WYPL Book Talk

Podcast - David Donaldson and Mark Grisham

Stephen Usery talks to David Donaldson and Mark Grisham about their new novel, Bedlam South, which is partially set in an insane asylum outside of Richmond, VA during the closing days of the Civil War.

Podcast- Jon Meacham - American Lion

Stephen Usery interviews Chatanooga native Jon Meacham (editor of Newsweek magazine) about American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the Whitehouse. The podcast has eight extra minutes of interview goodness AND a Q&A with the audience that followed the taping. (51 minutes total)

Podcast- G Lee Ramsey - Preachers and Misfits, Prophets and Theives

Stephen Usery talks to Memphis Theological Seminary professor, G. Lee Ramsey, Jr. about his look at the ministry as it is portrayed in Southern fiction in Preachers and Misfits, Prophets and Thieves. Almost 10 minutes of extra conversation are available in the podcast. Enjoy!

 

Podcast - Ted Gioia - Delta Blues

Stephen Usery talks to music-writer extraordinaire Ted Gioia about his look at the music that made Mississippi famous in the book, Delta Blues, which was named to the New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2008 list. Extra material in the podcast includes looks at the FBI's investigation of the Lomax family and Muddy Waters' sojourn to Chicago.

Download it twice; it's free!

Podcast - Padma Viswanathan - The Toss of a Lemon

Download our Book Talk podcast this week as Padma Viswanathan talks to Stephen Usery about her epic novel set in her ancestral homeland of the Tamil-speaking region of southern India. The Toss of a Lemon follows the life of a young Brahmin woman, Sivakami, who is widowed as a teenager, and is forced to live a life of seclusion as dictated by custom, while trying to keep her her family together.

Podcast - Tom Andes - Underground America

Stephen Usery speaks with Tom Andes about the new Voice Of Witness oral history collection Underground America which features narratives from undocumented workers living on the margins of American society. Download the podcast today.

 

Podcast - Thomas Kinkade - Twenty-Five Years of Light

Terri Murphy talks to the best-selling painter in American history, Thomas Kinkade, about his new retrospective Twenty-Five Years of Light. Download the podcast today.

Podcast- Michael Connelly - The Brass Verdict

Our audio interview with the man GQ magazine calls the best mystery writer in the world, Michael Connelly is now available for download. He and Stephen talk about The Brass Verdict, the book that brings Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch together on the same case. The podcast features an additional 12 minutes of conversation that kept going after the cameras stopped, including where to find the missing chapter 12 from The Brass Verdict.

Podcast - George Hamilton - Don't Mind If I Do

Dowload Blytheville, Arkansas native George Hamilton's podcast interview with Stephen Usery about Hamilton's hilarious new memoir, Don't Mind If I Do. The podcast has a bonus story about Moss Hart and Kitty Carlisle unavailable in the video interview!

Podcast - M. L. Rose - The Road to Eden's Ridge

Susan Gray talks to Linda Weeks, one-half of the writing duo M.L. Rose, about a young country songwriter in Nashville, in the novel The Road To Eden's Ridge. Download the podcast today, or tomorrow, or whenever you're ready. No pressure. :)

Podcast - Helen Hemphill - The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones

Download Stephen Usery's interview of Helen Hemphill about her new book for younger readers, The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones, which follows a pair of young former slaves as they make their way from Tennessee to the Wild West. (Also, Helen will be at Davis-Kidd on Saturday December 6th at 1 p.m. to sign copies of the book. Drop by and tell her that you heard her on Book Talk!)

Podcast - Tom Piazza - City of Refuge

Stephen Usery interviews Grammy-award winning writer Tom Piazza. City of Refuge is a heart-rending tale following two families from New Orleans as they deal with Hurricane Katrina and its devastating aftermath. Tom also discusses the political inaction during the real-world recovery process. Very strong stuff, download it today.

 

Podcast - Clyde Edgerton - The Bible Salesman

Download Stephen Usery's one-hour interview with Clyde Edgerton. This North Carolina native known for his novels Raney and Lunch at the Picadilly, discusses The Bible Salesman, his latest tale filled with car thieves, cats (of talking and dead varieties), family woes and of course our titular salesman.

Podcast - University of Memphis MFA

Podcast - Haywood Smith - Wedding Belles

Linda Lloyd talks to Red Hat Club author Haywood Smith about her latest novel, Wedding Belles. Listen to the podcast and learn about this funny and poignant book, oh, and rabid raccoons.

Podcast - Lauren Fix's Guide to Loving Your Car

Stephen Usery shifts gears and talks to the car care coach, Lauren Fix about her newest how-to book, Lauren Fix's Guide to Loving Your Car. Learn about getting your car ready for winter weather and enjoy a radio show, all at the same time!

Podcast - Cary Holladay - A Fight in the Doctor's Office

Stephen Usery interviews Memphis's own Cary Holladay about her new, award-winning novella, A Fight in the Doctor's Office. After the end of the broadcast segment, Stephen talks about the socio-political symbolism he found in book, and Cary humors him as best she can. She was a terrific and patient guest. Enjoy the podcast!

Podcast - Haven Kimmel - Iodine

Haven Kimmel was on hand to talk about her new novel, Iodine, which follows a young woman's descent into madness. As a bonus, we have Haven's two previous appearances available as podcasts, as well. From 2007, we talked about "The Used World" and in 2004 "Something Rising: Light and Swift".

(A note about the Iodine podcast: I began the interview with a joke about David Foster Wallace's tendency to use footnotes. The interview was recorded on September 9, 2008, three days prior to his untimely death. The comment was redacted form the broadcast version of Book Talk, but is included in the podcast. I feel that deleting it from the podcast wouldn't be appropriate. It wasn't a mean-spirited comment and omitting it would do a disservice to his memory. He was an incredible writer and advocate for literature, and his passing is a huge loss to American letters. Please accept the joke in the spirit in which it was made.-Stephen Usery)

Podcast - Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell - Barnaby Grimes: Curse of the Night Wolf

Strange and terrifying things are afoot on Book Talk. Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell kick off the first installment of their grisly chapter book series with Barnaby Grimes : Curse of the Night Wolf. Host Stephen Usery stopped hiding under the desk long enough to interview the Englishmen. There is also 10 mintues of extra material on the podcast. (Also, since our Sept. 12th interview, Gordon Brown's popularity has skyrocketed in Britain due to his handling of the financial crisis.)

 

 

 

Ghoul things come to those who wait. Enjoy...if you dare.

Podcast - Carol Goodman - The Night Villa

Host Carolyn Gibson talks with Carol Goodman about her latest novel, The Night Villa, which looks parallel mysteries; one is set in modern day Austin, Texas, the other during the days of the Roman Empire, in the shadow of the threatening Mt. Vesuvius. Download the podcast today!