The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan

Latest Episodes:

Pablo Cartaya, actor and waiter to award-winning middle-grade author, on his new book, "Each Tiny Spark" Jul 26, 2019

Show notes

Mitchell’s guest, Pablo Cartaya, started his career as an actor. It’s been a winding road to becoming an author. “I’ve done every job in the restaurant business … As a waiter, I kept a small notebook in my pocket to write down story ideas,” said Cartaya. On this episode of The Literary Life, he’ll talk about how family, community, and culture all play a major role in his writing, his latest book, Each Tiny Spark, and the middle-school student whose words Cartaya will always remember. This episode of The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan was recorded at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida.

Host: Mitchell Kaplan

Producer: Carmen Lucas

Editor: Lit Hub Radio

Pablo Cartaya is an award-winning author whose books have been reviewed by The New York Times, featured in The Washington Post, received starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, and School Library Journal, as well as been among the Best Books of the Year for Amazon, Chicago Public Library, NYPL, and several state award lists. He Is the author of the critically acclaimed middle grade novels The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora (a 2018 Pura Belpre Honor Book) and Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish. His latest novel, Each Tiny Spark, debuts on the new Kokila Penguin/Random House Imprint, which focuses on publishing diverse books for children and young adults. He teaches at Sierra Nevada College’s MFA program in Writing and visits schools and colleges around the country.

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Typewriter Obsession; Paul Schweitzer of Gramercy Typewriters, an analog man in a digital world Jul 19, 2019

Show notes

Mitchell’s guest, Paul Schweitzer does not own a smartphone or a computer. But, as the owner of Gramercy Typewriters in NYC, a business inherited from his father 58 years ago, he is surrounded by hundreds of typewriters. Celebrities, authors, students, young professionals call on Paul for repairs…and perhaps another addition to their collection. (Tom Hanks is on this list.) Mitchell and Paul talk about the emotional attachment people have on their machines, and more, on this episode of The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan. Recorded at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida.

Host: Mitchell Kaplan

Producer: Carmen Lucas

Editor: Lit Hub Radio

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Mary Beth Keane on “Ask Again, Yes,” her new novel about family, love, tragedy and the power forgiveness Jul 12, 2019

Show notes

Two families “end up living as close neighbors in a New York city suburb, and the dads are NYPD cops,” Mary Beth Keane. “This book is really about how you deal with childhood trauma after a tragic incident…many, many years after that trauma is supposedly over.” Mary Beth shares how she developed her story, the inspiration from her own life, and if “Ask Again, Yes” will be streaming soon. This episode of The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan was recorded at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida.

Host: Mitchell Kaplan

Producer: Carmen Lucas

Editor: Lit Hub Radio

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Scott Jefferey Miller, on “Management Mess,” and his 30 challenges to becoming a next level leader Jul 05, 2019

Show notes

“The role of a leader is to model, engage and inspire people,” Scott Miller, author and executive vice president at Franklin Covey. “And that’s not for everyone. After lots of messes in my career…I wanted to author a real, relatable, raw book that brought to life a lot of my own messes in the hopes to inspire people to avoid some of theirs and move towards greater success." Join Scott, Chris McKenney, founder of independent publisher, Mango and Mitchell, for a motivating conversation on this episode of The Literary Life. Recorded at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida.

Host: Mitchell Kaplan

Producer: Carmen Lucas

Editor: Lit Hub Radio

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Julia Phillips, on “Disappearing Earth,” her debut crime novel set in eastern Russia Jun 28, 2019

Show notes

Growing up, Julia Phillips “always wanted to be a novelist.” Her interest in Russia led her to the perfect setting for her story, the naturally beautiful, remote and bleak Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia. Julia shares how she created her acclaimed mystery about two missing girls from her debut novel, “Disappearing Earth.” This episode of The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan was recorded at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida.

Host: Mitchell Kaplan

Producer: Carmen Lucas

Editor: Lit Hub Radio

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Kristen Arnett, on “Mostly Dead Things,” a story of grief, humor and Florida Jun 21, 2019

Show notes

Greetings from Florida! Sunshine state native Kristen Arnett shares her personal stories about growing up in Orlando, being a queer writer, her family dynamics and…the art of taxidermy. “Mostly Dead Things” has been described as “Arnett's vision of Florida as a creative swamp of well-meaning misfits and the sweet hopefulness of finding your way back to yourself through family.” Kristen joins Mitchell for a candid, humorous and moving conversation. And a delicious brunch from the Books & Books Café, where this episode was recorded.

Host: Mitchell Kaplan

Producer: Carmen Lucas

Editor: Lit Hub Radio

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Summer reading selections from Mitchell Kaplan and his Books & Books team Jun 14, 2019

Show notes

“One of the great joys of book selling is the start of the summer selling season. It’s a season when readers seem to have a bit more time to catch up on the books they’ve put off from earlier in the year, where they discover the plethora of new books that seem to come out from May through August,” Mitchell Kaplan. His all-star cast of booksellers from Books & Books got together to share their own summer reading recommendations. Join Mitchell, Gaël, and the three Cristinas, for their own curated lists of summer favorites. This conversation was recorded at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida.

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Mamta Chaudhry, on the debut of her first novel, “Haunting Paris” Jun 07, 2019

Show notes

Mamta Chaudry arrived at the University of Florida, to begin her master’s degree program as a broadcast journalism student. “To people in Florida, Calcutta seemed so exotic, but to me Gainesville was so exotic.” Chaudhry shares her journey from her life in Calcutta, her days at the University of Florida, a career as a host in classical music radio, and meeting her husband at a communications seminar. Her first novel, “Haunting Paris,” is described as “a timeless story of love and loss, transformed when a bereaved pianist discovers a mysterious letter among her late lover’s possessions, launching her headlong into a decades-old search for a child who vanished in the turbulence of wartime Paris.”Mamta and Mitchell’s conversation was recorded at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida.

Host: Mitchell Kaplan

Producer: Carmen Lucas

Editor: Lit Hub Radio

Links: https://booksandbooks.com/

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600213/haunting-paris-by-mamta-chaudhry/9780385544603/

https://rusoffagency.com/fiction/haunting-paris/

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Albert Woodfox, on “Solitary,” his story of transformation and hope May 31, 2019

Show notes

“A man who would not be broken. Not by more than 40 years of solitary in Angola (the Alcatraz of the south in Louisiana) not by maddening injustice in courts, not by beatings, isolation, or loneliness.” Barry Scheck, The Innocence Project. Released after 43 years, for a crime he says he did not commit, Albert Woodfox is the longest-standing solitary confinement prisoner in the U.S. He shares his remarkable story…growing up in poverty in Louisiana, survival in prison, and how he is advocating to seek prison reform, along with his co-counsel, Carine Williams. On this compelling episode of “The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan.” This conversation was recorded at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida.

Host: Mitchell Kaplan

Producer: Carmen Lucas

Editor: Lit Hub Radio

Links: https://booksandbooks.com/

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/04/books/review-solitary-albert-woodfox.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/books/review/albert-woodfox-solitary.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/11/us/on-tortuous-road-to-freedom-angola-three-inmate-albert-woodfox-bides-his-time.html

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Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, on “Friday Black,” his acclaimed debut book May 24, 2019

Show notes

“Friday Black” has been described by Tommy Orange as “a dystopian story collection as full of violence as it is of heart.” On this episode, Adjei-Brenyah shares with Mitchell why his book is “a lot about family, trying and figuring out ways to make it.” Colson Whitehead chose Adjei-Breynah as a National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35" honoree, 2018. Mitchell and Adjei-Brenyah enjoy an engaging conversation on growing up in a New York suburb, his job in a mall shop, his Syracuse MFA professor, George Saunders, and his exciting new works. This conversation was recorded at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida.

Host: Mitchell Kaplan

Producer: Carmen Lucas

Editor: Lit Hub Radio

Links: https://booksandbooks.com/

https://www.nanakwameadjei-brenyah.com/

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/23/books/review/-nana-kwame-adjei-brenyah-friday-black.html

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