Shows
WYPL Book TalkAmanda Bellows - The Explorers - Part 1
Dr. Amanda Bellows teaches history at The New School in New York. In addition to many contributions to academic journals and scholarly books, her writing has also appeared in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, in addition to many others. Her first book was American Slavery and Russian Serfdom in the Post-Emancipation Imagination, and today we begin our discussion of her recent release, The Explorers: A New History of America in Ten Expeditions which is published by William Morrow.
2024-09-1428 minWYPL Book TalkSteve Wynn - I Wouldn't Say It If It Wasn't True
Steve Wynn is the founder and creative force behind the influential L.A. rock band The Dream Syndicate, which never quite made the leap to mainstream, but they were probably one of your favorite bands’ favorite bands. In addition to a solo career, Steve has played with many of genre’s heaviest hitters, including four albums with The Baseball Project, which also includes Peter Buck and Mike Mills of REM, Scott McGaughey of The Young Fresh Fellows, and Lita Pitmon of Filthy Friends. Steve recently published his first book, I Wouldn't Say It If It Wasn't True: A Memoir Of L...2024-09-071h 20WYPL Book TalkEli Cranor - Broiler - Part 2
Eli Cranor played college football, and even professionally in Sweden for a bit. He came back to Arkansas to teach high school and coach football. His debut novel, Don't Know Tough, won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel and was on The New York Times and USA Today’s best books of the year lists. Eli appeared on Book Talk for his second novel, Ozark Dogs, which landed on The New York Times and The Guardian’s lists of best crime novels of the year. He return to the program today to conclude our discussion about his...2024-08-1728 minWYPL Book TalkPaul Haddad - Inventing Paradise, Pt. 2
Paul Haddad is a television producer as well as a writer, having published novels and non-fiction alike. Born in Hollywood, he has a keen interest in Los Angeles, and some of his previous books include High Fives, Pennant Drives, and Fernandomania, as well as Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles. Today we’ll begin our two-part conversation about his latest title, Inventing Paradise: The Power Brokers Who Created the Dream of Los Angeles which is published by Santa Monica Press.
2024-08-0838 minWYPL Book TalkPaul Haddad - Inventing Paradise, Pt. 1
Paul Haddad is a television producer as well as a writer, having published novels and non-fiction alike. Born in Hollywood, he has a keen interest in Los Angeles, and some of his previous books include High Fives, Pennant Drives, and Fernandomania, as well as Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles. Today we’ll begin our two-part conversation about his latest title, Inventing Paradise: The Power Brokers Who Created the Dream of Los Angeles which is published by Santa Monica Press.
2024-07-2730 minWYPL Book TalkBoyce Upholt - The Great River, Pt. 2
Boyce Upholt is a writer whose work has been published in the Atlantic, National Geographic, and the Oxford American, among others, and he was awarded the 2019 James Beard Award for investigative journalism. Today we’ll conclude our two-part discussion about his debut book, The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi, which is published by W.W. Norton.
2024-07-2030 minWYPL Book TalkBoyce Upholt - The Great River, Pt. 1
Boyce Upholt is a writer whose work has been published in the Atlantic, National Geographic, and the Oxford American, among others, and he was awarded the 2019 James Beard Award for investigative journalism. Today we’ll begin our two-part discussion about his debut book, The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi, which is published by W.W. Norton.
2024-07-1329 minWYPL Book TalkMark Greaney - Sentinel
Mark Greaney is best known for his Grey Man series starring the burned CIA operator turned assassin Court Gentry. But today we’ll be discussing the second book in his other series, starring Josh and Nicole Duffy. The first book Armored came out in 2022, and today we’ll be talking about Sentinel which is newly available from Berkely Books.
2024-06-2937 minWYPL Book TalkKathleen Duval - Native Nations, Part 3
Dr. Kathleen DuVal is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her previous works include Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution and The Native Ground: Indians and Colonists in the Heart of the Continent. Today is the final installment of a special three-part interview about her recently released book, Native Nations: A Millennium in North America, which is available from Random House.
2024-06-2228 minWYPL Book TalkKathleen Duval - Native Nations, Part 2
Dr. Kathleen DuVal is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her previous works include Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution and The Native Ground: Indians and Colonists in the Heart of the Continent. Today is the second installment of a special three-part interview about her recently released book, Native Nations: A Millennium in North America, which is available from Random House.
2024-06-1529 minWYPL Book TalkKathleen Duval - Native Nations, Part 1
Dr. Kathleen DuVal is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her previous works include Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution and The Native Ground: Indians and Colonists in the Heart of the Continent. Today we begin our conversation about her recently released book, Native Nations: A Millennium in North America, which is available from Random House.
2024-06-0830 minWYPL Book TalkHampton Sides - The Wide Wide Sea, Part 2
Hampton Sides is a veteran journalist and non-fiction writer, with his work appearing in many publications, including National Geographic and Outside magazine. Book Talk listeners may best know him for his appearances discussing his titles like, Hellhound on His Trail, Blood and Thunder, and In the Kingdom of Ice. Today, we will begin a two-part interview talking about his latest book, The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook, which is published by Doubleday.
2024-05-1129 minWYPL Book TalkHampton Sides - The Wide Wide Sea, Part 1
Hampton Sides is a veteran journalist and non-fiction writer, with his work appearing in many publications, including National Geographic and Outside magazine. Book Talk listeners may best know him for his appearances discussing his titles like, Hellhound on His Trail, Blood and Thunder, and In the Kingdom of Ice. Today, we will begin a two-part interview talking about his latest book, The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook, which is published by Doubleday.
2024-05-0428 minWYPL Book TalkSara Koffi - While We Were Burning
Sara Koffi is a native of Memphis, who currently calls western Pennsylvania home. We’ll be discussing her debut, a thriller called, While We Were Burning, which is set in Harbor Town, one of the few majority-white neighborhoods in Memphis, and how that lack of integration exacerbates the grief felt by the leading women characters, both black and white.
2024-04-2731 minWYPL Book TalkAlice Randall - My Black Country, Part 2
This is the second of a two-part interview with, Alice Randall, who is best known for her best-selling novels The Wind Done Gone, Rebel Yell, Black Bottom Saints and others. But before writing prose, Alice wrote country songs in Nashville, including "XXXs and OOOs", which went to top the charts for Trisha Yearwood, making Alice the first African-American woman to write a number one country hit record. Her new book, My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future, interweaves her life story and the history of African-American musicians who helped make country music what i...2024-04-2038 minWYPL Book TalkAlice Randall - My Black Country, Part 1
Book lovers know Alice Randall for her best-selling novels including The Wind Done Gone, Rebel Yell, Black Bottom Saints and others. But before writing prose, Alice wrote country songs in Nashville, including "XXXs and OOOs", which went to top the charts for Trisha Yearwood, making Alice the first African-American woman to write a number one country hit record. Her new book, My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future, interweaves her life story and the history of African-American musicians who helped make country music what it is today, despite attempts at sidelining or erasing t...2024-04-1331 minWYPL Book TalkDr. SunAh Laybourn - Out of Place
Dr. SunAh M. Laybourn is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Memphis. Her research has been published in Ethnic & Racial Studies, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Sociology Compass, and Asian Pacific American Law Journal. Her co-authored book entitled, Diversity in Black Greek-Letter Organizations: Breaking the Line, was published by Routledge in 2018. Today we will be discussing her new book, Out of Place: The Lives of Korean Adoptee Immigrants which is published by NYU press.
2024-03-3038 minWYPL Book TalkKurt Wagner - Battle for the Bird, Part 2
We welcome Kurt Wagner back for the second of a two-part interview today. Kurt is an award-winning business and technology journalist covering social media for Bloomberg and has been writing about Twitter and other social media companies and their impacts on society since 2013. Kurt’s debut book is Battle for the Bird: Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, and the $44 Billion Fight for Twitter's Soul, which is published by Simon & Schuster.
2024-03-2332 minWYPL Book TalkKurt Wagner - Battle for the Bird, Part 1
We happily welcome Kurt Wagner for the first of a two-part interview today. Kurt is an award-winning business and technology journalist covering social media for Bloomberg and has been writing about Twitter and other social media companies and their impacts on society since 2013. Kurt’s debut book is Battle for the Bird: Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, and the $44 Billion Fight for Twitter's Soul, which is published by Simon & Schuster.
2024-03-1631 minWYPL Book TalkMark Greaney - The Chaos Agent
Mark Greaney is now best known for his long-running Grey Man series, starring the burned CIA op, Court Gentry. And as a special treat, Mark brought along his editor, Tom Colgan, who is Vice President, Editorial Director for Berkley Books. Today we’ll be talking about entry number 13 in the series, The Chaos Agent.
2024-03-0929 minWYPL Book TalkLouis Ferrante - Borgata: Rise of Empire
Guest host Matt Ward welcomes retired gangster and current historian Louis Ferrante on for an epic two-hour interview. Ferrante's new book is Borgata: Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia, first part of the planned Borgata Trilogy) covering the Mafia's first one hundred years, from 1860's Sicily to 1960's America.2024-03-022h 04WYPL Book TalkBrad Taylor - Dead Man's Hand
Prior to becoming a best-selling thriller writer, Brad Taylor served in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years retiring as a lieutenant colonel after serving in several special-forces capacities in multiple deployments around the globe. His Pike Logan thriller series began in 2011 with One Rough Man, and today we’ll talk about the 18th entry, Dead Man’s Hand, which is published by William Morrow.
2024-02-0328 minWYPL Book TalkVanessa Sasson - The Gathering: A Story of the First Buddhist Women
Dr. David Mason is back today as guest host. Dave is a professor of religious studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. This week he speaks with a returning guest, Dr. Vanessa Sasson, who is also a professor of religious studies, but at Marianopolis College in Quebec. They last spoke about her debut novel, Yasodhara, and today they will be discussing her most recent work of historical fiction, The Gathering: A Story of the First Buddhist Women, which is available from Equinox Publishing.
2024-01-3128 minWYPL Book TalkAvery Cunningham - The Mayor Maxwell Street
Avery Cunningham joins me to discuss her debut novel, The Mayor of Maxwell Street which is published by Hyperion. A native of Jackson, TN and now a resident of Memphis, Avery has crafted a tale set in the early 1920s in Chicago, as the wealthiest African-American families have gathered for the funeral of the son of the richest black man in the nation. The Sawyer family’s daughter, Nelly, only wants to become a journalist, but her parents have other plans for her future, as she chases after the most mysterious criminal in Chicago’s underworld, The Mayor of M...2024-01-2950 minWYPL Book TalkFergus Bordewich - Klan War - Part 2
Fergus M. Bordewich is a former journalist and now a longtime historian. His books include THE FIRST CONGRESS: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government, BOUND FOR CANAAN: The Story of the Underground Railroad, KILLING THE WHITE MAN'S INDIAN: Reinventing Native Americans at the End of the Twentieth Century. Today we wrap up with the second of our two-part conversation about his latest book, KLAN WAR: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction which is published by Knopf.
2023-12-0228 minWYPL Book TalkFergus Bordewich - Klan War - Part 1
Fergus M. Bordewich is a former journalist and now a longtime historian. His books include THE FIRST CONGRESS: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government, BOUND FOR CANAAN: The Story of the Underground Railroad, KILLING THE WHITE MAN'S INDIAN: Reinventing Native Americans at the End of the Twentieth Century. Today we begin the first of our two-part conversation about his latest book, KLAN WAR: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction which is published by Knopf.
2023-11-2529 minWYPL Book TalkMartin Clark - The Plinko Bounce - Part 2
Martin Clark is a retired circuit court judge from Patrick County, Virginia and is the author of six novels, including Plain Heathen Mischief and The Jezebel Remedy. Today is the conclusion of a two-part interview about his newest novel, The Plinko Bounce which is published by Rare Bird Books.
2023-11-1128 minWYPL Book TalkMartin Clark - The Plinko Bounce - Part 1
Martin Clark is a retired circuit court judge from Patrick County, Virginia and is the author of six novels, including Plain Heathen Mischief and The Jezebel Remedy. Today is the first half of a two-part interview about his newest novel, The Plinko Bounce which is published by Rare Bird Books.
2023-11-0428 minWYPL Book TalkLaurence Leamer - Hitchcock’s Blondes
Laurence Leamer is a journalist and author with quite an accomplished body of work under his belt. His journalism has appeared in publications including Harper's, The New York Times Magazine, and Newsweek. His books have covered gritty topics like coal mining and lynching, political titans like the Kennedys and Ronald Reagan, and the brightest stars in the arts including, Johnny Carson, Ingrid Bergman, Truman Capote and now Alfred Hitchcock, in the recently released Hitchcock's Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director's Dark Obsession which is published by GP Putnam’s Sons.2023-10-2828 minWYPL Book TalkMaureen Corrigan - Banned Books, Burned Books: Forbidden Literary Works
Maureen Corrigan is the Nicky and Jamie Grant Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Literary Criticism at Georgetown University. She is perhaps bet known as the longtime book critic for the NPR program Fresh Air and is the author of Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading, and So We Read On: How “The Great Gatsby” Came to Be and Why It Endures. Earlier this year continuing education company The Great Courses made available her series of lectures, entitled, Banned Books, Burned Books: Forbidden Literary Works.
2023-10-2128 minWYPL Book TalkStephan Pastis - Looking Up
Stephan Pastis is best known as the writer and artist for the wildly successful daily comic strip Pearls Before Swine. The latest collection of strips, Pearls Seeks Enlightenment was recently published by Andrews McMeel Publishing. Stephan also writes novels for all ages, but the publisher says that they are great especially for middle schoolers. His Timmy Failure series was successful, even spawning the major motion picture Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. The Trubble Town books followed in 2021 and 22. His new novel, appropriate for middle grade readers and older, is entitled, Looking Up, and it is published by A...2023-10-1445 minWYPL Book TalkHayley Arcenaux - Wild Ride: My Journey from Cancer Kid to Astronaut
Hayley Arceneaux is a physician's assistant with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. Not only an employee, she is also a successful patient who recovered from pediatric cancer at St. Jude. A couple of years ago, she was offered a seat on a Space X flight to orbit the earth for three days and raise money for St. Jude. In 2022, her Memoir Wild Ride: A Memoir of I.V. Drips and Rocket Ships was published, and 2023 sees the young readers' adaptation Wild Ride: My Journey from Cancer Kid to Astronaut, which is published by Convergent Books.
2023-09-1028 minWYPL Book TalkJonathan Eig - King: A Life Pt. 2
I’m happy to welcome Jonathan Eig back to the program today for the second of our two-part conversation about his new, exhaustive biography of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ent, King: A Life which is published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Jonathan is a best-selling and award-winning author of non-fiction. His titles are Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season, Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster, The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution, and...2023-08-0533 minWYPL Book TalkJonathan Eig - King: A Life Pt. 1
Jonathan Eig is a best-selling and award-winning author of non-fiction. His titles are Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season, Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster, The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution, and the multi-award-winning Ali: A Life, about boxer and activist Muhammad Ali. Today, we’ll begin the first of a two-part interview about his new exhaustive biography of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., King: A Life which is published by Farrar, St...2023-07-2928 minWYPL Book TalkPolly Stewart - The Good Ones
Polly Stewart is an associate professor in the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies at Virginia Military Institute. Her essays have a appeared in The New York Times, Poets and Writers, among others. Today we will be speaking about her new novel, a thriller, entitled The Good Ones which is published by Harper.
2023-07-2231 minWYPL Book TalkJulie Carr - Mud, Blood, and Ghosts - Part 2
This week we have the second of a two-part interview as Dr. David Mason speaks with Dr. Julie Carr about her book, Mud, Blood, and Ghosts: Populism, Eugenics, and Spiritualism in the American West published by the University of Nebraska Press. David is the director of the Asian Studies Department at Rhodes College. Julie is the director of the Women’s Studies Department and professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder.
2023-07-1528 minWYPL Book TalkJulie Carr - Mud, Blood, and Ghosts - Part 1
This week we have the first of a two-part interview as returning guest host Dr. David Mason speaks with Dr. Julie Carr about her book, Mud, Blood, and Ghosts: Populism, Eugenics, and Spiritualism in the American West published by the University of Nebraska Press. David is the director of the Asian Studies Department at Rhodes College. Julie is the director of the Women’s Studies Department and professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder.
2023-07-0828 minWYPL Book TalkPaul Kix - You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live Pt. 2
We're happy to welcome Blake McVey back as guest host of the program today. Blake is the public services director of the historic Cossitt Library in downtown Memphis. Today is the second of a two-part interview with journalist and author Paul Kix. Paul's journalism has appeared in many publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, and The New Yorker. His first book is The Saboteur: The Aristocrat Who Became France's Most Daring Anti-Nazi Commando, and today he and Blake will conclude their discussion of his latest title, You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before Y...2023-07-0128 minWYPL Book TalkPaul Kix - You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live Pt. 1
We're happy to welcome Blake McVey back as guest host of the program today. Blake is the public services director of the historic Cossitt Library in downtown Memphis. Today is the first of a two-part interview with journalist and author Paul Kix. Paul's journalism has appeared in many publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, and The New Yorker. His first book is The Saboteur: The Aristocrat Who Became France's Most Daring Anti-Nazi Commando, and today he and Blake will begin discussing his latest title, You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to...2023-06-2429 minWYPL Book TalkPeter Cozzens - A Brutal Reckoning Pt. 2
Peter Cozzens is on the program today for the second of a two-part interview. Peter is a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer and a historian. He has edited or written almost twenty books, having won many awards along the way. Today we will wrap up our chat about the last book in his trilogy of books looking at U.S. government wars against Native Americans. The first two were: The Earth Is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West and Tecumseh and the Prophet. The new one is A Brutal Reckoning: Andrew Jackson, the...2023-06-0328 minWYPL Book TalkPeter Cozzens - A Brutal Reckoning Pt. 1
Peter Cozzens is on the program today for the first of a two-part interview. Peter is a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer and a historian. He has edited or written almost twenty books, having won many awards along the way. Today we will begin talking about the last book in his trilogy of books looking at U.S. government wars against Native Americans. The first two were: The Earth Is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West and Tecumseh and the Prophet. The new one is A Brutal Reckoning: Andrew Jackson, the Creek Indians...2023-05-2728 minWYPL Book TalkElizabeth Passarella - It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway
Memphis native Elizabeth Passarella is a writer and editor. Currently, she is a contributing editor for Southern Living, and previously worked as an editor at Vogue and Real Simple. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Parents, The Wall Street Journal, among many others. In 2021, she published her first collection of essays, Good Apple: Tales of a Southern Evangelical in New York, and recently Thomas Nelson Books released her second collection, It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway: And Other Thoughts on Moving Forward.
2023-05-2043 minWYPL Book TalkMichael Farris Smith - Salvage This World
Michael Farris Smith is a novelist who has previously appeared on Book Talk for his books, Rivers, Desperation Road, The Fighter, and Blackwood. His other titles are Nick and The Hands of Strangers. Today we’ll be discussing his latest, Salvage This World, which is published by Little, Brown.
2023-05-1348 minWYPL Book TalkRebecca Boggs Roberts - Untold Power - part two
Rebecca Boggs Roberts is a journalist and author, having been a correspondent for NPR, PRI, and the BBC, including the programs Morning Edition, The World, and Talk of the Nation. She is currently the deputy director of events for The Library of Congress. Her first book in 2012, co-authored with Sandra Schmidt, was Historic Congressional Cemetery. Her second was 2017’s Suffragists in Washington, D.C. : The 1913 Parade and the Fight for the Vote. 2020 brought The Suffragist Playbook : Your Guide to Changing the World, co-authored by Lucinda Robb. Today, we’ll continue our discussion of her newest work, Untold Power: The F...2023-04-2934 minWYPL Book TalkRebecca Boggs Roberts - Untold Power - part one
Rebecca Boggs Roberts is a journalist and author, having been a correspondent for NPR, PRI, and the BBC, including the programs Morning Edition, The World, and Talk of the Nation. She is currently the deputy director of events for The Library of Congress. Her first book in 2012, co-authored with Sandra Schmidt, was Historic Congressional Cemetery. Her second was 2017’s Suffragists in Washington, D.C. : The 1913 Parade and the Fight for the Vote. 2020 brought The Suffragist Playbook : Your Guide to Changing the World, co-authored by Lucinda Robb. Today, we’ll begin our discussion of her newest work, Untold Power: The F...2023-04-2228 minWYPL Book TalkEli Cranor - Ozark Dogs
Eli Cranor is a former pro football player and high school football coach. He’s now a writer with a column in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and has recently published his second novel set in the Arkansas River valley. The first one was Don’t Know Tough, and the new one, recently released by Soho Crime, is Ozark Dogs.
2023-04-151h 02WYPL Book TalkOline Eaton - Finding Jackie
Dr. Oline Eaton is a lecturer at Howard University. Today we'll be talking about her first book, Finding Jackie: A Life Reinvented, which is published by Diversion Books.2023-04-0130 minWYPL Book TalkAdam Brookes - Fragile Cargo - Part Two
Adam Brookes is back on the program for the second of a two-part interview. Adam is a true world traveler, having been born in Canada, grew up in Britain, and worked all over Asia. He is a journalist and novelist. He primarily served as BBC correspondent for Beijing, Jakarta, and Washington, DC. His novels are Night Heron, Spy Games, and The Spy’s Daughter. Today we’ll finish our discussion his new non-fiction title, Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasure of China’s Forbidden City, which is published by Atria.
2023-03-2535 minWYPL Book TalkAdam Brookes - Fragile Cargo - Part One
Adam Brookes is on the program today for the first of a two-part interview. Adam is a true world traveler, having been born in Canada, grew up in Britain, and worked all over Asia. He is a journalist and novelist. He primarily served as BBC correspondent for Beijing, Jakarta, and Washington, DC. His novels are Night Heron, Spy Games, and The Spy’s Daughter. Today we’ll begin discussing his new non-fiction title, Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasure of China’s Forbidden City, which is published by Atria.
2023-03-1833 minWYPL Book TalkMark Greaney - Burner
New York Times Best-Selling author Mark Greaney returns to the program to talk about the latest installment in his Gray Man series, Burner, which finds Court Gentry facing off against a Russian hit team as they both race to find a phone drive full of international, money-laundering secrets.
2023-03-0428 minWYPL Book TalkChuck Thompson - The Status Revolution, Part Two
Chuck Thompson has appeared on Book Talk for his three previous titles, Smile When You’re Lying: Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer, To Hellholes and Back: Bribes, Lies, and the Art of Extreme Tourism, and Better Off Without ’Em: A Northern Manifesto for Southern Secession. Today, we have the second of a two-part interview about his most recent book: The Status Revolution: The Improbable Story of How the Lowbrow Became the Highbrow which is published by Simon and Schuster, and we’ll also talk about the recent documentary he wrote about soft rock called, Sometimes When We Touch, wh...2023-02-1828 minWYPL Book TalkChuck Thompson - The Status Revolution, Part One
Chuck Thompson has appeared on Book Talk for his three previous titles, Smile When You’re Lying: Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer, To Hellholes and Back: Bribes, Lies, and the Art of Extreme Tourism, and Better Off Without ’Em: A Northern Manifesto for Southern Secession. Today, we have the first of a two-part interview about his most recent book: The Status Revolution: The Improbable Story of How the Lowbrow Became the Highbrow which is published by Simon and Schuster.
2023-02-1128 minWYPL Book TalkBrad Taylor - The Devil’s Ransom
Brad Taylor is a retired Army Lt. Colonel who served in what is popularly known as Delta Force. After his service, he became a thriller author, creating the Pike Logan thriller series. We’ll be talking about his brand new one, The Devil’s Ransom, where the covert ops department Logan is part of has been hacked for ransom, to be complicated by Afghan assassins also chasing his target.
2023-02-0428 minWYPL Book TalkAndy Davidson - The Hollow Kind
Andy Davidson is an author of literary horror who has garnered much acclaim for his three published novels. The first was In the Valley of the Sun. He visited the WYPL studios in early 2020 to talk about The Boatman's Daughter. Today, he speaks to us from his home in Georgia about his most recent release, The Hollow Kind, which is published MCDxFSG Originals.
2023-01-0744 minWYPL Book TalkStacy Schiff - The Revolutionary (Part Two)
Stacy Schiff is a Pulitzer-winning biographer, having won for Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), among her other works are The Witches: Salem, 1692, Cleopatra: A Life, and A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. Today we have the second of a two-part interview about her most recent biography, in which she returns to the American Revolution, with The Revolutionary, about the life and times of Samuel Adams, which is published by Little, Brown, and Co.
2022-11-2629 minWYPL Book TalkStacy Schiff - The Revolutionary (Part One)
Stacy Schiff is a Pulitzer-winning biographer, having won for Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), among her other works are The Witches: Salem, 1692, Cleopatra: A Life, and A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. Today we have the first of a two-part interview about her most recent biography, in which she returns to the American Revolution, with The Revolutionary, about the life and times of Samuel Adams, which is published by Little, Brown, and Co.
2022-11-1928 minWYPL Book TalkTeresa Lim - The Interpreter’s Daughter
Teresa Lim is a journalist originally from Singapore, now living in England. She has recently published in America her debut book, a multigenerational memoir of her family’s journey from Southern China in the late 19th century up to the Japanese invasion of Singapore during World War II, entitled: The Interpreter’s Daughter, and it is available in America from Pegasus.
2022-10-0842 minWYPL Book TalkAram Goudsouzian - Man on a Mission : James Meredith and the Battle of OLE Miss
Aram Goudsouzian is a professor and the chair of the history department at the University of Memphis. He’s appeared on Book Talk before to discuss his books, King of the Court about NBA legend Bill Russell, Down to the Crossroads: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Meredith March Against Fear, and The Men and the Moment: The Election of 1968 and the Rise of Partisan Politics in America. Today we’ll be talking about his latest project, Man on a Mission:James Meredith and the Battle of Ole Miss, an illustrated graphic history of James Meredith’s attempts to attend...2022-10-0129 minWYPL Book TalkJake S. Friedman - Part Two - The Disney Revolt
Jake S. Friedman is a former animator and current educator, as well as a researcher and writer about the history of animation. His first book was The Art of Blue Sky Studios, and today in the second of a two-part interview, we'll discuss his new book, The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animation's Golden Age, which is published by Chicago Review Press.
2022-08-2728 minWYPL Book TalkJake S. Friedman - Part One - The Disney Revolt
Jake S. Friedman is a former animator and current educator, as well as a researcher and writer about the history of animation. His first book was The Art of Blue Sky Studios, and today in the first of a two-part interview, we'll discuss his new book, The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animation's Golden Age, which is published by Chicago Review Press.
2022-08-2028 minWYPL Book TalkGrant McCracken - Return of the Artisan
Grant McCracken is an anthropologist and author who researches culture and commerce. His previous books include: Culture and Consumption, Plenitude, and Chief Culture Officer. Today we’ll be discussing his most recent title, Return of the Artisan: How America Went from Industrial to Handmade, which is published by Simon Element, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.
2022-08-1334 minWYPL Book TalkAndrew Lownie - Part Two - Traitor King
Andrew Lownie is the founder of the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency, one of the premier literary agencies in Great Britain. In addition to his status as a fellow of the British Historical Society, Andrew has written several non-fiction books, including, The Mountbattens: The Lives and Loves of Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten and Stalin's Englishman: Guy Burgess, the Cold War, and the Cambridge Spy Ring. Today we have the second of a two-part interview discussing his most recent release, Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor, which is published in America by Pegasus Books.
2022-08-0628 minWYPL Book TalkAndrew Lownie - Part One - Traitor King
Andrew Lownie is the founder of the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency, one of the premier literary agencies in Great Britain. In addition to his status as a fellow of the British Historical Society, Andrew has written several non-fiction books, including, The Mountbattens: The Lives and Loves of Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten and Stalin's Englishman: Guy Burgess, the Cold War, and the Cambridge Spy Ring. Today we have the first of a two-part interview discussing his most recent release, Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor, which is published in America by Pegasus Books.
2022-07-3028 minWYPL Book TalkSteve Berry - The Omega Factor
Steve Berry has over 25 million books in print in 40 languages. His first three novels were stand-alone thrillers, The Amber Room, The Romanov Prophecy, and Third Secret. In 2006, he began his tremendously successful Cotton Malone Series with The Templar Legacy, with book number 16, The Kasier’s Web having been published in 2021. He even spun off the popular character Cassiopeia Vitt into several stories co-written with MJ Rose. And there have been short stories and contributions to anthologies over the years. The seventeenth Cotton Malone book is scheduled for February of 2023, but today we’ll be discussing his first stan...2022-07-0928 minWYPL Book TalkMary Laura Philpott - Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and other Explosives
Mary Laura Philpott has appeared on Book Talk for both of her previous books, first in 2015 with her collection of cartoons, Penguins with People Problems. In 2019, we spoke about her collection of personal essays, I Miss You When I Blink. Today we’ll discuss he most recent release, Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives which is published by Atria Books.
2022-07-0235 minWYPL Book TalkLucy Ward - The Empress and the English Doctor, Part 2
We are happy to welcome Lucy Ward back to the program for the second part of our interview. Lucy is a writer and former journalist having written for The Guardian and The Independent. Today, we continue our conversation about her debut book, The Empress and the English Doctor: How Catherine the Great Defied a Deadly Virus, which is published Oneworld Publications and distributed by Simon and Schuster.
2022-06-2532 minWYPL Book TalkLucy Ward - The Empress and the English Doctor, Part 1
We are delighted to welcome Lucy Ward to the program for the first of a two-part interview. Lucy is a writer and former journalist having written for The Guardian and The Independent. Today we will begin our conversation about her debut book, The Empress and the English Doctor: How Catherine the Great Defied a Deadly Virus, which is published Oneworld Publications and distributed by Simon and Schuster.
2022-06-1830 minWYPL Book TalkDolen Perkins-Valdez - Take My Hand
Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the current Chair of the Board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, as well as an associate professor of English at American University in Washington, D.C. However, for Book Talk listeners, she is a highly respected writer of fiction. Her debut novel was Wench, followed by Balm, and today we’ll be talking about her newest book, Take My Hand, which is published by Berkley.
2022-05-1429 minWYPL Book TalkWilliam Hazelgrove - Greed in the Gilded Age
William Hazelgrove has written over twenty books including, Madam President: the Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson and Al Capone and the 1933 World’s Fair. Today we’ll be talking about his most recent title, Greed in the Gilded Age: The Brilliant Con of Cassie Chadwick which is published by Rowman & Littlefield.
2022-05-0731 minWYPL Book TalkPolly Barton - Fifty Sounds
We welcome Polly Barton to the show today. Polly is an author, as well as a Japanese literary translator. She is the author of Fifty Sounds: A Memoir of Language, Learning and Longing which is published by Liveright. Polly is the winner of the 2019 Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize for "Fifty Sounds." She currently resides in Bristol.
2022-05-0128 minWYPL Book TalkJared Goldstein - Real Americans - Part 2
Jared Goldstein is a Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Roger Williams University School of Law. Today, we have the second of our two-part interview about his recently published book, Real Americans: The Problem of Constitutional Nationalism, which is published by University Press of Kansas.
2022-04-0228 minWYPL Book TalkJared Goldstein - Real Americans - Part 1
Jared Goldstein is a Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Roger Williams University School of Law. This is the first of a two-part interview discussing his recently published book, Real Americans: The Problem of Constitutional Nationalism, which is published by University Press of Kansas.
2022-03-2630 minWYPL Book TalkMark Greaney - Sierra Six
Mark Greaney returns to the program today. We’ve discussed his co-authoring some of and continuing Tom Clancy’s legendary Jack Ryan thrillers. He’s also written a best-selling military thriller with retired Marine Lt. Colonel H. Ripley Rawlings IV, entitled, Red Metal. But most readers know Mark for his successful Gray Man series starring burned CIA operative, Court Gentry. We’ll be talking about his 11th installment in the series, Sierra Six, which is now available from Berkley.
2022-03-0529 minWYPL Book TalkLindsay M. Chervinsky - The Cabinet
We welcome Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky to the program today for the first of a two-part interview. Dr. Chervinsky is a presidential historian, as well as a columnist at Governing and Washington Monthly. She is the author of The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution which is now available in paperback from Belknap Press an imprint of Harvard University Press.
2022-02-1233 minWYPL Book TalkHasanthika Sirisena - Dark Tourist
In this episode, Dave Mason of Rhodes College and WYPL interviews Hasanthika Sirisena, Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Susquehanna University. She has published a collection of stories, The Other One. She and Dave discuss her collection of essays, Dark Tourist. which was recently published by Mad Creek/Ohio State University Press.
2022-01-2929 minWYPL Book TalkBrad Taylor - End of Days
Brad Taylor is a retired Army Lt. Colonel who served in what is popularly known as Delta Force. After his service he became a thriller author, creating the Pike Logan series. We’ll be talking about his brand new one, End of Days, where a member of an international religious charity has gone rogue and is trying to bring about Armageddon.
2022-01-1529 minWYPL Book TalkDaniel de Visé - Part Two - King of the Blues
We welcome Daniel de Visé to the program today, in this second part of two episodes. Daniel de Visé is a journalist, writer and graduate of Wesleyan and Northwestern universities. He has worked at The Washington Post, The Miami Herald and a multitude of other newspapers in a career spanning 23 years. In 2001, he was the co-recipient of a team Pulitzer Prize, and has acquired over two dozen other national, as well as regional awards in journalism. He is the author of The King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King, which is published by Gro2022-01-0828 minWYPL Book TalkDaniel de Visé - Part One - King of the Blues
We welcome Daniel de Visé to the program today, in this first part of two episodes. Daniel de Visé is a journalist, writer and graduate of Wesleyan and Northwestern universities. He has worked at The Washington Post, The Miami Herald and a multitude of other newspapers in a career spanning 23 years. In 2001, he was the co-recipient of a team Pulitzer Prize, and has acquired over two dozen other national, as well as regional awards in journalism. He is the author of The King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King, which is published by Grov2022-01-0128 minWYPL Book TalkRobert K. Elder - Christmas with Elvis
Robert K. Elder is a veteran photographer, journalist, author and podcaster. Today we’ll be talking about his latest book, Christmas with Elvis: The Official Guide to the Holidays from the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, which is published by Running Press.
2021-12-1828 min
mysterypodStephen Markley - Ohio2018-10-3131 minmysterypodBonus - Heidi Pitlor - The Daylight Marriage
Stephen Usery talks to Heidi Pitlor about her second novel, The Daylight Marriage, which is new in paperback. It's the story of a woman who goes missing, and then we see timelines of how her disappearance affects her husband and children, as well as how they became a couple and the events of the day leading up to her going missing. 2016-01-0829 min