Bookworm

By KCRW

Arts

What's Bookworm about?

Intellectual, accessible, and provocative literary conversations.

4.5

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Bookworm episodes:

09.20.2023
Friends of Michael
Longtime friend and editor of Bookworm, Alan Howard, returns to host this episode, the last of 10 shows to journey through Bookworm’s 33 years and offer a retrospective look at Michael’s accomplishments on behalf of writers and readers. For decades...
09.13.2023
Chapter 9: Grief and Loss
Close friend of Michael Silverblatt’s and Bookworm editor for 30 years, Alan Howard guest hosts this episode on grief and loss. When the two met more than 33 years ago, Michael’s first words were, “What are you reading?” It was...
09.08.2023
Poetry
Poet, author, and co-founder of The Song Cave , Alan Felsenthal guest hosts this episode’s focus on poetry. As a close friend and mentee of Michael Silverblatt’s, Felsenthal recalls Michael’s revelation that he had trouble finding his way into poetry...
08.30.2023
The Story of America, Pt. 3
Prolific author Dave Eggers, founder of McSweeney's, co-founder of 826 National, and other significant projects, first met Micheal Silverblatt in 2000, upon the publication of his first book –– a critically acclaimed memoir whose title he calls, "obnoxious." They formed...
08.23.2023
The Story of America, Pt. 2
Prolific author Dave Eggers, founder of McSweeney's, co-founder of 826 National, and other significant projects, first met Micheal Silverblatt in 2000, upon the publication of his first book –– a critically acclaimed memoir whose title he calls, "obnoxious." They formed...
08.16.2023
The Story of America, Pt. 1
Claudia Rankine, award-winning poet and author of Citizen: An American Lyric, a book-length poem about the pernicious racism of American daily life, hosts the first of a three-part episode on the story of America, as told through literary fiction. Over...
08.09.2023
The Confederacy of Bookworms
Guest host Mary Corey, teacher of American history at UCLA and author of "The World Through a Monocle" about The New Yorker Magazine, teaches a course on American popular culture that explores the blurry lines between perceived high culture and...
08.02.2023
The Nobel Laureates, Pt.2
The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, “In the field of literature produced the most outstanding work...
08.02.2023
The Nobel Laureates, Pt.1
The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, “In the field of literature produced the most outstanding work...
07.26.2023
The Arc of Bookworm
This episode takes us through the arc of Bookworm’s existence: Michael started the program with worries about the future of literature, found hope in the up-and-coming new writers, and proceeded to highlight authors of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and geographies.
05.12.2022
Michelle Huneven: ‘Search’
Los Angeles-based author Michelle Huneven joins Evan Kleiman to discuss her latest book, “ Search .” In this engaging and funny literary fiction novel, main character Dana Potowski writes a memoir that describes the steps of her Unitarian Universalist Church...
05.05.2022
Natalia Molina: ‘A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community’
Natalia Molina tells the story of Nayarit, her grandmother’s Mexican restaurant, a space that became a cherished hub for immigrants and the LGBTQ community in Echo Park.
04.28.2022
Emily Skillings and John Yau: John Ashbery’s “Parallel Movement of the Hands: Five Unfinished Longer Works” (Re-air)
Editor/poet Emily Skillings and poet/critic John Yau speak about an iconic poet of the 21st century, John Ashbery, and his posthumous book, “Parallel Movement of the Hands: Five Unfinished Longer Works.”
04.21.2022
Rita Dove: “Playlist for the Apocalypse” (Re-air)
Rita Dove’s new book of poetry, “Playlist for the Apocalypse,” goes in many different historical and personal directions.
04.07.2022
Robert Jones, Jr.: “The Prophets” (Re-air)
The debut novel of Robert Jones, Jr., “The Prophets,” is lyrical prose about the dimensionality and interiority of people.
03.31.2022
Paul Tran’s wildly impressive debut poetry book, ‘All the Flowers Kneeling’
Paul Tran says that poetry can live on a page. This show discusses the abundant life in their debut poetry book, “All the Flowers Kneeling.” Tran joins guest host Shawn Sullivan to explore the book’s four sections as well as...
03.24.2022
Tobias Wolff on Harry Crews’ ‘A Childhood: The Biography of a Place’
Writer Tobias Wolff speaks about a dark book that remains loving, Harry Crews 1978 classic “ A Childhood: The Biography of a Place .” Wolff wrote the foreword to its Penguin Classics re-release, which joins a number of Crews’ works...
03.17.2022
Tao Lin’s ‘Leave Society’ shifts the author’s perspective to love and kindness
Acclaimed novelist, poet, and essayist Tao Lin (“Taipei,” “Shoplifting from American Apparel”) speaks about growing as a writer, and growing his idea of himself in a book, including his latest, “ Leave Society ,” about the blurred lines between life...
03.10.2022
Zac Smith’s ‘Everything is Totally Fine,’ the book that reopened Tao Lin’s Muumuu House
Author Zac Smith speaks about the extreme juxtaposition of the very short, dense, and clipped stories in his new book, “Everything is Totally Fine.” He says that by removing a lot of exposition, he was able to create intense emotions...
03.03.2022
Brit Bennett: The Vanishing Half
Brit Bennett pushes questions of race and color to their extremes in her new novel, The Vanishing Half.
02.24.2022
Sarah Manguso’s ‘Very Cold People’ and life’s overwhelming small moments
A distinguished writer of books in various forms — poetry, essay, memoir — Sarah Manguso embarks on her first novel with “Very Cold People,” a striking work about what it means to be human. She discusses how she came to...
02.17.2022
Sheila Heti: “Pure Colour”
At the beginning of Sheila Heti’s new book, “Pure Colour,” God looks at a first-draft world he should get around to changing. The reader meets protagonist Mira, who bonds with a woman named Annie. Then Mira’s father dies, and his...
02.10.2022
Tom Bissell: ‘Creative Types: and Other Stories’
Journalist and author Tom Bissell’s new short fiction collection, “ Creative Types: and Other Stories ,” is about people trying to solve the problem of being themselves. Seven short stories describe the kinds of lives lived in Los Angeles with...
02.03.2022
Tessa Hadley: “Free Love”
Tessa Hadley’s new book, “Free Love” (Harper), is set in 1967 London at the beginning of the counterculture movement that swept the world. The protagonist, Phyllis, steps out of one sense of herself into another. She is a conservative mother...
01.27.2022
Antoine Wilson: “Mouth to Mouth”
Canadian-American author Antoine Wilson discusses the work he put into writing entertaining pages for his new short book, “Mouth to Mouth” (Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster), and the propulsive story is not finished until the very last sentence.
01.20.2022
John Keene: “Punks: New & Selected Poems” (The Song Cave)
“ Punks: New & Selected Poems ” is expansive poetry from John Keene, one of our time’s most notable writers. Seven sections offer different perspectives on what poetry can be: queer and Black, and much more than that. He joins...
01.13.2022
In Memory of Joan Didion: 'Blue Nights'
After the deaths of her husband, John Gregory Dunne, and her daughter, Quintana, Joan Didion wrote "Blue Nights," the most personal and poetic book of her career. From 2011, she talks about aging, death, and the act of complete surrender...
01.06.2022
Honoree Fanonne Jeffers: “The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois” (Part 2)
Honoree Fanonne Jeffers discusses writing about the full range of a community, its sexuality and gender, in her first fiction novel, “The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois.”
12.30.2021
Honoree Fanonne Jeffers: “The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois” (Part 1)
Master poet Honoree Fanonne Jeffers discusses her fiction debut, “The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois.”
12.23.2021
Stephen Sondheim: Finishing the Hat
Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes (Knopf) A collection of lyrics from the first half of Stephen Sondheim's career, along with insights into the art of songwriting for the theater. In...
12.16.2021
Dave Eggers: “The Every” (Part 2)
Dave Eggers further discusses his new book, “The Every.”
12.09.2021
Dave Eggers: “The Every” (Part 1)
“The Every” is the new book by Dave Eggers, a follow-up to his book “The Circle.”
12.02.2021
Louise Erdrich: “The Sentence”
Every bookstore is haunted, and Louise Erdrich’s new book, “The Sentence,” is about one.
11.25.2021
Sandra Cisneros: “Martita, I Remember You/Martita, te recuerdo”
“Martita, I Remember You/Martita, te recuerdo” is a bilingual new book by Sandra Cisneros.
11.18.2021
Diane Williams: “How High? – That High”
Idiosyncratic short story writer Diane Williams discusses her new book, “How High? – That High.”
11.11.2021
Mary Gaitskill: “The Devil's Treasure”
Mary Gaitskill’s "The Devil’s Treasure” features sections from her previous novels and an unfinished novel, commentary, illustrations, and a story inspired by a dream her younger self had.
11.04.2021
Teresa K. Miller with Carol Muske-Dukes “Borderline Fortune”
Teresa K. Miller discusses “Borderline Fortune,” which won her the National Poetry Series, when she was about ready to give up on herself.
10.28.2021
Atsuro Riley: “Heard-Hoard”
Atsuro Riley says he wrote “Heard-Hoard” with a kind of pacing he could feel in his body.
10.21.2021
Jackie Kay: “Bessie Smith: A Poet's Biography of a Blues Legend”
Jackie Kay’s “Bessie Smith: A Poet's Biography of a Blues Legend” is a terrific mixture of memoir and biography.
10.14.2021
Rita Dove: “Playlist for the Apocalypse”
Rita Dove’s new book of poetry, “Playlist for the Apocalypse,” goes in many different historical and personal directions.
10.07.2021
Rabih Alameddine: “The Wrong End of the Telescope”
Rabih Alameddine speaks about being in love with the characters in his new novel, “The Wrong End of the Telescope."
09.30.2021
Sandra Cisneros: “Martita, I Remember You/Martita, te recuerdo”
“Martita, I Remember You/Martita, te recuerdo” is a bilingual new book by Sandra Cisneros.
09.23.2021
Richard Powers: “Bewilderment”
Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning Richard Powers discusses his new novel, “Bewilderment,” which has been longlisted for the Booker Prize and National Book Award.
09.16.2021
Dennis Cooper: “I Wished”
Santa Claus, James Turrell, “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” John Wayne Gacy, and, most of all, George Miles: these are parts of Dennis Cooper‘s discussion of his new book, “I Wished.”
08.26.2021
Alice McDermott: “What About the Baby?: Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction”
Alice McDermott discusses the madness in fiction and her new book, “What About the Baby?: Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction.”
08.19.2021
Richard Powers: The Overstory
About the interdependence between humans and trees, Richard Powers found a place for the non-human in literary fiction with his new book, The Overstory .
08.12.2021
Ron and Russell Mael: “Annette”
Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks discuss the small and significant differences between their original material and the final movie, “Annette.”
08.05.2021
Rikki Ducornet: “Trafik”
Rikki Ducornet speaks about writing in dreamtime for her new sci-fi book, “Trafik.”
07.29.2021
Yaa Gyasi: “Transcendent Kingdom” and “Homegoing” (Part 2)
Part two of two, a continuation of Yaa Gyasi’s discussion about the extraordinary explorations of her books “Homegoing” and “Transcendent Kingdom.”
07.22.2021
Yaa Gyasi: “Transcendent Kingdom” and “Homegoing” (Part 1)
Part one of two in which Yaa Gyasi discusses the myriad complexities of her novels “Transcendent Kingdom” and “Homegoing.”

What's Bookworm about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Bookworm episodes:

Friends of Michael

Chapter 9: Grief and Loss

Poetry

The Story of America, Pt. 3

The Story of America, Pt. 2

The Story of America, Pt. 1

The Confederacy of Bookworms

The Nobel Laureates, Pt.2

The Nobel Laureates, Pt.1

The Arc of Bookworm

Michelle Huneven: ‘Search’

Natalia Molina: ‘A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community’

Emily Skillings and John Yau: John Ashbery’s “Parallel Movement of the Hands: Five Unfinished Longer Works” (Re-air)

Rita Dove: “Playlist for the Apocalypse” (Re-air)

Robert Jones, Jr.: “The Prophets” (Re-air)

Paul Tran’s wildly impressive debut poetry book, ‘All the Flowers Kneeling’

Tobias Wolff on Harry Crews’ ‘A Childhood: The Biography of a Place’

Tao Lin’s ‘Leave Society’ shifts the author’s perspective to love and kindness

Zac Smith’s ‘Everything is Totally Fine,’ the book that reopened Tao Lin’s Muumuu House

Brit Bennett: The Vanishing Half

Sarah Manguso’s ‘Very Cold People’ and life’s overwhelming small moments

Sheila Heti: “Pure Colour”

Tom Bissell: ‘Creative Types: and Other Stories’

Tessa Hadley: “Free Love”

Antoine Wilson: “Mouth to Mouth”

John Keene: “Punks: New & Selected Poems” (The Song Cave)

In Memory of Joan Didion: 'Blue Nights'

Honoree Fanonne Jeffers: “The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois” (Part 2)

Honoree Fanonne Jeffers: “The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois” (Part 1)

Stephen Sondheim: Finishing the Hat

Dave Eggers: “The Every” (Part 2)

Dave Eggers: “The Every” (Part 1)

Louise Erdrich: “The Sentence”

Sandra Cisneros: “Martita, I Remember You/Martita, te recuerdo”

Diane Williams: “How High? – That High”

Mary Gaitskill: “The Devil's Treasure”

Teresa K. Miller with Carol Muske-Dukes “Borderline Fortune”

Atsuro Riley: “Heard-Hoard”

Jackie Kay: “Bessie Smith: A Poet's Biography of a Blues Legend”

Rita Dove: “Playlist for the Apocalypse”

Rabih Alameddine: “The Wrong End of the Telescope”

Sandra Cisneros: “Martita, I Remember You/Martita, te recuerdo”

Richard Powers: “Bewilderment”

Dennis Cooper: “I Wished”

Alice McDermott: “What About the Baby?: Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction”

Richard Powers: The Overstory

Ron and Russell Mael: “Annette”

Rikki Ducornet: “Trafik”

Yaa Gyasi: “Transcendent Kingdom” and “Homegoing” (Part 2)

Yaa Gyasi: “Transcendent Kingdom” and “Homegoing” (Part 1)