AWM Author Talks

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...

This is our 200th episode! To celebrate the occasion, we’ve gone back in the vault for highlights from the ten most listened-to episodes of the past one hundred. So, that is episodes 101 through 199.  Enjoy these top ten clips, and listen to the full episodes wherever you get your podcasts. We have included the episode numbers so you can more easily find them. Listen to the full episodes belo...

Two bestselling authors — Nicole Chung ( A Living Remedy ) and Lydia Millet ( We Loved It All ) — discuss the process and craft of writing a memoir with book critic Donna Seaman . This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival . AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME A Living Remedy: A Memoir by Nicole Chung — A searing memoir of family, class and gri...

This week, historian and biographer Paul Hendrickson discusses writing about his own family's history and his recent book Fighting the Night: Iwo Jima, World War II, and a Flyer’s Life , the profoundly moving story of his father's wartime service as a night fighter pilot, and the prices he and his fellow soldiers paid for their acts of selfless, patriotic sacrifice. Paul is joined by book critic E...

This week, author Rebecca Siegel offers media literacy advice and discusses her book Loch Ness Uncovered: Media, Misinformation, and the Greatest Monster Hoax of All Time , an extensively researched, myth-busting account of the world's most famous monster hoax—the Loch Ness Monster—and a cautionary tale on the dangers of misinformation. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was...

This week, acclaimed writers Renée Watson and Jabari Asim talk about Watson’s novel, skin & bones , as well as writing Black history and moving from writing for children to adults. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival . AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About skin & bones : From the acclaimed #1  New York Times  bestselling auth...

This week, scholar Marilyn Sanders Mobley visits the AWM to discuss her book Toni Morrison and the Geopoetics of Place, Race, and Be/longing , which Henry Louis Gates, Jr. calls a "powerful and learned meditation, and one that deserves a prominent place in the field of Morrison studies." Mobley is joined in conversation by poet Parneshia Jones . This conversation originally took place October 15,...

This week, in honor of Indigenous People’s Day, scholars Rose Miron and Jean O'Brien discuss the power and importance of indigenous storytelling, activism, history, and memory; as well as Miron’s book  Indigenous Archival Activism: Mohican Interventions in Public History and Memory . This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival . AWM P...

This week, investigative journalists Shawn Cohen and Philip Eil share insights into their reporting processes, interviewing techniques, and writing true crime with honesty and sensitivity. Moderated by journalist Evan F. Moore . They also discuss their latest books: College Girl, Missing: The True Story of How a Young Woman Disappeared in Plain Sight by Shawn Cohen. "She visited friends. She walke...

This week, prominent writers and game designers discuss crafting game narrative and representation within gaming communities. Featured panelists are Keith Ammann , Derek Tyler Attico , Keisha Howard , and Samantha Ortiz . Moderated by Carly A. Kocurek . Learn more about them below. This episode is presented in conjunction with our special exhibit Level Up: Writers & Gamers , on display now thr...

This week, we discuss the threat censorship poses to democracy as part of Banned Books Week , an annual event that highlights the value of free and open access to information. Presented by the American Library Association, this panel includes Heather Booth , Anna Claussen , Sara Paretsky , and Donna Seaman . The following conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the...

This week, to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month , hear from Marie Arana , the Literary Director of the Library of Congress. Joined by author Juan Martinez , Arana discusses the importance of preserving and uplifting Latino history and her new book LatinoLand: A Portrait of America’s Largest and Least Understood Minority . This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was record...

This week, we celebrate the legacy of Lorraine Hansberry with J. Nicole Brooks , Natalie Y. Moore , and Ericka Ratcliff . This conversation originally took place August 22, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. This program is presented in partnership with the Lorraine Hansberry Initiative , which was created by  The Lillys  (conceived by Lynn Nottage and Julia Jordan) to hono...

This Labor Day, we take a look at writing labor history with Steve Watkins , author of The Mine Wars: The Bloody Fight for Workers’ Rights in the West Virginia Coalfields , a riveting true story of the West Virginia coal miners who ignited the largest labor uprising in American history. Watkins is joined by labor historian Rosemary Feurer . This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and...

This week, biographers and novelists share what it is like to write about other writers. Mary V. Dearborn covers Carson McCullers, George Getschow covers Larry McMurtry, Harold Holzer covers Abraham Lincoln, and Monika Zgutsova covers Véra Nabokov. Moderated by Peter Coviello . This conversation took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival . AWM PODCAST NETWORK HO...

This week, dive into the New Fiction panel from the American Writers Festival, recorded live on May 19, 2024. Four novelists — Donna Hemans , Jessica Shattuck , Yukiko Tominaga , and Michael Zapata — discuss their craft, process, and recent novels: The House of Plain Truth  by Donna Hemans — A lyrical, lush, evocative story about a fractured Jamaican family and a daughter determined to reclaim her...

Ahead of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, media historian Heather Hendershot discusses her book When the News Broke: Chicago 1968 and the Polarizing of America , a riveting, blow-by-blow account of how the network broadcasts of the 1968 Democratic Convention shattered faith in American media. She sits down with historian Kevin Boyle to discuss these themes and shows how this his...

This week, we chat with members of the Ardent Dance Company about their upcoming ballet POE , based on the life and work of Edgar Allan Poe. Justine Kelly is the Artistic Director of Ardent Dance Company and Ben Locke is a dancer who plays the role of Poe in the upcoming show. You can learn more about Kelly and Locke below. You can see Ardent Dance Company perform POE at the Ruth Page Center for t...

This week, speculative fiction writers Darcie Little Badger , Michi Trota , and Suzanne Walker discuss their work, crafting other worlds with writing, and the science fiction genre at large. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival . AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About the writers: DARCIE LITTLE BADGER  is a Lipan Apache writer wit...

This week, tune into the panel discussion Making Up True Stories: Novels and Books About Real People. Our featured writers are Amanda Flower , Sarah James , Brianna Labuskes , and Brianna Madia . Moderated by Dipika Mukherjee . This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the 2024 American Writers Festival . AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About the writers: AMANDA FLOWER...

This week, writers John Berendt and Taylor Mac discuss the Goodman Theatre’s world-premiere stage musical adaptation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil . Berendt is the author of the original book the musical is based on, and Mac wrote the book for the adaptation. Learn more about Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: The Musical , here . This conversation originally took place July 8,...

This week, journalist Mark Bowden discusses his new book The Steal: The Attempt to Overturn the 2020 Election and the People Who Stopped It , co-written with Matthew Teague . Bowden is interviewed by reporter Natalie Y. Moore . This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the 2024 American Writers Festival . AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME MARK BOWDEN  is the author of fi...

This week, we have the first of many programs from the 2024 American Writers Festival for you. In this episode, comedians Jamie Loftus and Chelsea Hood talk about Chicago hot dogs, comedy writing, and Jamie’s cross-country journey to write Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs . Moderated by food writer David Hammond . This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at...