Writers at Work

With me today on Writers at Work is Allegra Goodman, whose latest two books reveal the range of her abilities as a novelist and author of short fiction. Published in 2025, ISOLA, is a masterful work of historical fiction based on the true story of Marguerite de La Rocque, a sixteenth-century French woman who, abandoned on a remote island to end a forbidden romance, fights to reclaim her life.

It was named the best book of the year ...

With me today on Writers at Work is Andy Kroll, a reporter for ProPublica, the nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Based in Washington, Andy covers justice and the rule of law. Earlier this year, he won the coveted George Polk Award for political reporting for "The Shadow President," a fascinating and comprehensive article about Russ Vought, a conservative, self-described Christian nationalist and longtime Washing...

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Graham Nash, singer, performer, band leader, photographer, activist, and for our purposes, songwriter. Graham is a two-time member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for his role in The Hollies and Crosby, Stills, & Nash and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, he's composed pop songs that are known to several generations, "Teach Your Ch...

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Jane Smiley, whose latest novel is LIDIE: THE FURTHER TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF LIDIE NEWTON. If that title rings a bit of a bell, it's because in 1998, Jane published THE ALL-TRUE TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF LIDIE NEWTON. That novel, set in the 1850s as our country crept toward a civil war, told of Lidie Harkness of Quincy, Illinois, a young, resolute woman who marries an abolitionist a...

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is author Chris Grabenstein. If you don't know Chris, I can assure you that your kids--and their kids--do. With his many series for young readers--Mr. Lemoncello, The Smartest Kid in the Universe, I Funny, Treasure Hunters, some of which were written with James Patterson--Chris has influenced thousands and thousands of young people to become enthusiastic readers. To visit Chris on social ...

On this episode of Writers at Work, I'm joined by Alex Lin, playwright and screenwriter, whose métier per Forbes magazine is the lives of, "complex women in power while also working to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and pop culture." I quote Forbes because its editors recently placed Alex on its 30 Under 30 list, naming her one of America's brightest young talents.

Alex's achievements thus far include two plays premier...

With me on this episode of Writers at Work is Mark Braude, author of THE TYPEWRITER AND THE GUILLOTINE: AN AMERICAN JOURNALIST, A GERMAN SERIAL KILLER, AND PARIS ON THE EVE OF WWII. The American journalist is Janet Flanner, best known for her work for The New Yorker. The German serial killer is a wormy, self-deluded, lifelong criminal, and the setting is, as stated, Paris during the build-up to the Second World War.

THE TYPEWRITER ...

I'm pleased to be joined today on Writers at Work by Ron Charles, the book critic best known for his reviews published in the Washington Post, his former employer. If you know Ron's work, it goes without saying that his unceremonious exit from the Post represents another blow to the relevance of books and literature in American mainstream media.

On his Substack, Ron discussed his situation with characteristic self-deprecation. "I d...

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Don Winslow. His latest, THE FINAL SCORE, marks his return following his announced retirement in 2022. It's a six-story crime collection Stephen King called, "The best crime fiction I've read in 20 years." Having read them as if I were starving for Don's style of storytelling, I will tell you that the collection will make you very glad he's back.

Prior to his retirement to focus on his...

Elizabeth Chamblee Birch joins me today on Writers at Work. She is the author of THE PAIN BROKERS: HOW CON MEN, CALL CENTERS, AND ROGUE DOCTORS FUEL AMERICA'S LAWSUIT FACTORY. It's Elizabeth's first book, but not the first time she's written on legal matters in such a way that can fascinate laymen.

Her thoughts on mass tort lawsuits have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and on National Public Radio. ...

Joining me on Writers at Work is Janice Page, author of YEAR OF THE WATER HORSE, a wise and often amusing memoir about her melting pot family, in particular its girls and women, for most of which are Janice's mom, Janice herself, her mother-in-law, and her adopted daughter, Zoe.

Amazing how a well-told story about someone else's family can remind us of our own. With YEAR OF THE WATER HORSE, Janice continues a fruitful career in boo...

With me on Writers at Work is Matthew Pearl, author of the novel THE AWARD. And I will say upfront that if you are a writer or want to be a writer or are curious at all about writers, this is a book for you.

Matthew Pearl is the author of many highly regarded and best-selling novels, including the historical fiction works THE DANTE CLUB and THE POE SHADOW, the latter about the death of Edgar Allan Poe. His THE TECHNOLOGISTS is an a...

With me on this first episode of Writers at Work of the new year is Lauren Rothery, author of TELEVISION, her debut novel.

If you visit laurenrothery.net, you'll find links to a number of short films she wrote and directed. As for TELEVISION, it's an intriguing, cleverly told novel about Verity, a famous actor who, after appearing in a hit film he detests, announces he will hold a lottery to give away the $80 million he stands to m...

As we approach the end of 2025, a special edition of Writers at Work. I speak with four writers I've known for almost 25 years: Peter Blauner, Reed Farrel Coleman, S.J. Rozan, and Peter Spiegelman. They are much-admired authors of mystery and crime fiction, with whom I've consulted and commiserated, and who have consulted and commiserated with each other as our careers as novelists careen like cars on a roller coaster.

If Writers a...

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Grammy winning music scholar, Rob Bowman, whose new book is LAND OF A THOUSAND SESSIONS: THE COMPLETE MUSCLE SHOALS STORY 1951-1985. If the role of Muscle Shoals, a town in Northwest Alabama, in modern music history doesn't immediately pop to mind, allow me to mention a few of the landmark tracks recorded there.

When A Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge, Land of a Thousand Dances by Wil...

With me today on Writers at Work is Marilyn Fu, screenwriter, whose ROSEMEAD starring Lucy Liu will open in New York on December 5. Directed by Eric Lynn, ROSEMEAD had its premiere at this year's Tribeca Film Festival and has been nominated for a slew of awards at such festivals worldwide. I've seen ROSEMEAD and found it deeply affecting and disturbing. I want to tread lightly because it is a finely woven tale I don't want to spoil...

With me on this episode of Writers at Work is Zorana Pringle, author of THE CREATIVE CHOICE: THE SCIENCE OF MAKING DECISIONS TO TURN IDEAS INTO ACTION. Zorana is a senior research scientist at the Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence, where she currently serves as the director of the Creativity and Emotions Lab.

She recently joined me at a live Writers at Work event in New Haven, and I wanted you to have an opportunity...

With me on this episode of Writers at Work is Todd Goddard, author of Devouring Time: Jim Harrison, A Writer's Life, the first biography of the protean American novelist, poet and screenwriter, Jim Harrison. Harrison's output indicates the magnitude of the task that confronted Todd, 21 novels and novellas, 20 volumes of poetry, essays, memoirs and other non-fiction works, and contributions to screenplays including the adaptation of...

With me on this episode of Writers at Work is Robbie Arnott, whose latest novel is DUSK, the hypnotic tale of adult twins, Iris and Floyd, who are in pursuit of a deadly puma across the Tasmanian wilderness. That desperate pursuit is also an attempt to escape from the reputation of their outlaw parents and perhaps find a place where they can belong.

DUSK is Robbie's fourth novel. His previous works have been acknowledged by nominat...