Book Public

This special issue of the Book Public podcast includes conversations and readings from several contributors whose work appears in issue No. 26 of The Common.

Erika Krouse discusses her story collection.

Eiren Caffall’s The Mourner’s Bestiary, is a memoir about her experiences with polycystic kidney disease (PKD)—a chronic illness that has afflicted her family for 150 years—with the stories of marine life struggling to survive in the world’s fastest warming marine ecosystem.

Jenny Minton Quigley is the editor of the series. Amor Towles is this year's guest judge.

Severo Perez’s Filmmaker’s Journey recounts Perez’s story from his humble beginnings on San Antonio’s West Side to 2024—and a celebration of his film “...and the Earth did not Swallow Him” being nominated to the National Film Registry by Congressman Joaquín Castro.

Taiyon J. Coleman discusses her essay collection.

An interview with Colm Tóibín about his latest book, 'On James Baldwin.'

'The Disappeared' by Rebecca J. Sanford is a debut novel inspired by the real mothers and grandmothers who spoke out against Argentina's military dictatorship.

José Antonio Rodríguez discusses his latest poetry collection, "The Day's Hard Edge."

Many works of fiction feature cataclysmic weather events. In "God's Gonna Trouble the Water" by Randall Kenan, the effects of a hurricane don't always affect diverse communities the same way.

A review of the memoir Getting to Know Death: A Meditation by Gail Godwin

A young girl must come to terms with her role in a tragic loss—and work to reshape the narrative of her own life in the aftermath. A review of Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky.

What is an emotional history? What of the “emotional history” of the United States? This is what historian Andrew Burstein investigates—and answers— in his latest book, Longing for Connection: Entangled Memories and Emotional Loss in Early America. The book covers the period from America’s founding through the Civil War.

On this episode of Book Public, Simon Van Booy discusses his latest novel, Sipsworth.

In his latest book, Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow, Steve Almond explores the trials and myths that influence our writing lives.

Lilly Gonzalez is the executive director of the San Antonio Book Festival. She discusses this year's exciting author line-up at the April 13 all-day event.

Book Public: Lynn Schmeidler discusses her story collection, Half-Lives, with Book Public host, Yvette Benavides.

Rowan Beaird discusses her novel The Divorcées. It’s set in the 1950s on a divorce ranch, a place where women could live for six weeks to establish residency in order to be able to file for divorce in a Nevada court.

Tommy Orange discusses Wandering Stars. The novel traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through three generations of a family.

Leslie Jamison discusses her memoir, 'Splinters: A Kind of Love Story' with Yvette Benavides.

Book Public podcast host Yvette Benavides interviews Margot Livesey about her latest novel, 'The Road from Belhaven.'

Book Public host Yvette Benavides interviews Kristin Hannah about her latest novel, "The Women."

The author Katherine Min passed away in 2019. Her daughter, Kayla Min Andrews, discusses her mother's posthumously published novel, The Fetishist.

Richard Blanco reads from and discusses his latest poetry collection.