In a society that sees whiteness as the default, how do we interpret and interrogate what it means to be white in America? Award-winning poet, playwright, and editor Claudia Rankine discusses the nature of race in America as it relates to our current political climate and America’s racial legacy.

Authors Sloane Crosley and Chuck Klosterman discuss Crosley's latest essay collection Look Alive Out There at the Literary Arts space in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Award-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen reads from his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sympathizer and discusses his experiences growing up as a Vietnamese American refugee in post-war America.

This episode, rebroadcast from March 2018, honors literary legend Philip Roth, who passed away on May 22 at the age of 85. Full of the poignancy and emotional insight that invested and entranced so many readers, this reading gives us a glimpse at the master himself just on the cusp of his major critical and artistic renaissance.

Authors Jenny Han, Sandhya Menon, and Zan Romanoff discuss their work with moderator Brendan Kiely at the 2017 Portland Book Festival.

Michael Ondaatje reads from several of his poems, spanning both decades and continents as he takes us on a meandering journey through his career as poet.

Authors Kaveh Akbar, Melissa Febos, and Megan Stielstra discuss life, trauma, and art with moderator Marisa Siegel, editor-in-chief of The Rumpus, at Wordstock: Portland’s Book Festival 2017.

Acclaimed chef and food writer Ruth Reichl discusses the highlights of her career as a food writer, including how she got her start, her current work, and some of the lessons she has learned along the way. She explains how the many illusions of the fine dining world have taught her a lot about herself.

Students who participated in the 2017 Verselandia! Poetry Slam Competition share their original pieces in front of a live audience.

Students who participated in the 2017 Verselandia! Poetry Slam Competition share their original pieces in front of a live audience.