Politics and Prose Presents

Politics and Prose
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Calling all book lovers: experience our renowned author talks in podcast form. Politics and Prose Presents allows you to visit our legendary independent bookstore from anywhere in the world. Listen to top authors and journalists discuss their latest books- ranging from topics like biography, politics, science, poetry, fiction, and everything in between. Make sure to like and Subscribe and visit us at www.politics-prose.com

  1. 10h ago

    Tony Fletcher — Pow!: When UK Punk Went Pop, 1980-84 - with Seth Lorinczi

    This event will be in partnership with Byrdland Records, the sister record store to Songbyrd Music House. POW is the fascinating memoir of a precocious English teen in the early 1980s who published a music magazine, interviewed many of the era's top artists, befriended rock stars, ran a record label, appeared on television, played in a band and found first love -- all at the same time In this sequel to his Boy About Town (2013), Tony Fletcher's incredible adventures in the world of British post-punk make for a compelling adventure of highs (an exclusive interview with Paul McCartney, friendship with Paul Weller of the hugely successful Jam, playing to huge audiences, discovering love and sex) and lows (heartbreak, learning the financial challenges of running a label the hard way, the collapse of his band). Despite the passage of time, he summons up all the enthusiasm he felt for the music and women he loved and marvels at the incredible experiences he had as a hard-working young striver. The generation raised on MTV, the New Musical Express and bands like Madness, Wham , the Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, Dexy's Midnight Runners and Killing Joke will love reading this inside view of a knowledgeable fan who got to know them all. Tony Fletcher is the author of eleven books, including best-selling biographies of Keith Moon, the Smiths and R.E.M., a memoir, a novel and more. As a London teenager, he started a fanzine called Jamming! in 1977 followed by a record label of the same name. He moved to New York in the late 1980s. Fletcher has played in bands, promoted concerts, DJed, written for numerous publications, hosted podcasts and appeared on and/or produced TV and radio shows. His hobbies include running mountains, from the Catskills to the Himalayas and any points in-between. He writes twice weekly at tonyfletcher.substack.com.  Fletcher is in conversation with Seth Lorinczi, who writes on culture and music. His work appears in such publications as The Guardian, Narratively, Maggot Brain, Fretboard Journal and Sunday Long Read (upcoming) as well as numerous print and digital anthologies; he’s also the author of Death Trip: A Post-Holocaust Psychedelic Memoir (Spiral Path Collective, 2024). As a speaker and lecturer on music (and DC punk in particular), he’s presented extensively on both coasts at such cultural and academic institutions as Yale, Berkeley, Washington DC's MLK Library and numerous other venues that clearly didn’t vet him thoroughly enough. Byrdland is located in the Union Market District of Washington D.C. and carries over 5000 new and used vinyl records, curated to the tastes of DC music lovers. They carry the newest and best vinyl records in indie rock, pop, soul, R&B, hip hop, and jazz in addition to their robust used music section. Byrdland was named Washington D.C.’s Best Record Store by Washington City Paper in 2021. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9798999048776?ic_referral=MeWI4zzRDyQxFDY7OSz9NcqOj-hhHadDMNH0OBqRFlkwM1gjEEt8BPm4HYdrGooMXh4PpNlITYSQDIZe3HgOYpsrLmeMEEPftynAOzFPManBOdawjTRetrEjzQzjlXcjfvpAl7E

  2. 15h ago

    Nadia Hashimi — City of Widows - with Liza Mundy

    From bestselling novelist Nadia Hashimi—a gripping, occasionally terrifying, yet ultimately hopeful novel focusing on the women of Afghanistan in the years since the Taliban regained power. In February 2020 the US began to withdraw troops from Afghanistan after nearly twenty years of occupation. A whole generation of Afghan women had been born during that time—women who had grown up in relative peace, gone to school, entered the professions, even served in the army and Parliament. The women of Afghanistan watched as the Taliban filled the streets again. They knew everything was about to change. In the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Kabul, women are TV newscasters, shop owners, doctors, teachers, lawyers, even soldiers. They include Marjan, who fought with the Afghan army, and will risk everything to keep her daughter Hawa safe. In her earlier days Marjan was called Rahima and had lived the life of a bacha posh—a girl raised as a boy until she came of age. Forced into an early marriage, Rahima took the name Marjan when she fled her warlord husband. She’s created a whole new life for herself, one she will not give up easily. So has Soraya, who defiantly wore red lipstick as she led the army’s all-female combat force over the objections of her upper-class family. Soraya’s now a wanted woman whose brother may choose not to shelter her from the Taliban. What will become of her? Or Mina, a journalist and broadcaster whose beautiful face is known to everyone in Kabul—including the new regime? Fight or flight? Or find a third way? One thing is for certain: none of these women will meekly accept her fate. An epic saga of fear, resistance, change, and reinvention, City of Widows gives voices to the unforgettable Afghan women at a crossroads of history. Nadia Hashimi is a pediatrician turned international bestselling novelist and daughter of Afghan immigrants. She is the author of four books for adults: The Pearl that Broke Its Shell, A House Without Windows, When the Moon Is Low, and Sparks Like Stars, as well as the middle grade novels One Half from the East and The Sky at Our Feet. She lives with her family in the Washington, DC, suburbs. Hashimi is in conversation with Liza Mundy, an award-winning journalist and the New York Times bestselling author of four books, including Code Girls. A former staff writer for The Washington Post, Mundy writes for The Atlantic, Politico, and Smithsonian Magazine, among other publications. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9780063423541?ic_referral=Qr729UfQ_pXMY7rnNZnumC7MygL-ikysVgmbKi68HWUwM67WiYvJdrTDrFqS5U8MJeAIkUV4IMFkfXe_TOus6HaDmKhEd2pFo0LTPVbYt-98QDb8K9RiIp5GzuCLbRx8wRLZNic

  3. 1d ago

    Joby Warrick — The Jackal: The Rise and Fall of Carlos, the World's First Super-Terrorist - with Ian Shapira

    The spectacular rise and dramatic fall of super-assassin Carlos the Jackal—one of history’s most infamous terrorist masterminds—told with new revelations from the Jackal himself, by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Black Flags.A black-bereted, gun-slinging avatar of one of the most turbulent eras in global politics, Carlos the Jackal burst onto the world stage in 1975 as the first true celebrity terrorist and the TV-ready face of a violent Palestinian resistance movement that was then just beginning to gain traction. In a bloody career that would ultimately span three decades, Carlos innovated a new kind of spectacular terrorism, one that embraced hijackings, hostage crises, airport bombings, and international assassinations. And he personally masterminded one of the most shocking operations of the era: the kidnapping of an entire conference of world oil ministers for ransom in Vienna. The polar opposite of today’s most infamous terrorists, Carlos was a hard-drinking libertine and self-styled romantic who entranced dozens of beautiful women and murdered his victims with callous disregard, often with his own hand.But Carlos was not all that he seemed to be.Through newly declassified archives, secret witness accounts, and a rare interview with the Jackal himself, acclaimed journalist Joby Warrick reveals a previously hidden side of the man born Ilich Ramírez Sánchez—an ideologically driven figure whose myth was as carefully constructed as his attacks were deadly.As he did in his Pulitzer Prize–winning Black Flags, Warrick delivers a powerful and highly cinematic tale that explains and illuminates the root causes, and founding personalities, behind one of the great conflicts of our time. Joby Warrick is a bestselling author, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and national security correspondent for The Washington Post, where he has served for almost three decades. He has written extensively on topics ranging from Middle East conflicts and terrorism to nuclear proliferation and climate change. Warrick is the author of three previous works of narrative nonfiction, including the 2016 Pulitzer Prize winner Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS. A native of North Carolina, he has two adult children and lives in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. Warrick is joined in conversation with Ian Shapira, an investigative reporter for The Washington Post, where he's worked for 26 years. He's written a series of stories about CIA officers killed in the line of duty, racism at the Virginia Military Institute, and abuse and sexual misconduct allegations within the Anglican Church in North America. He is the recipient of numerous journalism honors, including the George Polk Award.  PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9781668070550?ic_referral=W9ffBltUTtHK_wq5YnXdBZmMYBbAUmhkf-b7Zr-tg0swM0snuWgZz1hI1a4Sl4WLmI9zYyhxxWf6L76Q2aqxl_XIsj6SkDFNqXVLGKwahLd7qr74E07vYZDZNayJFFwFa7lA2AQ

  4. 1d ago

    Skye Perryman — Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times: How to Reclaim Your Power, Fight for Freedom, and Reimagine Democracy - with Eugene Daniels

    Skye Perryman—TIME 100 honoree and CEO of Democracy Forward—offers an urgent, inspiring blueprint for how ordinary people can fight for freedom in extraordinary times.The future of our country lies in all of our hands. From protecting voting rights and public schools to finding courage in the face of fear, Skye Perryman makes the case that defending democracy isn’t the job of lawyers or politicians alone—it’s a role for every one of us, seasoned and brand-new activists alike.Drawing on her frontline experience challenging threats to democracy in courtrooms across the nation, Perryman combines gripping personal stories with practical “how-to” guides that empower readers to take action in their own communities.Accessible, hopeful, and deeply practical, this inspiring book shows that the path forward begins not in the halls of power but at our kitchen tables, in our neighborhoods, and through the everyday choices we make to speak up, build community, and protect our future. Skye Perryman, president & CEO of Democracy Forward and a TIME 100 honoree, is a nationally recognized attorney and leader advancing democracy and individual rights. Under her leadership, Democracy Forward has secured major court victories protecting healthcare, education, and reproductive freedom. Perryman is a frequent media commentator, appearing on NBC, MSNBC, CNN, and NPR, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Time, and Newsweek. A sought-after speaker at venues including SXSW and the Texas Tribune Festival, she is recognized for blending legal expertise with accessible, inspiring storytelling. Perryman is joined in conversation with Eugene Daniels, an MS NOW Senior Washington Reporter and co-anchor of MS NOW’s “The Weekend” from 7 to 10 a.m. ET on Saturdays and Sundays. He is also the co-host of the MS NOW original podcast, “Clock It with Symone & Eugene." In 2026, MS NOW announced Daniels’ first podcast with the network, “MS NOW Presents: Clock It,” co-hosted by Daniels and Symone Sanders Townsend. In the series, the Washington power-players take on the latest political news, the catchiest cultural moments, and how the two converge. Throughout his career, Daniels has interviewed countless political leaders and policy experts, and was one of the few reporters to have interviewed former Vice President Kamala Harris during her run for president in 2024. He has covered midterm elections, the Democratic presidential primary, and general elections through print, video journalism, podcasts, and live events. He also previously worked as a Political Reporter at Newsy and began his career in local television in Colorado Springs. Daniels holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Colorado State University and lives in Washington, D.C. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9798217273997?ic_referral=ovK8qS3A9AZiqBMKuRV7nCPN1VpdDjBG9UzMBtCGDBgwM6eNeDR2haU0s7Nr7SgROkNR0wYp2JbS7sy5Qky1Z6OBtiFwzh5mIHzHpJxaj42_FWESTT3FSYFjPfNCCezbQfT7a-g

  5. 2d ago

    James Loeffler — Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and the Fight over Free Speech in Modern America - with Franklin Foer

    A leading historian’s revelatory exploration of antisemitism in the United States—from 1940s anti-Jewish riots until today—showing that it has long served as a frontline in our wars over freedom of speech and the nature of American liberalism Few issues are as vexed today as antisemitism and free speech. There is scarcely an arena—college campuses, congressional hearings, immigration courtrooms, social media platforms—where we are not polarized over what counts as antisemitism, which speech is protected by the First Amendment, and what the law should do about hatred. At a time of political crisis, antisemitism has become a point of ideological obsession.None of this is new. In a sweeping history of ideas and law, James Loeffler recovers the forgotten roots of our contemporary turmoil. From two antisemitic riots in postwar Chicago to a neo-Nazi march in 1970s Skokie, Illinois, and the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally in our own time, Loeffler explores the ways in which America’s courts have grappled with hatred, freedom, and the tensions at the heart of liberal democracy: Are some hatreds more dangerous than others? Is tolerating hate speech the price we must pay for free speech? And can liberalism ever make good on its promise to end hatred through law?Confronting these questions, Exceptional Hatred restores a missing history of hate speech, antisemitism, and the law, one that points to how we might protect difference without surrendering our principles of equality and freedom. An award-winning historian, James Loeffler is the Felix Posen Professor of Modern Jewish History at Johns Hopkins University and the author of Rooted Cosmopolitans: Jews and Human Rights in the Twentieth Century. Previously he taught at the University of Virginia and served as Dean’s Visiting Scholar at Georgetown University Law Center. Currently a Kogod Senior Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, his writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Republic. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his family. Loeffler is in conversation with Franklin Foer, a staff writer at The Atlantic and former editor of The New Republic. He is the author of several books, including most recently The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future. He lives in Washington, DC, with his family. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9781250806079?ic_referral=9_v-kN_Zk363BOexherfJOvJtVrr06HaYtEEzOTnnxQwM3tHwHlmUH_KI-fDoheg7JbfCCb55UvpB-DKB1p0A38NFkpuiIoSp7fXF64i2TbhzHlOs7HtQaH8Sb3xc-T41WhxZGs

  6. 3d ago

    Virginia Eubanks — A Guide to Open Water Lifesaving: Lessons on Love, Care, and Survival: A Memoir -with Jason Resendez

    What do you do when someone you love, maybe the person you love most in the world, is in trouble—even drowning? Do you jump in to save them? Will you be able to bring both of you back to shore?  One night, Virginia Eubanks received the kind of news we all fear. Her beloved partner had been brutally beaten, just steps from their house. Virginia jumped into the water. She dived into the responsibilities of being a primary caregiver. In the weeks, months, and years that followed, she and her partner struggled to stay afloat in the sea of tasks required to keep them both safe and alive despite wave upon wave of setbacks: police disinterest, suspended health insurance, inadequate medical care, lost income, lost friends, endless paperwork, and, for J, a serious case of post-traumatic stress disorder. Then, Virginia herself developed what is known as collateral PTSD, a condition common among caregivers but rarely discussed. Virginia looked for help. She turned to reliable sources for survival tips: scientists, therapists, trauma theorists, social movements. But it wasn’t until she happened on an old lifesaving manual that she found advice that actually helped. Inspired by its lessons, she signed up for instruction in wilderness first aid, kayak self-rescue, Winter Survival 101, map and compass use, bushwhacking, lifeguarding. She went out in search of other people’s stories and of experts, interviewing everyone from neuroscientists to forest rangers. She gathered skills and knowledge that made her feel strong, competent, more prepared for the challenges ahead.As disarmingly funny as it is quietly wise, A Guide to Open Water Lifesaving is the story—heart-wrenching and all too relatable—of how one woman tried to save her beloved and learned that she would also have to save herself. It is a moving, hopeful love story about two people caught in their own kind of wilderness, trying not just to survive but to truly care for each other. Built fromcataclysmic loss and tenacious love, A Guide to Open Water Lifesaving challenges readers to reconsider the ways in which we tend our loved ones and ourselves, and it reminds us: no one survives the wilderness alone. Virginia Eubanks is a professor and an investigative journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Harper’s Magazine, The Guardian, Nature, and Scientific American. She is the author of the award-winning book Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor. When not sleeping in her truck in the Adirondacks, she lives in Troy, New York.  Eubanks is in conversation with Jason Resendez, President of National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC).  PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9780374611798?ic_referral=oDw1TLAFF-emI6i1SO7N4TEKHjGBUlGvxtN1G_AOdpEwM8vta8BBWtRpK7as0ysH-W9ZbicmU5Ch8d9Zi_Im7R5R6nUxZzE1H_d0M59DZEaTnNDfe4IjSR2PERNynM1S-zojI-w

  7. 4d ago

    Nina Simon — My Sister Is Going to Kill Me - with S.A. Cosby

    From the New York Times bestselling author of the runaway hit Mother-Daughter Murder Night, a Reese’s Book Club pick, comes another fun, family-centered whodunnit about two sisters who work together to find a killer as they raft down the rapids of the Grand Canyon. What's a family vacation without a little murder? Liv and Mandy Chisholm’s yearly sister trip is a sacred tradition, an attempt to bond as their lives increasingly diverge. Liv, the ever-practical older sister, packs the color-coded itineraries. Mandy, a bedazzled human tumbleweed, brings the spontaneity. This year, the sisters take off for a rafting adventure through the breathtaking depths of the Grand Canyon with a group of strangers. But beyond the terrors of whitewater rapids, sibling squabbles, and rogue reptiles, the ferocious beauty of the river carries a darker undercurrent, and an unexpected guest: a murderer in their midst. When a fellow traveler is found dead and another corpse hits the water, the rafting trip flips from idyllic sister vacation to high-stakes murder investigation. Every suspect has a secret, every clue is drenched in mystery, and Liv and Mandy can hardly trust each other, let alone their own instincts. With the river raging and danger around every bend, the Chisholm sisters must work together to catch a killer—and keep their relationship from capsizing—before it’s too late. Nina Simon writes crime fiction about strong women. She is the author of the New York Times-bestseller Mother-Daughter Murder Night, which she wrote for her mother, as a way to entertain, comfort, and connect with her during a major health crisis. This debut novel was a Reese's Book Club pick, a Golden Poppy Award winner, and a "best of 2023" selection for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CrimeReads, and Library Journal. Before turning to fiction, Nina wore many hats: NASA engineer, slam poet, game designer, museum director, and nonprofit CEO. Her work on community participation in museums, libraries, parks, and theaters has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, NPR, and the TEDx stage. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Nina now lives off-the-grid in the Santa Cruz Mountains with her family. More information can be found on her website, ninaksimon.com. Simon is in conversation with S.A. Cosby, a New York Times bestselling writer from southeastern Virginia. He is the author of All the Sinners Bleed, which was on more than forty Best of the Year lists, including Barack Obama's, as well as Edgar Award finalist Razorblade Tears and Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Blacktop Wasteland. He has also won the Anthony Award, ITW Thriller Award, Barry Award, Macavity Award, BCALA Award, and Audie Award and has been longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9780063478022?ic_referral=zAaefY5syVOlqfyHyY8BtXPfvU1NFqFw6QMd6BM0fZgwM9aEf3HRpUkUFYMMeQkOE26W4aZeCBmxtCu89s92aTmk7z9pvrMDU4Z7TDBPzZA4cZIL1QJLRKLglbcVSfBHo6Pl7FU

  8. 5d ago

    Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez — Conversion Therapy Dropout: A Queer Story of Faith and Belonging - with Andrew Marin

    A gay Christian's behind-the-scenes account of evangelical megachurches and eight years in conversion therapy before finding wholeness and authenticity. Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez was an invisible architect behind evangelical Christianity's digital empire, crafting messages of belonging for some of the most influential megachurches -- Hillsong Church, Elevation Church, Willow Creek -- all while secretly questioning his own place within the faith. In a desperate attempt to "fix" himself, he turned to conversion therapy, spending eight years trying to pray the gay away. And he wasn't alone. More than 700,000 people in the US have undergone some form of conversion therapy. Even though Exodus International, the largest ex-gay organization, closed in 2013, the practice still thrives in many conservative religious communities. After years of this harmful "therapy," Schraeder Rodriguez's sexuality never changed. But his faith did.The more time he spent in evangelical Christianity, the more he witnessed the hypocrisy of institutions that claimed to love everyone while quietly pushing people like him into silence. But Schraeder Rodriguez wouldn't remain silent. Instead, he forged a new path, discovering a vibrant faith beyond the constraints of non-affirming theology and finding a community that embraced his whole self. Conversion Therapy Dropout is a behind-the-scenes look at megachurch culture, the hidden harm of non-affirming Christian spaces, and the ongoing impact of conversion therapy on gay Christians. This isn't just a coming-out story -- it's about what happens after. About rebuilding a life outside the only world you've ever known. And the radical act of stepping into the light after being told your whole life to stay in the shadows. Sometimes, the greatest act of faith isn't holding on -- it's letting go. Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez spent almost a decade trying to "pray the gay away" in conversion therapy--all while working at some of the world's most influential megachurches. After embracing his identity as a gay Christian and stepping away from church work, he co-founded Church Clarity, an organization that helps queer people find affirming faith communities. His story and work have been featured by NBC, VICE, Huff Post, Religion News Service, and Newsweek. Born in the Midwest, he now calls New York City home, where he continues his work as a digital strategist, writer, and advocate for queer people of faith. Schraeder Rodriguez is in conversation with Andrew Marin, President and Founder of The Marin Foundation, which over the past dozen years has been widely credited with creating a new cultural category of building bridges between the LGBT community and social, political, and religious conservatives. On this topic he frequently lectures at universities and facilitates trainings for community groups and religious organizations around the world. His speech, Homophobia and Bridging from within the Evangelical Church, given on Capitol Hill the night before the first Inauguration of President Barack Obama, is archived in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Andrew is the award winning author of three books and a DVD curriculum, and publishes his academic research in theology and political journals. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9798889835431?ic_referral=Rzm3Z0TWdWSOdNz6bvl5iUV8PhgWGa-tDny2Yct8iqwwM_1PjRQ2AZRbdV3C0nymuWRJXTd_4pcOIPQEApmxOopVXjUbdi_GvA32D1X2XsaP9Az95YFsmr1G_m6kTqFKjwUibJg

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About

Calling all book lovers: experience our renowned author talks in podcast form. Politics and Prose Presents allows you to visit our legendary independent bookstore from anywhere in the world. Listen to top authors and journalists discuss their latest books- ranging from topics like biography, politics, science, poetry, fiction, and everything in between. Make sure to like and Subscribe and visit us at www.politics-prose.com

Information

  • Creator
    Politics and Prose
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    766
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Politics and Prose
  • Show Website
    Politics and Prose Presents