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The American Writers Museum Podcasts

278 avsnitt • Längd: 45 min • Veckovis: Måndag

A National Museum Celebrating American Writers

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Episode 52: F. Scott Fitzgerald

16 maj 2025 | 44 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and legacy of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Born in 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota, Fitzgerald published his first novel, This Side of Paradise, when he was 23. He would go on to become a Jazz Age celebrity and his short stories and novels captured the exuberance, excess, and irony [...]

Episode 215: Making New Gods

5 maj 2025 | 64 min

This week, we kick off our new exhibit and content initiative American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture with four writers of speculative fiction: N. K. Jemisin, Matthew J. Kirby, Nnedi Okorafor, and Nghi Vo. Moderated by Michi Trota, the panel of authors discuss religion in their writing, the importance of considering socio-spiritual systems when world-building, [...]

Episode 214: Thi Bui, Vu Tran & Rita Bullwinkel

21 april 2025 | 46 min

This week, we discuss McSweeney’s new quarterly issue: McSweeney’s 78: The Make Believers, featuring writers of the Vietnamese diaspora. We are joined by contributors and guest editors of the issue, Thi Bui and Vu Tran, as well as McSweeney’s Quarterly Editor Rita Bullwinkel. You can learn more about their work in the episode description below. [...]

Episode 51: Flannery O’Connor

4 april 2025 | 34 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and work of Flannery O’Connor. Born in Georgia in 1925, O’Connor wrote prolifically before her early death at age 39 due to lupus. She routinely wrote every morning until noon, and spent her afternoons and evenings tending to her domestic birds or entertaining visitors. Informed by the community [...]

Episode 50: Studs Terkel

1 april 2025 | 44 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and work of Studs Terkel. A Chicago resident from age 10 until his death at age 96, Studs Terkel epitomized Chicago. A charismatic presence, Terkel began his career as a radio actor and on-air interviewer before becoming the star of an unscripted local TV show called Stud’s Place. [...]

Episode 213: Sash Bischoff

31 mars 2025 | 38 min

This week, author Sash Bischoff discusses her hit debut novel Sweet Fury, a twisty, thought-provoking novel in conversation with the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Bischoff is interviewed by author Kathleen Rooney. This conversation originally took place February 12, 2025 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the [...]

Episode 212: Melvin Dixon & Black Queer Poetry

10 mars 2025 | 34 min

This week, poets CM Burroughs and Adrian Matejka discuss the groundbreaking legacy of poet Melvin Dixon, who “wrote extensively about the complexities of being a gay Black man” (Poetry Foundation). Presented by the Poetry Foundation. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. We hope you [...]

Episode 211: Worlds and Words of Chicago – Immigrant Stories

3 mars 2025 | 36 min

This week, writers from around the world discuss their journeys, finding community in creativity, and making a home in Chicago. Featuring multidisciplinary writers Nestor Gomez, Lani T. Montreal, and Ugochi Nwaogwugwu; moderated by Jane Hseu. Presented by the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live [...]

Episode 210: The Next Phase of Representation in Children’s Literature

24 februari 2025 | 30 min

This week, two acclaimed children’s book authors—Clothilde Ewing and Malcolm Newsome—discuss their visions and aspirations for children’s literature. In particular, ways they have and will continue to both write and advocate for stories that feature BIPOC characters in settings and narratives that move beyond purely historical and overtly “cultural” experiences. This conversation originally took place [...]

Episode 209: Eve L. Ewing

17 februari 2025 | 46 min

This week, award-winning writer and scholar Eve L. Ewing discusses her new book Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism. She is interviewed by AWM President Carey Cranston. This conversation originally took place February 10, 2025 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope [...]

Episode 208: Writing Love Stories

10 februari 2025 | 34 min

This week, in celebration of Valentine’s Day, three of America’s leading romance writers—Xio Axelrod, Swan Huntley, and Claire Legrand—talk about how they write love stories and the love stories that inspired them. Moderated by author Pamala Knight. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. We [...]

Episode 207: Writing the Dark Testament – Black History

3 februari 2025 | 48 min

This week, authors Charisse Burden-Stelly and Andrew W. Kahrl discuss their recent work and writing Black history with journalist Arionne Nettles. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. Black Scare / Red Scare: Theorizing Capitalist Racism in the United States by Charisse Burden-Stelly is a [...]

Episode 206: Gail Crowther

27 januari 2025 | 47 min

This week, writer and researcher Gail Crowther discusses her new book Dorothy Parker in Hollywood, an expansive and illuminating study of legendary writer Dorothy Parker’s life and legacy in Hollywood. Crowther is interviewed by Allison Sansone, Program Director at the American Writers Museum. This conversation originally took place January 21, 2025 and was recorded live [...]

Episode 205: YA Lit Today

20 januari 2025 | 35 min

This week, acclaimed authors Samira Ahmed and Jas Hammonds discuss their recent books, the state of young adult literature today, and the importance of young people seeing themselves in the stories they read. Ahmed’s latest, This Book Won’t Burn, is a timely and gripping social-suspense novel about book banning, activism, and standing up for what [...]

Episode 49: Nathaniel Hawthorne

17 januari 2025 | 46 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and work of novelist and short story writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Hawthorne’s paternal ancestors were some of the first Puritans to arrive in America—one of his ancestors was even a judge who oversaw the Salem Witch Trials. He was educated at Bowdoin College where he [...]

Episode 204: Forms & Fissures

13 januari 2025 | 41 min

This week, acclaimed poets Diana Khoi Nguyen and Cindy Juyoung Ok read selections of their work, followed by a discussion of their processes, themes, techniques, and more. Presented by the Poetry Foundation. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About the [...]

Episode 203: Donna Seaman

8 januari 2025 | 53 min

This week, acclaimed book critic and editor Donna Seaman discusses her new book River of Books: A Life in Reading, a memoir of reading and working with books by the renowned Booklist editor. Seaman is interviewed by AWM President Carey Cranston. This conversation originally took place December 16, 2024 and was recorded live at the [...]

Episode 48: Rod Serling

20 december 2024 | 55 min

This episode lies between the pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call, The Twilight Zone… In this episode, we discuss the life and work of screenwriter Rod Serling. Quoting from the PBS American Masters episode about him, “Known primarily [...]

Best of 2024!

17 december 2024 | 31 min

This week, we take a look back at some of our top episodes of 2024 from both of our podcast series: AWM Author Talks and Nation of Writers. This is our final episode of 2024. We’ll return next year with even more episodes featuring the writers you love and the stories they tell. Presented in [...]

Episode 202: Writing the Story of Jazz

9 december 2024 | 48 min

This week, journalist Larry Tye discusses his recent book The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America with reporter Gregory Royal Pratt, accompanied by live jazz from the Richard D. Johnson Trio. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST [...]

Episode 201: Mike Thomas and Rick Kogan

2 december 2024 | 46 min

This week, Mike Thomas, co-author of the Johnny Carson biography Carson the Magnificent, sits down with Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune to discuss the highly anticipated biography—twenty years in the making—of the entertainer who redefined late-night television and reshaped American culture. Thomas—who finished the project Bill Zehme started after Bill’s passing—shares insights into the [...]

Episode 200: Best of Episodes 101-199

25 november 2024 | 30 min

This is our 200th episode! To celebrate the occasion, we’ve gone back in the vault for highlights from the ten most listened-to episodes of the past one hundred. So, that is episodes 101 through 199. Enjoy these top ten clips, and listen to the full episodes wherever you get your podcasts. We have included the [...]

Episode 47: James Welch

22 november 2024 | 44 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and work of poet and novelist James Welch. Part Blackfeet and part Gros Ventre, Welch grew up on the Blackfeet and Fort Belknap reservations in Montana and graduated from the University of Montana, where he studied writing under poet Richard Hugo. Welch was the author of the novels [...]

Episode 199: Writing Memoir

18 november 2024 | 37 min

Two bestselling authors — Nicole Chung (A Living Remedy) and Lydia Millet (We Loved It All) — discuss the process and craft of writing a memoir with book critic Donna Seaman. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME A Living Remedy: [...]

Episode 198: Writing Family History

11 november 2024 | 37 min

This week, historian and biographer Paul Hendrickson discusses writing about his own family’s history and his recent book Fighting the Night: Iwo Jima, World War II, and a Flyer’s Life, the profoundly moving story of his father’s wartime service as a night fighter pilot, and the prices he and his fellow soldiers paid for their [...]

Episode 197: Fake News & Media Literacy

4 november 2024 | 29 min

This week, author Rebecca Siegel offers media literacy advice and discusses her book Loch Ness Uncovered: Media, Misinformation, and the Greatest Monster Hoax of All Time, an extensively researched, myth-busting account of the world’s most famous monster hoax—the Loch Ness Monster—and a cautionary tale on the dangers of misinformation. This conversation originally took place May [...]

Episode 196: Writing Literary Fiction

28 oktober 2024 | 51 min

This week, acclaimed writers Renée Watson and Jabari Asim talk about Watson’s novel, skin & bones, as well as writing Black history and moving from writing for children to adults. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About skin & bones: [...]

Episode 195: Toni Morrison and the Geopoetics of Place, Race, and Be/longing

21 oktober 2024 | 45 min

This week, scholar Marilyn Sanders Mobley visits the AWM to discuss her book Toni Morrison and the Geopoetics of Place, Race, and Be/longing, which Henry Louis Gates, Jr. calls a “powerful and learned meditation, and one that deserves a prominent place in the field of Morrison studies.” Mobley is joined in conversation by poet Parneshia [...]

Episode 194: Indigenous History & Memory

14 oktober 2024 | 38 min

This week, in honor of Indigenous People’s Day, scholars Rose Miron and Jean O’Brien discuss the power and importance of indigenous storytelling, activism, history, and memory; as well as Miron’s book Indigenous Archival Activism: Mohican Interventions in Public History and Memory. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American [...]

Episode 193: Writing True Crime

7 oktober 2024 | 38 min

This week, investigative journalists Shawn Cohen and Philip Eil share insights into their reporting processes, interviewing techniques, and writing true crime with honesty and sensitivity. Moderated by journalist Evan F. Moore. They also discuss their latest books: College Girl, Missing: The True Story of How a Young Woman Disappeared in Plain Sight by Shawn Cohen. [...]

Episode 46: Yay Panlilio

4 oktober 2024 | 46 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and work of Filipina-American journalist and guerilla leader Yay Panlilio. Born in 1913 to a Filipina mother and Irish-American father, she moved to the Philippines in the 1930s where she became a popular reporter, photographer, and radio broadcaster. When World War II broke out, Yay served as an [...]

Episode 192: Level Up – Writing & Gaming

30 september 2024 | 50 min

This week, prominent writers and game designers discuss crafting game narrative and representation within gaming communities. Featured panelists are Keith Ammann, Derek Tyler Attico, Keisha Howard, and Samantha Ortiz. Moderated by Carly A. Kocurek. Learn more about them below. This episode is presented in conjunction with our special exhibit Level Up: Writers & Gamers, on [...]

Episode 45: Gloria E. Anzaldúa

24 september 2024 | 52 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and work of queer Chicana poet, essayist, and theorist Gloria E. Anzaldúa. Quoting from The Gloria Anzaldúa Reader edited by AnaLouise Keating: “Born in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, Gloria Anzaldúa was an internationally acclaimed cultural theorist. As the author of Borderlands / La Frontera: The [...]

Episode 191: Freedom to Read

23 september 2024 | 43 min

This week, we discuss the threat censorship poses to democracy as part of Banned Books Week, an annual event that highlights the value of free and open access to information. Presented by the American Library Association, this panel includes Heather Booth, Anna Claussen, Sara Paretsky, and Donna Seaman. The following conversation originally took place May [...]

Episode 190: Writing Latino History

16 september 2024 | 41 min

This week, to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, hear from Marie Arana, the Literary Director of the Library of Congress. Joined by author Juan Martinez, Arana discusses the importance of preserving and uplifting Latino history and her new book LatinoLand: A Portrait of America’s Largest and Least Understood Minority. This conversation originally took place May [...]

Episode 189: The Lasting Influence of Lorraine Hansberry

9 september 2024 | 56 min

This week, we celebrate the legacy of Lorraine Hansberry with J. Nicole Brooks, Natalie Y. Moore, and Ericka Ratcliff. This conversation originally took place August 22, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. This program is presented in partnership with the Lorraine Hansberry Initiative, which was created by The Lillys (conceived by Lynn Nottage [...]

Episode 188: Writing Labor History

2 september 2024 | 35 min

This Labor Day, we take a look at writing labor history with Steve Watkins, author of The Mine Wars: The Bloody Fight for Workers’ Rights in the West Virginia Coalfields, a riveting true story of the West Virginia coal miners who ignited the largest labor uprising in American history. Watkins is joined by labor historian [...]

Episode 187: Writing About Writers

26 augusti 2024 | 46 min

This week, biographers and novelists share what it is like to write about other writers. Mary V. Dearborn covers Carson McCullers, George Getschow covers Larry McMurtry, Harold Holzer covers Abraham Lincoln, and Monika Zgutsova covers Véra Nabokov. Moderated by Peter Coviello. This conversation took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American [...]

Episode 44: Mike Royko

23 augusti 2024 | 64 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and work of journalist Mike Royko, a Chicago writing icon. Quoting from the Newberry Library’s current exhibit Chicago Style: Mike Royko and Windy City Journalism, “Best known for his daily column, he wrote for the Chicago Daily News from 1959 until the paper’s closure in 1978; he joined [...]

Episode 186: New Fiction

19 augusti 2024 | 42 min

This week, dive into the New Fiction panel from the American Writers Festival, recorded live on May 19, 2024. Four novelists — Donna Hemans, Jessica Shattuck, Yukiko Tominaga, and Michael Zapata — discuss their craft, process, and recent novels: The House of Plain Truth by Donna Hemans — A lyrical, lush, evocative story about a fractured [...]

Episode 185: Polarizing America – Chicago 1968

12 augusti 2024 | 36 min

Ahead of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, media historian Heather Hendershot discusses her book When the News Broke: Chicago 1968 and the Polarizing of America, a riveting, blow-by-blow account of how the network broadcasts of the 1968 Democratic Convention shattered faith in American media. She sits down with historian Kevin Boyle to discuss [...]

Episode 184: Ardent Dance Company

6 augusti 2024 | 30 min

This week, we chat with members of the Ardent Dance Company about their upcoming ballet POE, based on the life and work of Edgar Allan Poe. Justine Kelly is the Artistic Director of Ardent Dance Company and Ben Locke is a dancer who plays the role of Poe in the upcoming show. You can learn [...]

Episode 43: Thomas Wolfe

31 juli 2024 | 53 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and work of Thomas Wolfe, one of the country’s leading novelists of the early twentieth century. A contemporary of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Faulkner, Wolfe is best known for his first novel Look Homeward, Angel. He would publish four books during his lifetime and is an important figure in [...]

Episode 183: Writing Other Worlds

30 juli 2024 | 37 min

This week, speculative fiction writers Darcie Little Badger, Michi Trota, and Suzanne Walker discuss their work, crafting other worlds with writing, and the science fiction genre at large. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About the writers: DARCIE LITTLE BADGER is [...]

Episode 182: Making Up True Stories

23 juli 2024 | 38 min

This week, tune into the panel discussion Making Up True Stories: Novels and Books About Real People. Our featured writers are Amanda Flower, Sarah James, Brianna Labuskes, and Brianna Madia. Moderated by Dipika Mukherjee. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the 2024 American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK [...]

Episode 181: John Berendt and Taylor Mac

15 juli 2024 | 54 min

This week, writers John Berendt and Taylor Mac discuss the Goodman Theatre’s world-premiere stage musical adaptation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Berendt is the author of the original book the musical is based on, and Mac wrote the book for the adaptation. Learn more about Midnight in the Garden of Good [...]

Episode 180: Writing Politics Today

8 juli 2024 | 50 min

This week, journalist Mark Bowden discusses his new book The Steal: The Attempt to Overturn the 2020 Election and the People Who Stopped It, co-written with Matthew Teague. Bowden is interviewed by reporter Natalie Y. Moore. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the 2024 American Writers Festival. AWM [...]

Episode 179: Writing Chicago Food & Comedy

1 juli 2024 | 50 min

This week, we have the first of many programs from the 2024 American Writers Festival for you. In this episode, comedians Jamie Loftus and Chelsea Hood talk about Chicago hot dogs, comedy writing, and Jamie’s cross-country journey to write Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs. Moderated by food writer David Hammond. This conversation [...]

Episode 178: Paul Tremblay

17 juni 2024 | 51 min

This week, we get spooky. National bestselling author Paul Tremblay discusses his latest summer blockbuster Horror Movie: A Novel, a chilling twist on the “cursed film” genre from the author of The Pallbearers Club, A Head Full of Ghosts, and The Cabin at the End of the World. Tremblay’s latest is an obsessive, psychologically chilling, and suspenseful feat [...]

Episode 42: Rachel Pollack

13 juni 2024 | 57 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and work of the multifaceted writer Rachel Pollack. She was the author of 41 books, including two award-winning novels, Unquenchable Fire, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and Godmother Night, winner of the World Fantasy Award. Her comics work includes Doom Patrol, The New Gods, Tomahawk, The [...]

Episode 177: R. O. Kwon

11 juni 2024 | 60 min

This week, bestselling author R. O. Kwon discusses her new novel Exhibit, an exhilarating, blazing-hot novel about a woman caught between her desires and her life. Kwon is joined by fellow author Nami Mun. This conversation originally took place May 5, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME [...]

Episode 176: Gods & Gaming

3 juni 2024 | 40 min

This week, we present a panel discussion with a range of scholars exploring religion through narrative games. This is a special episode in conjunction with our new exhibit Level Up: Writers & Gamers, on display now at the American Writers Museum. This conversation originally took place April 11, 2024 and was recorded live at the [...]

Episode 41: Audre Lorde

22 maj 2024 | 45 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of poet and author Audre Lorde. Born in New York City in 1934, Lorde was the daughter of immigrants and had a love for poetry from an early age. She would go on to publish many collections of poetry, essays, and speeches that continue to have [...]

Episode 175: Sara Paretsky

22 april 2024 | 55 min

This week, acclaimed mystery writer Sara Paretsky discusses her new book Pay Dirt, the latest installment of her iconic V.I. Warshawski detective series. Paretsky is joined by Booklist editor Donna Seaman. This conversation originally took place April 16, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HUB See Sara and [...]

Episode 40: W. S. Merwin

10 april 2024 | 44 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of poet W. S. Merwin. Appointed U.S. Poet Laureate in 2010, William Stanley Merwin had a career that spanned seven decades. A poet, translator, gardener and environmental activist, Merwin has become one of the most widely read and honored poets in America, the recipient of two [...]

Episode 174: Daniel de Visé

25 mars 2024 | 52 min

This week, we’re on a mission from God. Journalist and author Daniel de Visé discusses his book The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Classic. Hit it. This conversation originally took place March 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST [...]

Episode 39: Kate Chopin

20 mars 2024 | 76 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of fiction writer Kate Chopin, who dared to write about female sexuality, longing, and identity at a time when women were expected to focus on husbands and family. Chopin’s works mostly take place in Louisiana and lyrically reflect the many cultures of the region: Creoles, Acadians, [...]

Episode 173: Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

11 mars 2024 | 50 min

This week, pop culture historian Jennifer Keishin Armstrong discusses her new book So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls (And Why We’re Still So Obsessed With It). From the New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia comes the totally fetch story of one of the most iconic teen comedies of all time, Mean Girls, revealing how it happened, how it [...]

Episode 38: Norman Lear

20 februari 2024 | 56 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of television pioneer Norman Lear. We are joined by pop culture historian Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, whose bestselling books detail the stories and cultural impacts of television and film. Her latest book, So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls (And Why We’re Still So Obsessed with It) [...]

Episode 172: Ed Zwick

19 februari 2024 | 51 min

This week, award winning filmmaker Ed Zwick discusses his memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood, a heartfelt and wry career memoir that gives a dishy, behind-the-scenes look at working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Zwick is interviewed by Carey Cranston, President of the American Writers Museum. This [...]

Episode 171: Tim Spofford

12 februari 2024 | 44 min

This week, journalist and historian Tim Spofford discusses his book What the Children Told Us: The Untold Story of the Famous “Doll Test” and the Black Psychologists Who Changed the World. Does racial discrimination harm Black children’s sense of self? The “Doll Test” illuminated its devastating toll. Spofford is interviewed by AWM Program Director Allison [...]

Episode 170: Laurence Leamer

5 februari 2024 | 32 min

This week, bestselling author Laurence Leamer discusses Truman Capote and his book Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era, which served as the basis for FX’s hit show Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. Leamer reveals the complex web of relationships and scandalous true stories behind Truman Capote’s [...]

Episode 37: W. C. Heinz

11 januari 2024 | 60 min

*Episode note: In the introduction, we incorrectly called the book co-written with Vince Lombardi Running into Daylight. The correct title is Run to Daylight. In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of journalist and author W. C. Heinz. Most well known for his sports reporting, Heinz was one of the nation’s preeminent sports [...]

Best of 2023!

26 december 2023 | 30 min

In this special episode, we take a look back at some of our favorite moments from the top episodes of our two ongoing series – Nation of Writers and AWM Author Talks.

Episode 169: Gabriel Bump

11 december 2023 | 46 min

This week, award-winning author Gabriel Bump discusses his new novel The New Naturals, a touching, timely novel about an attempt to found an underground Black utopia and the interwoven stories of those drawn to it. He is joined in conversation by author Adam Levin. This conversation originally took place December 3, 2023 and was recorded [...]

Episode 36: Joan Didion

5 december 2023 | 52 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and work of writing icon Joan Didion, a writer’s writer. Not only a groundbreaking journalist, essayist, novelist, and screenwriter, Didion was also a keen observer of life in all its humor, disappointment and grace. Perhaps best known for essay writing and collections such as The White Album, The [...]

Episode 168: Clara Kumagai

4 december 2023 | 54 min

This week, author Clara Kumagai discusses her debut young adult novel Catfish Rolling, a wholly original and mind-bending debut YA novel about memory, family, and an earthquake that breaks apart time. This conversation originally took place October 28, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. Quick note: during this episode, Clara references [...]

Episode 167: Jonathan Taplin & Michi Trota

20 november 2023 | 64 min

This week, writers Jonathan Taplin and Michi Trota discuss the profound implications of AI for the future of writing and creative expression. They are interviewed by Allison Sansone, Program Director at the American Writers Museum. This conversation originally took place November 10, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. Taplin’s latest book The [...]

Episode 35: William Apess

17 november 2023 | 58 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of indigenous author and orator William Apess. In 1829 Apess published his memoir A Son of the Forest, which describes his journey to reclaim his Pequot identity after being taken away from his family and forced to work as a servant for white families. The memoir [...]

Episode 166: Curtis Chin

13 november 2023 | 50 min

This week, filmmaker and author Curtis Chin discusses his book Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, a memoir about coming of age and coming out. Chin traces his journey through 1980s Detroit as he navigated rising xenophobia, the AIDS epidemic, and the Reagan Revolution to find his voice as a writer and [...]

Episode 165: Patti Hartigan

6 november 2023 | 51 min

This week, author and theater critic Patti Hartigan discusses her recent book August Wilson: A Life, the first authoritative biography of iconic playwright August Wilson. Hartigan is joined by actor and playwright J. Nicole Brooks. This conversation originally took place October 30, 2023 and was recorded live via Zoom. This episode is presented alongside our [...]

Episode 34: Edna St. Vincent Millay

30 oktober 2023 | 60 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Edna St. Vincent Millay. The wildly popular Jazz Age poet ventured fearlessly beyond traditional poetic subjects to tackle political injustice, social discrimination, and female sexuality in her bestselling books, beginning with Renascence and Other Poems in 1917. The first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize [...]

Episode 164: Viet Thanh Nguyen

30 oktober 2023 | 57 min

This week, Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen discusses his new book A Man of Two Faces, a highly original, blistering, and unconventional memoir in which he rewinds the film of his own life with insight, humor, formal invention, and lyricism. Nguyen is joined by writer and professor Vu Tran. This conversation originally took place [...]

Episode 163: Sterling L. Bland Jr.

23 oktober 2023 | 56 min

This week, historian and author Sterling L. Bland Jr. discusses his book In the Shadow of Invisibility: Ralph Ellison and the Promise of American Democracy. This conversation originally took place October 15, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. This episode is presented in conjunction with the AWM’s ongoing special exhibit Dark [...]

Episode 162: Pearl Cleage

16 oktober 2023 | 57 min

This week, playwright, poet, and author Pearl Cleage discusses her life and career with Remy Bumppo Theatre Artistic Director Marti Lyons. Remy Bumppo staged Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky in the fall of 2023. This conversation originally took place September 26, 2023 and was recorded live via Zoom. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about [...]

Episode 161: Patty Lin with Zibby Owens

9 oktober 2023 | 48 min

This week, former television screenwriter Patty Lin discusses her new memoir End Credits: How I Broke Up with Hollywood. She is joined by author, podcaster, and publisher Zibby Owens. This conversation originally took place October 5, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About End Credits: The only [...]

Episode 160: Joanne Leedom-Ackerman & Sara Paretsky

2 oktober 2023 | 38 min

This week, writers Joanne Leedom-Ackerman and Sara Paretsky discuss their craft, the writing process, and the dangers of censorship and book bans. This conversation originally took place June 15, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. This episode is presented in conjunction with Banned Books Week. Follow the link to learn more [...]

Episode 159: Tom Piazza

25 september 2023 | 48 min

This week, author Tom Piazza discusses his novel The Auburn Conference with Booklist editor Donna Seaman. This conversation originally took place September 10, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About The Auburn Conference: It is 1883, and America is at a crossroads. At a tiny college in [...]

Episode 158: Kathleen Rooney

18 september 2023 | 52 min

This week, author Kathleen Rooney discusses her new book From Dust to Stardust, a novel about Hollywood, the cost of stardom, and selfless second acts, inspired by an extraordinary true story. Rooney is joined by writer and lecturer Ignatius Aloysius. This conversation originally took place September 6, 2023 and was recorded live at the American [...]

Episode 33: Betty Friedan

15 september 2023 | 69 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Betty Friedan. The feminist writer and activist acclaimed as the mother of second-wave feminism, and pathbreaking author of The Feminine Mystique, was powerful and polarizing. As a journalist she covered racism, sexism, labor, class inequality, and anti-Semitism. As a wife and mother, she struggled to [...]

Episode 32: Phillis Wheatley Peters

30 augusti 2023 | 62 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of poet Phillis Wheatley Peters. Kidnapped in West Africa, Wheatley Peters was renamed after the ship that brought her to Boston to be sold as a slave. A precocious child, she was given an education, which was unusual at a time when enslaved African-Americans could be [...]

Episode 157: Growing Up Chicago

28 augusti 2023 | 45 min

This week, authors and editors Lauren DeJulio Bell, Rebecca Makkai, and Daiva Markelis discuss their contributions to the collection Growing Up Chicago. This conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About Growing Up Chicago: Growing Up Chicago is a collection of coming-of-age stories [...]

Episode 156: Small Odysseys

21 augusti 2023 | 46 min

This week, contributing authors Jac Jemc, Juan Martinez, Joe Meno, and Luis Alberto Urrea discuss their work in the collection Small Odysseys: Selected Shorts Presents 35 New Short Stories. This conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About Small Odysseys: A must-have for [...]

Episode 155: Jabari Asim

14 augusti 2023 | 44 min

This week, author Jabari Asim discusses his novel Yonder with journalist Evan F. Moore. This conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. About Yonder: The Water Dancer meets The Prophets in this spare, gripping, and beautifully rendered novel exploring love and friendship among a group of enslaved Black strivers [...]

Episode 154: Todd Brewster

7 augusti 2023 | 52 min

This week, journalist Todd Brewster discusses his book Seen and Unseen: Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial Justice, which he co-authored with Marc Lamont Hill. Brewster is interviewed by author Catherine Adel West. This conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK [...]

Episode 153: Elizabeth Nunez

31 juli 2023 | 46 min

This week, award-winning author Elizabeth Nunez discusses her novel Now Lila Knows, with Booklist editor Donna Seaman. This conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about Now Lila Knows: Lila Bonnard has left her island home in the Caribbean to join [...]

Episode 31: Cormac McCarthy

28 juli 2023 | 65 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of the late Cormac McCarthy, whose novels about wayward characters in the rural American South and Southwest are noted for their dark violence, dense prose, and stylistic complexity. During his long career, McCarthy wrote twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, many of [...]

Episode 152: Jocelyn Nicole Johnson and Rebecca Makkai

24 juli 2023 | 51 min

In this episode, authors Jocelyn Nicole Johnson and Rebecca Makkai discuss their work and Johnson’s acclaimed collection short story collection My Monticello. This conversation originally took place at the American Writers Festival on May 15, 2022 and was recorded live. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About My Monticello: A young woman descended from Thomas Jefferson and [...]

Episode 151: Logan Steiner and Elizabeth Blackwell

17 juli 2023 | 40 min

This week, authors Logan Steiner and Elizabeth Blackwell discuss writing historical fiction and Steiner’s debut novel After Anne: A Novel of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Life. This conversation originally took place July 9, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about After Anne: A stunning and unexpected portrait of [...]

Episode 150: Juneteenth Celebration

10 juli 2023 | 56 min

This week, Black writers and artists celebrate Juneteenth by discussing their crafts and their activism in the context of our special exhibit Dark Testament: A Century of Black Writers on Justice, on view now at the American Writers Museum. Journalist Jaha Nailah Avery reads from and discusses her new book Those Who Saw the Sun, [...]

Episode 30: Ursula K. Le Guin

30 juni 2023 | 55 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Ursula K. Le Guin. As you can read on her website, UrsulaKLeGuin.com, she was, “a celebrated author whose body of work includes 23 novels, 12 volumes of short stories, 11 volumes of poetry, 13 children’s books, five essay collections, and four works of translation. The [...]

Episode 149: Juno Dawson

26 juni 2023 | 53 min

This week, Juno Dawson discusses her work and her debut picture book You Need to Chill!. Dawson is a leading LGBTQ+ activist and also the bestselling author of This Book Is Gay, which is currently the tenth most banned book in the United States. The following conversation originally took place June 22, 2023 and was [...]

Episode 148: Lisa See

19 juni 2023 | 56 min

This week, bestselling author Lisa See discusses her new historical fiction novel Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, with Joanne Leedom-Ackerman The following conversation originally took place June 12, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About Lady Tan’s Circle of Women: The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling [...]

Episode 147: Zachary Zane

12 juni 2023 | 49 min

This week, sex and relationship columnist Zachary Zane discusses his new essay collection Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto, named a Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Book of the Year by Buzzfeed. This conversation originally took place June 6, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. Content Warning: this conversation contains explicit language related to [...]

Episode 146: Writing Across Borders

5 juni 2023 | 38 min

This week, a panel of authors and educators from StoryStudio Chicago discuss the process of writing from multiple identities, often marginalized ones, and inspiring young people to do the same. The writers include Dionna Griffin-Irons, Jac Jemc, Juan Martinez and Frances de Pontes Peebles. The following conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was [...]

Episode 145: The People’s Tongue

29 maj 2023 | 58 min

This week, we have a special episode with live music and lively conversation in celebration of the new one-of-a-kind anthology The People’s Tongue: Americans and the English Language. With performances and discussion from Ambassador Carolyn Curiel, senior speechwriter and special assistant to President Bill Clinton and former editorial board member of The New York Times; Paquito D’Rivera, [...]

Episode 29: Walt Whitman

25 maj 2023 | 56 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of iconic poet Walt Whitman, who grew up in working-class New York City and was largely self taught. Whitman’s poems celebrated America, freedom, and individualism. His unconventional free verse, without rhyme or meter, shocked many readers but others found Whitman’s style and voice distinctly American and [...]

Episode 144: Nicole Chung

22 maj 2023 | 53 min

This week, bestselling author Nicole Chung discusses her new memoir, A Living Remedy, with Nina Li Coomes. The following conversation originally took place May 16, 2023 and was recorded live via Zoom. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about A Living Remedy: From the bestselling author of All You Can Ever Know comes a searing memoir [...]

Episode 143: The Future of Black

15 maj 2023 | 39 min

This week, writers discuss their contributions to the anthology The Future of Black: Afrofuturism, Black Comics, and Superhero Poetry. The panel includes editors and contributors Tara Betts, Mallessa James, Len Lawson, Cynthia Manick, and Craig Stevens. Moderated by Eve L. Ewing. The following conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at [...]

Episode 142: John Scalzi & Michi Trota

8 maj 2023 | 58 min

Acclaimed science fiction author John Scalzi discusses his recent book The Kaiju Preservation Society and the science fiction genre with fellow award-winning science fiction writer Michi Trota. This conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about The Kaiju Preservation Society: When [...]

Episode 141: Michael Warr

1 maj 2023 | 54 min

This week, poet Michael Warr reads and discusses his work, and brings his fellow poets and friends on stage to perform their work. Featured poets include avery r. young, Elise Paschen, Reginald Gibbons, and more. The following conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival.

Episode 28: Gwendolyn Brooks

27 april 2023 | 55 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of poet, author, educator and community builder Gwendolyn Brooks, who was born in Topeka, Kansas. She moved to Chicago at just a few weeks old, where she remained an integral figure in the city for the rest of her life. Her work often dealt with the [...]

Episode 140: The Slippery Slope of Censorship

24 april 2023 | 49 min

This week, we’re proud to present a conversation about the slippery slope of censorship and what you can do to preserve your community’s freedom to read. Young Adult and Children’s book author Jarrett Dapier appears in conversation with Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom and Kristin Pekoll, Assistant Director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom. [...]

Episode 139: National Student Poets

17 april 2023 | 51 min

Students from the National Student Poets Program discuss their work and the importance of poetry in the lives of young people today. The National Student Poets Program is the nation’s highest honor for young poets (grades 10–11) creating original work. Annually, five students are selected for one year of service, each representing a different geographic [...]

Episode 138: Wherever I’m At: An Anthology of Chicago Poetry

10 april 2023 | 44 min

This week, poets Angela Jackson, Johanny Vázquez Paz, Faisal Mohyuddin, and Carlos Cumpián read from and discuss their contributions to the recent collection Wherever I’m At: An Anthology of Chicago Poetry. The following conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About Wherever [...]

Episode 137: Amanda Flower

3 april 2023 | 47 min

This week, bestselling mystery novelist Amanda Flower discusses her latest multi award nominated novel Because I Could Not Stop for Death: An Emily Dickinson Mystery. In this first book in an all new series, Emily Dickinson and her housemaid, Willa Noble, realize there is nothing poetic about murder… Flower is joined by author and scholar [...]

Episode 136: Caits Meissner & Nicole Shawan Junior

27 mars 2023 | 50 min

This week, Caits Meissner and Nicole Shawan Junior discuss their contributions to The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting A Writer’s Life in Prison. They are joined by Alicia Brown. The following conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about The Sentences [...]

Episode 135: Rev. Wheeler Parker, Jr. and Christopher Benson

20 mars 2023 | 56 min

This week, Reverend Wheeler Parker, Jr.—Emmett Till’s cousin, best friend, and the last surviving witness of the night Till was lynched—discusses his book A Few Days Full of Trouble with co-author Christopher Benson. The following conversation originally took place March 16th, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME [...]

Episode 134: Deborah Cohen

13 mars 2023 | 47 min

This week, historian and author Deborah Cohen discusses her book Last Call at the Hotel Imperial: The Reporters Who Took on a World at War. Cohen is joined in conversation by Daniel Greene, President and Librarian at the Newberry Library. The following conversation originally took place at the American Writers Festival on May 15, 2022 [...]

Episode 27: Edith Wharton

9 mars 2023 | 67 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Edith Wharton, who was born in 1862 into a tightly controlled society at a time when women were discouraged from achieving anything beyond a proper marriage. Wharton broke through these strictures to become one of America’s greatest writers. Author of The Age of Innocence, Ethan [...]

Episode 133: Natalie Y. Moore

6 mars 2023 | 47 min

This week, Natalie Y. Moore discusses her play The Billboard with J. Nicole Brooks. As a play and a book, The Billboard is a cultural force that treats abortion as more than pro-life or pro-choice. The following conversation originally took place at the American Writers Festival on May 15, 2022 and was recorded live. AWM [...]

Episode 132: Clarence Lusane

27 februari 2023 | 39 min

This week, political scientist Dr. Clarence Lusane discusses his book Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy. He is interviewed by journalist Arionne Nettles. The following conversation originally took place February 23, 2023 and was recorded live via Zoom. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about Twenty Dollars [...]

Episode 131: Will Jawando

20 februari 2023 | 55 min

This week, activist and author Will Jawando discusses his book My Seven Black Fathers: A Young Activist’s Memoir of Race, Family and the Mentors Who Made Him Whole. He is joined by Ambassador Carolyn Curiel. The following conversation originally took place May 15th, 2022 at the American Writers Festival and was recorded live. AWM PODCAST [...]

Episode 130: Ashley C. Ford and Eve L. Ewing

13 februari 2023 | 52 min

This week, acclaimed writers Ashley C. Ford and Eve L. Ewing discuss Ford’s memoir Somebody’s Daughter. One of the most prominent voices of her generation debuts with an extraordinarily powerful memoir: the story of a childhood defined by the looming absence of her incarcerated father. The following conversation originally took place May 15th, 2022 at [...]

Episode 26: Zora Neale Hurston

9 februari 2023 | 40 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Zora Neale Hurston, who was, simply, extraordinary. She grew up in Eatonville, Florida, an all-black town, leaving home in her teens and working menial jobs in order to finish high school. She arrived in New York in the 1920s to study anthropology at Columbia University [...]

Episode 129: Elie Mystal

6 februari 2023 | 47 min

This week, legal analyst and author Elie Mystal discusses his book Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution, with professor Ivy Wilson. This episode is presented in conjunction with the AWM’s special exhibit and content initiative Dark Testament: A Century of Black Writers on Justice. The following conversation originally took place [...]

Episode 128: Richard Bradford

30 januari 2023 | 37 min

This week, professor and author Richard Bradford discusses his book Tough Guy: The Life of Norman Mailer, the first biography to examine Mailer’s life as a twisted lens, offering a unique insight into the history of America from the end of World War II to the election of Barack Obama. Bradford is interviewed by AWM [...]

Episode 127: Brooks E. Hefner

23 januari 2023 | 38 min

This week, professor and historian Brooks E. Hefner discusses his book Black Pulp: Genre Fiction in the Shadow of Jim Crow, a deep dive into mid-century African American newspapers, exploring how Black pulp fiction reassembled genre formulas in the service of racial justice. Hefner is interviewed by journalist Evan F. Moore. The following conversation originally [...]

Episode 126: Leonard Moore

16 januari 2023 | 40 min

This week, author and professor Leonard Moore discusses his book Teaching Black History to White People. Moore is joined in conversation by Laura McEnaney, Vice President for Research and Education at the Newberry Library. The following conversation originally took place May 15th, 2022 at the American Writers Festival and was recorded live. AWM PODCAST NETWORK [...]

Episode 25: Nelson Algren

11 januari 2023 | 55 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and work of Chicago legend Nelson Algren, one of the most well known literary writers in America in the 40s and 50s who eventually fell into obscurity toward the end of his life. Algren is perhaps best known for his novels such as A Walk on the Wild [...]

Episode 125: Comedy Writing Panel

9 januari 2023 | 62 min

We thought we’d kick off 2023 with an episode full of laughs! In this episode, comedy writers Cristela Alonzo, Karen Chee, Peter Gwinn, Alexandra Petri and Peter Sagal discuss their crafts and the role of comedy writing in American culture. The following conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 at the American Writers Festival and [...]

Episode 124: The Best of 2022

29 december 2022 | 28 min

This week we take a look back at some of our favorite moments from the top episodes we released in 2022. From Poet Laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners to screenwriters, novelists and more, we hope you enjoy entering the minds of these writers. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME

Episode 123: Jed Rasula

19 december 2022 | 48 min

This week, celebrate the 100th anniversary of T. S. Eliot’s iconic poem The Waste Land with scholar and professor Jed Rasula, author of What the Thunder Said: How The Waste Land Made Poetry Modern. Rasula discusses his book and the enduring impact of The Waste Land with poet and scholar Reginald Gibbons. The following conversation [...]

Episode 10: Nathaniel Hawthorne

15 december 2022 | 41 min

In this episode, co-host Jennifer and guest co-host Allison discuss the life and work of American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the nation’s most revered authors. They are joined by writer and magician Dale Salwak, author of the recent book The Life of the Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne, the first major Hawthorne biography to be published in two decades, [...]

Episode 122: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2022

12 december 2022 | 49 min

This week, we discuss The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2022 anthology with guest editor Rebecca Roanhorse, series editor John Joseph Adams, and bestselling author Veronica Roth. With a diverse selection of stories chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor Rebecca Roanhorse, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2022 explores the ever-expanding [...]

Episode 24: Willa Cather

8 december 2022 | 52 min

In this episode, we discuss the life and work of Willa Cather. As one of the greatest American novelists of the 20th century, Cather was gifted in conveying an intimate understanding of her characters in relation to their personal and cultural environments—environments that often derived from Red Cloud, Nebraska where she spent most of her [...]

Episode 121: Ukrainian & Dissident Writers Tour

5 december 2022 | 45 min

This week, writers from Central and Eastern Europe stop by the AWM on the Ukrainian and Dissident Writers Tour, presented by The Continental Literary Magazine. Sándor Jászberényi, editor-in-chief of The Continental Literary Magazine, moderates a panel of writers aimed at promoting cultural exchange between Central Europe and the writers of the United States. In tumultuous and [...]

Episode 120: Stuart N. Brotman

29 november 2022 | 43 min

This week, Stuart N. Brotman and John Palfrey discuss Brotman’s new book The First Amendment Lives On, a collection of conversations with free speech scholars and advocates. This conversation originally took place November 7th, 2022 at the American Writers Museum and was recorded live. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about The First Amendment Lives On: [...]

Episode 119: Imani Perry

21 november 2022 | 49 min

This week, Imani Perry, recent recipient of the 2022 National Book Award for nonfiction, discusses her book South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation. Perry is joined by Dawn Turner. This episode is presented in conjunction with our special exhibit Dark Testament: A Century of Black Writers [...]

Episode 118: Fierce Reads Nonfiction Panel

14 november 2022 | 41 min

This week, we present the Fierce Reads Nonfiction Panel, a discussion of the various forms of nonfiction writing with five authors who work in the genre. In order of appearance, the writers are Achut Deng and Keely Hutton, Alex Graudins, Ashley Woodfolk, and Jessica Vitkus. Quick note: Alex Graudins is a cartoonist and presented a [...]

Episode 117: Ross Gay

7 november 2022 | 48 min

This week, bestselling author Ross Gay discusses his new essay collection Inciting Joy. In these gorgeously written and timely pieces, Gay considers the joy we incite when we care for each other, especially during life’s inevitable hardships. This conversation originally took place November 1, 2022 at the American Writers Museum and was recorded live. This [...]

Episode 116: Dhonielle Clayton & Jacqueline Woodson

31 oktober 2022 | 47 min

To celebrate Halloween, this week’s episode is magical! Acclaimed authors Dhonielle Clayton and Jacqueline Woodson discuss Clayton’s recent middle grade debut The Marvellers, a fantasy adventure set in a global magic school in the sky. This conversation originally took place May 15th, 2022 at the inaugural American Writers Festival and was recorded live. AWM PODCAST [...]

Episode 9: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

25 oktober 2022 | 48 min

In this episode, co-hosts Jennifer and Zakiya discuss the life and work of American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, who won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize in fiction for her novel The Yearling. They are joined by writer Ann McCutchan, author of the recent book The Life She Wished to Live: A Biography of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. [...]

Episode 115: Reyna Grande

24 oktober 2022 | 52 min

This week, acclaimed authors Reyna Grande and Juan Martinez discuss Grande’s life and writing, in particular her two most recent books: A Ballad of Love and Glory, a historical novel set during the Mexican-American War; and an anthology of immigrant voices she co-edited called Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival, and New [...]

Episode 114: Carell Augustus

17 oktober 2022 | 34 min

This week, photographer Carell Augustus discusses his new photography book Black Hollywood: Reimagining Iconic Movie Moments with journalist Arionne Nettles. This episode is presented in conjunction with our new special exhibit Dark Testament: A Century of Black Writers on Justice, now open. This conversation originally took place October 13, 2022 and was recorded live at [...]

Episode 23: Rudolfo Anaya

12 oktober 2022 | 61 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Rudolfo Anaya. A writer powerfully attuned to the land, history, and people of his native New Mexico, Anaya is often viewed as one of the founders of contemporary Chicano literature. “What I’ve wanted to do,” Anaya reflected, “is compose the Chicano worldview…and clarify it for [...]

Episode 113: Joy Harjo and Marie Arana

10 oktober 2022 | 62 min

This week, U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo and Literary Director of the Library of Congress Marie Arana explore the themes of their roots, their creativity, and how their origin stories feed them and their work. This conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 at the inaugural American Writers Festival and was recorded live. AWM PODCAST [...]

Episode 112: Kelly Lytle Hernández

3 oktober 2022 | 45 min

This week, historian and author Kelly Lytle Hernández sits down with writer Michael Zapata to discuss her book Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands. The recently released book fills in one of the largest gaps in our history textbooks: the 1910 Mexican Revolution, which remade both Mexico and the United States. This [...]

Episode 111: David W. Blight

26 september 2022 | 56 min

This week, historian and author David W. Blight talks with scholar Keidrick Roy about the work and legacy of Frederick Douglass. Blight edited the recently published collection of Douglass’s public writings from the Library of America. This edition is the largest single-volume selection of Douglass’s writings ever published, including 34 speeches and 67 pieces of [...]

Episode 110: David Maraniss

19 september 2022 | 44 min

This week, author David Maraniss discusses his new book Path Lit By Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe, the definitive biography of a great American athlete who struggled most of his life to overcome racist stereotypes. Maraniss is an associate editor at The Washington Post and a distinguished visiting professor at Vanderbilt University. He has [...]

Episode 22: Oscar Hijuelos

14 september 2022 | 76 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Oscar Hijuelos, who became the first Latino to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1990 for his novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love. He wrote rich and radiant novels that brought the Cuban American immigrant experience into the heart of American literature, helping [...]

Episode 109: Sara Paretsky

12 september 2022 | 38 min

This week, bestselling mystery novelist Sara Paretsky chats with Booklist editor Donna Seaman about Overboard, the latest book in Paretsky’s “V.I. Warshawski” detective series. This conversation originally took place May 15th, 2022 at the American Writers Museum and was recorded live as part of the museum’s inaugural American Writers Festival. We hope you enjoy entering [...]

Episode 108: Andrea Beaty

29 augusti 2022 | 35 min

This week, beloved children’s book authors Andrea Beaty and Betsy Bird chat about Beaty’s career, her writing process, the publishing industry, and how much fun it is to write for kids. This conversation originally took place May 15th, 2022 at the American Writers Museum and was recorded live as part of the Museum’s inaugural American [...]

Episode 8: Nellie Bly

23 augusti 2022 | 37 min

In this episode, co-hosts Jennifer and Zakiya discuss the life and work of pioneering investigative journalist Nellie Bly with novelist Louisa Treger, author of Madwoman, a spellbinding historical novel based on the true story of Nellie Bly. Nellie Bly was a journalist, inventor, charity worker and adventurer who was most famous for two things. First, her [...]

Episode 107: Ingrid Michaelson & Bekah Brunstetter

22 augusti 2022 | 50 min

This week, singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and writer Bekah Brunstetter discuss the process of adapting The Notebook, the romance novel by Nicholas Sparks, into a musical for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The world premiere musical opens September 6th, 2022. Learn more here. This conversation originally took place August 17th, 2022 and was recorded live at the [...]

Episode 106: Schele Williams

17 augusti 2022 | 38 min

This week, author and Broadway director Schele Williams discusses her children’s picture book Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History with journalist Arionne Nettles. This conversation was recorded live at the American Writers Museum on May 15, 2022 as part of the inaugural American Writers Festival. We hope you enjoy entering the mind [...]

Episode 105: Kim Michele Richardson

8 augusti 2022 | 27 min

This week, author Kim Michele Richardson discusses her new book The Book Woman’s Daughter with American Writers Museum Program Director Allison Sansone. This conversation was recorded live for the American Writers Festival on May 15, 2022 in Chicago. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME

Episode 21: Octavia E. Butler

2 augusti 2022 | 54 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Octavia E. Butler. Butler was an acclaimed American writer who defied genre, though she is most often associated with the realm of science fiction. The recipient of multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, she is the author of such classics as Kindred, Parable of the Sower, [...]

Episode 104: Kosoko Jackson

1 augusti 2022 | 35 min

This week, journalist and author Kosoko Jackson discusses his young adult novel Survive the Dome with writer and educator Jacoby Cochran. The Hate U Give meets Internment in this pulse-pounding thriller about an impenetrable dome around Baltimore that is keeping the residents in and information from going out during a city-wide protest. This conversation was [...]

Episode 103: Maxine Hong Kingston

26 juli 2022 | 57 min

This week, acclaimed writers Maxine Hong Kingston and Viet Thanh Nguyen discuss Kingston’s writing and legacy in light of the new collection of Kingston’s work from the Library of America, edited by Nguyen. This conversation was recorded live for the American Writers Festival on May 15, 2022 in Chicago. We hope you enjoy entering the [...]

Episode 102: Sudhir Venkatesh

18 juli 2022 | 43 min

This week, bestselling author Sudhir Venkatesh discusses his new book, The Tomorrow Game: Rival Teenagers, Their Race for a Gun, and a Community United to Save Them. This conversation originally took place July 6th, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. AWM [...]

Episode 101: Aaron Sorkin

11 juli 2022 | 47 min

On July 11th, 1960, Harper Lee’s iconic novel To Kill A Mockingbird was originally published. To celebrate the 62nd anniversary of this literary event, this week screenwriter Aaron Sorkin chats with professor Ivy Wilson about how he adapted Lee’s novel for the stage. This conversation was recorded for the American Writers Festival on May 15th, [...]

Episode 100: A Celebration Count Down!

4 juli 2022 | 48 min

This is a special week…it is our 100th episode! To celebrate, we’re counting down our top ten most listened-to podcasts from the past three years and sharing highlights from each. From poets to journalists to novelists and more, we hope you enjoy entering the minds of these writers. Listen to the full episodes below: Alice [...]

Episode 20: Prince

1 juli 2022 | 46 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of the one and only Prince. The Purple One was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet, cultural icon, and is widely regarded as one of the best musicians of his generation. In this episode we’ll largely focus on Prince’s lyricism, as well as his profound impact on [...]

Episode 99: Archie Bongiovanni

27 juni 2022 | 40 min

This week, we honor the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots with comic artist Archie Bongiovanni, who discusses their graphic novel The Stonewall Riots: Making A Stand for LGBTQ Rights, a History Comics book. Archie is joined by journalist Andrew Davis, executive editor of the Chicago-based LGBTQ+ media outlet Windy City Times. This conversation was [...]

Episode 98: Vincent Tirado

20 juni 2022 | 31 min

This week, we are excited to release the first of many episodes recorded live during our American Writers Festival on May 15th, 2022, which featured more than 75 leading writers from across the country. In this episode, writer Vincent Tirado discusses their young adult novel Burn Down, Rise Up with journalist Andrew Davis. We hope [...]

Episode 97: Aaron Sachs

13 juni 2022 | 40 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone chats with author and historian Aaron Sachs about his new book Up from the Depths: Herman Melville, Lewis Mumford, and Rediscovery in Dark Times, a double portrait of two of America’s most influential writers that reveals the surprising connections between them—and their uncanny relevance to our age of [...]

Episode 96: Karl Marlantes

6 juni 2022 | 52 min

This week, author Karl Marlantes discusses his novel Deep River, which the Washington Post called, “an engrossing and commanding historical epic about one immigrant family’s shifting fortunes.” This conversation originally took place August 7th, 2019 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. AWM [...]

Episode 19: Nora Ephron

1 juni 2022 | 60 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Nora Ephron, one of the most popular, accomplished, and beloved writers in American journalism and film. Best known for iconic rom-com films like When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail and more, Ephron was also a reporter, essayist, director and novelist who [...]

Episode 95: Gene Scheer

30 maj 2022 | 44 min

This week, opera librettist Gene Scheer discusses the process of transforming Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick into a critically acclaimed opera. He is joined by Northwestern University Professor Betsy Erkkila. This conversation originally took place April 24, 2019 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. [...]

Episode 94: Douglas Conant and Amy Federman

23 maj 2022 | 48 min

This week, Fortune 500 CEO Douglas Conant and writer Amy Federman discuss their co-authored book The Blueprint: Six Practical Steps to Lift Your Leadership to New Heights. They are interviewed by John Estey, immediate past Chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Writers Museum. This conversation originally took place April 7, 2021 and [...]

Episode 7: Lorraine Hansberry

19 maj 2022 | 53 min

This episode of Dead Writer Drama was recorded live at the American Writers Festival on May 15, 2022 with special guest Soyica Diggs Colbert, author of Radical Vision: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry. Hosted by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong and Zakiya Dalila Harris. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME

Episode 93: Who’s Black and Why?

9 maj 2022 | 45 min

This week, editor Andrew S. Curran and biological anthropologist Nina G. Jablonski discuss Curran’s new book Who’s Black and Why?: A Hidden Chapter from the Eighteenth-Century Invention of Race. Curran co-edited the book with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This conversation originally took place May 4th, 2022 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you [...]

Episode 92: Jennifer Finney Boylan with Kathy Griffin

2 maj 2022 | 43 min

This week, bestselling author Jennifer Finney Boylan discusses her memoir Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs with special guest Kathy Griffin. This conversation originally took place May 13th, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. Programming note: this conversation includes adult themes and language, listener discretion is advised. We hope you enjoy entering the [...]

Episode 18: Sylvia Plath

27 april 2022 | 48 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Sylvia Plath, the poet, novelist, and short-story writer. Plath is perhaps best known for her published collections The Colossus and Other Poems and Ariel, as well as the novel The Bell Jar. Nearly twenty years after her death, Plath was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in [...]

Episode 91: Joan Osborne

25 april 2022 | 54 min

This week, 93XRT radio host Terri Hemmert chats with critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Joan Osborne about the music industry, songwriting, and her cover album Songs of Bob Dylan. This conversation originally took place May 18th, 2019 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. AWM [...]

Episode 90: Katherine Schweit

18 april 2022 | 53 min

This week, we chat with Katherine Schweit, the former head of the FBI’s active shooter program and author of the recent book Stop the Killing: How to End the Mass Shooting Crisis. Schweit is interviewed by Chad Riley, a member of the Chicago Council of the AWM. This conversation originally took place March 31, 2022 [...]

Episode 89: Lolita in the Afterlife

11 april 2022 | 53 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone chats with editor Jennifer Minton Quigley about her recent anthology Lolita in the Afterlife: On Beauty, Risk, and Reckoning with the Most Indelible and Shocking Novel of the Twentieth Century. They are joined by contributing writers Bindu Bansinath, Aleksandar Hemon, and Laura Lippman. This conversation originally took place [...]

Episode 88: Elizabeth Berg

28 mars 2022 | 29 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone chats with bestselling author Elizabeth Berg about her recent memoir I’ll Be Seeing You, a beautifully written, poignant love story of caring for her parents in their final years. This conversation originally took place November 16th, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering [...]

Episode 17: Margaret Wise Brown

24 mars 2022 | 41 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Margaret Wise Brown, the children’s book author of classics such as Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Margaret’s books have sold millions of copies all over the world, but few people know that she was at the center of a children’s book publishing revolution. Her [...]

Episode 87: Daniel Ellsberg

21 mars 2022 | 66 min

This week, Daniel Ellsberg, the man who released the Pentagon Papers, discusses his book The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner with journalist Rick Perlstein. This conversation originally took place December 7th, 2017 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer.

Episode 86: Deborah Blum

14 mars 2022 | 49 min

This week, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Deborah Blum discusses her recent book The Poison Squad, which tells the dramatic true story of how food was made safe in the United States and the heroes, led by Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who fought for change. This conversation originally took place August 15, 2019 and was recorded live [...]

Episode 85: Sarah Parcak

7 mars 2022 | 46 min

This week, we talk about science writing! Anthropologist and author Sarah Parcak discusses her book Archaeology From Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past with Adler Planetarium astronomer and artist Lucianne Walkowicz. This conversation originally took place August 13th, 2019 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the [...]

Episode 84: Deborah Nelson Linck

28 februari 2022 | 42 min

This week, AWM President Carey Cranston chats with writer and educator Deborah Nelson Linck, author of the forthcoming illustrated biography Pauli Murray: Shouting for the Rights of All People. This conversation originally took place February 22nd, 2022 and was recorded live via Zoom. This program is presented in conjunction with the launch of our newest [...]

Episode 83: Rebecca Hall

21 februari 2022 | 28 min

This week, writer-director Rebecca Hall discusses her recent Netflix film Passing with Northwestern University professor Dr. Ivy Wilson. This conversation originally took place October 21st, 2021 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. Quick programming note: we enter this conversation in progress. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer.

Episode 16: Toni Morrison

18 februari 2022 | 33 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Toni Morrison. A writer who needs no introduction, Toni Morrison is one of the most cherished American authors, known for her iconic novels like Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, and Sula. She earned numerous prestigious awards during her life including the Pulitzer Prize, [...]

Episode 82: Nancy Johnson

14 februari 2022 | 40 min

This week, writers Nancy Johnson and Catherine Adel West discuss Johnson’s hit debut novel The Kindest Lie. This conversation originally took place February 8th, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME

Episode 81: Hanif Abdurraqib & Ashley Evans

7 februari 2022 | 29 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone chats with author Hanif Abdurraqib and illustrator Ashley Evans about their new children’s book Sing, Aretha, Sing!, a striking picture book biography about the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. This conversation originally took place February 2nd, 2022 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering [...]

Episode 80: Angela Terry

31 januari 2022 | 44 min

This week, author Angela Terry talks about her novel Charming Falls Apart with Olivia Bedi and Katy Mickelson, members of the Chicago Council of the American Writers Museum. This conversation originally took place January 27th, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. Throughout this episode, you will hear references to Angela’s new novel, which is [...]

Episode 15: Hannah Arendt

26 januari 2022 | 50 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Hannah Arendt. Arendt is one of the most renowned political thinkers of the twentieth century, and her work has never been more relevant than it is today. Born in Germany in 1906, she published her first book at the age of 23 before turning away [...]

Episode 79: Layla Saad

24 januari 2022 | 38 min

This week, for our first episode of 2022, AWM President Carey Cranston sits down with Layla Saad, author of the New York Times bestselling book Me and White Supremacy. This conversation originally took place February 5th, 2020 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. Layla will be joining us this coming February 17th [...]

Episode 14: Rachel Carson

20 december 2021 | 63 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Rachel Carson, a hugely influential marine biologist and nature writer. Her 1962 book Silent Spring is perhaps her most recognized work, as it led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides and sparked the worldwide environmental and conservation movements. The Library of America [...]

Episode 78: Jonathan Lethem & Stacie Williams

20 december 2021 | 34 min

This week, tune into a conversation between Jonathan Lethem, award-winning author of The Fortress of Solitude, and Stacie Williams, whose book Bizarro Worlds references Lethem’s characters and storylines to explore racism and gentrification. This conversation originally took place March 15th, 2019 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering [...]

Episode 6: Nora Ephron

15 december 2021 | 78 min

In this episode, co-hosts Jennifer and Zakiya discuss the life and work of prolific, multi-talented—and dramatic—writer Nora Ephron with pop culture journalist Erin Carlson, author of I’ll Have What She’s Having: How Nora Ephron’s Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy. Nora Ephron was a journalist, screenwriter, essayist, playwright, filmmaker, and blogger perhaps best known [...]

Episode 77: Gertrude Beasley

13 december 2021 | 44 min

This week, editors Nina Bennett and Marie Bennett discuss rediscovering and reprinting 1920s author Gertrude Beasley’s banned memoir My First Thirty Years. They are joined by Beasley scholar Dr. Celia Marshik, Professor of English at Stony Brook University. This conversation originally took place December 8th, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you [...]

Episode 76: Scott Turow

6 december 2021 | 34 min

This week, bestselling author Scott Turow discusses his novel The Last Trial with Olivia Bedi, a member of the AWM Board of Trustees. This conversation originally took place June 24th, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME

Episode 75: Sigrid Nunez

29 november 2021 | 36 min

This week, award-winning writers Sigrid Nunez and Charlotte Wood discuss Nunez’s 2020 novel What Are You Going Through. This conversation originally took place September 24th, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME

Episode 13: Zitkála-Šá

26 november 2021 | 47 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Zitkála-Šá, who also went by the name Gertrude Simmons Bonnin. Zitkála-Šá was a member of the Yankton Dakota, also known as Sioux, tribe. An accomplished violinist, writer, and activist, she co-founded the National Council of American Indians, lobbied Congress to pass the Indian Citizenship Act, [...]

Episode 74: A. O. Scott & Rafia Zakaria

22 november 2021 | 46 min

This week, editor Andrew Blauner chats with acclaimed writers A. O. Scott and Rafia Zakaria about their contributions to the essay anthology Now Comes Good Sailing: Writers Reflect on Henry David Thoreau. This conversation originally took place October 21st, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a [...]

Episode 73: Elliot Ackerman & Admiral James Stavridis

15 november 2021 | 40 min

This week, two former military officers and award-winning authors, Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis, discuss their recent book 2034: A Novel of the Next World War. This conversation originally took place March 31st, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer.

Episode 72: Tom Roston

8 november 2021 | 32 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone speaks with journalist Tom Roston about his new book The Writer’s Crusade: Kurt Vonnegut and the Many Lives of Slaughterhouse-Five. This conversation originally took place October 15th, 2021 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. AWM [...]

Episode 71: Asali Solomon

1 november 2021 | 40 min

This week, award-winning writers Asali Solomon and Rebecca Makkai discuss Solomon’s new novel The Days of Afrekete. This conversation originally took place October 26th, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME

Episode 12: Shirley Jackson

27 oktober 2021 | 61 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of multi-dimensional writer Shirley Jackson, perhaps best known for her horror novels and short stories. We’re joined by three guests whose lives and careers have been influenced greatly by Jackson in different ways. Laurence Jackson Hyman is the eldest child of Shirley Jackson and Stanley Edgar [...]

Episode 70: Scott Peeples on Edgar Allan Poe

25 oktober 2021 | 33 min

This week, just in time for Halloween, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone talks with historian Scott Peeples about Edgar Allan Poe and his book The Man of the Crowd: Edgar Allan Poe and the City. This conversation originally took place October 27th, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the [...]

Episode 69: Joanne Lee Molinaro, The Korean Vegan

18 oktober 2021 | 32 min

This week, hear from Joanne Lee Molinaro about her new cookbook The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma’s Kitchen. Molinaro is interviewed by Christie Maliyackel, a member of the Chicago Council of the American Writers Museum. This conversation took place October 12th, 2021 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We [...]

Episode 68: Sarah Gubbins

11 oktober 2021 | 33 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone chats with playwright and screenwriter Sarah Gubbins, who most recently adapted the screenplay for the film Shirley starring Elisabeth Moss as Shirley Jackson. This program originally took place July 6th, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. AWM [...]

Episode 67: Juan Martinez

4 oktober 2021 | 50 min

This week, our celebration of Hispanic American Heritage Month continues with Juan Martinez, author of the short story collection Best Worst American. This program is hosted by the Chicago Council of the American Writers Museum, a group of dedicated professionals who plan and host fundraising events for the museum. It originally took place June 10th, [...]

Episode 11: Anthony Bourdain

29 september 2021 | 46 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of chef, author, documentarian, and tv personality Anthony Bourdain. We’re joined by his longtime assistant and writing partner Laurie Woolever. Woolever’s latest book is Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography, which features interviews with nearly 100 people from all facets of Bourdain’s life from childhood to his [...]

Episode 66: Dear McSweeney’s

27 september 2021 | 45 min

This week, we have a fun panel of writers who are featured in the anthology Dear McSweeney’s: Two Decades of Letters to the Editor from Writers, Readers, and the Occasional Bewildered Consumer. This program is hosted by McSweeney’s senior editor Daniel Levin Becker. It originally took place September 21, 2021 and was recorded live via [...]

Episode 5: Pauli Murray

22 september 2021 | 51 min

This month, co-hosts Jennifer and Zakiya discuss the incredible life and work of Pauli Murray with Barbara Lau, Executive Director of the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice. Pauli Murray lived one of the most remarkable lives of the twentieth century. She was the first Black person to earn a JSD degree from [...]

Episode 65: Lilliam Rivera

20 september 2021 | 44 min

This week, AWM Program Director, Allison Sansone, chats with Lilliam Rivera about her latest middle grade novel Never Look Back, which blends a touch of magical realism into a timely story about cultural identity, overcoming trauma, and the power of first love. This program originally took place November 10, 2020 and was recorded live via [...]

Episode 64: Shay Bravo

13 september 2021 | 39 min

This week, AWM Program Director, Allison Sansone, talks with Shay Bravo, a Mexican born author who has now lived half of her life in the U.S. Shay began sharing her work online through Wattpad when she was fifteen years old and has connected with over 100,000 followers. Historically Inaccurate won the 2019 Watty Awards and [...]

Episode 63: Leonard S. Marcus & Meg Medina

6 september 2021 | 46 min

This week, historian and critic Leonard S. Marcus discusses his book You Can’t Say Say That!: Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have To Tell. Marcus is joined by Meg Medina, one of the authors featured in the book. This program took place August 12, 2021 and was [...]

Episode 62: Elly Fishman

30 augusti 2021 | 39 min

This week, hear from journalist and editor Elly Fishman about her book Refugee High: Coming of Age in America, winner of the Studs and Ida Terkel award. The book tells the story of a year in the life of a Chicago high school that has one of the highest proportions of refugees of any school [...]

Episode 10: Américo Paredes

25 augusti 2021 | 63 min

This podcast is presented in conjunction with our new virtual exhibit, American Voices, which you can explore at NationOfWriters.org. In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Américo Paredes. Paredes was an esteemed scholar and storyteller of the Mexico-U.S. border, a champion of its history, peoples, music, and mythologies. He grew up in [...]

Episode 61: Charles Ardai

23 augusti 2021 | 46 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone talks with Charles Ardai, editor of the short story anthology Killer, Come Back to Me: The Crime Stories of Ray Bradbury. This program took place August 17th, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. This is the final of three episodes in a row about Bradbury in the [...]

Episode 60: Christie Hefner

16 augusti 2021 | 36 min

This week, AWM President Carey Cranston talks with former chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises Christie Hefner about the landmark publication and its relation to Ray Bradbury and Fahrenheit 451 in particular. This program took place May 25th, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. This is the second of three episodes in a row [...]

Episode 58: Kathleen Rooney

2 augusti 2021 | 42 min

This week, Kathleen Rooney talks about her recent novel Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey with fellow writer Michael Zapata, author of The Lost Book of Adana Moreau. This program took place August 13th, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. Learn more about and order Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey here. We hope you enjoy [...]

Episode 57: Dr. Haki Madhubuti

12 juli 2021 | 45 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone chats with renowned poet and a leader of the Black Arts Movement Dr. Haki Madhubuti about his recent collection Taught By Women: Poems as Resistance Language. This program took place May 20, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a [...]

Episode 56: Jess McHugh

5 juli 2021 | 39 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone chats with writer and researcher Jess McHugh about her recent book Americanon: An Unexpected U.S. History in Thirteen Bestselling Books. This program took place June 1, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer.

Episode 9: Reinaldo Arenas

30 juni 2021 | 61 min

This podcast is presented in conjunction with our new virtual exhibit, American Voices, which you can explore at NationOfWriters.org. In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Cuban-born writer Reinaldo Arenas with our guests Ann Tashi Slater and Peter Johnson. Arenas was born in the Cuban countryside where he spent a lot of [...]

Episode 55: Dominic A. Pacyga

28 juni 2021 | 34 min

June is Immigrant Heritage Month and we are celebrating all month long by sharing past programs presented in conjunction with our special exhibit My America: Immigrant and Refugee Writers Today. This exhibit has been extended through 2021 and you can explore it in person at the American Writers Museum or online at My-America.org. This week, [...]

Episode 4: James Baldwin

23 juni 2021 | 41 min

This month, co-hosts Jennifer and Zakiya discuss the legacy of James Baldwin with Robert Jones, Jr., the author of the New York Times Instant Bestselling novel, The Prophets. Robert received his B.F.A., magna cum laude, in creative writing, and M.F.A. in fiction from Brooklyn College. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor [...]

Episode 54: Aaron Bobrow-Strain

21 juni 2021 | 33 min

This week, program director Allison Sansone chats with writer and professor Aaron Bobrow-Strain, whose book The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez tells the true story of a Mexican teen mother journeying through the U.S. immigration system and the obstacles she faces. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer.

Episode 53: Khaled Mattawa

14 juni 2021 | 48 min

Episode 52: Rebecca Deng

7 juni 2021 | 39 min

Episode 51: Nicole Chung

31 maj 2021 | 54 min

This week, Nicole Chung discusses her memoir All You Can Ever Know with fellow writer Rebecca Makkai. This conversation originally took place November 27th, 2018 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. VIEW ALL PODCAST EPISODES HERE

Episode 8: Hisaye Yamamoto

26 maj 2021 | 59 min

In this episode, we’ll discuss the life and work of Japanese American author Hisaye Yamamoto. You can learn more about Yamamoto by exploring our virtual exhibit on Google Arts and Culture. I also highly recommend you read her work as it is powerful and accessible. As we were creating the exhibit, I found myself engrossed [...]

Episode 50: Sean Latham

24 maj 2021 | 49 min

Today is Bob Dylan’s 80th birthday…may he stay forever young. To celebrate, we caught up with Sean Latham, Director of the Institute for Bob Dylan Studies and editor of the new essay anthology The World of Bob Dylan. This program took place May 13th, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy [...]

Episode 49: Rowan Hisayo Buchanan & T Kira Madden

17 maj 2021 | 43 min

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and we continue our celebration of that with writers Rowan Hisayo Buchanan and T Kira Madden who discuss their writing habits and contributions to the book Go Home!, an anthology of Asian diasporic writers musing on the notion of “home”. This conversation originally took place March [...]

Episode 48: June Hur

10 maj 2021 | 38 min

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and we continue our celebration of that with June Hur, author of The Silence of Bones. This conversation originally took place April 29th, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer.

Episode 47: R. O. Kwon

3 maj 2021 | 39 min

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and we begin our celebration of that with R. O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries. This conversation originally took place July 31, 2019 and was recorded live. You can see R. O. Kwon live at the American Writers Museum on June 5, 2024! She will be [...]

Episode 7: Maya Angelou

28 april 2021 | 72 min

In this episode, we dive into the life and work of Maya Angelou with Nikki Giovanni and Glory Edim. About our guests: Nikki Giovanni is an acclaimed poet, writer, activist and educator. She is the author of several bestselling collections of poetry and the recipient of numerous well-earned awards and honors. Glory Edim is the [...]

Episode 46: Rigoberto González and Johanny Vázquez Paz

26 april 2021 | 57 min

Our National Poetry Month celebrations continue with acclaimed poets Rigoberto González and Johanny Vázquez Paz. This program took place April 15th, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. All podcasts and episodes here.

Episode 3: Ernest Hemingway & F. Scott Fitzgerald

21 april 2021 | 53 min

This month, co-hosts Jennifer and Zakiya discuss the relationship between Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald with Amanda Vaill, the author of the bestselling Everybody Was So Young: Gerald and Sara Murphy—A Lost Generation Love Story, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in biography, and Somewhere: The Life of Jerome [...]

Episode 45: Layli Long Soldier, Mark Turcotte, and Tanaya Winder

19 april 2021 | 58 min

Our National Poetry Month celebrations continue with indigenous poets Layli Long Soldier, Mark Turcotte, and Tanaya Winder who read from and discuss the recent book When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry. This program took place November 19th, 2020 and was recorded live [...]

Episode 44: Sahar Mustafah

12 april 2021 | 36 min

Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month with Sahar Mustafah, who discusses her recent novel The Beauty of Your Face. This conversation took place April 8th, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. Mustafah also put together a list of some of her favorite and most influential books by Arab American writers. Check out that reading list [...]

Episode 43: Billy Collins

5 april 2021 | 48 min

This week, we kick off National Poetry Month with former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins, who is interviewed by Irish Ambassador to the US Daniel Mulhall. This conversation took place December 8th, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. ALL PODCAST EPISODES HERE

Episode 6: Ray Bradbury

31 mars 2021 | 60 min

This episode we discuss Ray Bradbury with Bradbury scholars Jason Aukerman and Patrick Mullins. Be sure to check out our newest online exhibit Ray Bradbury: Inextinguishable launching April 14th. More about our guests: Jason Aukerman is a Clinical Assistant Professor of American Studies and English and the Director of the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies [...]

Episode 42: Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

29 mars 2021 | 45 min

This week, pop culture historian and bestselling author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong discusses her new book When Women Invented Television: The Untold Story of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today. This conversation took place March 23rd, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a [...]

Episode 41: Claudio Lomnitz

22 mars 2021 | 46 min

This week, anthropologist Claudio Lomnitz discusses his memoir Nuestra América: My Family in the Vertigo of Translation with Princeton University professor Arcadio Díaz-Quiñones. This conversation took place March 9th, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer.

Episode 40: Alice McDermott & Joseph O’Neill

15 mars 2021 | 49 min

This week, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, acclaimed Irish-American writers Alice McDermott, Joseph O’Neill and Irish Ambassador to the United States Daniel Mulhall discuss their work, their approach to writing, and their shared Irish heritage. This program originally took place October 29th, 2020 and was recorded live over Zoom. Hear more immigrant and refugee writers [...]

Episode 2: Ray Bradbury & the FBI

10 mars 2021 | 56 min

This month, co-hosts Jennifer and Zakiya discuss Ray Bradbury, exploring how he defended freedom of imagination throughout his career, from using his science fiction to point out the evils of authoritarianism to publishing the incendiary classic Fahrenheit 451 to fighting McCarthyism. The guest for this episode is Jon Eller, co-founder of the Center for Ray [...]

Episode 39: Nicole Perlroth

8 mars 2021 | 41 min

This week, AWM President Carey Cranston chats with award-winning New York Times cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth about her new book This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race. This conversation was recorded live via Zoom on February 26th, 2021. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer.

Episode 38: Sara Paretsky

1 mars 2021 | 24 min

This week, renowned mystery writer Sara Paretsky discusses her book Shell Game, her writing process and more. This conversation was recorded live at the American Writers Museum in October 2018. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer.

Episode 5: Margaret Walker

24 februari 2021 | 45 min

This episode we discuss Margaret Walker with Angela Stewart, Archivist at the Margaret Walker Center, an archive and museum dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and dissemination of African American history and culture. This podcast is presented in conjunction with our new virtual exhibit, American Voices, which you can explore at NationOfWriters.org AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME

Episode 37: Aarti Shahani

22 februari 2021 | 61 min

This week, NPR correspondent Aarti Shahani discusses her memoir Here We Are: American Dreams, American Nightmares with fellow NPR correspondent Sonari Rhodes Glinton. This conversation was recorded live at the American Writers Museum in October 2019. This program was the first in a series of programs presented in conjunction with our special exhibit My America: [...]

Episode 36: Dr. John Stauffer

15 februari 2021 | 46 min

This week, Harvard scholar Dr. John Stauffer discusses the legacy of Frederick Douglass, particularly his use of early photography. This lecture was recorded live at the American Writers Museum in March 2019. Quick programming note: Dr. Stauffer used photographs to go along with his presentation. If you would like to see those, you can watch [...]

Episode 1: Langston Hughes & Zora Neale Hurston

8 februari 2021 | 44 min

In this monthly series, co-hosts Jennifer Keishin Armstrong and Zakiya Dalila Harris discuss the professional feuds, sex scandals, messy public breakups, and controversial legacies of history’s literary legends and how those are relevant in light of current culture, issues, discussions and literature. The first episode examines the feud between Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston with guest Yuval Taylor, author of Zora [...]

Episode 35: Jasmine Guillory

8 februari 2021 | 56 min

This week, Jasmine Guillory discusses her romance novel The Wedding Party with writer and poet Diamond Sharp. This conversation was recorded live at the American Writers Museum in July 2019. Quick programming note: this discussion contains explicit language and references to sex, it is a romance novel after all…Listener discretion is advised. We hope you [...]

Episode 34: Walter Mosley

1 februari 2021 | 38 min

This week, we sit down with Walter Mosley and discuss his work and the craft of writing. This program took place October 24th, 2018 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. At the time, Mosley’s novel John Woman had just been published. Mosley’s latest Easy Rawlins mystery comes out tomorrow, February 2nd! Quick [...]

Episode 4: Abraham Lincoln

27 januari 2021 | 55 min

Today, we discuss the life and writings of Abraham Lincoln with our guests Carolyn Curiel, former U.S. Ambassador and Senior Speechwriter for Bill Clinton; and Dr. Christian McWhirter, Lincoln Historian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. If you are interested in reading Lincoln more and exploring his writing more in depth, the Papers [...]

Episode 33: Gary Paulsen

25 januari 2021 | 29 min

This week, iconic young adult author Gary Paulsen discusses his new middle grade memoir Gone to the Woods, his own survival story. He is joined by children’s book author and librarian Betsy Bird. This program took place January 12th, 2021 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a [...]

Episode 32: Jacqueline Woodson

18 januari 2021 | 30 min

For our first episode of 2021, we chat with renowned writer Jacqueline Woodson. She is the author of dozens of award-winning books for young adults, middle graders, and children; among her many accolades, she is a four-time Newbery Honor winner, a four-time National Book Award finalist, and a two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner. This [...]

Episode 3: Louisa May Alcott

30 december 2020 | 44 min

Welcome to the Nation of Writers Podcast, a monthly series from the American Writers Museum that aims to explore our ever growing Nation of Writers by examining powerful and significant American Voices throughout history. This podcast is presented in conjunction with our new virtual exhibit American Voices. Explore at NationOfWriters.org. This month, we learn more [...]

Episode 31: Jacob Soboroff

28 december 2020 | 40 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone chats with award-winning NBC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff. This conversation took place September 3rd, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. This is our final Author Talks episode of the year. We are taking a couple weeks now to rest but we will return in January with more [...]

Episode 30: Uri Shulevitz

21 december 2020 | 42 min

This week, hear from Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator Uri Shulevitz about his new illustrated memoir Chance: Escape from the Holocaust. Presented in partnership with the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. This conversation took place October 13th, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. [...]

Episode 29: Daniel Yergin

14 december 2020 | 42 min

This week, AWM President Carey Cranston chats with Pulitzer Prize-winner and global energy expert Daniel Yergin about his timely new book The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations. This conversation took place October 8th, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. Quick programming note: near the 20 minute mark, Carey and Daniel [...]

Episode 28: Catharine Arnold

7 december 2020 | 30 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone chats with writer and historian Catharine Arnold about her recent book Pandemic 1918: Eyewitness Accounts from the Greatest Medical Holocaust in Modern History. This conversation took place May 26, 2020 and was recorded live via Zoom. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [...]

Episode 27: Glory Edim

30 november 2020 | 46 min

This week Glory Edim, founder of Well-Read Black Girl book club, discusses her essay anthology with fellow writer Charlene Carruthers. This conversation was recorded November 5, 2018 live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “As Black women we define ourselves, [...]

Episode 2: Sequoyah

25 november 2020 | 34 min

Welcome to the Nation of Writers Podcast, a monthly series from the American Writers Museum that aims to explore our ever growing Nation of Writers by examining powerful and significant American Voices throughout history. This podcast is presented in conjunction with our forthcoming virtual exhibit American Voices. In honor of Native American Heritage Month, today [...]

Episode 26 – The Peanuts Papers

23 november 2020 | 45 min

This week we hit the funny pages and talk about the anthology The Peanuts Papers with editor Andrew Blauner, contributing artist Chris Ware and cartoonist Ivan Brunetti who honor the legacy of Charles Schultz and his iconic Peanuts comic strip. This conversation was recorded November 4, 2019 live at the American Writers Museum. We hope [...]

Episode 25: Manisha Sinha

16 november 2020 | 42 min

This week, AWM President Carey Cranston chats with Dr. Manisha Sinha about the legacy of Frederick Douglass and other abolitionists from her book The Slave’s Cause: A History of Abolition. This conversation was recorded live May 28, 2020. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “Much [...]

Episode 24: Colin Asher on Nelson Algren

9 november 2020 | 47 min

Today, we discuss the legacy of Nelson Algren with Colin Asher, author of the biography Never A Lovely So Real: The Life and Work of Nelson Algren. This was originally recorded live at the American Writers Museum June 25th, 2019. Quick note: the end of this podcast episode includes a Q&A with the live audience, [...]

Episode 23: Norman Mailer discussion

2 november 2020 | 43 min

This week we discuss the legacy of Norman Mailer with J. Michael Lennon, Mailer’s archivist and authorized biographer, and Maureen Corrigan, book critic for NPR’s Fresh Air. This conversation was originally recorded August 27, 2018 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. EPISODE [...]

Episode 1: Edgar Allan Poe

27 oktober 2020 | 47 min

Welcome to the Nation of Writers Podcast, part of the American Writers Museum podcast network. This episode is the first in a new monthly series that aims to explore our ever growing Nation of Writers by examining powerful and significant American Voices throughout history. We’ll talk with experts around the country about the writers that [...]

Episode 22: Nicholas Buccola

26 oktober 2020 | 30 min

This week, we present an excerpt from a previously recorded conversation with author and historian Nicholas Buccola about his recent book The Fire Is Upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate over Race in America. To watch the full program as well as view an accompanying photo slideshow, visit the American [...]

Episode 21: Baseball Writing

19 oktober 2020 | 49 min

This week, get your peanuts and Cracker Jack ready because we’re chatting with essayist Joe Bonomo and sportswriter Rick Telander about their favorite baseball writing. This program took place and was recorded in June when Major League Baseball was still on hiatus. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “Baseball [...]

Episode 20: Frank Waln & Tanaya Winder

12 oktober 2020 | 60 min

Today, in recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day, we talk with Native poets and performing artists Frank Waln and Tanaya Winder, who will also play some of their powerful music. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes here. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “I really believe in helping people heal through the [...]

Episode 19: Juan Felipe Herrera

5 oktober 2020 | 32 min

This week, AWM Facilities Supervisor, Cristina Carrera, chats with former U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera about his new collection Every Day We Get More Illegal. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Find more podcast episodes here. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “Instead of more openness, the doors seem to be bigger and tighter [...]

Episode 18: Adrianna Cuevas

28 september 2020 | 38 min

This week, AWM Assistant Director of Programming and Education, Sonal Shukla, chats with Adrianna Cuevas, debut author of the middle grade fantasy novel The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Find more episodes here. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “I pretty much live in my own head most of [...]

Episode 17: Louie Pérez

21 september 2020 | 38 min

We continue celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month this week with singer-songwriter Louie Pérez, lead singer of Los Lobos, who chats with radio broadcaster Catalina Maria Johnson about his work and writing. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to all podcast episodes here. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “Everything I’ve written has always come [...]

Episode 16: Julissa Arce

14 september 2020 | 40 min

This week, AWM President Carey Cranston sits down with bestselling author and immigrant rights advocate Julissa Arce to kick off National Hispanic Heritage Month. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes here. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “I’ve been very motivated and very inspired by young undocumented people now who are [...]

Episode 15: Michelle Duster

7 september 2020 | 42 min

This week, AWM President Carey Cranston sits down with author and historian Michelle Duster who discusses the indelible impact and lasting legacy of her great-grandmother, Ida B. Wells. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes here. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “[Wells] felt the need to write her own autobiography because [...]

Episode 14: Isabel Ibañez

31 augusti 2020 | 24 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone sits down with Isabel Ibañez to chat about her Bolivian heritage, writing process, and her debut Young Adult Fantasy novel Woven in Moonlight. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes here. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “Home sort of felt like two places and [...]

Episode 13: John Scalzi

24 augusti 2020 | 48 min

This week, we honor Ray Bradbury’s recent Centennial on August 22nd with more science fiction. The prolific writer John Scalzi talks about his novel The Consuming Fire, how he wrote it in just two weeks, and his affinity for wombats. Yes, wombats. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more [...]

Episode 12: Annalee Newitz

17 augusti 2020 | 46 min

This week, journalist Dan Sinker talks with Annalee Newitz about Annalee’s recent time-traveling, punk rock novel The Future of Another Timeline. This is the second of four conversations with science fiction and fantasy writers in honor of Ray Bradbury’s Centennial on August 22. Admission to the AWM is also free of charge that day to celebrate Bradbury’s [...]

Episode 11: J. Michael Straczynski

10 augusti 2020 | 35 min

In this episode, American Writers Museum Program Director Allison Sansone chats with renowned screenwriter and comics writer J. Michael Straczynski about his recent memoir Becoming Superman: My Journey from Poverty to Childhood. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes here. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “There’s trying to dance, and there’s [...]

Episode 10: Natasha Trethewey

3 augusti 2020 | 40 min

This week, Booklist editor Donna Seaman talks with Pulitzer Prize-winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey about her powerful new memoir Memorial Drive, which recounts the brutal murder of her mother at the hands of her former stepfather and the impact that moment has had on Trethewey’s life and work. We hope you enjoy [...]

Episode 9: Tayari Jones

27 juli 2020 | 33 min

This week, Booklist editor Donna Seaman chats with Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage, which was a selection for Oprah’s Book Club. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes here. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “Prison is family separation. It’s happening on our border but it’s also happening right in [...]

Episode 8: Ross Gay & Eve L. Ewing

20 juli 2020 | 53 min

This week, we are thrilled to present a discussion between award-winning poets Ross Gay and Eve L. Ewing, who talked about Gay’s recent collection The Book of Delights. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes here. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “My first impulse when I have a delight, when I [...]

Episode 7: Keah Brown

13 juli 2020 | 27 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone talks with writer and disabled rights advocate Keah Brown about her essay collection The Pretty One. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes here. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS “What I want so badly is disabled characters who aren’t plot devices for somebody else. [...]

Episode 6: Saeed Jones

6 juli 2020 | 41 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone talks to award-winning poet Saeed Jones about his memoir How We Fight For Our Lives, which tells his incredible story of a young, black, gay man from the south fighting to carve out a place for himself in the world. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of [...]

Episode 5: David Treuer

29 juni 2020 | 60 min

This week, AWM Program Director Allison Sansone talks to National Book Award finalist David Treuer about his book The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, a sweeping history of Native American life from the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890 to today. This conversation was originally recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering [...]

Episode 4: Ngozi Ukazu

22 juni 2020 | 30 min

This week, we are pleased to present a discussion between AWM Program Director Allison Sansone and graphic novelist Ngozi Ukazu about the latest installment in her popular Check Please! series. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes here.

Episode 3: Laila Lalami

15 juni 2020 | 24 min

This week we are pleased to present Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Laila Lalami, who chats with American Writers Museum President Carey Cranston about her forthcoming book Conditional Citizens. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes here.

Episode 2: Viet Thanh Nguyen, Kao Kalia Yang & Vu Tran

8 juni 2020 | 47 min

This week we are pleased to present writers Viet Thanh Nguyen, Kao Kalia Yang, and Vu Tran who’ll discuss their contributions to the anthology The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives. This conversation was originally recorded at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes [...]

Episode 1: Sandra Cisneros & Fernando A. Flores

1 juni 2020 | 50 min

This first episode of the American Writers Museum podcast is a discussion between Sandra Cisneros and Fernando A. Flores, who visited the AWM in May 2019.