AWM Author Talks

This week, scholar Christopher W. Hunt discusses his recent book Jimmy’s Faith: James Baldwin, Disidentification, and the Queer Possibilities of Black Religion . This conversation originally took place September 16, 2025 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. This episode is presented in conjunction with the American Writers Museum’s new special exhibit American Prophets: Writers, R...

This week, three writers of romance— Sajni Patel , Scarlett St. Clair , and Helene Wecker —discuss the role of religion in the romance genre. This conversation originally took place July 10, 2025 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. This episode is presented in conjunction with the American Writers Museum’s new special exhibit American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture . Th...

This week, scholar Thomas A. Tweed discusses his new book Religion in the Lands that Became America . A sweeping retelling of American religious history, Tweed shows how religion has enhanced and hindered human flourishing from the Ice Age to the Information Age. Tweed is joined by fellow Indigenous Studies professor John N. Low . This conversation originally took place November 10, 2025 and was r...

This week, we revisit our Faith is Funny program with four comedians— Gibran Saleem , Hari Kondabolu , Peter Sagal , and Kate Sidley —who discuss the role of religion in comedy. This conversation originally took place June 23, 2025 and was recorded live at the Studebaker Theater. This episode is presented in conjunction with the American Writers Museum’s forthcoming exhibit American Prophets: Writ...

Beloved author Susan Orlean discusses her new book Joyride , a masterful memoir of finding her creative calling and purpose that invites us to approach life with wonder, curiosity, and an irrepressible sense of delight. Orlean is interviewed by journalist Chris Borrelli . This conversation originally took place October 24, 2025 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjo...

This week in honor of Halloween, we discuss the use of religion and spirituality in horror writing. We are joined by leading horror writers Tananarive Due , Juan Martinez , and Matt Ruff . This conversation originally took place October 10, 2025 and was recorded live at the University of Chicago Divinity School. We hope you enjoy entering the Mind of a Writer. This episode is presented in conjunct...

This week, religious scholar Paul Elie discusses his latest book The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s . This enthralling group portrait brings to life a moment when popular culture became the site of religious strife—strife that set the stage for some of the most salient political and cultural clashes of our day. Elie is interviewed by Emily D. Crews , the Executive Direc...

This week, screenwriter and author Nicholas Meyer discusses his latest mystery novel Sherlock Holmes and the Real Thing . In this latest book, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson delve into the world of art forgery. Meyer is interviewed by Allison Sansone, Director of Programs at the American Writers Museum. This conversation originally took place September 18, 2025 and was recorded live at the America...

How does the son of a Presbyterian minister wind up winning a Pulitzer Prize for writing a wildly inaccurate newspaper column read by millions of people? America's most beloved wiseass, Dave Barry , finally tells his life story with all the humor you'd expect from a man who made a career out of making fun of pretty much everything. This week, Barry discusses his memoir Class Clown: The Memoirs of...

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, and how these influenc...

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. During the episode, Thi, Vu, and Rita mention upco...

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 Mind of a Writer. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOM...

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 enjoy entering the Mind of a Writer. AWM PO...

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 at the American Writers Festiv...

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...

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 you enjoy entering the Mind of a Writer. AW...

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 hope you enjoy entering the Mind...

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 radical explication of the ways anti...

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 via Zoom. We hope you enj...

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 you believe. From Hammonds comes Thirsty , an unfl...

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 writers: A poet and multimedia artist,  DIANA K...

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 American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About River of B...

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 order of release date, we hope you enjoy entering the Mind of a Writer. Jennifer Keishin Armstrong Book ti...

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 NETWORK HOME More about The Jazzmen :...

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 report...