Episodes

  • 'The Correspondent' is an epistolary novel, but can letters tell the whole story?

    'The Correspondent' is an epistolary novel, but can letters tell the whole story?
    Mar 16 2026
    Virginia Evans’ The Correspondent became a runaway hit for its exploration of a life told through letters. When readers meet Sybil Van Antwerp she’s in her 70s, and she takes readers on a journey through her various correspondences — which include names as revered as Joan Didion and Ann Patchett. But Sybil isn’t telling us everything, and her clever prose might hide as much as it reveals. In today’s episode, author Virginia Evans joins Here and Now’s Robin Young to discuss the value of correspondence, and how the book’s success has changed the letter-writing industry itself.

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    12 mins
  • 'We the Women' and 'Rise, Girl, Rise' are stories about revolutionary women

    'We the Women' and 'Rise, Girl, Rise' are stories about revolutionary women
    Mar 13 2026
    To mark Women’s History Month, today’s episode features new books focused on women who have paved the way for gender equality. First, journalist Norah O’Donnell documents untold stories in American history in We the Women, written in collaboration with Kate Andersen Brower. In today’s episode, O’Donnell tells NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly about lesser-known female heroes, like the woman who printed the Declaration of Independence and a female soldier who fought in the American Revolution. Then, activist Gloria Steinem and Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee speak with Here & Now’s Indira Lakshmanan about their new children’s book, Rise, Girl, Rise.

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    21 mins
  • 'One of Us' is a British political drama based on the Boris Johnson era

    'One of Us' is a British political drama based on the Boris Johnson era
    Mar 12 2026
    In today’s episode, Elizabeth Day describes the protagonist in her new novel One of Us as the “quintessential outsider.” Martin Gilmour came from a difficult background, but won a scholarship to an elite boarding school in England. There, he befriends an aristocratic boy named Ben who will later ask Martin to keep an important secret. One of Us follows the implosion of their friendship – and Martin’s discretion – as Ben strives for political power. In today’s episode, Day and NPR’s Scott Simon discuss the novel’s central rivalry and Day’s interest in the Boris Johnson era of British politics.

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    9 mins
  • To understand consciousness, Michael Pollan looked at plants, AI and himself

    To understand consciousness, Michael Pollan looked at plants, AI and himself
    Mar 11 2026
    While researching a previous book, a mushroom trip in Michael Pollan’s garden left him curious about the boundaries of consciousness. His latest project A World Appears explores the mystery of human consciousness through scientific, philosophical and psychedelic frameworks. In today’s episode, Pollan talks with Here & Now’s Indira Lakshmanan about the sentience of plants and animals vs. our own. They also discuss “lantern” vs. “spotlight” consciousness, AI and why Pollan sees the computer as a faulty metaphor for the human brain.

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    12 mins
  • In 'Bad Asians,' a friend group threatens its reputation with a viral video

    In 'Bad Asians,' a friend group threatens its reputation with a viral video
    Mar 10 2026
    Lillian Li says Bad Asians was drawn from her upbringing in a hypercompetitive Chinese-American community. In the novel, four 20-somethings, who grew up in a similar environment, confront the challenges of the 2008 financial crisis and begin to let loose. Their former classmate documents their frustrations in what becomes one of the first viral YouTube videos. In today’s episode, Li speaks with Here & Now’s Scott Tong about the initial privacy of the early internet, exploding Asian American stereotypes, and why she wanted to write about friendship.

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    11 mins
  • In new memoir, Gavin Newsom reflects on his political rise

    In new memoir, Gavin Newsom reflects on his political rise
    Mar 9 2026
    As California’s governor – and a topic of discussion among some as a possible 2028 presidential candidate – Gavin Newsom is an exceedingly public figure with a busy schedule to match. His new memoir, Young Man in a Hurry, provides a glimpse into Newsom’s rise to political prominence and his ongoing goal of self-discovery. In today’s episode, Newsom sits down with NPR’s Ailsa Chang to discuss his book, the question of his own relatability, and why he uses “playground insults”’ on social media to push back against the Trump administration.

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    9 mins
  • 'The Irish Goodbye' and 'Frog' are micro-memoirs and essays about everyday life

    'The Irish Goodbye' and 'Frog' are micro-memoirs and essays about everyday life
    Mar 6 2026
    In today’s episode, two authors tackle everyday experience through short-form writing. First, The Irish Goodbye is a collection of micro-memoirs by the poet Beth Ann Fennelly. In these recollections, she considers childhood, marriage, and old friends – and she told NPR’s Scott Simon about the immense difficulty she had writing about her sister’s death. Then, Anne Fadiman joins Simon to discuss Frog: and Other Essays, in which she takes on topics like a printer, an unpettable pet, M&Ms, and the rules of grammar.


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    18 mins
  • 'An American Marriage' author Tayari Jones is out with a new novel 'Kin'

    'An American Marriage' author Tayari Jones is out with a new novel 'Kin'
    Mar 5 2026
    Tayari Jones, author of the 2018 novel An American Marriage, says her next book was supposed to be about gentrification in the American South. But while writing her draft, Jones says she realized the backstory of that project was actually the real story. That’s how her new historical fiction novel Kin was born. The book follows two cradle friends who grow up without mothers in Honeysuckle, Louisiana and must navigate life in the Jim Crow South. In today’s episode, Jones tells NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe about how she tapped into something “older than herself” in order to write this story.


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    11 mins