We're riding the high of something going right in the world (see: NYC's mayoral primary) and leaning mostly into hijinks and happiness this week—but not before we remind you all of the very real stakes facing artists of all stripes right now, the frankly-existential threat that is generative AI. First up, Brittany Cavallaro drops by to introduce the "Against AI" open letter that Lit Hub just published. Then, Calvin Kasulke hosts a rollicking conversation with Cat Fitzpatrick and Casey Plett abou...
Jun 27, 2025•51 min
Community. Community, community, community, now more than ever. We kick things off this week with a special guest: Leila Green Little, lead plaintiff in the ongoing Little v. Llano County book-banning case, chats with both Drew and Anthony Aycock, whose piece about the case ran this week on the site. Then, Drew talks to Benjamin Davis of Chill Subs about their Lit Mag Incubator Program that's going to give away $1000 a piece to five lit mags who need it. And finally, a little suggestion to read ...
Jun 20, 2025•39 min
Oh another bad week in the world, and what's a book podcast to do but... talk about Hamlet! Seriously, though: theater belongs in the literary conversation and there's something about the confluence of text and audio that we obviously take very seriously here at Literary Hub or else we wouldn't be doing this podcast! So, this episode is primarily Make Believe Association's Jeremy McCarter sitting down with Drew for a warm reunion (they've known each other for a long, long time) and a discussion ...
Jun 13, 2025•37 min
Do you have one of the ~iconic~ Joan Didion Lit Hub totes? ( You can still get one, ps. ) Were you also interested, and then maybe confused, by the 'new' Joan Didion book? Don't worry, we've got you covered this week. We've also got some writer-beware tips for those hoping to get their work out into the world while avoiding a mess like the one at Unbound/Boundless—and also there's a bit of meta/twee fun! A true summer jawn! First: Evelyn McDonnell ( The World According to Joan —coming in paperba...
Jun 06, 2025•44 min
How do you solve a problem like romantasy? What is it like to have written the most banned book in the country? Jenny Hamilton chats about her Reactor essay "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Romantasy?" and George M. Johnson talks banned books, being banned, and their new podcast Fighting Words . * "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Romantasy?" * "Natalie's Theory of Urban Fantasy" * Fighting Words * All Boys Aren't Blue * The ALA's Top Ten Banned Books List See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/...
May 30, 2025•42 min
Memorial Day Weekend is upon us and that means: summer reading! Yes, it's true, you can wear white and it's officially summer. Even if it's already been summer where you live, temperature-wise or white-clothing-wise. Drew kicks us off with a bit of a tear about the AI-generated summer reading lists that got syndicated to papers this week (and mentions his own ongoing summer-reading-rec Bluesky offer, which has become unmanageable in a great way) before bringing on Molly Odintz to talk about some...
May 23, 2025•35 min
Mrs. Dalloway turns 100 this week and it has Drew thinking about old books—and, more specifically, discovering old books. After a lightly eerie reverie, he chats with Nathan Connolly of Dead Ink Books about the pleasures of running a small press and creating a real-life, real-time literary hoax with the Eden Book Society. (If you aren't backing the 1993 collection on Kickstarter , do you even like literary joy?) Then, James Folta chats with Shea Dunlop and Sarah Robbins from Abrams about the in-...
May 16, 2025•44 min
This week saw the announcement of the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes—which, if you've been following along at home, I had some questions regarding ! Unsurprisingly, that's also where we start the show this week. Then, Marie-Helene Bertino ( Exit Zero ) drops by to talk about vampires, Sinners , and the pitfalls of immortality and Meg Reid of Hub City Writers wraps up with a helpful explainer of just what it means that the NEA has suddenly cancelled funding for non-profit presses and other arts organizatio...
May 09, 2025•48 min
Yesterday was May Day and it was a big one for us: Lit Hub finally got to add to the canon of " Why I'm Leaving Twitter " posts! Jonny Diamond kicks us off to explain the rationale behind why and why now. Then, we wrap up our National Poetry Month coverage with a small-press interview: Eric Amling and Sarah Jean Grimm of After Hours Editions tell Drew about running a small poetry press and looking for the strange pizzas. And finally, we thought we'd add to the "books for men" discourse by gettin...
May 02, 2025•35 min
April is, as it turns out, a great month for book lovers: the first big wave of pre-summer titles arrives, St. Jordi Day (and Shakespeare's birth/death-day) is April 23rd, and of course Independent Bookstore Day is the last Saturday of the month. And while every day can and should be Indie Bookstore Day, we're getting into the spirit of the holiday this week—just in time for you to hit up your local(s) on Saturday 4/26! Kicking things off, it's Shelf Awareness editor-in-chief John Mutter, here t...
Apr 25, 2025•48 min
We're continuing our celebration of National Poetry Month this week with special guest Lisa Willis, executive director of Cave Canem! She's here to tell Drew about the wide-reaching, first-of-its-kind field study Magnitude and Bond: A Field Study on Black Literary Arts Organizations —it's a must-read for anybody interested in any part of the literary arts ecosystem. Plus, Brittany Allen on some organizations and organizers pushing back against the Trump administration's assault on the historical...
Apr 18, 2025•40 min
If you didn't hear the song earlier this week, it's Lit Hub's 10th birthday! Double-digits, y'all! It's exciting stuff and so obviously Jonny Diamond had to drop by to tell us a bit about the occasion as well as some site-lore. (PS it's always a great time to become a Lit Hub member ...) Then, Traci Thomas comes on to chat about her podcast TheStacks and the amazing STACK THE SHELVES event she's putting up in LA on May 4th to support those who lost libraries (and more) in the wildfires earlier t...
Apr 11, 2025•37 min
Well books are about to get a lot more expensive, as is everything else, and there's no hiding from the fact that these tariffs really suck! But we're going to talk (mostly) about other things this week—like the trailer drop for the new season of The Cosmic Library , like some upcoming weird books you should pre-order as suggested by Molly Odintz, and the first in a run of Lit Hub staffers reading poetry in celebration of National Poetry Month! * Listen to The Cosmic Library — new episodes Wedne...
Apr 04, 2025•39 min
You might be mistaken in thinking that it's a real high-culture/low-culture episode this week, but really it's an all-joy-culture episode. Drew kicks things off with a quick nod to National Short Story Month before talking to Michael Kelleher about the 2025 Windham-Campbell Prizes and what makes the prize so special. Then, he chats with Sammy Loren about the new literary tabloid On the Rag and why pitching a broader, messier tent is a good idea. Go chase something that makes you (and, ideally, o...
Mar 28, 2025•36 min
This week, we embrace (surprise surprise) the power of books!! But seriously, Drew is in a tizzy about the latest AI-scraping news (tldr they got ALL of the books), Brittany Allen talks about the joys of learning about how they pick the books on The White Lotus, Sophie Gee & Jonty Claypole tell Drew about the joys of discovering (and hosting! the Secret Life of Books ( listen now !), and Josh Cook shares a few more ideas for how publishing can do better to fill the information gap. Books: po...
Mar 21, 2025•41 min
It's a big one this week, kicking off with a quick exhortation to (metaphorically) tell Meta/Facebook/Zuckerberg to pound sand by buying a copy of Careless People ! Then, Drew talks with Masie Cochran of Tin House and Molly Stern of Zando about the exciting news of the Voltron-esque team-up that is Zando's acquisition of Tin House. Next, James Folta and Oliver Scialdone drop in to discuss the past week in bracketology—reminder: the villains bracket final is open through Sunday!!—and finally, Eri...
Mar 14, 2025•46 min
There's an Amazon boycott on, from today until the 14th! But really, publishing should stop linking to Amazon now and forever . Drew explains why! Then, Brad Johnson from East Bay Booksellers drops by to talk about his essay "The Things We Learned in the Fire: On the Destruction (and Rebirth) of a Bookstore" and then Emily Temple and James Folta chat with Drew about kicking off the Best Villain in Literature bracket. Round One is open through Sunday!! The Lit Hub Podcast is a production of Lit H...
Mar 07, 2025•39 min
First up this week: Dan Sheehan recently had the chance to chat with Omar El Akkad about One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This and we're thrilled to bring you an audio excerpt from that conversation. Then, Calvin Kasulke drops in to grill Drew on his apparent disdain for the recent wave of Lady Macbeth novels. And finally, Olivia Rutigliano brings us more "Culture Schlock"—this time, looking Oscar-forward... The Lit Hub Podcast is a production of Lit Hub Radio Hosted by Drew Brouss...
Feb 28, 2025•27 min
Drew finished re-watching The Lord of the Rings over the weekend and it has probably influenced a bit of the episode. But he also chats with bookseller-libromancer Josh Cook about how the publishing world can respond to the second Trump presidency and why we could all do with a bit more doing what actually energizes us, and with Jordan Kisner about the return of Thresholds in collaboration with the Black Mountain Institute! The Lit Hub Podcast is a production of Lit Hub Radio Hosted by Drew Brou...
Feb 21, 2025•37 min
It's Valentine's Day! So Drew chats with Chloé Caldwell about her recent piece "Yes, I've Been Selling My Book on Dating Apps" — and asks listeners to call in with their recent favorite reads! Plus, Calvin Kasulke chats with K. Kerimian about the Nonbinarian Book Bike 's leap to brick and mortar. The Lit Hub Radio Hotline: 845-377-0903 The Lit Hub Podcast is a production of Lit Hub Radio Hosted by Drew Broussard Music by Dani Lencioni See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi...
Feb 14, 2025•27 min
This week, Olivia Wolfgang-Smith tells Drew about reading the entirety of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series for her piece "Actually, Master and Commander is a Domestic Fantasy About a Codependent Life Partnership!" and Dan Sheehan stops by to explain why it matters that The Giller Prize (finally) dropped Scotiabank as a sponsor. The Lit Hub Podcast is a production of Lit Hub Radio Hosted by Drew Broussard Music by Dani Lencioni See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...
Feb 07, 2025•29 min
This week, some suggestions for men and some suggestions for history! First up, it's James Folta chatting with Drew about his recent piece " Men Have Bigger Problems Than Not Reading Novels" and the crisis of cultural illiteracy. Then, Molly Odintz stops by to talk up some upcoming historical fiction —and why reading historical fiction can help positively impact the present. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-...
Jan 31, 2025•29 min
On January 13, New York published a story by Lila Shapiro detailing allegations of sexual assault against fantasy author Neil Gaiman. (TW: the piece is at times graphic and should be approached with care.) Gaiman has denied the allegations and claimed that the encounters were consensual. It's an upsetting story for so many reasons, and an important one. So, in a special episode of the show, Drew sat down with Lila Shapiroto talk about writing these kinds of stories, what they mean to communities...
Jan 27, 2025•38 min
The first week of the Trump administration has felt somehow even more awful than we expected it to feel. Everybody's a little on edge. So, we kick things off with Jonny Diamond extolling the excellent pieces from Kim Kelly and Madeline ffitch that ran on the site on Tuesday, sharing excerpts and explaining how they encapsulate Lit Hub's approach to the Trump administration. Then, because our revolution must include the joyful things as well, we introduce a new recurring segment: "Culture Schlock...
Jan 24, 2025•23 min
The year has really gotten off on a rough foot. But what lessons can we take from deeply admired artists like Ursula K. Le Guin and David Lynch, for the tumult to come? And what might readers be able to expect from 2025, trend-wise? We might not have the answers, but we do have some answers. A note from Drew, about wildfire assistance Another note from Drew, about Neil Gaiman Julie Phillips on "The Way of Water: On the Quiet Power of Ursula K. Le Guin's Activism" McKayla Coyle and Oliver Scialdo...
Jan 17, 2025•33 min
We're back and raring to go—starting with a year's-resolutions intro from Drew and then diving into something a bit more celebratory: some audio 2025 Most Anticipated picks from Calvin Kasulke, McKayla Coyle, Olivia Rutigliano, Molly Odintz, Brittany K. Allen, Emily Temple, James Folta, Dwyer Murphy, Jonny Diamond, Dan Sheehan, and Drew Broussard! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jan 10, 2025•34 min
'Twas the episode before Christmas and all through the studio Not a sound could be heard—not even 'Sussudio' To close out the year, a new holiday tradition: Jonny Diamond reads us Clement Clarke Moore's classic poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" Thanks to everyone for tuning in this year! See you in 2025! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Dec 20, 2024•10 min
Well, we jinxed it last week by saying that there was only one more news story! Turns out 2024 isn't done with us, thanks to a handsome assassin who stole the internet's heart. Naturally, we took a look at what he was reading—plus, some more best-of list chat! Drew, Jonny, Calvin, and James chat about whether or not you can put together a profile of a person based on their reading habits—and what Luigi Mangione's Goodreads really says (or doesn't say) about him. Dan Sheehan tells Drew about Book...
Dec 13, 2024•38 min
It's the holiday season—which means that end-of-year lists are really kicking off, and we will be getting into that more in depth in the weeks to come... but the news hasn't quite finished having its way with us, so we're going to do one more proper news story before the year is out. And guess what: it's about AI! • Drew, Jonny, Calvin, and James discuss the existential threat and/or possible nothing-burger (but either way, definitely environmentally terrible) reality of AI and the creative indu...
Dec 06, 2024•41 min
Happy Thanksgiving! We're thankful for you, listeners—and so here is a little treat of an episode, a bit wild and a bit longer than usual but we figured you might need something special for that Black Friday rush. Merve Emre announces season two (and three!) of The Critic and Her Publics Jonny Diamond and Drew ask you for money Drew hosts a raucous round-table with McKayla Coyle, Oliver Scialdone, and Calvin Kasulke about awards season, why awards should give you cash, and more See Privacy Polic...
Nov 29, 2024•46 min
