ReadMore Podcast

Author Amina Gautier discusses her award-winning short story collection, The Best That You Can Do, writing during the pandemic, and how her free-range childhood propelled her career.

Jennifer Maritza McCauley discusses her short story collection, When Trying to Return Home, the writers she adores, and how a close family member has influenced her work.

Author Jonathan Escoffery discusses his award-winning, debut, short story collection If I Survive You, the perils of writing about identity, and the question he's so tired of answering.

Children's book author Alice Faye Duncan discusses her latest book, Coretta's Journey: The Life and Times of Coretta Scott King, how King was shaped by her unconventional upbringing, and why she encourages parents to take their children to community libraries.

Awarding winning author Natalia Sylvester discusses her YA novel, Breathe and Count Back From Ten, what it was like to write a book she's been dreaming about her whole life, and whether she'll be going back to writing for adults.

Author Jennifer Rosner discusses her novel, Once We Were Home, which is about children stolen during or immediately after WWII, what sparked her interest in this topic, and how her work was influenced by being the hearing parent of deaf children.

Author Lisa Williamson Rosenberg discusses her debut novel, Embers on the Wind, how her job as a psychotherapist influences her work, and why she doesn't matter that much if a book doesn't include Black characters.

Author Celeste Mohammed discusses her critically acclaimed novel-in-stories, Pleasantview, commonly held myths about Caribbean cultures, and how her former career as an attorney shapes her writing.

Author Leila Mottley discusses her critically acclaimed debut novel, Nightcrawling, which she wrote at 17, why she feels like her age was an advantage in telling this story, and why she's not sweating that she's never read The Great Gatsby.

Author Rasheed Newson discusses his critically acclaimed debut novel, My Government Means to Kill Me, why he wants it to be a guide of sorts for young people, and why he initially called it "an aggressive act of homosexuality."

Author Ayanna Lloyd Banwo discusses her debut novel, When We Were Birds, how her writing was influenced by West African stories about people flying, and why sometimes she has to read "racist fools."

Author Mecca Jamilah Sullivan discusses her debut novel, Big Girl, body shaming in the Black community, and the inspiration of '90s' era hip-hop.

Author Dionne Irving discusses her short story collection, The Islands, how immigration can be so lonely and isolating, and how women are affected by the notion that they can have it all.

Author Meng Jin discusses her short story collection, Self-Portrait with Ghost, why she's interested in death, and the book she finds "infinitely tedious."

Author Toni Ann Johnson discusses her award-winning, linked short story collection, Light Skin Gone to Waste, which is based on her childhood, why she was in a dark place before submitting it, and how her mother reacted to one of the stories that depicted her in a less than positive light.

Awarding-winning author Nikesha Elise Williams discusses her latest novel, Beyond Bourbon Street, why she doesn't give much thought to whether her characters are likable or not, and why New Orleans will always be in her heart.

Children's author Alice Faye Duncan discusses her two most recent books, Evicted: The Struggle for the Right to Vote, and Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free, writing about tough subjects for young readers, and why she wants parents, teachers and librarians to be activists.

In this ReadMore Quick Read episode, author Natalia Sylvester discusses her forthcoming YA novel, Breathe and Count Back From 10 and how the pandemic has affected her reading habits.

Author Myriam J.A. Chancy discusses her critically acclaimed novel, What Storm, What Thunder, which is about the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, why it took her so long to write, and how a visual artist was a key influence.

Zaina Arafat discusses her award-winning debut novel, You Exist Too Much. It tells the story of a young, queer, Palestinian American woman who's dealing with internalized homophobia and trying to find her place in the world. We discuss readers' reactions to first-person narrators written by women, finding humor within tragedy, and why she loves teaching a certain classic novel.

Award-winning author Brandon Hobson discusses his novel, The Removed, which tells the story of a grieving Cherokee family in Oklahoma dealing with the aftermath of their son's killing by the police and past trauma associated with the Trail of Tears. We also discuss his influences, his favorite books, and how he wants to shake up what the industry thinks of as a Native American novel.

Saraciea J. Fennell discusses the anthology she edited, Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora, why she wanted Black Latinx writers front and center, and what she hopes readers from outside the Latinx community will take away from this anthology.

Author Peace Adzo Medie discusses her contemporary debut novel, His Only Wife, which explores an arranged marriage in Ghana, how her work as a professor in gender and international politics influences her work, and how much fun it was to write some of the novel's steamier scenes.

Author Patricia Engel discusses her latest novel, Infinite Country, which explores the plight of families with mixed-immigration status, why she she wanted to unpack immigrants' ambivalence about moving to a new country, and which writers from the past she would love to hop on a Zoom call with.

Author Kaitlyn Greenidge discusses her historical novel, Libertie, which explores what it means for a Black woman to be free, why it was important to her to include queer characters in a novel primarily set during Reconstruction, and how a true story influenced her work.