The Downtown Writers Jam

Author, archaeologist, and retired National Geographic writer Ann R. Williams stopped by the Bunker to talk with Brad about her latest book, Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs, a beautiful book that explores one-hundred of the most important—and fascinating—archeological finds. In this episode, Brad just sat back and let Ann tell some of the riveting stories you'll find in the book. And, she and Brad discussed how closely connected we are to human history, no matter how far back it stretches.

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Author, TV producer, and Egyptologist Dr. Kara Cooney stopped by the Bunker this week to talk about her latest book, The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World. She and Brad had a fascinating, fun, and funny discussion about her current work researching more than 300 coffins from the ancient world. Along the way, they pulled in feminist and cultural critiques of history as well as the importance of drawing lines from the past to present. Plus, a whole lot about how difficult it is to find your voice when you exist outside the dominant paradigm.

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Author and friend of the program Louise Fein is back to talk about her sophomore book, The Hidden Child, which is climbing the best-seller charts! Like her debut, People Like Us (Daughter of the Reich in North America), Louise taps her family's history and weaves it through the late twenties and early thirties in England—with some American flavor. Plus, she and Brad talked about the creative ways she's done research during the pandemic: lots of books and Zoom calls!

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Renowned economist, politician, and author Yanis Varoufakis stopped by the Bunker to talk about his latest book, Another Now, which is an alternate history in which our world developed into a post-capitalist world after the economic crash in 2008. Yanis shared the story of how he was politicized early after the Greek civil war and his father's imprisonment, and how that helped shape his economic vision that led him to become an accidental politician (he led the bailout talks between Greece and the European Union) and a best selling author.

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Playwright Laura Zlatos stopped by the Bunker to talk about her writing journey and her latest play, The Empress of Jupiter, which debuts in December at the New Perspectives Theatre Group. A fascinating writer with a laser-sharp sense of voice, she and Brad talked about finding your way into an idea and a story. But they also talked about Pittsburgh BBQ (Walter's is the best) and her interesting (and amazing) exposure to writing early in her education, and their shared dislike of being on stage (also developed early).

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Author Robert McCaw stopped by the Bunker to talk about the latest in his Koa Kane mystery series, Treachery Times Two. But Robert has led a fascinating life, traveling all over the world first with his military family and later as a U.S. Army lieutenant. He eventually went to law school, became a lawyer, and settled in Hawaii, where he immersed himself in the culture for twenty years. And he took Brad on a brief—but fascinating—dive into the history and politics of Hawaii.

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Author Teresa K. Miller stopped by the bunker to talk about her memoir reflection in poetry, Borderline Fortune. She and Brad talked about the impact of family trauma, healing and therapy, the power of storytelling, and how we think about interacting with the world around us. And, those conversations were grounded in the very real nature of interacting with people, our neighbors, and those with whom we disagree.

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Introverts: buckle up! Author Nadine Matheson stopped by the Bunker to talk about her debut novel, The Jigsaw Man. But she and Brad got right down to it, discussing the existential melancholy of getting older, pushing their way in to places where others didn't want them, and telling stories all the way. They talked so much, in fact, that Nadine's earbuds ran out of charge! (There may need to be a Part II someday soon.)

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Sometimes Brad has a guest on for personal reasons. Like this week. Author Robbie Bach stops by the Bunker to talk about his debut thriller, The Wilkes Insurrection. However, Brad knew Robbie when he was in charge of developing the Xbox and Brad was writing at Wired. So, they talked about how storytelling in games, cinematic stories, and marketing helped teach him how to write a novel.

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Author Samantha Specks has one of the most interesting origin stories: A clinical social worker, she hadn't planned on becoming a writer. But she had a story in her that she couldn't shake, and that became her debut novel, Dovetails in Tall Grass. She and Brad talked about the work it takes to write historical fiction when your story involves cultures and experiences outside of your own, and how her training as a social worker helped her along the way!

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