Inside the Writer's Studio

Kevin Kwan (8/1/2020) Inside the Writer's Studio Episode #65

Charlie talks with the Crazy Rich Asians author about his new book, Sex and Vanity. They discuss the influences of islands like Capri, Manhattan, and Long Island; the world of the super-rich; the relationship between wealth, art, and beauty; the novels of E. M. Forster as a precursor to Kwan's work, and the joy of Italian food.

Steven Wright (7/15/2020) Inside the Writer's Studio Episode #64

Charlie talks with Steven Wright about his book The Coyotes of Carthage, a novel of American political scheming. They discuss not just politics and voting rights and collateral damage wrought by the criminal justice system but also race and writing. How does a novel written more than a year ago take on new relevance in the current political climate, the pandemic, and the wake of the BLM movement? Tune in to find out.

Steven Rowley (7/1/2020) Inside the Writer's Studio Episode #63

Charlie talks with Steven Rowley, author of The Editor, a novel in which a young man sells his first novel and discovers that his editor of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. They discuss writing historical figures as characters, researching an intensely private person, autobiographical fiction, the challenges of recent historical fiction, and of course much about the former first lady herself.

Benjamin Taylor (6/15/2020) Inside the Writer's Studio Episode #62

Charlie talks with Ben Taylor, author of the deeply personal and meditative Here We Are: My Friendship with Philip Roth. Taylor talks of his relationship with one of the great American novelist of the past half century and the conversation covers the nature of memoirs and novels, the place of humor in Roth's life and works, the heyday of the celebrity author, the manipulation of "reality" to create art, and more. IWS also launches its new affiliation with audiobook platform Libro.fm. For a special 3 for 1 offer and to support Bookmarks or your local indie with you audiobook purchases click here.

Sue Monk Kidd (6/1/2020) Inside the Writer's Studio Episode #61

Charlie talks with Sue about her new book The Book of Longings in which the main character, Ana, is married to Jesus. They discuss religion, Galilean art and architecture, writing technology of the first century, and the place of women in the time of Christ—and how that position echoes across the centuries to today.

Emily St. John Mandel (5/15/2020) Inside the Writer's Studio Episode #60

Charlie visits with Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven and the recently published The Glass Hotel about looking back on a book about a global flu pandemic, how novels get started, the art of coincidence, international shipping, Ponzi schemes, and much more.

Tom Clavin (5/1/2020) Inside the Writer's Studio Episode #59

Charlie talks with NYT bestselling nonfiction author Tom Clavin about his new book Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride from Hell. They discuss the enduring mythos (and reality) of the American western frontier as well as how to create nonfiction characters, the influence of Hollywood, and even a little bit about another pillar of American mythology—baseball.

Chris Bohjalian (4/15/2020) Inside the Writer's Studio Episode #58

Charlie and Chris discuss The Red Lotus, a thriller that has taken on unexpected relevance because it deals with a potential pandemic in New York City. They discuss Chris's research (from emergency rooms to Vietnam), how to choose a great title, what sort of books make good films, the role of the publicist in the life of a writer, and much more.

Neil Shubin (4/1/2020) Inside the Writer's Studio Episode #57

Charlie talks with science writer Neil Shubin about the history of genetic science as revealed in Neil's new book Some Assembly Required. From Darwin to DNA with lots of fascinating stories in between Neil helps us not understand not only where we came from as a species but the stories of the men and women who discovered, and continue to discover, the secrets of our evolutionary journey.

Erik Larson (3/15/2020) Inside the Writer's Studio Episode #56

Charlie talks with the author of The Devil and the White City and Dead Wake about his brilliant new non-fiction book The Splendid and the Vile, which details the first year of Winston Churchill's prime ministry. They discuss not just Churchill, leadership, and the blitz but the similarities between fiction and non-fiction, how Erik picks a topic, how he found new materials on such a frequently researched topic, and how to bring history alive through the eyes of the real people who experienced it.