Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

In this final part of my interview with Antonia Angress, author of "Sirens & Muses," we peek at what’s coming around the bend for her and I get her answers to my fast five questions. (Note–this episode is a replay. We’ll be back to new episodes next week, yay!) We talked about: - The novels about motherhood Antonia is reading to prepare for when her baby is born - The pressure on young women autho...

n this episode I'm talking with Antonia Angress, author of “Sirens & Muses” and a 2024 NEA Creative Writing Fellow about the squishier side of creativity–the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you're not fully conscious of it. (Note–this episode is a replay. We’ll be back to new episodes next week, yay!) - The part of the writing process that Antonia relishes - The speci...

This week I am talking to writer Antonia Angress. Antonia is the author of "Sirens & Muses," which starts off as a campus novel set at a New England art school, but then blooms into an exploration of the intersection of home and belonging versus individualism and seeking to stand out, set in the New York City art scene during the Occupy Wall Street era. "Sirens & Muses" was named one of the best b...

In this final part of my interview with Palestinian-American, award-nominated memoirist, Nada Samih-Rotondo, we covered: - A preview of her second memoir, which has a central theme of earthquakes, both the geological variety and the personal kind (it sounds amazing I cannot wait) - The allure of folk tales and fairy tales - The joy of going down a research wormhole - Nada’s current obsessions–turt...

In this episode I'm talking with Nada about what I call inner stuff, the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you're not fully conscious of it, including: - How her least favorite part of writing (sharing her work) becoming her most favorite part - The type of reader feedback that fills her heart and lights her up and fuels her to create - Feeling out of step with the worl...

My guest this week is Nada Samih-Rotondo, a multi-genre Palestinian-American writer, teacher, and mother, who recently published her first book, a memoir called All Water Has Perfect Memory, which has been shortlisted for the 2024 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, Nada immigrated to the U.S. at the age of six to Rhode Island. Her work has been...

Warning–there’s at least one swear word in today’s episode and it’s coming up quick. If you’re listening with sensitive ears--either yours or someone else’s--within earshot, this is your heads up. My guest this week is award-winning journalist and author, Paulette Perhach. Paulette has written two essays that have gone viral, including “A Story of a Fuck Off Fund,” which was included in the anthol...

My guest this week is award-winning journalist and author of the book “Welcome to the Writer’s Life,” Paulette Perhach. Paulett’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle, and Slate, among many other places. She also hosts a virtual writing salon called A Very Important Meeting, teaches many online writing classes, and works with folks one-on-one as a writing coach. We talked about: - How bei...

My guest this week is award-winning journalist and author, Paulette Perhach. Paulett’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle, and Slate, among other places, and she’s written two essays that have gone viral, including “A Story of a Fuck-Off Fund,” which was included in the anthology Freshman Year of Life. Paulette helps others make their way as writers, with her book about writing, called...

Welcome to the final installment of my talk with historian Kenneth C. Davis, New York Times bestselling author of “America’s Hidden History,” “Don’t Know Much About History,” a whole series of “Don’t Know Much About” books. As part of his mission to get more people to read more books, Kenneth has just published THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction – a curated journey through fift...

Welcome to part 2 of my interview with Kenneth C. Davis, author of the brand new book THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction – a curated journey through fifty-two of the most significant short nonfiction works ever penned, from ancient times to the present day. Kenneth is also the author of Don’t Know Much About® History, which spent 35 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bests...

Today my guest is historian Kenneth C. Davis, New York Times bestselling author of “America’s Hidden History,” “Don’t Know Much About History,” and a whole series of “Don’t Know Much About” books, proving that Americans don’t hate history — they just hate the dull version they slept through in class. As part of his mission to get more people to read more books, Kenneth has just published THE WORLD...

Welcome back to part 3 of my interview with Jeremey Dauber, a processor of Jewish literature and American studies at Columbia University and the author of the new book "American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond,” which chronicles the rise and enduring grip of fear and horror throughout American culture and American history. As “J.A. Dauber,” he is also the author o...

Welcome back to my interview with cultural historian and Columbia professor Jeremy Dauber, author of the newly released book "American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond." As “J.A. Dauber,” he is also the author of the YA novel "Mayhem and Madness: Chronicles of a Teenaged Supervillain," and a new middle grade novel, currently titled "Press 1 For 1nvasion," that will...

Jeremy Dauber, author of the newly released book "American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond” and professor of Jewish literature and American studies at Columbia University. As “J.A. Dauber,” he is also the author of the YA novel "Mayhem and Madness: Chronicles of a Teenaged Supervillain," and his new middle grade novel, currently titled "Press 1 For 1nvasion," will...

Welcome back to the Finding the Throughline interview with Vanessa Lillie, whose books include “Little Voices”, “For the Best,” and her newest book “Blood Sisters” and co-author Young Rich Widows as well as its sequel which is coming out next year, Desperate Deadly Widows. In this final installment of our interview, we talk about where her current throughline is leading her next. Why she’s so exci...

Welcome back to Finding the Throughline: Conversations about the Creative Process where today’s guest is thriller author Vanessa Lillie, whose books include “Little Voices”, “For the Best,” and her newest book “Blood Sisters,” a thriller about two missing Indigenous women and the Cherokee archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is searching for them which was a Good Morning America Buzz...

This week I’m talking with the author of numerous thrillers, Vanessa Lilly, whose books include “Little Voices,” “For the Best,” and her newest book “Blood Sisters,” a thriller about two missing Indigenous women and the Cherokee archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is searching for them, which was a Good Morning America buzz pick and a USA Today national bestseller. Vanessa is also th...

Welcome to the final installment of my interview with A.J. Jacobs, who is a multiple New York Times bestselling author of books that chronicle his attempts to live differently and share what he's learned from his experiments. A.J.'s latest book is “The Year of Living Constitutionally,” where he attempts to understand our country better by adopting the mindset and technology of our founding fathers...

In part two of my interview with writer, podcaster, multiple New York Times bestselling author, and human guinea pig, A.J. Jacobs, we talk about the thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes that go into writing. As a reminder, A.J.'s books include “The Year of Living Biblically,” “Drop Dead Healthy,” “Thanks a Thousand,” and his most recent, “The Year of Living Constitutionally,” which chronicled his atte...

This week I’m talking with the hilarious and sweet writer, podcaster, multiple New York Times-bestselling author, and human guinea pig, A.J. Jacobs. A.J.'s books are a mix of memoir, science, humor, with a smidge of self-help. They include “The Year of Living Constitutionally,” “The Year of Living Biblically,” “Drop Dead Healthy,” and “The Know-It-All,” which chronicled the year and a half A.J. sp...

In part three of my conversation with multiple New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of "A Very Inconvenient Scandal" and "The Deep End of the Ocean," among many other titles, we talk about how having writer friends is so important, even if you "jealous them", the vision of the future that's fueling her to keep writing, and the recent books that made her swoon. This week’s e...

In this second part of my interview with the brilliant and hilarious Jacquelyn Mitchard, we talk about the squishier side of creativity–the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you're not fully conscious of it, including: - The specific reader Jacquelyn imagines as she writes - Why she's devoted to social media, and why she thinks of it like having a hamster - How some of...

This week I am thrilled to be talking with Jacquelyn Mitchard, the New York Times bestselling author of 23 novels for adults and teenagers. Her newest novel is "A Very Inconvenient Scandal," and her first novel, "The Deep End of the Ocean" was the first selection of the Oprah Winfrey book club and has sold more than 3 million copies and been translated into 34 languages. This week’s episodes are r...

In this final installment of my interview with Christopher Brown, author of “A Natural History of Empty Lots”--a blend of nature writing, memoir and literary nonfiction that's also a manifesto for rewilding our cities and ourselves–we talk about what’s getting his creative ears perked up these days, where his throughline is leading him next, and his answers to my final fast five questions. We cove...