On Reading ‘Beloved’ Over and Over Again

<p>Literature isn’t a horse race. Taste is subjective, and artistic value can’t be measured in terms of “winners" and “losers.”</p><p>That doesn’t mean it’s not fun to try.</p><p>The book world’s awards season officially kicked off on Oct. 9, when the Hungarian novelist Laszlo Kr ... Show More

<p>Nicholas Boggs’s “Baldwin: A Love Story,” is many things at once. It’s a comprehensive biography of James Baldwin. It’s a nimble excavation of Baldwin’s work, filled with astute literary analysis of his books and prose. And, most pressingly, it’s an argument for a new critical ... Show More

<p>On Nov. 10, 1975, during a calamitous storm, the Edmund Fitzgerald sunk below the waves of Lake Superior. All 29 men aboard went down with the vessel. With no survivors and no eyewitnesses, there’s always been a sense of mystery to what is arguably the most famous shipwreck in ... Show More

With her new memoir, The Critic's Daughter (Norton), Priscilla Gilman explores her relationship with her father, Theater Critic and Yale Drama professor Richard Gilman (as well as with her mom, literary agent Lynn Nesbit). We get into the perils of literary-kid memoir, the NYC bo ... Show More

Laura Dockrill is an award-winning author and illustrator. What Have I Done? is Laura's first book for adults. I have loved Laura's fiction and poems for years, and now this. I can already say it's one of the best memoirs I've ever read on mental health. It's about postpartum psy ... Show More

Today's guest is with Emma Forrest, one of my favourite writers of all time. She has published three novels, an essay collection and the memoir Your Voice In My Head, one of my favourite memoirs on mental health ever. She also recently wrote and directed her feature debut, Untoge ... Show More

Kate Elizabeth Russell is a writer, based in Oregon. Her debut novel, My Dark Vanessa, was published in 2020 and has been translated into thirty-five languages. It’s been both a Sunday Times Bestseller and a New York Times Bestseller. Stephen King himself described it as ‘a hard ... Show More

My guest today is the brilliant author Holly Bourne who started her writing career as a news journalist, where she was nominated for Best Print Journalist of the Year. She then spent six years working as an editor, a relationship advisor, and general 'agony aunt' for a youth char ... Show More

This week’s episode is with one of my biggest writing inspirations: Dame Jacqueline Wilson. Her 111th novel Love Frankie is out now. We talk about her journey into being one of the nation's most loved writers, her writing process, why she's always wanted to discuss deeper issues ... Show More

My guest today is Donna Lancaster and you are in for a treat. Donna’s work has been recommended to me by so many people, through work of mouth, she is incredible and has worked as a coach and therapist for more than 25 years. She was formerly the head of teaching at the Hoffman I ... Show More

This interview is inspired by one of the most incredible stories I have ever read. My special guest is Qat Wanders who's here to discuss her book about her early experiences traveling the world and the dangers she encountered with the female she loved.   Get Her Book: Searching F ... Show More

<p>Over the past week, so many of you have expressed how much Angela’s story in my new book, Love Life, touched you deeply (in the chapter titled “Have Hard Conversations”). So this week I thought I’d share the actual interview with her from my Live Retreat. I’ve found that one o ... Show More

Chelsea and Marcella Arguello (Woke Bully, 2 Dope Queens) are blown away by Jennette McCurdy’s brand-new best-selling memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died. This once-in-a-generation memoir tracks Jennette’s experience with her deeply abusive mother —from her childhood in a Mormon hoarder ... Show More