A Word on Words

“I couldn't stop thinking about what more could happen with that error, that secret, what if it became real?” Author Peng Shepherd imagines a young woman’s journey to discover the secrets of a strange map. Shepherd talks with host J.T. Ellison about her book, The Cartographers .

“There's necessary violence and necessary darkness. I'm aiming for that hope and that light. To make the reader properly appreciate that hope and light, and crave it, I gotta take them through darkness.” In Lark Ascending , Silas House imagines a future that shows the inhumanity and misery this age is in danger of reaching. It is alarming, but in House's hands it is also beautiful and fascinating.

George Dawes Green, author and founder of The Moth and Unchained, discusses his book The Kingdoms of Savannah with host Jeremy Finley on NPT's A Word on Words. Set in Savannah, Georgia, the book is a mystery about a widow who inherits a detective agency from her husband.

Chosen as one of the 100 Notable Books of 2022 by The New York Time s Book Review, Gal Beckerman’s The Quiet Before examines the small moments that led to larger political and cultural revolutions. Beckerman looks at how the tools of communication are used to help create change and foster a space where people can engage with one another, imagine, debate, and begin to think up new ideas. I grew up...

It's a crime if you don't listen to this episode. We are thrilled to have #1 international bestselling author of "twisty physiological" crime thrillers Ruth Ware join us on this episode of NPT's A Word on Words . “In spite of being very firmly a crime writer, I'm very proud to call myself a crime writer. I'm actually not super interested in the crime itself very often.” John Neville, the man convi...

In addition to being a renowned novelist, Jeremy Finley is the chief investigative reporter at the NBC affiliate in Nashville. He has won a number of Emmys and Edward R. Murrow awards, and he was named Journalist of the Year by the Tennessee Associated Press in 2016. Now, Jeremy is taking the co-host seat for A WORD ON WORDS. He discusses his new role and the authors that inspired him.