About Aarthi Vadde and John Plotz

Aarthi Vadde is Associate Professor of English at Duke University. Email: aarthi.vadde@duke.edu. John Plotz is Barbara Mandel Professor of the Humanities at Brandeis University and co-founder of the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative. Email: plotz@brandeis.edu.


NBN Episodes hosted by Aarthi Vadde and John Plotz:

Why are You in Bed? Why are You Drinking? Colm Tóibín and Joseph Rezek in Conversation

April 14, 2022

Why are You in Bed? Why are You Drinking?

Colm Tóibín and Joseph Rezek

Colm Tóibín, the new laureate for Irish fiction, talks to Joseph Rezek of Boston University, and guest host Tara K. Menon of Harvard. The conversation…

The Romance of Recovery: Ben Bateman talks to Shola von Reinhold (AV)

March 31, 2022

The Romance of Recovery

Ben Bateman and Shola von Reinhold

Shola von Reinhold is the author of LOTE, a novel about getting lost in the archives and finding what the archives have lost. LOTE won the 2021 James…

The Work of Inhabiting a Role: Charles Yu speaks to Chris Fan (JP)

March 17, 2022

The Work of Inhabiting a Role

Charles Yu and Chris Fan

Charles Yu won the 2020 National Book Award for Interior Chinatown but some of us became fans a decade earlier, with How to Live Safely in a Science F…

In the Editing Room with Ruth Ozeki and Rebecca Evans (EH)

March 3, 2022

In the Editing Room with Ruth Ozeki and Rebecca Evans (EH)

Ruth Ozeki and Rebecca Evans

Ruth Ozeki, whose most recent novel is The Book of Form and Emptiness, speaks with critic Rebecca Evans and guest host Emily Hyde. This is a conversat…

On Being Unmoored: Chang-rae Lee Charts Fiction with Anne Anlin Cheng

February 3, 2022

On Being Unmoored

Chang-rae Lee and Anne Anlin Cheng

Season three of Novel Dialogue launches in partnership with Public Books and introduces some fresh new voices into the mix. John and Aarthi welcome Ch…

The Novel of Revolutionary Ideas: Viet Thanh Nguyen and Colleen Lye

December 16, 2021

The Novel of Revolutionary Ideas

Viet Thanh Nguyen and Colleen Lye

Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning The Sympathizer and its sequel The Committed, joins esteemed scholar Colleen Lye of UC-Berkel…

Dreaming or Thinking: Cristina Rivera Garza with Kate Marshall and Dominique Vargas

December 2, 2021

Dreaming or Thinking

Cristina Rivera Garza, Kate Marshall and Dominique Vargas

ND stages a trialogue this week with MacArthur "Genius" Cristina Rivera Garza and Notre Dame critics Kate Marshall and Dominique Vargas. Professor Ri…

2.5 Stitching the Past to the Present: Caryl Phillips speaks with Corina Stan (JP)

November 11, 2021

Stitching the Past to the Present

Caryl Phillips and Corina Stan

Caryl Phillips, professor of English at Yale, world-renowned and prize-winning novelist (from The Final Passage to 2018’s A View of the Empire at Suns…

2.4 In Medias Res: Kamila Shamsie and Ankhi Mukherjee (AV)

October 28, 2021

In Medias Res

Kamila Shamsie and Ankhi Mukherjee

Acclaimed novelist Kamila Shamsie joins esteemed Oxford scholar Ankhi Mukherjee for a wide-ranging discussion of literature and politics. Ankhi raises…

2.3 Because I Couldn’t Be a Dancer: Sigrid Nunez and Tara Menon (JP)

October 14, 2021

Because I Couldn’t Be a Dancer

Sigrid Nunez and Tara Menon

The brilliant New York writer Sigrid Nunez‘s most recent novel is What Are You Going Through; her previous one, The Friend, (2018) won the National Bo…

2.2 Adaptation: Tom Perrotta and Mark Wollaeger Go from Page to Screen (AV)

September 30, 2021

Adaptation

Tom Perrotta and Mark Wollaeger

Novelist, screenwriter, and HBO showrunner Tom Perrotta joins his old friend Mark Wollaeger (who also happens to be a top scholar of modernism) for a …

2.1 Fiction as Streaming, Genre as Portal: Jennifer Egan and Ivan Kreilkamp (JP)

September 16, 2021

Fiction as Streaming, Genre as Portal

Jennifer Egan and Ivan Kreilkamp

We are just delighted to welcome you back to the second season of Novel Dialogue, putting scholars and writers together to chew the fat, and spill sec…

1.9 Season Wrap: Aarthi and John Reflect and Ruminate

April 29, 2021

Season Wrap

Aarthi Vadde and John Plotz

Our two hosts play guest, and dive into the season’s high and lowlights, starting with the role humor played on the show. We also talk through the aff…

1.8 The Novel is like a Stack of Yurts: George Saunders talks with Michael Johnston (AV)

April 22, 2021

The Novel is like a Stack of Yurts

George Saunders and Michael Johnston

Novel Dialogue sits down with Michael Johnston of Purdue University and George Saunders, master of the short story form and author of the Booker-prize…

1.7 Helen Garner is Hacking at the Adverbs (Elizabeth McMahon, JP)

April 15, 2021

Helen Garner is Hacking at the Adverbs

Helen Garner

Helen Garner sits down with John and Elizabeth McMahon, a distinguished scholar of Australian literature. Helen’s novels range from the anti-patriarc…

1.6 Military Sci-Fi Minus the Misogyny: Kameron Hurley with Gerry Canavan (AV)

April 8, 2021

Military Sci-Fi Minus the Misogyny

Kameron Hurley and Gerry Canavan

Gerry Canavan talks to geek feminist author Kameron Hurley about her Hugo-nominated novel The Light Brigade. A love-hate letter to military science fi…

1.5 Getting Into Other Worlds: James Robertson with Penny Fielding (JP)

April 1, 2021

Getting Into Other Worlds

James Robertson and Penny Fielding

James Robertson, brilliant author of The Testament of Gideon Mack, and University of Edinburgh’s top prof. Penny Fielding beam in from their respectiv…

1.4 Feral Fiction: Catherine Lacey and Martin Puchner (JP)

March 25, 2021

Feral Fiction

Catherine Lacey and Martin Puchner

Novel Dialogue sends Martin Puchner (polymathic author of The Written World and most recently The Language of Thieves) out to speak with Pew author Ca…

1.3 Oh, The Places You’ll Go: Madhuri Vijay talks to Ulka Anjaria (AV)

March 18, 2021

Oh, The Places You’ll Go

Madhuri Vijay and Ulka Anjaria

Ulka Anjaria and Madhuri Vijay sit down to talk about Madhuri’s prize-winning first novel The Far Field. They discuss what it’s like to write intimate…

1.2 That Demonic Novelistic Impulse: Orhan Pamuk with Bruce Robbins (JP)

March 11, 2021

That Demonic Novelistic Impulse

Orhan Pamuk with Bruce Robbins

In Episode Two of Novel Dialogue, critic and scholar Bruce Robbins sits down with Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk. They have taught classes on the politica…

1.2x Bonus: Orhan Pamuk Reads and Glosses the End of Snow

March 11, 2021

Orhan Pamuk Reads and Glosses the End of Snow

Orhan Pamuk

Pamuk plays scholar and novelist both. He reads the cheekily postmodernist final page of his novel Snow, while also talmudically interspersing comment…

1.1 Do Great Novels Set the Standard or Challenge it? Kelly Rich and Teju Cole (AV)

March 4, 2021

Do Great Novels Set the Standard or Challenge it?

Kelly Rich and Teju Cole

Novel Dialogue kicks off with the writer and photographer Teju Cole and literary critic Kelly Rich of Harvard University talking about “saying yes to …

1.0 Introducing a New Podcast: Novel Dialogue with Aarthi Vadde and John Plotz

March 3, 2021

Introducing a New Podcast

Aarthi Vadde and John Plotz

Novel Dialogue : where unlikely conversation partners come together to discuss the making of novels and what to make of them. Join Aarthi Vadde, a sch…