fiction/non/fiction

fiction/non/fiction
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Hosted by Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan, fiction/non/fiction interprets current events through the lens of literature, and features conversations with writers of all stripes, from novelists and poets to journalists and essayists.

  1. 2d ago

    S9 Ep. 46 G’Ra Asim on 99 Problems Finding the 1

    Nonfiction writer G’Ra Asim joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about his new book, 99 Problems Finding the 1: a love story (sort of). Asim discusses Afropessimism, heteropessimism, and their relationship to his pursuit of love as a cis straight black man; defines the idea of “thinkful wishing”; and recalls the ways in which black couples in his family, including his parents, have modeled relationships for him. He explains how—inspired by the viral New York Times essay “The 36 Questions That Lead to Love”— he came up with a series of inquiries that push two participants to reflect on their experiences of gender and race. He talks about how culture influences understanding of romance, mentioning Destiny’s Child, Dexter, and Minor Feelings. He reads from 99 Problems Finding the 1. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. G'Ra Asim 99 Problems Finding the 1: : a love story (sort of)Boyz n the Void: a mixtape to my brother Others “On the Necessity of Turning Oneself into a Character,” by Phillip Lopate from To Show and to Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction“Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing Now?” | VogueDexter (TV Series 2006–2013) - IMDbAtlanta (TV Series 2016–2022) - IMDbDestiny's Child - Soldier ft. T.I., Lil' Wayne“The 36 Questions That Lead to Love,” by Mandy Len Catron,  The New York TimesMinor Feelings by Cathy Park HongDreams from My Father by Barack ObamaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  2. Aug 27

    S9 Ep. 45 Aruni Kashyap on India’s Cockroach Youth Movement

    Novelist Aruni Kashyap joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Jennifer Maritza McCauley to talk about the surprising surge of a new youth movement in India. Kashyap, the author of a new novel, How to Date a Fanatic, about young queer academics navigating the Indian campus protests of the mid-2010s, explains how the Chief Justice of India likening unemployed youth to “cockroaches and parasites” has prompted the rise of a wildly popular satirical group. He shares the history of the Cockroach Janta Party or Cockroach People’s Party, whose followers now number in the millions and whose political demands have become well known. Kashyap discusses those demands and the historical significance of campus politics in India, considers how a satirical organization is pushing real reform, and recalls his own experiences with campus protests in India, where he grew up and previously taught. Kashyap reflects on writing about political violence, love, and queer life in India. He reads from How to Date a Fanatic. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. Aruni Kashyap How to Date a FanaticHow to Date a Fanatic excerpt from LitHubThe Way You Want to Be LovedThe House with a Thousand StoriesHow to Tell the Story of an Insurgency  Others The rise of the Cockroaches - The HinduSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  3. Aug 20

    S9 Ep. 44 Claudia Rankine on Triage, Antigone, and Collapse

    Poet, essayist, and playwright Claudia Rankine joins co-hosts Christian Barter, Jennifer Maritza McCauley and Whitney Terrell to talk about her new book Triage.  Rankine outlines the decades-long relationship between the book’s narrator and a character she names “the theorist,” who, as college students, develop the habit of collapsing whenever they greet each other. She talks about how each character interprets collapse differently, the theorist prescribing action while the narrator fights for her “silences, routines, and quietude.” Rankine discusses how their “conversation” echoes Antigone and is rooted in our current reactions to the war in Gaza and the second Trump Administration. She reflects on the role that visual imagery has in her work and reads from Triage. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This podcast is produced by Christian Barter, Jennifer Maritza McCauley, and Whitney Terrell. Claudia Rankine TriageDon't Let Me Be Lonely: An American LyricCitizen: An American LyricJust Us: An American Conversation Others Antigone | SophoclesFiction/Non/Fiction Season 8, Episode 51: Omar El Akkad on Gaza and Western EmpireJulia (1977) dir. Fred Zinnemann See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  4. Aug 13

    S9 Ep. 43 Dino Martins on Cyclospora, Screwworms, and Our Lives with Parasites

    Entomologist Dino Martins joins co-host V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about the Cyclospora outbreak that has sickened thousands of people across the U.S., as well as the New World screwworm that has been affecting the cattle population. Martins, the author of a new book called Hidden Creatures: Luscious Leeches, Bashful Botflies, and the Wondrous, History-Shaping World of Parasites, discusses the benefits and dangers of parasites and reflects on his own lifelong interest in bugs, beginning with his childhood in Kenya. He explains how living alongside other animals has taught him to observe the world differently. Martins reads from Hidden Creatures. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. Dino Martins Hidden Creatures: Luscious Leeches, Bashful Botflies, and the Wondrous, History-Shaping World of ParasitesGrasses of East AfricaTurkana Basin Institute Others Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7, Episode 45: Jasmin Graham on Understanding SharksFiction/non/Fiction Season 9, Episode 7: Kathryn Nuernberger on Mutualism, Climate, and Finding Family at the End of the WorldAlien (1979) dir. Ridley Scott The Fly (1986) dir. David Cronenberg Stand by Me (1986) dir. Rob Reiner  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  5. Aug 6

    S9 Ep. 42 Joshua Jelly-Schapiro on Harry Belafonte’s Extraordinary Art & Activism

    Non-fiction writer Joshua Jelly-Schapiro joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Christian Barter to talk about the life of performer and activist Harry Belafonte, who died in 2023. Jelly-Schapiro, the author of a new biography of Belafonte, considers the entertainer’s distinctive combination of mainstream appeal and radical politics. He notes how Belafonte’s vault to stardom and success with the first LP to sell a million copies, Calypso, positioned him to speak across racial lines in a segregated society. Jelly-Schapiro discusses Belafonte’s nation-changing impact on the Civil Rights Movement, and his unique position as the only member of Martin Luther King’s inner circle who could also be asked to guest-host The Tonight Show. He reflects on how Belafonte, the son of Jamaican immigrants who grew up between Harlem and his parents’ country, navigated the performance of authenticity. Jelly-Schapiro reads from his book, Daylight Come: Harry Belafonte and the World He Made. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan and Christian Barter. Joshua Jelly-Schapiro Daylight Come: Harry Belafonte and the World He MadeNames of New York: Discovering the City's Past, Present, and Future Through Its Place-NamesIsland People: The Caribbean and the WorldNonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas with Rebecca SolnitPòtoprens: The Urban Artists of Port-au-Prince with Leah Gordon and Katelyne Alexis Cuba Then, Cuba NowChris Ofili: Paradise Lost with Chris Ofili Harry Belafonte CalypsoIsland in the SunBuck and the Preacher“We Are the World” Others BeetlejuiceSing Your Song (2011)Following Harry (2024) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  6. Jul 30

    S9 Ep. 41 Lupe Mendez on Texas Politics and the Killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

    Houston-based poet Lupe Mendez joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and Jennifer Maritza McCauley to discuss ICE raids, the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, and the political climate in Texas heading into the midterms. Mendez details the last few minutes of Araujo’s life and talks about the government’s altered story of Araujo’s death. Mendez also explains why he decided to write about the Mexican community’s boycott of racist integration practices in Houston during the 1970s and his compulsion to write poetry in Spanish and English. Inspired by Ebony Stewart, Mendez talks about how his “artivism” intersected with his role as Texas Poet Laureate. Mendez reads from We Exist in the Whisper: Huelga School Verses and Prayer Holding Night: New & Selected Works. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This podcast is produced by Jennifer Maritza McCauley and Whitney Terrell. Lupe Mendez We Exist in the Whisper: Huelga School VersesPrayer Holding Night: New & Selected WorksWhy I Am Like Tequila Others Ebony Stewart Jasminne Mendez Librotraficante Tintero ProjectsLorenzo Salgado Araujo Chased the American Dream for 35 Years See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  7. Jul 23

    S9, Ep. 40 Molly Crabapple on the Jewish Bund and Here Where We Live Is Our Country

    Artist and writer Molly Crabapple joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the Jewish Labor Bund and its socialist, secular, anti-Zionist principles. Crabapple, whose artist great-grandfather Sam Rothbort was part of the organization, discusses researching and writing her New York Times bestselling book, Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund, which chronicles the Bund’s roots, founding in 1897, and development in the 20th century. Crabapple explains the Bund’s relationship to the idea of Hereness and their belief that diaspora was home and that they belonged where they lived; the Bund’s relationship to the Russian empire and to Jewish identity; and the fate of its leaders in the Holocaust. She also reflects on how she structured and shaped the Bund’s massive history following a random encounter with a fallen book on the street. She reads from Here Where We Live Is Our Country. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. Molly Crabapple Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish BundBrothers of the Gun A Memoir of the Syrian War by Marwan Hisham and Molly Crabapple  Drawing BloodMy Great-Grandfather the Bundist | The New York Review of Books Others Zinky Boys Soviet Voices from the Afghanistan War by Svetlana Alexievich,  translated by Andrew Bromfield  The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael ChabonU.S.A. The Complete Trilogy [The 42nd Parallel, 1919, and The Big Money] by John Dos Passos  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  8. Jul 16

    S9 Ep. 39 Nate Bukaty on World Cup 2026 and the Heart of American Soccer

    MLS commentator Nate Bukaty joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about Kansas City’s influence on American soccer and how the city came to host the World Cup. Bukaty is the co-author of Perfect Pitch: How Kansas City Became the Heart of American Soccer and Landed the World Cup along with the writer Rustin Dodd. He discusses how immigration and local leaders like Lamar Hunt turned a Midwestern “flyover” city into an unexpected soccer powerhouse. Terrell and Bukaty reflect on their youth playing the sport in Kansas City and describe what it felt like for their hometown to become a focal point of this year’s World Cup and a destination for teams and fans from all over the world. Bukaty considers the U.S. men’s team’s loss to Belgium in the round of 16 and compares the most recent roster to the 2014 lineup. He reads from Perfect Pitch. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. Nate Bukaty Perfect Pitch: How Kansas City Became the Heart of American Soccer and Landed the World Cup Others Kansas City, the Smallest World Cup Host, Has the World at Its Feet The New York TimesTrump Asked FIFA to Review U.S. Player’s Suspension. Now He’s Eligible to Play. The New York TimesFiction/Non/Fiction Season 6, Episode 21, Kingdom Quarterback: Mark Dent and Rustin Dodd on Race, Kansas City Football, and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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About

Hosted by Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan, fiction/non/fiction interprets current events through the lens of literature, and features conversations with writers of all stripes, from novelists and poets to journalists and essayists.

Information

  • Creator
    fiction/non/fiction
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    356
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Whitney Terrell, V.V. Ganeshananthan, 980309
  • Show Website
    fiction/non/fiction

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