Dear Literature

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa geek out about works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

Note: There are some minor audio issues in this episode. Thank you for listening, and May the Fourth be with you. 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod

Media Mentioned:

“For Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, The Story of the Universe is Also the Story of Blackness” by Aricka Foreman (Electric Literature)

“Finding from Particle Research Could Rewrite Known Laws of Physics” by Dennis Overbye (The New York Times)

“Is It Worth Reading If I Forget Everything I Read?” by Danika Ellis (Book Riot)

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, trans. Ken Liu (Tor)

CN: Murder, suicide, violence, state-sanctioned violence, torture

Exhalation by Ted Chiang (Knopf)

The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab (Titan)

CN: Kidnapping and violence (involving children), attempted murder, imprisonment

Heaven’s Vault (Inkle)

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey)

CN: Murder, death, suicide, violence (including gun and domestic), rape, sexual assault, incest, infanticide, cannibalism, body horror, racism (anti-Latine/Indigenous, generally white supremacist), colorism, kidnapping/confinement, alcohol use, drug use (mushrooms, cigarettes), miscarriage, abuse, sexual content

The Diviners by Libba Bray (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

CN: Murder, violence, body horror/gore, racism (anti-Black, anti-semitic, as well as general white supremacy), domestic abuse, rape, alcohol use, drug use (cigarettes), abortion

The End of the World with Josh Clark (iHeartRadio)

“On the Behavioral Economy of the Book World” by Robert Frank (Literary Hub)

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa discuss Wound from the Mouth of a Wound by torrin a. greathouse (Milkweed Editions).

CN: Rape, child abuse, ableism, transphobia, addiction (alcoholism), homophobic slurs, restricted eating (brief), violence

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod

Media Mentioned:

“The Prairie Wife” by Curtis Sittenfield (The New Yorker)

“A For Alone” by Curtis Sittenfield (The New Yorker)

“How a Pandemic Puppy Save My Grieving Family” by Nicole Chung (Time)

CN: Death

Light in August by William Faulkner

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz

"torrin a. greathouse vs. The Truth" The VS Podcast

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

Sonnets by Bernadette Mayer

Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia (Knopf)

CN: State-sanctioned violence, (attempted) suicide/homicide, (child) abuse, rape, sexual assault, sexual content, drug/alcohol use (might be missing some)

“How Science Journalist Ed Yong Helps Readers Make Sense of the World” by Nicole Chung (Catapult)

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa discuss some of their favorite poetry collections.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod

Media Mentioned:

“Teen Writers Deserve Better Than the Teen Writing Scene” by Amanda Silberling (Electric Literature)

“Why Do I Write in My Colonizers’ Language?” by Anandi Mishra (Electric Literature)

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang, performed by Emily Woo Zeller (HarperCollins Audio)

CN: Violence (wartime & against women), rape, drug & alcohol use, drug addiction (opium), & cannibalism

“Visible Invisibility: The Ghostly Nature of Queer-Reading” by Miachel Elias (Catapult Magazine)

A Cruelty Special to Our Species: Poems by Emily Jungmin Yoon (HarperCollins)

CN: Violence (wartime & against women), state-sanctioned violence, & rape

A House Made of Water by Michelle Lin (Sibling Rivalry Press)

American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes (Penguin Poets)

CN: Racism (anti-Black), slavery, police brutality, sexual content

Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson (Vintage)

CN: Sexual abuse, drug/alcohol use, violence, sexual content

Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar (Alice James Books)

CN: Alcohol addiction

Homie by Danez Smith (Graywolf Press)

i shimmer sometimes, too by Porsha Olayiwola (Button Poetry)

Soft Science by Franny Choi (Alice James Books)

Trickster Feminism by Anne Waldman (Penguin Poets)

CN: Colonialism, racism, state-sanctioned violence, violence against women

When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Díaz (Copper Canyon Press)

CN: State-sanctioned violence, racism (anti-Indigenous), addiction, terrorism, sexual content

“How the Pandemic Changed the Way We Read” by Joumana Khatib (The New York Times)

“Your Book Might Not Sell, and You Have to Live with That” by Abigail Rasminsky (Electric Literature)

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa discuss... well, you'll have to listen to find out.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod

Vanessa and Alyssa deep dive into some old favorites from the past decade to discuss publishing tropes & trends.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod

“Alycia Pascual-Peña on How She Was a Natural Fit for ‘Radical Revolutionary’ Character in ‘Moxie’” by Kiko Martinez

“Angie Thomas Drops Agent Amid Controversy” by Amy Reiter

“Lit Agent Brooks Sherman Leaves Agency, Dropped by Authors” By Claire Kirch

Record of a Spaceborn Few (Wayfarer #3) by Becky Chambers, performed by Rachel Dulude

39 Clues series

Pendragon by D.J. MacHale

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Nicholas Flamel and the Secrets of Immortal, Michael Scott

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Divergent by Veronica Roth

The Immortal Instruments, Cassandra Clare

Grishaverse, Leigh Bardugo

Simonverse, Becky Albertalli

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

Ace of Spades by Àbíké-Íyímídé

The Brown Sisters trilogy, Talia Hibbert

World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

“What Nourishes Your Writing Ecosystem?” by Jamie Figueroa

“When It Comes to Inclusivity in Publishing, Editors Also Play a Role” by Jennifer Baker

Vanessa and Alyssa get excited about the natural world with Aimee Nezhukumatathil's World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod

Media Mentioned:

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Milkweed Editions)

Animal’s People by Indra Sinha (Simon & Schuster)

CN: Disaster, terrorism, violence, discussions of death and illness 

A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarer #2) by Becky Chambers, performed by Rachel Dulude (HarperCollins / Tantor Media)

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Henry Holt & Company)

CN: War, death, violence

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Henry Holt & Company)

CN: Murder, sex trafficking, rape/sexual assault, violence, drug / alcohol use, graphic depictions of dead bodies

The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) by R.F. Kuang, performed by Emily Woo Zeller (HarperCollins)

CN: Drug & alcohol use, drug addiction, violence (wartime & state-sanctioned), rape/sexual assault, execution, graphic depictions of dead bodies

The VS podcast

"Penguin, Depressed"

CN: Discussion of depression

And the Earth Did Not Devour Him by Tomás Rivera (Arte Publico Press)

CN: Racism (anti-Mexican), murder, death, war, exploitation, violence against women, sexual content

“The Secret Society About Pug Dogs That Was Brought Down by a Book” by Julia Métraux (Electric Literature)

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa recommend books to one another based on what genres they want to read more of.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod

Media Mentioned:

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh

CN: Violence, state-sanctioned violence, sex trafficking, drug & alcohol use

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

CN: Graphic rape/sexual assault of a minor, murder, violence, drug & alcohol use by minors

“Six Authors Demystify Publishing with a Small Indie Press” edited by Nina Boutsikaris and Jessica Gross

Hysteria by Jessica Gross

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

CN: Fantasy violence

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

CN: Alcohol use, sexual situations, state-sanctioned violence & torture

Invisible Planets & Broken Stars translated by Ken Liu

Collected Novellas by Gabriel García Márquez

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

CN: Alcohol use & sexual situations

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht

The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Hood by Alison Kinney

CN: Extensive descriptions of state-sanctioned violence & torture, military violence & torture, police violence, anti-Black racism, Islamophobia

Sadie by Courtney Summers

CN: Child abuse, sexual assault of minors, drug & alcohol use

Obit by Victoria Chang

“Humans Are Not the Virus—Don’t Be An Eco-Fascist” by Sherronda J. Brown

“Saving the Songs of South Korea’s Female Divers” by Hahna Yoon

"Emily Jungmin Yoon vs. Femininity" VS

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa discuss K-Ming Chang's debut novel, Bestiary.

Music by Ben Sulzinsky

Media Mentioned:

Bestiary by K-Ming Chang (One World)

CN: Child abuse, miscarriage

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt and Company)

CN: Genocide, death, violence, colorism

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers)

CN: Discussion of rape, drug / alcohol use

“Allegations of Wage Theft, Discrimination at Small Press Distribution” by Alex Green (Publishers Weekly)

The Memory Trees by Kali Wallace (Katherine Tegen Books)

CN: Death, child homicide, violence, drug / alcohol abuse, suicidal thoughts and actions

We Were All Someone Else Yesterday by Omar Holmon (Button Poetry)

Other References:

Asian American Writers' Workshop

Kundiman

Franny Choi

In this episode, Vanessa and Alyssa get hyped for books releasing in the first half of the year.

Music by Ben Sulzinsky

Instagram: @dearlitpod

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod

Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

Almost Home by Madisen Kuhn

CN: Child abuse

“2020 In the Book Biz Was a Year Unlike Any Other” by Jim Milliot & Ed Nawotka

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht

White Feminism by Koa Beck

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap

If This Is the Age We End Discovery by Rosebud Ben-Oni

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

Subdivision by J. Robert Lennon

Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi

Our Work is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance by Syan Rose

Last Days by Tamiko Beyer

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart

Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner

White Magic by Elissa Washuta

CN: Abuse, addiction, trauma

A Complex Sentence by Marjorie Welish

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw

Welcome to Nightvale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung

CN: Child abuse

In this episode, Vanessa and Alyssa review their 2020 in books and writing.

Music by Ben Sulzinsky

Instagram: @dearlitpod | @sea_of_sirens (Vanessa)

Vanessa's Shop: https://seaofsirens.bigcartel.com/

Books Mentioned:

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (Penguin Classics)

The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach (Wednesday Books)

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (St. Martin’s Griffin)

Lais of Marie de France by Marie de France

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (One World)

The Voyage of the Sable Venus by Robin Coste Lewis (Knopf)

We Slept Here by Sierra Demulder (Button Poetry)

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (Flatiron Books)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Tor Books)

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson (HarperCollins)

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf Press)

Three Dark Crowns by Kendara Blake (Quill Tree Books)

Exhalation by Ted Chiang (Knopf)

Lovely War by Julie Berry (Viking Books for Young Readers)

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray, read by January LaVoy (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Kona Winds by Scott Kikkawa (Bamboo Ridge Press)

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen (Beacon Press)

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson (W. W. Norton Company)

Vicious & Vengeful by V.E. Schwab (Tor Books)

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (Flatiron Books)

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf Press)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Tor Books)

The Diviners series by Libba Bray (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin (Beacon Press)

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon (Akashic Books)

Other Notes:

BookCon + Book Expo closing

Cons: YALL FEST, YALL WEST, NTTBF, Miami