1975 comments slamming slavery reparations, school busing resurfaced by Washington Post” by Jessica Chasmar
“Young Voters Not Excited About Joe Biden” by Lauren Camera
Chris Christie
Ron DeSantis
Mike Pence
“It took 15 rounds of voting, but Ann Arbor School Board finally picks president” by Martin Slagter
Moms of Liberty

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S6 Ep. 37: Lights, Camera, White House: Matt Quirk on the Enduring Power of the West Wing in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Film Jun 15, 2023

Novelist Matt Quirk joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss what makes the White House such a popular place to set stories—including scenes in his newest thriller, Inside Threat, as well as a previous book, The Night Agent, which is now a hit Netflix series. Quirk suggests that the White House is a unique space where the domestic sphere intersects with the seat of world power. He examines the idea that readers desire a “classic president” character, particularly in times when the real commander in chief falls short. He also reads from Inside Threat and reflects on shifting settings from the White House to Raven Rock, a real-life government doomsday bunker. Finally, he talks about what it’s been like to see The Night Agent adapted for the screen.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Matthew Quirk

Others:

How Shawn Ryan Adapted 'The Night Agent' from the Page to the Screen By Jean Bentley
The West Wing
White House Down
Olympus Has Fallen
Murder at 1600
Scandal
Seven Days in May
Commander in Chief
The American President
Max 2: White House Hero
William Faulkner
King Kong
James Bond
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 3 Episode 9: “All the President’s Henchmen: Susan Choi and Garrett Graff on the Citizens of the Swamp”
Raven Rock by Garrett Graff
Agatha Christie
Die Hard
The Pelican Brief by John Grisham
Law & Order
“More secret service agents expected to lose jobs over Colombia scandal”
“Secret Service agents sent home after one found passed out in Amsterdam” by Evan Perez
“Reports: Secret Service agent on Pence detail consorted with prostitute” By Melanie Eversley
Clint Eastwood
Air Force One
First Daughter
Chasing Liberty
Curtis Sittenfeld
Ellen Emerson White

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S6 Ep. 36: Time, Trump, and Trauma: Matt Bell Talks Living on a Political Mobius Strip Jun 08, 2023

Writer Matt Bell joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the eerily familiar run-up to the 2024 presidential race, as well as his latest novel, Appleseed. Referencing his recent craft book, Refuse to Be Done, Bell talks about how literature frequently uses repetition and non-linear chronology to mimic the experience of trauma. He also explains how expanding Appleseed’s timeline helped him to consider the possibility of redemption after disaster.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Matt Bell

Others:

The Dark Tower by Stephen King
Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer
Losing Music by John Cotter
Time’s Arrow by Martin Amis
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula Le Guin
The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone and Michael Smolli
“Rhyming Action” by Charles Baxter
Hyperobjects by Timothy Morton
The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry
Eleutheria by Allegra Hyde
The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins
Trump Town Hall Shows His Second-Term Plan: Shattering Even More Norms - The New York Times
Pod Save America | Crooked Media

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S6 Ep. 35: Cancel Club: Jane Roper on Online Shame, Responsibility, and Fame Jun 01, 2023

Writer Jane Roper joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss cancel culture and her new book, The Society of Shame. Roper teases out some of the similarities and differences between the group in her novel and the real-life “Gathering of Thought Criminals” as recently covered in the New Yorker. She discusses what social and moral offenses can and cannot be forgiven. She reads from her book as well as the New Yorker article by Emma Green.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Jane Roper

Others:

“The Party is Cancelled” by Emma Green, The New Yorker
“‘Central Park Karen’ Amy Cooper Loses Lawsuit Against Former Employer” by Patrick Reilly
“Florida Women Plead Guilty in Sex Sting Involving Patriots Owner Robert Kraft” Associated Press
Thomas Sowell
Tyler Fischer
“‘Nobody imagined it would go on this long’: Bud Light sales continue to plummet over Mulvaney backlash” by Rob Wile
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 1, Episode 2: “Jia Tolentino and Claire Vaye Watkins Talk Abuse, Harassment, and Harvey Weinstein”
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 4, Episode 13: Cancellation or Consequences? Meredith Talusan and Matt Gallagher on Accountability in Literature ‹ Literary Hub
“Uber’s Diversity Chief Put on Leave After Complaints of Insensitivity” by Kellen Browning

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S6 Ep. 34: Rising from the Ashes: Felix Salmon on the Debt Ceiling Crisis and the Surprising Resilience of the COVID Economy May 25, 2023

Financial correspondent and podcast host Felix Salmon joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the debt ceiling crisis and his new book The Phoenix Economy: Work, Life, and Money in the New Not Normal. Salmon unpacks the political and financial ramifications of our current debt ceiling crisis—and compares the present impasse to prior debt ceiling fights. He also discusses the underappreciated and unexpected economic effects of the COVID pandemic, including an increase in the financial health of lower income Americans and a redistribution of population away from major cities. Salmon reads from The Phoenix Economy, and explains how the pandemic will continue to change our economic lives.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Felix Salmon

Others:

“A Brief History of Debt Ceiling Crises” by Raymond Scheppach

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S6 Ep. 33: The Stakes of the Writers’ Strike: Benjamin Percy on the WGA Walkout, Streaming, and the Survival of Screenwriting May 18, 2023

Novelist, screenwriter, and Writers Guild of America member Benjamin Percy joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the Hollywood writers’ strike, which began May 2. Percy talks about several WGA contract proposals tied to streaming services’ rise in popularity, and reflects on how streaming has upended the traditional 22-episode television season, causing writers to scramble for work every 10 weeks. He explains how writers end up doing unpaid labor before shows are greenlit and highlights how a lack of transparency regarding streaming viewership numbers leads to writers being underpaid. He also analyzes why the WGA wants to limit the use of artificial intelligence on its projects. Finally, he talks about his own experiences writing screenplays, including his recent movie Summering. The group listens to the trailer and Percy recalls the genesis of the film, as well as how being on a set changed his understanding of the economics of movies.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Benjamin Percy

Others:

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S6 Ep. 32: The East Palestine Train Derailment and Your Health: Kerri Arsenault on the Pervasive and Ongoing Risks of Dioxin May 11, 2023

Writer Kerri Arsenault joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the recent derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio. Arsenault is the author of Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains, an investigative memoir about her hometown, Mexico, Maine, where a paper mill released dioxins into the environment for decades. Arsenault talks about the effect dioxins had on Mexico, which was nicknamed “Cancer Valley,” as well as the history of dioxin poisonings in America. She discusses how government and industry responses in East Palestine parallel the cover-up in her hometown. She also reads from the book.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Kerri Arsenault

Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains

Others:

“Texas to New Jersey: Tracking the Toxic Chemicals in the Ohio Train Inferno” by Hiroko Tabuchi
“Whose Test Results Should East Palestine Believe?” by Gabrielle Gurley
“Leaked audio reveals U.S. rail workers were told to skip inspections as Ohio crash prompts scrutiny to industry” by Michael Sainato
White Noise by Don DeLillo
“Living and Breathing on the Front Line of a Toxic Chemical Zone” by Eric Lipton

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S6 Ep. 31: Ready Player One: B.J. Best, Andrew Ervin, and Brittney Morris on Video Games, Storytelling, and the Importance of Play May 04, 2023

Writers B.J. Best, Andrew Ervin, and Brittney Morris join co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell live from the Unbound Book Festival in Columbia, Missouri to discuss the narrative realms of video games and the evolving space they inhabit. The group reminisces about their first experiences playing and talks about nostalgia, reflects on ludology vs narratology in game design, and analyzes the way video games include players in the storytelling. Ranging from the text-based games of early days to the AAA and blockbuster franchises like Red Dead Redemption and World of Warcraft, this episode considers the necessity of play after childhood. All three authors read from their work.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Cheri Brisendine and Anne Kniggendorf.

B. J. Best

Andrew Ervin

Brittney Morris

Others:

Games:

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S6 Ep. 30: Ralph Yarl, Defunding Libraries, and (Re)Writing Kansas City: José Faus, C.J. Janovy, and Desideria Mesa on the Importance of Crafting New Narratives in a Divided City Apr 27, 2023

Visual artist and poet José Faus, journalist C.J. Janovy, and writer Desideria Mesa, join host Whitney Terrell live from the Unbound Book Festival in Columbia, Missouri, to discuss Kansas City’s literary legacy and its future. The group focuses on new book ban legislation, as well a white homeowner’s recent shooting of Black teenager Ralph Yarl, who mistakenly knocked on his door. Mesa reflects on the Mexican boxcar community and how that history is still relevant and present in the city today. Faus talks about the Latino Writers Collective and The Kansas City Defender, two prominent Kansas City literary forces. Janovy discusses recent legislation restricting the rights of transgender people in Kansas and Missouri and a vote by the Missouri House of Representatives to defund libraries. Each author reads a short section of their work.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Rachel Layton and Anne Kniggendorf.

José Faus

The Life and Times of José Calderon
“This Town Like That”

C.J. Janovy

No Place Like Home

Desideria Mesa

Bindle Punk Bruja

Others:

Unbound Book Festival
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 5 Episode 12 - Intimate Contact: Garth Greenwell on Book Bans and Writing About Sex
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 5 Episode 13 - Censoring the American Canon: Farah Jasmine Griffin on Book Bans Targeting Black Writers
“In Kansas City, Wrong Door Shooting Reopens Questions About Racism” - New York Times
“Missouri House Republicans Want to Defund Libraries. Here’s Why” - PBS News Hour
Latino Writers Collective
Dan Jaffe
Sharat Chandra
Michelle Boisseau
David Ray
Ernest Hemingway
Langston Hughes
Gordon Parks
Gwendolyn Brooks
William Stafford
Evan Connell
Glenn North
Hadara Bar-Nadav
Anne Boyer
The Kansas City Star
Calvin Trillin
The Kansas City Defender
Emanuel Cleaver II
Quinton Lucas
Richard L. Berkeley
Kansas City (Movie)
Jay McShann
William (Count) Basie
Bennie Moten
Charlie Parker
Strawberry Hill
“ACLU Sues Missouri Over Book Ban Law that Pushed School Libraries to Remove Hundreds of Titles” - KCUR
“Racism and Fascism” by Toni Morrison
“Kansas Bans Transgender Athletes from Women’s, Girls’ Sports” - Associated Press
Westboro Baptist Church
“Caitlyn Jenner: The Full Story” - Vanity Fair
“Local Organizations Promote Understanding of Transgender Residents with Billboard” - The Collegian, Kansas State University

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S6 Ep. 29: Live from New York: Curtis Sittenfeld on Dating Up, Writing Funny, and How SNL and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop Are Alike Apr 20, 2023

Bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her new novel, Romantic Comedy, which begins behind the scenes at a television show similar to Saturday Night Live, where a female comedy writer is gobsmacked that her schlubby straight male co-workers keep dating famous women seemingly out of their league. Sittenfeld discusses dating up, women in the workplace, and the similarities between SNL and the Iowa Writers Workshop. Sittenfeld and Ganeshananthan crack up while reading from Romantic Comedy, and Sittenfeld discusses the surprising turn in her heroine’s love life, the complications of writing sex scenes, and how she dealt with the pressure to be funny when describing comedians.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Ryan Reed and Anne Kniggendorf.

Curtis Sittenfeld

Others:

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S6 Ep. 28: An American Experiment: Jeff Boyd on Race, Music, Religion, and Love in Contemporary Portland Apr 13, 2023

Fiction writer Jeff Boyd joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss his debut novel, The Weight, a coming-of-age story about a young Black musician who struggles with romance, religion, and racism in predominantly white Portland. Boyd talks about his personal struggles with and admiration of faith, the difficulties of developing an identity, and his own experiences as a Black man living in Oregon. He reflects on the dynamics of bands, as well as his protagonist’s romantic relationships and ability to forgive. He reads an excerpt from the book.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Amanda Trout and Anne Kniggendorf.

Jeff Boyd

The Weight

Others:

Ghostbusters (1984)
Go Tell It on the Mountainby James Baldwin
In the Soup: Sean McDonald and Monica West on Publishing During, and After, a Pandemic Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 4, Episode 18
Revival Season by Monica West
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
“On Becoming an American Writer,” by James Alan McPherson from The Washington Post
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6 Episode 20: “Remembering an American Writer: Anthony Walton on James Alan McPherson’s Essays and Legacy”
“A Region Not Home: Reflections From Exile,” by James Alan McPherson from Publisher’s Weekly
Ralph Ellison
Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP)
Black Lives Matter
The King of Kings County by Whitney Terrell
“In 2021, 10 Hate Groups were Tracked in Oregon,” from the Southern Poverty Law Center
“Why Iowa Has Become Such a Heartbreaker for Democrats,” by Trip Gabriel from the New York Times
Mutual Musicians Foundation
Portlandia (2011-2018)
“The Geometry of Love,” by John Cheever from Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

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S6 Ep. 27: Manufacturing Lies: Dina Nayeri on How Our Cultural and Bureaucratic Norms Often Betray the Truth Apr 06, 2023

Writer Dina Nayeri joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her new nonfiction book, Who Gets Believed?: When the Truth Isn’t Enough, an examination of whose narratives are considered trustworthy and why, with a focus on refugees and asylum seekers. Nayeri, who was born in Iran and granted asylum to the U.S. when she was 10, talks about the case of a Sri Lankan Tamil man who sought asylum in the U.K. in 2011, and how British officials failed to believe his story of torture. She also describes her childhood feeling of performing a role in her new American home, as well as the origins of her own skepticism—and how a personal tragedy led her to reassess how much she could trust even herself. She reads from her new book.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Thomas White and Anne Kniggendorf.

Dina Nayeri

Others:

The Iranian Revolution at 40: Jasmin Darznik and Dina Nayeri On the Anniversary of the Republic Fiction/Non/Fiction Podcast
The Drowned and the Saved by Primo Levi
“In the Penal Colony” by Franz Kafka
Freedom from Torture
Innocence Project
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 1 Episode 23: Jasmin Darznik and Dina Nayeri on the 40th Anniversary of the Iranian Revolution

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S6 Ep. 26: The Literature of QAnon: From 4chan to January 6, Will Sommer on Reading the Authors of Conspiracy Theories Mar 30, 2023

Journalist Will Sommer joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss his new book Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America, a history of the rise of the cultish right-wing group. Sommer, a reporter for The Daily Beast, has covered QAnon since its inception and explains its origins, what—and who—drives it now, and how he handles interviewing people who believe the world is controlled by a satanic cabal of celebrity pedophiles. He also reads an excerpt from the book.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Cheri Brisendine and Anne Kniggendorf.

Will Sommer

Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America
“Fever Dreams” (The Daily Beast)

Others:

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
“What is QAnon, the Viral, Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theory?” by Kevin Roose
Thomas Pynchon
George Soros
T.S. Eliot
The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot
Ezra Pound
Wallace Stevens
Q by Luther Blissett
Bhagavad Gita
Wu Ming Foundation
“Who is Behind QAnon? Linguistic Detectives Find Fingerprints” by David D. Kirkpatrick
Clerks
Army of Darkness
Franklin Leonard
Slumdog Millionaire
Ron Paul
“The only guide to Gamergate you’ll ever need to read,” by Caitlin Dewey, The Washington Post
David A. Fahrenthold at The Washington Post; David A. Fahrenthold at The New York Times

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S6 Ep. 25: Alone on the Range: Victor LaValle on Lone Women’s Homesteaders, History, and Horror Mar 23, 2023

Fiction writer Victor LaValle joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss his new novel Lone Women, which tells the suspenseful story of Adelaide Henry, a Black woman with a mysterious trunk who heads from California to Montana to become a solo homesteader in 1915. LaValle talks about the inspiration for the novel’s incendiary opening, how the story merges horror and history, and Adelaide’s unconventional baggage. He also reflects on the tradition of lone women homesteaders, considers the eclectic cast of characters that Adelaide meets, and reads an excerpt of the novel.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Rachel Layton and Anne Kniggendorf.

Victor LaValle

Others:

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 3 Episode 3: “Creepy Stories (and More) from Victor LaValle and Benjamin Percy”
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1 Episode 15: “Emily Raboteau and Omar El Akkad Tell a Different Kind of Climate Change Story”
Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart
Montana Women Homesteaders: A Field of One’s Own by Sarah Carter
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History edited by Rose Fox and Daniel José Older
Mattie T. Cramer
The Bear Paw Mountaineer
The Color Purple (film)

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S6 Ep. 24: Iraq 20 Years After the U.S. Invasion: Ghaith Abdul-Ahad on Iraqi Perspectives on the War and What Western Media Missed Mar 16, 2023

Prize-winning Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss his new book A Stranger in Your Own City, which features Iraqi perspectives on the United States’ invasion and occupation of Iraq. Abdul-Ahad talks aboutwhat Western media missed and also considers the early stages of the war and how resentment built over time. He reflects on the fall of Saddam Hussein, the ensuing Iraqi civil conflict, Western misconceptions of the country, and how the U.S. occupation planted the seeds of the Islamic State.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Ryan Reed.

Selected readings:

Ghath Abdul-Ahad

A Stranger in Your Own City: Travels in the Middle East’s Long War
Unembedded: Four Photojournalists on the Iraq War
“Baghdad Memories: what the first months of U.S. occupation felt like to an Iraqi” The Guardian
The Battle for Syria, FRONTLINE (documentary)

Others

Hans Fallada
“Bullshit Saviors: Helen Benedict and Nadia Hashimi on Depictions of the American Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 4, Episode 26
“The Legacy of ISIS: Dunya Mikhail on Yazidi Women Captives in Iraq,” Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6, Episode 12

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S6 Ep. 23: Letters to a Writer of Color: Deepa Anappara and Taymour Soomro on Finding Community With Each Other Mar 09, 2023

Fiction writers Deepa Anappara and Taymour Soomro join co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the newly published essay collection Letters to a Writer of Color, which they co-edited. The book features 17 pieces by authors of color from all over the world reflecting on aspects of craft and the writing life. Anappara and Soomro talk about how experiences in their MFA program led them to collaborate on the book. Contributors include Kiese Laymon on the second person, Ingrid Rojas Contreras on trauma, Myriam Gurba on art and activism, Sharlene Teo on reception and resilience, Amitava Kumar on authenticity, Mohammed Hanif on political fiction, and Femi Kayode on crime fiction. Soomro reads from his essay about origin stories and Anappara reads from her essay on the ideal conditions for writing. They also discuss other themes in the book: isolation in the writing world, non-Western storytelling, questions of translation, ongoing violence against people of color, and literature as a mode of social education.

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 episode of the podcast was produced by Amanda Trout and Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Letters to a Writer of Color, co-edited by Deepa Anappara and Taymour Soomro

Deepa Anappara

Taymour Soomro

Other Names for Love
“Philosophy of the Foot” in The New Yorker
Essays and stories

Others

“On ‘Oprah’s Book Club,’ ‘American Dirt’ Author Faces Criticism” by Concepción de León - New York Times (2020)

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S6 Ep. 22: More to Say: Ann Beattie on Her New Collection of Essays, Donald Barthelme, and the Chinese Spy Balloon Mar 02, 2023

Acclaimed fiction writer Ann Beattie joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her recent LitHub essay about Donald Barthelme’s short story “The Balloon” and the Chinese spy balloon. She also talks about her recently published first collection of essays, More to Say: Essays and Appreciations, in which she writes about the work of authors, photographers, and artists she admires, including Elmore Leonard, Sally Mann, John Loengard, and her own husband, visual artist Lincoln Perry. Beattie explains why as a nonfiction writer, she prefers close looking and reading; considers defamiliarization in the hands of Barthelme and Alice Munro; analyzes former visual artist John Updike’s depiction of the natural world; and reflects on developing increased comfort with writing about visual art. She also reads excerpts from both her LitHub piece and the essay collection.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Ann Beattie

More to Say (Moon Palace Books)
More to Say (Godine)
The State We’re In (Moon Palace Books)
“Richard Rew's Sculpture,” by Ann Beattie | The New Yorker
“John Updike’s Sense of Wonder,” by Ann Beattie
“Ann Beattie Wonders What Donald Barthelme Would Have Made of the Spy Balloon” | Literary Hub

Others:

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S6 Ep. 21: Kingdom Quarterback: Mark Dent and Rustin Dodd on Race, Kansas City Football, and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes Feb 23, 2023

Following a gutsy, thrilling 2023 Super Bowl win by the Kansas City Chiefs, sportswriters Mark Dent and Rustin Dodd join co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss their forthcoming book Kingdom Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs, and How a Once Swingin' Cow Town Chased the Ultimate Comeback. Dent and Dodd map out the relationship between race and football in Kansas City from the Chiefs’ move to the city in the early 1960s to the activism and engagement of players like Mahomes in the Black Lives Matter era.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Mark Dent and Rustin Dodd

Others:

America's Game: The Epic Story Of How Pro Football Captured A Nation by Michael MacCambridge
Kansas City (as 'K.C. Loving') written by Leiber and Stoller, recorded by Little Willie Littlefield (1953)
The history behind J.C. Nichols’ development, restrictive covenants in Kansas City
The King of Kings County by Whitney Terrell
Race, Real Estate, and Uneven Development by Kevin Fox Gotham

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S6 Ep. 20: Remembering an American Writer: Anthony Walton on James Alan McPherson’s Essays and Legacy Feb 16, 2023

James Alan McPherson is famous as the first Black writer to win the Pulitzer Prize in fiction; a new book aims to bring fresh attention to his masterful nonfiction. The volume’s editor, poet and writer Anthony Walton, joins V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss On Becoming an American Writer, a collection of McPherson’s essays. Walton explains McPherson’s moral vision for the U.S. and how this shaped the book’s curation. He highlights how the theme of ancestors connects various pieces, notes the impact of McPherson’s legal training on his writing, reflects on McPherson’s take on the middle class, and considers how McPherson’s work speaks to society today. He also reads from the book’s first essay, “Junior and John Doe.”

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Anthony Walton

On Becoming an American Writer (ed.)
Mississippi: An American Journey
Brothers in Arms (with Kareem Abdul-Jabar)
Cricket Weather

Others:

The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang
“Trump Criticized for Dining with Far-Right Activist Nick Fuentes and Rapper Ye,” – The Washington Post
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6 Episode 11: The Best and Worst Dinner Parties in Literature: Mar-a-Lago Edition, Featuring Michael Knight
Clarence Thomas
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Shadow and Act by Ralph Ellison
Going to the Territory by Ralph Ellison
Hue and Cry by James Alan McPherson
Crabcakes by James Alan McPherson
Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson
“On Becoming an American Writer,” by James Alan McPherson (essay)

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S6 Ep. 19: The Lives of the Wives: Carmela Ciuraru on Marriage, Writing, and Equity Feb 09, 2023

Literary critic Carmela Ciuraru joins V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her new book The Lives of the Wives, which looks at five literary marriages, including pairings like Elizabeth Jane Howard and Kingsley Amis. She examines the dynamics of such relationships, particularly when one partner declares their time more valuable. She explains why the stories of historic couples like Una Troubridge and Radclyffe Hall remain relevant today, and highlights the experiences of lesser-known partners, some of whom were artists and writers themselves. She also reads an excerpt about the early days of Patricia Neal and Roald Dahl’s courtship.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Carmela Ciuraru

Others:

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S6 Ep. 18: This Other Eden: Paul Harding on Imagining Our Integrated Past Feb 02, 2023

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Paul Harding joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the history of an integrated community in Maine and how it inspired his new novel, This Other Eden. Harding talks about where he drew the line in his research; his ekphrastic habits; the ever-present human tendency to create “Others”; and what it means to say “never again” in the face of injustice that repeats itself. He also reads from the novel.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Paul Harding

Others:

Charles Ethan Porter
Malaga Island - Bowdoin University
Maine evicts residents of Malaga Island - Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Maine School for the Feeble Minded - Pineland Farms
First International Congress for Eugenics in London
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, by James Weldon Johnson
Karl Barth
Confessing Church
William Shakespeare
Macbeth
The Tempest
Old Testament
Darwin and the theory of Eugenics
“Understanding and Ameliorating Medical Mistrust Among Black Americans” - The Commonwealth Fund
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally COVID-19 Superspreader Event - National Health Institute
Artificial Intelligence
Race Bias in AI and other science/tech
The Cornerstone Speech
Walt Whitman
Maine apologizes for Malaga Island - Press Herald
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Henry James
Review: Racism tears a Maine fishing community apart in 'This Other Eden' - NPR
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1 Episode 9: Can I Get A Witness: God and Faith in American Fiction
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6 Episode 17: Chatbot vs. Writer: Vauhini Vara on the Perils and Possibilities of Artificial Intelligence

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S6 Ep. 17: Chatbot vs. Writer: Vauhini Vara on the Perils and Possibilities of Artificial Intelligence Jan 26, 2023

Novelist and journalist Vauhini Vara joins V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss how ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI, may—or may not—impact publishing, education, journalism, and the humanities in general. Vara explains differences between ChatGPT and another OpenAI tool, GPT-3, which she used as a way into writing about the death of her sister, a topic she had previously found unapproachable. She reads from the resulting essay, “Ghosts,” which was published by The Believer and anthologized in Best American Essays 2022.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Vauhini Vara

Others:

Review: ‘The Immortal King Rao,’ by Vauhini Vara - The New York Times
Meet GPT-3. It Has Learned to Code (and Blog and Argue). - The New York Times
Is This the Start of an AI Takeover? - The Atlantic
AI Has Come to Save the Arts from Themselves - The Washington Post
AI Reveals the Most Human Parts of Writing | WIRED
Don’t Ban ChatGPT in Schools. Teach With It. - The New York Times
Microsoft Bets Big on the Creator of ChatGPT in Race to Dominate A.I. - The New York Times
ChatGPT: Optimizing Language Models for Dialogue
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6 episode 16: In Memory of Russell Banks: Rick Moody on an Iconic Writer’s Life, Work and Legacy
W.B. Yeats’ Autoscript
‘Even the spirits get a say’: A Look Into James Merrill's Ouija Poems by Harriet Staff
Exquisite Corpse poetry
Will Artificial Intelligence Kill College Writing? Online programs can churn out decent papers on the cheap. What now? – The Chronicle of Higher Education
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 3 Episode 25: No Innocents Abroad: Scott Anderson and Andrew Altschul on the CIA and US Provocateurs in Foreign Politics

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S6 Ep. 16: In Memory of Russell Banks: Rick Moody on an Iconic Writer’s Life, Work and Legacy Jan 19, 2023

Writer Rick Moody joins V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to celebrate the life and legacy of the late novelist Russell Banks, who died earlier this month. Moody and Terrell, who were previously Banks’s students and became his friends, reflect on his deep working-class roots, his cultivation of his own voice even in his more experimental writing, and his commitment to writing about race in the United States. Moody reads and discusses a passage from Banks’s 1985 novel Continental Drift.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Rick Moody

Russell Banks

Hamilton Stark
The Relation of My Imprisonment
The Sweet Hereafter
Continental Drift
Affliction
The Darling
“Who Will Tell the People? On waiting, still, for the great Creole-American novel,” by Russell Banks, from Harper’s Magazine, June 2000

Others:

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S6 Ep. 15: Vintage Contemporaries: Dan Kois on the Joys and Sorrows of Literary New York in the 1990s and 2000s Jan 12, 2023

Writer and editor Dan Kois, who works at Slate, joins V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss his debut novel, Vintage Contemporaries, which features a young woman who begins her career as an agent’s assistant in New York in the 1990s. He explains distinctive aspects of the era, including apartment building squatting and communal living. He also reflects on the pleasures of being an editor—a job he loves and that his protagonist eventually takes on. He reads an excerpt from the novel and compares his heroine’s prospects with the prospects of publishing staffers today, and comments on the HarperCollins strike.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Dan Kois

Vintage Contemporaries
Facing Future
The World Only Spins Forward (with Isaac Butler)
How To Be a Family
The Martin Chronicles

Others:

The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling
Ours to Lose by Amy Starecheski
Alex Haley
Charles Baxter
Slate
Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe
Maxwell Perkins
Nuyorican Poets Cafe
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 18: “Unlivable and Untenable.” Molly McGhee on the Punishing Life of Junior Publishing Employees

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S6 Ep. 14: Brotherless Night & Friends: V.V. Ganeshananthan with Curtis Sittenfeld and Whitney Terrell on Editing A Work in Progress Jan 05, 2023

Novelist Curtis Sittenfeld joins V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell as a special guest co-host to discuss Ganeshananthan’s newly released novel, Brotherless Night. Sittenfeld and Terrell ask Ganeshananthan about growing up in the Washington, D.C. metro area and how she came to write a book about a Tamil family living in Jaffna, Sri Lanka during the 1980s, the earliest years of the Sri Lankan civil war. Ganeshananthan reads an excerpt and talks about working on the novel for almost 20 years with help from many readers; how Terrell’s notes helped her with characterization; and how a comment from Sittenfeld altered the first line of the book and part of the plot.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

V.V. Ganeshananthan

Brotherless Night
Love Marriage
“On Authenticity, Research, and Writing From the Diaspora,” Literary Hub

Curtis Sittenfeld

Others:

A young woman's family is torn apart during the lengthy Sri Lankan civil war in this propulsive masterpiece by a Minnesota writer. |by May-lee Chai, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune

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S6 Ep. 13: Lit Hub’s Favorite Books of 2022, with Emily Temple and Katie Yee Dec 29, 2022

Author and Literary Hub Managing Editor Emily Temple and Lit Hub Associate Editor Katie Yee join hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about Lit Hub’s 38 favorite books of the year as chosen by the staff. The list spans genres from historical to memoir to post-digital post-capitalist manifesto to lesbian Sasquatch novel. Each editor reads a selection from a favorite, Temple from St. Sebastian’s Abyss by Mark Haber and Yee from The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Emily Temple

The Lightness

Katie Yee

Others:

Our 38 Favorite Books of 2022, Literary Hub
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 26: “This is Such Bullshit.” Shelly Oria and Kristen Arnett on the Reproductive Rights Crisis
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1 Episode 4: Edmund White and Emily Temple on Literary Feuds, Social Media, and Our Appetite for Drama
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
Getting Lost by Annie Ernaux
Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
St. Sebastian’s Abyssby Mark Haber
My Three Dads by Jessa Crispin
Fight Like Hell by Kim Kelly
The Bond King by Mary Childs
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
Trust by Hernan Diaz
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
An Immense World by Ed Yong
The Sky is Yours by Chandler Klang Smith
Elderflora by Jared Farmer
https://moonpalacebooks.com/browse/filter/t/kelly%20link/k/keyword
Kelly Link
Donald Barthelme
Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica
The Ultimate Best Books of 2022 List ‹ Literary Hub

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S6 Ep. 12: The Legacy of ISIS: Dunya Mikhail on Yazidi Women Captives in Iraq Dec 22, 2022

Poet, journalist, and novelist Dunya Mikhail joins hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about the Yazidis, who are indigenous to Kurdistan and have been targeted by ISIS because of their religious beliefs. After ISIS slaughtered thousands of Yazidi men in northern Iraq in 2014—an event deemed an act of genocide by the U.N.—they kidnapped thousands of Yazidi women and children who were bought, sold, and traded as sexual slaves among ISIS fighters. Mikhail, who is Iraqi-American, previously wrote about the women in the National Book Award-nominated nonfiction book The Beekeeper. She discusses that book and its relationship to her new novel, The Bird Tattoo, which draws on some of the same histories.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Dunya Mikhail

Others:

The Security Is Better, Seriously (by Whitney Terrell, Slate, 2011)
This poet put the Yazidi women’s suffering and strength into words (PBS NewsHour)
ISIS Forced Them Into Sexual Slavery. Finally, They've Reunited With Their Children. (New York Times)
Dunya Mikhail Finds Freedom in Fiction (Publishers Weekly)
Dunya Mikhail: 'The War Works Hard' (NPR)
UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture awarded to poet Dunya Mikhail and actress Helen Al-Janabi (UNESCO)
Who are the Yazidis and why is Isis hunting them? (The Guardian)
Iraqi doctor provides care and comfort to Yazidi survivors (UNCHR)

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S6 Ep. 11: The Best and Worst Dinner Parties in Literature: Mar-A-Lago Edition, featuring Michael Knight Dec 15, 2022

Following Donald Trump's dinner at Mar-A-Lago with Ye (formerly Kanye West) and white supremacist Nick Fuentes, novelist Michael Knight joins hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about the best and worst dinner parties in literature. They discuss the pressures of hosting, what makes someone a great guest, signature dishes, post-party regrets, and festive successes, as well as scenes in literature featuring all of these things. Knight also reads from a classic dinner party scene in his novella The Holiday Season.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Michael Knight

Others:

“The inside story of Trump’s explosive dinner with Ye and Nick Fuentes,” by Marc Caputo
The Days of Afreketeby Asali Solomon
To the Lighthouseby Virginia Woolf
Leo Tolstoy
“The 8 best Festivus moments from ‘Seinfeld,’ ranked,” USA Today
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”: Bad Middling
Bobcat and Other Storiesby Rebecca Lee
Light Yearsby James Salter
Last Nightby James Salter
Belovedby Toni Morrison
The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald
Mrs. Dallowayby Virginia Woolf
The Dark Tower VIIby Stephen King
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafeby Fannie Flagg
The Family Chaoby Lan Samantha Chang
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Jim Harrison
Alice in Wonderlandby Lewis Carroll
Jesus’ Sonby Denis Johnson
The Sun Also Risesby Ernest Hemingway
Redwall series by Brian Jacques

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Introducing Where There’s a Will: Finding Shakespeare Dec 08, 2022

We’re changing things up a bit today and bringing you a preview of a new podcast we’re enjoying and think you will, too. Where There’s a Will searches for the surprising places Shakespeare shows up outside the theater. Host Barry Edelstein, artistic director at one of the country’s leading Shakespeare theaters, and co-host writer and director Em Weinstein, ask what is it about Shakespeare that’s given him a continuous afterlife in all sorts of unexpected ways?

You’ll hear Shakespeare doing rehabilitative work in a maximum security prison, helping autistic kids to communicate, shaping religious observances, in the mouths of U.S. presidents, and even at the center of a deadly riot in New York City. Join Barry and Em as they uncover the ways Shakespeare endures in our modern society, and what that says about us. In this preview, Barry takes us into California’s Centinela State Prison for a one-of-a-kind production of Shakespeare’s English history plays performed by incarcerated individuals. Barry asks: What makes Shakespeare a force of transformation and transcendence behind bars?

Hear more from Where There’s a Will at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/wtaw?sid=fnf.

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S6 Ep. 10: White Horse: Erika T. Wurth on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Intergenerational Trauma, and Heavy Metal Dec 08, 2022

Novelist Erika T. Wurth joins hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about the thousands of Indigenous women who go missing or are murdered in the U.S. every year. Wurth’s new literary-horror novel White Horse begins with the protagonist, a 35-year-old urban Native named Kari, receiving a bracelet that once belonged to her mother, who disappeared years ago. Wurth discusses what gets in the way of tracking the missing; how people talk about violence against Native women; intergenerational trauma; the real-life bracelet that led to the one in the book; why Kari loves Megadeth and Stephen King; and writing towards catharsis. She also reads from the opening of White Horse.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Erika T. Wurth

Others:

“Dave Mustaine lesson: Learn about exotic voicings, major and minor diads and ‘upside down’ chords” by Dave Mustaine
Native Hope
Department of Justice - Missing or Murdered Indigenous People
Russell Means
Ward Churchill
Stephen Graham Jones
Rebecca Roanhorse
Brandon Hobson
Kelli Jo Ford
V. Castro
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1 Episode 10: “Indigenous Imaginations: Native American Writers on Their Communities”
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6 Episode 9: “With the Ancestors: Buki Papillon on African Folklore and Wakanda Forever”
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6 Episode 8: “Live from Writers for Readers in Kansas City: Alexander Chee on Editing Best American Essays 2022”
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 8: “Paul Lisicky and Terese Marie Mailhot on the Long-Term Mental Health Effects of the Pandemic”
Talking Scared Podcast Episode 117: “Erika T. Wurth & Bigfoot in Your Dreams”
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Report
MMIWUSA.org
“A Crisis Ignored: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women,” by Andrea Cipriano
Stephen King
Megadeth
Guns N’ Roses
Metallica

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S6 Ep. 9: With the Ancestors: Buki Papillon on African Folklore and Wakanda Forever Dec 01, 2022

Buki Papillon, inaugural winner of the Maya Angelou Book Award in fiction, joins hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss African folklore’s impact on popular culture. They talk about how the newly released blockbuster Black Panther: Wakanda Forever draws on the myths, histories, and languages of many African nations, including the tradition of calling to ancestors for guidance. Papillon, who was born in Nigeria, also reads from her prize-winning debut novel, An Ordinary Wonder, and discusses how she included folklore, proverbs, and deities from the Yoruba pantheon in the story, which follows an intersex protagonist seeking to claim her identity.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Buki Papillon

An Ordinary Wonder

Others:

“With 'Wakanda Forever,' African Folklore’s Influence on Pop Culture Is Finally Getting Overdue Recognition” by Elizabeth Agyemang
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott
African trickster myths
“Meet the African goddess at the center of Beyoncé’s Black is King” by Constance Grady
“The 'Black Panther' Revolution: How Chadwick Boseman and Ryan Coogler created the most radical superhero movie of all time” by Josh Eells
“How ‘The Woman King’ makes Hollywood history with an incredible true story” by Sonaiya Kelley
The Maya Angelou Book Award
ILGA
InterACT Advocates
intersex Nigeria
Marlon James and Daniel José Older: Against Genre Snobbery (Season 1, Episode 17)

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S6 Ep. 8: Live from Writers for Readers in Kansas City: Alexander Chee on Editing Best American Essays 2022 Nov 23, 2022

Writer and editor Alexander Chee joins hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell live from the annual Writers for Readers gala in Kansas City to discuss editing Best American Essays 2022. Chee talks about what makes a strong essay and how he curated the volume, as well as how his training as a speed reader stood him in good stead as he made his selections. He also comments on specific pieces by Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, Kaitlyn Greenidge, Anthony Veasna So, Ryan Bradley, Vauhini Vara, Erika J. Simpson, and others.

Writers for Readers is an ongoing partnership between the Kansas City Public Library and the University of Missouri’s MFA Program in Creative Writing. Funds raised support the Maya Angelou Book Award and enable graduate students to teach writing classes at the library.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Alexander Chee

Others:

Annie Dillard
Jamaica Kincaid
David Foster Wallace
Hilton Als
Susan Sontag
Cynthia Ozick
Edward Hoagland
Robert Atwan
Elizabeth Hardwick
Darryl Pinckney
Diaries of Mavis Gallant
Dmitri Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Black Folk Could Fly by Randall Kenan
James Baldwin
Joan Didion
Anne Carson
Edwidge Danticat
Brian Doyle
Franklin Burroughs
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Maya Angelou
Alex Marzano-Leznevich
Erika J. Simpson
Ryan Bradley
Kaitlyn Greenidge
Gary Shteyngart
Christopher Leonard
“Ghosts” by Vauhini Vara
“When World of Warcraft is an Escape – and a Memorial” by Tanner Akoni Laguatan
“Baby Yeah,” by Anthony Veasna So
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 5 Episode 10: “How on Earth Do You Judge Books?” Susan Choi and Oscar Villalon on the Story Behind Literary Awards

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S6 Ep. 7: The Talented Mr. Musk: Dan Chaon on Twitter, Identity, and Imposters Nov 17, 2022

Fiction writer Dan Chaon joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the fate of Twitter and social media in the aftermath of Elon Musk’s $44 billion purchase of the platform. Chaon says Twitter is not a “public square,” it’s a business, and talks about how much we really own our online identities in light of that. He also reads from and discusses his Atlantic article, “The Story of My Imposters,” about a fake website purporting to be his, as well as his latest novel, Sleepwalk, which features characters trying to stay off the grid—and to discern each other’s true identities.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Dan Chaon

Sleepwalk
Ill Will
Stay Awake
Await Your Reply
Among the Missing
“The Story of My Imposters,” The Atlantic

Others:

Edan Lepucki
Charles Baxter
The Soul Thief
'A chameleon's skill' | TribLIVE.com
George Saunders
Writers Wrestle with Twitter: Do I Stay or Go (and Where?) by Jess deCourcy Hinds, Literary Hub
Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 6 Episode 6: “Nancy Pelosi’s Majority: Matthew Clark Davison’s San Francisco Take on a National Leader”

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S6 Ep. 6: Nancy Pelosi’s Majority: Matthew Clark Davison’s San Francisco Take on a National Leader Nov 10, 2022

In the wake of the brutal attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul, and anticipating the midterms, writer and longtime Bay Area resident Matthew Clark Davison joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss Nancy Pelosi’s political trailblazing and what it’s like to live in her district. Davison talks about how he’s seen Pelosi support marginalized groups through the years and his own early impressions of her. He also reads from his novel, Doubting Thomas, which includes some of San Francisco’s political history, especially as it pertains to gay communities.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Matthew Clark Davison

Doubting Thomas

Others:

Nancy Pelosi
“Nancy Pelosi Says Attack on Husband Will Affect Her Political Future,” by Eduardo Medina, The New York Times
“The Facts about the Attack on Paul Pelosi, According to Prosecutors,” by The New York Times
“Pelosi, Vilified by Republicans for Years, Is a Top Target of Threats,” by Annie Karni, Catie Edmondson and Carl Hulse, The New York Times
Janice Mirikitani
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 19: “The Danger is Larger Because the Voice is Bigger.” Alexandra Billings on the Surge in Anti-Trans Legislation
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6 Episode 5: The Author of Election on the Election: Tom Perrotta Talks Tracy Flick’s Return and the Midterms
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 8: Paul Lisicky and Terese Marie Mailhot on the Long-Term Mental Health Effects of the Pandemic
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1 Episode 12: C. Riley Snorton and T Fleischmann Talk Gender, Freedom, and Transitivity
“What ‘news deserts,’ Americans must ensure what they’re consuming is legit,” hosted by Steve Chiotakis, KCRW

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S6 Ep. 5: The Author of Election on the Election: Tom Perrotta on Tracy Flick’s Return and the Midterms Nov 03, 2022

Novelist Tom Perrotta joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the upcoming midterm elections through the lens of his new novel, Tracy Flick Can’t Win, his second about the title character. Tracy Flick serves as an avatar for elite liberalism—a way many view the Democratic Party, he argues, whether the Dems are aware of it or not. Perrotta talks about what it means for his character, and many Americans, to be Republicans at heart while finding it necessary to lean toward the Democratic Party in light of Trump-era Republicanism. He also reads from the novel and explains how #MeToo influenced his decision to return to the iconic heroine.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Tom Perrotta

Others:

"Rhyming Action," by Charles Baxter, from Michigan Quarterly Review, Vol. 35, No. 4 (also in Burning Down the House)
5 scenarios that could decide the Senate in 2022, The Washington Post
On Feminism and Fictionalized Histories: Curtis Sittenfeld Tackles Centrism, Clintonism and All Things ‘Hillary Rodham’ (Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 3, Episode 18)
Charles Baxter

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S6 Ep. 4: Women Resisting Terror in Iran: Porochista Khakpour on the Historic Protests Against the Islamic Republic of Iran Oct 27, 2022

Novelist and essayist Porochista Khakpourjoins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the current wave of protests for women’s rights in Iran, and the government’s brutal crackdown in response. Khakpour laments the deaths of young women who have lost their lives speaking out against compulsory hijab. She also reflects on and celebrates multiple generations of human rights protests in the country of her birth. Finally, she talks about what it means to be Iranian in the United States and reads from her essay “Revolution Days,” which is included in her latest book, Brown Album: Essays on Exile and Identity.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Porochista Khakpour

Brown Album: Essays on Exile and Identity
The Last Illusion
Sons and Other Flammable Objects
Sick
Shirin Ebadi: 'Almost a fourth of the people on Earth are Muslim. Are they like each other? Of course not' | Working in development | The Guardian (April 25, 2017)
“What I Saw at the Revolution,” The Daily Beast (Feb. 11, 2009)

Others:

“Iranian President Orders Enforcement of Hijab and Chastity Law for Women” by Ardeshir Tayebi, RadioFreeEurope / RadioLiberty's Radio Farda (July 7, 2022)
“In Iran, Woman's Death After Arrest by the Morality Police Triggers Outrage,” by Farnaz Fassihi, The New York Times (Sept. 16, 2022)
“Nika Shakarami: Iran protester's family forced to lie about death,” by Parham Ghobadi, BBC Persian (Oct. 6, 2022)
“Another teenage girl dead at hands of Iran's security forces, reports claim,” by Deepa Parent and Annie Kelly, The Guardian, (Oct. 7, 2022)
“Unity In Diversity: On Overcoming the Erasure of Kurdistan and Jina,” by Ala Riani and Rezan Labady, Los Angeles Review of Books, (Oct. 13, 2022)
“Protest Chants, a Riot and Gunshots: How a Prison Fire Unfolded in Iran,” by Farnaz Fassihi, The New York Times (Oct. 21, 2022)
Jasmin Darznik and Dina Nayeri on the 40th Anniversary of the Iranian Revolution (Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 2, Episode 23)

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S6 Ep. 3: Pakistan Under Water: Aamina Ahmad on Disaster and Despair After the Historic Floods Oct 20, 2022

Novelist Aamina Ahmad joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the situation in Pakistan as the country tries to contend with the aftermath of historic floods that have displaced 35 million people. Ahmad, whose debut novel The Return of Faraz Ali is set in Pakistan, talks about her own connection to the country; the scale of what has occurred and its connection to climate change; and how a long history of political instability, militarization, and economic hardship have affected the country’s most vulnerable. She also reflects on writing about corruption, and reads from her acclaimed debut.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Aamina Ahmad

The Return of Faraz Ali

Others:

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S6 Ep. 2: Crime Without Punishment: How Dostoevsky’s Classic Has Shaped Russia’s War in Ukraine, with Explaining Ukraine’s Tetyana Ogarkova and Volodymyr Yermolenko Oct 13, 2022

Tetyana Ogarkova and Volodymyr Yermolenko, hosts of the podcast Explaining Ukraine,join Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine through the lens of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. They talk about how Russian literature and Russian culture have separated crime from punishment, creating a society that distrusts laws and regulation and values power and impunity.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Explaining Ukraine podcast

Ukraine World

Tetyana Ogarkova

Ukraine Crisis Media Center

Volodymyr Yermolenko

Internews Ukraine

Others:

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 14: “They Didn’t Know Which Way to Go.” Katya Soldak Sheds Light on the Plight of the Ukrainian People

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 15: Scott Anderson on What Russia’s Wars in Chechnya Tell Us about the Invasion of Ukraine

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 17: “We’re There to Bear Witness.” Putsata Reang on Reporting in War Zones

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Inside the Ukrainian Counterstrike That Turned the Tide of the War,” by Simon Shuster and Vera Bergengruen

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

The Human Comedy of Balzac

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S6 Ep. 1: Between Fiction and Autofiction: Elizabeth McCracken on Discussing Private Grief in Public Oct 06, 2022

Acclaimed fiction writer Elizabeth McCracken joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell for the show’s fifth anniversary. She reads from her new novel, The Hero of This Book, which she wrote during the pandemic, shortly after her mother’s death. She also discusses what’s involved with tricking herself into writing a novel, particularly one that deals with difficult, almost autobiographical, subject matter.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Elizabeth McCracken

Others:

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 4 Episode 12: WTF, Texas? Lacy M. Johnson and Natalia Sylvester on Surviving the Recent Storm and Unraveling the Whitewashed Myth of Texas

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1 Episode 1: MFA vs. Everything: Four Writers Weigh in
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 42: Yiyun Li on Complicated Friendships Real and Imagined
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 4 Episode 25: Tolstoy Forever: Brigid Hughes and Yiyun Li on Retweeting a Russian Classic
Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker
“Against Aboutness” by Yiyun Li, Harper’s Magazine
The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li

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S5 Ep. 43: Forging Immigrant Identity in Florida: Jonathan Escoffery Talks About How Belonging Shifts Across Generations Sep 29, 2022

Award-winning author Jonathan Escoffery joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the complexity of immigrant communities in Florida. Escoffery talks about children of immigrants who fall into a middle space, unable to identify fully with their parents’ country or the one in which they grew up. He also speaks about generational and emotional gaps between his Jamaican American characters, explains why some Florida immigrants’ history and interests might make them lean conservative, and analyzes how fiction can succeed where politicians often fail: in understanding subtlety, nuance, and difference. Finally, he reflects on the political ramifications of categorizing or othering recent immigrants and their families, and reads from his National Book Award-nominated linked story collection, If I Survive You.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Jonathan Escoffery

If I Survive You
“Under the Ackee Tree” (Paris Review)

Others:

The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 23, The Brothers Chao: Lan Samantha Chang on Food, Family, and New Ways of Imagining Asian American Narratives
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 36, Remembering Afghan’s Wars: Jamil Jan Kochai on Shifting Storytellers and Forms
The Emerging Democratic Majority by John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira
“Lost Hope of Lasting Democratic Majority” by Nate Cohn
“PolitiFact: What we know about DeSantis flying migrants to Martha's Vineyard. Is it legal?” by Maria Ramirez Uribe and Yacob Reyes
“Florida's governor signs controversial law opponents dubbed 'Don't Say Gay'” by Jaclyn Diaz
“DeSantis Bans CRT From K-12 Classrooms Despite Absence From Curriculum” by Fatma Khaled
“Trump cultivated the Latino vote in Florida, and it paid off” by Carmen Sesin

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S5 Ep. 42: Frenemies of the State: Yiyun Li on Complicated Friendships Real and Imagined Sep 22, 2022

Frenemies of the State: Yiyun Li on Complicated Friendships Real and Imagined

Novelist and memoirist Yiyun Li joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss frenemies in writing circles, in literature, and in politics (with a tip of the hat to Joe Manchin). Li explains how intention helps her to distinguish between friendship and frenemyship, talks about finding frenemies in literature more interesting than those in politics, and offers examples ranging from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to Sweet Days of Discipline. She also reads from her own new novel, The Book of Goose, and reflects on discovering the intense connection between her two central characters, Agnès and Fabienne, young girls growing up together in France.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Yiyun Li

Others:

The Best Frenemies in Fiction ‹ CrimeReads
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodieby Muriel Spark
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
My Brilliant Friendby Elena Ferrante
Sweet Days of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
“Harry Styles Has Entered the SpitGate Chat” by Adrienne Westenfeld (Esquire)
Milan Kundera
Chelsea Clinton Talks Candidly About Crumbling of Friendship with Ivanka Trump: 'She Went to the Dark Side'
"'Checked Out': Trump rebukes Ivanka over Jan. 6 testimony" by Kelly Hooper (Politico)
Column: Bill Barr is telling the truth about Trump. Too bad it’s too little, too late by Jackie Calmes (Los Angeles Times)
F/N/F Season 4 Episode 25: Tolstoy Forever: Brigid Hughes and Yiyun Li on Retweeting a Russian Classic

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S5 Ep. 41: On Time and Meaning: Andrea Barrett on What the Past Tells Us about Today Sep 15, 2022

Critically acclaimed fiction writer Andrea Barrett joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her new collection of short stories, Natural History. Barrett explains her approach to writing about women studying science in the 19th century, reflects on the layers of intimacy in letters, and considers if online exchanges will make archives of correspondence obsolete. She also reads from Natural History and explains some of its connections to her previous work.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Andrea Barrett

Others:

William Faulkner(via the Nobel Prize)
Meet Rosalind Franklin, a sidelined figure in the history of DNA science | PBS NewsHour
Daddy Long-Legs
Harriet the Spy

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S5 Ep. 40: Book the Vote: Rachel DeWoskin on Registering Voters (Right Now!) and the Connection Between Writing and Democracy Sep 08, 2022

Novelist, poet, and memoirist Rachel DeWoskin joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her work on the Writers for Democratic Action’s National Steering Committee. She explains how the group is partnering with libraries and bookstores across the nation to register voters and connect them with crucial information in the run-up to midterm elections, an effort called Book the Vote. She also reads from her novel, Banshee.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Rachel DeWoskin

Writers for Democratic Action

Book The Vote (special events September 20)
DEMOCRACY BOOK CLUB: Unthinkable: An Afternoon with Jamie Raskin and Paul Auster

Others:

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S5 Ep. 39: The Long Shadow of Colonialism: Nobel Prize Winner Abdulrazak Gurnah on German Conquest in East Africa and His Latest Novel, AFTERLIVES Sep 01, 2022

Nobel Prize-winning novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the history and lasting effects of colonialism in African nations, particularly Tanzania, where he grew up, and which was once part of German East Africa. He reads from his book Afterlives, which traces the lives of young friends with different relationships to the schutztruppe, the German colonial troops.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Abdulrazak Gurnah

Others:

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S5 Ep. 38: Chinese Conquest and Two Sisters Who Rebelled: Phong Nguyen on Vietnam Then, Taiwan Today, and China’s Interests Abroad Aug 25, 2022

In the wake of Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan, fiction writer Phong Nguyen joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss China’s interests abroad. Nguyen speaks about his new historical novel Bronze Drum, in which he retells the story of Viêt sisters who led an army of women in battle against their Hán Chinese occupiers. He explains how their actions laid the groundwork for an independent Vietnam, and considers modern relationships between China and other countries around the world.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Phong Nguyen

Others:

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S5 Ep. 37: Fascism Past and Present: Anthony Marra on What the Censorship of 1940s Hollywood and Italy Can Teach Us Aug 18, 2022

Fiction writer Anthony Marra joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss how his new historical novel, Mercury Pictures Presents, echoes the right’s current embrace of authoritarianism in the U.S. and globally. By looking at censorship in 1940s Hollywood and the fascist regime of Italy during that same period, Marra teases out truths about conservatives’ current interest in controlling popular opinion.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Anthony Marra

Others:

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S5 Ep. 36: Remembering Afghanistan’s Wars: Jamil Jan Kochai on Shifting Storytellers and Forms Aug 11, 2022

Fiction writer Jamil Jan Kochai joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell almost a year after U.S. troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan to talk about how the wars there will be remembered. He reflects on how growing up with Western stereotypes of Afghans made him want to revise false narratives, and also discusses how fiction’s flexible forms allow him to reorient his own thinking about the stories of war-affected Afghans and diaspora. He reads from his new book, The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Jamil Jan Kochai

Others:

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S5 Ep. 35: The Fall of Boris Johnson: Margot Livesey on British Politics, the Brexit Blunder, and the Prime Minister’s Lies Aug 04, 2022

Novelist Margot Livesey joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell from London to discuss the downfall of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the legacy of his decision to “do Brexit.” Livesey, who grew up in Scotland, explains Johnson’s career of fabrications, talks about how Brexit looks now, and shares her experience of the recent heat wave in the U.K. Finally, she and the hosts analyze characters who resemble Johnson in literature–including the antagonist in Livesey’s novel The Missing World.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Margot Livesey

Others:

Protesters in UK decry climate change after record heat wave - ABC News
Quentin Blake
Roald Dahl
Matilda by Roald Dahl
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
The Guardian
Martin Amis
S5 Episode 6: Nadifa Mohamed on Writing the Convoluted Terrains of Immigration
Howards End by E.M. Forster
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Barbara Kingsolver
Venetia Welby
J.G. Ballard
Have I Got News for You

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S5 Ep. 34: The New Homeless: Emi Nietfeld on the Growing Number of Unhoused Americans Jul 28, 2022

Memoirist Emi Nietfeld joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss how the pandemic has caused an increase in unhoused Americans as well as common—and off-base—tropes associated with homelessness. Nietfeld, who as a teenager spent time in foster care and living out of her car, talks about the American urge to view suffering as something that makes you stronger. She reads from her new book, Acceptance; reflects on being expected to shape a story about overcoming hardship to access an Ivy League education; and explains how she ultimately chose to resist simpler narratives of grit and resilience.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Emi Nietfeld

Acceptance

Others:

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S5 Ep. 33: The Politics of Craft: Charles Baxter on How His Essays on Writing Respond to a Changing World Jul 21, 2022

Writer and professor Charles Baxter joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss his new essay collection Wonderlands: Essays on the Life of Literature, andhow his thoughts on craft are linked to the times in which we live. He defines concepts he has used, including “wonderlands,” “Captain Happen,” “request moments,” and “toxic narratives,” and offers illustrations from literature and the world around us to show how these can inform the writing of fiction. For example, he explains, Donald Trump rejects his loss in the 2020 presidential election as a toxic narrative because it would change his understanding of who he is.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Charles Baxter

Others:

Is the World Really Falling Apart, or Does It Just Feel That Way? by Max Fisher - The New York Times
S4 Episode 6: Hope on the Horizon: Charles Baxter and Mike Alberti on Despair and Renewal in Fiction
S1 Episode 4: We're All Russian, Now
World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Haruki Murakami
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Either/Or by Elif Batuman
The Lighthouse
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Wicker Man
Bennett Sims
Lacy Johnson
Get Out
Mike Alberti
Jamaica Kincaid
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Stacey D’Erasmo
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Dog Day Afternoon

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S5 Ep. 32: Happy Bastille Day: Will the Center Hold in France? Should It? Jul 14, 2022

Poet Diane Louie and Editions Gallmeister editor Benjamin Guérif join Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss what recent losses by centrist President Emmanuel Macron’s party—combined with wins for the left and far right—mean for France’s political future. Guérif, a French citizen, and Louie, an American expat in Paris, talk about how small towns in France are faring economically and how the French view Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Louie also reads a selection of her prose poems from her 2020 collection, Fractal Shores.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Diane Louie

Fractal Shores

Benjamin Guérif

Others:

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S5 Ep. 31: What Do Dems Do Now?: Thomas Frank on How the Left Can Counter a Rogue Supreme Court Jul 07, 2022

Writer and historian Thomas Frank joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss how the U.S. can move forward in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Frank offers his perspective on what it would take for Democrats to win back control of states that have swung right in recent years. He also reads from his 2004 book What’s the Matter With Kansas?

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Thomas Frank

Others:

Caligula
Anatole France
Vladimir Nabokov
An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith
More than 1 million voters switch to GOP in warning for Dems - The Washington Post
The Unpopular Tale of Populism: Thomas Frank on the Real History of an American Mass Movement Season 3, Episode 22 of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast
The Return of Socialism in America? Dana Goldstein and Thomas Frank on Season 1, Episode 17 of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast

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S5 Ep. 30: The Literature of Star Wars: Van Lathan Jr. on How American Life Shapes and Is Shaped by a Galaxy Far, Far Away Jun 30, 2022

Podcaster and writer Van Lathan Jr. joins Fiction/Non/Fiction host Whitney Terrell to talk about growing up a Star Wars fan and continuing to think and talk about the franchise as a co-host of The Ringer podcast. He discusses the enduring qualities of the universe, the continuing relevance of the characters, and how the story intersects with American politics and literature. He also talks about and reads from his new book, Fat, Crazy, and Tired: Tales from the Trenches of Transformation.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Van Lathan Jr.

● Fat, Crazy, and Tired: Tales From the Trenches of Transformation

● The Midnight Boys

● Higher Learning

● The Ringer

● The Red Pill

● Two Distant Strangers

● Hip Hop Homicides

Others:

● George Lucas

● Kathleen Kennedy

● Deborah Chow

● Octavia Butler

● Starwars.com

● Superman

● Buzz Lightyear

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S5 Ep. 29: ‘A War I Saw Unfolding Firsthand’: Héctor Tobar Reflects on the 30th Anniversary of the L.A. Riots Jun 23, 2022

Novelist and journalist Héctor Tobar joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about the articles he wrote on the L.A. riots both as they took place in 1992 and this year on the 30th anniversary. Tobar also reads from his 2020 novel The Last Great Road Bum, and discusses how his fiction writing and journalism have informed each other.

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Héctor Tobar

● The Last Great Road Bum

● Deep Down Dark

● The Tattooed Soldier

● Translation Nation

● The Barbarian Nurseries

● “The L.A. Riots Were 30 Years Ago. I’m Still Trying to Understand Them,” by Héctor Tobar

● “COLUMN ONE : South L.A. Burns and Grieves : Life has been hard in the neglected area for years. But now, as self-inflicted wounds mount, residents fear for the future,” by Hector Tobar and Jonathan Peterson

● “Tape of L.A. Police Beating Suspect Stirs Public Furor,” by Hector Tobar and Leslie Berger

Others:

● James Alan McPherson

● Ralph Ellison

● David Foster Wallace

● Roger Ebert

● Don Quixote, Cervantes

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S5 Ep. 28: The Prose Version of That Blue Steel Look From Zoolander: V.V. Ganeshananthan Dishes on Blurbs, Jacket Copy, Cover Art, and All the Dark Arts of Publishing a Book Jun 16, 2022

Novelist and Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-host V.V. Ganeshananthan talks to co-host Whitney Terrell about what happens to a book between writing and publication. Ganeshananthan’s second novel, Brotherless Night, about a young woman in the early years of Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil war, will be released by Random House in January of 2023. Ganeshananthan describes the editorial process, selecting and approaching other writers about writing blurbs, selecting jacket art, and writing cover copy.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

V.V. Ganeshananthan

Others:

Celeste Ng
Sara Nović
Brit Bennett
Danielle Evans
Marilynne Robinson
Ann Patchett
Emily Barton
Jonathan Escoffery
Thomas Pynchon
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Rick Riordan
Granta
New York Observer
“Bartleby, the Scrivener”
The Land Before Time
Reese Witherspoon Book Club
Zoolander
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
“Writers, Protect Your Inner Life,” by Lan Samantha Chang, Literary Hub, August 7, 2017

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S5 Ep. 27: ‘Gun Violence Has Traumatized All of Us’: Amye Archer on the Long History of Mass Shootings Jun 09, 2022

Writer and educator Amye Archer joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her 2019 anthology, If I Don't Make It, I Love You: Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings, co-edited with Loren Kleinman. Archer explains how hearing the heartbreaking details of loss can prevent us from glossing over the staggering trauma of these events. Archer also reads from the anthology’s section on the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, and questions why, as a nation, we haven’t changed the Second Amendment in response to modern weapons.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Amye Archer

If I Don't Make It, I Love You: Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings (pre-order paperback)
“Holding the Pain,” Longreads, July 2019

Others:

Gun Violence Archive
“What to Know About the School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas,” | The New York Times | May 30, 2022
“Medical Worker Rushed to Escape 'Labyrinth' of Offices in Tulsa,” by Alex Traub | The New York Times | June 2, 2022
“Gunman Kills 10 at Buffalo Supermarket in Racist Attack,” | The New York Times | May 17, 2022
“California Church Shooting Was 'Hate Incident,' Sheriff Says,” by Livia Albeck-Ripka, Shawn Hubler and Eduardo Medina | The New York Times | May 16, 2022
Full Transcript: Biden's Speech on Gun Control - The New York Times
“From Sandy Hook to Uvalde, the Violent Images Never Seen,” by Elizabeth Williamson | The New York Times | May 30, 2022
“For Uvalde, Caskets Adorned in Childhood Dreams,” by Emily Rhyne and Mark Abramson | The New York Times | June 2, 2022
“The Fourth State of Matter,” by Jo Ann Beard | The New Yorker, June 17, 1996
Elephant (2003) dir. Gus Van Sant
“Gun Violence, #NeverAgain and the Power of Teenage Protest,” Jim Shepard and Danielle Evans, Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1, Episode 12
New York Times Sunday Review tweet of gun violence graphic

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S5 Ep. 26: ‘Let Me Say It With All My Heart: This is Such Bullshit’: Shelly Oria and Kristen Arnett on the Reproductive Rights Crisis Jun 02, 2022

Editor and writer Shelly Oria and novelist Kristen Arnett join co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the reproductive rights crisis through the lens of art, specifically through the stories, plays, essays and poems that comprise McSweeney’s new anthology, I Know What’s Best for You, edited by Oria. In the wake of the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, the conversation teases out how, through art, charged political issues like abortion take on a specificity that they don’t in basic reporting or debate. The writers speak about misinformation and crisis pregnancy centers, as well as what a post-Roe future might hold. Arnett reads from her story, “The Babies,” and Oria reads from hers, “We Bled All Winter.”

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Shelly Oria

Kristen Arnett

Others:

Select contributors:

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S5 Ep. 25: A Change of Fortune: Sunila Galappatti on the #GotaGoHome Protests in Sri Lanka May 26, 2022

Editor, dramaturg, and author Sunila Galappattijoins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss why protesters across Sri Lanka are calling for the resignation of their once-popular president, Gotabaya “Gota” Rajapaksa. Galappatti reads from her recent article in The Hindu about what the protests look like firsthand, and also talks about how brutal economic conditions are driving people of different class and ethnic backgrounds—including Gota’s primarily Sinhalese base—to unite in unexpected ways; the growing space for critical political speech; and what the international media is missing about the protests.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Sunila Galappatti

A Long Watch: War, Captivity and Return in Sri Lanka
“Seeking Refuge in ‘GotaGoGama’ – a Partial Journal of Protest,” The Hindu, May 16, 2022

Others:

“Politics and the English Language” by George Orwell
Capital by Rana Dasgupta
“Majoritarianism and Minorities in Asia,” Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1, Episode 13
John Peel: Margrave of the Marshes by John Peel, Sheila Ravenscroft, and Jack White
Mueller Report
Himal Southasian podcast
Meera Srinivasan

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S5 Ep. 24: Live from Unbound: Steve Paul and Henry Schvey on How Evan S. Connell and Tennessee Williams Never Really Left Missouri May 19, 2022

Journalist and biographer Steve Paul and writer and Washington University professor Henry Schvey join host Whitney Terrell live from the Unbound Book Festival in Columbia, Missouri, to discuss their books on novelist Evan S. Connell and Tennessee Williams, respectively. Each of the old masters was from Missouri—Connell from Kansas City and Williams from St. Louis. Paul and Schvey talk about how, though neither man was happy about his city of origin, those locations factored importantly into their work. Finally, they take questions from the live audience at Unbound.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Steve Paul

Henry Schvey

Blue Song

Others

Tennessee Williams
Ernest Hemingway
Mrs. Bridge, Evan S. Connell
Mr. Bridge, Connell
The Patriot, Connell
Son of the Morningstar, Connell
The Diary of a Rapist, Connell
The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams
A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams
Night of the Iguana, Williams
Anne Lamott
Paris Review
Max Steele
The New Republic
Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (film)
Wallace Stegner

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S5 Ep. 23: The Brothers Chao: Lan Samantha Chang on Food, Family, and New Ways of Imagining Asian American Narratives May 12, 2022

Novelist and Iowa Writers’ Workshop director Lan Samantha Chang joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her new novel, The Family Chao, an homage to The Brothers Karamazov centered on the title family’s Midwestern Chinese restaurant. Chang talks about how the three brothers of her story and their varied relationships to identity reflect their parents’ changing circumstances. She also discusses how Asian American and immigrant narratives are evolving to reflect new generations; Asian American life in the Midwest; using humor to subvert cliches; and how directing the Workshop has altered her approach to writing.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Lan Samantha Chang

Others

The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky
Number One Chinese Restaurant, Lillian Li
Babette’s Feast, Isak Dinesen
Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng
Anita Mannur
Frank Conroy
Peter Ho Davies
James Alan McPherson
Iowa Writers’ Workshop
The Connie Brothers Era: 45 Years at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 3, Episode 2
Is College Education a Right or a Privilege?, Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1, Episode 5

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S5 Ep. 22: Live from Unbound: Alex George on the ‘Absolutely Extraordinary Journey’ of Running a Book Festival May 05, 2022

Novelist, Skylark Bookshop owner, and Unbound Book Festival organizer Alex George joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell live from the festival in Columbia, Missouri, to discuss what’s harder, writing a novel or running a bookfest – or doing both and continuing his (other) day job as an attorney. It turns out that doing all of the above is difficult, but so rewarding that George wouldn’t have it any other way. George also reads from his 2020 novel The Paris Hours, an Indie Next Book of the Month selection and Amazon Best Book of the Month, and discusses the merits of living in Columbia’s literary community. Finally, he takes questions from the live audience at Unbound.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Alex George

Others

Tennessee Williams
Garth Greenwell
Intimate Contact: Garth Greenwell on Book Bans and Writing about Sex, Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5, Episode 12
Zadie Smith
George Saunders
Salman Rushdie
Michael Ondaatje
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Maurice Ravel
Marc Chagall
Igor Stravinsky
Coco Chanel
Gertrude Stein
James Joyce
Donald Barthelme
Josephine Baker
Marcel Proust

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S5 Ep. 21: Live from Unbound: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Sequoia Nagamatsu on Affirming and Subverting Pop Culture in Fiction Apr 28, 2022

Fiction writers Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Sequoia Nagamatsu join hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell live from the Unbound Book Festival in Columbia, Missouri, where they talk about pop culture in the literary sphere, the blurring of the line between literary and popular fiction, and subverting tropes within their genres (plus, a bit of Frasier fanfiction). Nana reads from his short story collection Friday Black, and Sequoia reads from his novel How High We Go in the Dark. The two also take questions from the live audience at Unbound.

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 Anne Kniggendorf, Carter Groves, Brooke Spalding-Ford, Shannon Moran, Maria Starns, and Kayla Wiltfong.

Selected readings for the episode:

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Friday Black

Sequoia Nagamatsu

How High We Go in the Dark
Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone
"Elegy Hotel" by Sequoia Nagamatsu, print and audio, The Southern Review

Others

Race in American Science Fiction
Star Trek
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra T-shirt
Sony Aibo
Servant Trailer
Star Trek: The Chase Monologue
“The Origins of Directed Panspermia” | Scientific American
2K Games
Final Fantasy
Madden
Deathloop
Panic! at the Disco
Pearl Jam
Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol
The Orville
Blade Runner
Big Hero 6: The Series
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Frasier
Groundhog Day
Edge of Tomorrow
Attack on Titan
Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Palm Springs
Dragon Ball Z
Viet Thanh Nguyen
TVtropes.org
George and Paula Saunders Talk Empathy and the 2020 Democratic Candidates Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 2, Episode 16
Marlon James and Daniel José Older: Against Genre Snobbery Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 2, Episode 17

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Introducing Storybound Apr 22, 2022

Now celebrating its fifth season, Storyboundis a radio theater program designed for the podcast age. Hosted by 2021 KCRW Radio Race winner Jude Brewer, Storybound presents the voices of today’s best writers, like Mitchell S. Jackson, Tamara Winfrey-Harris, and Lauren Groff, reading accomplished works of fiction and non-fiction. You’ll also hear original music specially composed for the respective text. Needless to say, it’s an immersive storytelling experience.

The episode we’re sharing today features Debbie Millman, host of Design Matters and author of Why Design Matters. This episode is really special: Not only do we hear from Debbie herself, we also hear portions of the interviews Debbie conducted with luminaries like Ira Glass and David Byrne.

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to follow Storybound (for free) wherever you get your podcasts.

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S5 Ep. 20: ‘A Spiritual-Industrial Complex’: SJ Sindu on Writing the Life of a Child God Apr 21, 2022

Novelist SJ Sindu joins host V.V. Ganeshananthan live from the Tamil Worlds Initiative at the University of Toronto-Scarborough to discuss her new novel, Blue-Skinned Gods, and its protagonist, Kalki, a blue-skinned boy raised in an ashram as the tenth human incarnation of Vishnu. Sindu talks about depicting caste, gender, and heteronormative privilege within a rigid community; the destructive intersection of spirituality and capitalism; and how the age of digital misinformation has aided the Hindu right’s attempt to redefine South Asian history.

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 Anne Kniggendorf and Hannah Ward.

Selected readings for the episode:

SJ Sindu

Others

Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai
Tamil Worlds Initiative at the University of Toronto-Scarborough
“Where Countries are Tinderboxes and Facebook is a Match,” New York Times, April 21, 2018
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Marrying for a Future by Sidharthan Maunaguru
The marriages in-between - Himal Southasian A review of Sidharthan Maunaguru’s Marrying for a Future: Transnational Sri Lankan Tamil Marriages in the Shadow of War by V.V. Ganeshananthan | Jan 29, 2020
Garrard Conley and SJ Sindu on the Mainstreaming of Queer Identity, Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1, Episode 26

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S5 Ep. 19: ‘The Danger is Larger Because the Voice is Bigger’: Alexandra Billings on What’s Behind the Surge in Anti-Trans Legislation Apr 14, 2022

Award-winning actor and LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS activist Alexandra Billings joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the spate of recent anti-Trans bills and American misogyny. Billings reads from her new memoir, This Time for Me, and talks about her life as a Trans woman, her career as a teacher, and her experiences on the show Transparent.

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 Anne Kniggendorf, Hayley Brown, Zoë Harper, America Fontenot, and Ross Whitehead.

Selected readings for the episode:

Alexandra Billings

Others

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S5 Ep. 18: ‘Unlivable and Untenable’: Molly McGhee on the Punishing Life of Junior Publishing Employees Apr 07, 2022

Fiction writer and former Tor assistant editor Molly McGhee joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss details of her recent resignation from a position she’d fought for in the industry she loves. She also talks about what’s behind #PublishingBurnout for junior employees and what that means for the future of publishing.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings for the episode:

Others:
When Will Publishing Stop Starving Its Young? - The New York Times
Editorial Resignations At Big Houses Spark Reckoning - Publishers Lunch
https://twitter.com/ZakiyaNJamal/status/1502386226367664130
Episode 147—Publishing's Great Resignation (Print Run podcast)
A Woman's Life in Publishing - JSTOR Daily
Where Is the Diversity in Publishing? The 2019 Diversity Baseline Survey Results | Lee & Low Blog
Women in The Gentleman's Career of Publishing | Princeton University Press
Literary Color Lines: On Inclusion in Publishing
https://twitter.com/bryonq/status/1502436599061258243
https://twitter.com/slipperyredhead/status/1495417527224176641
F/N/F Season 5 Episode 10: “How on Earth Do You Judge Books?” Susan Choi and Oscar Villalon on the Story Behind Literary Awards

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S5 Ep. 17: ‘We’re There to Bear Witness’: Putsata Reang on Reporting in War Zones Mar 31, 2022

Author and journalist Putsata Reangjoins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the dangers faced by foreign correspondents and local journalists during times of violent crisis. Reang talks about the dangers reporters are facing in Ukraine, recalls training journalists in Afghanistan, and reads from her forthcoming book Ma and Me: A Memoir. She also reflects on how her experiences in journalism connect to her history as a Cambodian refugee and her identity as a gay woman.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings for the episode:

Putsata Reang

Others

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S5 Ep. 16: ‘One of the Worst Places on Earth’: Mansoor Adayfi on the 20th Anniversary of Guantánamo Bay Prison Mar 24, 2022

Author and former Guantánamo detainee Mansoor Adayfijoins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss his 14 years of systematic torture in the military prison. Adayfi reads from his memoir, Don’t Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantánamo; recalls being ambushed, kidnapped, and sold to the U.S. by warlords; and explains the hunger strikes and protests he and other detainees participated in in defense of their lives and rights. Adayfi, who was ultimately found innocent and released, urges President Biden to work toward closing Guantánamo, which he describes as a place of lawlessness, oppression and injustice.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings for the episode:

Mansoor Adayfi

Others

Guantanamo Reports (Seton Hall University)
Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp | American Civil Liberties Union

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S5 Ep. 15: ‘Forget What You Know About War’: Scott Anderson on What Russia’s Wars in Chechnya Tell Us About the Invasion of Ukraine Mar 17, 2022

Veteran war correspondent Scott Anderson joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss his time reporting in Chechnya. Anderson compares the First and Second Chechen Wars to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. He also reads from his nonfiction book, The Man Who Tried to Save the World, and talks about how he overcame efforts to quash a magazine article he wrote that was critical of Putin, as well as why Chechnya’s conflict was scary enough to leave him with a streak of white hair.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings for the episode:

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S5 Ep. 14: ‘They Didn’t Know Which Way to Go’: Katya Soldak Sheds Light on the Plight of the Ukrainian People Mar 10, 2022

Katya Soldak, Forbes editorial director and documentary filmmaker, joins hosts Whitney Terrell and V. V. Ganeshananthan to discuss the evolving conflict between Ukraine and Russia. As Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his invasion of Ukraine, Soldak, who grew up in the country, shares insight into the bleak realities faced by citizens in cities like Kharkiv and Kherson, Russian misinformation, and the Ukrainian will to fight.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings:

Katya Soldak

Others:

'I Screwed Up': Sean Spicer Says He Regrets Comments on Inauguration Crowd Size and Hitler

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S5 Ep. 13: Censoring the American Canon: Farah Jasmine Griffin on Book Bans Targeting Black Writers Mar 03, 2022

Acclaimed writer and professor Farah Jasmine Griffin joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about why book bans so often target the power of Black literature. Griffin discusses the censorship of Black authors like Toni Morrison as well as communities’ efforts to preserve and share Black stories when schools won’t. Author of Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature, Griffin discusses how her own exposure to Black authors like Morrison and James Baldwin came largely from her own father, outside of the classroom.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Farah Jasmine Griffin

Others:

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
“Missouri school district bans Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye’” | Today
Ralph Ellison
“The Little Man at Chehaw Station” and “The Novel as a Function of American Democracy” by Ralph Ellison from Going to the Territory
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
James Baldwin
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
The 1619 Project
Nikole Hannah-Jones
Adam Serwer on Critical Race Theory and the Very American Fear of Owning Up to Our Racist Past and Present Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 4, Episode 20
Angela Davis

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S5 Ep. 12: Intimate Contact: Garth Greenwell on Book Bans and Writing About Sex Feb 24, 2022

Acclaimed novelist Garth Greenwell joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about book banning, writing about sex, and the different (and often coded) reasons people talk about limits to reading. A former high school teacher, Greenwell discusses the ideological roots of book bans targeting Black and LGBTQIA+ writers and describes how books like Giovanni’s Room gave him hope and inspiration as an isolated queer teenager in the South. Finally, he talks about the need for generosity and patience in this debate and why we should all be willing to have hard conversations about what is, and is not, appropriate reading material for students.

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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Garth Greenwell

Kink, edited with R.O. Kwon
Cleanness
What Belongs to You

Others:

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George Matthew Johnson
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
'Banning My Book Won’t Protect Your Child,' by Carmen Maria Machado, The New York Times
Carmen Maria Machado
Edinburgh by Alexander Chee
Another Country by James Baldwin
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Just Above My Head by James Baldwin
Anonymous Sex eds. Hillary Jordan and Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Skinned Alive by Edmund White
Edmund White and Emily Temple on Literary Feuds, Social Media, and Our Appetite for Drama Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 2, Episode 4
R.O. Kwon and Paul Harding Talk God and Faith in American Fiction Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 2, Episode 9
A Streetcar Named Desire dir. Elia Kazan
Judy Blume: 'I thought, this is America: we don't ban books. But then we did' Children and teenagers, The Guardian
Brontez Purnell
Ocean Vuong
“Why book banning is back” | Vox
“A Texas lawmaker is targeting 850 books that he says could make students feel uneasy” | NPR
Cleanness | Work in Progress Garth Greenwell & Mitzi Angel on Writing About Sex

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S5 Ep. 11: 'The Award is the Book: Randall Mann on Poetry Awards, Contests, and Diversity' Feb 17, 2022

Poet Randall Mann, a winner of the Kenyon Review Prize in Poetry, joins Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to continue last week’s conversation about the significance of literary awards. Mann talks about how poets use prizes to seek publication, the increasingly diverse winners, and why he loves frank: sonnets, by Diane Seuss. He also reads the poem “Beginning & Ending with a Line by Michelle Boisseau,” from his most recent collection, A Better Life.

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 excerpts from 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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Randall Mann

● "Beginning & Ending with a Line by Michelle Boisseau"

● A Better Life

● Complaint in the Garden

● Breakfast with Thom Gunn

● Straight Razor

● The Illusion of Intimacy: On Poetry

Others:

● “How on Earth Do You Judge Books?” Susan Choi and Oscar Villalon on the Story Behind Literary Awards ‹ Literary Hub (Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5, Episode 10)

● Announcing the 2022 PEN America Literary Awards Finalists

● Announcing the Finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Awards

● Yellow Rain: Poems by Mai Der Vang

● Sho by Douglas Kearney

● Heard-Hoard by Atsuro Riley

● frank: sonnets by Diane Seuss

● Mutiny by Phillip B Williams

● Ceive by B.K. Fisher

● The Renunciations by Donika Kelly

● Cutlish by Rajiv Mohabir

● The Rinehart Frames by Cheswayo Mphanza

● "Among the Gorgons" by Michelle Boisseau

● Poet wins first Maya Angelou Book Award from MU, other Missouri schools

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S5 Ep. 10: ‘How on Earth Do You Judge Books?’: Susan Choi and Oscar Villalon on the Real Story Behind Literary Awards Feb 10, 2022

National Book Award-winning novelist Susan Choi and critic and editor Oscar Villalon talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the business, prestige and (hopefully) idealism of literary awards. Choi talks about critical reception versus award recognition, the roles of luck and taste, and how winning a major prize for her novel Trust Exercise changed her career. Villalon talks about making his way through stacks of nominated books, who can afford to judge book awards, diversity on judging panels, and his experience chairing the 2021 Pulitzer Prize fiction jury.

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 excerpts from 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 Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Susan Choi

Oscar Villalon

Others:

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S5 Ep. 9: ‘Likes Do Not Count’: Anton Troianovski and Marci Shore on Why Russia’s ‘Post-Truth’ Aggression Toward Ukraine Matters to All of Us Jan 27, 2022

New York Times Moscow bureau chief Anton Troianovski and Yale historian Marci Shore join hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. Troianovski discusses his reporting on the recent talks between the U.S. and Russia, contextualizes Russia’s unusual demands, and considers the odds of a diplomatic solution. Shore lays out the Ukrainian political history that helped set the stage for current tensions, explains how Trump learned from Putin’s efforts to subvert Ukrainian elections, and recommends favorite Ukrainian writers. The episode also features Reginald Dwayne Betts reading Serhiy Zhadan’s poem “Headphones,” which he selected for inclusion in The New York Times Magazine.

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 excerpts from our interviews at our Fiction/Non/Fiction Podcast Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings:

Anton Troianovski

Marci Shore

Ukrainian Corruption Is Trump's Native Language | Foreign Policy
The Bard of Eastern Ukraine, Where Things Are Falling Apart | The New Yorker
The Poet Laureate of Hybrid War | Foreign Policy

Others:

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S5 Ep. 8: Exceeding Surge Capacity: Paul Lisicky and Terese Marie Mailhot on the Long-Term Mental Health Effects of the Pandemic Jan 13, 2022

Authors Paul Lisicky and Terese Marie Mailhot join hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the possible long-term mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, Lisicky discusses the situation in light of his experiences with the AIDS epidemic and through the lens of his memoir Later: My Life at the Edge of the World. In the second half of the show, Mailhot reads from her bestselling memoir Heart Berries and talks about how children’s futures may be shaped by the trauma they have experienced since early 2020.

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 excerpts from our interviews at our Fiction/Non/Fiction Podcast Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings:

Paul Lisicky

Terese Marie Mailhot

Heart Berries

Others:

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S5 Ep. 7: Complicity, Corruption, and Accountability: Asali Solomon on The Days of Afrekete and the January 6 Investigation Dec 30, 2021

Novelist Asali Solomon joins hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss accountability, the ongoing Congressional investigation into the January 6 insurrection, and her new novel. The Days of Afrekete, an Obama-era story, follows Liselle Belmont, a Black woman throwing a dinner party for her white husband, a politician who is suspected of corruption. As she considers her own personal and political choices, she flashes back to a lost love: her college girlfriend Selena. Solomon reads from the book and talks about depicting accountability and its lack, the intimate costs of being connected to power, and how Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, Toni Morrison’s Sula, and Audre Lorde’s Zami influenced her storytelling. She also reflects on how reading the late bell hooks gave her a new vision of herself in the world.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel, Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and our website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings:

Asali Solomon

Others:

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S5 Ep. 6: Immigration in Europe: Nadifa Mohamed on Belarus, Brexit, and the EU’s Accelerating Racism Towards Migrants of Color Dec 16, 2021

Acclaimed novelist Nadifa Mohamed joins hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the crisis around migrants passing from Belarus into Poland and thus into the E.U. Mohamed analyzes the crisis, engineered by Russian-backed strongman Alexander Lukashenko, in the context of Europe’s historical antipathy toward immigration, and reads from her Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, The Fortune Men, the fictionalized account of a Somali immigrant named Mahmood Mattan, set in Cardiff, Wales during the 1950s. She discusses how attitudes toward immigration shaped Brexit and the U.K.’s draconian new Nationality and Borders Bill, which will potentially affect the lives of around six million people, including the novelist herself.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel, Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and our website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Hayden Baker.

Selected readings:

Nadifa Mohamed

Others:

Bich Minh Nguyen on the Refugee Experience of Holiday Narratives (Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 2, Episode 7)
This Is Who We Are: Gish Jen and Peter Ho Davies on the Long History of Anti-Asian Racism in the US (Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 4, Episode 14)
#Families Belong Together: A Conversation with Edwidge Danticat and Cristina Henriquez (Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1, Episode 20)
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Saidiya Hartman
The Mahabharata
Double Dynamite
Quo Vadis
The African Queen
Anger boils as UK Parliament endorses ‘obscene’ nationality bill (Al Jazeera, Dec. 10)
UK Parliament Business Legislation Parliamentary Bills Nationality and Borders Bill

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S5 Ep. 5: The Internet Giveth, the Internet Taketh Away: Pamela Paul and Cecilia Kang on What We’ve Lost and Gained (But Mostly Lost) in the Age of Social Media Dec 02, 2021

Author and editor of the New York Times Book Review Pamela Paul and New York Times journalist Cecilia Kang join hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to consider how social media and search engines have changed everyday life. First, Paul provides a nostalgia tour of pre-internet life, and reads from her new book, 100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet, a wake-up call to identify the elements that might be worth saving. Then Kang, who has covered Facebook for 15 years, analyzes the globally dominant company’s relentless focus on growth, and reads from her new book with co-reporter Sheera Frenkel, An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination. Kang also considers the impact of information shared by former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel, Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and our website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Hayden Baker.

Selected readings:

Pamela Paul

Others:

Cecilia Kang

An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination

Others:

“Whistle-Blower Says Facebook Chooses ‘Profits Over Safety,’” by Cecilia Kang and Ryan Mac
Buzzfeed
NPR
Times of London
McClatchy
Mark Zuckerberg
“It’s Time to Break Up Facebook” by Chris Hughes
Metaverse
Roblox
Sheera Frenkel
“Network Free K.C.: The Free Network Foundation Takes on Google in Kansas City” by Whitney Terrell

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S5 Ep. 4: Live From the Miami Book Fair 2021: Joshua Ferris on the Great Recession, Writing About Capitalism, and A Calling for Charlie Barnes Nov 18, 2021

In this special episode, taped live at the Miami Book Fair, novelist Joshua Ferris joins hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his new novel, A Calling for Charlie Barnes, which takes an often humorous look at the catastrophe of its protagonist’s life. When Charlie Barnes is simultaneously hit with a cancer diagnosis and the Great Recession, all he wants is to live within another story. Ferris talks about the lies we tell ourselves and the fictionalized accounts of the past that plague and define families.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel, Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and our website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings:

Joshua Ferris

Others:

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S5 Ep. 3: Live From the Miami Book Fair 2021: Ha Jin on China, Taiwan, and A Song Everlasting Nov 04, 2021

In this special episode, taped live at the Miami Book Fair, novelist Ha Jin joins hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his new novel, A Song Everlasting, which explores the ways in which politics and art are intertwined from the point of view of a Chinese singer who makes his home in the U.S. After talking about the current tensions between China and Taiwan, Jin describes how the U.S. has had a negative influence on this conflict and depicts China as a strong but rapidly declining force. Then he speaks about how, like his main character, Tian, he believes that producing genuine art is the best way an artist can leave a lasting political influence.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel, Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and our website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Hayden Baker and Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings:

Ha Jin

Others:

"Taiwan says tensions with China are at their worst in 4 decades" by Scott Neuman
W.H. Auden
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

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S5 Ep. 2: The Country Roads Ahead: Julia Elliott and DaMaris B. Hill Consider the Future of Rural Writing Oct 21, 2021

Novelist Julia Elliott and poet and writer DaMaris B. Hill join hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to consider the writing and face of rural America—particularly as it might look 30 years from now. First, Elliott talks about growing up as an outsider in her own South Carolina hometown, and reads from her debut novel The New and Improved Romie Flutch. Then, Hill, who was born in West Virginia, speaks to the diversity of rural spaces and reads a historical poem, “Beloved Weirdo,” from her forthcoming poetry collection Breath Better Spent: Living Black Girlhood. Hill also speaks about judging the Maya Angelou Book Award.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel, Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and our website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Hayden Baker and Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings:

DaMaris B. Hill

Julia Elliott

Others:

Toni Morrison
Gail Jones
Octavia Butler
Crystal Wilkinson
Nikki Finney
Denise Low
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Gwendolyn Brooks
Frank O’Hara
Lucille Clifton
Angela Davis
“Talking to Maya Angelou’s Son About the New Award Named in Her Honor” by Anne Kniggendorf
Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry by John Murillo
Pilgrim Bell by Kaveh Akbar
Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz
Sometimes I Never Suffered by Shane McCrae
The Wild Fox of Yemen by Threa Almontaser
Our Lies: Jenny Offill and James Plath on Conspiracy Theories in History and Literature (Season 4, Episode 8 of Fiction/Non/Fiction)
Airships by Barry Hannah
Geronimo Rex by Barry Hannah
Westworld
Paul West
“The New and Improved Romie Futch” New York Times review by Lincoln Michel
Carson McCullers
George Saunders
Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell
Leonora Carrington
Meat Racket by Christopher Leonard
Hunter S. Thompson
David Cronenburg
Black Boy by Richard Wright
Langston Hughes
Alice Walker
Latino Writers Collective - Home
Frank X Walker - Affrilachian Poet, Educator, Author of Black Box, Buffalo Dance: the Journey of York, and Affrilachia

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S5 Ep. 1: WTF, Texas … Again?: Elizabeth Wetmore and Kathryn Nuernberger on SB8, the History of Abortion, and Roe v. Wade in Danger Oct 07, 2021

Novelist Elizabeth Wetmore and essayist and poet Kathryn Nuernberger join hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss Texas’s new abortion law. As the Lone Star State’s SB8 invites anyone to sue those “abetting” an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, Roe v. Wade has never seemed more at risk. In this episode, Wetmore talks about the Southwest’s history of suppressing women’s rights to birth control and reads from her novel, Valentine, which takes place in Texas and depicts a cast of women struggling to navigate the aftermath of sexual violence and access to abortion in 1976. Then, Nuernberger reads from her essay collection, The Witch of Eye, and her poetry collection, RUE; she discusses midwives, witch trials, herbalism, torture, and how these subjects help us interpret the history of women’s reproductive rights.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel, Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and our website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings:

Elizabeth Wetmore

Kathryn Nuernberger

Others:

SB8
“Abortion on the border: Legislation in Texas and criminalization in Chihuahua” by Veronica Martinez (La Verdad) and Victoria Rossi (El Paso Matters)
"Abortion on the border: Activists stay resilient" by Veronica Martinez (La Verdad) and Victoria Rossi (El Paso Matters)
“What It's Like to Run a Planned Parenthood in Texas” by Olga Khazan (The Atlantic, 2016)
“Why I Violated Texas's Extreme Abortion Ban” by Alan Braid (The Washington Post)
Interventions for Women by Angela Hume
Eve's Herbs by John M. Riddle
The Book of Difficult Fruit by Kate Lebo
Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag
WTF, Texas? Lacy M. Johnson and Natalia Sylvester on Surviving the Recent Storm and Unraveling the Whitewashed Myth of Texas (Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 4, Episode 12)

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S4 Ep. 26: Bullshit Saviors: Helen Benedict and Nadia Hashimi on Depictions of the American Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq Sep 23, 2021

Novelists Nadia Hashimi and Helen Benedict join hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the mistakes American writers and culture made in depicting the United States’ wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.In the wake of the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and President Biden’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, have American fiction and film truly confronted the cost of these wars, especially to civilians overseas? In this episode, Benedict discusses the persistent and problematic glamorization of conflict, and reads from her 2017 novel, Wolf Season, which is about the Iraq War and its aftermath. Then, Hashimi speaks about centering Afghan voices in her fiction and reads from her novel Sparks Like Stars, which begins in 1978 Kabul during the Saur Revolution.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel, Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and our website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings:

Nadia Hashimi

Helen Benedict

Others:

The Storytellers of Empire, By Kamila Shamsie – Guernica
Unbecoming by Anuradha Bhagwati
“A Former Marine Looks Back on Her Life in a Male-Dominated Military” by V.V. Ganeshananthan (New York Times)
Elliot Ackerman and Anuradha Bhagwati on the Role of the Military in American Politics, Fiction/Non/Fiction, season two, episode 21
Charlie Wilson’s War
Afghan Women are In Charge of Their Own Fate by Cheryl Benard
“The Other Afghan Women” by Anand Gopal (New Yorker)
“What Should a War Movie Do?” by Whitney Terrell (The New Republic)
The Hurt Locker directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Generation Kill by Evan Wright
Karate Kid
Matt Gallagher
Teen Wolf
Casualties of War directed by Brian De Palma
The Messenger
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi
Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves and Miranda Seymour
Corpse Exhibition by Hassan Blasim
The Taliban indoctrinates kids with jihadist textbooks paid for by the U.S. Washington Post, 2014
Sylvester Stallone in First Blood (1982)
Katey Schultz
Jesse Goolsby
Cara Hoffman

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S4 Ep. 25: Tolstoy Forever: Brigid Hughes and Yiyun Li on Retweeting a Russian Classic Sep 09, 2021

Editor and publisher Brigid Hughes and writer Yiyun Li join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about reading War and Peace over the course of 85 days with others around the world. The unusually broad and lively Twitter conversation, organized in 2020 by A Public Space and led by Li, is captured in the newly published volume Tolstoy Together. In this episode, Li discusses her love of Russian novels and describes what it was like reading War and Peace in sections at the ends of newspapers when she was growing up in Beijing. Hughes, who read the book for the first time during this project, explains how the community of readers who contributed to the online book club made the experience special.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and don't miss our brand-new website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings:

Yiyun Li

Brigid Hughes

A Public Space

Others:

The Translation Wars (The New Yorker)
Her Private Space: On Brigid Hughes, Editor (LitHub)
Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Lit Mags (and Likely More) (FnF episode)
#APStogether : Events
Infinite Happiness (originally published in A Public Space, by Jamel Brinkley)
Cattle Haul (by Jesmyn Ward)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, trans. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
The Raid and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, trans. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Matt Gallagher
Dewaine Farria
Alexandra Schwartz
ZZ Packer

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S4 Ep. 24: Obama Era Redux: Nawaaz Ahmed on Islam, Sexuality, Politics, and Publishing His First Novel Aug 26, 2021

Writer Nawaaz Ahmed joins co-host V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his debut novel, Radiant Fugitives, in this special live episode of the show held with Elliott Bay Books in Seattle, Washington. Ahmed’s book, set in California against the backdrop of Obama-era politics, explores how differences in faith and sexuality affect an Indian Muslim family when two estranged sisters—one a doctor more religiously observant than their parents, the other a political organizer who is lapsed, queer, recently divorced, and newly pregnant—reunite to support their ill mother. Ahmed also discusses his career shift from computer science to fiction, his decision to identify as a gay writer, and how these changes have strengthened his position as an activist.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and don't miss our brand-new website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings:

Nawaaz Ahmed

Radiant Fugitives

Others:

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S4 Ep. 23: From the Mouths of Babes: Wayne Miller and Elizabeth Gaffney on Writing About Children in Uncertain Times Aug 12, 2021

Poet Wayne Miller and novelist Elizabeth Gaffney join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss writing from the point of view of children before and during the pandemic. First, Miller discusses the unknowable interior lives of children, reads poems from his new collection We the Jury, and talks about connections to his essay “Learning to Write About Your Own Children.” Later, Gaffney reads an excerpt from her 2014 novel When the World Was Young, and discusses how the traumas her child narrator survives during WWII compare to the challenges children have faced during COVID-19.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and don't miss our brand-new website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This episode is produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Whitney Terrell.

Selected readings:

Wayne Miller

We The Jury
Learning to Write About Your Own Children, LitHub
When Talking About Poetry Online Goes Very Wrong, LitHub

Elizabeth Gaffney

Others:

Catcher in the Rye
Family Ties
The Branch Will Not Break by James Wright
Kindred by Octavia Butler

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Fiction/Non/Fiction Presents Wondery's True Love Aug 08, 2021

While you wait for the next episoe of Fiction/Non/Fiction, we wanted to share a preview of a new podcast from our friends over at Wondery.

Looking for a new podcast that's like Olivia Pope meets your favorite Ryan Murphy show? Or do you just love a good scandal? On True Love, a new fiction podcast from Wondery, you'll hear stories of scandalous flings, secret affairs, and the drama that ensues. TRUE LOVE brings these relationships to life through reimagined stories about love, lust and heartbreak. From secret celebrity hookups that play out under the cover of night to the web of lies it took to protect a high profile politician from revealing his secret life, each character finds themselves mixed up in every form of drama imaginable. This is just a preview of True Love, but you can listen to full episodes at wondery.fm/TL_FictionNonFiction.

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S4 Ep. 22: Why Be A Critic? Laura Miller on Reading, Listening to, and Writing About Books Jul 29, 2021

Acclaimed Slate books and culture columnist Laura Miller joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss the ins and outs of being a critic. Miller discusses a recent piece about diversity and representation in audiobook narration. She also talks about reading for pleasure versus work, and why, when she’s not reviewing, she often finds herself listening to authors.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and don't miss our brand-new website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Laura Miller

Others:

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S4 Ep. 21: Fiction/Non/Fiction at 100 Episodes: Whit, Sugi, and Special Guest Jabari Asim Reflect on the Podcast’s Indelible Interviews and Controversies From the Past Four Years Jul 15, 2021

For the 100th episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan hand out the first-ever “Nonnie Awards” for the podcast’s standout moments from the past four years. Then author, poet, and playwright Jabari Asim reflects on how the discourse on racism and police brutality has shifted since last summer. Asim also reads from his upcoming novel Yonder, out in January 2022.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and don't miss our brand-new website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Jabari Asim

Yonder(out January 2022, available for pre-order)
Stop and Frisk
We Can’t Breathe: On Black Lives, White Lies, and the Art of Survival
Mighty Justice

Others:

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S4 Ep. 20: ‘Goldfish Memory’: Adam Serwer on Critical Race Theory and the Very American Fear of Owning up to Our Racist Past and Present Jul 01, 2021

Atlantic staff writer and author Adam Serwer joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss how opposition to critical race theory aligns with our country’s historical resistance to acknowledging the truth and changing. Serwer reads from and discusses his new book The Cruelty is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump’s America, out this week.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and don't miss our brand-new website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Adam Serwer

Others:

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S4 Ep. 19: A Cycle of Disappearance: Shir Alon and Joseph Farag On How Palestinian and Israeli Literature Has Handled the Ongoing Conflict Jun 17, 2021

Scholars Shir Alon and Joseph Farag join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss how Palestinian and Israeli writers have written about the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Farag talks about the evolution of the portrayal of the Palestinian self in literature throughout history, as well as some of the themes and writers discussed in his book, Palestinian Literature in Exile: Gender, Aesthetics and Resistance in the Short Story. Alon explains how the unprocessed trauma of the history of massacre and expulsion of Palestinians seems to stage an appearance in Israeli literature every decade. She also talks about Dolly City by Orly Castel-Bloom, Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, and Funeral at Noon by Yeshayahu Koren.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and don't miss our brand-new website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Shir Alon

Static: Labor, Temporality, and Literary Form in Middle Eastern Modernisms (forthcoming book)
“The Ongoing Nakba and the Grammar of History,” LA Review of Books
“No One to See Here: Genres of Neutralization and the Ongoing Nakba”
“Gendering the Arab-Jew: Feminism and Jewish Studies After Ella Shohat”

Joseph Farag

Others:

Amos Oz
David Grossman
Facing the Forests by A. B. Yehoshua
Khirbet Khizeh by S. Yizhar
The Old New Land (Altneuland) by Theodor Herzl
Men in the Sun, Palestine's Children: Returning to Haifa and Other Stories, andAll That's Left to You: A Novella and Other Stories by Ghassan Kanafani
"A Lover from Palestine," "ID Card," and many others by Mahmoud Darwish
The Ship by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra
Wild ThornsandPassage to the Plaza by Sahar Khalifeh
Eye of the MirrorandA Balcony Over the Fakihani by Liana Badr
Nathan Alterman
Funeral at Noon by Yeshayahu Koren
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
Dolly City by Orly Castel-Bloom
The Sound of Our Steps by Ronit Matalon
Waltz with Bashir (film) by Ari Folman
The Pessoptimist by Emile Habibi
Divine Intervention, The Time that Remains, and It Must Be Heaven (films) by Elia Suleiman

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S4 Ep. 18: In the Soup: Sean McDonald and Monica West On Publishing During, and After, a Pandemic Jun 03, 2021

Editor and publisher Sean McDonald and novelist Monica West join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss how the “reopening” of the country is affecting authors and the publishing industry. First, McDonald, founder of MCD Books, a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, talks about publishing in the pandemic, and how that experience may shape the industry going forward. Then, West reads from her debut novel, Revival Season, and shares what it’s been like to launch a book during (fingers crossed!) the pandemic’s waning days.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and don't miss our brand-new website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Sean McDonald

Monica West

Revival Season

Others:

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S4 Ep. 17: Biden Boom? Carolin Benack and Sanjena Sathian on the Fiction of the Economy and the Dangerous Appeal of Excess May 20, 2021

Scholar Carolin Benack and novelist Sanjena Sathian join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss how literature and economics intersect. First, Benack talks about the theoretical storytelling that is economics, and reads from her article on the topic. Then, Sathian reads from her debut novel Gold Diggers and talks about the American obsession with excess, and how our fluctuating economy impacts our relationship with wealth and reinvention.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and don't miss our brand-new website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Carolin Benack

“Economists are more like storytellers than scientists – don't let the Nobel for 'economic sciences' fool you”

Sanjena Sathian

Gold Diggers

Others:

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S4 Ep. 16: Making It New: Michael Kleber-Diggs and Kao Kalia Yang on How Minnesota's Famed Literary Scene is Reacting to Racial Injustice at Home May 06, 2021

Poet Michael Kleber-Diggs and memoirist Kao Kalia Yang join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss Minnesota’s complex history with immigrants, as well as how the Twin Cities’ literary scene is responding in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. First, Kleber-Diggs reads from his forthcoming debut poetry collection, Worldly Things, and talks about being a Black poet in Minnesota. Then, Yang reflects on her experience entering the literary community as a Hmong refugee, and reads from her new book, Somewhere in the Unknown World: A Collective Refugee Memoir.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and don't miss our brand-new website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Michael Kleber-Diggs

Worldly Things
There’s a Revolution Outside, My Love: Letters from a Crisis edited by Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman
“Letter From St. Paul: On the Complex Flavors of Black Joy,” Literary Hub
You. Are. Not. Welcome. Here. Being Black in Minnesota | Essay Minnesota Reformer

Kao Kalia Yang

Somewhere in the Unknown World
The Latehomecomer
The Song Poet
A Map Into The World
The Shared Room
The Most Beautiful Thing
What God Is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss by and for Native Women and Women of Color co-edited with Shannon Gibney

Others:

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S4 Ep. 15: Workshop Politics: Matthew Salesses on Centering Traditionally Marginalized Writers Apr 22, 2021

Bestselling novelist Matthew Salesses joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the politics, history, and context driving different modes of teaching fiction writing. After sharing an excerpt from his new book Craft in the Real World, Salesses explains how the traditional creative writing workshop model fails marginalized writers, and why examining craft questions through a range of lenses should matter to both writers and readers. He also reads from his new novel Disappear Doppelgänger Disappear, which is a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award.

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 excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel, and don't miss our brand-new website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Matthew Salesses

Others:

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S4 Ep. 14: This Is Who We Are: Gish Jen and Peter Ho Davies on the Long History of Anti-Asian Racism in the U.S. Apr 08, 2021

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by acclaimed writer Gish Jen and novelist Peter Ho Davies to reflect on recent and historic violence against Asian Americans. First, Jen reads her recent New York Times op-ed about the generational differences in how Asian Americans see anti-Asian racism. She also imagines a way forward, explaining that we need to elevate and recognize stories of trauma as well as strength in Asian American experiences. Then, Davies talks about Asian representation in literature and films, and reads from his novel The Fortunes, and its section about the tragic 1982 murder of Vincent Chin, which prompted major shifts in Asian American political organizing. Davies also discusses his latest book, A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Gish Jen

“The Generational Split in How Asian-Americans See the Atlanta Shootings,” New York Times
The Resisters
The Girl at The Baggage Claim
Tiger Writing
World and Town
The Love Wife
Who’s Irish?
Mona In The Promised Land
Typical American

Peter Ho Davies

Others:

“Covering the Atlanta massacre from inside the Korean community,” by Shinhee Kang, Columbia Journalism Review
“Jay Leno Apologizes for Years of Anti-Asian Jokes,” by Daniel Victor, New York Times
Media Action Network for Asian Americans
Miss Saigon by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil
Madame Butterfly by Puccini
M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang
Passing by Nella Larsen
Terrific Mother by Lorrie Moore
Rising Sun, film by Philip Kaufman
The Karate Kid, film by Robert Mark Kamen
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, film by Steven Spielberg
The Duke of Deceptionby Geoffrey Wolff
The Great Santini by Pat Conroy
“Adam Purinton Pleads Guilty In Olathe Bar Shooting, Still Faces Federal Hate Crime Charges,” by Andrea Tudhope, KCUR
Kundiman
Asian American Writers' Workshop – The Margins

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S4 Ep. 13: Cancel Culture or Consequences Culture?: Meredith Talusan and Matt Gallagher on Accountability in Literature and Media Mar 25, 2021

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by award-winning author and journalist Meredith Talusan and acclaimed writer Matt Gallagher. Talusan reads from her memoir Fairest, and talks about representation in literature, the intersections of their identity as an Asian and transgender woman, and why transphobia is a recurring theme in conversations about problematic faves. Then, Gallagher shares his take on “cancelling” problematic authors, and discusses his recent Intercept article about the new film Cherry, which is adapted from Nico Walker’s autobiographical novel. In the piece, Gallagher parses ethical storytelling and how the American romanticization of crime can depend on the perpetrator’s identity. He also reads from his most recent novel, Empire City.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Meredith Talusan

Matt Gallagher

Others:

A Letter on Justice and Open Debate, Harper’s Magazine
Artists and Writers Warn of an ‘Intolerant Climate.’ Reaction Is Swift. by Jennifer Schuessler and Elizabeth A. Harris, New York Times
She Pulled Her Debut Book When Critics Found It Racist. Now She Plans to Publish. by Alexandra Alter, New York Times
How British Feminism Became Anti-Trans by Sophie Lewis, New York Times
Francis Hodgson Burnett
Roald Dahl
Ezra Pound
Enid Blyton
Another Country by James Baldwin
The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' by Chinua Achebe
“On Stalin” by W.E.B. Du Bois
The Woman Warrior: A Memoir of Girlhood Amongst Ghostsby Maxine Hong Kingston
The Mikado by W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan
Miss Saigon by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil
Madame Butterfly by Puccini
M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang
Cathy Park Hong
Julie Otsuka
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Perspective | So you’re being held accountable? That’s not ‘cancel culture.’ by Margaret Sullivan

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S4 Ep. 12: WTF, Texas?: Lacy M. Johnson and Natalia Sylvester on Surviving the Recent Storm and Unraveling the Whitewashed Myth of Texas Mar 11, 2021

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by author Lacy M. Johnson and novelist Natalia Sylvester. First, Johnson recalls her personal experience through the recent storm, and talks about the ongoing debate over deregulation and privatization of the Texas energy grid. Then, Sylvester unravels the whitewashed, exceptionalist myth of Texas, elevates its Mexican, Black and Indigenous history, and talks about what it means for her, a Latinx, Peruvian immigrant woman, to be a “Texas writer.” Johnson reads from the forthcoming edited volume, More City Than Water: A Houston Flood Atlas; Sylvester reads from her new YA novel, Running.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Lacy M. Johnson

More City Than Water: A Houston Flood Atlas (forthcoming, University of Texas Press)
The Reckonings: Essays
The Other Side: A Memoir
Trespasses: A Memoir

Natalia Sylvester

Others:

2666 by Roberto Bolaño
Cite Design Alliance
Cormac McCarthy
Dear Twin by Addie Tsai
Donald Barthelme
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Documentary
ERCOT
"‘Frozen Windmills’ aren’t to blame for Texas’s power failure" by Salvador Rizzo
"Houston is a cheap place to live - if you don’t count the trauma tax" by Raj Mankad
How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang
James A. Michener
Katherine Anne Porter
Lonesome Dove: A Novel by Larry McMurtry
Lot and Memorial by Bryan Washington
Necropolitics by Achille Mbembe
Outlawed by Anna North
"Perry says Texans willing to suffer blackouts to keep feds out of power market" by James Osborne
Public Utilities Commission of Texas Memo
Red Salmon Arts by Raúl Salinas
Refusing To Forget Project by Benjamin Johnson, John Morán Gonzalez, and Sonia Hernández
Tarfia Faizullah
"Texas Won’t Reduce $16 Billion In Electricity Charges From Winter Storm" by Matthew S. Schwartz
The Great American Bubble Machine by Matt Taibbi
The President’s Daughter by Ellen Emerson White
The Shock Doctrine The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein
The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind
Treme

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S4 Ep. 11: COVID Doesn't Know Boundaries: Uzodinma Iweala, Bindu Shajan Perappadan and Suhasini Raj on How African Countries and India Have Handled COVID-19 Feb 25, 2021

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by author, medical doctor, and Africa Center CEO Uzodinma Iweala and Delhi-based journalists Bindu Shajan Perappadan and Suhasini Raj. First, Iweala unpacks flawed stereotypes about health and healthcare in Africa. Reading from his book, Our Kind of People, Iweala draws parallels between the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic, and discusses how certain African countries, including Nigeria and Tanzania, have fared over the past year. Then Perappadan of The Hindu and Raj of The New York Times talk about their coronavirus coverage, and explain how past crises have influenced the response to COVID-19 in different Indian states.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Uzodinma Iweala

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

“Online Memorial to COVID-19 Victims Going Live on January 30,” The Hindu

Suhasini Raj

“The Virus Trains: How Lockdown Chaos Spread Covid-19 Across India” by Jeffrey Gettleman, Suhasini Raj, Sameer Yasir and Karan Deep Singh, with photographs by Atul Loke, New York Times
“I Covered Coronavirus Victims. Then My Family Members Became Victims, Too.” New York Times

Others:

Crisis in the Red Zone by Richard Preston
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The Farewell (film) by Lulu Wang
“The coming of age of the Africa Centers for Disease Control” by Aloysius Uche Ordu, Brookings
“Africa’s COVID-19 Denialist-in-Chief” by Lynsey Chutel, Foreign Policy
National Covid Memorial

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S4 Ep. 10: 'A Certain Kind of Hunger': Chang-rae Lee on Writing About Connection While We're Worlds Apart Feb 11, 2021

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by award-winning author Chang-rae Lee. Lee talks about the varied cast of characters in his new novel, My Year Abroad, writing about sensory and social experiences, and how he dove into his own growing feelings of isolation through the Trump administration and then the pandemic.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Chang-rae Lee

Others:

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S4 Ep. 9: Making Good: Tracy K. Smith and Kawai Strong Washburn On Biden's Debts to His Base (Especially Black Women) Jan 28, 2021

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith and novelist Kawai Strong Washburn, who talk about what the Biden administration owes the BIPOC and women voters who got them elected. First, Smith discusses building bridges as a nation, and shares excerpts of her award-winning collection, Wade in the Water. Then, Hawaii-born Washburn talks about the power of community organizing, and reads from his acclaimed debut, Sharks in the Time of Saviors.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Tracy K. Smith

Kawai Strong Washburn

Sharks in the Time of Saviors
“What the Ocean Eats,” McSweeney’s

Others:

“Biden's First 100 Days: Here's What To Expect” by Elena Moore, NPR
America Amplified: Election 2020, a six-episode national talk show from the CPB public media initiative America Amplified
“Portraits of Reconciliation: 20 years after the genocide in Rwanda, reconciliation still happens one encounter at a time,” by Pieter Hugo and Susan Dominus, New York Times
“Kama'āina: Kawai Strong Washburn Interviewed by Kathryn Savage,” BOMB Magazine
Malcolm X Biography
Senator Ted Cruz on Twitter: "By rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, President Biden indicates he's more interested in the views of the citizens of Paris than in the jobs of the citizens of Pittsburgh. This agreement will do little to affect the climate and will harm the livelihoods of Americans."
“The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare” by Nathaniel Rich, The New York Times Sunday Magazine

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S4 Ep. 8: Our Lies: Jenny Offill and James Plath on Conspiracy Theories in History and Literature Jan 14, 2021

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by author Jenny Offill and literary and film critic James Plath. First Offill shares her reaction to the insurrection and attempted coup at the Capitol last week, and discusses her latest novel, Weather, out in paperback next week. Then, Plath explores the origins of conspiracy theories in history and literature and how right-wing extremists have weaponized them under Trump, and talks about editing Critical Insights: Conspiracies.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Jenny Offill

James Plath

Critical Insights: Conspiracies
“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conspiracy”

Others:

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S4 Ep. 7: The Facts of Life: Claire Messud and Brendan O'Meara on Creative Nonfiction in an Era of 'Fake News' Dec 31, 2020

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by novelist and essayist Claire Messud and journalist Brendan O’Meara. First, Messud discusses her new book of essays, Kant’s Little Prussian Head and Other Reasons Why I Write, and the difficulties of grasping the facts when we’re bombarded with so much information daily. Then, O’Meara shares craft insights from his interviews for The Creative Nonfiction podcast and discusses the connections between newsrooms and literary nonfiction. He also previews his memoir-in-progress about his father.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Claire Messud

Brendan O’Meara

Others:

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S4 Ep. 6: Hope on the Horizon: Charles Baxter and Mike Alberti on Despair and Renewal in Fiction Dec 17, 2020

In this special live episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, presented by Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis, acclaimed novelist and teacher Charles Baxter and his former student, short story writer Mike Alberti, join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss their new books. Upon the release of his seventeenth book, the much-anticipated The Sun Collective, Baxter reflects on how time and place factor into his work and talks about writing about politics in his hometown. Then Alberti discusses his searing debut short story collection Some People Let You Down, and how he finds inspiration and hope in teaching incarcerated writers through the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop. The two also provide a rare window into their ongoing conversations about teaching and the craft of fiction, and answer questions from audience members and readers, including incarcerated writers.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Charles Baxter:

Mike Alberti:

Others:

Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop
Dubliners, James Joyce
Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson
Lost in the City, Edward P. Jones
Wright Morris
George Ault, American painter
Annie, Broadway musical
The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand
Cornel West
Alice Munro
ZZ Packer
Denis Johnson

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S4 Ep. 5: Disability in America: Molly McCully Brown and Rebekah Taussig On Living and Writing Thirty Years After the Americans with Disabilities Act Dec 03, 2020

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan mark the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act by talking to two writers who have made important contributions to the way we talk about disability in America. First, poet and essayist Molly McCully Brown discusses her new essay collection Places I’ve Taken my Body, and reflects on the threat a global pandemic poses to populations who are already seen by society as less valuable. Then Rebekah Taussig talks about her memoir Sitting Pretty, as well as pervasive and tired ableist tropes in films and literature.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This episode was produced by Mary Henn, Emily Standlee, and Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Molly McCully Brown

Rebekah Taussig

Others:

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S4 Ep. 4: Life After Trump: Jess Walter and Jerald Walker on the Aftermath of Election 2020 Nov 19, 2020

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan talk to acclaimed novelist Jess Walter and award-winning essayist Jerald Walker. First, Walter unravels the literary elements of the Trump administration and discusses how his newest book, The Cold Millions, a historical novel touching on unions and feminism at the turn of the century, has many parallels to today’s politics. Then, Walker talks about centering Black courage vs. white cruelty, both in literature and this election, and how he works to find common ground in his writing, including his newest collection of essays, How to Make a Slave, which is a finalist for the National Book Award.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Jess Walter

Jerald Walker

Others:

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S4 Ep. 3: Monsters for President: Maria Dahvana Headley on Modern Myth-Making Nov 05, 2020

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan talk to #1 New York Times best-selling author Maria Dahvana Headley about the modern-day relevance of the epic poem Beowulf. She talks about her new translation of the ancient text, and illuminates how the “shit-talking” masculinity of the heroes of old can help us understand our current so-called leaders.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Maria Dahvana Headley

Others:

Television:

The Wire (HBO)

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S4 Ep. 2: We're in a Scary Movie, and It's Called 2020: emily m. danforth and Laura van den Berg Discuss Literary Horror and Our Upcoming Election Oct 22, 2020

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan talk to novelist emily m. danforth and short story writer Laura van den Berg. danforth discusses her newly released sapphic-gothic horror comedy Plain Bad Heroines and how she reclaims negative and othering portrayals of lesbian vampires and queer monsters in the novel. Then, van den Berg shares her acclaimed new story collection I Hold a Wolf by the Ears and talks about how the pandemic and the Trump presidency has inspired her fiction.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This episode was produced by Andrea Tudhope, Emily Standlee and Mary Henn.

Selected readings:

emily m. danforth

Laura van den Berg

Others:

Television:

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S4 Ep. 1: Fifteen Years After Katrina: Kristina Kay Robinson and Tom Piazza Discuss How the Hurricane Shaped Our Past and Predicted Our Future Oct 08, 2020

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan talk to writer, curator and visual artist Kristina Kay Robinson and novelist and television writer Tom Piazza in the wake of the 15-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Robinson describes the shifting narrative of her hometown, and explains how the U.S. is only now experiencing the full implications of Katrina. Then, Piazza reflects on how the disaster foretold a series of 21st century catastrophes that would affect the most vulnerable among us.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This episode was produced by Andrea Tudhope and Emily Standlee.

Selected readings:

Kristina Kay Robinson

Tom Piazza

“Incontinental Drift,” The Huffington Post
City of Refuge
Why New Orleans Matters
Devil Sent the Rain
A Free State
“Living in the Present with John Prine,” The Oxford American

Writers:

Television:

Treme (HBO)
Lovecraft Country (HBO)

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S3 Ep. 26: The Past Is Never Dead: Maurice Carlos Ruffin and Michael Gorra on the 'New South' and Whether Faulkner Still Belongs There Sep 24, 2020

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by acclaimed novelist Maurice Carlos Ruffin and Pulitzer finalist in Biography Michael Gorra for a conversation about whether demographic changes are finally making the South new. We Cast a Shadow author Ruffin muses on what racial equality looks like in a futuristic South, and ponders whether political compromise can stabilize the oppositional nature of the United States. Then Gorra discusses his book, The Saddest Words: William Faulkner’s Civil War; and considers the intricate set of limitations that come with writing from multiple fictional perspectives.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Maurice Carlos Ruffin

We Cast a Shadow
The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You (forthcoming)

Michael Gorra

Books:

Writers:

Television:

Films:

Directors:

Others:

Justin Ward (journalist)
FiveThirtyEight (podcast)
Stacey Abrams (politician)
Newt Gingrich (politician)
James Meredith (civil rights activist)
Disunion (NYT column)

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S3 Ep. 25: No Innocents Abroad: Scott Anderson and Andrew Altschul on the CIA and U.S. Provocateurs in Foreign Politics Sep 10, 2020

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by veteran war correspondent and bestselling author Scott Anderson and prize-winning novelist Andrew Altschul. Anderson shares what led him to the four spies featured in his new book The Quiet Americans. Then Altschul talks about decentering the narrative of the American abroad in his new novel The Gringa, which takes inspiration from the real-life case of Lori Berenson.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Scott Anderson

Andrew Altschul

Others:

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S3 Ep. 24: Summer Books Extravaganza: Margot Livesey and Jaswinder Bolinda on Beach Reading When the Beach is Closed Aug 27, 2020

In this week’s episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by novelist Margot Livesey and poet and essayist Jaswinder Bolina. Livesey discusses an excerpt from her fantastic new novel, The Boy in the Field, and challenges the traditional idea that that beach reads shouldn’t, or can’t, be “political.” Then Bolina discusses how the most popular books in this historic summer of protest and pandemic – including his own brilliant new collection of essays, Of Color – have engaged with themes of race and anti-racism.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This episode was produced by Dylan Miettinen and Andrea Tudhope.

Selected readings:

Margot Livesey

Jaswinder Bolina

Others:

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S3 Ep. 23: We've Been Here Before: Kaitlyn Greenidge and Russell Banks on the Past and Present of Protest and White Backlash Aug 13, 2020

In this episode, Fiction/Non/Fiction co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan are joined by acclaimed fiction writer and essayist Kaitlyn Greenidge and poet and novelist Russell Banks. Greenidge challenges traditional framings of “white backlash” and argues that white privilege in the U.S. has shifted to a false narrative of victimhood. Then, Banks discusses his experiences of protest in the ’60s and ’70s, highlighting similarities in the tactics of – and governmental responses to – today’s #BLM activists.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Guests:

Selected readings for the episode:

Kaitlyn Greenidge

Russell Banks

Others:

Fiction/Non/Fiction interview with Thomas Frank
Conflict is Not Abuse by Sarah Schulman
“The Pandemic is a Portal” by Arundhati Roy
The Salt Eaters by Toni Cade Bambara
Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable
“Waking Up in the Middle of Some American Dreams,” by June Jordan

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S3 Ep. 22: The Unpopular Tale of Populism: Thomas Frank on the Real History of an American Mass Movement Jul 30, 2020

In this special live episode of Fiction/Non/Fiction, political commentator and historian Thomas Frank joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his newest book, The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism. Presented by the Kansas City Public Library and Rainy Day Books, this conversation delves into the complicated history of populism, as Frank argues that the Trump administration and right-wing authoritarian governments in Hungary and Brazil — characterized by many as examples of populist movements — are in fact anything but.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Guests:

Thomas Frank

Selected readings for the episode:

Thomas Frank

The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism
Listen, Liberal
What’s the Matter with Kansas?
The Conquest of Cool
Rendezvous with Oblivion: Reports from a Sinking Society
The Wrecking Crew
Pity the Billionaire
Commodify Your Dissent
One Market Under God
The Return of Socialism in America? Dana Goldstein and Thomas Frank on Season 1, Episode 17 of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast

Others:

“How Americans Politics Went Insane” by Jonathan Rauch
“It’s Time for the Elites to Rise Up Against the Ignorant Masses” by James Traub
“How Long, Not Long” Speech by Martin Luther King Jr.
Fiction/Non/Fiction Interview with James Traub
“The Fight Over the Future of the Democratic Party” by James Traub

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S3 Ep. 21: Breaking the Mold: Christopher Buckley and Sara Paretsky on Reinventing Genre Jul 16, 2020

In this episode, acclaimed modern crime writer Sara Paretsky and political satirist and novelist Christopher Buckley join Fiction/Non/Fiction co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about pushing against the boundaries of genre writing. Buckley discusses how political satire has been redefined in the era of reality-television-star-turned-president Trump, and why his new novel Make Russia Great Again is a faux memoir. Then, Paretsky speaks about making the male-dominated detective fiction genre her own with the best-selling V.I. Warshawski series, and reflects on her recent collection Love & Other Crimes, which also features the iconic character.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Guests:

Selected readings for the episode:

Christopher Buckley

Sara Paretsky

V.I. Warshawski novels
Indemnity only
Fallout
Fire Sale
Hardball
Love & Other Crimes
“Acid Test”
“Miss Bianca”
“Flash Point”
Anatomy of Innocence

Others:

“Christopher Buckley’s ‘Make Russia Great Again’ is the Trump satire we’ve been waiting for” by Ron Charles
“Sarah Cooper Doesn’t Mimic Trump. She Exposes Him.” by ZZ Packer
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
“Fawlty Towers” - Television series
“‘Art of the Deal’ co-author: Trump ‘couldn’t care less tens of thousands are people are dying’” - MSNBC interview with Donald Trump’s ghostwriter Tony Schwartz
“This Be The Verse” by Philip Larkin
Hilary Mantel
Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump
Fiction/Non/Fiction interview with Curtis Sittenfeld
Fiction/Non/Fiction interview with Jabari Asim
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
Anna Katherine Green
S.J. Rozan
Raymond Chandler
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Dorothy L. Sayers
Raymond Chandler
John D. MacDonald
Rex Stout
Jabari Asim
John Conroy
Lee Child

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S3 Ep. 20: Aiming to Heal When There Is No Cure: Daniela Lamas and C. Dale Young on Doctoring and Our Pandemic Future Jul 02, 2020

In this episode, acclaimed author and pulmonary and critical care specialist Daniela Lamas and celebrated poet and radiation oncologist C. Dale Young join Fiction/Non/Fiction co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the sustained trauma the COVID-19 pandemic has already inflicted, as well as what is to come. Lamas reflects on providing end of life care to coronavirus patients, and reads from a New York Times piece about the varied difficulties some survivors face on long journeys to recovery. Young reads from The Affliction: A Novel in Stories, as well as his recent poem “Adrenaline,” in which he describes wanting relief from being on constant alert; he also talks about watching Americans fail to consider the public good.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Guests:

Selected readings for the episode:

Daniela Lamas

C. Dale Young

Others:

Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo
“The Resident” - Television series

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S3 Ep. 19: Black Stories Matter: Terrion Williamson and Jabari Asim on Narrative During the George Floyd Protests Jun 18, 2020

The police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has sparked nationwide protests and a reckoning with racism and police brutality. In this episode, University of Minnesota professor and author Terrion Williamson talks with Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about her recent Belt Magazine essay, in which she writes about the parallels between George Floyd’s killing and the 2010 death of David Cornelius Smith, a Black man who moved from her hometown to the Twin Cities. Then, poet and writer Jabari Asim breaks down the dangerous fallout of the criminalization of Black communities and favorable portrayals of police in literature and the media, which he tackles in his newest collection, “Stop and Frisk.”

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Guests:

Selected readings for the episode:

Jabari Asim

Terrion Williamson

Others:

Minneapolis Had This Coming by Justin Ellis
Why Minneapolis Was the Breaking Pointby Wesley Lowery
Revealing the Divisive History of Minneapolis by Sarah Holder
Century after Minnesota lynchings, black man convicted of rape ‘because of his race’ up for pardon by Meagan Flynn
Their Minneapolis Restaurant Burned, but They Back the Protest by Amelia Nierenberg
Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police by Mariame Kaba
The tiny media collective that is delivering some of the most vital reporting from Minneapolis by Troy Patterson
Amy Cooper Is Fired After Calling Police on Black Birder in Central Park
All Fiction is Crime Fiction: Mat Johnson on the Origins of Modern Mystery
The Crisis Magazine - NAACP’s Magazine
Chester Himes
Barbara Neely
Grace Edwards
Attica Locke
Nichelle Tramble
Walter Mosley
Watchmen (television series)
BlackKklansman

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S3 Ep 18: On Feminism and Fictionalized Histories: Curtis Sittenfeld Tackles Centrism, Clintonism, and All Things ‘Hillary Rodham' Jun 04, 2020

In this episode, Curtis Sittenfeld discusses the mix of historical context and fictionalized character development—as well as the double standards every professional woman faces—in her new novel, Rodham. Sittenfeld joins Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to ask the question no one else has dared to: what would the world look like had Hillary Rodham never accepted Bill Clinton’s marriage proposal?

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.

This episode was produced by Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan.

Guests:

Curtis Sittenfeld

Selected readings for the episode:

Curtis Sittenfeld
Rodham
You Think It, I’ll Say It
Sisterland
American Wife
Prep: A Novel
“White Women LOL” from Oprah Magazine
Others
Chasing Hillary: On the Trail of the First Woman President Who Wasn’t by Amy Chozick
The President’s Daughter by Ellen Emerson White
Philip Roth
John Updike
Ulysses by James Joyce
Wellesley, 1969 from “With Her,” a podcast by Hillary Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 1969 Commencement Speech

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S3 Ep. 17: Poetry, Prose, and the Climate Crisis: John Freeman and Tahmima Anam on Public Space and Global Inequality May 21, 2020

In this episode, poet and editor John Freeman talks to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about his second collection of poetry, The Park. Freeman discusses who finds public space a source of connection, relaxation, and recreation, and who is excluded. Then Ganeshananthan, Terrell, and Freeman are joined by acclaimed Bangladeshi writer Tahmima Anam, who has written extensively about climate change and whose fable appears in Freeman’s new anthology, Tales of Two Planets: Stories of Climate Change and Inequality in a Divided World. The four discuss global inequality, the climate crisis, and resilience.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Guests:

Selected readings for the episode:

John Freeman

Freeman’s
The Park
Maps
Tales of Two Planets: Stories of Climate Change and Inequality in a Divided World
Selections: “Unfinished,” “The Sacrifice,” “Open All Night”
Tales of Two Cities: The Best and Worst of Times in Today’s New York
Tales of Two Americas: Stories in of Inequality in a Divided Nation

Tahmima Anam

“The Unfortunate Place” in Tales of Two Planets
Tahmima Anam on how Bangladesh is succumbing to global warming in The Guardian (2007)
A Burst of Energy in Bangladesh in the New York Times (2016)
A Golden Age
The Good Muslim
The Bones of Grace

Others:

The Recovering by Leslie Jamison
“The Funniest Shit You Ever Heard” by Lina Mounzer in Tales of Two Planets
Jennifer 8. Lee's post on Instagram showing "circular human parking spots at Domino Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn"
Bill McKibben
Gold Fame Citrus: A Novel by Claire Vaye Watkins
Fiction/Non/Fiction interview with Emily Raboteau and Omar El Akkad
Fiction/Non/Fiction interview with Juliana Spahr and Nathaniel Rich

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S3 Ep. 16: Solitude Versus Sociability: David Means and Candace Bushnell on Being Alone and Making Connections May 07, 2020

In this episode, acclaimed fiction writer David Means and Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell share their experiences with solitude and sociability in quarantine. Means, author of the recent short story collection Instructions for a Funeral, talks to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about how writers use solitude to their advantage. Bushnell discusses the crucial role social life and friendship plays in Sex and the City and in the lives of New Yorkers. She also speaks about her new novel Rules for Being a Girl.

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. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel.

This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.

Guests:

Selected readings for the episode:

David Means

Candace Bushnell

Rules for Being a Girl (co-written with Katie Cotugno)
Is There Still Sex in the City?
Sex and the City
Summer and the City
The Carrie Diaries
Lipstick Jungle

Others

I See the World by Jamaica Kincaid, Paris Review Daily
On Isolation and Literature, The Millions
William Carlos Williams
Katie Cotugno
Anna Karenina
Edith Wharton
Jane Austen
Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa
Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

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S3 Ep. 15: Poetry, Blackness, and Friendship: Danez Smith on Language, Connection, and 'Homie' Apr 23, 2020

In this episode, acclaimed poet Danez Smith discusses the role friendship plays in their most recent collection of poetry, Homie. Smith talks to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the isolating effect COVID-19 has had on black communities, using space on the page inventively, and writing about money. This episode is presented in conjunction with the Loft Literary Center’s literary festival, Wordplay, which this year is a virtual event.

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.

This episode was produced by Andrea Tudhope. This week's sponsor is the University of Colorado's Master of Arts in Journalism Entrepreneurship program. Learn more at ce.colorado.edu/tellthestory to invent your future in journalism today.

Poetry, Blackness, and Friendship: Danez Smith on Language, Connection, and ‘Homie’ from The Virtual Book Channel on Vimeo.

Guests:

Danez Smith

Selected readings for the episode:

Danez Smith

Homie
Don’t Call Us Dead
Two Poems
what was said on the bus stop: a new poem by Danez Smith
my president
VS podcast, from the Poetry Foundation, hosted by Danez Smith and Franny Choi

Others

Corona Correspondences: #28 by Danielle Evans (The Sewanee Review)
Review: ‘Homie,’ a Book of Poems That Produces Shocking New Vibrations by Pahrul Sehgal
Frank O’Hara
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Angel Nafis
Hieu Minh Nguyen
Douglas Kearney
1977: Poem for Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer by June Jordan
Recordings of June Jordan from Harvard Library Digitized recordings and more digitized recordings
‘Feet’ and ‘Spoon’ from Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay
Mirrors: Stories of Almost Everyone by Eduardo Galeano

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S3 Ep. 14: Alternate Histories and Silenced Women: Sue Monk Kidd on Her New Novel The Book of Longings Apr 09, 2020

In this episode, New York Times bestselling author Sue Monk Kidd discusses her upcoming novel The Book of Longings, which is from the point of view of Ana, the wife of Jesus. Kidd talks to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about how alternate histories can be vehicles for silenced voices of the past, and how our present might be different if Jesus being married was part of the Bible’s story. Kidd also talks about her research process and writing the character of Judas Iscariot.

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.

Alternate Histories and Silenced Women: Sue Monk Kidd on her Novel The Book of Longings from The Virtual Book Channel on Vimeo.

Guests:

Sue Monk Kidd

Selected readings for the episode:

Sue Monk Kidd

The Book of Longings
The Secret Life of Bees
The Invention of Wings
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter
Traveling With Pomegranates (with Ann Kidd Taylor)
Others

Others

The work and teachings of psychoanalyst Carl Jung
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Empire City by Matt Gallagher
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld (forthcoming)

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S3 Ep. 13: Literature in the Face of COVID-19: Rigoberto González and Deb Olin Unferth on Writing and Teaching in a Time of Crisis Mar 26, 2020

In this episode, poet Rigoberto González and novelist Deb Olin Unferth discuss how literary life has altered under COVID-19. González, director of the MFA program at Rutgers University-Newark, talks to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the struggles universities face in the transition to online classes, and also reads from his latest collection, The Book of Ruin; Unferth speaks about her new novel, Barn 8, its disrupted book tour, and what we can learn from animals and nature as we navigate a global pandemic.

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. And this episode, for the first time, we feature video excerpts of our interviews. See LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel for more.

Guests:

Selected readings for the episode:

Rigoberto González

Deb Olin Unferth

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S3 Ep. 12: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman: Rebecca Solnit on Her Memoir Recollections of My Nonexistence Mar 12, 2020

In this episode, writer, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit reflects on her new memoir Recollections of My Nonexistence. Solnit talks to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the deep impact of gendered violence on daily life and what it means to be treated as unreliable witnesses to our own individual and collective experiences, as well as how her activism arose out of a deep love and what she calls “a positive engagement with uncertainty.” She also reminisces about her earliest writing spaces and formative experiences in political and artistic communities.

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:

Rebecca Solnit

Selected readings for the episode:

Rebecca Solnit

Recollections of My Nonexistence
Hope in the Dark
Men Explain Things To Me
Other books
My dream candidate exists – and her name is Elizabeth Warren (The Guardian)
Rebecca Solnit: When the Hero is the Problem (LitHub)
Rebecca Solnit: The Loneliness of Donald Trump (LitHub)
How Rebecca Solnit Became the Voice of the Resistance (New York Times)

Others

The Walk by William deBuys
Jia Tolentino and Claire Vaye Watkins Talk Abuse, Harassment, and Harvey Weinstein (Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast Season 1, Episode 2)
Roxane Gay narrates an ad for Elizabeth Warren
The Public Voice of Women by Mary Beard
The Odyssey by Homer
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Opinion | Elizabeth Warren Has a Poet on Her Team. Here’s Why That’s a Good Idea. (New York Times)

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S3 Ep. 11: Bill Fletcher, Jr. and Chavisa Woods on the Sanders Campaign, Race, and Gender Feb 27, 2020

In this episode, author and activist Bill Fletcher, Jr. and author Chavisa Woods discuss Bernie Sanders’ frontrunner status in the Democratic primary, the campaign’s efforts to build a diverse coalition in 2020, and whether or not those efforts have worked. Fletcher talks to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about how Sanders has altered his approach to reaching out to black voters; Woods compares the Sanders and Warren campaigns, reflects on their appeal to women, and analyzes how voters talk politics online.

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:

Selected readings for the episode:

Bill Fletcher, Jr.

Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path Toward Social Justice
“They’re Bankrupting Us!” And 20 Other Myths about Unions
The Man Who Fell from the Sky
Claim No Easy Victories: The Legacy of Amilcar Cabral (co-editor)
To the Point (The Progressive Magazine, February 3, 2014)

Chavisa Woods

100 Times: A Memoir of Sexism
The Albino Album: A Novel
Things to Do When You’re Goth in the Country
The Memoir I Never Wanted to Write (LitHub, June 26, 2019)

Others

The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Marx
Engels
Dream Defenders’ endorsement of Bernie Sanders
Hey, Obama boys: Back off already! (Rebecca Traister in Salon, April 14, 2008)

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S3 Ep 10: Coronavirus and Contagion: Laurie Chen and Richard Preston on Writing About the Spread of Disease Feb 13, 2020

In this episode, South China Morning Post reporter Laurie Chen and bestselling science writer Richard Preston talk about the global panic over coronavirus, China’s response, and how societies defend themselves against viral outbreaks like Ebola. Chen talks to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about how misinformation about coronaviruses spreads on social media; Preston discusses his nonfiction books The Hot Zone and Crisis in the Red Zone.

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).

Guests:

Selected readings for the episode:

Laurie Chen

Richard Preston

Others

To Be Asian With a Face Mask During the Coronavirus Outbreak (KQED)
A Virus's Journey Across China (The Daily podcast)
"Wuhan coronavirus" and the racist art of naming a virus by Marie Myung-Ok Lee (Salon)

South China Morning Post coverage and interviews

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know in a visual explainer (updated daily)
Coronavirus: A View From China
Coronavirus outbreak

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S3 Ep. 9: All the President's Henchmen: Susan Choi and Garrett Graff on Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, and the Long History of Henching in Politics and Literature Jan 30, 2020

In this episode, novelist Susan Choi and journalist Garrett Graff talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about henchmen in political headlines and political literature. Graff talks about the word’s mob connotations, as well as its connections to the Trump and Nixon administrations; Choi talks about degrees of loyalty, and henchmen in literature, from Falstaff to Trust Exercise and American Woman.

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:

Selected readings for the episode:

Garrett Graff

Susan Choi

Others

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S3 Ep. 8: Who Can Be A Citizen?: Rohini Mohan and Praveen Donthi on Hindu Nationalism, Exclusion, and Belonging in Modi's India Jan 16, 2020

In this episode, journalists Rohini Mohan and Praveen Donthi talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the recent widespread protests in India over the Modi government’s Citizenship Amendment Act and why many see the act as a threat to India’s secular nature and constitution. Donthi talks about his time reporting in Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state, and the abrupt change in its autonomous status, announced in August; Mohan speaks about covering Assam, a state in India’s northeast where the debates over who belongs have a longer history.

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:

Rohini Mohan
Praveen Donthi

Selected readings for the episode:

Rohini Mohan

Inside India’s Sham Trials That Could Strip Millions of Citizenship, Vice, July 29, 2019
India’s Immigration Crackdown Could Make Millions Stateless, Time, August 14, 2018
Prove your grandfather is Indian: People who lack flawless paperwork cannot just be jailed as illegal migrants, August 2, 2019
Prove your Grandfather is Indian: Ground Reportage on NRC / Bangalore International Centre video interview
Seasons of Trouble: Life Amid the Ruins of Sri Lanka's Civil War (Verso)

Praveen Donthi (all pieces from The Caravan)

Modiʼs war: Dispatches from a seething Kashmir September 22, 2019
“One Solution, Gun Solution”: Ground report: Kashmir in shock and anger, August 16, 2019
The liberals who loved Modi May 16, 2019

Others

Books

Basharat Peer Curfewed Night
Mirza Waheed (multiple novels)
Under Siege: Mirza Waheed on Kashmir (LitHub, September 10, 2019)
Karan Mahajan The Association of Small Bombs: A Novel
Madhuri Vijay, The Far Field: a novel

Articles

Ground report: On a cold night in the new year, JNU attacked by a masked mob; Delhi Police watched, The Caravan, January 5, 2020
India’s first-time protesters: Mothers and grandmothers stage weeks-long sit-in against citizenship law, By Niha Masih, The Washington Post, Jan. 13, 2020
Reading the Signs: The protest poster is where art meets agitation, poetry meets politics. In India, it was born during the freedom struggle, and grew up through post-Independence struggles against inequality. With the anti-CAA protests, it embraces a new digital life. by Benita Fernando, The Indian Express, January 5, 2020
Blood and Soil in Narendra Modi's India, by Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, Dec. 9, 2019
‘Hum Dekhenge’: Singer and writer Ali Sethi explains how to read (and interpret) Faiz’s poem, Scroll, Jan. 9, 2020
Why the National Population Register is more dangerous than the Assam NRC, by Harsh Mander & Mohsin Alam Bhat, Scroll, Jan 12, 2020
Pankaj Mishra and Mirza Waheed on the Death of India's Liberal Self-Image, Scroll, Jan. 5, 2020
Behind Campus Attack in India, Some See a Far-Right Agenda, By Kai Schultz and Suhasini Raj, The New York Times, Jan. 10, 2020
Earlier attacks on students: Attack on art, by Anupama Katakam, Frontline Magazine, May-June 2007
Earlier, Rohini Mohan on Kashmir in The Wire: In Kashmir, Doctors Bear Witness, Sept. 5, 2016
Earlier, Praveen Donthi on Assam in The Caravan: How Assam's Supreme Court-mandated NRC project is targeting and detaining Bengali Muslims, breaking families, July 1, 2018

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S3 Ep. 7: Live at the Miami Book Fair: T.C. Boyle on Writing About LSD and Outside Looking In Jan 02, 2020

In this episode, taped live at the Miami Book Fair, writer T.C. Boyle talks to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about writing his latest novel, Outside Looking In. The novel looks at the history of LSD, and tracks the marriage of a Harvard graduate student who works with psychologist and LSD researcher Timothy Leary. Boyle offers candid insights into his research process, his own experiences with drugs, his relationship with nature, and how he writes and revises.

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:

T.C. Boyle

Readings for the Episode:

T.C. Boyle

Michael Pollan

How to Change Your Mind

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A Holiday Re-Broadcast Dec 26, 2019

We'll be back with a new episode, featuring T.C. Boyle, on January 2. Until then, please enjoy this holiday re-broadcast of our April 4, 2019 episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast. In this episode, editors Brigid Hughes of A Public Space and Jennifer Baker of Electric Literature and the Minorities in Publishing podcast discuss the world of literary journals with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. What gets an editor’s attention? How much editing do they really do? And where was the AWP hotel bar in Portland? This episode, recorded during the annual AWP conference, has the answers.

Readings for the Episode:

· A Public Space, Issue 27, ed. Brigid Hughes

· Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage by Bette Howland (forthcoming, APS Books)

· Everyday People: The Color of Lifeed. Jennifer Baker

· Acentos Review

· As/Us

· Kweli Journal

· Callaloo

· Lambda Literary

· Papercuts

· Paper Darts

· Tayo Literary Magazine

· Tin House

· Copper Nickel

· The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling

· The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon

· Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans

· The Bible of Dirty Jokes by Eileen Pollack

Guests:

· Brigid Hughes

· Jennifer Baker

Live from the FSG Originals Party

· Jessica Eckerstorfer

· Danielle Evans

· Lydia Kiesling

· Dan Kois

· R.O. Kwon

· Wayne Miller

· Eileen Pollack

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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

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

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.

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:

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

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

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.

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:

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

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

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.

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:

● 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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: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

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

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.

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:

● 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

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

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

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.

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:

● 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

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

● “As We Approach the City,” by Mik Awake, The Common

● “The Climate Museum Launches Pun-Filled Art Installations Across the City,” by Katie Brown, Medium/NYU Local

● “‘Hand that’s feeding the world is getting bit.’ Farmers cope with floods, trade war” by Crystal Thomas and Bryan Lowery, The Kansas City Star

● “Senator uses Star Wars posters, image of Reagan riding a dinosaur to blast Green New Deal,” by Christal Hayes, USA Today

● Learning to Die in the Anthropocene by Roy Scranton

● Horizon, by Barry Lopez

● The End of Nature, by Bill McKibben

Guests:

· Emily Raboteau

· Omar El Akkad

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14: Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know about Lit Mags (And Likely More) Apr 04, 2019

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, editors Brigid Hughes of A Public Space and Jennifer Baker of Electric Literature and the Minorities in Publishing podcast discuss the world of literary journals with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. What gets an editor’s attention? How much editing do they really do? And where was the AWP hotel bar in Portland? This episode, recorded during the annual AWP conference, has the answers.

Readings for the Episode:

· A Public Space, Issue 27, ed. Brigid Hughes

· Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage by Bette Howland (forthcoming, APS Books)

· Everyday People: The Color of Lifeed. Jennifer Baker

· Acentos Review

· As/Us

· Kweli Journal

· Callaloo

· Lambda Literary

· Papercuts

· Paper Darts

· Tayo Literary Magazine

· Tin House

· Copper Nickel

· The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling

· The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon

· Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans

· The Bible of Dirty Jokes by Eileen Pollack

Guests:

· Brigid Hughes

· Jennifer Baker

Live from the FSG Originals Party

· Jessica Eckerstorfer

· Danielle Evans

· Lydia Kiesling

· Dan Kois

· R.O. Kwon

· Wayne Miller

· Eileen Pollack

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13: Fiction/Non/Fiction: March Madness Edition Mar 21, 2019

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, novelist Marcus Burke and sportswriter Shira Springer discuss writing and basketball with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. As March Madness rages on, we talk buzzy topics in the sports world: apprenticeship in college basketball, the need for consistent coverage of women athletes, and the importance of women sportswriters.

Readings for the Episode:

· Team Seven by Marcus Burke

· Hennessy and Red Lightsby Marcus Burke

· “7 Ways to Improve Coverage of Women’s Sports,” by Shira Springer, Nieman Reports

· “WNBA superstar Sue Bird rates sports coverage and finds room for improvement,” by Shira Springer, Nieman Reports

· "La Liga turning heads with women’s soccer," by Shira Springer, Sports Business Daily

· “What If the United States Had Boycotted Hitler’s Olympics?” by Shira Springer from Upon Further Review: The Greatest What-Ifs in Sports History, edited by Mike Pesca

· One on One by Tabitha King

· The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

· A Sense of Where You Are, by John McPhee

· Burn it All Down Podcast

· The Meaning of Serena Williams by Claudia Rankine

· Citizen by Claudia Rankine

· R. R. Knudson, a Writer Whose Subject Was Sports, Dies at 75, The New York Times

· “Grant Hall,” in A Region Not Home, by James McPherson

· The Bad News Bears, dir. Michael Ritchie

· The Girl Who Wanted to Run the Boston Marathon, by Robert McKay

· Champion’s Choice, by John R. Tunis

Guests:

· Marcus Burke

· Shira Springer

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12: Trans is Not New: Gender in Writing Mar 07, 2019

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, scholar and author C. Riley Snorton and author T Fleischmann discuss intersections of gender, race, and their own writing with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.

Readings for the Episode:

· Nobody is Supposed to Know: Black Sexuality on the Down Low by C. Riley Snorton

· Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C. Riley Snorton

· Syzygy, Beauty: An Essay by T. Fleischmann

· Time is the Thing the Body Moves Through by T. Fleischmann

· Epistemology of the Closet by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick

· Death of the PostHuman: Essays on Extinction by Claire Colebrook

· Scenes of Subjection by Saidiya V. Hartman

· Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Maybe: An American Grammar Book by H.J. Spillers

· Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

· Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom by William and Ellen Craft

· “What people fail to realize is…” A Twitter Thread by Nikole Hannah-Jones

· Felix Gonzalez-Torres

· Histories of the Transgender Child by Julian Gill-Peterson

· “Why Does Obama Scold Black Boys?” by Derecka Purnell

Guests:

· C. Riley Snorton

· T Fleischmann

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11: Academy Awards Season Episode Feb 21, 2019

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, novelist and screenwriter Brit Bennett and television and screenwriter Emily Halpern discuss their projects and craft with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. What is it like to adapt your own novel for screen—for Kerry Washington? What’s it like to attend a big awards show? How can screenwriting tips apply to fiction? Which movies deserved Best Picture nominations? The episode discusses these questions and more in the run-up to the Oscars.

Readings for the Episode:

· The Mothers, by Brit Bennett

· Scandal on ABC

· Movies in Oscar discussion:

o Roma (dir. Alfonso Cuarón)

o If Beale Street Could Talk (dir. Barry Jenkins)

o The Favourite (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)

o A Star is Born (dir. Bradley Cooper)

o Sorry To Bother You (dir. Boots Riley)

· Trophy Wife

· Carol’s Second Act (pilot in progress for CBS, by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins)

· Book Smart, by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins (forthcoming in May 2019)

· What Will Win Best Picture? 20 Oscar Voters Spill Their Secrets · . Scriptnotes podcast

· Russian Doll (Natasha Lyonne, Netflix)

Guests:

· Brit Bennett

· Emily Halpern

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10: Indigenous Imaginations: Native American Writers on Their Communities Feb 07, 2019

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, playwright Rhiana Yazzie and novelist Brandon Hobson and hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell discuss Native literature. In the wake of viral images showing Covington Catholic students disrespecting Native activist Nathan Phillips in Washington, D.C., this episode turns the focus away from the MAGA hats, and back to the Indigenous Peoples March and indigenous writing.

Readings for the Episode:

· New Native Theatre

· Native Woman The Musical

· A Winter Love (film, forthcoming)

· Queen Cleopatra and Princess Pocahontas (forthcoming) by Rhiana Yazzie

· Where the Dead Sit Talking, Desolation of Avenues Untold, and Deep Ellum by Brandon Hobson

· Mekko and Barking Water by Sterlin Harjo

· Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

· Stewart O’Nan

· Louise Erdrich's Facebook post

· The Indigenous Peoples March was about a Lot More than the Kids in MAGA Hats, by Tekendra Parmar

Guests:

· Rhiana Yazzie

· Brandon Hobson

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9: Can I Get A Witness: God and Faith in American Fiction Jan 24, 2019

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, novelists R.O. Kwon and Paul Harding and hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell discuss writing about God and faith.

Readings for the Episode:

· The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon

· Tinkers and Enon by Paul Harding

· Blind Spot and Open City by Teju Cole

· The Complete Sermons of Ralph Waldo Emerson

· He Held Radical Light by Christian Wiman

· Simone Weil

Guests:

· R.O. Kwon

· Paul Harding

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8: Notice Me: How Literary Publicity Works Jan 10, 2019

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, publicists and writers Carla Bruce-Eddings and Karen Gu and novelist Tom Barbash talk to hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about how literary publicity works, and how books and authors get attention.

Readings for the Episode:

Part I: · Carla Bruce-Eddings on Twitter· Algonquin Books on Twitter· Karen Gu on Twitter· Graywolf Press on Twitter· Graywolf Press on Instagram· Oculus by Sally Wen Mao · Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi · “Gender, Transition, and Ogbanje,” by Akwaeke Emezi, for The Cut· Severance by Ling Ma · Pachinko by Min Jin Lee · “Amazing Grace,” by Carla Bruce-Eddings, in Well Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves, ed. Glory Edim · Carla Bruce-Eddings archive at New York Magazine· “Seven White Rabbit Candies is Equivalent to One Cup of Milk,” by Karen Gu Part II · The Dakota Winters by Tom Barbash · Lori & Julia’s Book Club Show on 107.1 in Minneapolis. · “In 'The Dakota Winters,' Finding A New Story To Tell About John Lennon,” National Public Radio Weekend Edition with Scott Simon· The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon · “Oscar Villalon and Arthur Phillips on Getting That Big, Fat Writer’s Advance,” Fiction/Non/Fiction Episode 24, Season 1

Guests:

Tom Barbash

Carla Bruce-Eddings

Karen Gu

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7: Bich Minh Nguyen on the Refugee Experience of Holiday Narratives Dec 24, 2018

In this special holiday episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, fiction writer and memoirist Bich Minh Nguyen talks to hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about her history as a refugee, recent news about the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies, and her holiday traditions.

Readings for the Episode:

· Stealing Buddha’s Dinner, Pioneer Girl, and Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen

· “Trump Moves to Deport Vietnam War Refugees,” by Charles Dunst and Krishnadev Calamur, Atlantic.com Dec. 12, 2018 ·

· A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

· Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

· "The Dead," by James Joyce

· “The Netflix Christmas Movie Cinematic Universe Is Here,” Buzzfeed, Alanna Bennett

· “It’s a Wonderful Life,” film, 1946, dir. Frank Capra

· “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” short story by Ernest Hemingway.

· “Santa Clo va a La Cuchilla,” short story by Abelardo Díaz Alfaro

· “Is Denaturalization the Next Front in the Trump Administration’s War on Immigration?” by Seth Freed Wessler, The New York Times Magazine, Dec. 19, 2018

Guests: Bich Minh Nguyen

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6: Athletes, Politics, and Power: With Steve Almond, Mark Leibovich, and Etan Thomas Dec 13, 2018

In this live episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, recorded at the 2018 Miami Book Fair, writers Steve Almond, Mark Leibovich, and Etan Thomas talk to hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the NFL, the NBA, and moral and political questions around professional sports.

Readings for the Episode:

· Against Football: One Fan's Reluctant Manifesto by Steve Almond

· Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times by Mark Leibovich

· We Matter: Athletes and Activism by Etan Thomas

· The Art of Taking a Knee: Colin Kaepernick Edition (Season 1, Episode 1, fiction/non/fiction)

Guests:Steve AlmondMark LeibovichEtan Thomas

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5: Madeline Miller on Circe, Homer, Translation, and Adaptation (recorded live at the Miami Book Fair) Nov 29, 2018

In this live episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, recorded at the 2018 Miami Book Fair, novelist Madeline Miller talks to hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about ancient Greek epic, translation, mythological realism, and literary adaptation.

Readings for the Episode:

Circeand The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Odyssey and “Translator’s Note to The Odyssey” by Emily Wilson

D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire

The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Mythby Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

Guest: Madeline Miller

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4: Edmund White and Emily Temple on Writers vs. Writers Nov 15, 2018

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, writers Edmund White and Emily Temple talk to hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about writers feuding with each other.

Readings for the episode: · “25 Legendary Literary Feuds, Ranked,” by Emily Temple, Literary Hub.· “YouTube, the Great Radicalizer,” by Zeynep Tufekci, The New York Times.· The Unpunished Vice: A Life of Reading by Edmund White· Caracole by Edmund White· The Breaking Point: Hemingway, Dos Passos, and the Murder of Jose Robles by Stephen Koch· “Ta-Nehisi Coates Deletes Twitter Account Amid Feud With Cornel West,” by Jennifer Schuessler, The New York Times.· “Perchance to dream: In the age of images, a reason to write novels,” by Jonathan Franzen, Harper’s Magazine. (paywall)· “Why experimental fiction threatens to destroy publishing, Jonathan Franzen, and life as we know it: A correction,” by Ben Marcus (paywall) Guests:· Edmund White

· Emily Temple

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3: Jane Coaston and Alexander Chee on Politics, Storytelling, and the Midterms Nov 01, 2018

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, reporter Jane Coaston and writer Alexander Chee talk to hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the upcoming midterm elections.

Readings for the episode: How to Write An Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee · “Max Boot, Jackie Robinson, and the racism problem in the Republican Party,” by Jane Coaston, Vox · “‘False flags,’ explained,” by Jane Coaston, Vox · The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right by Max Boot · Tomb of the Unknown Racistby Blanche McCrary Boyd · I Never Had It Made by Jackie Robinson · “A Party for the Colonel,” by F.T. Kola · Maus by Art Spiegelman

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2: Idra Novey and Esmé Wang Talk Mental Health and Writing Oct 18, 2018

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, Idra Novey and Esmé Wang talk to hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about Brett Kavanaugh, Christine Blasey Ford, trauma, and mental health.

Readings for the episode: · The Border of Paradise by Esmé Wang · The Collected Schizophrenias by Esmé Wang (forthcoming) · Esmé Wang's website · “Perdition Days: On Experiencing Psychosis,” by Esme Wang · “The Silence of Sexual Assault in Literature,” by Idra Novey · Ways to Disappear and Those Who Knew, by Idra Novey · “Good Country People,” by Flannery O’Connor · The Recovering by Leslie Jamison

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1: MFA vs. Everything Oct 04, 2018

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, fiction writers Elizabeth McCracken and Tony Tulathimutte and poets Kathryn Nuernberger and Hadara Bar-Nadav talk about graduate programs in creative writing with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.

Readings for the episode: · The Program Era by Mark McGurl· “MFA vs POC,” The New Yorker, Junot Diaz· “The Writers’ Workshop,” by Frank Conroy, from Dogs Bark but the Caravan Rolls On· POC Mentorship: Graduate Faculty Writers of Color (from de-canon)· Private Citizens by Tony Tulathimutte· Bowlaway by Elizabeth McCracken (forthcoming in February)

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26: Garrard Conley and SJ Sindu on the Mainstreaming of Queer Identity Sep 20, 2018

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, fiction writers Garrard Conley and SJ Sindu discuss writing about queer identity with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. In part one, Conley talks about having his book Boy Erased adapted for film, and writing about the evangelical community. In the show’s second half, Sindu talks about writing about the closet, and how the publishing industry imagines readers will react to content about queer people of color. Readings for the episode:

Readings for the episode:· Boy Erasedby Garrard Conley· Marriage of a Thousand Liesby SJ Sindu· Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai · The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth· The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall · Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeannette Winterson

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25: Nathaniel Rich and Juliana Spahr: As the World Burns, Trump Tweets Sep 06, 2018

For episode 25 of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, novelist and journalist Nathaniel Rich and poet and activist Juliana Spahr discuss writing about climate change and ecological destruction with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. In part one, Rich discusses the history and craft behind his groundbreaking New York Times Magazine article “Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change.” Next, Spahr talks about her recent Harper’s poem “A Destruction Story,” Trump’s use of poetry in his recent rallies, and the purpose of ecopoetics.

Readings for the episode: “Losing Earth,” Odds Against Tomorrow, and King Zeno by Nathaniel Rich

“A Destruction Story” and “Gentle Now, Don’t Add to Heartache” by Juliana Spahr

The Jasons: The Secret History of Science’s Postwar Elite by Ann Finkbeiner

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe

John Adams by David McCullough Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boohttps://www.indiebound.org/book/9780812979329 Encounters with the Archdruid by John McPheehttps://www.indiebound.org/book/9780374514310 Nathaniel Rich’s Energy Gang podcast interview

Turtle Island by Gary Snyder

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24: All About the Green: Getting That Big, Fat Writer's Advance Aug 23, 2018

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, critic and editor Oscar Villalon and novelist and screenwriter Arthur Phillips discuss book advances and the effects of finances on creativity with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. In part one, Villalon explains how advances work, and why the publishing industry uses them. In the show’s second half, Phillips chronicles how his finances have changed over the course of his career as a bestselling fiction writer.

Readings • Prague, The Egyptologist, and The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips • City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg • The Girls by Emma Cline • Annals of the Former World by John McPhee • A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe • Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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23: James Traub and Margot Livesey on Decency vs. Moral Weakness Aug 09, 2018

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, writers James Traub and Margot Livesey discuss the idea of morally weak characters with hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. In part one, Traub talks moral weakness, the concept of decency in the public sphere, and his recent Atlantic article about the Strzok hearing. Livesey explores the morally weak character in her novel Mercury, fiction and moral failings in the private sphere, and famously flawed characters in literary history. Readings • “[Decency Loses Its Moral Force](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/07/have-they-no-sense-of-decency/565415/)” by James Traub • “[Selfishness Is Killing Liberalism](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/liberalism-trump-era/553553/)” by James Traub • [John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780465093830) by James Traub • [The Hidden Machinery: Essays on Writing](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781941040683) and [Mercury](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062437501) by Margot Livesey • 12 Angry Men by Sidney Lumet • [On Liberty](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34901/34901-h/34901-h.htm) by John Stuart Mill • [All The King’s Men](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780156004800?aff=PublishersWeekly) by Robert Penn Warren • [Put Out More Flags](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781619698611?aff=) by Evelyn Waugh • [Homage to Catalonia](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780156421171) by George Orwell • [1984](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/326569/1984-by-george-orwell-with-a-foreword-by-thomas-pynchon/9780452284234/) by George Orwell • Moby-Dick by Herman Melville • [The Good Soldier](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2775/2775-h/2775-h.htm) by Ford Madox Ford • The criticism of F. R. Leavis • “[The Interview](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1957/07/27/the-interview-4)” by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala • [Giovanni’s Room](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101907740) by James Baldwin • [All the Kings Men](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780156004800?aff=PublishersWeekly) by Robert Penn Warren • [Things Fall Apart](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780385474542) by Chinua Achebe • [Invisible Man](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780679732761) by Ralph Ellison • “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor • “[Drinking Coffee Elsewhere](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2000/06/19/drinking-coffee-elsewhere)” by ZZ Packer • [Rebecca](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780380730407) by Daphne du Maurier • [A Passage to India](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780156711425) by E. M. Forster • Magneto from The X-Men • [The Stanford prison experiment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment)

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22: Alice Bolin and Kristen Martin on the Problem With Dead Girl Stories Jul 26, 2018

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, writers Alice Bolin and Kristen Martin talk with Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan about the appeal and popularity of stories that revolve around dead girls and women. Bolin, author of Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession, discusses why we seek out stories that depict violence against women and how we can be more deliberate and reflective in our consumption of true crime. Kristen Martin, author of “Why We Love—and Need to Leave Behind—Dead Girl Stories,” joins in on the discussion about this ubiquitous and problematic trope. Readings: • [Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession](https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062657145/dead-girls/) by Alice Bolin • [“Why We Love—and Need to Leave Behind—Dead Girl Stories”](https://lithub.com/why-we-love-and-need-to-leave-behind-dead-girl-stories/) by Kristen Martin • “[Picturing America](https://www.threepennyreview.com/samples/marcus_f06.html)” by Greil Marcus • [Gone Girl](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781524763671?aff=penguinrandom) by Gillian Flynn • [Helsinki press conference transcript](https://www.vox.com/2018/7/16/17576956/transcript-putin-trump-russia-helsinki-press-conference) on Vox •[Over Tumbled Graves](https://www.harpercollins.com/9780061712838/over-tumbled-graves/) by Jess Walter • [In Cold Blood](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-cold-blood-truman-capote/1101755577) by Truman Capote • [Everything I Never Told You](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780143127550) by Celeste Ng • [What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780735211025?aff=penguinrandom) by Lesley Nneka Arimah • [The Lovely Bones](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lovely-bones-alice-sebold/1100259243#/) and [Lucky](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781501171635) by Alice Sebold • [My Body Is a Book of Rules](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781597099691) by Elissa Washuta • [Dead Girls](http://www.dzancbooks.org/our-books/dead-girls-and-other-stories) by Emily Geminder • [A Time To Kill](http://www.jgrisham.com/books/a-time-to-kill/) by John Grisham • Stranger Things by The Duffer Brothers / Netflix • Twin Peaks by David Lynch / Netflix • [Give Me Your Hand](https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/megan-abbott/give-me-your-hand/9780316547185/) by Megan Abbott • [The God of Small Things](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780006550686) by Arundhati Roy • [The Huntsman](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780142001318) by Whitney Terrell

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21: Mira Jacob and Pamela Paul Talk Reboots & Superheroes Jul 12, 2018

Writers Pamela Paul and Mira Jacob talk with V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the literary side of reboots, comics, and superheroes. Editor of the New York Times Book Review Pamela Paul (the author of My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues) talks about the relevance and impact of literary retellings and her life as a reader. Mira Jacob, author of the novel The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing and the forthcoming graphic memoir Good Talk: Conversations I’m Still Confused About discusses the role of comics in American mythology, their viability in the digital world, and the intersection of comics and literature. Readings: • [My Life with Bob](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781627796316), [The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/128285/the-starter-marriage-and-the-future-of-matrimony-by-pamela-paul/9780812966763/), Pornified, and [Parenting, Inc.](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780805089240) by Pamela Paul • [A View of the Empire at Sunset](https://lithub.com/a-view-of-the-empire-at-sunset/) by Caryl Phillips • [Wide Sargasso Sea](http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=4294989814) and [Smile Please](https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/299064/smile-please/) by Jean Rhys • “Neither a Borrower nor a Lender Be” from [The Hidden Machinery: Essays on Writing](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781941040683) by Margot Livesey • [Early Work](http://www.earlywork.net/) • [The Perfect Nanny](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780143132172) by Leila Slimani • [Life After Life](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316176491) by Kate Atkinson • [The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780812994780), [Shondaland column](https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/a15168745/mira-jacob-comic-my-past-self/), and "[37 Difficult Questions from My Mixed-Race Son](https://www.buzzfeed.com/mirajacob/questions-from-my-mixed-race-son)" by Mira Jacob • The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon • The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem • Tintin by Hergé • Asterix by René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo, Jean-Yves Ferri • [Amar Chitra Katha](https://www.amarchitrakatha.com/us/) • [The New York Times Book Review Podcast](https://www.nytimes.com/column/book-review-podcast)

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20: #FamiliesBelongTogether: a Conversation Jun 28, 2018

Writers Cristina Henriquez and Edwidge Danticat talk with V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell in an episode about the urgent issue of keeping immigrant families together and resisting their mass incarceration and detention. Henriquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans, talks about the tragic real-life inspiration for her short story “Everything Is Far from Here” and the differences between Obama-era immigration policy and the policy of the current administration. Danticat, a National Book Award Finalist and author of The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story and Breath, Eyes, Memory, discusses the treatment of Haitian immigrants, the impossible choices immigrants face while pursuing better lives for their families, and what might lie ahead for detained children after the news coverage fades. Readings • The World in Half, The Book of Unknown Americans, and “[Everything Is Far from Here](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/07/24/everything-is-far-from-here)” by Cristina Henriquez • “[Cristina Henriquez on Immigration, Detention, and Missing Names](https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/fiction-this-week-cristina-henriquez-2017-07-24)” by Cressida Leyshon from The New Yorker • “[The Trump administration changed its story on family separation no fewer than 14 times before ending the policy](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/06/20/the-trump-administration-changed-its-story-on-family-separation-no-fewer-than-14-times-before-ending-the-policy/)” by JM Rieger from The Washington Post • “[The History of The Flores Settlement and Its Effects on Immigration](https://www.npr.org/2018/06/22/622678753/the-history-of-the-flores-settlement-and-its-effects-on-immigration)” from NPR • [The Immigration Act of 1990](https://immigration.laws.com/immigration-act-of-1990) • Hunting Season: Immigration and Murder in an All-American Town by Mirta Ojito • The Devil's Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea • Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions by Valeria Luiselli • Maras: Gang Violence and Security in Central America by Thomas Bruneau, Lucia Dammert, and Elizabeth Skinner • When I Was a Child I Read Books by Marilynne Robinson • Breath, Eyes, Memory, Krik? Krak!, The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story, The Dew Breaker, Claire of the Sea and Light, and Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat • “[NYC Hospitals Are Treating Children Separated from Parents at Border for Mental Illness](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/06/nyc-hospitals-are-treating-children-separated-from-parents-at-border-for-mental-illness.html)” by Elliot Hannon from Slate • [The Guantánamo Public Memory Project](https://gitmomemory.org/timeline/resisting-and-protesting-guantanamo/hunger-strike-at-haitian-camps/) on the hunger strike at Haitian camps • Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran • “[White Extinction Anxiety](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/24/opinion/america-white-extinction.html)” by Charles M. Blow from The New York Times

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19: Writing About Mass Incarceration Across Genres, Part II Jun 14, 2018

Writers Tayari Jones and DaMaris B. Hill talk with V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell in the second of two special episodes on the effects of mass incarceration on American communities and democracy. Jones, author of the New York Times bestseller An American Marriage, discusses the collateral effects of incarceration, the disproportionate financial burden on women, and allowing characters hope. Hill, a scholar and poet, talks about the link between poverty and incarceration, inspiration found in historical figures, Assata Shakur, and the need to acknowledge others’ complex and multifaceted lives. Readings: • [An American Marriage](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781616201340), Leaving Atlanta, The Untelling, and Silver Sparrow, by Tayari Jones • “[Who Pays?: The True Cost of Incarceration on Families,](https://forwardtogether.app.box.com/s/1vtvbd8pa8ubtpg7ne9ped14primxkaz)” by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Forward Together, and Research Action Design • Surviving Justice: America’s Wrongfully Convicted and Exonerated, edited by Dave Eggers and Lola Vollen • Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond • The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander • [A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing](https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/a-bound-woman-is-a-dangerous-thing-9781635572629/) (forthcoming in 2019), Visible Textures, The Fluid Boundaries of Suffrage and Jim Crow: Staking Claims in the American Heartland, by DaMaris B. Hill • Colored Amazons, by Kali N. Gross • “[Stewing](http://www.splitthisrock.org/poetry-database/poem/stewing),” by DaMaris B. Hill • The comedy of Moms Mabley, Richard Pryor, and Redd Foxx • “This Granny Is a Gangster,” by DaMaris B. Hill

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18: Writing About Mass Incarceration Across Genres May 31, 2018

Poet and memoirist Reginald Dwayne Betts and novelist Zachary Lazar join V.V Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell for the first of two special episodes on the effects of mass incarceration on American communities and democracy. Betts, a poet, memoirist and lawyer who was incarcerated as a young man, talks about writing in different genres, as well as the experience of having friends and colleagues write about his character to support his application to the bar and our collective impulse to be punitive. Lazar discusses his recent novel, Vengeance, which is set at Angola, the maximum-security Louisiana state penitentiary where inmates work on a farm that used to be a plantation. Readings: • Bastards of the Reagan Era, Shahid Reads His Own Palm, and A Question of Freedom, by Reginald Dwayne Betts • [“Prison,”](https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/prison) by Reginald Dwayne Betts • [“For the City That Nearly Broke Me,”](https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/city-nearly-broke-me) by Reginald Dwayne Betts • [“Feeling Fucked Up: The Architecture of Anger”](https://aprweb.org/poems/feeling-fucked-up-the-architecture-of-anger) by Reginald Dwayne Betts • Vengeance, by Zachary Lazar • Crush, by Richard Sitken • The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander • [“For Freckle-Faced Gerald,”](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51369/for-freckle-faced-gerald) by Etheridge Knight

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17: The Return of Socialism in America? May 17, 2018

In recent years, socialism has been on the rise—or was it ever really gone? In episode 17, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell talk to Dana Goldstein of The New York Times about what it’s like to cover teacher walkouts and strikes today, and how today’s actions compare to those she wrote about in her bestselling book, The Teacher Wars, which covers the history of teaching in America. Later in the show, Thomas Frank of Listen, Liberal fame gives us a sneak preview of the final essay in his forthcoming collection. He discusses the state of socialism, the failures of the Democratic Party, and which fiction writers have most successfully taken socialism on as their material. Readings: • The Teacher Wars by Dana Goldstein • Listen, Liberal by Thomas Frank • Rendezvous With Oblivion by Thomas Frank (forthcoming) • Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, by Studs Terkel • “[25-Year-Old Textbooks and Holes in the Ceiling: Inside America’s Public Schools,](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/16/reader-center/us-public-schools-conditions.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Freader-center&action=click&contentCollection=reader-center®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront)” by Josephine Sedgwick • The U.S.A. Trilogy by John Dos Passos • Native Son by Richard Wright • Such Sweet Thunder by Vincent O. Carter • Bottom Dogs by Edward Dahlberg • Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward • The Studs Lonigan Trilogy by James T. Farrell

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16: Fate and Fortune: What Are We Responsible For May 03, 2018

Was this episode our destiny? In episode 16, Jess Row and Meghan O’Rourke talk fate and fortune with V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. Jess Row speaks first about race and fate, his novel Your Face in Mine, and his upcoming essay collection, White Flights. Then Meghan O’Rourke talks about how she saw her poem “My Life as a Subject” back when she wrote it, and how she understands it now, as well as her writing about the #MeToo movement and about illness. What are we responsible for, and what can we change? Readings: Your Face in Mine by Jess Row • "[Native Sons](https://www.guernicamag.com/jess-row-native-sons/)," by Jess Row, from Guernica • “Elbow Room,” by James Alan McPherson • "[Election Night,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHG0ezLiVGc)" from Saturday Night Live • "[The Gifts of Black Folk in the Age of Terrorism,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrxavMcGTW8)" by Cornel West • “[My Life as a Subject](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?volume=192&issue=3&page=23),” and “[Idiopathic Illness](https://lithub.com/idiopathic-illness-a-new-poem-by-meghan-orourke),” by Meghan O’Rourke, from Sun in Days • “[When the Fog Lifts](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/13/magazine/the-reckoning-women-and-power-in-the-workplace.html),” by Meghan O’Rourke, from The New York Times Magazine • [The Story Behind The Song: Killing Moon by Echo & The Bunnymen](https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-behind-the-song-the-killing-moon-by-echo-the-bunnymen-1)

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15: So, Who's Funny in the Age of Trump? Apr 19, 2018

In episode 15, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell ask who’s funny in the age of Trump, and how they’re managing to pull it off. They talk to Sloane Crosley, author of the new essay collection, Look Alive Out There, about the humor of the everyday and the freedom and subversiveness of not writing about the president. The also speak to Alexandra Petri of The Washington Post’s ComPost column, whose column features humorous takes on political news ranging from James Comey’s book release to Chris Christie’s screaming eyes. Readings: • Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crosley • A Field Guide to Awkward Silences and the ComPost blog, by Alexandra Petri, including [“Further excerpts from James Comey’s book, if the existing ones are anything to go on](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2018/04/13/further-excerpts-from-james-comeys-book-if-the-existing-ones-are-anything-to-go-on/?utm_term=.0d4b0ee949c3)" • Life of Samuel Johnson, by James Boswell • My Life and Hard Times, by James Thurber • Sylvia Plath, [“Tulips”](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49013/tulips-56d22ab68fdd0) • The Penguin Dictionary of Modern Humorous Quotations • [“The Clouds](http://classics.mit.edu/Aristophanes/clouds.html)," by Aristophanes • [“The Personal Essay Boom is Over,”](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/jia-tolentino/the-personal-essay-boom-is-over) by Jia Tolentino

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14: All Fiction is Crime Fiction Apr 05, 2018

In episode 14, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell examine the omnipresent American comfort narrative of mystery and crime fiction. Why do we love crime stories so much? How do they shape the way that we think about a whole host of real-world issues from the Mueller investigation to Black Lives Matter and the shootings of young black men by police? They are joined for this discussion by Mat Johnson, author of the novels Loving Day, Pym, Drop, and Hunting in Harlem, the nonfiction novella The Great Negro Plot, and the graphic novels Incognegro and Dark Rain. Readings: • Incognegro by Mat Johnson, and its new miniprequels • Superman II, Superman III (film) • The Untouchables (film) • The Road To Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America by Timothy Snyder • The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler • Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky • CrimeReads.com

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13: At the Intersection of Nationalism, Religion, and Social Media Mar 22, 2018

Earlier this month, mob attacks on Sri Lanka’s minority Muslim community prompted a state of emergency in that country, and a temporary ban on Facebook and other social media applications. In Episode 13, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell speak to Meera Srinivasan, The Hindu’s Sri Lanka correspondent, about her reporting on those incidents and the rise of Sinhala Buddhist hardliners in Sri Lanka, as well as the parallels she sees between that situation and the rise of populism in the U.S., Europe, India, and other parts of Asia. Writer Bill Lychack, a frequent visitor to Myanmar, joins the show to talk about what draws him to the country and how he views Aung San Suu Kyi in light of the nation’s treatment of its beleaguered Rohingya minority. Readings: "Letter from Burma: Captives of the Junta" by Bill Lychack in The American Scholar Love Marriage, by V.V. Ganeshananthan “It was not a Sinhala-Muslim clash, it was a mob attack on Muslims: Sri Lanka Minister Rauff Hakeem,” the Wednesday Interview by Meera Srinivasan, The Hindu “Banning Social Media Won’t Stop Hate Speech,” by Rohan Samarajiva in The New York Times

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12: #Neveragain and the Hope of Student Protest Mar 08, 2018

In mid-February, seventeen students and adults were shot at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In the aftermath, surviving students have led a powerful campaign for gun control. In episode 12, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell bring you two authors—and a pile of books—that have covered the territory of school shootings, activism, and coming of age. First, Jim Shepard discusses his 2004 novel Project X, which is told from the POV of an eighth-grader who decides to commit a Columbine-style shooting. Shepard offers his thoughts on empathy, alienation, and how schools tend to treat their outcasts. Then Danielle Evans shares her read on the students activists in the #neveragain movement and the longstanding literary trope of child narrators who outwit adults. Adolescent anger and activism play out in Evans's story "Robert E. Lee is Dead," set in a high school in the south; she also points us to Edward P. Jones’s story “The First Day” for a particularly poignant phrasing of the transition of adolescence. Readings: Project X by Jim Shepard (2004); "Robert E. Lee is Dead" by Danielle Evans, from the collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self (2011); "The First Day" by Edward P. Jones, from the collection Lost in the City (2004); The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (1970).

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11: Annihilation, Adaptation: What's It Really Like to Have Your Book Made Into a Movie Feb 22, 2018

In episode 11, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell offer a very Lit Hub take on Academy Awards season. What’s the process really like when a book becomes a movie? How does Hollywood decide which books will work best for the big screen? For answers, they talk to production and development executive Christina Sibul, who worked on the Academy Award nominated book adaptations The House of Sand and Fog (2003) and Sideways (2004). Then author Jeff VanderMeer joins the show, fresh back from the L.A. premiere of Annihilation, a brand new Paramount Pictures film based on the first novel of Jeff’s bestselling Southern Reach Trilogy. Jeff will give us the inside scoop on his techniques for freaking out readers, how director Alex Garland translated Annihilation’s monsters to the big screen, and how to dress for the red carpet if you’re an author. BONUS: Sugi casts the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast movie adaptation! Readings: Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer (2014); The House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III (1999); Sideways by Rex Pickett (2004)

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10: Anti-Semitism and the Authoritarian Playbook Feb 08, 2018

Recently, the Polish Senate passed a law that would criminalize any suggestions of complicity by the Polish state in Nazi war crimes, including the Holocaust. In episode 10, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell talk to the novelist Steve Yarbrough about the nationalist Law and Justice party, which is behind the ban—and how their authoritarian tactics mirror those of the Trump Administration. Yarbrough's new novel, The Unmade World, is set in contemporary Poland and America. Then we talk to the novelist Eileen Pollack about Charlottesville, the history of anti-Semitism in the U.S. and how her 2012 novel, Breaking and Entering, anticipated the rise of the alt-Right. Readings: The Unmade World, by Steve Yarbrough (2018); The Party That Wants to Make Poland Great Again, by James Traub, New York Times Magazine, Nov. 2 2016; 'Orgy of Murder': The Poles who 'Hunted" Jews and Turned Them Over to the Nazis, by Ofer Aderet, Haaretz, Feb. 11, 2017; Breaking and Entering, by Eileen Pollack (2012).

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9: A Whole New Kind of Obscenity? Jan 25, 2018

For episode 9, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell talk with Ron Charles, editor of The Washington Post Book World and Shanthi Sekaran, author of Lucky Boy, about obscenity, literature, and immigration. In the first half of the show, Charles leads us through the famous 1933 obscenity trial involving James Joyce's Ulysses and the 1964 trial involving Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer. Then Shanthi Sekaran talks to us about Trump's infamous shithole comments, his immigration policy, and how she believes the language surrounding immigration—"ICE," "illegal alien"—is more profane than any curse word. Plus: Whitney reads the dirtiest passage he can find in Ulysses and embarrasses his mother. Readings: Ulysses by James Joyce; Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller; The Awakening by Kate Chopin; Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran. In the Stacks features Anthony Stromoski of Rough Draft Bar and Books in Kingston, NY.

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8: Literary Color Lines Jan 11, 2018

In episode 8, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell talk about sensitivity reads, cross-cultural writing, and the lack of diversity in the publishing industry with author and COO of We Need Diverse Books Dhonielle Clayton and agent Ayesha Pande. In the first half of the show, Clayton talks about her own career as a sensitivity reader—or, as she prefers, a targeted beta reader—and discusses her concerns with a recent _New York Times_ article on the subject. In the show's second segment, longtime agent and former editor Pande explains how she has seen a lack of diversity in publishing affect writers of color throughout her 25-year career. Readings: "In an Era of Online Outrage, Do Sensitivity Readers Result in Better Books, or Censorship?" by Alexandra Alter in _The New York Times_; "Twentieth Century Fiction and the Black Mask of Humanity" by Ralph Ellison, from _Shadow and Act_; "How Chris Jackson is Building a Black Literary Movement" by Vinson Cunningham in _The New York Times Magazine_. In the Stacks features Abby Fennewald, Director of Marketing and Publicity for BookPeople in Austin, Texas.

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7: How Has Literary Life Changed in 20 Years? With Curtis Sittenfeld and Oscar Villalon Dec 28, 2017

In search of some nostalgic holiday cheer, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell climb in the way back machine and time travel to 1997 with critic and editor Oscar Villalon and novelist Curtis Sittenfeld. Oscar rounds up the books that won prizes twenty years ago, the books that remain relevant, and explains why these books aren't always the same. Curtis talks to us about Monica Lewinsky, Esquire, The Prairie Wife, Sex and the City and the very literary politics of 1997\. PLUS an *exclusive* preview of her novel-in-progress about a Hillary Rodham who never becomes a Clinton. Readings (Fiction): Underworld by Don DeLillo; You Think It, I'll Say It, by Curtis Sittenfeld; The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy; American Pastoral by Phillip Roth; Paradise by Toni Morrison; Martin Dressler by Steven Millhauser; The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald; The Farewell Symphony by Edmund White; Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier; Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling. Readings (Nonfiction): Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt; The Commissar Vanishes: the Falsification of Photographs and Art in Stalin's Russia by David King; The Rape of Nanking: the Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang; The Women by Hilton Als; Sex and the City by Candice Bushnell. In the Stacks will be back in two weeks. Happy Holidays!

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6: All the President's Shakespeare Dec 14, 2017

In episode 6, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell talk political betrayal past and present with novelist Jess Walter and poet Kiki Petrosino. Jess Walter once interviewed an ailing Mark Felt, aka "Deep Throat" of Watergate fame, and he gives us the skinny on the literary qualities of Nixon, Trump, Flynn, NY mobsters, and his 2005 novel Citizen Vince. Plus, would John Gotti have liked the president? On the eve of the release of her new book, Witch Wife, Kiki Petrosino talks to us about MacBeth's witches and how Shakespeare can help us decode our current age of political skulduggery. What Trump Administration officials would you cast in Macbeth? Readings: All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward; Citizen Vince by Jess Walter; Witch Wife by Kiki Petrosino; The Tragedy of Macbeth; The Tempest; The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark In the Stacks: J.J. Cantrell interviews Annie Philbrick of Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT and Savoy Bookshop & Cafe in Westerly, Rhode Island.

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5: The New Culture Wars: Higher Ed Edition Nov 30, 2017

The novelists V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell discuss how cuts to higher education are threatening the fabric of American life. Guests John Freeman and Sarah Smarsh talk about the higher cost of college has exacerbated income inequality. And the director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Lan Samantha Chang, weighs in on how the great Midwestern public universities are being squeezed by Republican-led state legislatures. Readings: "We Just Don't Feel Like We Belong Here Anymore" by Becca Andrews in Mother Jones. "The Decline of the Midwest's Public Universities Threatens to Wreck Its Most Vibrant Economies" by Jon Marcus in The Atlantic. "Elitists, crybabies and junky degrees" by Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan in the Washington Post. Tales of Two Americas, essays "Blood Brother" by Sarah Smarsh, "Hurray for Losers" by Dagoberto Gilb and "A Good Neighbor Is Hard To Find" by Whitney Terrell Moo by Jane Smiley Stoner by John Williams All is Forgotten, Nothing is Lost by Lan Samantha Chang Whitney's statistics on the 2008-2016 decline in Missouri's higher education funding come from an August 18, 2016 report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. You can find the figures for your state here: https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-by-state-fact-sheets-higher-education-cuts-jeopardize-students-and-states-economic For more, visit us at LitHub.com

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4: We're All Russian, Now Nov 16, 2017

V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell discuss Russian-American political machinations with Ukrainian-born novelist Sana Krasikov and novelist Charles Baxter explores America's curious fascination with Chekhov and great Russian literature. For more, head to LitHub.com.

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3: The Power of Facebook: How Big is Too Big? Nov 02, 2017

In episode three of fiction/non/fiction, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell talk to The Atlantic's Alexis Madrigal and novelist Alexander Chee about Facebook, Russia, dark ads, and how writers are changing their relationship to social media. For more, head to LitHub.com

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2: Jia Tolentino and Claire Vaye Watkins on Abuse, Harassment, and Harvey Weinstein Oct 19, 2017

In episode two of Fiction/Non/Fiction, Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan talk to Jia Tolentino and Claire Vaye Watkins about Hollywood's serial abusers, harassment, and the now infamous Harvey Weinstein. For more, head to LitHub.com.

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The Art of Kneeling: Colin Kaepernick Edition Oct 05, 2017

In the first episode of fiction/non/fiction, Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan talk to Brit Bennett and Matt Gallagher about NFL players kneeling during the national anthem in protest of institutional racism and police violence.

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