The National Writers Series Podcast
By IPR & NWS
Erin French and "Big Heart Little Stove: Bringing Home Meals & Moments From the Lost Kitchen"
Erin French joined the National Writers Series at the City Opera House on November 8, 2023 with guest host Cara McDonald.
Erin French is the owner and chef of The Lost Kitchen, a 40-seat restaurant in Freedom, Maine, that was recently named one of TIME Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places and one of “12 Restaurants Worth Traveling Across the World to Experience” by Bloomberg. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, Finding Freedom, and features in Magnolia Network’s The Lost Kitchen, which is now in its third season. A born-and-raised native of Maine, she learned early the simple pleasures of thoughtful food and the importance of gathering for a meal. Her love of sharing Maine and its delicious heritage with curious dinner guests and new friends alike has been lauded by such outlets such as The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, NPR’s All Things Considered, The Chew, CBS This Morning, The Today Show, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and Food & Wine.
Heather Cox Richardson and "Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America"
Heather Cox Richardson joined the National Writers Series at Lars Hockstad Auditorium on October 17, 2023 with guest host Neal Rubin.
Heather Cox Richardson is a Professor of History at Boston College. She has written about the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and the American West in award-winning books whose subjects stretch from the European settlement of the North American continent to the history of the Republican Party through the Trump administration. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and The Guardian, among other outlets. She is the cohost of the Vox podcast, Now & Then. She began writing a daily Facebook essay in the midst of the 2019 impeachment crisis, providing historical context for the daily churn of news. It soon became a chart-topping Substack newsletter, Letters from an American, which now reaches more than 2 million subscribers – passionate, dedicated readers who rely on Richardson’s plainspoken, insightful take on America, past and present, as a much-needed dose of sanity in today’s insane world.
V.E. Schwab and "The Fragile Threads of Power"
The National Writers Series was pleased to welcome V.E. Schwab to Lars Hockstad Auditorium on October 7, 2023 with guest host Beth Milligan.
VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shadesuniverse, the Villains series, the City of Ghosts series, Gallant, and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Her work has received critical acclaim, translated into over two dozen languages, and optioned for television and film. First Kill – a YA vampire series based on Schwab’s short story of the same name – is now a Netflix series. When not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.
Ken Follett and "The Armor of Light"
Ken Follett joined the National Writers Series at the Alluvion on October 1st, 2023 with guest host Pat Livingston.
Ken Follett is one of the world’s best-loved authors, selling more than 188 million copies of his 36 books. Follett’s first bestseller was “Eye of the Needle”, a spy story set in the Second World War. In 1989, “The Pillars of the Earth” was published and has since become Follett’s most popular novel. It reached number one on bestseller lists around the world and was an Oprah’s Book Club pick. Its sequels, “World Without End” and “A Column of Fire”, and prequel “The Evening and the Morning”, proved equally popular, and the Kingsbridge series has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. Follett lives in Hertfordshire, England, with his wife, Barbara. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren, and three Labradors.
Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson, "American Gun: the True Story of the AR-15"
Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson joined the National Writers Series onstage at the City Opera House on September 19, 2023 with guest host Benjamin Busch.
Authors Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson are both journalists at the Wall Street Journal who have covered gun culture and the industry, including mass shootings, for years. McWhirter, who lives in Georgia, is the author of Red Summer: The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America. He has also written for The Atlanta Journal-Constituion, The Detroit News, and the Harvard Review. Elinson, who lives in California, has also written for the Center for Investigative Reporting and The New York Times. The authors received a MacDowell Fellowship to complete this book.
Ed Yong and "An Immense World"
The National Writers series was thrilled to host award-winning science writer Ed Yong at the City Opera House on September 12, 2023 with guest host Ed Ronco.
Ed Yong won several honors for his reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting and the George Polk Award for science reporting. His first book, I Contain Multitudes, was a New York Times bestseller. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, National Geographic, The New York Times, Wired, Scientific American, and more. He lives in Oakland, California.
Ed is also the best-selling author of I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us, a groundbreaking look at the relationship between animals and microbes. His second book, An Immense World, takes a comprehensive look at the fascinating sensory worlds of animals. A New York Times bestseller, An Immense World is longlisted for the PEN America 2023 Literary Award and has made many Best Books of the Year lists. In addition to The Atlantic, his work has appeared in National Geographic, the New Yorker, Wired, Nature, New Scientist, and Scientific American, among others.
Jack Driscoll and "Twenty Stories"
The National Writers Series was honored to host Jack Driscoll at the Alluvion on August 27, 2023 with guest host Brittany Cavallaro.
Jack Driscoll is a two-time NEA Creative Writing Fellowship recipient, a PEN/Nelson Algren Award winner, and the author of twelve books, including the story collections, Wanting Only to Be Heard (University of MA Press, 1992), winner of the AWP Grace Paley Short Fiction Prize and The World of a Few Minutes Ago (WSU Press, 2012), winner of the Society of Midland Authors Award and Michigan Notable Book Award.
His most recent story collection, The Goat Fish and the Lover’s Knot(WSU Press, 2017) received a Michigan Notable Book Award and was a finalist for the John D. Gardner Short Fiction Prize. His stories have appeared in The Georgia Review, The Southern Review, Ploughshares, Missouri Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, the Pushcart Prize Anthology, and New Stories from the Midwest. Driscoll was the founding father of the Interlochen Center for the Arts creative writing department, and now teaches in Pacific University’s low-residency MFA program. He resides in Mystic, CT.
Ann Patchett and "Tom Lake"
Ann Patchett joined the National Writers Series onstage at the City Opera House on August 12, 2023 with guest host Erin Anderson Whiting.
Ann Patchett is the author of nine novels: The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician’s Assistant, Bel Canto, Run, State of Wonder, Commonwealth, The Dutch House and Tom Lake. She was the editor of Best American Short Stories, 2006, and has written four books of nonfiction–Truth & Beauty, about her friendship with the writer Lucy Grealy, What Now? an expansion of her graduation address at Sarah Lawrence College, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, a collection of essays examining the theme of commitment, and These Precious Days, essays on home, family, friendship, and writing. In 2019, she published her first children’s book, Lambslide, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser, followed by Escape Goat in 2020.
A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Patchett has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including a National Humanities Medal, England’s Women’s Prize, the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Book Sense Book of the Year, a Guggenheim Fellowship, The Chicago Tribune’s Heartland Prize, The Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the American Bookseller’s Association’s Most Engaging Author Award, and the Women’s National Book Association’s Award. Her novel, The Dutch House, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her books have been both New York Times Notable Books and New York Timesbestsellers. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages.
Chasten Buttigieg and "I Have Something to Tell You (YA)"
Readers of all ages will love this Young Adult adaptation of the moving, hopeful, and refreshingly candid memoir by Chasten Buttigieg about growing up gay in his hometown of Traverse City. Chasten’s joyful, witty social media posts, have resonated deeply with a large audience looking for a touch of humanity in their politics.
In this uplifting memoir, I Have Something To Tell You, Chasten recounts his journey to finding acceptance and self-love. He recalls his upbringing in a rural, conservative region, where he felt different from his peers, father, and brothers. He tells the story of his coming out and how he’s healed from the painful responses and isolation. And with unflinching honesty, unflappable courage, and great warmth, Chasten Buttigieg relays his experience of growing up in America and embracing his true self, while inspiring young people across the nation to do the same.
Bonnie Garmus and "Lessons in Chemistry"
Meet Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry, whose debut book immediately hit the New York Times Bestselling list.
Lessons in Chemistry follows the story of chemist Elizabeth Zott, who is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.
But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America's most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth's unusual approach to cooking ("combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride") proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn't just teaching women to cook. She's daring them to change the status quo.
Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.
Jeannette Walls Discusses "Hang the Moon"
Meet Jeannette Walls, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle, her unforgettable childhood memoir that sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. Walls talks about her writing life and newest novel, Hang the Moon, with guest host Susan Odgers. Her highly anticipated novel follows the journey of Sallie Kincaid, a feisty and fearless, terrified and damaged young woman who refuses to be corralled in her small Virginia town during the Prohibition era. Sallie is the daughter of the biggest man in a small town, the charismatic Duke Kincaid. Born at the turn of the 20th century into a life of privilege, Sallie remembers little about her mother who died in a violent argument with the Duke. By the time she is just eight years old, the Duke remarried and had a son, Eddie. While Sallie is her father’s daughter, sharp-witted and resourceful, Eddie is his mother’s son, timid and cerebral. When Sallie tries to teach young Eddie to be more like their father, her daredevil coaching leads to an accident, and Sallie is cast out. Nine years later, Sallie returns, determined to reclaim her place in the family. That’s a lot more complicated than she expected. Sallie confronts the secrets that hide in the shadows of the Big House, navigates the factions in the family and town, and finally comes into her own as a bold, sometimes reckless bootlegger.
Ross Gay Discusses His New Book of Essays, "Inciting Joy"
The National Writers Series is pleased to partner with Interlochen Center for the Arts for An Evening with Ross Gay. NWS will livestream the event from Interlochen's Corson Auditorium. NWS and Interlochen Center for the Arts welcome Ross Gay who will discuss his latest book, Inciting Joy. Throughout the book, he explores how we can practice recognizing that connection, and also how we expand it. In an era when divisive voices take up so much air space, Inciting Joy offers a vital alternative: What might be possible if we turn our attention to what brings us together, to what we love? Full of energy, curiosity, and compassion, Inciting Joy is essential reading from one of our most brilliant writers. Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; Be Holding, winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. He has released a new collection of essays, Inciting Joy. To ensure broad access to the transformative Interlochen experience, a portion of the proceeds from this event supports student scholarships. Guest Host Ari Mokdad is the National Writers Series new education director. She's a Detroit-born choreographer, creative writer, and passionate educator. Ari holds a Master of Arts in English from Wayne State University and three Bachelor of Arts degrees in dance, English and writing from Grand Valley State University. Ari will receive a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College and participate in the Centrum Artist Residency in 2022. She lives with her husband in Traverse City on the ancestral and unceded land of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Pottawatomie people, The People of the Three Fires.
Dan Egan, author of “The Devil’s Element, Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance”
On March 10, New York Times Bestselling Author Dan Egan visited the City Opera House in Traverse City. He presented his new book, “The Devil’s Element, Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance.”
Environmental reporter, Patrick Shea, was the guest host. Patrick works for Interlochen Public Radio, an NPR affiliate in northern Michigan.
Egan writes about phosphorus, the source of great bounty―and now great peril―all over the world. Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But it’s also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. In this major work of explanatory science and environmental journalism, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dan Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called “the oil of our time.” He describes the race to mine it from the fabled guano islands to the far Pacific to the sand dunes of the Western Sahara. He reports on how our overreliance on phosphorus is today causing toxic “dead zones” in waterways from the Florida Everglades to the Mississippi River Basin to the Great Lakes and beyond. And he explores the alarming reality that diminishing access to phosphorus poses a threat to the food system worldwide―which risks rising conflict and even war.
Alvin Hall's "Driving the Green Book"
With "DRIVING THE GREEN BOOK: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance" join award-winning broadcaster Alvin Hall on a journey through America’s haunted racial past using "The Green Book" as your guide.
For countless Americans, the open road has long been a place where dangers lurk. In the era of Jim Crow, Black travelers encountered locked doors, hostile police, and potentially violent encounters almost everywhere, in both the South and the North. From 1936 to 1967, millions of people relied on The Negro Motorist Green Book, the definitive guide to businesses where they could safely rest, eat, or sleep.
Most Americans only know of the guide from the 2018 Green Book movie or the 2020 Lovecraft Country TV show. Alvin Hall set out to revisit the world of "The Green Book" to instruct us all on the real history of the guide that saved many lives. With his friend Janée Woods Weber, he traveled from New York to Detroit to New Orleans, visiting motels, restaurants, and stores where Black Americans once found a friendly welcome. They explored historical and cultural landmarks, from the theatres and clubs where stars like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Aretha Franklin performed to the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Along the way, they gathered memories from some of the last living witnesses for whom The Green Book meant survival—remarkable people who not only endured but rose above the hate, building vibrant Black communities against incredible odds.
"DRIVING THE GREEN BOOK" is a standalone book, not a companion book to Hall’s award-winning podcast series. The book contains more contextual information as well as truly moving stories and personal recollections. Reading this book will expand readers’ understanding of America’s racial history and its connections to incidents, proposed legislations, and policy issues very much in the news today.
Containing 25 outstanding black and white photos and ephemera, "DRIVING THE GREEN BOOK" is a vital work of national history that navigates the astounding, heartfelt, and disturbing past of the United States.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
ALVIN HALL is an award-winning television and radio broadcaster, author, political activist, and renowned financial educator. His numerous radio programs include The Tulsa Tragedy That Shamed America (2021, BBC Radio 4), The Green Book (2016, BBC Radio 4), and Jay-Z: From Brooklyn to the Board Room (BBC Radio 4). For five years on the BBC, he hosted the highly rated and award-winning series, Your Money or Your Life, on which he offered both practical financial and psychological advice. https://alvinhall.com/
Nina Totenberg, author of "Dinners with Ruth"
Celebrated NPR correspondent Nina Totenberg delivers an extraordinary memoir of her personal successes, struggles, and life-affirming relationships, including her beautiful friendship of nearly fifty years with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Four years before Nina Totenberg was hired at NPR, where she cemented her legacy as a prizewinning reporter, and nearly twenty-two years before Ruth Bader Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court, Nina called Ruth. A reporter for The National Observer, Nina was curious about Ruth’s legal brief, asking the Supreme Court to do something revolutionary: declare a law that discriminated “on the basis of sex” to be unconstitutional. In a time when women were fired for becoming pregnant, often could not apply for credit cards or get a mortgage in their own names, Ruth patiently explained her argument. That call launched a remarkable, nearly fifty-year friendship.
Dinners with Ruth is an extraordinary account of two women who paved the way for future generations by tearing down professional and legal barriers. It is also an intimate memoir of the power of friendships as women began to pry open career doors and transform the workplace. At the story’s heart is one, special relationship: Ruth and Nina saw each other not only through personal joys, but also illness, loss, and widowhood. During the devastating illness and eventual death of Nina’s first husband, Ruth drew her out of grief; twelve years later, Nina would reciprocate when Ruth’s beloved husband died. They shared not only a love of opera, but also of shopping, as they instinctively understood that clothes were armor for women who wanted to be taken seriously in a workplace dominated by men. During Ruth’s last year, they shared so many small dinners that Saturdays were “reserved for Ruth” in Nina’s house.
Keith Gave and Tim Rappleye, authors of "A Miracle of Their Own"
Sports journalists Keith Gave and Tim Rappleye teamed up to write A Miracle of Their Own: A Team, A Stunning Gold Medal and Newfound Dreams for American Girls. Gave and Rappleye's book is a riveting tale about Team USA's stunning Olympic win against the Canadian women's hockey team in 1998, when they captured the coveted gold medal, inspiring little girls everywhere to play a game of their own. As a special treat, 1998 Olympian Lisa Brown-Miller joined the co-authors on stage to talk about her memories of the game. She was unknowingly pregnant with her first child, stood a diminutive five-foot-one, and, at age 31, was the team's oldest player. Yet she scored once during the winning game while adding two assists.
Anna Quindlen, Author of "Write for Your Life"
On December 13th, the National Writers Series welcomed Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author Anna Quindlen to help answer some very important questions: What really matters in life? What truly lasts in our hearts and minds? Where can we find community, history, and humanity?
In her lyrical new book Write for Your Life, the answer is clear: Through writing. This is a book for what Quindlen calls “civilians,” those who want to use the written word to become more themselves. Write for Your Life argues that there has never been a more important time to stop and record what we are thinking and feeling.
Author Alice Wong's book "Year of the Tiger"
Alice Wong's book, Year of the Tiger, highlights her life as an Asian American disabled activist, community organizer, media maker, and dreamer. She writes about her continued fight for disability justice, struggles with health insurance and bureaucracy.
Author Stephanie Foo discusses Alice's book on her behalf.
Margo Price, Author of "Maybe We'll Make It" (2022)
On October 20th, 2022, Grammy-nominated musician, singer, songwriter, performer, Live Aid board member and author Margo Price joined the National Writers Series for a conversation about her new memoir: Maybe We'll Make It.
Recorded live at the State Theater in downtown Traverse City, this conversation (guest hosted by NWS communications director Karl Klockars) covers her childhood, her struggles to make it in the music industry, how she approached writing a book versus her music, and we even got to hear a few songs from Margo as well.
Jerry Dennis ("The Living Great Lakes"), Dave Dempsey ("Great Lakes for Sale") and Senator Debbie Stabenow (August 2022)
On August 25th, 2022, two of Michigan’s greatest environmental authors—Dave Dempsey and Jerry Dennis—joined us on the NWS stage to talk about protecting the Great Lakes, the threats our water supply are facing, the dangers of climate change to our natural surroundings, and other topics covered in their books Great Lakes for Sale, Up North in Michigan and The Living Great Lakes.
In Great Lakes for Sale, updated in 2021 by author Dave Dempsey, we see how our Great Lakes are in danger of being privately exploited on a large scale by those with priorities other than stewardship. The Great Lakes are once again a target for the drought-ridden West, which is facing climate change, massive fires, and shrinking water supplies. And in a potentially far bigger threat, Wall Street is creating markets that could lead to the trading of freshwaters as a commodity like corn or oil. Great Lakes for Sale is an important part of the effort to remind people why the commercialization of Great Lakes water is a dangerous—and constant—threat.
Similarly, Jerry Dennis’s new book of essays, Up North in Michigan, looks at northern Michigan in a state of change. Over the past half-century, Michigan’s landscape has been bulldozed, subdivided, and built upon. Climate change warms the water of the Great Lakes at an alarming rate—Lake Superior is now the fastest-warming large body of fresh water on the planet—creating increasingly frequent and severe storm events, altering aquatic and shoreline ecosystems, and contributing to further invasions by non-native plants and animals.
What can we do about the threats facing the Great Lakes? How can we protect the waters that surround our Pleasant Peninsula? And how can we ensure the security of our drinking water and aquatic industries for generations to come? Listen now to learn more.
Anthony Doerr, Author of "Cloud Cuckoo Land" and "All the Light We Cannot See" (2021)
One of the most popular videos on our YouTube channel over the past year is our conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Doerr, guest hosted by his good friend Lysley Tenorio. The two held a great discussion about Anthony's new book "Cloud Cuckoo Land," released in September 2021.
With the paperback release coming our way this September, we thought we'd go ahead and make their conversation available in audio form so you can relive the moments of learning how Anthony juggles all his multiple characters and timelines and plotlines, the role of libraries and librarians in his life, and why he wants everyone to visit Sardinia.
Janet Evanovich, Author of "Wicked Business" and the Stephanie Plum Series (2012)
Do you remember where you were almost exactly a decade ago? If you were in the audience for our evening with #1 NYT Bestselling author Janet Evanovich, you do now! She joined the NWS in July 2012 for a conversation about her then-latest book Wicked Business with NWS co-founder Doug Stanton.
In this conversation, they discuss the second in the Lizzy and Diesel supernatural mystery series, how she sold her first novel, who she'd like to kick off the Forbes "100 Most Powerful Celebrities" list (she was #79 that year) and her thoughts on topics on everything ranging writer's block all the way to Fifty Shades of Grey.
Michael Schur, Author of "How to Be Perfect" (2022)
This winter, we were joined by Michael Schur—the creator of TV's "The Good Place" and the co-creator of "Parks and Recreation" among other projects—to discuss his first book about philosophy and ethics: How to Be Perfect.
Did we learn how to be perfect? Well, we learned how to be less imperfect, at the very least. Guest host Ed Helms (The Office, Rutherford Falls) led us through a conversation that also discovered what Schur's own answer to The Trolley Problem would be.
Emily Henry, Author of "People We Meet On Vacation" and "Beach Read" (2021)
Today is the first day of summer, so we thought we'd bring you one of the summer-y-est NWS events we've ever hosted! Author Emily Henry joined the National Writers Series for a virtual conversation with guest host Brittany Cavallaro in June of 2021 to talk about her newest NYT bestseller, "People We Meet On Vacation."
In this conversation, Brittany and Emily talk about how their shared travels inspired parts of "Vacation," about how success in publishing affects your life and your perception of yourself, and about the moments during writing a book where Emily feels like she's completely lost control of the manuscript (and how she gets it back)!
Paul Holes, Author of "Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases" (2022)
In May 2022, retired cold-case investigator and true-crime icon Paul Holes joined the National Writers Series for a conversation about his new memoir "Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases." He was joined on stage at the City Opera House by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paige St. John.
In this conversation, Paige and Paul talk about how Paul used a breakthrough in DNA technology to help find and capture the Golden State Killer, one of America's most notorious serial predators. They discuss issues of genetic privacy and who owns your genetic info once you send it to a DNA/genealogy company, and the effects that his career had on his psyche and on his private life.
George Saunders, Author of "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain" and "Lincoln in the Bardo" (2022)
Critically acclaimed author George Saunders joined the National Writers Series for a conversation about his book "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain" with fellow short-story author and NWS Creative Writing Lab instructor Kevin Fitton.
Saunders is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten books, including "Lincoln in the Bardo," which won the Man Booker Prize; and "Tenth of December," a finalist for the National Book Award. He teaches in the creative writing program at Syracuse University.
In this conversation, we discussed how a writer can define success (creative and otherwise), about whether writing is a teachable skill, what George's writing process is like and much more!
Brad Meltzer, Author of "The Lightning Rod" (2022)
As part of the Winter/Spring 2022 Season, bestselling author Brad Meltzer joined the National Writers Series in early April (which explains the mention of snow at the beginning of the episode!).
In this conversation, Brad and guest host John Searles talk about Brad's career throughout the years, what he uses to motivate himself to write every day, the research that goes into his books, the many people he's met throughout his career, and about his famed characters Zig and Nola at the center of his newest book: "The Lightning Rod."
We also learn about his time working with former American presidents, how he found the American flag that flew over Ground Zero following 9/11, and the reason he puts a reference to Michigan in every one of his books.
Temple Grandin, Author of "Emergence: Labeled Autistic" and "The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum" (2013)
Since April is National Autism Awareness Month, we thought we'd look back on our 2013 conversation with bestselling author, autism advocate, and professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University Temple Grandin.
Grandin joined the National Writers Series for a conversation about her then-newest book, The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum. The book discusses remarkable new discoveries and introduces readers to innovative theories of what causes, how we diagnose, and how to best treat autism.
Listen in as guest host Laura Hohnhold, executive editor at Byliner, talks with one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Heroic and Influential People in the World.”
Brad Thor, Author of "Near Dark," "Spymaster," "The Last Patriot" And More (2020)
This week the NWS welcomes bestselling suspense/thriller novelist Brad Meltzer to the NWS stage!. In advance of that, we thought we'd take a look back at a recent conversation with a similar author: Brad Thor.
In this conversation, held virtually in the summer of 2020 following the release of "Near Dark," Brad and NWS co-founder Doug Stanton talk about everything from how the thriller genre changed after 9/11 to pitching a travel show to PBS to Brad's potential run for President in 2016. Why didn't he decide to jump into the fray? Listen in and find out!
Eric Fair, Author of "Consequence: A Memoir" (2017)
This week, Northern Express published a list of 2022's Fascinating People: Northerners You Need to Know. On that list was United States Marine Corps Major General Michael Lehnert (Ret.), who was our guest host for this conversation with author Eric Fair in 2017.
Lehnert was the first to serve as commander of the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, and since leaving the Marine Corps has been one of the loudest voices in favor of closing the base. We thought he would be the perfect person to interview Eric Fair about his book "Consequence: A Memoir," which discusses his time working as a contract interrogator in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison complex and the things he saw there, including aggressive interrogation techniques including sleep deprivation and stress positions.
In this conversation, Lehnert and Fair discuss Fair's experience as an interrogator and interpreter, his decision to go back to Iraq and "redeem the experience of war" for himself, and about the decision to use "enhanced interrogation" techniques.
Sarah Chayes, Author of "Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security" (2015)
With Eastern Europe looking at another conflict region opening up between Russia and Ukraine, we're looking back to a conversation with a person who's been a journalist, an author, and a special adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Sarah Chayes offers us some still-timely insight into the inner workings of international politics.
In this discussion, guest host Jack Segal of the TCIAF leads the conversation about Sarah's book Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security. Chayes' book connects the dots from Syria to Ukraine to Nigeria to Afghanistan, showing how kleptocratic regimes – tolerated or even facilitated by the United States – can drive fed-up citizens into the arms of extreme fundamentalist groups.
Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, Co-Author of "When Breath Becomes Air" (2016)
This Friday (Feb. 4), we're talking about morals, ethics, and philosophy with Michael Schur, so we thought for this week's podcast we'd look back to another conversation about living a meaningful life. Dr. Lucy Kalanithi joined us in June 2016 to talk about the book she completed for her husband, neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi. This conversation is hosted by bestselling author and NWS co-founder Doug Stanton.
When he was diagnosed with cancer, he decided to write a memoir. He didn’t live to see his book “When Breath Becomes Air” published, but it turned into a New York Times number one bestseller. In this profoundly moving book, Dr. Kalanithi wrote about mortality and how to live a meaningful life. He was a philosopher and seeker who became a neurosurgeon, in part, to discover life’s deeper mysteries.
Uncertain of how long he had to live, Paul decided to complete his medical training, write a memoir, and become a parent. His daughter, Elizabeth Acadia “Cady” Kalanithi, was born nine months after his diagnosis. Tragically, Paul died in March of 2015 and Lucy lovingly finished what her husband could not, drawing on letters, videos and emails.
Michael Paterniti, Author of "The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World’s Greatest Piece of Cheese" (2013)
In 2013, Michael Paterniti joined the NWS on the stage of the Traverse City Opera House for a conversation with NWS co-founder Doug Stanton. According to Paterniti, the greatest storyteller he ever met is a cheese maker in the small Spanish village of Guzman. When he joined us, Paterniti's latest was The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and World's Greatest Piece of Cheese.
For a previous book, Paterniti ended up on a cross-country road trip with Albert Einstein's brain in the trunk of the car. His literary non-fiction has appeared in magazines such as Outside, Rolling Stone, and Esquire.
Karin Slaughter, author of "Blindsighted," "Unseen" and "Cop Town" (2014)
This NWS Podcast episode celebrates the birthday week of critically-acclaimed master of suspense Karin Slaughter.
Slaughter’s first novel Blindsighted became an international success, was published in almost 30 languages, and made the Crime Writers’ Association’s Dagger Award shortlist for “Best Thriller Debut” of 2001. She is also the author of the Will Trent series that takes place in Atlanta and features GBI special agent Will Trent, his partner Faith Mitchell, and Angie Polaski.
In this episode from 2014, Slaughter sits down with author and creative writing instructor Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli to discuss Slaughter's newest book: Cop Town.
In this book, two women from different backgrounds who try to wear the badge and carry the gun for Atlanta’s macho police department as the city faces a seismic upheaval. It’s 1974, and a brutal killing and furious manhunt have rocked the divided police force.
Debbie Macomber (2015)
For our last episode of the year, we wanted to bring you our conversation with author Debbie Macomber from 2015. Her work includes fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, knitting and cookbooks, and inspirational books. She’s also released a yearly Christmas-themed book for decades, hence the timing of this episode.
At this point, she has more than 200 million copies of books in print; she’s published over a dozen book series; 70 other stand-alone books; plus several anthologies and collaborations. That’s a pretty amazing bibliography.
Starting with the revelation of Debbie’s “literary guardian angel,” our guest host Ron Hogan brought us through a discussion that ranged from her first break as a writer to her love of knitting to how reader feedback impacted her series of Christmas books.
Peter and Elmore Leonard (2009)
It's been quite a while since this audio featuring Peter and Elmore Leonard has been publicly available and easily accessible, so let's look all the way back to 2009 with this week's podcast episode.
This conversation features stories including Elmore's interactions with actors like Charles Bronson and John Travolta; where his famous character names like Raylan Givens and Chili Palmer came from; how his Ten Rules for Writing came to be, and much more!
Beth Macy, Author of "Dopesick" (2018)
If you are a Hulu subscriber, you've undoubtedly seen promos for their new series Dopesick starring Michael Keaton. That show premiered a couple of weeks ago, and it's been getting some pretty good reviews. All of which made us think, hey - author Beth Macy joined us to talk about Dopesick back in 2018. Since then it's been adapted into the show you're watching now, and that's why we're bringing you that conversation here today.
From the introduction of OxyContin in 1996 to the pharmaceutical industry that pushed these highly addictive drugs, Dopesick takes readers through the harrowing trajectory of the most critical drug epidemic in recent history. This conversation is guest hosted by Peter Payette, executive director of Interlochen Public Radio.
Ben Sidran, author of "There Was a Fire: Jews, Music and the American Dream" (2015)
What do Steve Miller, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, and Diana Ross have in common? They all worked with legendary musician Ben Sidran.
Sidran sat down with Traverse City musician Jeff Haas on October 11th, 2015 for a discussion about Sidran's newest book: There Was a Fire: Jews, Music and the American Dream. The book charts the myriad and unexpected ways that Jews influenced American music, including the Great American Songbook.
Sidran; a Peabody award winner for his NPR series, “Jazz Alive,” and VH-1’s “New Vision” series, took to the stage with Haas and a grand piano for a few musical interludes in this unique event full of engaging words, eclectic music, and behind-the-scenes American music history.
Vince Gilligan, "Breaking Bad" (2012)
On September 29th, 2013, the final episode of TV's legendary series "Breaking Bad" aired on AMC. We thought we'd take this opportunity to look back on series creator Vince Gilligan's appearance on the NWS stage the year prior. He joined us just a few months prior to the start of the show's amazing final season in February 2012.
Gilligan - no stranger to northern Michigan, having attended the Interlochen Center for the Arts as a teen - sat down with NWS co-founder Doug Stanton to talk about the art of TV and film screenwriting, life in a writers room, and even a live script reading to show how the words on the page are transformed by the actors who embody them.
If you know a high school student who might want to try their hand at scriptwriting, the NWS is hosting a special class soon through our Front Street Writers Program. Head to our site to learn more.
AJ Baime and Bryce Hoffman (2014)
Fall is a great time for a road trip (Tunnel of Trees, anyone?) and since A.J. Baime and Bryce Hoffman joined the NWS around this time in September 2014, we thought we'd revisit their discussion as a great soundtrack to your next long drive.
At the end of 2008, Ford Motor Company was in the fight of its life but when Congress threw it a taxpayer lifeline, Ford ignored it. Instead, the iconic company under the leadership of Alan Mulally pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in business history. It would become one of the great management narratives of our time. While the rest of Detroit collapsed, Ford went from the brink of bankruptcy to being the most profitable automaker in the world.
From his front-row seat as the Ford beat reporter for the Detroit News, Hoffman conducted hundreds of interviews and gleaned top-secret documents, memos, and archives to craft compelling narrative nonfiction that reads like a high-stakes drama. American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company has become a manual for CEOs and a guide for organizations that want to transform their cultures and build winning teams.
A.J. Baime is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and an editor-at-large at Playboy. In his latest book Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War, the Ford Motor Company and its production of the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber take center stage. He focuses on Ford’s B-24 bomber plant outside Detroit in Willow Run, where for the first time engineers attempted to mass-produce airplanes the way they did cars. It’s an engrossing story that Baime described as an opportunity to “tell a rich story about the most important collective achievement of any city in the nation’s history, and that’s Detroit during World War II.”
Baime’s first book Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans, was the basis for the motion picture "Ford V Ferrari" starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon.
Tess Gerritsen, Author of "The Surgeon" featuring Rizzoli & Isles (2015)
September 1st is the publish date of "The Surgeon" in 2001. It's perhaps better known as the very first novel featuring detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles, who are now famously the lead characters in the long-running show "Rizzoli & Isles" on TNT.
Since it's the 20th anniversary of that book's release, we thought we'd revisit our chat with the author: Tess Gerritsen.
Gerritsen joined the NWS for a conversation in January 2015 that ranged from her mother's love of horror movies to her career in medicine to the first novels she wrote in the romance genre before turning to thrillers. Our guest host for this episode of the NWS podcast is Kerrey Woughter.
Maggie Stiefvater, Author of "Shiver" and "Raven Boys" (2012)
Since we have a superstar Young Adult author scheduled to join the NWS in the Fall 2021 Season (Friends of the NWS know who we're talking about!), we thought we'd look back at the first YA author to grace the NWS Stage: Maggie Stiefvater.
Stiefvater is the author of "Shiver," the first novel in her famed Wolves of Mercy Falls series, which debuted in August of 2009. She joined us for a conversation in 2012 in advance of her novel "Raven Boys," hosted by Bookends blogger and young adult reviewer Lynn Rutan.
Martha Teichner, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent and author of "When Harry Met Minnie" (2021)
We've been spending a lot of time outside over the past few weeks and months, some of it wandering the Teichner Preserve on Lime Lake. We thought that since the Cherry Fest crowds have parted ways with the TC area once again, we might be able to convince some of you to head there as well.
What better way to do that than to share our conversation with Martha Teichner, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent and author of "When Harry Met Minnie"? She joined us earlier this year when the weather wasn't quite as kind for outdoor activities, and it was one of the most popular events of our Spring Season.
We discussed her first book as well as her history growing up in the Traverse City area, as well as how she and the Leelanau Conservancy helped to save her family's land for future generations as the Teichner Preserve. If you weren't able to join this special ticketed event as it happened, good news - the full conversation is now right here.
Benjamin Busch, author of "Dust to Dust" (2012)
Benjamin Busch is probably best known for his acting career: He played the character of officer Tony Colicchio in the HBO series “The Wire” and has had roles in shows like "Generation Kill" and "The West Wing." Ben is quite active in many other creative pursuits, including writing, filmmaking, photography, and stonemasonry. He’s written many poems and essays for various collections and periodicals.
Ben is also a veteran officer of the U.S. Marine Corps and served two tours in Iraq. His memoir “Dust to Dust” came out in 2012. That year, Ben talked with Doug Stanton on the stage of the City Opera House in Traverse City. We thought that this sprawling two-hour conversation could be a great companion for the Independence Day holiday, and we hope you enjoy the discussion.
If you were there in person, you would have seen Ben's entrance to the stage via roller skates, along with him smashing pottery and calling for chairs that dropped seemingly out of the sky. That doesn't work very well in an audio format so we've jumped straight into the conversation, but just know that it does come up in reference here and there throughout the episode.
Colum McCann, author of “Let the Great World Spin” (2013)
Colum McCann’s stunning novel, “Let the Great World Spin” (winner of the National Book Award for fiction) debuted right around this time of year back in 2009, and so this week we look back on his visit to the National Writers Series in June of 2013.
McCann sat down with Leigh Haber, Books Editor for O, the Oprah Magazine, for a charming and wide-ranging discussion at the City Opera House. They covered everything from the perils of being an optimist to the topic he doesn't want to invite Dr. Freud in to discuss; on why he rereads "Ulysses" every year (plus why read the naughty parts to a dead friend) and his need to “murder” a book to create a screenplay of it (for no less than JJ Abrams).
If you enjoyed this discussion, we recommend you check out McCann’s nonprofit group Narrative 4, which connects writers, musicians and artists with groups of students around the globe (something close to our heart here at the NWS). Thanks for listening, and don’t forget to subscribe and give us a 5-star rating!
Emily Giffin, author of "Something Borrowed" and "The One and Only" (2014)
With Emily Henry joining the NWS on June 24, we thought we'd take this week's podcast episode back to 2014 to hear from another Emily whose work travels along a similar wavelength.
Emily Giffin has written seven novels that have been commonly described by critics as "chick lit," but Giffin takes exception to that characterization. Her novel "Something Borrowed" was made into a movie starring Kate Hudson and John Krasinski. Giffin joined us in advance of her latest book, "The One and Only," which debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list at number one for hardcover fiction.
In this episode, our guest host is the vice president for content and engagement for The Tennessean in Nashville, Stefanie Murray.
Sara Paretsky, creator of V.I. Warshawski (2013)
Before there was Lisbeth Salander or Stephanie Plum, there was V.I. Warshawski.
Today we celebrate the birthday of author Sara Paretsky, who joined the National Writers Series in 2013 to talk about Critical Mass, her then-newest detective novel featuring her famous investigator V.I. Warshawski (immortalized in the 1991 film by Kathleen Turner).
In this week's episode, guest host Nancy Baker joins Paretsky on the City Opera Hall stage to talk about how Paretsky's experiences in Chicago help shape and inform her novels (and what people need to do when they visit the city - including how to get stalked by the mob), why she might want to buy Texas and return it to Mexico, and why she created the "Sisters in Crime" organization.
Sebastian Junger, Author of "The Perfect Storm" (2011)
We're celebrating a double anniversary this week! Not only did author, journalist, and filmmaker Sebastian Junger join the National Writers Series for a conversation with co-founder Doug Stanton in May 2011, but his book The Perfect Storm was released on May 17th, 1996.
Of course, The Perfect Storm -- which followed the fishing vessel The Andrea Gail as it fought to survive against a brutal Nor'Easter storm -- was turned into a blockbuster hit movie in 2000 starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.
Junger would join us again for a discussion in 2017, but join us now as we look back at our very first conversation where we cover his connection to the Boston Strangler, the reaction to his Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo and the necessity of journalism in times and areas of conflict...
Nathaniel Philbrick, Author of "Mayflower" (2013)
For this week's podcast, we celebrate the release of Nathaniel Philbrick's Mayflower - a book nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and released right around this date back in 2006 (at least according to our records).
Philbrick joined the National Writer Series also right around this date in May 2013, just days after the release of his newest book: Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution.
In this conversation (guest hosted by Rich Fahle) we discuss the roots of the American Revolution, how Philbrick's research helps him make history come alive, where his own "bunker" can be found, and what tarring and feathering was truly like (hint: not fun)...
Jason Matthews, Author of "Red Sparrow" (2013)
This week's podcast episode is a little different from our other entries.
Sadly, former NWS guest author Jason Matthews passed away last week at age 69. Jason was the author of three best-selling spy thrillers including Red Sparrow, written based on his experiences working for the CIA over 33 years.
We welcomed Jason to the NWS stage back in May 2013, where he and host Doug Stanton discussed how he came to the spy thriller genre, tricks of the CIA trade (unclassified, of course), Jason's experiences going up against Vladimir Putin's forces, and much more over a 90-minute discussion.
As Doug told us, Jason certainly kept his espionage training sharp:
"When I picked up Jason at the Park Place before the NWS event, he was standing right next to me, and I couldn’t find him anywhere in the lobby. It was like he disappeared. He had changed his hat, turned his coat inside out, and did not look at all like the person I was looking for and had had lunch with at the house earlier. 'Hi Doug,' he said, standing next to me, a big smile on his face."
There's an amazing story about how Jason and his wife helped save a Russian family from Putin's Russian Security Service that's right up there with anything Ian Fleming or John le Carré ever wrote - and it's all in this week's podcast.