Kathryn Harkup talks about the many ways Shakespeare killed off his characters, their feasibility in real life and how audiences of the day would’ve reacted to the dramatic demises.
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The evolution of Zora Neale Hurston
Genevieve West joins guest host John McCaa to discuss her extensive compilation of work that features essays, criticism, and articles of the Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston.
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When telling your life story, don’t leave out your secrets
Melissa Febos explains walking the line between vulnerability and over divulgence in writing and offers guidance to other aspiring writers on how to begin their journey.
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George Saunders On What Makes A Great Short Story
Novelist George Saunders is the recipient of the Man Booker Prize and many other literary honors, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his book of seven essays about what makes great writing and how readers connect with a page of words.
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How cancel culture is holding writers back
Writer Sarah Hepola examines the ways she has muted herself and contemplates what cancel culture means for writers.
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What the South has to say about America
Imani Perry discusses her return to her Southern home in Alabama with fresh eyes, weaving in the stories of the good-tempered with a darker history.
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Life is different on the other side of cancer
Suleika Jaouad joins us to talk about the cancer that left her fighting for life at a young age and how she’s reimagined what the future holds now that she’s cancer-free.
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Life as the daughters of immigrants
Daphne Palasi Andreades discusses her new novel, where five daughters of immigrants become friends for life but are tested when views on ambition, loyalty and class begin to diverge.
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The power of banned books
Kate Cohen considers why naming books as illicit increases demand, and why that means the written word still resonates with today’s youth.
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Motherhood: The pressure to be perfect
Author Jessamine Chan discusses her novel “The School for Good Mothers,” which focuses on a Big Brother-like future in which perfect parenting is judged by the state.
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Your fun could be so much funner
Science journalist Catherine Price discusses her definition of true fun and why she feels it can lead us to happier, more fulfilling lives.
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His violin was his ticket out. Then it went missing
Author Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb joins us to talk about his novel, a thriller called “The Violin Conspiracy.”
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