Author Interviews

The survivor of multiple suicide attempts explains 'How Not to Kill Yourself'

3:37pm April 05, 2023

by Terry Gross

Clancy Martin lives with two incompatible ideas in his head: "I wish I were dead – and I'm glad my suicides failed." He says he wrote his book especially for people struggling with suicidal thoughts.

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Father-daughter memoir 'The Kneeling Man' highlights the complex life of a Black spy

5:38pm April 04, 2023

NPR's Adrian Florido speaks with author Leta McCollough Seletzky about the father-daughter memoir The Kneeling Man, highlighting the complex life of her father's role as a Black spy.

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Novel 'Romantic Comedy' explores desirability, entertainment and writing as a cure

5:38pm April 04, 2023

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Curtis Sittenfeld about her latest novel, Romantic Comedy, about a woman in her 30s working for this weekly comedy sketch show.

Books

Nicole Chung follows 'All You Can Ever Know' with 2nd memoir 'A Living Remedy'

5:10am April 04, 2023

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Nicole Chung about her new memoir: A Living Remedy.

'Armageddon' shows how literal readings of the Bible's end times affect modern times

2:05pm April 03, 2023

by Terry Gross

Bible scholar Bart Ehrman says interpretations of the Book of Revelation have created disastrous problems — from personal psychological damage to consequences for foreign policy and the environment.

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Books

A new book about grief has its roots in the long-lost diaries of a 9/11 victim

12:27pm April 03, 2023

Bobby McIlvaine was killed on 9/11 at age 26. The Atlantic writer Jennifer Senior, who knew him, read his diaries. They were the basis for a Pulitzer Prize-winning essay that she's turned into a book.

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Books

Rachel Eve Moulton on her horror novel 'The Insatiable Volt Sisters'

8:20am April 02, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

A Victorian mansion on a Lake Erie island and half-sisters with a terrifying legacy: NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with Rachel Eve Moulton about her new horror novel, "The Insatiable Volt Sisters."

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National Poetry Month: Nikky Finney

5:28pm April 01, 2023

NPR's Scott Detrow kicks off National Poetry Month with renowned poet Nikky Finney, winner of the National Book Award for her collection, Head Off & Split.

Books

Artist Christine Suggs on their graphic novel 'Ay, Mija'

7:56am April 01, 2023

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with artist Christine Suggs about their new graphic novel, "Ay, Mija," which follows a teenager's first trip to Mexico to connect with relatives and their own heritage.

Books

Richard Kammen was a defense attorney at Guantanamo Bay. Now he's written a novel

8:48am March 30, 2023

by Sacha Pfeiffer

Attorney Richard Kammen's new novel — Tortured Justice Guantánamo Bay — is partly based on his experience. He describes the justice system there as broken. Why didn't he go the nonfiction route?

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