ReadMore Podcast

Author Edwidge Danticat discusses her latest book, The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story, the impact of the current political climate on artists, and the writers who helped her make sense of her grief following the loss of her mother.

Author Tamika Gibson discusses her debut novel, Dreams Beyond the Shore, writing for a YA audience and why this novel is a bit of a love letter to Trinidad and Tobago.

Siel Ju discusses her novel-in-stories Cake Time, her advice for authors on writing about sex and why she wanted to write about the sense of disconnect many people feel who live in large, urban areas.

National Book Award Winner James McBride discusses his new short story collection, Five-Carat Soul, how his former career as a journalist helped to shape his creative writing and why he decides whether a book is good or not after reading just one page.

Writer Pablo Cartaya discusses his new novel, The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, why he says it's for readers 10-90, writing part of the dialogue in Spanish was a must and why he finishes reading every book he starts.

Sari Wilson discusses her debut novel, Girl Through Glass, how she was influenced to write it by a novel she despised as a young woman and why she was initially reluctant to write about the world of dance.

Writer Jane Alison discusses her "nonfiction novel" Nine Island and how it came to be thanks to her growing tired of the conventions of fiction. She also dishes on how her friends reacted to finding themselves in her book.

Nicole Dennis-Benn discusses her debut novel, Here Comes the Sun, and why she wanted to show the Jamaica that tourists rarely see. She also explains the meaning of the title, which has nothing to do with the Beatles.

Kaitlyn Greenidge discusses her debut novel, We Love You, Charlie Freeman, why she's interested in areas where language fails and the research she conducted to write about the history of African Americans and scientific research in the U.S.

Author Jacqueline Woodson discusses her new novel, Another Brooklyn, which she calls a love song to Black girlhood. We also talk about the techniques she uses to evoke a dream-like narrative and the scene that was heartbreaking to write.

National Book Award Finalist Nicola Yoon discusses her latest novel, The Sun Is Also A Star, why she enjoys writing for the YA crowd and how her relationship with her husband provided inspiration for the book.

Writer Jennifer Tseng discusses her debut novel, Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness, who helped her get over her fear of writing about taboo subjects, and how being a poet shapes her prose.

Writer John Dufresne discusses his latest novel, I Don't Like Where This Is Going, why he gives minor characters so much attention and when he decided fiction was his religion.

Author Rion Amilcar Scott discusses his short story collection, Insurrections, how becoming a father affected his work, and why he thinks one classic novel needs a major rewrite.

Author Daniel José Older discusses his latest novel, Midnight Taxi Tango, his thoughts on the publishing industry and the bestselling novel he absolutely hates.

Author Chitra Divakaruni discusses her new novel, Before We Visit the Goddess, the unique structure she used to tell this story and the classic novel she's never been able to finish.

Author M.J. Fièvre discusses her memoir, A Sky the Color of Chaos, as well as what made it so difficult for her to talk to her mom after writing it and why she included footnotes even though she skips them when she reads other books.

Patricia Engel discusses her new novel, The Veins of the Ocean, what fascinates her about the "prisons that society perpetuates" and what irks her when she's reading a novel.

Angela Flournoy discusses her debut novel, The Turner House, why she wanted to tell a blacker Detroit story and why men make it easy to write about them.

Author Chantel Acevedo discusses her novel, The Distant Marvels, why some things must be written in Spanish rather than English and which book she didn't enjoy reading, but can't stop thinking about.

Richard Blanco discusses writing his memoir, The Prince of Los Cocuyos, what it's like to have the president's ear and why people who say they don't like poetry might be mistaken.

Writer Fabienne Josaphat discusses her historical novel, Dancing in the Baron's Shadow, why she became depressed while writing it and a little bit about what she's writing now.

Author Amina Gautier discusses her short story collection, The Loss of All Lost Things, why she won't be pressured to write a novel and the story "tacked up on a wall in her brain."

Author Jim Shepard discusses his novel, The Book of Aron, the years of research that went into writing it and how his love of reading started with nonfiction.

In this edition of the ReadMore podcast, Jennine Capó Crucet discusses her first novel, Make Your Home Among Strangers, as well as the book that made her think she could be a writer and how a rapper helped her meet a crucial deadline in the writing process.