The Downtown Writers Jam

Brad came across author Leah Hampton on Twitter, and he was immediately sold for two reasons: She had Appalachia in her bio and her book is called Fuckface and Other Stories. The rest was just logistics. Before they delved into those two juicy topics, the conversation took some turns through Hungary, Eastern Europe, and the struggles of community college. Trust us, it all fits together. More or less.

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Author Gian Sardar stopped by the Bunker to talk about her second novel, Take What You Can Carry, which is a fictionalized version of her mother and father's trip back to northern Iran for a Kurdish wedding. Fortunately, thier crazy dogs didn't make an appearance as they discussed what happens when you're writing a book about your family.

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Peter Quinn stopped by the Bunker to talk about the re-release of his 1995 American Book Award-winning novel Banished Children of Eve: A Novel of Civil War New York. But his story runs so much deeper. His family has been in New York for two hundred years. And much of his work–whether fiction or non-fiction—has chronicled the ever-changing landscape there. This is a conversation you do not want to miss!

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Kim Catanzarite stopped by the Bunker to talk about her novel, They Will Be Coming For Us. Kim is also an editor, working with Writer’s Digest Books, and she teaches copyediting at Writer’s Digest University. And, she’s a self-publishing advocate, which is one of our passions here at the Jam!

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Author Margo Orlando Littell stopped by the Bunker to talk about her latest book, The Distance from Four Points, which is set in Northern Appalachia. Not only that, Margo just moved back to Pittsburgh, making her the ideal Jam guest. She and Brad sat down to discuss her life growing up in Pennsylvania, finding her way into graduate school, publishing her first book Each Vagabond by Name, traveling, and eventually finding her way back to Appalachia.

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Hannah Mary McKinnon stopped by the Bunker to talk about her latest book, Look What You Made Me Do. But Hannah is a more than just a writer. She’s a true literary citizen, and so she and Brad also talked about how she accidentally started the First Chapter Fun literary community, where she and her partner read the first chapter from books that are about to his the shelves.

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Nikki Smith’s book All in Her Head was one of Brad’s favorite psychological thrillers from 2020. And now, Nikki is back with her follow up, Look What You Made Me Do. She stopped by the Bunker to talk about pandemic publishing, writing thrillers, and escape that writing gave her. And, don't forget to check out our first interview with Nikki on Episode 72.

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This week in the Bunker, author and poet Sarah Elaine Smith stops by to talk about her debut novel, Marilou Is Everywhere, "a coming-of-age tale that reveals itself as a parable about race in America." But she and Brad also talked about growing up in the country, the joys of "home ownership," hiking, nature, and snakes. You should probably know, the two of them had a LOT of thoughts about Appalachia. A lot.

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Sometimes, we interview authors because of their book title. This is one of those times! Stop by the Bunker to listen to Brad interview Phil Bowne, whose book Cows Can't Jump is out now. Phil is hilarious (obviously. Plus, we’re here to support first-time authors, particularly award winning ones! And his novel won’t the SPOTLIGHT FIRST NOVEL prize this year!

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Anytime a third wave, GenX feminist writer stops by the Bunker, we know it's going to be a good day. And author Kathleen Rooney did not disappoint. While Kathleen stopped by the program to talk about her latest book, Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, she and Brad took a deep dive into politics, feminism, generational labels, Oprah's book club, the great outdoors, and the joys of running a publishing press!

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