For the season finale of Rough Draft, we’re welcoming poet Robin Coste Lewis. Robin’s blazing intellect and pitch-perfect way with words are no shocker. Her debut poetry collection Voyage of the Sable Venus won the National Book Award in poetry

Mikel Jollett

Nov 30th, 2020 1h 10m

Mikel Jollett’s memoir Hollywood Park isn’t your typical rock star memoir. The frontman for The Airborne Toxic Event joins Reza for a socially-distanced chat about his genre-defying, rule-breaking book. They discuss Mikel’s childhood in the inf

Melissa Rosenberg

Nov 23rd, 2020 1h 26m

Melissa Rosenberg has written some of the most successful, resonant scripts of the last two decades, from Dexter to Twilight to Jessica Jones. She and Reza chat about finding her own perspective on the Twilight saga, wrapping up Jessica Jones,

Steven Canals

Nov 16th, 2020 1h 9m

Steven Canals, the creator of FX’s award-winning show Pose, speaks with Reza about his journey to get the show made. They touch on finding community in Paris Is Burning, framing Pose as a family drama, and writing a show that is fantastical but

Bess Kalb

Nov 9th, 2020 59m 17s

Comedian, screenwriter, and all-around awesome person Bess Kalb joins Reza for a socially-distanced chat about her book Nobody Will Tell You This But Me. They talk about diversifying late-night comedy, the similarities between Jewish grandmothe

Vic Mensa

Nov 2nd, 2020 1h 30m

The sensational Vic Mensa sits down with Reza this week. The two talk Vic’s politically aware childhood, the search for freedom, and the power of mythology. Then, Johan Lenox joins the chat to talk collaborating with Vic on their album 93PUNX.

Tanya Saracho & Gloria Calderón Kellett

Oct 26th, 2020 1h 24m

The incredible writers and showrunners Gloria Calderón Kellett (One Day at a Time) and Tanya Saracho (Vida) join Reza for a lively discussion about their careers and ethos. They discuss starting out in theatre, remaking a writer’s room from scr

Lawrence Wright

Oct 19th, 2020 1h 23m

Lawrence Wright, the author of Going Clear and The Looming Tower, joins Reza for the first ever socially-distanced episode of Rough Draft. They talk about his eerily accurate prediction of the COVID-19 crisis in his new book The End of October,

Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely

Oct 12th, 2020 1h 28m

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the writing team behind the mega-blockbuster Marvel Avengers movies, drop by to talk about writing the Biggest Movie of All Time (adjusted for inflation). They share their experience writing meta Baywatch

Viet Thanh Nguyen

Oct 5th, 2020 1h 30m

Viet Thanh Nguyen, the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sympathizer talks with Reza about growing up in San Jose, identifying as a refugee writer, and learning to write for himself. Thao Nguyen (from Thao and the Get Down Stay Dow

Ramy Youssef

Sep 28th, 2020 1h 17m

Reza and Ramy Youssef, the Golden-Globe-winning actor/creator of Hulu’s Ramy, chat about being the representative for all muslims on TV and swap immigrant mother stories. Later, they’re joined by Ramy staff writer Sahar Jahani to discuss divers

Trailer

Rough Draft with Reza Aslan | Trailer

Sep 15th, 2020 4m 30s

We all have that friend - the one you stay up with all night, drinks in hand, dissecting the latest book or album you just can’t get enough of. Reza Aslan is that friend. Each week on Rough Draft, Reza sits down for drinks with the most influen

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