The Thoughtful Bro

Who could possibly step into Mark Cecil's host shoes on The Thoughtful Bro on his pub day without skipping a beat and fire super intelligent and fun questions at him?  A Mighty Blaze co-founder and best-selling author Jenna Blum, of course!  They discuss Mark's debut Bunyan and Henry; Or the Beautiful Destiny , now available wherever books are sold. Make sure you check out his book tour schedule a...

With Boston literary citizen par excellence Hank Phillippi Ryan , discussing her latest suspense novel One Wrong Word . Hank has won scores of awards as a TV journalist and novelist (including 37 Emmys), and I dug into her storytelling habits, methods and style, unpacking the mind of this master of economical prose, twisty plots and upbeat endings. Order Mark Cecil's novel  Bunyan and Henry . All...

With one of the foremost Native American artists working today in any field, Tommy Orange, talking about his second novel, Wandering Stars . We discussed the struggle of America to both remember and forget its past; his generative friendship with fellow celebrated novelist Kaveh Akbar; and whether the time has come when white writers of literary fiction will be expected to talk about whiteness. Pr...

With the inimitable, incorrigible, ingenious Steve Almond, discussing his new craft book, Truth Is The Arrow, Mercy Is The Bow: A DIY Manual For The Construction Of Stories . We covered: obsession as the engine for literature; the aims and importance of opening paragraphs; and how one of the ultimate goals of literature is a magnification the inner life, so we might all better understand and forgi...

With ultra-fresh debut author Jonathan Escoffery, discussing his celebrated linked collection of stories about Jamaican immigrants, If I Survive You . Topics included: (1) the impossibility of answering the loaded race question "What are you?" (2) the underserved market of father/son literature, and (3) the rare/extremely necessary topic of men's fashion on Zoom. Pre-order Mark Cecil's upcoming no...

With literary podcaster and author Brad Listi, discussing his first novel in 16 years, Be Brief And Tell Them Everythin g , a work of autofiction exploring the despair, terror, and glory which is the creative life. We covered: brevity as an aesthetic, writing like there's no tomorrow, and how he builds literary community through his beloved podcast  Otherppl . Pre-order Mark Cecil's upcoming novel...

Why do men turn to rage as a solution to their problems? "Because they feel stuck," says bestselling first-time memoirist Isaac Fitzgerald. We unpacked the underbelly of the two big "mass's," masculinity and Massachusetts, as we discussed his raw, drug-sex-violence laden odyssey of the Bay State, Dirtbag, Massachusetts . Pre-order Mark Cecil's upcoming novel Bunyan and Henry . All episodes of The...

With sleeper hit and absolute runaway debut sensation Shelby Van Pelt, discussing her hopeful, poignant, friendship-with-an-octopus book club novel, Remarkably Bright Creatures . We discussed finding the voice for her "gentleman philosopher" octopus, how all good book ideas are probably a little bit bananas, and how it's never too late to change, no matter how old you are. With an intro that discu...

Checking in with poetry slam champ Melissa Lozada-Oliva on her outrageous debut novel Candelaria , which one reviewer described as One Hundred Years Of Solitude meets "The Royal Tenenbaums" meets "Night of the Living Dead." Topics: (1) writing against the traditional diaspora story, (2) when to follow/break storytelling rules, and (3) representation and the legacy of American Dirt . Pre-order Mark...

With Matt Bell, on his abundant, uncategorizable, epic novel Appleseed . This interview, like Bell's sweeping book, is chock full of ideas that we crammed in the most exciting way into a rather limited space, including: the state of eco-fiction; mashing up ancient mythic tropes and future-tech; and Matt's deep commitment to the richness of language. Pre-order Mark Cecil's upcoming novel Bunyan and...

What does Shelley Parker-Chan want readers to feel at the end of her debut best-selling fantasy novel She Who Became The Sun ? "A feeling of catharsis...the subtitle should be Revenge Of The Genderqueers ."  Also discussed: Wuxia, fate v. triumph of will, and historical fanfiction. (Exciting to note: Shelley's second book, which completes the series, has just come out:  He Who Drowned The World .)...

A probing convo on American imperialism as seen from abroad; the rich historical and economic complexity of Haiti; and being a creative late-bloomer; with the great Ben Fountain, discussing his new international thriller Devil Makes Three . A true gentleman of American letters; the entire chat was as fresh as it was compelling. Pre-order Mark Cecil's upcoming novel Bunyan and Henry . All episodes...

With Oprah Book Club pick Nathan Hill, discussing his latest novel,  Wellness , which NPR called "a masterpiece....beyond remarkable." We get into the dangers and benefits of the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves; how to hook readers with ecstatic openings; and, toward the end of the show, Nathan offers his best piece of advice on how to be sure your 600-page+ novel gets published.  Pre-or...

An insightful, wide-ranging and frankly rather zen talk with one of America's most raw, transgressive, and pot-stirring artists, Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk. While discussing his new novel, Not Forever, But For Now , we covered finding vitality and cartharsis in extreme behavior, the fate of the famed Cacophony Society, and the need to love your characters if you want your reader to love the...

With Silver Linings Playbook author Matthew Quick, discussing his new novel We Are The Light . We talked about how visions and fantasy can be a necessary part of the healing process and how storytelling itself is linked to managing trauma. We also recapped Matthew's origin story, an archetypal tale of how he was willing to "pay the cost" of becoming a writer. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro air...

With white-hot debut novelist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Xochitl Gonzalez, discussing her wise, funny, politically-charged rom-com, Olga Dies Dreaming . We chatted about inspiring Latinx readership, what she learned at the Iowa Writers Workshop, and the moment she decided to make a mid-career pivot while bargain-hunting at a sales rack in Nieman Marcus. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired li...

With National Book Award winner Tess Gunty, discussing her sensational debut The Rabbit Hutch . We chatted re writing transcendent sex scenes that have meaning; a rebelliously positive, mystic take on Catholicism; and how to write as your book as if you were talking to your best and smartest friend (advice she took from novelist Jeffrey Eugenides). All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live ori...

A bull-by-the-horns convo on the intersection of storytelling/racism with David Mura. His new book, The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself , is a urgent cri-de-coeur and a page-turning lay-of-the-land of where the race convo is at. Necessary and comprehensive for any writer or reader wanting to engage with race narratives, which are…all narratives. Our national story is changing. David Mura lays out h...

With New Yorker staff writer and #1 best-seller David Grann ( Killers of the Flower Moon , The Lost City of Z , and The Wager ). We covered: the worst shipwreck in history; writing as both a real and metaphorical quest; and how the chronicle of real life disaster is merely an excuse to explore Grann's true perennial subject: the human condition. Asked what the human condition actually is, Grann to...

With Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah , one of the most lauded young writers in America. His short story collection Friday Black , and his new novel, Chain Gang All Stars , have garnered comparisons to no less than Chekhov, Orwell, and Atwood. We discussed satire, mass incarceration, and what he learned from his mentor George Saunders . All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty...

Former FBI Director James Comey is one of the most revered, controversial, and consequential figures in American law enforcement history. He's also a great writer. We had an open, fascinating, and frankly quite entertaining conversation regarding the publication of debut novel Central Park West . Also covered: the Mar-a-Lago indictment, Trump's legal woes, and the one adjective he'd use to describ...

An (actually) uplifting and inspiring talk re racism and South Boston, with the master of Beantown's dark underbelly, Dennis Lehane. While discussing his new book Small Mercies , we covered (1) where he sees hope in the national race convo (2) why The Wire (which he helped write), was such a hit, and (3) the one quality that makes Stephen King, well, the king. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro ai...

With one of my true literary heroes, and a treasure to the world's literary and spiritual communities, Karen Armstrong, on her new book Sacred Nature . We discussed the mythic self, natural ecstasy, and how saving the planet begins with the smallest of steps. Looking back across my life, she is probably the author I have loved most and longest. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live origina...

One of my most hilarious Thoughtful Bros ever, with one of the funniest writers anywhere, former U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins. Along with readings from his latest book, Musical Tables , we discussed finding your voice, how gratitude is a key ingredient in making a poet, and late bloomers. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze . The Thoughtful Bro is proudl...

A conversation with the ever-stylish, ever-readable, always unputdownable Rebecca Makkai, on her new boarding-school-literary-whodunit-bestseller, I Have Some Questions For You . We discussed strategies for reviving a flagging work-in-progress, story structure hacks, and the importance of interrogating your own memories with a critical eye. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally...