Poet Taylor Byas joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss writing about Chicago, which she does in her Maya Angelou Book Award-winning collection of poetry, I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times. She talks about growing up in the country’s most segregated city, and considers its long traditions of Black, working-class, and ethnic literature, including writers like Nate Marshall, Lorraine Hansberry, Patricia Smith, and Jose Olivarez. She explains how moving away has given her a new perspective on Chicago’s politics, history, crime, and beauty. She reads a poem (“You from “Chiraq”?”) addressing how outsiders view the city, as well as from a crown of sonnets about the South Side.
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/
This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.
Taylor Byas















I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times















Bloodwarm






























Poemhood: Our Black Revival: History, Folklore & the Black Experience: A Young Adult Poetry Anthology (Ed.)

















Others:















Richard Wright















Saul Bellow















Gwendolyn Brooks 






























A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry































The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
















Nelson Algren 















Stuart Dybek






























The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros 
















Nate Marshall 















1919 — Eve L. Ewing















Patricia Smith






























Promises of Gold by Jose Olivarez















Carl Sandburg






























Chi-Raq (film, dir. Spike Lee)
















Gordon Parks















Brandon Johnson
















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S7 Ep. 10: Chicago in Verse: Taylor Byas on Writing About Her Hometown

Hosted by Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan, fiction/non/fiction interprets current events through the lens of literature, and features conversations with writers of all stripes, from novelists and poets to journalists and essayists.

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

News

Authors and organizers Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the concept of solidarity, its reliance on relationship-building, and how it has been expressed in political movements, from recent pro-Palestine activism in the U.S. to the Polish organization Solidarność, a trade union founded in the 1980s. Hunt-Hendrix and Taylor, authors of a new book called Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea, also reflect on how solidarity relates to their own work. Hunt-Hendrix recalls her dissertation on solidarity, and Taylor discusses her role as a founder of the Debt Collective, a union of debtors. They interrogate two kinds of solidarity, transformative and reactionary, as they exist across the political spectrum, and read from Solidarity. 
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Llewyn Crum.

Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor 


Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea by Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor



Capitalism Cries: Class Struggles in South Africa and the World by Leah Hunt-Hendrix, William K. Carroll, Vishwas Satgar



The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart by Astra Taylor 



Others:


The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee



There’s Going To Be Trouble by Jen Silverman



The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, a Study in Religious Sociology by Emile Durkheim


Fiction/Non/Fiction: Season 7, Episode 29, “Jen Silverman on Generational Divides in American Politics”


“Zibby Owens withdraws sponsorship for the National Book Awards over its ‘pro-Palestinian agenda,’” by Dan Sheehan | LitHub

Solidarność


“The Triumph and Tragedy of Poland’s Solidarity Movement,” by David Ost | Jacobin | August 24, 2020

A Land for All

Standing Together

Emory is Everywhere (via Twitter)
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S7 Ep. 31: Come Together: Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor on Solidarity, Change, and Our Interconnected World

Author and journalist Tracie McMillan joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the concept of the “white bonus” and how systemic bias generates white wealth not only in daily life but across generations. She references racial covenants, incarceration rates, and housing codes that continue to impact families, Black and white, to this day. She comments on the challenges of writing about her own experiences while also working as a journalist, and reads an excerpt from her new book, The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America.
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/
This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Charlie Sheckells.
Tracie McMillan

The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America

The American Way of Eating

City Limits


Others:

Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva 

"The Man Who Made the Suburbs White," by Mark Dent | Slate

The King of Kings County by Whitney Terrell

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

Heavy by Kiese Layman

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1, Episode 24, Part I: “Jess Row and Timothy Yu on Whiteness and Writing About Race”

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1, Episode 24, Part II: “Jess Row and Timothy Yu on Learning From Writers Who Write About Race”

“What’s Your Bonus” | Thewhitebonus.com


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S7 Ep. 30: Cashing in on the White Bonus: Tracie McMillan on Privilege, Generational Wealth, and the Myth of Colorblindness

As the presidential election heats up and President Joe Biden struggles to keep young voters’ support, novelist Jen Silverman joins co-host V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss generational divides in U.S. politics. Silverman, whose new book, There’s Going to Be Trouble, follows the political and sexual awakenings of a father and daughter in different eras, talks about how young people’s involvement in politics now compares to previous generations’ engagement. They address the question of whether today’s 20-something voters are more likely to protest than vote, consider how social media and technology relate to in-person conversations and activism, and reflect on the need to name and engage with the failures of earlier generations. Silverman also explains why they chose to write about anti-Vietnam War protests at Harvard in 1968 and the gilet jaunes (Yellow Vest) protests in Paris fifty years later, and reads an excerpt from There’s Going to Be Trouble. 
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/
This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Alijah Smith.
Jen Silverman

There’s Going to Be Trouble

We Play Ourselves

The Island Dwellers

Bath

The Moors


Others:

Family Ties (television sitcom)

Changing Partisan Coalitions in a Politically Divided Nation | Pew Research Center

“Who Are France's Yellow Vest Protesters, And What Do They Want?” by Jake Cigainero | NPR, December 3, 2018.


“The Generational Rift that Explains Democrats’ Angst over Israel” by Steven Shepard and Kelly Garrity | Politico, October 12, 2023

“Less than Half of Young Americans Plan to Vote in 2024, Harvard Poll Finds” by Joseph Konig | Spectrum News

“Young Voters are Unenthusiastic about Biden, but He Will Need Them in 2024” by Dan Balz | The Washington Post

“Climate Activists Target Jets, Yachts and Golf in a String of Global Protests Against Luxury” by David Brunat | AP News

“The Weapons French police use During Protests” by Jean-Philippe Lefief and Marie Pouzadoux | Le Monde, April 6, 2023

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7, Episode 24: “Emily Raboteau on Mothering and Climate Change”

The Diary of Virginia Woolf, Volume 5 by Virginia Woolf


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S7 Ep. 29: There’s Going to Be Trouble: Jen Silverman on Generational Divides in American Politics

In the wake of the news that Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has cancer, author S.L. (Sandi) Wisenberg joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the control that public—and private—figures should have over the disclosure of their diagnoses. Wisenberg, who survived breast cancer, and Terrell, who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, name books they have read that have helped them discover humor in their journey from testing to treatment, and reflect on the challenging nuances of what it means to have cancer. They talk about how and when they decided to tell their loved ones, friends, and students about their condition. Wisenberg reads from her 2009 book The Adventures of Cancer Bitch, which will be reissued in paperback in October.
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/
This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Jasmine Shackleford.
S.L. (Sandi) Wisenberg

The Adventures of Cancer Bitch

The Sweetheart Is In

Holocaust Girls

The Wandering Womb


Others:


“Princess of Wales Apologizes, Saying She Edited Image,” by Mark Landler and Lauren Leatherby | The New York Times



Kate Middleton announces her cancer diagnosis | NBC News 



Time on Fire: My Comedy of Terrors by Evan Handler


Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics by Miriam Engelberg


Memoir of a Debulked Woman by Susan Gubar


Our Cancer Year by Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner


The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde


Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book by Susan Love

Señor Wences

American Splendor


Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje 

Dick York

Nora Ephron

Carl Bernstein


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S7 Ep. 28: How We Talk About Cancer: S.L. Wisenberg on Kate Middleton and the Language of the Big C

In anticipation of the total solar eclipse forecast for April 8, author and journalist David Baron joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his award-winning book, American Eclipse, which chronicles the remarkable solar eclipse of 1878. Baron, a self-proclaimed umbraphile, or eclipse chaser, explains why he chose to write about the Wild West-era event, which darkened skies from Montana to Texas. He also talks about what has driven him to see eight total solar eclipses across the globe. As the upcoming eclipse is forecast to affect a sizable swath of the U.S.—the last time this will happen until 2045—he reflects on why these rare occurrences captivate humanity and discusses how their lore has influenced famous writers, including Mark Twain and Emily Dickinson. He reads from American Eclipse.To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Amanda Trout.David BaronAmerican Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the WorldBeast In The Garden: The True Story Of A Predator’s Deadly Return To Suburban AmericaTED Talk: "You owe it to yourself to experience a solar eclipse"Others:"It Sounded as if the Streets Were Running" by Emily DickinsonKing Lear by William Shakespeare The Eclipse by James Fenimore Cooper"Battle of the Eclipse in the Lydian and Median War of Ancient Greece" | GreekBoston.com A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark TwainTeaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters by Annie DillardSuperman IV: The Quest for PeaceLog Your Eclipse | Eclipse-Chasers.com“Eclipse Literature” by Lara Dodds | Northwestern UniversityThe Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and the Moon
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S7 Ep. 10: Chicago in Verse: Taylor Byas on Writing About Her Hometown

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