Burned by Books

Burned by Books

episodes

A podcast for writers and readers who are obsessive about their books. Interviews with established and up-and-coming writers, and recommendations for the best in contemporary fiction, poetry, and drama. Hosted by Chris Holmes. Chris is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. You can visit the "Burned by Books" website here.

Daniel Poppick, "The Copywriter" (Scribner, 2026)

March 24, 2026

The Copywriter

Daniel Poppick
Hosted by Chris Holmes

Daniel Poppick is a poet and novelist. He is the author of the poetry collections Fear of Description, selected for the National Poetry Series, and T…

Alice Martin, "Westward Women" (St. Martins Press, 2026)

March 20, 2026

Westward Women

Hosted by Chris Holmes

It starts with an itch.In homes across the country, women ages eighteen to thirty-five begin to slow down.Tired. Blank. Restless.Drawn to the Pacific …

Joe Mungo Reed, "Terrestrial History" (Norton, 2025)

March 10, 2026

Terrestrial History

Joe Mungo Reed
Hosted by Chris Holmes

Joe Mungo Reed is the author of the novels Hammer and We Begin Our Ascent, one of the best novels about sport that I’ve ever read. He Teaches creative…

Ann Packer, "Some Bright Nowhere" (Harper Books, 2026)

March 6, 2026

Some Bright Nowhere

Ann Packer
Hosted by Chris Holmes

Eliot and his wife Claire have been happily married for nearly four decades. They’ve raised two children in their sleepy Connecticut town and have wea…

Gabriel Tallent, "Crux" (Riverhead Books, 2025)

February 24, 2026

Crux

Gabriel Tallent
Hosted by Chris Holmes

In Crux (Riverhead Books, 2025), Dan and Tamma are two teenagers in their last year of high school in the southern Mojave Desert. One is a gifted gold…

Jenny Mustard, "What a Time to Be Alive" (Pegasus Books, 2025)

February 6, 2026

What a Time to Be Alive

Hosted by Chris Holmes

Jenny Mustard is a writer and content creator, born in Sweden but living in London. Jenny and her work have featured in the Observer, the Independent,…

Iida Turpeinen, "Beasts of the Sea" (Little, Brown, 2025)

February 2, 2026

Beasts of the Sea

Iida Turpeine
Hosted by Chris Holmes

Iida Turpeinen is a literary scholar writing a dissertation on the intersection of the natural sciences and literature. Her short stories exploring th…

Ben Ratliff, "Run the Song: Writing About Running About Listening" (Graywolf Press, 2025)

January 23, 2026

Run the Song

Ben Ratliff
Hosted by Chris Holmes

Ben Ratliff is the author of Every Song Ever and Coltrane: The Story of a Sound, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Run …

The Friends of Attention, "Attensity! A Manifesto of the Attention Liberation Movement" (Crown, 2026)

January 20, 2026

Attensity!

The Friends of Attention
Hosted by Chris Holmes

“You are correct: something is seriously wrong.” So begins Attensity: A Manifesto of the Attention Liberation Movement (Crown, 2026) written by member…

Booksellers Best of 2025

December 28, 2025

Booksellers Best of 2025

Lisa Swayze and Laura Larson
Hosted by Chris Holmes

Lisa Swayze has been the General Manager at Buffalo Street Books for 8 years and will transition to becoming the Executive Director of the bookstore’s…

Stephanie Reents, "We Loved to Run" (Hogarth, 2025)

December 12, 2025

We Loved to Run

Stephanie Reents
Hosted by Chris Holmes

At Frost, a small liberal arts college in Massachusetts, the runners on the women’s cross country team have their sights set on the 1992 New England D…

Emily Hunt Kivel, "Dwelling" (FSG, 2025)

November 28, 2025

Dwelling

Emily Hunt Kivel
Hosted by Chris Holmes

The world is ending. It has been ending for some time. When did the ending begin? Perhaps when Evie’s mother died, or when her father died soon after.…

Zoe Dubno, "Happiness and Love" (Scribner, 2025)

November 19, 2025

Happiness and Love

Zoe Dubno
Hosted by Chris Holmes

Following a young woman over the course of one outrageous and insufferable downtown dinner party at the home of her estranged best friends—an artist a…

Stephanie Wambugu, "Lonely Crowds" (Little, Brown and Co., 2025)

November 15, 2025

Lonely Crowds

Hosted by Chris Holmes

In Lonely Crowds (Little, Brown and Co., 2025) Ruth, an only child of recent immigrants to New England, lives in an emotionally cold home and attends …

Paula Bomer, "The Stalker" (Soho Books, 2025)

November 12, 2025

The Stalker

Paula Bomer
Hosted by Chris Holmes

Paula Bomer is the author of The Stalker (Soho Books, 2025), which received a starred Publisher’s Weekly, calling it “dark and twisted fun”. She is al…

Erin Somers, "The Ten Year Affair: A Novel" (Simon and Schuster, 2025)

November 5, 2025

The Ten Year Affair

Erin Somers
Hosted by Chris Holmes

When Cora meets Sam at a baby group in their small town, the chemistry between them is undeniable. Both are happily married young parents with two kid…

Marcy Dermansky, "Hot Air" (Knopf, 2025)

October 31, 2025

Hot Air

Hosted by Chris Holmes

Marcy Dermansky is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Hurricane Girl, Very Nice, The Red Car, Bad Marie, and Twins. She has received fellow…

Maggie Gram, "The Invention of Design: A Twentieth-Century History" (Basic Books, 2025)

October 22, 2025

The Invention of Design

Maggie Gram
Hosted by Chris Holmes

Maggie Gram is a writer, cultural historian, and designer. She leads an experience-design team at Google. She has taught at the Maryland Institute Col…

Brandon Taylor, "Minor Black Figures" (Riverhead, 2025)

October 16, 2025

Minor Black Figures

Brandon Taylor
Hosted by Chris Holmes

New York simmers with heat and unrest as Wyeth, a painter, finds himself at an impasse in his own work.After attending a dubious show put on by a coll…

Olivia Wolfgang-Smith, "Mutual Interest" (Bloomsbury, 2025)

September 29, 2025

Mutual Interest

Olivia Wolfgang-Smith
Hosted by Chris Holmes

Olivia Wolfgang-Smith is the author of the novels Mutual Interest (2025) and Glassworks, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel P…