Anna Sale talks about her book "Let's Talk About Hard Things," backed by an original Storybound remix with sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Anna Sale is a journalist, author and interviewer, likened to "a therapist at happy hour" by The New York Times. She hosts "Death, Sex & Money," the award-winning interview podcast from WNYC Studios, and her book, "Let's Talk About Hard Things," is available now.  Support Storybound by supporting our sponsors: Norton: "Fencing with the...

Melissa Chadburn reads from her essay "The Throwaways," backed by an original Storybound remix with sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Melissa Chadburn’s writing has appeared in The LA Times, NYT Book Review, NYRB, Longreads, Paris Review online, and dozens other places. Her essay on food insecurity was published in "Best American Food Writing 2019." She’s done extensive reporting on the child welfare system and appears in the Netflix docuseries "The Trials of Gabriel...

Andrew Lipstein reads excerpts from "Last Resort," backed by an original Storybound remix with sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Andrew Lipstein is a writer based in Brooklyn. His debut novel "Last Resort" is out now from Farrar, Straus & Giroux in the US, and Weidenfeld & Nicolson in the UK. His second novel will be published in 2023, also by FSG and W&N. He also works on the product design team at Kabbage, a fintech startup, and was previously at Meural, an art tech...

We’re sharing a special preview of a podcast we’ve been enjoying, Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso, from Pushkin Industries. Talk Easy is a weekly interview podcast, where writer Sam Fragoso invites actors, writers, activists, and musicians to come to the table and speak from the heart in ways you probably haven't heard from them before. Driven by curiosity and an abundance of research, he’s had revealing conversations with everyone from George Saunders and Cate Blanchett to Ocean Vuong and Gloria...

Tommy Tomlinson reads an excerpt from "The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man's Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America," backed by an original Storybound remix with sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Tommy Tomlinson has written for publications including Esquire, ESPN the Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, Garden & Gun, and many others. He spent 23 years as a reporter and local columnist for the Charlotte Observer, where he was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in...

Daniel A. Olivas reads an excerpt from "How to Date a Flying Mexican," backed by an original Storybound remix with sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Daniel A. Olivas is the author of ten books and editor of two anthologies. His latest books are "How to Date a Flying Mexican: New and Collected Stories," "The King of Lighting Fixtures: Stories," and "Crossing the Border: Collected Poems." Widely anthologized, Daniel has also written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Review of...

Danté Stewart reads an excerpt from "Shoutin’ In The Fire: An American Epistle," backed by an original Storybound remix with sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Danté Stewart is a theologian, essayist, and cultural critic. He is author of "Shoutin’ In The Fire: An American Epistle." Named by Religion News Service as one of “Ten Up-And-Coming Faith Influencers”, his work has appeared on CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, ESPN’s The Undefeated, Sojourners, and more. He...

Debbie Millman discusses her book "Why Design Matters," featuring David Byrne, Saeed Jones, Ira Glass, and more, backed by an original Storybound remix with sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Debbie is the author of seven books, including two collections of interviews that have extended the ethos and editorial vision of "Design Matters" to the printed page: "How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer" and "Brand Thinking" and "Other Noble Pursuits." Both books have been published in...

Storybound, from 2021 KCRW Radio Race winner Jude Brewer, returns for a fifth season with new voices, new music, and more conversations on March 8th. Storybound is a radio theater program designed for the podcast age. Hosted by Jude Brewer, the podcast features today’s top literary voices reading their essays, poems, and fiction. Brought to you by Lit Hub Radio and The Podglomerate.  Season 5 begins publishing next Tuesday, March 8th. Learn more at...

Chuck Klosterman reads two stories from "Raised in Captivity: Fictional Nonfiction," backed by an original Storybound remix with Lindsey Bitson, and sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Chuck Klosterman is the bestselling author of eight books of nonfiction (including "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs," "But What If We’re Wrong?" and "Chuck Klosterman X") and two novels ("Downtown Owl" and "The Visible Man"). He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, GQ, Esquire, Spin,...

Brianna Barrett presents "Florence Fane in San Francisco," backed by an original Storybound remix with Jaymay, and sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Brianna Barrett is a playwright and storyteller whose full-length theatrical work has been developed at Artists Repertory Theater, Theatre33, Fertile Ground Festival, HART Theatre, and UCLA. Her TV work has been developed with Stuber, Farah Films, Hollywood Laundromat and ICM. She's performed at venues such as Pickathon, FolkLife...

Mitchell S. Jackson reads an excerpt from his memoir "Survival Math" with sound design and music composition from Zane featuring Stephanie Strange. Mitchell S. Jackson is the winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing and the 2021 National Magazine Award in Feature Writing. His debut novel "The Residue Years" received wide critical praise and won a Whiting Award and The Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence. "The Residue Years" was also a finalist for The Center for Fiction...

Tamara Winfrey-Harris reads an excerpt from "Dear Black Girl: Letters From Your Sisters on Stepping Into Your Power," backed by an original Storybound remix, and sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Tamara is the author of two books: "The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America" (Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2015) and "Dear Black Girl: Letters From Your Sisters On Stepping Into Your Power" (Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2021). The award-winning Sisters,...

Deesha Philyaw reads from her book "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies", with sound design and music composition from GLASYS. This week on Storybound, we want to spotlight Deesha Philyaw, whose debut short story collection, "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies," will be adapted into a TV show on HBO Max. "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies" was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction, a finalist for The Story Prize (2020/2021), and longlisted for the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for...

Jude Brewer's award-winning "Buzzy." Jude Brewer is a Portland-based writer, audio producer, actor, and host of Storybound. His piece “Buzzy” finished first in KCRW’s 2021 Radio Race. In lieu of voicemails, letters, or other tangible keepsakes, the sound of a skateboard remains Brewer’s only tie to his late childhood best friend and neighbor, Buzzy. Beyond the piece’s beautifully crafted audio design and editing, Brewer wields sound as a character unto itself, taking the listener inside its...

Clint Smith reads an excerpt from "How the Word Is Passed," backed by an original Storybound remix with Taber Arias, and sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Clint Smith is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of the narrative nonfiction book, "How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America," which was a #1 New York Times bestseller and was longlisted for the National Book Award. He is also the author of the poetry collection "Counting...

Ruth Reichl reads a selection of Letters to the Editor from Thanksgiving issues of Gourmet Magazine, with sound design and music composition from Tim Karplus. Ruth Reichl was Editor in Chief of Gourmet Magazine from 1999 to 2009. Before that she was the restaurant critic of both The New York Times (1993-1999) and the Los Angeles Times (1984-1993), where she was also named food editor. As co-owner of The Swallow Restaurant from 1974 to 1977, she played a part in the culinary revolution that...

This week on Storybound, we want to spotlight Omar El Akkad, whose novel “What Strange Paradise” recently won Canada's Giller Prize. Today, we’re re-airing his episode of Storybound, where he read an excerpt from the novel, as well as from "American War," backed by an original Storybound remix, sound design, and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Omar El Akkad is an author and journalist. He was born in Egypt, grew up in Qatar, moved to Canada as a teenager and now lives in the United States. The...

Dawnie Walton reads an excerpt from "The Final Revival of Opal & Nev," backed by an original Storybound remix, and sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Dawnie Walton's work as a fiction writer and journalist explores identity, place, and the influence of pop culture. A MacDowell Colony fellow (2015), a Tin House Scholar (2017), and a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop (MFA, 2018), she has worked as an executive-level editor for magazine and multimedia brands including Essence,...

Jason Brown reads his story, "A Faithful but Melancholy Account of Several Barbarities Lately Committed," backed by an original Storybound remix with Mattias Tell, and sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Jason Brown is a fiction and nonfiction writer. He has published three books of short stories, "Driving the Heart and Other Stories" (Norton/Random House), "Why the Devil Chose New England For His Work" (Open City/Grove Atlantic), and "A Faithful But Melancholy Account of Several...

This week on Storybound, we want to spotlight Charlie Jane Anders, whose novel, “Victories Greater Than Death,” will be developed as a series by Amazon, with Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society producing. Today, we’re re-airing Anders’ episode of Storybound, where she read an excerpt from the novel, backed by an original Storybound remix with Originalii, and sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Charlie Jane Anders is the author of Victories Greater Than Death, the first book in a new...

For the next few weeks, Storybound will honor 2021 National Book Awards finalists who have appeared on this show by re-airing their episodes. This week, Robert Jones Jr. reads from his debut novel "The Prophets", with sound design and music composition from Josh Garrels. Robert Jones, Jr. is a writer from New York City. He received his B.F.A., magna cum laude, in creative writing, and M.F.A. in fiction from Brooklyn College. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He has written...

For the next few weeks, Storybound will honor 2021 National Book Awards finalists who have appeared on this show by re-airing their episodes. This week, Lauren Groff reads her short story "Flower Hunters" from her short story collection Florida, with sound design and music composition from Naomi LaViolette. Lauren Groff is the author of six books of fiction, the most recent the novel “Matrix” (September 2021). Her work has won The Story Prize, the ABA Indies’ Choice Award, and France’s Grand...

Elizabeth McCracken reads her short story, "It's Not You," backed by an original Storybound remix with Moon Hound, and sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Elizabeth McCracken is the author of seven books: "Here’s Your Hat What’s Your Hurry," "The Giant’s House," "Niagara Falls All Over Again," "An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination," "Thunderstruck & Other Stories," "Bowlaway," and "The Souvenir Museum."  She’s received grants and fellowships from the Guggenheim...

Marian Crotty reads her short story "Halloween," backed by an original Storybound remix with My Son the Doctor, and sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer. Marian Crotty's first book, "What Counts as Love," was published through the University of Iowa Short Fiction Awards (John Simmons Award). The book was a semi-finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize and received the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for fiction by an American woman. Her short stories have appeared in literary journals...