Book Public

Yvette Benavides · tpr.org

Book Public is a Texas Public Radio podcast about books. At Book Public we believe books have the power to enlighten and entertain us. Listen in as we talk to authors about their books and why and how they wrote them. At Book Public we’re committed to connecting listeners to books that help us understand today’s world—and each other—a little bit better.

205 episodes

1mo ago latest

fortnightly cadence

English language

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Episodes 201

Book Public: 'Unsayable' by Michael Cunningham
1mo ago · 27:32
Michael Cunningham, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Hours, discusses his new book, Unsayable: A Life in Writing, and the mysteries of memory, imagination and storytelling.
Book Public: 'The Typing Lady' by Ruth Ozeki
1mo ago · 30:28
In this interview, Ruth Ozeki talks about writing stories, publishing a story collection at age 70, the supremely skilled ways she can write about a range of characters in diverse places, the trunk full of ideas around stories and loss and, of course, typing.
Book Public: 'Descanso for My Father' by Harrison Candelaria Fletcher
2mo ago · 6:25
In this episode, Book Public host Yvette Benavides shares a reflection on an essay collection that explores grief and how we make meaning from loss.
Book Public: 'The Things We Never Say' by Elizabeth Strout
3mo ago · 8:14
What are the mysteries behind the quiet routines of one Artie Dam, a high school history teacher in Elizabeth Strout’s latest novel? The Things We Never Say explores isolation and the painful, fragile truths we keep hidden because we don't have the words to talk about them. And yet, this luminous novel gives us a lexicon of loneliness that challenges the fundamental idea that we can never truly know each other. Turns out, the beauty is in trying.
Book Public: 'A History of Heartache' by Patrick Strickland
3mo ago · 25:04
Patrick Strickland discusses his story collection "A History of Heartache." These are stories set in North Texas that chart the small moments of grace, and the almost insurmountable mistakes boys inherit. These are gritty, sometimes violent stories, but there is a tenderness, too, and the knife’s edge here bends toward a kind of hope.
Book Public: 'Ghosts of Fourth Street' by Laurie Hertzel
4mo ago · 26:13
Laurie Hertzel's memoir is an open, frank rumination on a brother's death and its reverberations throughout a family.
Book Public: 'Ashland' by Dan Simon
6mo ago · 39:24
Dan Simon discusses his debut novel, "Ashland." Six characters tell their story about living in this mill town in New Hampshire. They share resonant, unforgettable stories about the place they all have in common. They grapple with life’s mysteries and reveal to readers the sheer beauty in their struggle and their will to live life with meaning.
Book Public: 'One Sun Only' by Camille Bordas
6mo ago · 33:25
Camille Bordas discusses her story collection, One Sun Only. She also shares her thoughts on writing about loss, reading nonfiction for inspiration for writing fiction and balancing humor with the more serious subject matter of her stories.
Book Public: 'To Absent Friends: Eudora Welty’s Correspondence with Frank Lyell’
7mo ago · 6:34
On this episode, Yvette Benavides shares a reflection on ‘To Absent Friends: Eudora Welty’s Correspondence with Frank Lyell’ selected and edited by Julia Eichelberger.
Book Public: 'Time of the Child' by Niall Williams
9mo ago · 7:02
The village of Faha in Ireland in 1962 is the setting of the latest novel by Niall Williams, Time of the Child. The protagonist, Dr. Jack Troy, is a quiet, serious man who lives alone with his eldest daughter — and a world of regret. One December day, a baby is left in his care — and will make him re-think every silence and secret he’s ever clung to. Yvette Benavides shares a review of the novel “Time of the Child” by Niall Williams.
Book Public: Giving thanks through poetry
9mo ago · 11:13
Prayers, grace, words of gratitude. Doesn’t it seem like Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday for poetry? Yvette Benavides, the host of 'Book Public,' shares some of her favorite poems about giving thanks.
Book Public: 'The Art of Jacques Pépin'
9mo ago · 18:46
The Art of Jacques Pépin celebrates the master chef and 99 of his all-time favorite recipes, paired with his signature artwork spanning the last 60 years.
Book Public: 'Startlement' by Ada Limón
10mo ago · 26:08
Ada Limón served as the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States. Her latest book, Startlement: New and Selected Poems, is a retrospective spanning two decades and also includes 21 new poems. The book is the poet's invitation to meet the world with an open mind — but also an open heart. She encourages us to embrace our "strangeness" and our tenderness, and to bear witness to the arc of all we know with hope and compassion.
Book Public: 'At Last' by Marisa Silver
10mo ago · 27:03
Marisa Silver joins Yvette Benavides on Book Public to discuss her latest novel, At Last. Helene and Evelyn are two women who are bound together because they happen to be the mothers of two people who marry. We learn about the lives of these women and what it means for them to be in this season of life eager for their grandchild’s love and wanting to figure out the complex relationships one has with the other.
Book Public: 'A Guardian and a Thief' by Megha Majumdar
10mo ago · 19:21
Megha Majumdar's novel, A Guardian and a Thief, is set in the near future in Kolkata amid a climate crisis. There are two families from very different stations in life struggling to survive. But whose story of survival matters more? Who is the guardian and who is the thief?
Book Public: 'Girl Warrior' by Joy Harjo
10mo ago · 24:12
In Girl Warrior, Joy Harjo shares stories about her own coming of age to bring to light pivotal moments of becoming—among them, forgiveness, failure, falling, rising up, honoring those who came before and making space for those who will come after us.
Book Public: 'Starting from Here' by Paula Saunders
10mo ago · 31:02
Paula Saunders discusses her novel Starting from Here. It's a coming-of-age story about 15-year-old René. She leaves a home that is tense and difficult in order to pursue a career in ballet. But the challenges of this displacement are as fraught—and even dangerous.
Book Public: 'Kaplan's Plot' by Jason Diamond
11mo ago · 37:29
In Jason Diamond's novel, Kaplan's Plot, Elijah’s mother is dying, and she is sharing some family secrets he never knew before— including that the family owns a cemetery and his grandfather was a gangster in Chicago. In this family, the relationships across generations have always been fraught, but now they must find a way to a reckoning and walk together toward acceptance of exactly who they are. Jason Diamond is the guest on this episode of Book Public.
Book Public: 'The Waterbearers' by Sasha Bonét
11mo ago · 23:50
Sasha Bonét’s intergenerational memoir, The Waterbearers, offers us the idea that the journey of Black American motherhood is like a complex, powerful river. As you read, you travel through generations—from a Louisiana cotton plantation to modern-day New York. She explores triumphs and trials—and shares the stories of legacies of maternal love borne of triumphs and tribulation.
Book Public: ‘Weepers’ and ‘Exhibitionist’ by Peter Mendelsund
11mo ago · 47:05
Peter Mendelsund has two new books out. His latest novel is Weepers—about card-carrying members of a union of people who cry for a living. His memoir is Exhibitionist: 1 journal, 1 Depression and 100 Paintings. He had never painted—but the obsession with it may have saved his life.
Book Public: ‘Tonight in Jungleland’ by Peter Ames Carlin
12mo ago · 26:50
Peter Ames Carlin discusses his latest book— Tonight in Jungleland—about the making of the iconic album Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen. The album was released in 1975. Carlin provides us close access to The Boss—and takes us inside the creative processes that rendered this classic collection of essential songs.
Book Public: 'The Gossip Columnist's Daughter' by Peter Orner
1y ago · 40:28
This one is for all the lonely voices out there. We’ve got a podcast crossover on this episode. Peter Orner from The Lonely Voice podcast joins Yvette Benavides on Book Public to discuss his already critically acclaimed novel, The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter. A little noir, a little true crime, some family drama, friendship—and other kinds of love stories. Peter Orner has been called "the most daring and original narrative voice in contemporary American fiction.”
Book Public: 'The End is the Beginning' by Jill Bialosky
1y ago · 26:27
In this tender, brave and heartrending memoir, Jill Bialosky shares the story of her mother—in reverse chronology. It is an elegy and a story of her resilience—and the legacy of love she left behind.
Book Public: 'Friends with Words' by Martha Barnette
1y ago · 35:20
Marth Barnette is the host of the public radio show and podcast, A Way with Words. Her latest book, Friends with Words, is a linguistic memoir. We learn about her lifelong passion for languages and her fascination with words.
Book Public: 'Love, Rita' by Bridgett M. Davis
1y ago · 28:04
Bridgett M. Davis shares a tribute to her sister, Rita. The memoir is a family history, social commentary, elegy, and celebration of life.