Oh summer colds, you might be the worst kind of cold. But that won't stop The Lit Hub Podcast! This week, as we celebrate the dog days of summer, Brittany Allen drops by to tell Drew about curating Lit Hub's ongoing, weekly list of nice things. Then, an intro (for those who don't already know them!) to Lit Hub Radio stalwarts Fiction/Non/Fiction with an excerpt from their recent interview with Gary Shteyngart. And finally — in more ways than one — we're opening up our phone lines! We want to hear from you! Our first caller is Maggie Smith, the new host of The Slowdown! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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August 15, 2025
Drew's been working on (gasp) a novel and it seems to be going well (because saying so certainly won't jinx it) so this week is a bit of writer-work-focused! Kicking off with a shout to Ursula K. Le Guin's Steering the Craft, we are then joined by Erin Somers (author of Stay Up with Hugo Best and the forthcoming The Ten Year Affair but also a reporter & editor at Publishers Lunch) to explain the one-stop-publishing-shop that is Publishers Marketplace—you know, with the deal announcements you see your writer-friends posting on Instagram?Then, an excerpt of Jonny Diamond's conversation with Maris Kriezman on the last stop of Maris's book tour for I Want to Burn This Place Down, recorded live at the Northern Spy Reading Series at Left Bank Ciders in Catskill, NY. And finally, James Folta pops in with a quick update on why more than half of the longlisted authors have withdrawn from this year's Polari Prize. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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August 8, 2025
Summer, to me, means long days and hanging out in nature and Shakespeare — specifically Shakespeare in the Park. After James Folta wrote about NYC Comptroller Brad Lander's sonnet for the ribbon cutting at the revamped Delacorte Theater in Central Park, his office reached out to remind us that the Comptroller has done this multiple times now... and so obviously, Drew had to talk to him about diving into the poetic form and the power of art to build empathy in these otherwise selfish times.Then, Stefan Tobler (publisher of & Other Stories) drops in to tell Drew what it's like to be a small press that wins a big prize — and why it is that copies of 2025 International Booker Prize winner Heart Lamp have taken so long to reach US bookshops.Plus, a quick love letter to a recent read: Strange and Perfect Account from the Permafrost!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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August 1, 2025
We're back from our lil summer break and shaking off the rust! It's been hot, but getting maybe better—and we're trying to take the slow pace and the long view before we truly roll into the fall. Speaking of: what are you reading for the rest of the summer? Perhaps try the Sealey Challenge (all funds this year going to the Sameer Project)! Or start reading the Booker Prize longlist!Also, you could pick up an old issue of Lapham's Quarterly to get in the mood for the storied mag's revival—and we have acting editor Donovan Hahn on the show to tell us more about that slow pace, that long view, and the future of Lapham's. Or perhaps you're feeling like it's a real socialist gothic summer—and McKayla Coyle is here to chat with Drew about the socialist fundamentals of gothic literature and the very specific burgeoning sub-genre that is Socialist Gothic.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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July 11, 2025
Halfway through the year means it's time to anticipate again! That's right: the Lit Hub staff has compiled a list (multiple lists, actually) of books you should be looking forward to for the rest of the calendar year—and now we bring you a bunch of staff members talking about some (some!) of the books they're most excited for. Featuring (in order of appearance): Drew Broussard, Jonny Diamond, Julia Hass, Brittany K. Allen, McKayla Coyle, Calvin Kasulke, Jessie Gaynor, Dan Sheehan, Emily Temple, James Folta, and Drew again (because he is just that excited about SO MANY BOOKS). Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2025, Part TwoOur 33 Most Anticipated Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books for the Rest of 2025The Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of Summer 2025See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A weekly behind-the-scenes dive into everything interesting, dynamic, strange, and wonderful happening in literary culture—featuring Lit Hub staff, columnists, and special guests! Hosted by Drew Broussard.The Lit Hub Podcast is a production of Lit Hub RadioMusic by Dani Lencioni of EvelynEngineering and production by Stardust House
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