This week on Unorthodox, are we ready for a Better Bagel?

Our guest is novelist Alice McDermott, whose latest book is What About the Baby? Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction. She tells us about her 1998 National Book Award-winning novel, Charming Billy, as well as her Catholic faith, relationship with the church, and what she misses now that she’s no longer teaching.

Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/givetounorthodox.

Send comments and questions to [email protected], or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group, and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel!

Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt. Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at [email protected].

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Tablet’s 100 Most Jewish Foods book has been reimagined as a jigsaw puzzle, memory game, and sticker book, just in time for Hanukkah. Check out the whole set here.

Sponsors:

Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards recognize 15 extraordinary Jewish teenagers from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to honor their initiatives to help change the world. Nominate a teen by January 7 at dillerteenawards.org/unorthodox.

AJWS supports more than 500 grassroots human rights organizations in 18 countries around the world. Made a twice matched donation today at AJWS.org/unorthodox.

Spertus Institute’s Certificate in Jewish Leadership is specifically geared to the particular needs of Jewish organizations. Find out more at spertus.edu/certificate.