Miranda July speaks to Kate Wolf about her latest novel, All Fours. Its narrator is a woman in the middle of her life, a recognized artist who’s worked steadily for years with “the confidence that comes from knowing there is no other path.” Sho

Danielle Dutton's "Prairie, Dresses, Art, Other"

11 days ago 52m 17s

Kate Wolf and Medaya Ocher are joined by writer and publisher Danielle Dutton, author of Prairie, Dresses, Art, Other as well as Margaret the First and Sprawl. Dutton is also co-founder of the outstanding press Dorothy Project. Prairie, Dresses

On Giving Up

13 days ago 50m 50s

In this special episode, hosts Medaya Ocher, Kate Wolf, and Eric Newman discuss the case for and against giving up—on life, vices, dreams, creative pursuits, jobs, relationships, exercise, and work. Their conversation is inspired by Adam Philli

Anna Shechtman's "The Riddles of the Sphinx"

18 days ago 41m 26s

Scholar and writer Anna Shechtman joins Medaya Ocher to discuss her book The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle. Shechtman is an accomplished cruciverbalist, constructing a bimonthly crossword at The

The Veteranos of East LA

25 days ago 1h 1m

Scholar Randol Contreras joins Kate Wolf and Eric Newman to discuss his new book The Marvelous Ones: Drugs, Gang Violence, and Resistance in East Los Angeles. The book is a study of the history and present lives of veterans of the legendary Ma

Mother Tongues and Mother Dolls

Apr 19th, 2024 1h 3m

A double-header episode about two new novels that each feature high stakes feats of translation. First, the translator and writer Jenny Croft speaks with Medaya Ocher about her debut novel, The Extinction of Irena Rey. It follows eight translat

Victoria Chang on Finding Agnes Martin During Crisis

Apr 12th, 2024 46m

Kate Wolf speaks with the poet Victoria Chang about her latest collection of poems, With My Back to the World. The book is in deep conversation with the work of the painter Agnes Martin: each poem takes the title of one of Martin’s paintings an

Morgan Neville's "STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces"

Apr 5th, 2024 30m 52s

Eric Newman speaks with director Morgan Neville about his new film "STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces," which explores the legendary comedian's meteoric rise to standup stardom, his abrupt pivot to TV and film, and his return to stage i

The Morality of Memoir, or, Daddy I Want Coffee!

Apr 2nd, 2024 49m 39s

On this special episode, hosts Medaya Ocher, Kate Wolf, and Eric Newman talk about the ethics and politics of memoir in the wake of several recent controversies. Touching on Blake Butler’s Molly, Emily Gould’s essay in The Cut on her flirtation

Tommy Orange's "Wandering Stars"

Mar 29th, 2024 50m 13s

Eric Newman speaks with writer Tommy Orange about his novel Wandering Stars, a multigenerational epic that is both prequel and sequel to his award-winning 2018 debut There There. Beginning in the immediate aftermath of the Sand Creek Massacre o

The Problem with Adoption

Mar 22nd, 2024 56m 8s

Kate Wolf speaks with sociologist Gretchen Sisson about her first book, Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood. The book is based on interviews Sisson conducted over the last decade with birth mothers wh

Brad Gooch's "Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring"

Mar 15th, 2024 59m 46s

Eric Newman and Kate Wolf speak with Brad Gooch about his new biography, Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring. A deep-dive into the life of an artist whose work can be seen today on everything from museum walls to t-shirts and tote bags,

Tana French's "The Hunter"

Mar 8th, 2024 57m 45s

Medaya Ocher and Eric Newman speak with megawatt mystery maven Tana French about her latest novel, The Hunter. Set in the fictional rural Irish town of Ardnakelty, The Hunter is a dark, slow-burning story of the ties that knit together small co

LARB Radio Hour x Film Comment 2024 Oscars Preview

Mar 5th, 2024 1h 36m

In this special episode, Eric Newman chats with LARB Film & TV editor Annie Berke and Film Comment co-editors Devika Girish and Clinton Krute for a preview of this year's Academy Awards. Breaking down the top Oscar contenders, the group talks t

Leslie Jamison's "Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story"

Mar 1st, 2024 54m 39s

Leslie Jamison joins Medaya and Kate to discuss her latest book Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story, a memoir that chronicles the birth of her daughter and the collapse of her marriage soon after. Jamison writes about the bond with her own mo

Phillip B. Williams' "Ours'

Feb 23rd, 2024 59m 51s

Eric Newman speaks with Phillip B. Williams about his debut novel, Ours. A surrealist epic largely set in the American midwest both pre- and post-emancipation, the book tells the story of Saint, a conjure woman who uses her supernatural powers

Lucy Sante's "I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition"

Feb 16th, 2024 46m 1s

Kate Wolf speaks to cultural critic and historian Lucy Sante about her latest book, I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition. It is the story of how as living as Luc for almost the entirety of her life, three years ago, she became Lucy.

Adam Shatz's "The Rebel’s Clinic: The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon"

Feb 9th, 2024 1h 7m

Adam Shatz speaks with Kate Wolf and Eric Newman about his latest book, The Rebel’s Clinic: The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon. The book is both a biography of Fanon— one of the most important thinkers on race and colonialism of the last c

Nathan Thrall's "A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy"

Feb 2nd, 2024 47m 57s

Writer Nathan Thrall joins Kate Wolf to talk about his recent book, A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy, which was published last October and named one of the best books of the year by The New Yorker, The Economist,

E.J. Koh's "The Liberators"

Jan 26th, 2024 55m 25s

Medaya Ocher and Eric Newman are joined by E.J. Koh to discuss her debut novel, The Liberators, LARB Book Club's pick for Winter 2024. Widely acclaimed by critics, The Liberators tells the story of two families as they navigate love and surviva

Kohei Saito's "Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto"

Jan 19th, 2024 47m 56s

The philosopher Kohei Saito speaks to Eric Newman and Kate Wolf about his book Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto. A critique of our insufficient response to the climate crisis, Slow Down aptly points to capitalism—its race for profits and endle

Lexi Freiman's "The Book of Ayn"

Jan 12th, 2024 51m 27s

Medaya Ocher and Eric Newman are joined by author Lexi Freiman to discuss her latest novel, The Book of Ayn. A punchy satire of contemporary life, the story centers on Anna, a writer reeling from being cancelled after the New York Times dubs he

Alicia Kennedy's "No Meat Required"

Jan 5th, 2024 52m 43s

Eric Newman and Kate Wolf speak with writer Alicia Kennedy about No Meat Required: The Cultural History and Culinary Future of Plant-Based Eating. The book unpacks the ethical, spiritual, environmental, economic, and political dimensions of veg

Ed Park's "Same Bed Different Dreams"

Dec 29th, 2023 49m 5s

Author Ed Park joins Kate Wolf and Eric Newman to discuss his new novel, Same Bed Different Dreams. It begins with a former writer named Soon Shen, who’s given up fiction for a cozy suburban life in upstate New York, working for a tech conglome

The Best of 2023

Dec 22nd, 2023 58m 28s

Together we've travelled one more trip around the sun... and that means it's time for our favorite episode of the year! Kate, Medaya, and Eric share their favorite books, movies, TV shows, music, magazines (a new category!) and more in this l