New Books Network
Literature
Literature June 25, 2021

What a Wonderful World this Could Be

Lee Zacharias

Hosted by G. P. Gottlieb
Today I talked to Lee Zacharias about her new book What a Wonderful World this Could Be (Madville Publishing, 2021). Alex has always wanted a real family. Her father commits suicide, her …

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Middle Eastern Studies June 21, 2021

A Physician on the Nile

A Description of Egypt and Journal of the Famine Years

Tim Mackintosh-Smith, trans.

Hosted by Christopher Rose
A Physician on the Nile: A Description of Egypt and Journal of the Famine Years (NYU Press, 2021) is a unique text that will fascinate specialists and general readers alike. Written by …
The Common Magazine June 18, 2021

The Home Front

A Discussion with Silvia Spring

Silvia Spring

Hosted by Emily Everett
Silvia Spring speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her debut short story “The Home Front,” which appears in The Common’s fall issue. In this conversation, Spring talks about the …
Anthropology June 18, 2021

Light in Dark Times

The Human Search for Meaning

Alisse Waterston and Charlotte Corden

Hosted by Suvi Rautio
Today I spoke to anthropologist Alisse Waterston and artist Charlotte Corden to ask them questions, such as: What will become of us in these trying times? How will we pass …
Performing Arts June 15, 2021

2 Washington Square

Constance Congdon

Hosted by Andy Boyd
Constance Congdon's 2 Washington Square (Broadway Play Publishing, 2020) is a free-wheeling adaptation of Henry James' novel Washington Square set on the cusp of the 1960s as one era gives way to a startlingly …
Literature June 11, 2021

The Scapegoat

A Novel

Sara Davis

Hosted by Duncan McCargo
David Lodge meets Franz Kafka meets Stephen King? All attempts to classify The Scapegoat, let alone to summarize what happens in this compelling and terribly troubling first novel by Sara …
Literary Studies June 11, 2021

Keats's Odes

A Lover's Discourse

Anahid Nersessian

Hosted by Britton Edelen
In this episode, I interview Anahid Nersessian, professor of English at UCLA, about her book, Keats’s Odes: A Lover’s Discourse (University of Chicago Press, 2021). In 1819, the poet John Keats …
Science Fiction June 10, 2021

Project Hail Mary

A Novel

Andy Weir

Hosted by Rob Wolf
A story about an alien invasion typically revolves around diplomacy, military strategy, technological one-upmanship, and brinksmanship. But the invaders in Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary: A Novel (Ballantine Books, 2021) …
Political Science June 10, 2021

Against Demagogues

What Aristophanes Can Teach Us about the Perils of Populism and the Fate of Democracy

Robert C. Bartlett

Hosted by Lilly Goren
Political Theorist Robert Bartlett spoke with the New Books in Political Science podcast about two of his recent publications, which take on translating the work of two distinct classical thinkers …
Asian Review of Books June 10, 2021

Karachi Vice

Life and Death in a Contested City

Samira Shackle

Hosted by Nicholas Gordon
A young man who turns his desire to join the army into a long stint as a volunteer ambulance driver. A teacher living in an old slum who is the …
Literature June 9, 2021

Lilacs in the Dust Bowl

Diana Stevan

Hosted by Nataliya Shpylova-Saeed
Author Diana Stevan's sequel to the award-winning Sunflowers Under Fire. Lukia's story continues in Lilacs in the Dust Bowl (Peregrin Publishing, 2021),  an inspirational family saga about love and heartache during …
Literary Studies June 8, 2021

Elizabeth Bishop and the Literary Archive

Bethany Hicok

Hosted by Duncan McCargo
What more can we learn about legendary American writer Elizabeth Bishop (1911-79), dubbed by Bethany Hicok “the most stunning poet of the twentieth century”, by exploring the wonderful archives of her …
Psychology June 8, 2021

Smoke Hole

Looking to the Wild in the Time of the Spyglass

Martin Shaw

Hosted by Susan Grelock-Yusem
At a time when we are all confronted by not one, but many crossroads in our modern lives—identity, technology, trust, politics, and a global pandemic—celebrated mythologist and wilderness guide Martin …
Literature June 8, 2021

One Kind Favor

A Novel

Kevin McIlvoy

Hosted by G. P. Gottlieb
Based loosely on a tragic real-life incident in 2014, One Kind Favor (WTAW Press 2021) explores the consequences of the lynching of a young black man in rural North Carolina. After the lynching …
Fantasy June 8, 2021

The Wolf and the Woodsman

A Novel

Ava Reid

Hosted by Gabrielle Mathieu
Today I talked to Ava Reid about her new book The Wolf and the Woodsman (Harper Voyager, 2021) The wolf, in the title refers to a pagan woman, given to the dreaded …
Poetry June 8, 2021

Broken Ballads

A Poetry Collection

Nicole Danielle

Hosted by Athena Dixon
For as often as it may seem to be the case, life doesn’t exist in extremes. Whatever pain, love, desire, or hurt, moving through life is a balancing act. We …
Food June 4, 2021

The Book of Difficult Fruit

Arguments for the Tart, Tender, and Unruly (with Recipes)

Kate Lebo

Hosted by Carrie Helms Tippen
Guest Kate Lebo discusses her newest book, The Book of Difficult Fruit: Arguments for the Tart, Tender, and Unruly with Recipes (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2021). While Lebo has authored …
The Common Magazine June 4, 2021

The Couple

The Common magazine (Fall, 2020)

KC Trommer

Hosted by Emily Everett
KC Trommer speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her poem “The Couple,” which appears in The Common’s fall issue. In this conversation, Trommer discusses writing about artwork she finds …
Asian Review of Books June 3, 2021

Fragile Monsters

Catherine Menon

Hosted by Nicholas Gordon
The year is 1985. Durga is visiting her grandmother Mary in rural Malaysia. It’s not a particularly happy occasion: Mary is tough and sharp-tongued, and “home” sparks bad memories for …
Dan Hill's EQ Spotlight June 3, 2021

Excuse Me While I Disappear

Joanna Scott

Hosted by Dan Hill
Joanna Scott is the author of 12 works of fiction, including Arrogance, a PEN/Faulkner finalist; and The Manikin, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her awards include a MacArthur Fellowship …