AWM Author Talks

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 Donna at the American Writers Festival too! Thi...

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 NETWORK HOME More about The Blues Brothers : "They're not going to catch us...

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 defined a generation, "like, invented" meme cult...

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 conversation originally took place Februar...

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 Sansone. This conversation originally to...

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 never-published final novel, Answered Prayers —the dark secrets, tra...

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 .

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 live at the American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HO...

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 photos from a slideshow she shared du...

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 End of Reality: How Four Billi...

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 activist—all set against the backdrop of his family’s popular Chinese rest...

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 special exhibit Dark Testament: A Cent...

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 October 23, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Write...

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 Testament: A Century of Black Writers on Justi...

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 the speakers: Pearl Cleage  (she/her/hers) is an Atlanta-bas...

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 script you can really write in life is your own. Wh...

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 about this initiative from the American Library A...

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 Upstate New York, an idealistic young professor has managed t...

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 Writers Museum. About From Dust to Stardust : Chica...

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 that reflects the diver...

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 any lover of literature,&nbsp...

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 in the mid-19th centu...

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 HOME About Seen and Unseen : A rivetin...

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 the faculty as a visiting professor at Mayfield Colleg...

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 Sally Hemings driven from her n...