The Chills at Will Podcast

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The Chills at Will Podcast is a celebration of the visceral beauty of literature. This beauty will be examined through close reads of phrases and lines and passages from fiction and nonfiction that thrills the reader, so much so that he wants to read again and again to replicate that thrill. Each episode will focus on a different theme, such as "The Power of Flashback," "Understatement," "Cats in the Cradle," and "Chills at Will: Origin Story."

Episodes

28 minutes ago

Episode 339 with Sarah Aziza, Author of The Hollow Half, and Writer of Loving and Challenging Prose and Probing and Deeply-Researched Nonfiction

28 minutes ago

Notes and Links to Sarah Aziza’s Work

Sarah Aziza (she/هي ) is a Palestinian American writer, translator, and artist with roots in ‘Ibdis and Deir al-Balah, Gaza. She is the author of The Hollow Half. Winner of the Palestine Book Awards, The Hollow Half is a genre-bending work of memoir, lyricism, and oral history exploring the intertwined legacies of diaspora, colonialism, and the American dream. It is available wherever books are sold.

Sarah’s award-winning journalism, poetry, essays, and experimental nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Best American Essays, The Baffler, Harper’s Magazine, Mizna, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Nation, among other publications. The recipient of fellowships from Fulbright, MacDowell, the Asian American Writers Workshop, Tin House Writers’ Workshop, and numerous grants from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, she has lived and worked in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Jordan, South Africa, Palestine, and the United States.

Buy The Hollow Half

Sarah Aziza’s Website

Review of The Hollow Half from Kirkus Reviews

Sarah on Democracy Now Discussing Her Memoir

At about 2:30, Sarah talks about her language and reading life growing up

At about 5:10, Sarah expands upon readings that inspired and challenged her

At about 13:00, Pete and Sarah discuss ideas of writing as “political,” inspired by Marwan Makhoul, and Sarah cites a gripping poem by Noor Hindi

At about 15:20,

At about 17:30, Sarah responds to Pete asking about the book’s title and ideas of generational trauma and Sarah’s Americanness

At about 20:30, Sarah talks about his father “pouring his hope” into her and sheltered and open pain

At about 22:20, Pete uses a Hasan Minhaj routine and Sarah expands on ideas of first generation and immigrant parents’ relationships

At about 23:20, Sarah reflects on ideas of love’s multiple meanings and connects these myriad ideas to much of the book and calls the book “an offering…in a time of suffering”

At about 28:00, The two discuss the vagaries of Arabic and translation and its challenges and beauty

At about 33:20, Pete recounts the book’s opening, and Sarah expands on her grandmother’s life and struggles and joys and how Sarah is connected to her grandmother-”Sittoo”

At about 37:25, The two meditate on the “small victories” of Sarah’s grandmother

At about 39:05, Sarah explains how she sees her recovery/”recovered” and her present and past with anorexia

At about 41:45, Sarah responds to Pete asking about an emblematic scene from the memoir where an IpHone asks to verify her identity

At about 43:05, Sarah discusses the idea of “better than what?” especially as a child

At about 45:15, Sarah talks about her family’s connections to ‘Ibdis, Gaza, and the fact that so much stolen and ethnically-cleansed land in Palestine is open/unused

At about 48:15, Sarah talks about her time recovering from prolonged anorexia

At about 50:45, Pete notes the specific and universal in the book, as he and Sarah discuss the impulse to bury oneself in work

At about 53:10, Sarah expands on reasoning for writing the book and in particular “put[ting] into place” her family history and finding a place to publish a story like hers that she feels is rarely published

At about 55:20, Sarah talks about her grandmother’s time living with Sarah and her family

At about 57:30, Sarah responds to Pete’s questions about the anorexia ward and how she saw and sees the employees there

At about 1:00:45, Sarah talks about the ways in which photos opened up ideas and research and thoughts of her grandmother and her history

At about 1:03:20, Pete talks about ideas of misogyny that is specific to non-white women

At about 1:03:50, Sarah reflects on and outlines two pivotal and damaging experiences in which white neighbors showed surprise and revulsion

At about 1:06:45, The two discuss Sarah’s parents and their foundation and Foundation

At about 1:08:45, Sarah responds to Pete’s questions about research for the book

At about 1:11:00, Sarah expands on connections between the personal and the geopolitical in her work and research

At about 1:11:30, Sarah recounts the story of some early involvement with pro-Palestine efforts and emotional and physical assaults

At about 1:13:00, Sarah talks about being in Middle East and ideas of “humanizing” and “a political awakening” in the US and Middle East

At about 1:17:10, Sarah talks about connections between resistance and love

At about 1:20:25, Pete cites Ernest Hemingway in citing Sarah’s family connections to Gaza

At about 1:22:00, Sarah talks about the idea of “yes” and a meaningful part of the book and interpretations of being “half…” Palestinian, etc.

At about 1:27:10, Sarah talks about parallels between her partner’s love for her and her choice to love Palestine on a daily basis

At about 1:28:00, Pete asks Sarah about ways forward, and how we get people to not “look away,” and she talks about inspiration

You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you’re checking out this episode.

Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Jeff Pearlman, a recent guest, is up now at Chicago Review.

Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete’s one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!

This month’s Patreon bonus episode deals with short, powerful poems and prose that pack a punch-take that, alliteration! The episode features meaningful and resonant work from Robert Hershon, Mosab Abu Toha, Ernest Hemingway, Sara Abou Rashed, Khaled Juma, Andrea Cohen, and Marwan Makhoul.

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.

Please tune in for Episode 340 with Donna Minkowitz, a writer of fantasy, memoir, and journalism lauded by Lilith Magazine for her “fierce imagination and compelling prose.” Her first book, Ferocious Romance, won a Lambda Literary Award for Best Book On Religion/Spirituality. She is also the author of the novel DONNAVILLE, published in 2024.

She and Pete will be revisiting her memoir Growing Up Golem, a finalist for both a Lambda Literary Award and Judy Grahn Nonfiction Award.

The episode airs on May 5.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

You can also donate at chuffed.org, World Central Kitchen, and so many more, and/or you can contact writer friend Ursula Villarreal-Moura directly or through Pete, as she has direct links with friends in Gaza.

2 days ago

Episode 338 with Adam H. Johnson, Author of How to Sell a Genocide: The Media's Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza & Dogged Researcher & Accountant of the Unconscionable Gaza Genocide Whitewashing

2 days ago

Notes and Links to Adam H. Johnson’s Work

Adam H. Johnson is co-host of the Citations Needed podcast. His writing can also be found in his Substack titled ‘The Column.’ His book, How to Sell a Genocide: The Media's Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza, is out as of today, April 21, through Pluto Press.

Buy How to Sell a Genocide: The Media's Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza

12 Page Excerpt from How to Sell a Genocide…

Adam H Johnson, Website for The Intercept

Column Blog: Adam’s Media and political analysis (with contributions from Sarah Lazare)

At about 1:30, Adam gives a summary of the book’s subject matter and his aim in writing the book

At about 5:00, Adam cites “liberal” media institutions and how they have laundered and perhaps “incited” the genocide

At about 6:45, Adam expands on his aim in using data and research to point out the media and educational institutions who have used diction that has aided/incited the Gaza genocide; he talks about making the information searchable to aid other researchers and institutions

At about 11:00, Adam talks about pessimism for the Democrats’ role in the genocide and their “accountability”

At about 13:00, Adam talks about liberal podcasters and media members and think tanks who have been silent or complicit

At about 16:00, Adam argues that an accounting and a lack of “moving on” is absolutely necessary, such that the “milieu” of Biden’s time will be repeated otherwise

At about 18:00, Adam talks about effective ways of quieting criticism in the face of overwhelming evidence of a genocide in Gaza

At about 19:20, Adam talks about using the map of Gaza atrocities and obfuscation in the future for imperial ends

At about 22:00, Adam identifies the “template” used for further atrocities in Gaza and beyond, especially with regard to stereotypes and othering of Muslims and Middle Eastern cultures

At about 26:30, Pete cites numbers from the book that shows the preponderance of violent and incendiary language used in describing Palestinians versus Ukrainian victims

At about 27:30, Adam responds to Pete’s sarcasm over Joe Biden’s niceties in funding the genocide and Adam talks about a broken system and articles that stated the same thing over and over again

At about 33:05, Adam talks about the “tote bag” set and justifying racist and colonial systems and genocide

At about 34:40, Adam and Pete discuss the alarming dearth of Palestinian guests on political talk shows and other media

At about 36:55, Pete and Adam reflect on the “chilling” cover of the book, designed by Melanie Patrick, and the “uniformity of the elite consensus” in masking/inciting genocide and being so “chummy” with Benjamin Netanyahu, as shown in the standing ovation given to him by Congress

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 339 with Sarah Aziza, a Palestinian American writer, translator, and artist with roots in ‘Ibdis and Deir al-Balah, Gaza. She is the author of The Hollow Half. Winner of the Palestine Book Awards, The Hollow Half is a genre-bending work of memoir, lyricism, and oral history exploring the intertwined legacies of diaspora, colonialism, and the American dream.

The episode airs on April 22, the one-year anniversary of the publication of The Hollow Half.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Tuesday Apr 14, 2026

Episode 337 with Daniel Tam-Claiborne, Author of Transplants, and Skilled Craftsman of Subtlety, Nuance, and Probing Questions for the Reader to Investigate

Tuesday Apr 14, 2026

Notes and Links to Daniel Tam-Claiborne’s Work

Daniel Tam-Claiborne is a multiracial essayist and author of the short story collection What Never Leaves. His writing has appeared in Literary Hub, the Rumpus, SupChina, the Huffington Post, the Shanghai Literary Review, and elsewhere. He has received fellowships and awards from the U.S. Fulbright Program, the New York State Summer Writers Institute, Kundiman, the Jack Straw Writers Program, and the Yiddish Book Center. Tam-Claiborne serves as program director of partnerships and events at Hugo House in Seattle. He holds degrees from Oberlin College, Yale University, and the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, and is the author of Transplants, a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction and longlisted for the 2026 VCU Cabell First Novelist Award.

Buy Transplants

Daniel Tam Claiborne's Website

Review and Informative Article for Transplants in the Seattle Times

At about 2:30, Daniel provides background on his reading and language life, including formative works and formative teachers

At about 6:40, Daniel talks about inspiring contemporary writers

At about 10:50, Daniel responds to Pete asking about seeds for Transplants; Daniel expands on how he “processes the world through [his] work” and explores ideas of identity and perception

At about 16:35, Pete cites the book’s epigraphs and ideas of transference and ideas of changing places

At about 17:20, the book’s exposition is discussed, and Daniel reflects on ideas of the collective vs. individual, especially with regard to Lin

At about 20:30, Daniel talks about Liz’s frustrations in connecting with others and mindset in moving to her ancestral home of China for teaching

At about 24:50, Daniel talks about Lin and how she deals with her burgeoning relationship with Travis and later ideas of shame and agency

At about 28:00, Liz and her “existential crisis” are discussed and her altruistic and otherwise actions are examined by Daniel

At about 31:20, The two discuss the real-life parallels involving a scene in the book that shows the back-and-forth between North Korea and China

At about 37:00, Pete talks about cultural misunderstandings in the book, and Daniel talks about the dissonance in the Chinese diaspora regarding new waves of Chinese immigrants and assimilation-he emphasizes Liz’s brother, Phil, and his views

At about 39:45, The two reflect on Liz’s budding relationship and growing pains in the beginning days of Covid in Shanghai

At about 41:20, Daniel replies to Pete asking about what Lin finds in Gua, her partner in the westward road trip

At about 45:10, The two reflect on ideas of “foreigners” and a caring nurse and her significance in the book

At about 49:00, Pete talks about feminism and Lin being “in control of her narrative” and ideas of moral clarity

At about 49:50, Daniel expands on Stephen, Liz’s boyfriend, and earlier iterations

At about 51:40, Daniel responds to Pete wondering about the real-life background for the housing complex and organization for which Lin delivered groceries to elderly and isolated people, many of them former internees from the Japanese/Japanese-American internment camps

At about 55:20, The two muse about Liz and her motivations-subconscious or not-in traveling to China

At about 56:40, Daniel talks about the book’s ending and portions of the book as “surprising” to him

At about 59:00, Pete and Daniel reflect on Daniel’s writing the book only a few years after the beginning of the Covid pandemic and the balance between urgency and perspective

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

Please tune in for Episode 338 with Adam H. Johnson, a media analyst and co-host of the Citations Needed podcast. His book is an incredibly important accounting of the malfeasance, whitewashing, and misdirection of so much of the media that has enabled the tragedies of Gaza.

The episode airs on April 21, Pub Day for How to Sell a Genocide: The Media's Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Tuesday Apr 07, 2026

Episode 336 with Rachel Khong, Author of My Dear You, and Brilliant Purveyor of Precise Diction, Profound Absurdity, and Meaningful Fodder for Discussion

Tuesday Apr 07, 2026

Notes and Links to Rachel Khong’s Work

Rachel Khong is a writer living in Los Angeles. Her debut novel, Goodbye, Vitamin, won the 2017 California Book Award for First Fiction, and was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist for First Fiction. From 2011 to 2016, she was the managing editor then executive editor of Lucky Peach magazine. With Lucky Peach, she also edited a cookbook about eggs, called All About Eggs. In 2018, she founded The Ruby, a work and event space for women and nonbinary writers and artists in San Francisco’s Mission district; she retired at the end of 2021. Her second novel, Real Americans, was published by Knopf in April 2024, and was an instant New York Times bestseller. Her story collection, My Dear You, is out now from Knopf. She writes the monthly newsletter, Short Story Short. Along with her friends Meng Jin, Susanna Kwan, and Shruti Swamy, she teaches writing workshops and retreats. Find them at The Dream Side.com

Buy My Dear You

Rachel Khong’s Website

Rachel Khong’s Wikipedia Page

At about 2:10, Rachel talks about her writing experience and philosophy involving eggs

At about 4:30, Rachel responds to Pete’s questions about her early language and literature background

At about 7:25, Pete and Rachel geek out about The Best American Short Stories anthologies

At about 10:30, Rachel highlights wonderful writing mentors and passionate readers

At about 12:00, Rachel describes her college “independent study” that exposed her to so much great writing, and Pete and Rachel cite Aimee Bender’s greatness

At about 15:45, Pete recounts his experience reading The Real Americans

At about 16:40, Pete lays out the story collection’s first resonant line and asks Rachel about the inspiration for the first story

At about 20:00, Rachel responds to Pete asking about the balance between the general and the specific, especially with regard to pathos

At about 22:50, Rachel reflects on a real-life parallel to a story in the collection, and an abstract/concrete connection to others in the world

At about 24:05, Cats and taking care of (literally!) their owners

At about 25:20, Pete and Rachel discuss racial dynamics and diversity with regard to the story “The Freshening”

At about 27:25, Rachel reflects on the ways that Asians and Asian-Americans have reacted to racism in the past

At about 30:10, Rachel discusses ideas of a “color-blind” society

At about 31:20, Pete cites resonant and outsized lines in the collection

At about 32:05, Rachel reacts to Pete’s musing about her as the writer sitting in judgment or not of her characters, especially Greg from “The Family O”

At about 38:45, the two discuss lost loves, missed connections, and senses of comfortability and routines

At about 41:00, Rachel talks about how the beginning of the pandemic connects to looking for meanings of suffering and pain and led to some of her story collections

At about 43:00, The two discuss themes of connection and alienation and loneliness in various stories

At about 46:20, Pete reflects on the traumas carried in the collection, and Rachel’s deft touch with her writing about miscarriage and other heavy topics

At about 48:10, Pete and Rachel discuss a story dealing with cultural change in Malaysia and shout out connections to the “beautiful book”-Rachel Heng’s The Great Reclamation

At about 51:20, Aihwa Ong’s article on possession by ghosts and worker protests are cited as seeds for Rachel’s work

At about 52:20,

At about 53:20, The two discuss the “beautiful absurdity” of Rachel’s work and Pete cites the profundity of friendship

At about 54:30, Rachel gives out tour info and book purchasing info

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show. You can also buy single episodes for $3.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 337 with Daniel Tam-Claiborne, a multiracial writer, multimedia producer, and nonprofit director. His debut novel, Transplants (Simon & Schuster, 2025), was a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction and longlisted for the 2026 VCU Cabell First Novelist Award.

He is the author of the short story collection What Never Leaves, and his writing has appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, HuffPost, Catapult, Literary Hub, Off Assignment, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. Daniel is an award-winning producer for two public media initiatives at WNET, America’s flagship PBS station, including the digital documentary series be/longing: Asian Americans Now, Between Black & White: Asian Americans Speak Out, Voices Rising: What’s Next for Asian Americans in the Arts, and Climate Artists.

Daniel is an outspoken advocate for Asian American issues and increased global understanding through education, cultural exchange, storytelling, and effective philanthropy. He serves as Deputy Director at The Serica Initiative, a nonprofit organization that amplifies the impact of the Asian diaspora in America.

The episode airs on April 14.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Tuesday Apr 07, 2026

Episode 335 with Toni Ann Johnson, Author of But Where's Home? and Wonderful Builder of Intriguing Family Trees, Memorable Characters, and Subtlety

Tuesday Apr 07, 2026

Notes and Links to Toni Ann Johnson’s Work

Toni Ann Johnson won the 2024 Screen Door Press Prize for Fiction with her linked collection, BUT WHERE’S HOME? (UPK 2026).

In 2021, she won the Flannery O’Connor Award for her linked short story collection LIGHT SKIN GONE TO WASTE (UGA Press 2022). The collection was shortlisted for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, and also shortlisted for the Saroyan Prize.

A novella, HOMEGOING, won Accents Publishing’s inaugural novella contest in 2020 and was released in May of 2021.

Short fiction and essays have been published in The Emerson Review, Hunger Mountain, Fiction Magazine, Callaloo, The Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere.

A novel, Remedy For a Broken Angel, was published in 2014 and received a nomination for a 2015 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author.

Johnson is a screenwriter with a number of produced projects to her credit including, Ruby Bridges (ABC), Crown Heights (Showtime), The Courage to Love (Lifetime) the TV pilot, Save The Last Dance (Fox Television), and the feature film, Step Up 2: The Streets (Summit Entertainment).

Buy But Where's Home?

“How But Where’s Home? by Toni Ann Johnson Got Made” from Publisher’s Weekly

Toni Ann Johnson’s Website

At about 1:50, Toni Ann shouts out Crystal Wilkinson and her great work in talking about Toni’s newest release, But Where’s Home? and awards

At about 3:25, Toni Ann speaks about working with real-life events as fodder for fiction

At about 7:40, Toni responds to Pete’s questions about her book’s structure, especially her inclusion of a novella

At about 11:00, the two discuss the book’s opening story and exposition

At about 13:30, Toni Ann expands on a real-life parallel in the story collection

At about 14:20, The two discuss Livia, the narrator’s sister, and her feelings of marginalization and her efforts as girl to adjust

At about 17:30, Pete and Toni Ann talk about traumas informing one’s own parenting, in relation to a deep quote in the book

At about 20:00, Toni reflects on a character in the book as a "generational nemesis” and a contentious neighbor’s links to the family’s generations and changing dynamics

At about 22:00, Toni Ann reflects on ideas of “not seeing color” as a damaging ethic in American history

At about 25:00, Pete and Toni Ann discuss changing ways of talking about race over the decades

At about 26:15, Toni Ann expands on a meaningful family heirloom, a pen, in the collection

At about 27:40, The two discuss empathy and sympathy for characters whose actions the readers may not condone

At about 29:10, Pete asks Toni Ann about Maddie’s response to her sexual assault, and how her words towards her mother come from her traumas

At about 31:55, Toni responds to Pete’s laying out of a resolution made by Maddie in discussing the actions of the children of narcissistic parents

At about 36:25, Pete remarks on the importance and skill of Toni Ann’s ancillary characters and veins of ancestors running through the collection

At about 37:45, The novella’s opening is discussed, with Maddie interested in getting Zeke’s attention

At about 39:25, Pete and Toni Ann talk about Zeke as navigating racism and tropes in a conservative town

At about 41:00, Muriel, Phil’s lover, and the events that lead to Velma’s “having her guard down” are discussed, as well as how Velma and Maddie interact

At about 44:45, a turnabout with mother and daughter is explored

At about 46:05, Pete cites important flashbacks and confrontations between Velma and Maddie

At about 47:20, Franny, a character who is in multiple of Toni’s works, is discussed as a reminder of home in Monroe, NY

At about 49:00, Pete and Velma highlight ideas of innocence and the traumatic experiences of childhood for Velma

At about 50:25, the two discuss Olivia and Maddie’s grievances towards their parents and guilt (or lack thereof) from Maddie

At about 53:20, Toni Ann responds to Pete’s questions about self-esteem and the significance of the collection’s title

At about 57:10, Toni Ann highlights “moments of levity” in the book

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 336 with Rachel Khong, whose debut novel, Goodbye, Vitamin, won the 2017 California Book Award for First Fiction, and was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist for First Fiction. In 2018, she founded The Ruby, a work and event space for women and nonbinary writers and artists in San Francisco’s Mission district. Her second novel, Real Americans, was published by Knopf in April 2024, and was an instant New York Times bestseller. Her story collection, My Dear You, is out as of today, April 7.

The episode airs on April 7, Pub Day for My Dear You.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Tuesday Mar 31, 2026

Episode 334 with Lisa Lee, Author of American Han and Creator of Wonderful Dialogue and Darkly Humorous, Memorable Characters and Scenes

Tuesday Mar 31, 2026

Notes and Links to Lisa Lee’s Work

Lisa Lee is the recipient of the Marianne Russo Emerging Writer Award from the Key West Literary Seminar, an Emerging Writer Fellowship from the Center for Fiction, and a Pushcart Prize. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, VIDA: Women in Literary Arts, North American Review, Sycamore Review, and elsewhere. Her essay on racial invisibility and erasure in the writing workshop was featured on Bitch Media’s feminism & pop culture podcast Popaganda, on the episode “Writing About Race.”

Today, March 31, is Pub Day for her novel, American Han.

Buy American Han

Lisa Lee’s Website

Review of American Han from Kirkus Reviews

At about 1:40, Lisa discusses the exhaustion and excitement that comes with Pub Day and the book’s unveiling

At about 4:45, Lisa gives info on publishing and buying her book

At about 5:40, Lisa and Pete shout out meaningful writers in her life and talk about her book events coming up

At about 6:15, Lisa responds to Pete’s question about her language and reading life in childhood and into young adulthood

At about 9:00, Lisa cites Housekeeping by Robinson and Everett’s Erasure as changing her perceptions of what writers

At about 10:30, Lisa expands upon the greatness of Percival Evertett, homing in on Erasure

At about 13:20, Pete reads a generic definition of han and compares it to a word like saudade that is virtually untranslatable

At about 14L15, Lisa responds to Pete’s questions about the meaning(s) of han

At about 16:00, Pete sets the book’s exposition, and Lisa expands on the narrator Jane’s mindset at the beginning of American Han

At about 20:45, The two discuss the competitiveness within the family and expectations of Jane’s mother

At about 21:45, Lisa responds to Pete asking about the quote that Jane has succeeded “despite” her mother, not “because of” her mother

At about 25:15, Pete cites the Korean folk tale of Chun in talking about parental-child relationships and sibling relationships

At about 26:05, Lisa responds to Pete’s question about empathy/sympathy for her characters

At about 29:05, Lisa reflects on Pete’s wondering about han and intergenerational traumas in the book, and expands upon differences in han’s impact in contemporary Korea and among members of the Korean diaspora

At about 33:30, Pete highlights a memorable scene that

At about 34:05, Pete riffs on the "manosphere" and connections to Kevin, the narrator’s sister, and his misogyny; Lisa speaks on Kevin’s background and sense of han and sense of gender identity

At about 40:15, Lisa and Pete discuss the book’s timing and pacing and flashbacks

At about 42:40, Pete highlights an important and well-drawn scene about an alternate way of being mother and daughter

At about 43:55, Lisa expands on a Korean custom of associating parents with their children through different forms of address

At about 45:40, The two reflect on children as the parents’ “identity”

At about 46:40, Pete points out the independence of the mother and father at a point in the book where Kevin’s horrific act shakes up the family

At about 47:35, The two discuss the importance of a family vacation and ideas of “let[ting] the lid off”

At about 48:10, Pete asks Lisa about ending the book as she does, with a flashback, and with the tone that she uses

This month’s Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of formative and transformative writing for children, as Pete surveys wonderful writers on their own influences.

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 335 with Toni Ann Johnson, who won the 2024 Screen Door Press Prize for Fiction with her linked collection, BUT WHERE’S HOME? (UPK 2026). In 2021, she won the Flannery O’Connor Award for her linked short story collection LIGHT SKIN GONE TO WASTE (UGA Press 2022). The collection was shortlisted for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, and also shortlisted for the Saroyan Prize. A novella, HOMEGOING, won Accents Publishing’s inaugural novella contest in 2020 and was released in May of 2021.

She is also a screenwriter with a number of produced projects to her credit including, Ruby Bridges (ABC), Crown Heights (Showtime), The Courage to Love (Lifetime) the TV pilot, Save The Last Dance (Fox Television), and the feature film, Step Up 2: The Streets (Summit Entertainment).

The episode airs March 31 or April 1.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Saturday Mar 28, 2026

Episode 333 with Keith O'Brien, Author of Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird, and Dogged Researcher and Journalist Whose Alchemy Leads to Wondrous Stories

Saturday Mar 28, 2026

Notes and Links to Keith O’Brien’s Work

Keith O’Brien has written five books, won the PEN America award for best biography, and has contributed to multiple publications over the years.

Keith's work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal, and on National Public Radio. His radio stories have aired on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition, as well as Marketplace and This American Life. His latest gem is Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird.

Buy Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird

Keith O'Brien's Website

Review for Heartland from The Wall Street Journal

At about 1:50, Pete shouts out his brother as a huge Larry Bird fan

At about 2:30, Keith talks about his book tour for the launch of Heartland and gives a summary of the book

at about 4:40, Keith responds to Pete asking about the time period covered in the book and how he figured out his angle for the book

at about 7:55, Keith talks about his attempts to talk to Larry Bird for the book

at about 10:00, Pete sets the record straight grammatically, and Keith expands on Indiana State University President Dick Landini's persona

at about 11:20, The two discuss the book's opening sequence, and Keith explains why he started the book where he did, with an Indiana State NIT loss and Larry Bird fracas

at about 16:25, Keith talks about Larry Bird's treatment as "The Great White Hope" and the ways in which he was talked about and treated in the late 1970s

at about 19:00, Larry Bird's childhood is discussed, including his father's military background, and Larry talks about his research and work to make Joey Bird "three-dimensional"

at about 22:40, Keith gives background on the poverty and hardship in Larry Bird's upbringing

at about 23:40, Dave Bliss, Bobby Knight, and Larry Bird's college recruitment are discussed

at about 24:20, Keith recounts an amazing story involving Denny Crum and Larry Bird's recruitment

at about 26:45, Larry's short time at Indiana University and Northwood Institute are highlighted

at about 29:40, The two discuss important recruits for Indiana State to team up with Larry Bird, including Harry Morgan and his upbringing in a racist town/society

at about 33:00, Larry responds to Pete's asking about the college basketball Magic Johnson/Larry Bird dynamic, and the racial dynamics and popularity of the NBA in the late 1970s

at about 36:30, Keith gives background on the Celtics drafting Larry Bird after his junior year of college

at about 37:10, Pete discusses the "glue guys" that Coach Hodges brought in to ISU for Larry's third year and the novelty of nationally-televised games

at about 39:00, Keith reflects on the fact that while Magic Johnson is crucial to the book's events, he was at the time of the book's action, largely unknown to Larry, and vice versa

at about 41:30, Keith responds to Pete's referring to the book's last section, a sort of "Where are they now?" by calling it his favorite section and how the players and connections to ISU were irrevocably-changed

This month’s Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of formative and transformative writing for children, as Pete surveys wonderful writers on their own influences.

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 334 with Lisa Lee. She is the recipient of the Marianne Russo Emerging Writer Award from the Key West Literary Seminar, an Emerging Writer Fellowship from the Center for Fiction, and a Pushcart Prize. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, VIDA: Women in Literary Arts, North American Review, Sycamore Review, and elsewhere. Her essay on racial invisibility and erasure in the writing workshop was featured on Bitch Media’s feminism & pop culture podcast Popaganda, on the episode “Writing About Race.”

The episode airs on March 31, Pub Day for her novel American Han.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Saturday Mar 28, 2026

Episode 332 with Jordy Rosenberg, Author of Night Night Fawn and Master of the Poetic, the Profound, the Hilarious, and the Satirical

Saturday Mar 28, 2026

Notes and Links to Jordy Rosenberg’s Work

Jordy Rosenberg is the author of the novel Confessions of the Fox, a New York Times Editors Choice selection, shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a Lambda Literary Award, a Publishing Triangle Award, the UK Historical Writers Association Debut Crown Award, longlisted for The Dublin Literary Award, and named one of the best books of the year by The New Yorker, Kirkus Reviews and others. Jordy’s work has been supported by MacDowell, The Lannan Foundation, The Banff Centre, and The Ahmanson-Getty Foundation. He is a professor in the Department of English and Associated MFA Faculty in the Program for Poets and Writers at UMass-Amherst. His latest work is Night Night Fawn, published in early 2026.

Buy Night Night Fawn

Jordy Rosenberg’s Website

Review for Night Night Fawn from The New York Times

At about 0:45, Jordy responds to Pete’s questions about the feedback Jordy has received since Night Night Fawn has come out

At about 2:50, Jordy talks about tour events and purchase info

At about 4:15, Jordy talks about his background in reading and writing, especially the influence of the Marxist tradition

At about 6:50, Jordy responds to Pete’s questions about what draws him to sci-fi, and Jordy expands on his interesting view of genre as “collective”

At about 9:00, Jordan cites contemporary writers whom he appreciates in his "omnivorous" writing, including Lara Sheehi

At about 12:30, Jordy reflects on seeds for his novel, which started out as memoir

At about 16:10, the two discuss the narrator, Barbara, and the book’s exposition, and connections to Marx

At about 18:50, Jordy discusses how he wanted to explore Marxism through the voice of someone with a passing knowledge of it

At about 20:45, Part II of the book, a letter from Barbara, is discussed

At about 22:45, Jordy reflects on how he satirizes those so obsessed with anti-trans vitriol

At about 25:00, Jordy expands on Barbara’s antiquated and biased world view and victim mentality

At about 26:45, Jordy discusses a pivotal scene at a funeral and the importance of a photo

At about 31:00, Jordy responds to Pete’s question about meta-writing and

At about 35:00, Barbara’s job and it providing “ammunition” for her homophobia is the basis of discussion

At about 36:00, Neil, a family friend, is discussed as a trope and anti-trope

At about 38:00, Pete compares Neil’s Marxism to “a la carte Catholicism”

At about 38:50, The beginnings of discussions of Israel and 1980s viewpoints and a “public relations nightmare” and a broken friendship are highlighted

At about 42:40, Jordy talks about the importance of the “carrot scene” and ideas of Jewish masculinity

At about 47:15, Pete cites Deni Avdija's story and Jordy expands on ideas of BDS and narratives of “the most moral army in the world”

At about 52:00, Jordy and Pete posit some ideas about the adult daughter in the novel and talk about Jewish leadership in the BDS movement

At about 54:10, The two discuss the scene in which Barbara reunites with her old friend and how Jordy uses satire in the scene

At about 57:15, Jordy reflects on real-life connections to Barbara sending her daughter to Israel for “support work”

At about 59:15, Jordy cites the book as adding to conversations that come from “bedside rants”

This month’s Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of formative and transformative writing for children, as Pete surveys wonderful writers on their own influences.

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 333 with Keith O’Brien. Keith has written five books, won the PEN America award for best biography, and has contributed to multiple publications over the years.

Keith's work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal, and on National Public Radio. His radio stories have aired on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition, as well as Marketplace and This American Life. His latest gem is Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird.

The episode airs on March 29 or thereabouts.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Tuesday Mar 24, 2026

Episode 331 with Davina Agudelo, Founder of Alegria Publishing, and Bright Light Bringing Underrepresented Voices, Stories, and Talent to the Reading and Creative World

Tuesday Mar 24, 2026

Notes and Links to Davina Agudelo’s Work

Davina Agudelo-Ferreria is a Colombian-American bilingual poet, writer and the founder of her independent publishing company, Alegría Publishing. Agudelo-Ferreira was born in Miami and raised in Medellín, Colombia until the age of 17.

Alegría Publishing was created in 2020 to spotlight modern Latino/x stories and give a special opportunity for upcoming writers to have a platform to present their work.

She also runs the bilingual Alegría magazine, which was founded in 2012 and is published digitally and printed quarterly.

2021 Article in Remezcla: “With Alegría Bilingual Media, Colombiana Davina A. Ferreira Is Uplifting Latine Storytelling

Publishing on Instagram

At about 1:40, Davina shares some good Medellin, Colombia slang

At about 3:20, Davina expands upon her upbringing and her language and literary lives and literature and writing were places of “refuge” for her

At about 6:10, Davina talks about “gatekeepers” and difficulty in getting to read diverse writers and publish; she talks about her publishing company as a response to that

At about 7:50, Davina responds to Pete’s asking about her early writing-poetry, journals, etc.

At about 9:50, Pete cites Ingrid Rojas Contreras in asking Davina about connections between Colombian cultures and magic realism

At about 11:35, Davina responds to Pete’s wondering about her take on diversity in publishing and any positive changes in recent years

At about 14:15, Davina reflects on the usage of Latine and Latinx

At about 16:05, Davina talks about the name of her publishing company and its significance

At about 17:45, Davina expands on alegria vs. joy and their power

At about 18:20, Davina talks about the publishing company and its mission and challenges around the COVID pandemic

At about 23:05, Davina responds (en español) to Pete asking about her own writing-likes and specialties

At about 26:00, Pete asks Davina (en español) about balancing the personal and the universal, and the balance between the romantic and the cheesy

At about 28:20, Davina outlines the year-round work at a publishing company

At about 30:15, Davina discusses future projects for Alegria Publishing

This month’s Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of formative and transformative writing for children, as Pete surveys wonderful writers on their own influences.

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 332 with Jordy Rosenberg, the author of the novels Confessions of the Fox (2018) and Night Night Fawn (2026). Confessions of the Fox was a New York Times Editors Choice selection, shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a Lambda Literary Award, and has been recognized by The New Yorker, the Huffington Post, among other places, as one of the Best Books of 2018. Jordy is a professor in the Department of English and Associated MFA Faculty in the Program for Poets and Writers at The University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

The episode airs on March 24.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Thursday Mar 19, 2026

Episode 330 with Gaspare Randazzo, Wry and Hilarious Observer of The Teaching Life, the Student Life, and Life, and Alumnus of Netflix's "The Trust"

Thursday Mar 19, 2026

Notes and Links to Gaspare Randazzo’s Work

Gaspare Randazzo is a NYC high school teacher in his 13th year in the classroom. When he’s not in the classroom, you can find Gaspare doing Stand Up Comedy all around the country where he talks about his life as a teacher and his experiences dealing with students from all walks of life. In addition to stand up comedy and teaching, Gaspare recently starred in the Netflix show “The Trust” and co-hosts “The Social Studies Podcast” along with Joe Dombrowski. You can find him on all social media platforms at StandUpRandazzo.

Gaspare Randazzo’s Instagram

Gaspare’s Website

Tickets for Gaspare’s Shows

At about 1:35, Gaspare relates the incredible story of him buying an Egyptian sarcophagus

At about 7:50, Pete shouts out the connections between Gaspare and his AOL screen name

At about 9:00, Gaspare talks about his early connections to the comedy world, some tangential

At about 10:15, Gaspare responds to Pete’s questions about catalysts for his comedy career

At about 12:00, Gaspare shares an anecdote about his first headlining show and how he stretched eight minutes of material into an hour of material

At about 14:50, Gaspare talks about how he is “just him[self]” on stage

At about 15:45, Gaspare responds to Pete’s question about the “clip culture” of contemporary comedy

At about 16:30, Gaspare talks about “clean comedy”

At about 17:55, Gaspare talks about connections between teaching and comedy, and his public persona making it necessary to be a good teacher

At about 19:00, Gaspare expands on his usage of costumes in his history classes

At about 21:00, Gaspare responds to Pete’s questions about privacy concerns and how he is “mindful” of not giving specifics

At about 22:00, Gaspare discusses his evolving classroom management over the years

At about 23:15, Gaspare reflects on the comment boards and positive and negative comments

At about 26:10, Gaspare lays out his weekend schedule that integrates family time and comedy

At about 28:10, Gaspare talks about his time on Netflix’s The Trust and lays out his early experience and the concept of the show

At about 31:00, Gaspare explains his mindset on the show

At about 32:30, Gaspare talks about the shared experience with his castmates

At about 33:25, Gaspare shares how the byzantine way he “resigned” from his teaching job in order to be on the show

At about 35:15, Pete asks Gaspare about “go-to” jokes and lessons

At about 37:20, Gaspare cites about 92% of his audience being teachers and riffs on “translating” his comedy for non-teachers

At about 38:30: Rigor!

This month’s Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of formative and transformative writing for children, as Pete surveys wonderful writers on their own influences.

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 331 with Davina Agudelo, a Colombian-American bilingual poet, writer and the founder of her independent publishing company, Alegría Publishing, which was created in 2020 to spotlight modern Latino/x stories and give a special opportunity for upcoming writers to have a platform to present their work.

The episode airs on March 19.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Wednesday Mar 18, 2026

Episode 329 with Grant Ginder, Author of So Old, So Young, and Master Craftsman of Memorable and Funny Scenes, and Profound and Reflection-Inducing Truths

Wednesday Mar 18, 2026

Notes and Links to Grant Ginder’s Work

Grant Ginder is the author of the novels Let’s Not Do That Again, Honestly, We Meant Well, The People We Hate at the Wedding, Driver’s Education, and This is How It Starts. Originally from Southern California, he studied at the University of Pennsylvania and received his MFA from NYU, where he currently teaches writing. He lives in Brooklyn with his husband, Mac, and their disastrous dog, Frankie.

Follow Grant on Twitter and Instagram at @GrantGinder.

Buy So Old, So Young

So Old, So Young Review for The Boston Globe

Grant Ginder’s Website

At about 2:05, Grant shares the fortifying feedback he has received since So Old, So Young has been out

At about 3:45, The two ruminate on aging and its “surprise” and its prevalence in

At about 5:15, Grant gives out book-buying info and upcoming book events

At about 7:15, Grant provides background on his rich reading life as a kid

At about 10:30, Grant talks about his love for Jane Austen’s work, and the two discuss connections in Austen and Grant’s work

At about 11:40, Grant talks about the “compulsion” and catalysts that led him to become a writer

At about 13:45, Grant reflects on how his speechwriting career has informed his novel writing

At about 14:50, Grant responds to Pete’s questions about seeing his work on the big screen with The People You Hate at the Wedding

At about 17:15, Grant shares writing wisdom from his teacher E.L Doctorow in discussing the episodic nature of his book

At about 18:25, Grant talks about the seeds for his novel

At about 20:20, The two discuss the meaningful epigraph and its change; Grant shouts out James Salter’s Light Years

At about 23:55, Pete lays out the book’s opening and a cryptic comment

At about 24:40, the two discuss the book’s chronological opening in 2007 and discuss the characters

At about 27:30, Grant explains the compliment of Adam being compared to a “roll of duct tape”

At about 28:50, Grant expands on why he steers clear of a straightforward cause-and-effect for his characters

At about 31:30,

At about 33:30, Pete shares some amazing coincidences in his life and the book’s second event, a 2014 wedding

At about 35:10, Grant expands on Mia’s comment that going to friends’ weddings is “bloodsport”

At about 37:40, Poor Nina, in her complexities, is discussed, and Pete compares her to Cecily Strong’s SNL character

At about 40:30, Ideas of expectations for women and the stakes “slowly getting ratched up” are discussed

At about 42:44, the next event, 2018’s party, is discussed

At about 44:00, Grant reflects on self-sabotage among longtime friends

At about 45:10, Nina and her hyperawareness of social anxiety and isolation are discussed

At about 47:50, Pete shouts out the wonderful invitation for Event #4 and the two discuss “dad rock”

At about 48:45, the two discuss the book cover and a “madcap scene”

At about 49:20, Grant talks about the eventual moving to the suburbs and people digging in their heels to stay in “the city”

At about 51:10, the two discuss the ways in which youth or lack thereof affects your mindset

At about 52:20, Grant reflects on long-lasting friendships and grace and change

At about 55:00, The two discuss connections between Grant’s book and The Big Chill

This month’s Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of formative and transformative writing for children, as Pete surveys wonderful writers on their own influences.

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 330, a conversation with Gaspare Randazzo, a New York City high school history teacher and stand-up comedian known for his humorous insights into education, social media presence, and appearance on Netflix's "The Trust." He has over a decade of teaching experience and performs comedy nationwide, co-hosting the "Social Studies" podcast.

The episode airs on March 18.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Wednesday Mar 11, 2026

Episode 328 with Tom Junod, Author of In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What it Means to be a Man, and Masterful Researcher and Writer of Iconic Character and Cultural Studies

Wednesday Mar 11, 2026

Notes and Links to Tom Junod’s Work

Tom Junod is an ESPN senior writer who has written some of the most enduring and widely read longform journalism of the last 30 years.

He joined ESPN in 2016 and has specialized in deeply reported stories on subjects ranging from Muhammad Ali’s funeral to Tom Brady’s desire to play forever. He has been nominated for an Emmy for his work on “The Hero of Goodall Park,” an E60 program on the ancient secrets that were revealed when a car drove on a baseball field in Maine during a Babe Ruth League game in 2018.

In a 2022 piece, “Untold,” he and ESPN investigative reporter Paula Lavigne spent nearly two years uncovering the horrific crimes of Todd Hodne, a Penn State football player who in the late 1970’s terrorized State College PA, and Long Island, NY, as a serial sexual predator.

Before coming to ESPN, Junod wrote for GQ and Esquire, where he won two National Magazine Awards and was a finalist for the award a record 11 times. For Esquire’s 75th Anniversary, the editors of the magazine selected his 9/11 story “The Falling Man’ as one of the seven top stories in Esquire’s history. In 2019, his story on beloved children’s TV host Fred Rogers, “Can You Say…Hero?,” served as the basis for the movie “A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood,” starring Tom Hanks and Matthew Rhys.

His work has been widely anthologized in collections including The Best American Magazine Writing, the Best American Sports Writing, the Best American Political Writing, the Best American Crime Writing, and the Best American Food Writing.

Buy In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to be a Man

Esquire: “Mr Rogers Changed Tom Junod's Life. Here's the True Story Behind A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Esquire Magazine: “Can You Say…Hero” Article about Fred Rogers

New York Times Review: “Tom Junod Would Like to Tell You about His Father”

“My Father’s Fashion Tips”-1996 GQ Article

“Untold”: 2023 Article from ESPN Regarding Penn State and Todd Hodne

At about 1:00, Tom talks about his night and days leading up to Pub Day, and the sometimes-arbitrary nature of publishing and Pub Day

At about 3:00, Tom talks about his upcoming book tour/events

At about 4:15, Tom highlights the greatness and importance of Amy Wallace and her work, an upcoming conversation partner for him

At about 6:30, Pete is highly complimentary-joining thousands and ten of thousands of fans-of Tom’s legendary “The Falling Man” article

At about 7:05, Tom responds to Pete’s questions about the ways in which Jerry Sandusky haunts Tom and Paula Lavigne’s master class in journalism, “ ”

At about 12:00, Tom expands on how the article about Todd Hodne pointed out the lies and hypocrisy regarding Joe Paterno and Penn State

At about 13:35, Tom responds to Pete’s questions about the seeds for In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to be a Man; he emphasizes the importance of a 1996 GQ article

At about 17:30, Pete brings up some intriguing quotes in making some connections between Lorenzo Carcaterra’s A Safe Place and Tom’s memoir

At about 18:30, Tom highlights the classic portrait of her father for the GQ article by Marion Ettlinger (also featured in the book), and talks about his father’s essence being captured

At about 20:20, Tom responds to Pete asking about his father Lou as a distinctive type of “man’s man”

At about 25:00, Tom talks about his dad as “Italian-adjacent”

At about 26:30, Tom discusses the two funeral services held for his father, and how “having the last word” in dealing with his father led to him becoming a writer

At about 30:50, Tom highlights a stunning eulogy from a former lover of his father

At about 32:10, Tom responds to Pete’s questions about balancing his father’s behaviors in his mind and in his feelings towards him; Tom emphasizes the “suspicions” about his father that he harbored for decades about his father

At about 36:50, Tom talks about love “unlocking” so much for his writing of the book, including his father but also his wife, his mother, his siblings, his aunts, etc.

At about 38:55, Tom reflects on ideas of grace and scrutiny involving his father, his paternal grandmother, and their life histories

At about 42:35, Tom responds to Pete’s question about how his life with his father has affected him as a father

This month’s Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of formative and transformative writing for children, as Pete surveys wonderful writers on their own influences.

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 329 with Grant Ginder Please tune in for Episode 325 with Grant Ginder, the author of the novels Let’s Not Do That Again, Honestly, We Meant Well, The People We Hate at the Wedding, Driver’s Education, and This is How It Starts, a few of which have been made into movies. His latest is So Old, So Young.

The episode airs on March 13 or 14.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Wednesday Mar 04, 2026

Episode 327 with Adolfo-Guzman Lopez, Author of California Southern: writing from the road, 1992-2025, and Reflective and Intrepid Reporter, Activist, and Chronicler of the Mundane and Marvelous

Wednesday Mar 04, 2026

Notes and Links to Adolfo Guzman Lopez’s Work

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has been a reporter at LAist 89.3, the Los Angeles NPR affiliate since 2000. He reported and hosted Imperfect Paradise: The Forgotten Revolutionary, a true crime podcast looking into the death in 1994 of Chicano college activist Oscar Gomez. He has reported on L.A. politics, education, art, museums and other topics. His stories have also aired and published nationally on NPR, The Washington Post, and other media. His awards include the LA Press Club’s “Radio Journalist of the Year.” He was born in Mexico City, grew up in Tijuana and San Diego, and lives in Long Beach.

Buy California Southern: writing from the road, 1992-2025

Listen to Adolfo’s “The Forgotten Revolutionary” Podcast Series

KPCC/LAist Article about Adolfo’s Visit to Pete’s Classroom, 2012

KPCC/Laist OnRamp Article about Adolfo being referenced on The Simpsons

At about 2:20, Pete and Adolfo talk about the wonderful experience Adolfo provided for Pete’s students during a 2012 class visit

At about 5:15, Adolfo recounts great stories and lessons learned (especially “collective voice”) from time with The Taco Shop Poets

At about 9:00, Adolfo gives background on growing up in San Diego and Tijuana, "bicultural and bilingual”

At about 11:30, Pete and Adolfo reflect on the book as “a road trip book”

At about 13:30, Adolfo discusses what he recently learned about earlier family immigrants to the US

At about 15:40, the two discuss of National City and San Diego in discussing the wonderful “binaries” that Mike Sonksen compliments in blurbs for the book

At about 20:50, Adolfo describes the “sadness” in the writing of Jack Kerouac and connections to ideas of “home” for himself and Kerouac

At about 23:10, Pete and Adolfo shout out Tim Hernández and his great work with Mañana Means Heaven

At about 24:00, “The Spine of Califas,” the book’s first poem, is discussed, and Adolfo discusses the “personification” of the border

At about 27:50, Pete highlights the POV and “myriad stories” in a poem about

At about 28:40, Adolfo responds to Pete’s questions about poems that focus on the border crossing and questions from immigration authorities

At about 29:40, Adolfo explains a dynamic phrase he uses-”milquetoast bilingualism" and how he played with language, especially with regards to “proper” Spanish and English

At about 34:55, Adolfo reads some of his work, meditating on ideas of possessions, tangible and not

At about 38:00, The two discuss “SanDiegotijuana” and its “negative definitions” and Adolfo reflects on the “set of feelings” that differ depending on where he is

At about 41:00, Adolfo reflects on his “footprints still [being] wet” in San Diego and its implications

At about 43:40, Pete compliments Adolfo’s work in tracing the histories, military and not, of San Diego and LA

At about 47:00, Adolfo responds to Pete’s asking about his poem(s) about Pacific Beach Junior High School

At about 48:55, Adolfo expands on his word play, especially using various permutations of “Sal” and talks about adopting Jewish religious practices and writing about a meaningful story from the Torah

At about 53:25, Adolfo responds to Pete’s questions about “The Words I’ve Lost” and ideas of remembered and forgotten language

At about 55:45, The two discuss gentrification as a topic in the poetry collections, particularly in San Diego

At about 1:00:25, Adolfo recounts the story behind his poem on the opening of the National City Library

At about 1:03:40, ideas of “passing the baton” and transitions between immigrant communities and migrant communities are discussed

At about 1:06:20, Adolfo reads the poem “Prudence”

At about 1:07:45, Adolfo talks about writing in response/in honor of Ginsberg and Chicano/a history

At about 1:10:35, Adolfo talks about the Chicano Student Movement, which he covered for his podcast, “The Forgotten Revolutionary”

At about 1:11:50, Adolfo talks about continuing various movements, and how he has written a “sequel(s) for “The Movement” poem

At about 1:14:00, Adolfo responds to Pete’s questions about the term Chicano and its changing meanings

At about 1:18:00, Adolfo reflects

At about 1:20:30, Adolfo reflects on continuing activism and misogyny within activist circles

At about 1:24:10, Adolfo expands on writing and a changed viewpoint on life after a horrible injury caused by police at a protest

At about 1:26:40, Pete shouts out “Those Winter Sundays” in highlighting Adolfo’s strong ending with a question

At about 1:27:40, Adolfo expands on a poem that highlights the building of the LA Philharmonic

At about 1:31: 30, Pete highlights a favorite poem in the collection, “Trucks” and shares a little Italian bone to pick with Adolfo

At about 1:35:15, Pete compares Adolfo’s “Trucks” and love for home to Hemingway’s “Old Man at the Bridge”

At about 1:37:30, Shifra Goldman and her mentorship and activism are referenced, as well as the “Tercera Caida”

At about 1:39:00, Adolfo reflects on dreams and their impact on writing and learning

At about 1:41:10, Adolfo reflects on how he was cognizant of tone at the end of the collection, and he reads “The Treaty”

At about 1:43:00, Adolfo shares how he ended “The Treaty” with a reference to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

This month’s Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of formative and transformative writing for children, as Pete surveys wonderful writers on their own influences.

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 328 with Tom Junod, ESPN senior writer who has written some of the most enduring and widely read longform journalism of the last 30 years.

His work has been widely anthologized in collections including The Best American Magazine Writing, the Best American Sports Writing, the Best American Political Writing, the Best American Crime Writing, and the Best American Food Writing.

The episode airs on March 10 or thereabouts, Pub Day for In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man: A Memoir.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Tuesday Mar 03, 2026

Episode 326 with Yiming Ma, Author of These Memories Do Not Belong to Us, and Reflective, Skilled Worldbuilder and Craftsman of "Constellation Writing"

Tuesday Mar 03, 2026

Notes and Links to Yiming Ma’s Work

Born in Shanghai, Yiming Ma spent a decade in tech and finance before writing the dystopian novel These Memories Do Not Belong to Us, named a Spotify Editors' Pick, longlisted for the Goodreads Choice Award, and featured on Best Book of 2025 lists by Electric Literature, Debutiful, PEN America,and elsewhere.

Yiming attended Stanford for his MBA, and Warren Wilson for his MFA. His stories and essays appear in the New York Times, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, Florida Review, and elsewhere. His story “Swimmer of Yangtze” won the 2018 Guardian 4th Estate Story Prize.

Buy These Memories Do Not Belong to Us

Locus Magazine Review of These Memories Don't Belong to Us

Yiming Ma's Website

Interview with Michael Zapata for Chicago Review of Books: “Mirrors, Memories, Rebellions: An Interview with Yiming Ma”

At about 2:10, Yiming shares the feedback he’s gotten and the ways in which These Memories Do Not Belong to Us has “resonated” with readers

At about 4:20, Yiming talks about his relationship with “home” and reading as a kid

At about 5:15, Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go is highlighted as a formative and transformative read for Yiming

At about 8:15, Yiming expands on how his immigrant background informed his career choices, agency, and adaptive skills and outlook on capitalism-he connects these to his book’s plot and themes

At about 10:25, Pete reflects on the book as science fiction/speculative fiction

At about 11:25, Yiming responds to Pete’s question about contemporary books that “flipped the switch”

At about 12:50, Yiming reflects on the dearth of fiction read by people in his former work life, as well as ideas of empathy and the changing landscape of diversity in authorship

At about 15:00, Yiming talks about AI and men reading (or not reading) fiction, and differences between his writer friends and tech friends

At about 18:00, Yiming describes the structure of the book in conjunction with seeds for the book, largely coming from the pandemic and ideas of what is remembered and not remembered and how

At about 21:55, Yiming explains how his award-winning story “Swimmer of Yangtze” and the idea of “constellation writing”

At about 23:00, Yiming lays out the book’s opening/exposition

At about 24:40, Yiming responds to Pete’s questions about early connections and memories between Jill and Hao

At about 28:00, Yiming recalls the early question about seeds for the book in reflecting on the motif of watches in the novel

At about 30:15, the two discuss “Easter eggs” in the book regarding “Ri-Ben” (China in Japanese), and Pete reflects on geopolitical tragedies that frame the “constellation writing”

At about 32:10, Pete asks Yiming about the book’s “Memory Epics” and ideas of art vs. commercialism and censorship in connection to today’s similarities

At about 36:40, Yiming expands on the story “Chankonabe” and its connections to real-life and its fit in the novel’s “constellation”

At about 37:35, Yiming talks about the importance of mantras in his book as guides for his storytelling

At about 40:00, Yiming talks about research on sumo wrestling and the resulting questions and reflection that brought out some profound scenes

At about 43:15, The two discuss the book’s first-person accounts from the main narrator, and Yiming expands upon ideas of agency and resistance against systems

At about 45:30, Yiming reflects on connections between the Chrysanthemum Virus and the coronavirus

At about 51:00, The two discuss the story “Swimmer of Yangtze”

At about 52:10, Yiming tells of the beautiful homage to his grandmother in the book

At about 53:10, Yiming turns the tables and asks Pete probing questions about the ever-encroaching AI

At about 56:40, Yiming talks about the “incredible” students he’s spoken with and reflects on a “biased sample” and the “paradigm shift” between disparate groups he speaks with regarding AI and its implementation

At about 1:01:00, Yiming reflects on the “worry” he has over critical thinking skills and employment in a future focused on AI

At about 1:02:20, Pete asks about “+86 Shanghai” and its immigration stories

At about 1:03:20, The two discuss the balance between changing the system and ideas of assimilation and Yiming talks about personal connections to “mining [his] own immigration story” and changing immigration narratives

At about 1:07:50, The two reflect on Kaveh Akbar’s brilliant work that Yiming riffs off in the book; Pete shares a story about Kaveh’s profundity in action, and Yiming talks about censorship and the timing of the release of his book

This month’s Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of formative and transformative writing for children, as Pete surveys wonderful writers on their own influences.

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 327 with Adolfo Guzman-Lopez. Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has been a reporter at LAist 89.3, the Los Angeles NPR affiliate since 2000. He reported and hosted Imperfect Paradise: The Forgotten Revolutionary, a true crime podcast looking into the death in 1994 of Chicano college activist Oscar Gomez. He has reported on L.A. politics, education, art, museums and other topics. His stories have also aired and published nationally on NPR, The Washington Post, and other media, and his poetry, especially from time with the Taco Shop Poets, has been awarded and anthologized.

The episode airs later today, March 3.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Tuesday Feb 24, 2026

Episode 325 with Oliver James, Author of Unread, and Dogged Proponent of Literacy, Vulnerability, and Self-Improvement

Tuesday Feb 24, 2026

Notes and Links to Oliver James’ Work

Oliver James is a literacy advocate and motivational speaker who has been sharing his journey about learning to read as an adult, through TikTok and Instagram. Through videos and posts, he has been charting the books he’s read, and the lessons he’s learned and relearned. He has been featured on The Jennifer Hudson Show, The Today Show, NPR, and more.

Buy Unread: A Memoir of Learning (and Loving) to Read on TikTok

Oliver's Website

Oliver on The Jennifer Hudson Show

At about 1:25, Oliver talks about feedback he has gotten from early readers of Unread

At about 2:35, Oliver responds to Pete’s question about vulnerability in writing the book and presenting the book to the world

At about 4:00, Oliver talks about his social media availability and upcoming tour stops

At about 5:20, Pete asks Oliver about the book’s Dedication and important epigraph; Oliver expands upon the connections between reading and exercises

At about 7:40, Oliver talks about the emotions at the moment after he shared with his social media followers that he couldn’t read, in 2021

At about 10:00, Oliver explains how he would get by when being called on to read in school

At about 12:20, Oliver replies to Pete’s question about good ways for people to start learning to read/cement their developing reading skills

At about 15:00, Oliver talks about his singing and reading and other things that he does on Tik Tok Live and Instagram

At about 16:10, Oliver and Pete discuss

At about 18:00, Pete highlights Oliver’s great book recommendations throughout his book, and particularly connections between The Giver and Oliver’s pains and triumphs in learning and reading

At about 21:45, The two discuss missing important learning opportunities and learning cycles in adolescence

At about 23:15, Oliver talks about “creating [his] own identity” based on what teachers and other authority figures sometimes told him, subtly or not

At about 24:40, The two discuss how The Phantom Tollbooth connects to Oliver’s reading and learning journey

At about 26:30, Oliver gives background on how a speech class gave him more confidence and how it led to speech becoming a vocation

At about 29:50, Oliver reflects on what might have been different had he been a reader when he was set up in a sting operation

At about 31:50, Oliver explains how people in jail gave him hope and how this experience connects to the character of Zero in Holes, particularly with regard to a sense of “duty” and community learning

At about 33:50, Oliver highlights Dirty Laundry and shame and relationships with girls and dependence

At about 37:20, Oliver talks about the importance of a quote book that was his first gifted book and the “helpless[ness]” that came at the beginning of the COVID pandemic

At about 43:20, Oliver makes connections between COVID and “how to carry” on his reading and emotional journey

At about 44:20, The Diary of Anne Frank and The Outsiders and ideas of reading and being in community with readers and reading is discussed

At about 45:40, Pete gives a rec for one of his all-time favorites, That Was Then, This is Now

At about 46:20, The two discuss the Piiraha people and “living in the moment” based on Oliver’s car accident and other traumatic and triumphant moments

At about 51:00, Pete highlights The Alchemist and ideas of how books “unlock” so much, and expands upon the “agreements” featured in Don Ruiz’s books, in particular with regards to his father

At about 54:30, Empathy is discussed, as experienced in reading and in life, and love and thanks for his mother

At about 56:10, Oliver reflects on children’s books and “tap[ping] into emotions” and “be[ing] a kid”

At about 1:00:30, Pete highlights ways in which Oliver gave him a different perspective on finishing a book and on the classic The Giving Tree

At about 1:02:10, Oliver responds to Pete’s questions about his feelings upon meeting famous people for interviews, like Jennifer Hudson

This month’s Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of formative and transformative writing for children, as Pete surveys wonderful writers on their own influences.

Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.

This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he’s convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.

Please tune in for Episode 326 with Yiming Ma, who spent a decade in tech and finance before writing the dystopian novel These Memories Do Not Belong to Us, named a Spotify Editors' Pick, longlisted for the Goodreads Choice Award, and featured on Best Book of 2025 lists by Electric Literature, Debutiful, PEN America, and elsewhere.

The episode airs on February 24 or 25.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.