The National Writers Series Podcast

Colum McCann’s stunning novel, “Let the Great World Spin” (winner of the National Book Award for fiction) debuted right around this time of year back in 2009, and so this week we look back on his visit to the National Writers Series in June of 2013.

McCann sat down with Leigh Haber, Books Editor for O, the Oprah Magazine, for a charming and wide-ranging discussion at the City Opera House. They covered everything from the perils of being an optimist to the topic he doesn't want to invite Dr. Freud in to discuss; on why he rereads "Ulysses" every year (plus why read the naughty parts to a dead friend) and his need to “murder” a book to create a screenplay of it (for no less than JJ Abrams).

If you enjoyed this discussion, we recommend you check out McCann’s nonprofit group Narrative 4, which connects writers, musicians and artists with groups of students around the globe (something close to our heart here at the NWS). Thanks for listening, and don’t forget to subscribe and give us a 5-star rating!

With Emily Henry joining the NWS on June 24, we thought we'd take this week's podcast episode back to 2014 to hear from another Emily whose work travels along a similar wavelength.  

Emily Giffin has written seven novels that have been commonly described by critics as "chick lit," but Giffin takes exception to that characterization. Her novel "Something Borrowed" was made into a movie starring Kate Hudson and John Krasinski. Giffin joined us in advance of her latest book, "The One and Only," which debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list at number one for hardcover fiction. 

In this episode, our guest host is the vice president for content and engagement for The Tennessean in Nashville, Stefanie Murray. 

Before there was Lisbeth Salander or Stephanie Plum, there was V.I. Warshawski.

Today we celebrate the birthday of author Sara Paretsky, who joined the National Writers Series in 2013 to talk about Critical Mass, her then-newest detective novel featuring her famous investigator V.I. Warshawski (immortalized in the 1991 film by Kathleen Turner).

In this week's episode, guest host Nancy Baker joins Paretsky on the City Opera Hall stage to talk about how Paretsky's experiences in Chicago help shape and inform her novels (and what people need to do when they visit the city - including how to get stalked by the mob), why she might want to buy Texas and return it to Mexico, and why she created the "Sisters in Crime" organization. 

Next Monday is Memorial Day, and with that holiday coming up, we thought this would be the right time to revisit our conversation with the author of The Greatest Generation: Tom Brokaw.

Our discussion covers so much of Brokaw's history: how he coined the phrase "The Greatest Generation;" how he turned that into his first book and how it affected his reporting; his career covering everything from Watergate to 9/11; his thoughts on creating a Public Service Corps and how to provide a legacy for the next generation much like the one The Greatest Generation provided for us.

Doug Stanton, the host for this discussion and co-founder of the NWS, recently told us this about the evening and the things that have followed: 

"All of this because of a postcard that came in a mailbox in a country road when we were broke, and I was trying to find my way as a writer, and had no idea how that would happen. None. So ... we just never know how we will affect other people, how we might help them, who might be a neighbor or a mentor. And that really is the driving force of the National Writers Series. I love it when other writers find opportunities through the things that this organization creates. That's why we're here."

When Tom Brokaw visited the City Opera House back in May 2010, who knew where that conversation would lead us? Well, here we are, over a decade later, with continuing gratitude for that very first event and all the people who joined us for it.

We're celebrating a double anniversary this week! Not only did author, journalist, and filmmaker Sebastian Junger join the National Writers Series for a conversation with co-founder Doug Stanton in May 2011, but his book The Perfect Storm was released on May 17th, 1996.

Of course, The Perfect Storm -- which followed the fishing vessel The Andrea Gail as it fought to survive against a brutal Nor'Easter storm -- was turned into a blockbuster hit movie in 2000 starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg. 

Junger would join us again for a discussion in 2017, but join us now as we look back at our very first conversation where we cover his connection to the Boston Strangler, the reaction to his Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo and the necessity of journalism in times and areas of conflict... 

For this week's podcast, we celebrate the release of Nathaniel Philbrick's Mayflower - a book nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and released right around this date back in 2006 (at least according to our records). 

Philbrick joined the National Writer Series also right around this date in May 2013, just days after the release of his newest book: Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution.

In this conversation (guest hosted by Rich Fahle) we discuss the roots of the American Revolution, how Philbrick's research helps him make history come alive, where his own "bunker" can be found, and what tarring and feathering was truly like (hint: not fun)...

This week's podcast episode is a little different from our other entries.

Sadly, former NWS guest author Jason Matthews passed away last week at age 69. Jason was the author of three best-selling spy thrillers including Red Sparrow, written based on his experiences working for the CIA over 33 years.

We welcomed Jason to the NWS stage back in May 2013, where he and host Doug Stanton discussed how he came to the spy thriller genre, tricks of the CIA trade (unclassified, of course), Jason's experiences going up against Vladimir Putin's forces, and much more over a 90-minute discussion.

As Doug told us, Jason certainly kept his espionage training sharp:

"When I picked up Jason at the Park Place before the NWS event, he was standing right next to me, and I couldn’t find him anywhere in the lobby. It was like he disappeared. He had changed his hat, turned his coat inside out, and did not look at all like the person I was looking for and had had lunch with at the house earlier. 'Hi Doug,' he said, standing next to me, a big smile on his face."

There's an amazing story about how Jason and his wife helped save a Russian family from Putin's Russian Security Service that's right up there with anything Ian Fleming or John le Carré ever wrote - and it's all in this week's podcast.

This week's episode sees us looking back to April 2013 when we welcomed bestselling author Gillian Flynn to the NWS Stage. Flynn joined us for a discussion with NWS co-founder Doug Stanton a year after the release of her breakout novel, Gone Girl (and a year before the release of the David Fincher-directed film based on the book).

During a wide-ranging conversation in front of a sell-out crowd, Flynn and Stanton chatted about the difficulties of leading an "authentic life" in a media-heavy age, the perks of being a Midwesterner living in New York, and her history displaying Honey Baked Hams...

April is National Poetry Month, and we're celebrating with this week’s episode featuring one of America’s most celebrated modern poets: Nikki Giovanni.

The National Writers Series has been graced by Giovanni’s presence twice over the years – once in 2018 to discuss her book A Good Cry, and for this conversation in 2013, just before the release of Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid, one part memoir, one part book of poetry.

Giovanni has also authored many other works of poetry, nonfiction, and children’s literature over her decades-long career, and earned accolades including being named “Woman of the Year” by multiple major magazines and one of Oprah Winfrey’s “Living Legends.”  Our episode today is guest-hosted by Leigh Haber, books editor at O, The Oprah Magazine.

Our episode begins with a look back at Giovanni’s childhood neighborhood in late 60’s Harlem, where she counted musical and theatrical luminaries like Morgan Freeman, Eugene McDaniels, Cornell Dupree, and Sidney Poitier as her neighbors…

One of the most beloved NPR hosts of all time, Diane Rehm, joined the National Writers Series in February 2021 to discuss her book, When My Time Comes. The book sprang out of the interviews she conducted for her documentary film about Medical Aid in Dying of the same name. Our event was an illuminating talk that opens up a subject that no one really wants to talk about: death.

As her documentary is coming out on PBS this month, we thought it was a great time to revisit this extensive conversation about the controversial topic, expertly guest hosted by Cynthia Canty. From how to have an uncomfortable conversation about end-of-life issues, to death cafes, to what states are working towards legalizing the practice, to how the last two decades have been for states where it's allowed, we cover as much as we can about this important topic.