The Downtown Writers Jam

Author Ed Davis stopped by the Bunker South (aka, our Birmingham studio) to talk about his latest book, The Last Professional. But he and Brad had so much more than just the book to discuss. They talked about Skywalker Ranch and George Lucas, jumping trains, the joy of traveling, a love of working with their hands (even if Brad is terrible at that), and how writing became a way to both chronicle and make sense of living life outside the box.

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Author, journalist, and mariner Jessica DuLong stopped by the Bunker to talk about one of the most fascinating books we've read here at the Jam. Her book, Saved at the Seawall, chronicles the 800 civil mariners who helped rescue more than 400,000 from New York City on 9/11. Brad and Jessica took a deep dive into the life of the civil mariners who work with the Coast Guard all across the country and the strength of resolve people show in times of great tragedy. 

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Author Lee Matthew Goldberg stopped the Bunker to talk about his latest novel, Stalker Stalked. Lee, who came on the Jam last year (Episode 74), has been cranking out books and scripts through the pandemic. He and Brad talked about finding your place in the literary world, and maybe more importantly, how you can structure your work so that watching reality television becomes part of your research. It's always a good time when Lee stops by!

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Author Jan Beatty stopped by the Bunker to talk about her award-winning memoir, American Bastard. If you follow the show, you know that title alone was going to Brad interested. But, the two writers took a really deep dive into some difficult subjects: adoption, addiction, recovery, trauma, therapy, and the brokenness of some families.

Just the little things that make up life. This conversation is long, slow burn, and one of the best we've had on the Jam.

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Author J.L. Torres stopped by the Bunker to talk about his latest book, Migrations, that takes a deep dive into the inbetween-ness many Puerto Ricans experience living in America. He and Brad had a long, wonderful conversation about their love of writing, baseball (obviously), and the struggle to write and tell stories about people who exist in two worlds. Maybe most importantly, they talked about the importance of boys reading and developing empathy for the stories of other people. And, did we mention: baseball?

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Author Spencer Fluery stopped by the Bunker to talk about his first novel, How I’m Spending My Afterlife, a title that absolutely ensured Brad would invite him on the program. They also got around to discussing San Francisco, their shared favorite bar (The Lucky 13) that closed, and living as a writer in one of the most expensive cities in the country. 

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Dr. Ellen Michaelson stopped by the Bunker to talk about her debut novel The Care of Strangers. And this is one of those delightful interviews where the writer, and Brad, discovers something! And to be honest, Brad wasn't sure how you draw a line from doctor to novelist, but Ellen connected all the dots, including her work with NW Narrative Medical Collaborative, an initiative that helps train doctors how to hear patient stories in order to provide better care.

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Sometimes, we have unexpected conversations in the Bunker. That's exactly what happened when author Chevy Stevens stopped by to talk with Brad about her latest thriller, Dark Roads. The two bonded over a shared love of the outdoors, a rural upbringing, and their battle with anxiety and depression. That last part spurred a twenty-minute discussion about the difficulties of creating while taking care of their mental health.

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Author Robyn Harding is the latest Canadian thriller writer to stop by the Bunker, and she joined Brad to talk about her latest book The Perfect Family, which is out now. But she's also one of our many guests who bounced between screenwriting and novel writing. Oh, and add that she ALSO wrote comedy novels with women at the center. Let's just say she's a writer whose voice spans genres.

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Buckle up for this conversation. Brad strays from the traditional structure in the Bunker. Instead, he has a long discussion with author and speaker Sumbul Ali-Karamali who stopped by to discuss her third book, Demystifying Shariah: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It's Not Taking Over Our Country. She takes a deep-dive into how the Radical Right used fear-mongering around Islamic law to push through its agenda. And, she and Brad are talking scientific studies, discussions of the law, the Nation of Islam, 9/11, a little media analysis...and this being the Jam—about ten minutes of Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica.

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