Regina Marler, Sarah Milroy with Virginia Nicholson | Vanessa Bell was a pivotal figure in the 20th Century British art world. In this session, Regina Marler - editor of The Selected Letters of Vanessa Bell - and Sarah Milroy - curator of a re

Episode 14: Dystopias And Utopias Featuring Lionel Shriver And Philip K. Howard

Sep 10th, 2020 1h 6m

Lionel Shriver, Philip K. Howard with Geoffrey Harpham | In her latest novel, Lionel Shriver introduced us to a dark, dystopian future most of us would rather not encounter in real life. Philip K. Howard, however, has a more hopeful view of th

Episode 13: The Great Believers Featuring Rebecca Makkai

Sep 3rd, 2020 1h 2m

Rebecca Makkai with Bill Goldstein | Rebecca Makkai took Bill Goldstein and their audience on a journey back to 1980s Chicago, when the AIDS epidemic was reaching its height and an entire generation of gay men was dying. But while the topic wa

Episode 12: The Cut Out Girl Featuring Bart Van Es

Aug 27th, 2020 1h 2m

Bart van Es and Belinda Gergel | In what would prove to be perhaps the most poignant moment of the 2019 Charleston to Charleston Literary Festival, Bart van Es read aloud the letter written by a mother to her daughter, moments before the mothe

Episode 11: Woman Of Letters Featuring Joyce Carol Oates

Aug 20th, 2020 1h 1m

Joyce Carol Oates with Geoffrey Harpham | Joyce Carol Oates took the stage before a sold-out crowd at the historic Dock Street Theatre, and a hush fell over the audience. Of course it did. That is the only response to seeing one of the world’s

Episode 10: Prophet Of Freedom Featuring David W. Blight

Aug 13th, 2020 1h 3m

David W. Blight with Judge Richard Gergel | “The only power, the only real weapon, Douglass ever had were his words.” So says David W. Blight, historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Prophet of Freedom, a deep dive into the life of Fred

Episode 9: She Has Her Mother's Laugh Featuring Carl Zimmer

Aug 6th, 2020 58m 40s

Carl Zimmer with Melissa Hughes | Modern-day genetics study has come a long way from the simple Punnett Squares we all learned in middle school. Today we know there are layers of complicating factors that determine who we are, what we look lik

Episode 8: Virginia Woolf And Sylvia Plath: Insights From The Archives At Smith College

Jul 30th, 2020 1h 3m

Karen Kukil with Regina Marler | Karen Kukil is an archivist at Smith College and has spent her career immersed in the private papers of Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf. In this conversation with Bloomsbury expert Regina Marler, Karen Kukil tr

Episode 7: Broken News Featuring Jill Abramson And Richard Wolffe

Jul 23rd, 2020 1h 1m

Jill Abramson, Richard Wolffe with William Nicholson | Is the media system completely broken? That was the question posed to media icon Jill Abramson and journalist Richard Wolffe, and it sparked a lively debate. From print newspapers to the 2

Episode 6: Friday Black Featuring Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Jul 16th, 2020 1h 2m

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah with Bill Goldstein | There was a moment when Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah began reading from his story “The Finkelstein 5” in which he realized he set the story in South Carolina, and the audience erupted into laughter. T

Episode 5: Small Wonders Featuring Deborah Eisenberg And Lionel Shriver

Jul 9th, 2020 49m 21s

Deborah Eisenberg and Lionel Shriver with Anne BlessingShort stories are often overlooked as exciting, contemporary fiction…at least by those of us who have long since graduated high school or completed our English Literature degrees. Yet the

Episode 4: The Swinging Sixties? Featuring Virginia Nicholson And Frye Gaillard

Jul 2nd, 2020 42m 24s

Virginia Nicholson and Frye Gaillard with Regina MarlerWhat happens when two notable social historians get together to discuss one of the most formative decades of the 20th Century? Lots of laughter, for one, but also numerous insights into t

Episode 3: The Price Of Everything Featuring Nathaniel Kahn

Jun 25th, 2020 44m 42s

Nathaniel Kahn with Stuart Bennett, Angela Mack and Debo GageIn his documentary The Price of Everything, Nathaniel Kahn introduces us to an art world which seems to know “the price of everything but the value of nothing.” The panel discussion

Episode 2: War And Peace Featuring Nigel Hamilton

Jun 18th, 2020 1h 1m

Nigel Hamilton with James M. ScottNigel Hamilton’s epic trilogy follows the life of the most influential American President of the 20th Century, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. For an engaging take on Roosevelt’s final years, as well as the path t

Episode 1: Shanghai Sisterhood Featuring Jung Chang

Jun 11th, 2020 1h 7m

Jung Chang with Lei JinFrom Jung Chang’s childhood in Communist China through her journey to becoming a giant in the literary world, the conversation spanned decades and the globe. With a focus on Chang’s latest book, Big Sister, Little Sister