The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Novelist Lauren Groff on the other Matrix

Listen Later

Vox's Constance Grady talks with novelist Lauren Groff about her latest book, the National Book Award finalist Matrix, before a virtual audience for the Vox Book Club. They discuss the enigmatic historical figure at the center of the novel, the politics of women-led power structures, and the pros and cons of writing a good sex scene.

Host: Constance Grady (@constancegrady), staff writer, Vox

Guests: Lauren Groff (@legroff), author

References: 

  • Matrix by Lauren Groff (2021; Riverhead)
  • "In Lauren Groff's Matrix, medieval nuns build a feminist utopia" by Constance Grady (Oct. 15, 2021; Vox)
  • Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (2016; Riverhead)
  • The Lays of Marie de France (tr. Eugene Mason)
  • Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Saidiya Hartman (2019; Norton)
  • Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin by Jill Lepore (2014; Vintage)
  • Arcadia by Lauren Groff (2012; Voice)


    Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

    Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app.

    Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    This episode was made by: 

    • Producer: Erikk Geannikis
    • Editor: Amy Drozdowska
    • Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
    • Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      The Gray Area with Sean IllingBy Vox
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5

      4.5

      10,606 ratings

      More shows like The Gray Area with Sean Illing

      View all
      Fresh Air by NPR

      Fresh Air

      38,414 Listeners

      The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

      The New Yorker Radio Hour

      6,916 Listeners

      On the Media by WNYC Studios

      On the Media

      9,243 Listeners

      The Political Scene | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

      The Political Scene | The New Yorker

      4,113 Listeners

      Explain It to Me by Vox

      Explain It to Me

      7,886 Listeners

      Switched on Pop by Vulture

      Switched on Pop

      2,676 Listeners

      Pivot by New York Magazine

      Pivot

      9,733 Listeners

      Gastropod by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

      Gastropod

      3,651 Listeners

      Decoder with Nilay Patel by The Verge

      Decoder with Nilay Patel

      3,142 Listeners

      The Daily by The New York Times

      The Daily

      113,272 Listeners

      Good One by Vulture

      Good One

      1,484 Listeners

      Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

      Radio Atlantic

      2,400 Listeners

      Today, Explained by Vox

      Today, Explained

      10,323 Listeners

      Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

      Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

      7,244 Listeners

      Throughline by NPR

      Throughline

      16,507 Listeners

      Land of the Giants by Vulture

      Land of the Giants

      2,164 Listeners

      Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast by MKBHD

      Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

      42 Listeners

      Unlocking Us with Brené Brown by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

      23,564 Listeners

      A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe by Vox Media Podcast Network

      A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe

      737 Listeners

      Hard Fork by The New York Times

      Hard Fork

      5,593 Listeners

      Good Noticings by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Good Noticings

      6,488 Listeners

      The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

      The Ezra Klein Show

      16,489 Listeners

      Unexplainable by Vox

      Unexplainable

      2,304 Listeners

      Cover Story by New York Magazine

      Cover Story

      1,217 Listeners

      The Interview by The New York Times

      The Interview

      1,611 Listeners

      Not Just Football with Cam Heyward by Cam Heyward

      Not Just Football with Cam Heyward

      150 Listeners

      Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF by Vivian Tu

      Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF

      1,791 Listeners

      Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Prof G Markets

      1,473 Listeners

      The Opinions by The New York Times Opinion

      The Opinions

      638 Listeners

      Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird by Sue Bird

      Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird

      434 Listeners

      Solutions with Henry Blodget by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Solutions with Henry Blodget

      35 Listeners