The Desk Set

We talk with Sarah Gailey, author of Upright Women Wanted. Then, Emily chats with two friends about Tana French's new novel.

Cristina Henríquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans, joins us for a conversation about immigrant experiences, writing a novel with multiple voices to avoid the "single story," research for writing historical fiction, and the National Book Awards judging process.

In this bonus listen, we're sharing a recording of a live event. Emily talked to super librarian Nancy Pearl about her new book, The Writer's Library, what she learned talking to writers about their reading lives, her pandemic reads, and more.

In this bonus listen, we're sharing a recording of a live event. Enjoy a conversation between Terese Marie Mailhot, author of Heart Berries, and writer and educator Sara Ortiz.

We're talking about books about nature and books about journeys. We chat with Nancy Blakey, author of By the Shore, about the benefits of spending time in nature and some of her favorite Pacific Northwest outdoor experiences. Then, we hear from cartoonist, Seattle Public Library employee, and Washington State Book Award finalist Susanna Ryan, author of Seattle Walk Report, about some of her favorite journeys through Seattle and the best way to start your own walking journey.

In this bonus listen, we're sharing a recording of a live event. Enjoy a conversation about political engagement with U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, author of Use the Power You Have. Jayapal was joined in conversation by former Seattle City Councilmember and author of the book Becoming a Citizen Activist, Nick Licata.

In this bonus listen, we're sharing a recording of a live event. Seattle writer Molly Wizenberg joined us for a discussion of her new memoir, The Fixed Stars. Katrina Carrasco, author of The Best Bad Things, moderated the conversation. They discussed queer identity, favorite LGBTQ+ writers, and more.

On this episode of the Desk Set, we're talking about diverse and inclusive romance. If you're working on this year's 10 to Try reading challenge, all the books we mention count as books recommended by KCLS Staff. Adult Services librarian Jennifer Fairchild joins us to talk to bestselling author and romance superstar Jasmine Guillory about her new book, Party of Two. Then we chat about diversity in romance and some of our favorite authors.

This special episode of The Desk Set is a feed drop recording of a live webcast we shared in celebration of Juneteenth. Author Ijeoma Oluo (So You Want to Talk About Race) spoke with her brother Ahamefule Oluo, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, writer, and stand-up comedian. They discussed Black joy, liberation, and creativity.

Visit our blog for show notes, including a transcript:

https://kcls.org/the-desk-set-podcast/

In this mini-episode, we're talking about reading in the new year! We share our personal reading goals, discuss this year's 10 to Try challenge, and talk about 2020 titles we're looking forward to reading.

We also announce that the podcast is going on a hiatus - we'll be back with new episodes this summer. To stay up to date on 10 to Try in the meantime, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, sign up for the newsletter, or visit kcls.org/10toTry.