THE THOUGHTFUL BRO

THE THOUGHTFUL BRO SHOW ON A MIGHTY BLAZE.

The Thoughtful Bro is a destination for published authors of all stripes to discuss their work with career journalist and author Mark Cecil, who brings to each conversation a lively curiosity, literary passion, and the perspective of a fully ripened bro. New episodes are live streamed most Tuesdays at 2 PM Eastern on A Mighty Blaze.

Links here to some of my recent interviews:

#130: My discussion with one of the towering literary and spiritual writers of our time, translator Stephen Mitchell. We dug into his insights and process in a career translating everything from the Tao Te Ching to The Iliad to The Bible to the Bhagavad Gita. I've read more of Mitchell's words than any other writer. In many ways I've been preparing my whole life for this interview. A meaningful one.

#129: My interview with Einstein’s Dreams author Alan Lightman. His latest is The Miraculous From The Material, a beautiful book which pairs stunning nature photos with brief essays which explain the science behind everything from Saturn’s rings to soap bubbles. Topics included (1) spirituality for the scientific-minded; (2) Alan’s most powerful and personal spiritual experience; and (3) how Salman Rushdie quietly and unexpectedly helped launch Alan's career when he was an unknown debut.

#125: My glorious conversation with 2-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward, discussing her latest novel, Let Us Descend. Topics included: (1) gaining hope and strength by remembering what others have borne; (2) making invisible history visible; and (3) finding authorial authenticity through concrete specifics.

***The full list of episodes is at the bottom of this page.***

SO, WHAT EXACTLY ARE THOUGHTFUL BRO AUTHOR INTERVIEWS ABOUT?

Two main things: What makes authors tick? What makes stories tick?

Pretty much Mark’s dream social scenario is that he goes to a party and, while everyone else is schmoozing it up, he bumps into a fellow author who’s just published a book. The moment he does, his curiosity is insatiable, and he whisks this author off to a pair of chairs in the corner, where he can download their brains as thoroughly as possible. Boiled down, what he wants to know is: Why did they write the particular book they did, and how did they make that book’s story work?

That’s the essence of a Thoughtful Bro interview.

AND WHAT’S A MIGHTY BLAZE?

A Mighty Blaze is a collective of authors who banded together in early 2020 when the real world shut down. Mark is Head of Strategy for AMB, and is PUMPED about helping writers, readers and others in the literary ecosystem to thrive online, in the time of Covid and beyond. You can find out more about this growing-fast-as-wildfire initiative on AMB’s Website.

BTW….WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU MEAN BY THE PHRASE “THOUGHTFUL BRO”?

Ah, the Thoughtful Bro. It’s sort of…a way to be in the world.

Because as it turns out, you can like football and Freud. You can like hamburgers and Hamilton. You can love flexing and feeling.

Being “thoughtful” means—you’re open-minded and reflective; that you know where your emotions are and what they’re called.

Being a “bro” quite simply means you enjoy the masculine side of life in a healthy way. (You also may have ample, well-groomed facial hair, though that’s certainly not a requirement.)

Mark conceived of The Thoughtful Bro one day while shopping for a dinner jacket in Soho, realizing he couldn’t quite find what he wanted. He saw a gap in the marketplace—not just for dinner jackets, but for books, for movies, for clothing, for attitude. The Thoughtful Bro seemed to describe an entire lifestyle. Because haven’t we all, now and then, realized that being bro-ish and thoughtful sort of go together, like bourbon and horse racing? Oh yes. Oh yes, we have.

Examples of Thoughtful Bros in the Actual World: Mark Manson, Benjamin Percy, Adam Driver, Paul Thomas Anderson, Jake Tapper, Erik Larson, Barack Obama, Richard Sherman, Justin Trudeau, Bruce Springsteen, Donald Glover, Rob Reiner, Mark Cuban, George Lucas, Michael Lewis, Malcom Gladwell, Brad Stevens, Idris Elba….and you?

TYPES OF AUTHORS TO EXPECT ON A THOUGHTFUL BRO…

Mark is always on the prowl for an inclusive roster of authors to interview, spanning every race, gender and background. Naturally, topics skew toward bromantic, but as a literature lover with a passion for the undiscovered, Mark stands before an eclectic bookshelf like he stands before the brunch buffet at the Las Vegas Wynn. Hot damn, it ALL looks good.

If this helps at all, some of Mark’s favorite books, which literally popped into his mind right at the second, are: The Sellout by Paul Beatty, To Live by Yu Hua, Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder, Damage by Josephine Hart, Animal Farm by George Orwell, Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Texts from Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg, Native Son by Richard Wright, Flash Boys by Michael Lewis, and The Illustrated Mahabharata. Does that help? Maybe a little?

Oh! And Mark also has a background covering Wall Street and entrepreneurship for Reuters News, and is embarrassingly obsessed with politics—so business and political hooks often drag him on irresistible tangents.

Just tune in. You’ll like it.

FULL LIST OF EPISODES:

#130, 12/6/2024: My discussion with one of the towering literary and spiritual writers of our time, translator Stephen Mitchell. We dug into his insights and process in a career translating everything from the Tao Te Ching to The Iliad to The Bible to the Bhagavad Gita. I've read more of Mitchell's words than any other writer. In many ways I've been preparing my whole life for this interview. A meaningful one.

#129, 12/3/2024: My interview with Einstein’s Dreams author Alan Lightman. His latest is The Miraculous From The Material, a beautiful book which pairs stunning nature photos with brief essays which explain the science behind everything from Saturn’s rings to soap bubbles. Topics included (1) spirituality for the scientific-minded; (2) Alan’s most powerful and personal spiritual experience; and (3) how Salman Rushdie quietly and unexpectedly helped launch Alan's career when he was an unknown debut.

#128, 11/12/2024: My chat with NYT-bestselling “recovering productivity geek” Oliver Burkeman, on how to re-program your brain so you can live a life of meaning. Topics included (1) finding self-worth outside of one’s productivity output; (2) helpful ways to think about huge issues one can’t control (elections, global warming); and (3) how (oddly) admitting that it’s impossible to change is often the moment when real change begins.

#127, 10/22/2024: With one of my oldest publishing friends, YA author Joe Moldover, discussing his latest novel Just Until. We unpacked: (1) writing about trauma, (2) whether you can really save another person, and (3), our most colorful insights re the publishing industry from a couple of young fellas just gettin’ in the game.

#126, 10/1/2024: My interview with CJ Leede on her latest freshy-fresh horror novel American Rapture. We got into (1) America's puritan resistance to/capitalist obsession with sex, (2) how to find your authentic writing voice/genre, and (3) rescue dogs!

#125, 9/3/2024: My glorious conversation with 2-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward, discussing her latest novel, Let Us Descend. Topics included: (1) gaining hope and strength by remembering what others have borne; (2) making invisible history visible; and (3) finding authorial authenticity through concrete specifics.

#124, 8/20/2024: With Alison Espach, author of the instant bestseller The Wedding People. We discussed (1) her long, unpredictable process of writing her hilarious, absurdist mega-hit, (2) how writing a great book is often about letting characters just be honest and forcing them “stay in the room,” and (3) truly the *best piece of writing advice* I’ve heard in a minute, which instantly helped me improve my own work in progress. You have to listen to find out what it is.

#123, 8/13/2024: A wide-ranging conversation on the art of the novel with 2-time Oprah Book Club pick David Wroblewski. His first book, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, was a #1 NYT bestseller. Now, 16 years later, he’s back with his second, Familiaris. An eloquent evangelist for the unique power of the novel, he discussed (1) his process of overwriting, then trimming back, (2) the unique ways novels seep into readers’ lives, and (3) how writing, like computer programming, is ultimately about having “a conversation with the material.”

#122, 7/30/2024: A masterclass on thriller writing with bestselling phenom T. J. Newman, whose third novel Worst Case Scenario, follows the terrifying story of what happens when an airplane crashes into a nuclear power plant. We discussed (1) how to keep creative hope alive, and when to move on, (2) how writing about the heroism in everyday people invites readers in, and (3) how mastering pace is critical to bestsellerdom.

#121, 7/23/2024: Pumping Literary Fire straight in ya veins on my latest with Mateo Askaripour, discussing his new one, This Great Hemisphere. Topics: (1) taking big risks after a bestseller (2) shaking up the publishing industry, and (3) helping people feel seen.

#120, 7/9/2024: With National Book Award winner M.T. Anderson, on his debut novel for adults, Nicked. We discussed: (1) the blurry boundary between YA/adult fiction, (2) the identity of his true intended audience, and (3) how great titles begin to tell the tale before you turn the first page. He also reads aloud the opening paragraph of the story, one of the finest in recent memory.

#119, 6/25/2024: With debut novelist Sara Shukla, on her satirical, absurdist and emotionally satisfying beach reach, Pink Whales. We discussed (1) making sure you have a solid story beneath the humor; (2) figuring out the formula of comedy through trial and error, and (3) how she finally gave up on writing that Big Important Literary Novel, and started just having fun.

#118, 6/18/2024: With Derek Black, on their new memoir The Klansman’s Son. We discussed Derek’s journey from being the child of the head of the KKK, to their renunciation of their white supremacist beliefs and becoming an anti-racist. In an America where the GOP presidential nominee is openly adopting planks of the white nationalist platform, Derek is sounding the alarm.

#117, 6/4/2024: With Garth Risk Hallberg discussing his second novel, and first in nine years, The Second Coming. Topics included: (1) the unique benefits of writing *very* long books; (2) Tom Wolfe & the sprawling, all-inclusive NYC novel; and (3) how/how not to deal with sudden, massive literary fame.

#116, 5/28/2024: With bestselling author and A Mighty Blaze co-founder Caroline Leavitt. We discussed her 13th novel, Days of Wonder, then went deep on a subject we’re both obsessed with: story structure. We covered (1) the importance of presenting your book's main question in the first chapter, (2) the pros of workshopping your synopsis before writing, and (3) how Caroline says learning to structure "saved my life."

#115, 5/21/2024: With former FBI Director Jim Comey discussing his second novel, Westport. We chatted re: (1) the truth/falsehood behind popular mystery genre tropes, (2) the importance of a reliable bad cop to any investigation, and (3) his prognosis on the Trump Trials.

#114, 5/7/2024: With 5-Under-35 and Orange-Prize-winner Téa Obreht, discussing her third novel, The Morningside. We chatted re: (1) the necessity of an urgent emotional connection to your work; (2) what can/can't be taught about writing; and (3) today's fraught political climate for artists.

#113, 4/23/2024: My convo with debut bestseller Doug Westerbeke, author of A Short Walk Through A Wide World, about which the NYT says, "Imagine The Life of Pi, The Alchemist, and The Midnight Library rolled into one fantastical fable.” We covered (1) struggling to nail the ending, (2) writing the adult fairy tale, and (3) why sometimes "the best way to survive things is to not understand them."

#112, 3/26/2024: With me…Mark Cecil! NYTimes bestseller and A Mighty Blaze co-founder Jenna Blum took the reins to interview me about my debut novel, Bunyan And Henry; Or, The Beautiful Destiny. We discussed American myth, tales of personal transformation, and the feeling I want my readers most to feel at the end of my book, the feeling of….life.

#111, 3/21/2024: With Boston literary citizen par excellence Hank Phillippi Ryan, discussing her latest suspense novel One Wrong Word. Hank has won scores of awards as a TV journalist and novelist (including 37 Emmys), and I dug into her storytelling habits, methods and style, unpacking the mind of this master of economical prose, twisty plots and upbeat endings.

#110, 3/13/2024: With one of the foremost Native American artists working today in any field, Pulitzer finalist Tommy Orange, talking about his second novel, Wandering Stars. We discussed the struggle of America to both remember and forget its past; his generative friendship with fellow celebrated novelist Kaveh Akbar; and whether the time has come when white writers of literary fiction will be expected to talk about whiteness.

#109, 3/7/2024: With the inimitable, incorrigible, ingenious Steve Almond, discussing his new craft book, Truth Is The Arrow, Mercy Is The Bow: A DIY Manual For The Construction Of Stories. We covered: obsession as the engine for literature; the aims and importance of opening paragraphs; and how one of the ultimate goals of literature is a magnification the inner life, so we might all better understand and forgive one another.

#108, 11/14/2023: With sleeper hit and absolute runaway debut sensation Shelby Van Pelt, discussing her hopeful, poignant, friendship-with-an-octopus book club novel, Remarkably Bright Creatures. We discussed finding the voice for her “gentleman philosopher” octopus, how all good book ideas are probably a little bit bananas, and how it’s never too late to change, no matter how old you are.

#107, 11/7/2023: Checking in with poetry slam champ Melissa Lozada-Oliva on her outrageous debut novel Candelaria, which one reviewer described as A Hundred Years Of Solitude meets The Royal Tenenbaums meets Night of the Living Dead. Topics: (1) writing against the traditional diaspora story, (2) when to follow/break storytelling rules, and (3) representation and the legacy of American Dirt.

#106, 10/24/2023: A probing convo on American imperialism as seen from abroad, the rich historical and economic complexity of Haiti, and being a creative latebloomer, with the great Ben Fountain, discussing his new international thriller Devil Makes Three. A true gentleman of American letters; the entire chat was as fresh as it was compelling.

#105, 10/10/2023: With Oprah’s Book Club pick Nathan Hill, discussing his latest novel, Wellness, which NPR called "a masterpiece....beyond remarkable." We get into the dangers and benefits of the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves; how to hook readers with ecstatic openings; and, toward the end of the show, Nathan offers his best piece of advice on how to be sure your 600+ page novel finds a publisher. 

#104, 10/3/2023: A wide-ranging and frankly rather zen talk with one of America's most raw, transgressive, and pot-stirring artists, Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk. While discussing his new novel, Not Forever, But For Now, we covered finding vitality and cartharsis in extreme behavior, the fate of the famed Cacophony Society, and the need to love your characters if you want your reader to love them, too.

#103, 8/18/2023: A rad chat with Dan Hornsby re his latest novel, Sucker. We covered: (1) my fave new sub-genre: the start up founder’s hubristic collapse; (2) critiquing America’s obsession with the tech-guru-as-culture-hero; and (3) the importance of gratitude all along the publishing journey.

#102, 8/8/2023: Insight was straight up pouring from Keith Rosson as we discussed his punk-horror-crime mash-up Fever House. Topics: (1) the secret to Stephen King's propulsive stories; (2) how to get unstuck creatively; and (3) how his dream book deal came together.

#101, 8/1/2023: Banger of a convo with poet (The New Yorker) & debut novelist Ben Purkert re his book The Men Can’t Be Saved. Topics included: (1) how to write a novel in 6 weeks, then revise it for 10 years, (2) finding your identity of last resort and (3) making art out of being spiritually adrift.

#100, 7/25/2023: The 100th episode, with debut star Ruth Madievsky, whose bestelling novel All Night Pharmacy is getting comps to Less Than Zero and Requiem For a Dream, for its gritty, atmospheric portrait of addiction. We discussed: breakthrough, identity-altering sex; telling the anti-autobiographical story, and the art of finding oneself in one’s glorious, and gloriously confusing, 20s.

#99, 7/18/23: With literary podcaster and author Brad Listi, discussing his first novel in 16 years, Be Brief And Tell Them Everything, a work of autofiction exploring the despair, terror, and glory which is the creative life. We covered: brevity as an aesthetic, writing like there’s no tomorrow, and how he builds literary community through his beloved podcast Otherppl, now on its 850th episode.

#98, 6/27/23: With New Yorker staff writer and #1 bestseller David Grann (Killers Of The Flower Moon, The Lost City of Z, and The Wager). We covered: the worst shipwreck in history; writing as both a real and metaphorical quest; and how the chronicle of real life disaster is merely an excuse to explore Grann’s true perennial subject: the human condition. Asked what the human condition actually is, Grann told me: “It’s f&cked up.”

#97, 6/20/2023: Former FBI Director Jim Comey is one of the most revered, controversial and consequential figures in American law enforcement history. He’s also a great writer. We had an open, fascinating, and frankly quite funny conversation regarding the publication of debut novel Central Park West. Also covered: the Mar-a-Lago indictment, Trump’s legal woes, and the one adjective he’d use to describe Dick Cheney.

#96, 6/7/2023: A bracing/hilarious convo with debut horror novelist CJ Leede, re her book Maeve Fly. We covered: (1) the authentic fakeness of LA, (2) philosophical femme fatales and (3) what's missing in most female villains. A new voice with authority. Felt like a future cult classic.

#95, 5/30/2023: With Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, one of the most lauded young writers in America. His short story collection Friday Black, and his new novel, Chain Gang All Stars, have garnered comparisons to no less than Chekhov, Orwell and Atwood. We discussed satire, mass incarceration, and what he learned from his mentor George Saunders.

#94, 5/9/2023: A bull-by-the-horns convo on the intersection of storytelling/racism with David Mura. His new book, The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself, is a urgent cri-de-coeur and a page-turning lay-of-the-land of where the race convo is at. Necessary and comprehensive for any writer or reader wanting to engage with race narratives, which are…all narratives.

#93, 5/2/2023: A heartfelt + brilliant convo with Black Horror author and academic Tananarive Due, who just released her collection of unsettling ghost stories and futuristic fairy tales The Wishing Pool. We covered our culture’s current “Jordan Peele Moment,” race and representation in storytelling, and how to use the metaphors & tropes of horror to access racism's REAL horrors.

#92, 4/25/2023: An (actually) uplifting and inspiring talk re racism and South Boston, with the master of Beantown's dark underbelly, Dennis Lehane. While discussing his new book Small Mercies, we covered (1) where he sees hope in the national race convo (2) why The Wire (which he helped write), was such a hit, and (3) the one quality that makes Stephen King, well, the king.

#91, 4/11/2023: A probing and nourishing conversation with Big Fish author Daniel Wallace on his gripping new memoir, This Isn’t Going To End Well. Topics included: (1) When is the right time to convert experience into art? (2) The hidden, darker, shadow self, and (3) memoir versus fiction writing. We also dug into his classic, Big Fish, and his preoccupation with how people use stories and personas to hide their true nature.

#90, 4/4/2023: A burn-down-the-house convo with McSweeney’s writer and satirical novelist Jane Roper. While discussing her romping new book The Society Of Shame, we covered: poking fun at cancel culture, writing your #IDGAF book after years of struggle, and inevitably, the politics of period stains.

#89, 3/10/2023: A conversation with the ever-stylish, ever-readable, always unputdownable Rebecca Makkai, on her new boarding-school-literary-whodunit-bestseller, I Have Some Questions For You. We discussed strategies for reviving a flagging work-in-progress, story structure hacks, and the importance of interrogating your own memories with a critical eye.

#88, 1/10/2023: An epic discussion with one of my heroes & mentors, the world renowned screenwriting guru Robert McKee. While discussing his new book Action: The Art Of Excitement For Screen, Page and Game, we covered: embracing story conventions while avoiding cliches; how you can't have great heroes without great antagonists; and a furious throwdown of Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey.

#87, 12/13/2022: The third annual Bro & Ho Ho Ho Xmas Sho Sho Sho, with the legendary, frankly near-mythic, bestselling Blaze co-founder extraordinaire, Jenna Blum, feeding you the top 10 book gift ideas of 2023. Pour a stiff one and enjoy. Ugly llama Christmas sweaters included.

#86, 11/22/2022: One of my most hilarious Thoughtful Bros ever, with one of the funniest writers anywhere, former US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins. Along with readings from his latest book, Musical Tables, we discussed finding your voice, how gratitude is a key ingredient in making a poet, and late bloomers.

#85, 11/15/2022: Upholding his reputation for minimal BS and straight talk on Trump’s America, Officer Michael Fanone did not disappoint as he discussed his new memoir Hold The Line. We talked about what it was like in the war zone of January 6 at the Capitol, why that day inspired him, what to make of the midterms, & his sharp reply to whether the former President should be indicted.

#84, Nov. 8, 2022: A breezy, warm chat with one of my absolute favorite people, Mighty Blaze co-founder Jenna Blum, who also happens to be a rare member of the #thousandmillionclub (1K events done, 1M books sold). We discussed her memoir Woodrow On The Bench and covered building book communities, dog grief, and the absolute dopest of fan mail.

#83, Nov. 1, 2022: With Silver Linings Playbook author Matthew Quick, discussing his new novel We Are The Light. We talked about how visions & fantasy can be a necessary part of the healing process and how storytelling itself is linked to managing trauma. We also recapped Matthew’s origin story, an archetypal tale of how he was willing to “pay the cost” of becoming a writer.

#82, Oct. 25. 2022: With one of my true literary heroes, and a treasure to the world’s literary and spiritual communities, Karen Armstrong, on her new book Sacred Nature. We discussed the mythic self, natural ecstasy, and how saving the planet begins with the smallest of steps. Looking back across my life, she is probably the author I have loved most and longest.

#81, Oct. 18, 2022: With horror/thriller debut novelist Erin E. Adams, whose new book Jackal was deemed “an absolute page turner” by no less than Gillian Flynn. We discussed our current Jordan Peele Moment; why genre tropes so freshly illuminate race; and what it's like being a triple threat—actress, playwright, novelist. (Erin’s Off-Broadway play opened in NYC the day after her debut novel dropped. Best week EVER!)

#80, Oct. 4, 2022: With National Book Award finalist Tess Gunty, discussing her sensational debut The Rabbit Hutch. We chatted re writing transcendent sex scenes that have meaning; a rebelliously positive, mystic take on Catholicism, and how to write as your book as if you were talking to your best and smartest friend (advice she took from novelist Jeffrey Eugenides).

#79, Sept. 27, 2022: With ultra-fresh debut author Jonathan Escoffery, discussing his celebrated linked collection of stories about Jamaican immigrants, If I Survive You. Topics included: (1) the impossibility of answering the loaded race question "What are you?" (2) the underserved market of father/son literature, and (3) the rare/extremely necessary topic of men's fashion on Zoom.

#78, Sept. 13, 2022: With GennaRose Nethercott, discussing her gorgeous, haunting debut Thistlefoot (Neil Gaiman + Tim Burton + Russian folklore). We covered how myth helps unpack unspeakable trauma; what she learned from her Nobel Prize-winning mentor Louise Glück; and how to make BANK from the jump as a street poet.

#77, August 23, 2022: An incredible, emotional interview with Erin Kelly and Patsy Rembert, wife of the late Winfred Rembert, whose improbable life story and stunning art won the 2022 Pulitzer for Biography for Chasing Me To My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South. We discussed how Winfred found beauty in his life’s terror, and how he avoided resentment in order to live and make art with love. Trigger warnings for adult content.

#76, August 16, 2022: Why do men turn to rage as a solution to their problems? "Because they feel stuck," says bestselling first-time memoirist Isaac Fitzgerald. We unpacked the underbelly of the two big "mass's,” masculinity and Massachusetts, as we discussed his raw, drug-sex-violence laden odyssey of the Bay State, Dirtbag, Massachusetts.

#75, July 20, 2022: What do you do when you know you're living the wrong life? In a word, declutter. Bit by bit, learn to say “No” to unnecessary things, people, relationships, commitments, emotions. Fresh wisdom + an insanely improbable publishing story on my chat with debut author Vibhor Singh, who joined me from New Delhi to discuss his charming fable, The Billionaire and the Monk.

#74, June 14, 2022: “There's one hour ideas, one day ideas, and forever ideas. Only tell the forever ideas.” For this episode I spoke with novelist David Koepp, who just happens to be perhaps the most successful screenwriter of his generation (Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, Spiderman, Angels and Demons & more). We talked about his new thriller Aurora; how he knows when he's onto a blockbuster idea, and the differences between writing a story for screen and page.

#73, June 7, 2022: Spoke with white-hot author Jean Hanff Korelitz, who is on a tear of both bestsellers and screen adaptations of her work (Admission, The Undoing, The Plot). We discussed the single insight that turned her far-reaching new family drama The Latecomer from a frustrating mess into a brilliant, streamlined story. Also covered: perhaps the greatest NYC editor meeting of all time, and is Joseph Smith's Book of Mormon the Great American Novel?

#72, May 31, 2022: In the mood for a ray of pure literary sunshine? Such was my uplifting chat with Brendan Slocumb, debut author of the thriller The Violin Conspiracy. This interview featured (1) a live violin performance (2) mucho Stradivarius talk, and (3) how George Floyd opened minds about racism in classical music.

#71, May 24, 2022: A narrative craft masterclass with Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine, Star Wars The Force Awakens). Highlights included: packing the most meaning possible into your story; 3-act-structure pro-tips; getting unstuck when blocked; and what Hollywood can do to help stop gun violence.

#70, May 18, 2022: An utterly mind-altering convo with anthropologist and public conversationalist Christopher Ryan about his work Civilized To Death. We discussed civilization's sneakily bad deal, and how cavemen knew better than we do how to laugh, live & love. Anecdote from the show: after reading his book Sex At Dawn, an elderly widow once told Chris, "This is the most important book I have ever read. I wish I could live my life over."

#69, May 10, 2022: With debut author and fellow #BlazeMafia member T.M. Blanchet, discussing her YA fantasy novel Herrick’s End. We covered: what novelists can learn from video game story structure; how the fantasy genre can be used to approach difficult topics like domestic abuse and body image; and the necessity of a dope-a$$ writing tribe.

#68, May 3, 2022: With legend-of-the-Boston-literary-scene Steve Almond, discussing his "social thriller" All The Secrets of The World. After multiple NYT bestselling non-fic books, this is his first novel. We dug into (1) surrendering to curiosity to find story, (2) surrendering to empathy to find character, and (3) the best advice EVER to cure writer's block.

#67, April 7, 2022: With Jennifer Egan, on The Candy House, her critically acclaimed follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Visit From The Goon Squad. Egan discussed how great prose voice is like great cooking stock (if it’s good, anything you throw in becomes good, too); clues to finding your calling in life; and how she writes blind on first drafts, trying to be a channel for the unconscious.

#66, April 5, 2022: With Emily St. John Mandel, discussing her new novel Sea Of Tranquility. Topics: how she got to know her Station Eleven HBO showrunner at a super creepy gun show; the cathartic role of art and sports in any functioning society; and her deep ambivalence regarding our utterly convenient, utterly tech-enabled modern life.

#65, March 29, 2022: With bestselling comic book author Ryan North, on his guide to supervillainy, How To Take Over The World, which is sneakily one of the most engaging science-books-for-non-science-people I’ve read. We discussed everything from the pointlessness of trying to live forever to how to be a superhero every day by simply being kind (which is also billions of dollars cheaper than being a supervillain).

#64, March 22, 2022: A delightful talk with Peng Shepherd re her new page-turning, Dan Brown-esque work of speculative fiction The Cartographers. We covered the curious charm of maps at the beginnings of books, the growing sub-genre of #darkacademia, and how just because your work is “literary” doesn't mean it can't also be a whole lotta fun.

#63, March 15, 2022: A nourishing, wide-ranging conversation with Stewart O’Nan, discussing his latest literary slice-of-American-small-town-life murder story Ocean State. Topics: how to slide exposition seamlessly into your narrative, finding your way into characters via shared emotions, and the grand, serious pageantry of the German Book Tour. Bonus: a tour of his beautifully cluttered and utterly writerly office.

#62, Feb. 22, 2022: With one of our greatest storytellers, and perhaps our most popular historian, Erik Larson, discussing the “rogue elephant” Winston Churchill during the London Blitz, as featured in his book The Splendid And The Vile. We discussed Churchill’s knack for giving devastating news, but somehow lifting people’s spirits; how he was basically a “f-ck up” till WW2, then went on to save civilization; and how he once sat down with FDR completely naked.

#61, Feb. 1, 2022: In the perfect start to Black History Month, I spoke with viral phenom Kimberly Latrice Jones about her new book How We Can Win. We unpacked cancel culture within the activist community; the powerful Monopoly analogy about Black wealth in America; how education leads to empathy; and James Baldwin’s idea of a man. Check it here:

#60, Jan. 18, 2022: With Harley Rustad, discussing his fascinating new true crime/travelogue Lost In The Valley Of Death. We covered: “India Syndrome”; the paradoxes of authenticity on social media; the intrepid 1800s explorer Richard Burton; and the potentially deadly perils of mythologizing your own life on Instagram.

#59, Jan. 11, 2022: With white-hot debut novelist Xochitl Gonzalez, discussing her wise, funny, politically-charged rom-com, Olga Dies Dreaming. We chatted about inspiring Latinx readership, working with Hulu on the book’s pilot, and the moment she decided to make a mid-career pivot and become a writer while bargain-hunting at a sales rack in Nieman Marcus.

#58, Dec. 7, 2021: With Blaze Co-Founder Jenna Blum, for our annual Books-Of-The-Year-Holiday-Gift-Idea-Extravaganza.

#57, Nov. 30, 2021: With the incomparable Gary Shteyngart, talking about his “Great American Pandemic Novel,” Our Country Friends. Topics included how to write funny/poignant sex scenes; Chekhov's triangles of longing; and a bit of unexpected advice Philip Roth gave to him years ago about eating butter.

#56, Nov. 2, 2021: With one of the bestselling American writers in history, author of Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch Albom. Discussing his new book, The Stranger In The Lifeboat, we got into the beguiling nature of answered prayers and how Mitch hopes to be the author readers reach for in times of trouble. In an emotional moment I also asked him, if he met Morrie again, what would Morrie think of what he’s done with his life?

#55, Oct. 26, 2021: With the fantabulous Jenna Blum, Co-Founder of A Mighty Blaze, talking about her heart-string-pulling new memoir, Woodrow on the Bench. We discussed writing as community building, telepathic communication with your dog, and the joy of baring all your flaws in your memoir in hopes that readers will feel permission to “all be little freaks together.”

#54, Oct. 19, 2021: With author and creative writing teacher Peter Ho Davies, about his latest: The Art Of Revision. We covered how to tell when you're truly "done" with your MS; the mythology surrounding the Kerouacian first-thought-best-thought school of "anti-revision;” and how to approach revisions not as a chore, but as an enchanted quest of discovery and adventure. Plus: A lightning round!

#53, Oct. 12. 2021: With Harvard professor and renowned mythologist Maria Tatar, discussing her new book, The Heroine With 1,001 Faces. We discussed some of the holes in the Hero’s Journey monomyth of Joseph Campbell; the unique means and objectives of female heroes in literature and film; and how the definition of the heroic today is changing for both men and women.

#52, Oct. 5, 2021: With critically acclaimed literary fiction legend T.C. Boyle, re his latest novel of chimp-human relations, Talk To Me. We discuss the only time his daughter saw him cry, his performance skills versus those of Kendrick Lamar, and the allure of a darkened auditorium.

#51, Sept. 21, 2021: With Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, on his memoir, Here, Right Matters, about his historic, pivotal role in the first Trump Impeachment. We talked about his optimism for American democracy, his enduring faith in the stability of our institutions, and what it’s like to suddenly be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s hero.

#50, Sept. 14, 2021: With Kevin Brown, author of Devils Hole Pupfish, about a tiny, critically endangered fish that makes its home in an isolated, desert waterhole in Nevada. Frankly, this conservation story is like a Pixar movie: there’s villains, heroes, a wild setting, a mysterious origin, and an adorable, charismatic underdog as its main character.

#49, Sept. 7, 2021: With the brilliant Jess McHugh about the 13 non-fiction books which have most powerfully shaped our American character through history, and continue to shape it to this day. Americanon is delicious, low-hanging fruit for cultural historians at any level. Even better, it’s a quick read.

#48, Aug. 31, 2021: With self-described “productivity geek” Oliver Burkeman, about his insta-NYT bestseller 4,000 Weeks: Time Management For Mortals. Oliver is a leading figure of the anti-self-help self-help genre (along with Mark Manson). We dig into the inherent lack of satisfaction in mere busy-ness, our vexing inability to completely control time, as well as how & why to declutter your schedule for good.

#47, Aug. 17, 2021: What does Shelley Parker-Chan want readers to feel at the end of her debut bestselling fantasy novel She Who Became The Sun? "A feeling of catharsis...The subtitle should be Revenge Of The Genderqueers." Also discussed: Wuxia, fate v. triumph of will, & historical fanfiction.

#46, Aug. 10, 2021: With Nickolas Butler, discussing how meth, money and the American Dream interplay in his fresh literary thriller Godspeed. I swung for the fences, structurally breaking down the book to reveal it’s a not-too-distant cousin of Reservoir Dogs….a comparison Nick thankfully embraced.

#45, July 20, 2021: With the ever-engaging Jonathan Evison, talking about his novel on PTSD, fatherhood, and living off the grid, Legends Of The North Cascades. We get into some of my favorite topics, including: generating emotion through clean prose; engaging readers through empathic storytelling; and nailing the “walk-away” feeling in the final lines of a novel.

#44, July 13, 2021: With Matt Bell, on his abundant, uncategorizable, epic novel Appleseed. This interview, like Bell’s sweeping book, is chock full of ideas that we crammed in the most exciting way into a rather limited space, including: the state of eco-fiction; mashing up ancient mythic tropes and future-tech; and Matt’s deep commitment to the richness of language.

#43, June 29, 2021: With Ben Winters, discussing his speculative-mystery novel, The Quiet Boy. We cover chasing art v. chasing celebrity; how art elevates itself when the artist “really means it;” and how Winters uses the tropes of genre to tee-up existential & philosophical dilemmas.

#42, June 22, 2021: With Michael Punke, author of the novel The Revenant, which went onto become the Oscar-winning Leo DiCaprio film. We discuss his second novel Ridgeline (20 years in the making!), about legendary warrior Crazy Horse, and his epic clash with U.S. soldiers on the Great Plains.

#41, June 15, 2021: With Joshua Henkin, to discuss Morningside Heights, his poignant, intimate portrait of a married couple, when one partner is suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s. We go deep on craft, including Henkin’s strictly regimented work schedule, his willingness to throw out 3,000 pages or more for each book, and his belief in writers must surprise themselves: “It’s OK to know where you’re going in a story…as long as you’re wrong.”

#40, June 8, 2021: With speculative fiction virtuoso Benjamin Percy, author of The Ninth Metal, a Stephen King-approved, American boom-town story, about what happens when a meteor hits the earth made of an all-powerful new substance. We also discuss Percy’s legendary book on the fiction writing craft, Thrill Me, which by now has a cult-like following. Bonus: a riveting live reading, worthy of a standing O.

#39, June 1, 2021: With red-hot debut author Sanjena Sathian, whose fresh novel Gold Diggers, already purchased for TV by Mindy Kaling, was called “a work of 24-karat genius” by The Washington Post. We discuss the emotional truths behind magical realist tropes, the intense pressures of being viewed as a model minority, and the dreaded first #vomitdraft.

#38, May 18, 2021: With award-winning debut author Priyanka Champaneri, discussing her sumptuous, tapestry of a novel about the death hostels on the banks of the Ganges, The City of Good Death. We discuss her ten-year process of writing her first book, and her sense of “artistic dharma;” in other words, doing your duty by your creative work, and never giving up, no matter what the outcome.

#37, May 11, 2021: With community activist and #Grit aficionado, Pete Davis, discussing his uplifting, surprisingly counter-cultural release Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing. For anyone who’s ever had a hard time “taking the plunge,” we chat about the surprisingly rich rewards of exiting the Hallway of Endless Possibility for the Room of Certain Decision. A speech Pete made at Harvard on this very topic has been viewed over 31 million times.

#36, May 4, 2021: With National Book Award winner James Carroll, on his gripping, poetic, pulls-no-punches memoir of faith, The Truth At The Heart Of The Lie. We discuss the tragically conflicted character of Pope Francis; the “demonic” power structure of the priesthood, which made the sex abuse scandal possible; and what lies ahead for the Catholic Church, the largest non-government institution in the world.

#35, April 27, 2021: With world-renowned classical translator Sarah Ruden, on her edgy, funny, irreverent rendering of The Gospels. We discuss how the world’s most talked about book was a lot closer to Saturday Night Live than Sunday Church.

#34, April 13, 2021: With the Booker Prize winning Master himself, George Saunders, discussing his new book, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. We talk about how to find a story’s unconscious structure, the necessary qualities it takes for a young writer to succeed in publishing, and how George knew he’d found his true literary voice, when he heard his wife laughing one night in the next room.

#33, April 6, 2021: With Caroline Kepnes, author of the social-media-stalker-creeptastic-love-story You, which became the runaway Netflix hit show. We chat about her newly released third book in the series, You Love Me. For fans of snappy writing, 90s pop culture references, and basement murder cages.

#32, March 23, 2021: With Syed Masood, about his big-hearted, hilarious, wise, and off-beat immigration story, The Bad Muslim Discount, presently making waves for how it pushes the envelope in Muslim-American representation in literature. Gary Shteyngart called it, “a future classic.” I tend to agree.

#31, March 16, 2021: With Thoughtful Bro royalty: Four Star Admiral James Stavridis and National Book Award Finalist Elliot Ackerman, discussing their utterly chilling, cautionary novel 2034, in which cyber and nuclear brinksmanship spirals into an unstoppable cycle of retaliation.

#30, March 9, 2021: With poet-psychologist-novelist Hala Alyan, on her second book, The Arsonists’ City. Hala feeds my inner structure nerd by literally pulling out of her closet the poster board she used to organize the plot of this lyrical, tragic, exquisite family saga.

#29, March 2, 2021: With Nancy Johnson, to discuss her visceral debut and Oprah Magazine pick, The Kindest Lie, a story of race, class and motherhood in the Obama-era industrial MidWest. The LA Times called it “a deeply affecting work of truth and reconciliation over what it means to live the American Dream…A triumph.” Intrigued?

#28, Feb. 23, 2021: With buzzy debut author Julie Carrick Dalton, discussing her lyrical work of climate fiction, Waiting For The Night Song. Great material here for anyone interested in immersive nature prose, or how to find a publisher after 13 (!) years writing a book.

#27, Feb. 16, 2021: With Navy SEAL Commander Mike Hayes, who ran the Captain Phillips rescue mission off of Somalia from the Obama Situation Room, about his new book Never Enough. We discuss life lessons, war stories, and how to bring a bit of that SEAL Mojo into your every day civilian life.

#26, Feb. 2, 2021: With superhero trope specialist and Star Wars aficionado Mike Chen, on his big-hearted new novel We Could Be Heroes. We talk George Lucas, relationship stakes in fantasy, and the balance needed for a truly captivating SFF world-build.

#25, Jan. 26, 2021: With publishing veteran and creative writing teacher Edwin Hill, who discusses his latest mystery, Watch Her. We also go deep on #prowritertips, the Publishing Industry, and the exploration of gender and identity issues in his work.

#24, Jan. 19, 2021: With experimental fiction legend Mark Leyner, on his emotional, explosive, wildly original new work, Last Orgy Of The Divine Hermit. Is Mark the funniest living American writer? He just might be.

#23, Jan. 12, 2021: With Mateo Askaripour, whose debut novel Black Buck is a hilarious, irreverent satire of race, ambition and sales life, set in NYC’s millennial start-up hustle culture. This interview is straight fire.

#22, Dec. 22, 2020: With Maggie O’Farrell, whose heartfelt, lyrical exploration about grief, Hamnet, is vacuuming up year-end awards and making, it seems, every last reader weep. If you’re looking for sensual prose, a startling theory on why Shakespeare wrote his most famous play, or a rollicking sex scene in an apple-storage-shed, look no further.

#21, Dec. 15, 2020: With Forbes 30-Under-30 lister and #blackpantherchallenge Founder Frederick Joseph, on his deeply personal and illuminating new book for kids and adults about how to be a better white person, The Black Friend.

#20, Dec. 8, 2020: With reporter Reeves Wiedeman, discussing his page-turning cautionary tale of new economy ultra-excess, Billion Dollar Loser, about the shocking collapse of Silicon Valley darling WeWork in 2019. If your reading tastes extend to supersoakers filled with vodka, or Maybachs full of schadenfreude, this is the book for you.

#19, Dec. 1, 2020: Special Bro-ish Holiday Book Gift Idea Edition, with bestselling/Oprah’s-Top-30-Women-Writer author & Mighty Blaze Co-Founder, Jenna Blum.

#18, Nov. 24, 2020: With everyman philosopher Eric Weiner, on his accessible, non-threatening tour of the world’s great thinkers, and how to actually use their wisdom in your everyday life, The Socrates Express: In Search Of Life Lessons From Dead Philosophers.

#17, Nov. 17, 2020: With MacArthur Fellow, New Yorker contributor, and author of Motherless Brooklyn, Jonathan Lethem, about his quirky, hilarious, engrossing “placid post-apocalypse” novel The Arrest.

#16, Nov. 6, 2020: (Special Friday Edition) With New Yorker 40-Under-40 Author and National Book Award Finalist Nicole Krauss, discussing her first collection of short fiction, the masterful, intimate, subtle interrogation of relationships, To Be A Man.

#15, Oct. 30, 2020: (Special Friday Edition) With the author of the runaway bestseller Beautiful Ruins, Jess Walter, whose new novel The Cold Millions is a Springsteen-esque fable of freight-hopping hobos, working class strife, and a pregnant, 19-year old labor-organizing firebrand…all of it told with Walter’s usual humor and grace.

#14, Oct. 27, 2020: With debut novelist Pete Beatty, on his uncategorizable, all-American, feast-of-language, myth + tall-tale + romp, Cuyahoga. Inspired by Paul Bunyan, The King James Bible, Mark Twain, and LeBron James.

#13, Oct. 20, 2020: With National Book Award-winning, Marine vet Phil Klay, discussing his long-anticipated and searing new novel, Missionaries. Think of it as if Dostoevsky wrote The Wire and set it in Colombia.

#12, Oct. 13, 2020: With Jordan Blayshek (R) and Chris Haugh (D), on their political “On The Road” chronicle, UNION: A Democrat, a Republican, and a Search For Common Ground, about how to find harmony in our fractured political sphere.

#11, Oct. 6, 2020: With Matt Ruff, NYT-bestselling author of the novel Lovecraft Country, now a critically acclaimed hit show on HBO.

#10, Sept. 29, 2020: With dynamic mother-daughter novelist duo, Henriette Lazaridis, and Rory Power, discussing their latest works, The Clover House and Burn Our Bodies Down, as well as what it’s like to be in a novelist family.

#9, Sept 25, 2020: (Special Friday Edition) With NYT-bestselling reporter Lesley M. M. Blume, discussing her essential new book, FALLOUT: The Hiroshima Cover Up And The Reporter Who Revealed It To the World, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “the greatest piece of journalism of the 20th century.”

#8, Sept. 22, 2020: With chronicler of malfeasance in the Trump Administration, and viral Twitter phenomenon, Seth Abramson, discussing his bracing, important new work of meta-journalism, Proof of Corruption: Bribery, Impeachment and Pandemic in the Age of Trump.

#7, Sept. 15, 2020: With probing litfic author David Goodwillie, on his fresh love story set in the Brooklyn Indy Rock scene of the aughts, Kings County.

#6, Sept. 8, 2020: With the award-winning Yaa Gyasi, author of Homegoing, to discuss her astonishing new work Transcendent Kingdom.

#5, Sept. 1, 2020: With authors Suzanne Mettler and Robert Lieberman, authors of Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy, on the future of American democracy.

#4, Aug. 25, 2020: With legendary speculative fiction writer and author of the Annihilation Jeff VanderMeer, to talk about his new YA fantasy romp A Peculiar Peril.

#3, Aug 18, 2020: With historical fiction author Whitney Scharer, about her lyrical debut set in 1920s Paris, The Age of Light.

#2, Aug 11, 2020: With debut YA fiction author Jenn De Leon, on her high energy release, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From.

#1, Aug. 4, 2020: With Stephen Kiernan, to discuss his novel of love, redemption and the building of the atomic bomb, Universe Of Two.