The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan

“Every now and then, when I’d explain to some man that I wasn’t interested in going on a date and frankly I might never be interested in going on a date ever again, he would gasp, “But what about sex? as if I had just killed a kitten,” Candace Bushnell. Compared to Edith Wharton and Dorothy Parker, Bushnell is frank, funny and so revealing… Another side of Candace on this episode of The Literary L...

Ann Patchett is a storyteller of uncompromising perception. Her novels include The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician’s Assistant, Bel Canto, Run, State of Wonder and Commonwealth. In The Dutch House, Patchett “traces acts of cruelty and kindness through three generations of a family over fifty years.” On this episode, Patchett shares “two things that happened” inspiring the various themes...

What do The Great Gatsby, The Color Purple, Harry Potter, and even Captain Underpants have in common? These and other books were all banned at one point. For one week, starting on September 22nd, the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and several other sponsors, have designated “Banned Books Week,” celebrating the freedom to read without censorship. Mitchell’s guests, David Grogan, Director of...

Jennine Capó Crucet’s My Time Among the Whites is full of exchanges, that lay bare the ways power and money and race and class work in America in a way that’s serious but that can also be bitingly funny,” Anna North, Vox. Capó Crucet shares her American experiences growing up in Hialeah, Florida, her years as a student at the Ivy League Cornell University, her thoughts on Disney World and her new...

“I have been working on these stories for a long time, some of them are more recent. I really love that in a short story you can have sort of a limited universe, there’s so much economy and so much layering. I keep working on them no matter what else I’m doing,” Edwidge Danticat. “Everything Inside” is an eight-story collection with the common themes of diaspora, love and Danticat’s birthplace, Ha...

“I was always drawn to writing. My mom loves books, my dad loved movies. They were both big story people.” Born in Istanbul, Turkey, raised in Havertown, Pennsylvania, Papatya’s stories are an intersection between her American life and the way that “Turkishness” pops up in her life. Mitchell and Papatya talk about her influential authors, the O. Henry Award, life as a professor and more. This epis...

“Deep River immerses you into the sometimes harsh world of an immigrant family … Karl Marlantes has written a masterpiece, the classic American novel.” —John Evans, Lemuria Bookstore. Marlantes, a Yale University graduate and Oxford University Rhodes Scholar, shares fascinating stories about his grandmother, “an ardent communist,” growing up in an Oregon logging town, fishing with his grandfather,...

Each week, twice a week, millions of readers seek Leonard Pitts’ insightful and passionate voice. His highly-anticipated column is syndicated in more than two-hundred newspapers across the country, including The Miami Herald. Pitts’ conversation with Mitchell reveals how he selects his stories, and sometimes, how they select him. Pitts will also talk about and read from his latest novel, The Last...

Pablo Medina describes “The Cuban Comedy” as a love story. “It’s about poetry and poets and how they make their way in the world. It’s about revolution, war and an homage to dissidents.” On this episode of “The Literary Life,” Medina shares how how he created his characters, with Elena as the heroine, each based on composites, and how exile, oppression and poetry play a role in their way to possib...

There are more than 200,000 books being published each year. As host Mitchell Kaplan states, “One of the questions that I’m asked more than anything else as a bookseller is: how do you find out about all the books that you carry in your stores?” His guest is publishing industry expert, Emily Cook, co-founder of Cursor Marketing Services, who along with partner Richard Nash, represent “several smal...

Mitchell’s guest, Pablo Cartaya, started his career as an actor. It’s been a winding road to becoming an author. “I’ve done every job in the restaurant business … As a waiter, I kept a small notebook in my pocket to write down story ideas,” said Cartaya. On this episode of The Literary Life, he’ll talk about how family, community, and culture all play a major role in his writing, his latest book,...

Mitchell’s guest, Paul Schweitzer does not own a smartphone or a computer. But, as the owner of Gramercy Typewriters in NYC, a business inherited from his father 58 years ago, he is surrounded by hundreds of typewriters. Celebrities, authors, students, young professionals call on Paul for repairs…and perhaps another addition to their collection. (Tom Hanks is on this list.) Mitchell and Paul talk...

Two families “end up living as close neighbors in a New York city suburb, and the dads are NYPD cops,”  Mary Beth Keane. “This book is really about how you deal with childhood trauma after a tragic incident…many, many years after that trauma is supposedly over.”  Mary Beth shares how she developed her story, the inspiration from her own life, and if “Ask Again, Yes” will be streaming soon. This ep...

“The role of a leader is to model, engage and inspire people,” Scott Miller, author and executive vice president at Franklin Covey. “And that’s not for everyone. After lots of messes in my career…I wanted to author a real, relatable, raw book that brought to life a lot of my own messes in the hopes to inspire people to avoid some of theirs and move towards greater success." Join Scott, Chris McKen...

Growing up, Julia Phillips “always wanted to be a novelist.” Her interest in Russia led her to the perfect setting for her story, the naturally beautiful, remote and bleak Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia. Julia shares how she created her acclaimed mystery about two missing girls from her debut novel, “Disappearing Earth.” This episode of The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan was recorded at...

Greetings from Florida! Sunshine state native Kristen Arnett shares her personal stories about growing up in Orlando, being a queer writer, her family dynamics and…the art of taxidermy. “Mostly Dead Things” has been described as “Arnett's vision of Florida as a creative swamp of well-meaning misfits and the sweet hopefulness of finding your way back to yourself through family.” Kristen joins Mitch...

“One of the great joys of book selling is the start of the summer selling season. It’s a season when readers seem to have a bit more time to catch up on the books they’ve put off from earlier in the year, where they discover the plethora of new books that seem to come out from May through August,” Mitchell Kaplan. His all-star cast of booksellers from Books & Books got together to share their own...

Mamta Chaudry arrived at the University of Florida, to begin her master’s degree program as a broadcast journalism student. “To people in Florida, Calcutta seemed so exotic, but to me Gainesville was so exotic.” Chaudhry shares her journey from her life in Calcutta, her days at the University of Florida, a career as a host in classical music radio, and meeting her husband at a communications semin...

“A man who would not be broken. Not by more than 40 years of solitary in Angola (the Alcatraz of the south in Louisiana) not by maddening injustice in courts, not by beatings, isolation, or loneliness.” Barry Scheck, The Innocence Project. Released after 43 years, for a crime he says he did not commit, Albert Woodfox is the longest-standing solitary confinement prisoner in the U.S. He shares his r...

“Friday Black” has been described by Tommy Orange as “a dystopian story collection as full of violence as it is of heart.” On this episode, Adjei-Brenyah shares with Mitchell why his book is “a lot about family, trying and figuring out ways to make it.” Colson Whitehead chose Adjei-Breynah as a National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35" honoree, 2018. Mitchell and Adjei-Brenyah enjoy an engaging conv...

Saskia Vogel shares her very interesting stories on her travels, growing up in Los Angeles, her life in Berlin, how her mother inspired her sense of adventure…Vogel’s debut novel, “Permission,” has been described as “a story about grief, loneliness and sadomasochism.” And she’s been compared to the celebrated Joan Didion. On this revealing episode of “The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan.” This...

On this episode of “The Literary Life” podcast, Mitchell’s guest is Pico Iyer. Part monk, part reveler, the British born American of Indian parents has written ten acclaimed nonfiction works, two novels, and hundreds of journalistic articles. Pico shares his personal blend of philosophy, inner quiet, thoughts on his friend, the Dalai Lama, and his new book, “Autumn Light,”  a reflection on his lif...

An entertaining and relevant conversation with novelist and essayist Nathaniel Rich on his latest book, "Losing Earth," the failure of our scientific and political leaders to act on climate change, and covering the biggest issues of our time. This conversation between Mitchell and Nathaniel was recorded inside The Café at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida. Host: Mitchell Kaplan Showrunner: Ca...

April is National Poetry Month. Mitchell celebrates with P. Scott Cunningham, founder of O, Miami, one of the most significant poetry events in the country. Mitchell and Scott talk about the past, present and exciting future of poetry, as well as Scott’s new book, “Ya Te Veo.” All this while enjoying a delicious brunch from The Café at Books&Books. Please listen, share and comment on our podcast l...

Scottish author Irvine Welsh has a new book. The controversial, acclaimed writer of “Trainspotting,” which became a cult film classic, joins Mitchell on this episode of “The Literary Life” podcast. From geopolitics, economics, education, culture and being a part-time Miami resident, Irvine shares his philosophical thoughts with Mitchell. And, of course, his latest book, “Dead Men’s Trousers,” the...