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 Michael has read almost all of a writer’s work, not just the book which has been most recently published. Howard has watched writers glow as they realize that they’ve been seriously witnessed by the ultimate Bookworm. All of the writers on today’s show have become friends of Michael’s and of Bookworm. We’ll hear from rock band Sparks (brothers Ron and Russell Mael), Art Spiegelman, Françoise Mouly, Ann Beattie, Susan Sontag, and Dennis Cooper.

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 Michael has read almost all of a writer’s work, not just the book which has been most recently published. Howard has watched writers glow as they realize that they’ve been seriously witnessed by the ultimate Bookworm. All of the writers on today’s show have become friends of Michael’s and of Bookworm. We’ll hear from rock band Sparks (brothers Ron and Russell Mael), Art Spiegelman, Françoise Mouly, Ann Beattie, Susan Sontag, and Dennis Cooper.

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 Michael has read almost all of a writer’s work, not just the book which has been most recently published. Howard has watched writers glow as they realize that they’ve been seriously witnessed by the ultimate Bookworm. All of the&nbsp;writers on today’s show have become friends of Michael’s and of Bookworm. We’ll hear from rock band Sparks (brothers Ron and Russell Mael), Art Spiegelman, Françoise Mouly, Ann Beattie, Susan Sontag, and Dennis Cooper.

Friends of Michael

Acclaimed novelist, poet, and essayist <a href="https://www.taolin.us">Tao Lin</a> (“Taipei,” “Shoplifting from American Apparel”) speaks about growing as a writer, and growing his idea of himself in a book, including his latest, “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/547887/leave-society-by-tao-lin/">Leave Society</a>,” about the blurred lines between life and fiction.

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 and fiction.

Acclaimed novelist, poet, and essayist <a href="https://www.taolin.us" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tao Lin</a> (“Taipei,” “Shoplifting from American Apparel”) speaks about growing as a writer, and growing his idea of himself in a book, including his latest, “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/547887/leave-society-by-tao-lin/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Leave Society</a>,” about the blurred lines between life and fiction.&nbsp;

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

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 in a small space. His energetic and thoughtful stories of absurdity and minutiae are things that could not be said any other way, and usually don’t get said. Plus, special guest Tao Lin explains why “Everything is Totally Fine” inspired him to reopen his <a href="http://muumuuhouse.com/about.html">Muumuu House</a> imprint after it was closed for more than ten years.

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 in a small space. His energetic and thoughtful stories of absurdity and minutiae are things that could not be said any other way, and usually don’t get said. Plus, special guest Tao Lin explains why “Everything is Totally Fine” inspired him to reopen his Muumuu House imprint after it was closed for more than ten years.

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 in a small space. His energetic and thoughtful stories of absurdity and minutiae are things that could not be said any other way, and usually don’t get said. Plus, special guest Tao Lin explains why “Everything is Totally Fine” inspired him to reopen his <a href="http://muumuuhouse.com/about.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">Muumuu House</a> imprint after it was closed for more than ten years.

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

The Cattle Killings (Houghton Mifflin) As a writer,  John Edgar Wideman finds himself at the intersection of African-American experience and High Modernist experimentation. A talk about ethnicity and the avant-garde.

The Cattle Killings (Houghton Mifflin) As a writer, John Edgar Wideman finds himself at the intersection of African-American experience and High Modernist experimentation. A talk about ethnicity and the avant-garde.

John Edgar Wideman

The Christmas Letters (Algonquin) Lee Smith actively loves her characters; her warmth towards them drives their stories. A conversation about fiction writing as a natural activity-- with roots in childhood, family gossip and country music.

Lee Smith

The Night in Question (Knopf)
 Tobias Wolff on the ethical questions that animate the dramatic heart of his stories. An intense analysis of fiction's relation to truth.

The Night in Question (Knopf) Tobias Wolff on the ethical questions that animate the dramatic heart of his stories. An intense analysis of fiction's relation to truth.

Tobias Wolf

Man Booker-Prize winner Michael Ondaatje seems to be one of the very few writers who appreciates the screen adaptation of his work...

Man Booker-Prize winner Michael Ondaatje seems to be one of the very few writers who appreciates the screen adaptation of his work...

Michael Ondaatje: The English Patient

Michael Lally Can't Be Wrong (Coffee House Press) Michael Lally--part Frank Sinatra, part William Saroyan--is an auditory seducer. This poet will leave you panting.

Michael Lally

Robert Olen Butler Tabloid Dreams (Holt) The characters from supermarket tabloids reveal their inner truths in Pulitzer Prize-winner Butler's poetic stories..

Robert Olen Butler

Elena Poniatowska Tinisima (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) Mexico's "premiere; woman of letters" on Tina Modotti--photographer, model, revolutionary--the subject of this biographical novel.

Elena Poniatowska Tinisima (Farrar, Straus &amp; Giroux) Mexico's "premiere; woman of letters" on Tina Modotti--photographer, model, revolutionary--the subject of this biographical novel.

Elena Poniatowska

Paul Theroux My Other Life (Houghton Mifflin) This autobiography is a supernatural story in disguise--hear Paul Theroux's Dr. Jekyll explain the demonic nature of Paul Theroux's Mr. Hyde.

Paul Theroux

Brad Gooch reveals the structure of the heroic quest that underlies this misunderstood and frequently reviled novel.

Brad Gooch reveals the structure of the heroic quest that underlies this misunderstood and frequently reviled novel.

Brad Gooch: The Golden Age of Promiscuity

Junot Diaz's stories render the young-immigrant experience in harsh, unforgettable rhythms. Here he discusses the art of telling the truth.

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