The National Writers Series Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Anthony Doerr, Author of "Cloud Cuckoo Land" and "All the Light We Cannot See" (2021) Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

One of the most popular videos on our YouTube channel over the past year is our conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Doerr, guest hosted by his good friend Lysley Tenorio. The two held a great discussion about Anthony's new book "Cloud Cuckoo Land," released in September 2021.

With the paperback release coming our way this September, we thought we'd go ahead and make their conversation available in audio form so you can relive the moments of learning how Anthony juggles all his multiple characters and timelines and plotlines, the role of libraries and librarians in his life, and why he wants everyone to visit Sardinia.

Janet Evanovich, Author of "Wicked Business" and the Stephanie Plum Series (2012) Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

Do you remember where you were almost exactly a decade ago? If you were in the audience for our evening with #1 NYT Bestselling author Janet Evanovich, you do now! She joined the NWS in July 2012 for a conversation about her then-latest book Wicked Business with NWS co-founder Doug Stanton.

In this conversation, they discuss the second in the Lizzy and Diesel supernatural mystery series, how she sold her first novel, who she'd like to kick off the Forbes "100 Most Powerful Celebrities" list (she was #79 that year) and her thoughts on topics on everything ranging writer's block all the way to Fifty Shades of Grey.

Michael Schur, Author of "How to Be Perfect" (2022) Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

This winter, we were joined by Michael Schur—the creator of TV's "The Good Place" and the co-creator of "Parks and Recreation" among other projects—to discuss his first book about philosophy and ethics: How to Be Perfect.

Did we learn how to be perfect? Well, we learned how to be less imperfect, at the very least. Guest host Ed Helms (The Office, Rutherford Falls) led us through a conversation that also discovered what Schur's own answer to The Trolley Problem would be.

Emily Henry, Author of "People We Meet On Vacation" and "Beach Read" (2021) Jun 21, 2022

Show notes

Today is the first day of summer, so we thought we'd bring you one of the summer-y-est NWS events we've ever hosted! Author Emily Henry joined the National Writers Series for a virtual conversation with guest host Brittany Cavallaro in June of 2021 to talk about her newest NYT bestseller, "People We Meet On Vacation."

In this conversation, Brittany and Emily talk about how their shared travels inspired parts of "Vacation," about how success in publishing affects your life and your perception of yourself, and about the moments during writing a book where Emily feels like she's completely lost control of the manuscript (and how she gets it back)!

Paul Holes, Author of "Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases" (2022) Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

In May 2022, retired cold-case investigator and true-crime icon Paul Holes joined the National Writers Series for a conversation about his new memoir "Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases." He was joined on stage at the City Opera House by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paige St. John.

In this conversation, Paige and Paul talk about how Paul used a breakthrough in DNA technology to help find and capture the Golden State Killer, one of America's most notorious serial predators. They discuss issues of genetic privacy and who owns your genetic info once you send it to a DNA/genealogy company, and the effects that his career had on his psyche and on his private life.

George Saunders, Author of "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain" and "Lincoln in the Bardo" (2022) Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

Critically acclaimed author George Saunders joined the National Writers Series for a conversation about his book "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain" with fellow short-story author and NWS Creative Writing Lab instructor Kevin Fitton.

Saunders is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten books, including "Lincoln in the Bardo," which won the Man Booker Prize; and "Tenth of December," a finalist for the National Book Award. He teaches in the creative writing program at Syracuse University.

In this conversation, we discussed how a writer can define success (creative and otherwise), about whether writing is a teachable skill, what George's writing process is like and much more!

Brad Meltzer, Author of "The Lightning Rod" (2022) May 24, 2022

Show notes

As part of the Winter/Spring 2022 Season, bestselling author Brad Meltzer joined the National Writers Series in early April (which explains the mention of snow at the beginning of the episode!).

In this conversation, Brad and guest host John Searles talk about Brad's career throughout the years, what he uses to motivate himself to write every day, the research that goes into his books, the many people he's met throughout his career, and about his famed characters Zig and Nola at the center of his newest book: "The Lightning Rod."

We also learn about his time working with former American presidents, how he found the American flag that flew over Ground Zero following 9/11, and the reason he puts a reference to Michigan in every one of his books.

Temple Grandin, Author of "Emergence: Labeled Autistic" and "The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum" (2013) Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

Since April is National Autism Awareness Month, we thought we'd look back on our 2013 conversation with bestselling author, autism advocate, and professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University Temple Grandin.

Grandin joined the National Writers Series for a conversation about her then-newest book, The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum. The book discusses remarkable new discoveries and introduces readers to innovative theories of what causes, how we diagnose, and how to best treat autism.

Listen in as guest host Laura Hohnhold, executive editor at Byliner, talks with one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Heroic and Influential People in the World.”

Brad Thor, Author of "Near Dark," "Spymaster," "The Last Patriot" And More (2020) Apr 05, 2022

Show notes

This week the NWS welcomes bestselling suspense/thriller novelist Brad Meltzer to the NWS stage!. In advance of that, we thought we'd take a look back at a recent conversation with a similar author: Brad Thor.

In this conversation, held virtually in the summer of 2020 following the release of "Near Dark," Brad and NWS co-founder Doug Stanton talk about everything from how the thriller genre changed after 9/11 to pitching a travel show to PBS to Brad's potential run for President in 2016. Why didn't he decide to jump into the fray? Listen in and find out!

Eric Fair, Author of "Consequence: A Memoir" (2017) Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

This week, Northern Express published a list of 2022's Fascinating People: Northerners You Need to Know. On that list was United States Marine Corps Major General Michael Lehnert (Ret.), who was our guest host for this conversation with author Eric Fair in 2017.

Lehnert was the first to serve as commander of the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, and since leaving the Marine Corps has been one of the loudest voices in favor of closing the base. We thought he would be the perfect person to interview Eric Fair about his book "Consequence: A Memoir," which discusses his time working as a contract interrogator in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison complex and the things he saw there, including aggressive interrogation techniques including sleep deprivation and stress positions.

In this conversation, Lehnert and Fair discuss Fair's experience as an interrogator and interpreter, his decision to go back to Iraq and "redeem the experience of war" for himself, and about the decision to use "enhanced interrogation" techniques.

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