New York Times book critics Jennifer Szalai and Alexandra Jacobs join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss their recent article, “Love Jack Kerouac? Read These Great American Road Trip Books Next,” which they co-authored with their fellow critic Dwight Garner, and which includes books published after Kerouac's On the Road. They talk about road trips as escapism, claustrophobia, exploration, and nostalgia, and reflect on their picks, including Hilma Wolitzer’s 1980 novel Hearts, Gypsy Rose Lee’s 1957 eponymous memoir, Michael Paterniti’s 2000 non-fiction book Driving Mr. Albert, and Jesmyn Ward’s 2017 novel Sing, Unburied, Sing. Szalai and Jacobs talk about developing an expansive conception of what qualifies as a road trip book, leaving Lolita out, and favorite road trip music and games. They read from the article. 

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 podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, and Moss Terrell.

Jennifer Szalai and Alexandra Jacobs

"Love Jack Kerouac? Read These Great American Road Trip Books Next." by Dwight Garner, Alexandra Jacobs, and Jennifer Szalai - The New York Times 

Others:

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Hearts by Hilma Wolitzer

Gypsy by Gypsy Rose Lee

Driving Mr. Albert by Michael Paterniti

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Tigerlily by Natalie Merchant

The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor

Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch by Alexandra Jacobs

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Biographer Nicholas Boggs joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his groundbreaking new book, Baldwin: A Love Story, the first major biography of James Baldwin to be published in three decades. Boggs recalls how finding Baldwin’s only children’s book in a Yale library as a college student led him to track down the volume’s illustrator, the French artist Yoran Cazac, Baldwin’s last great love. He talks about interviewing people who had never previously spoken about their relationships with the iconic author, including Cazac, whom at least one previous biographer had wrongly guessed was deceased. Boggs reflects on the importance of considering Blackness, queerness, and chosen family as central to Baldwin’s life and art. He discusses Baldwin’s youth in Harlem, his years in Europe and Istanbul, and his relationships with the painters Beauford Delaney and Lucien Happersberger, the actor Engin Cezzar, and Cazac, as well as many others. Boggs considers how Baldwin’s deepest friendships and romances influenced his life and work, including Another Country, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Notes of a Native Son, and Giovanni’s Room. He reads from the book.

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 podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, and Moss Terrell.

⁠Nicholas Boggs⁠

⁠Baldwin: A Love Story⁠

⁠Little Man, Little Man (ed.)⁠

⁠“They Will Try to Kill You”: James Baldwin’s Fraught Hollywood Journey | Vanity Fair⁠

⁠James Baldwin’s Love Stories | Vogue⁠ 

⁠James Baldwin⁠

⁠"Open Letter to the Born Again" | The Nation⁠

“⁠If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?⁠” | The New York Times

⁠Giovanni’s Room⁠

⁠Another Country ⁠

⁠Notes of a Native Son⁠

⁠Go Tell It on the Mountain⁠

⁠Everybody’s Protest Novel⁠

Others:

⁠James Baldwin′s Turkish Decade by Magdalena J. Zaborowska⁠ 

⁠James Baldwin: A Biography by David Leeming

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Journalist Will Bardenwerper joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his new book, Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America, which explores the consequences of Major League Baseball cutting 40 affiliated minor league teams, each one only as expensive as an average Major League salary. He explains how the accessibility and affordability of minor league baseball has made it a unique gathering point for working-class communities like the one in Batavia, New York, where Bardenwerper followed the local team, the Muckdogs, for a season. He celebrates the traditions and resilience of the Muckdogs fans and owners, who revived the team after it was eliminated as a minor league franchise. He also reads from Homestand. 

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 podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, and Moss Terrell.

Will Bardenwerper

Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America

“Minor Threat: MLB puts the farm system out to pasture” by Will Bardenwerper |Harper’s Magazine

The Prisoner In His Palace: Saddam Hussein, His American Guards, and What History Leaves Unsaid

Others:

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 3, Episode 4: Wild Ecologies: So Go the Salmon, So Goes the World: Tucker Malarkey, Will Bardenwerper, and Stan Brewer In Conversation

Moneyball by Michael Lewis

Field of Dreams (1989)

Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella

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Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss her support of Higher Ground, a long-term residence for women recovering from addiction. Kingsolver talks about Lee County, Virginia, which is both Higher Ground’s location and the setting for her wildly successful novel Demon Copperhead, which transforms Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield into a story of the opioid epidemic in Appalachia. Kingsolver explains how she came to use profits from the novel to found Higher Ground, as well as the local partnerships and conversations that made the project possible. She also reflects on Purdue Pharma’s exploitation of Appalachia; her views on ethical philanthropy; her worries about what the Big, Beautiful Bill will do to rural America; and her opinions on Vice President J.D. Vance’s authenticity. She considers how she developed the voices of her novel’s characters, and reads from Demon Copperhead.

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 podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, Hunter Murray, Janet Reed, and Moss Terrell.

Barbara Kingsolver

Demon Copperhead

Higher Ground Women's Recovery Residence

Unsheltered

Flight Behavior

The Lacuna

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

The Poisonwood Bible

Pigs in Heaven

Others:

"‘I’ve dealt with anti-hillbilly bigotry all my life’: Barbara Kingsolver on JD Vance, the real Appalachia and why Demon Copperhead was such a hit" |The Guardian  

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

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Vanity Fair journalist Dan Adler joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his coverage of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of facilitating Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of minors. Adler explains how Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence and was just interviewed by the Department of Justice, has recently emerged as a key figure in unlocking the puzzle of Epstein’s broader network. He recalls covering Maxwell’s trial in 2021 and analyzes her social circle, British background, and supporters, as well as the timeline and nature of her involvement with Epstein. He talks about her creation of a book celebrating Epstein’s birthday, a volume that reportedly includes a suggestive note from President Trump. He also reflects on Trump’s base’s intensifying interest in the rumored existence of the “Epstein files.” Adler reads from his recent Vanity Fair article, “How Ghislaine Maxwell Is Riding the New Jeffrey Epstein Wave.” 

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 podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, Hunter Murray, Janet Reed, and Moss Terrell.

Dan Adler

How Ghislaine Maxwell Is Riding the New Jeffrey Epstein Wave | Vanity Fair

Others:

Trump’s Name Is on Contributor List for Epstein Birthday Book - The New York Times

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Acclaimed novelist Gary Shteyngart joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his new novel, Vera, or Faith, which explores American identity, politics, and immigrant experiences in the near future through the eyes of the eponymous 10-year-old protagonist. Shteyngart talks about the novel’s speculative “Five-Three” amendment, a proposal to give those who can trace their ancestry back to the American Revolution five-thirds of a vote, as long as their ancestors “were exceptional enough not to arrive in chains.” He reflects on how this echoes current rhetoric surrounding nationalism and exclusion. Shteyngart unpacks a scene in his novel featuring a “March of the Hated,” in which the Five-Three amendment, like the Trump administration, attracts both the privileged and those who will suffer under the policy. Shteyngart and the hosts examine the role of elite education, AI, and childhood in shaping Vera’s understanding of the world. He reads from Vera, or Faith.

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 podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, Hunter Murray, Janet Reed, and Moss Terrell.

Gary Shteyngart

Vera, or Faith

Our Country Friends

Lake Success

Little Failure: A Memoir

Super Sad True Love Story

Absurdistan

The Russian Debutante’s Handbook

Others:

“Tech billionaire Trump adviser Marc Andreessen says universities will ‘pay the price’ for DEI” | The Washington Post 

Choice by Neel Mukherjee

“The Little Man At Chehaw Station” by Ralph Ellison

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Pulitzer Prize finalist Ed Park joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his debut short story collection, An Oral History of Atlantis. Park talks about writing the stories in the book over a period of about 25 years, during which he was frequently asked to read in New York and crafted work for specific venues, audiences, and events. He explains how this led to a wide-ranging and ultimately linked set of pieces in a variety of first-person voices. He considers why the short story form invites him to a greater degree of experimentation, to lean more heavily on humor, and to draft more quickly even as he took longer to assemble the whole volume. Park reads from “The Gift,” one of the stories in the collection.

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.

Ed Park

An Oral History of Atlantis

Same Bed Different Dreams

Personal Days

Weird Menace

Others:

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7, Episode 17: Ed Park on Korea’s Past, Real and Imagined

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño 

Seven Men by Max Beerbohm

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Writer Raina Lipsitz joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss Zohran Mamdani’s surprise win in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. Lipsitz explains how Mamdani, a 33-year-old Muslim politician supported by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), appealed to a wide swath of voters to upset three-term governor Andrew Cuomo. She talks about volunteering for Mamdani’s campaign, the racist and Islamophobic attacks he faces, his advocacy for Palestine and for immigrants, and the powerful response he got from 18- to 29-year-old voters, as well as many people who voted for President Trump. Lipsitz considers the DSA’s rapid growth on college campuses as progressives seek to build community, and reads from her book The Rise of a New Left: How Young Radicals Are Shaping the Future of American Politics.  

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 podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, Hunter Murray, and Janet Reed.

Selected Readings:

Raina Lipsitz

The Rise of a New Left: How Young Radicals Are Shaping the Future of American Politics

“The Little Super PAC That Could (Stop Andrew Cuomo)” | The New Republic 

"Sheriffs Already Have Too Much Power. Who Will Stop Them Now?" | In These Times 

“Media Obscure Message of Oscar-Winning Documentary No Other Land” | FAIR

"Lefty Groups Making It Possible for Families to Do Politics" - The Nation 

Others

“Republican Tells Zohran Mamdani: 'Go Back to the Third World'” - Newsweek

“Mamdani: ‘So many of our victories’ were in Trump neighborhoods” - The Hill

"Trump Ramps Up Threats to Arrest Mamdani" - New York Magazine

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Prize-winning Iranian American author Dina Nayeri joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss the complicated reality of survival on the ground during Israel’s recent bombing of Iran. Nayeri talks about the destruction leveled on Ardestoon, where her father’s family lives; her memories of running for bomb shelters during the Iran-Iraq war; and the current situation for her family in Iran. Nayeri explains how desperately Iranians on the ground want the Islamic State overthrown and the complexities involved in who would take charge should the regime topple.  Nayeri considers the gap between the mainstream media narrative of Iran as a devout Muslim nation and recent surveys indicating rising secularism in the country. She reflects on forty-plus years of the Islamic State in power—a small slice of Iran’s history, but a phase that has irreparably disrupted both the lives of those who left and those who stayed behind.  

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 podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, Hunter Murray, and Janet Reed.

Selected Readings:

Dina Nayeri

Who Gets Believed?: When the Truth Isn’t Enough

The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You

Refuge

A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea

"Why Is Iran's Secular Shift So Hard to Believe?" New York Magazine 

"The True Nature of Iranian Values:  Rethinking a Country The West Thought It Understood" - The Globe and Mail

Others

Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6, Episode 27: Manufacturing Lies: Dina Nayeri on How Our Cultural and Bureaucratic Norms Often Betray the Truth

Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 6, Episode 4: Women Resisting Terror in Iran: Porochista Khakpour on the Historic Protests

Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 1, Episode 23: Jasmin Darznik and Dina Nayeri on the 40th Anniversary of the Iranian Revolution

“Opinion | Between Bombs and the Regime, Iranians Face a Moral Paralysis,”  The New York Times 

The Daily Show - Iran: Weeks away from having nuclear weapons since 1995

"Visualizing 12 Days of the Israel-Iran Conflict" Al-Jazeera

“Iran Crackdown Deepens with Speedy Executions and Arrests,” ABC News

"Iran's 'Crown Prince' Calls for Supreme Leader to 'Face Justice,'" - USA Today

"Mapping the Israel-Iran Conflict," - The New York Times

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New York Times reporter Ernesto Londoño joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the recent murder of Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman, which has made headlines as local politicians in the U.S. are rarely targeted for assassination. Londoño describes how a gunman posing as law enforcement went to the homes of several state politicians, killing Hortman and her husband Mark and gravely injuring Democratic state senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Londoño recounts how the No Kings Rally at the Minnesota capitol later that day honored the crime’s victims in addition to protesting President Trump. Londoño details the alleged attacker’s background and debunks conspiracy theories about possible motives. Comparing the current circumstances to his own childhood in Colombia, where political attacks on the local level were common, Londoño discusses how Trump “redrew the rules of acceptable political discourse,” and how increasing violence against lawmakers may impact who is willing to serve.

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 podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, Hunter Murray, and Janet Reed.

Selected Readings:

Ernesto Londoño

Suspect in Minnesota Attacks Was a Doomsday Prepper, Investigator Says 

Scenes From a Vigil for Victims of the Minnesota Shooting

What We Know About How the Minnesota Assassination Case May Unfold

Melissa Hortman, Minnesota Lawmaker Killed in Shooting, Is Remembered by Colleagues

Trippy: The Peril and Promise of Medicinal Psychedelics 

Others

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