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Two new murder mysteries cleverly explore the meta — in two very different ways May 22, 2026

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In Ilona Bannister’s Five, five strangers wait on a train platform. One will die in the next five minutes but only one person knows: the reader. In Anthony Horowitz’s A Deadly Episode, his real 2018 novel The Word is Murder becomes a fictional film adaptation with one problem: the actor playing the protagonist is dead. Today’s episode features conversations on metafiction with both authors. First, Bannister talks to NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe about writing a novel with a five-minute timespan. Then, Horowitz talks to NPR’s Scott Simon about poking fun at true crime — with a novel about true crime.
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In 'Backtalker,' Kimberlé Crenshaw turns from political theory to personal memoir May 21, 2026

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Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw is a foundational legal scholar, theorist, and Civil Rights advocate, known for coining such significant and controversial terms as intersectionality and Critical Race Theory. But what — or who — inspired her work? Crenshaw examines just this in her new memoir Backtalker, which delves into her past, and the legal cases that shined light on complex and underresearched structures of inequity. In today’s episode, Crenshaw joins NPR’s Michel Martin for a conversation about Backtalker and why, as she says, “forward momentum has always been met by retrenchment.”
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In 'Homebound,' an epic journey through multiverses begins with a single video game May 20, 2026

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Becks is a queer teenager in the 1980s struggling to find a sense of belonging. When she picks up an unfinished coding project left behind by her beloved late uncle, she isn’t quite prepared for her efforts to ripple centuries into the future. Told in the years 1983, 2090, and 2586, Portia Elan’s novel Homebound weaves Becks’ story with that of future humans who experience similar struggles in a vastly different landscape. In today’s episode, Elan speaks with NPR’s Scott Detrow about her debut novel, and the timelessness of searching for a place — or a feeling — to call home.
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'The People Can Fly' examines the history of Black prodigies from poets to professors May 19, 2026

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What does it truly mean to be a “prodigy?” For the poet, professor and author of The People Can Fly Joshua Bennett, the answer is complicated. But maybe telling stories can help. In The People Can Fly, Bennett explores the lives and legacies of Black prodigies throughout history — including himself — by blending memoir, folklore and history into one book. In today’s episode, Bennett joins NPR’s Michel Martin to discuss how fatherhood and brotherhood expanded his notions of intelligence, and how The People Can Fly is both a reflection of the past and a hope for the future.
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Revisiting 'Whalefall,' the underwater thriller from Pulitzer winner Daniel Kraus May 18, 2026

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Time is running out for 17-year-old Jay Gardiner: He’s trapped underwater in the body of a sperm whale with just one hour of oxygen left. This not-so-typical situation is the premise for Whalefall, the 2023 thriller from Daniel Kraus. Kraus won a 2026 Pulitzer for Angel Down, his genre-bender told in a single sentence. But Whalefall experiments with structure through its chapters, their shrinking length mimicking Jay’s frantic gasps for air. In today’s episode, we revisit Kraus’ conversation with NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe, where they discuss Whalefall and how its meaning expands beyond the aquatic.
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Two new books approach running from different angles May 15, 2026

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Today’s episode spotlights two new books all about running. The Long Run is a history of the marathon by author and running coach Martin Dugard. He spoke with NPR’s A Martínez about why so many people aspire to run 26.2 miles, from the history of the marathon in ancient Athens to the 1970s running boom. Then, Mary Cain was a child running prodigy. But she faced physical and emotional abuse at the Nike Oregon Project. She talked to NPR’s Juana Summers about her memoir This Is Not About Running, leaving professional running, and her relationship with the sport today.
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Reflecting on 30 years of 'The Golden Compass' with Sir Philip Pullman May 14, 2026

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It’s been 30 years since Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass arrived on U.S. shores. The award-winning British fantasy classic tells the story of Lyra, a precocious and rebellious pre-adolescent girl who is abandoned to be raised as an orphan at Oxford University. Lyra’s world is populated by animal companions known as demons, a religious organization called the Magisterium and a mysterious substance called dust. Pullman’s novel spawned two trilogies, a movie, and a TV series. In today’s episode, the author speaks with Here & Now’s Indira Lakshmanan about how he developed the idea for Lyra, demons and Dust.
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In 'The Future is Peace,' tourism paves a way forward for Israelis and Palestinians May 13, 2026

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For Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah and Israeli Maoz Inon, their bond of mutual understanding evolved from a place of tremendous pain. Both men saw members of their family killed by the other side before, or during, the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, prompting them to trek through the Holy Land to explore the contentious landscape — together. In today’s episode, Abu Sarah and Inon join Here & Now’s Indira Lakshmanan for a conversation about their co-authored book The Future is Peace, and why they view tourism as a crucial building block towards establishing lasting peace in the region.
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In 'The Ending Writes Itself,' a contest to complete a manuscript turns deadly May 12, 2026

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In a new mystery novel, a group of struggling writers lands on a private island belonging to bestselling author Arthur Fletch. But Fletch is dead and the authors, who come from a number of genres, must race to come up with the best ending to his unfinished manuscript. Then, the competition turns deadly. The Ending Writes Itself is by V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke, who wrote the novel under the pen name Evelyn Clarke. In today’s episode, the co-authors and friends join NPR’s Scott Simon for a conversation about their collaboration.
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Mark Helprin’s 'Elegy in Blue' is a tragedy, love story and ghost story all in one May 11, 2026

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We meet the unnamed narrator of Mark Helprin's new novel Elegy In Blue when he’s 82-years-old. He was a man of wealth and standing but has wound up alone in a subsidized studio apartment in Brooklyn. Through war and violence, he’s lost his father, his son, and his wife. Now, the narrator says, “his allegiance is to ghosts.” In today’s episode, Helprin joins NPR’s Scott Simon for a conversation about the autobiographical nature of Elegy in Blue. They discuss how Helprin’s wife inspired a central character in the novel and why the narrator – and Helprin – chose to stay in New York.
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