Last fall, Zadie Smith published her prescient historical novel The Fraud. We return to our conversation with the beloved author this week, on the heels of our latest sit-down with writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner.
At the top, Smith details her most recent book (7:48), her instinctive writing process (13:37), and the role of projection in her work (20:08). Then ... Show More
Apr 19
Play It Again: Actor Oscar Isaac
On the heels of Beef S2, we're revisiting a favorite of ours with actor Oscar Isaac.We begin with his 2023 Broadway debut in The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window (5:10), the play's timeless writing (6:55), and the legacy of the great Lorraine Hansberry (11:27). Then, Isaac reflec ... Show More
52m 16s
Apr 12
Are We Witnessing Podcaster Chris Ryan’s Apex Mountain?
Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. On the heels of CR month coming to a close on The Rewatchables, we’re joined this week by The Ringer’s beloved editorial director, Chris Ryan.He’s been hailed as the Shohei Ohtani of podcasting, the basketball bard of Bob & ... Show More
1h 26m
Jul 2025
Author and influencer Ghada AlMuhanna Abalkhail returns to discuss her latest book series and much more...
We're so back! And so is Ghada Almuhanna Abalkhail, the TWENTY30's cultural expert, who returns to the show to discuss her latest book series that explores the concept of the Saudi homeland through archival photographs. She shares insights and observations behind creating the boo ... Show More
1h 16m
Jan 2025
How Award-Winning TV Writer & Novelist Georgia Jeffries Writes
Award-winning TV writer/producer turned novelist Georgia Jeffries spoke with me about why Cagney and Lacey was her film school, teaching screenwriting at USC, and the ghosts, grief, and grievance in her debut novel THE YOUNGER GIRL. Georgia Jeffries is the Emmy-nominated TV write ... Show More
47m 48s
Jul 2023
Tara Isabella Burton, "Self-Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians" (PublicAffairs, 2023)
In a technologically-saturated era where nearly everything can be effortlessly and digitally reproduced, we're all hungry to carve out our own unique personalities, our own bespoke personae, to stand out and be seen.
As the forces of social media and capitalism collide, and indiv ... Show More
33m 30s
Mar 2021
Oana Aristide, Remembering Stevie Smith, and what is an NFT?
Novelist Oana Aristide discusses her debut novel Under the Blue, about a reclusive artist forced to abandon his home and follow two young sisters across a post-pandemic Europe in search of a safe place. It has been described as eco-fiction and it explores themes of environmental ... Show More
28m 23s
Apr 2025
Hanif Kureishi
Hanif Kureishi is a British author, playwright, and screenwriter, widely regarded for his exploration of identity, race, and multiculturalism. Born in 1954 in South London, to a Pakistani father and an English mother, his major breakthrough came with his 1990 novel The Buddha of ... Show More
1 h
Aug 2025
#13 - Beyond Stereotypes: Najla Said on Art, Culture, and Legacy
In this episode of Tak on the Pod, Andrea sits down with the talented Najla Said, a Lebanese-Palestinian-American actor, playwright, and author whose powerful work in theatre and literature explores themes of identity, belonging, and the complexity of cultural narratives. Known f ... Show More
52m 2s