531 episodes

A podcast where writers talk honestly about books, writing, and the literary world. Hosted by Mike Ingram and Tom McAllister, authors and long-time editors for Barrelhouse, a nonprofit literary magazine and book publisher. New episodes every other week, with bonus episodes for Patreon subscribers.

Book Fight Mike Ingram and Tom McAllister

    • Arts
    • 4.5 • 230 Ratings

A podcast where writers talk honestly about books, writing, and the literary world. Hosted by Mike Ingram and Tom McAllister, authors and long-time editors for Barrelhouse, a nonprofit literary magazine and book publisher. New episodes every other week, with bonus episodes for Patreon subscribers.

    Ep 420: Christopher Gonzalez

    Ep 420: Christopher Gonzalez

    Return guest Christopher Gonzalez (I'm Not Hungry But I Could Eat) joins us to talk about the difference between gay stories and queer stories, writing long, and how not to be a creepy weirdo on Twitter. 
    You can read Alejandro Varela's story, "Carlitos in Charge," here, via Harper's: https://harpers.org/archive/2019/10/carlitos-in-charge-alejandro-varela/
    Learn more about Chris and his work here: https://chris-gonzalez.com/
    If you want to support the podcast, you can join our Patreon for just $5: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight
     

    • 1 hr 13 min
    Ep 419: Laura McGrath

    Ep 419: Laura McGrath

    We're joined by fan favorite Laura McGrath, who is back on the show to help us understood the cultural phenomenon that is Colleen Hoover. McGrath, our colleague at Temple University, studies the business of literature--and teaches a class on best-sellers--but she hadn't read any Hoover until we forced her to do it for the podcast. So we hope you're appreciative, listeners! 
    You can keep up with Laura's scholarly work, including her forthcoming book, at her website, here: https://laurabmcgrath.com/. 
    You can follow her on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/lbmcgrath?lang=en
    If you like the podcast, for just $5 you can get two bonus episodes a month, plus help support the show more generally: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight
     

    • 1 hr 23 min
    Ep 418: Art Taylor

    Ep 418: Art Taylor

    We’re joined by the short story writer Art Taylor—winner of multiple Agatha awards, and author of two collections—to discuss an unconventionally structured story by Joyce Carol Oates. Art also teaches creative writing at George Mason University in Virginia, and we spend some time talking about how we approach structure with our students. You can find Art’s books, and everything else he’s up to, at his website: https://arttaylorwriter.com/
    If you like the podcast, please consider supporting us! For only $5/month, you'll get two monthly bonus episodes, plus the satisfying feeling that comes from supporting the work you enjoy and would like to see more of in the world. More details here: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight
     

    • 1 hr 6 min
    Ep 417: Tod Goldberg

    Ep 417: Tod Goldberg

    We're joined by Tod Goldberg, author of more than a dozen books, including Gangsterland and The Low Desert, to talk about what he learned about crime writing from Elmore Leonard. Plus, why are MFA programs still so often biased against writers of genre fiction? And what are the challenges of writing a series of novels with the same lead character?

    You can learn more about Tod, and his books, here: https://todgoldberg.com/

    If you like the podcast, and would like more of it, we're releasing two bonus episodes a month to our Patreon subscribers, for only $5: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight

     

    • 1 hr 26 min
    Ep 416: V.V. Ganeshananthan

    Ep 416: V.V. Ganeshananthan

    We're joined by V.V. Ganeshananthan, author of two critically acclaimed novels, most recently Brotherless Night, which takes place during the Sri Lankan Civil War. Sugi is also a former grad school classmate of ours, and she began Brotherless Night back when all three of us were at Iowa together. So one thing we talk about is that process, and what it's like to write and rewrite a novel over more than fifteen years.

    For our reading, Sugi chose Horacio Castellanos Moya's Senselessness, the first of his novels to be translated into English, and which a friend of hers recommended, several years ago, when she was deep in the throes of her own book. Both her own novel novel and Moya's deal with atrocities, and both in some darkly humorous ways. So we talk to her about what she learned from Moya, and how reading this book helped her get her own novel over the finish line.


    You can learn more about Sugi, and her new book, here: https://vvganeshananthan.com/.

    If you like the podcast, and would like more of it, we're releasing two bonus episodes a month to our Patreon subscribers, for only $5: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight

    • 1 hr 14 min
    Ep 415: Aaron Burch

    Ep 415: Aaron Burch

    We're joined by writer and editor Aaron Burch, whose novel Year of the Buffalo came out in November. Aaron is also a long-time literary editor, having founded Hobart in the early 2000s and, more recently, HAD, which has made "skull collecting" the newest badge of literary coolness. For our reading, Aaron chose Chris Bachelder's debut novel from 2001, Bear v. Shark, which he remembered loving and wanted to revisit. We talk about what makes a work of fiction feel dated--which may go against conventional wisdom--as well as risk-taking and having fun as a writer. Plus: humor writing of the early internet; what it means to be a literary-world outsider; and why the revision process can often feel neverending.

    You can buy Aaron's new novel here: https://americanbuffalobooks.org/. Or visit his website here: https://www.aaronburch.net/

    If you like the podcast, and would like more of it, we're releasing two bonus episodes a month to our Patreon subscribers, for only $5: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight

     

    • 1 hr 17 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
230 Ratings

230 Ratings

bruschi!1!1 ,

Incredibly fun

Love that they balance taking about reading and writing with more light hearted jokes. Some literary podcasts take themselves so seriously that it can be like a lecture. This is more like sitting in on a conversation

malfoxley ,

Great show!

Mike and Tom, hosts of the podcast, highlight all aspects of great creative writing and more in this can’t miss podcast! The hosts and expert guests offer insightful advice and information that is helpful to anyone that listens!

K,L&R ,

Great for everyone

I have started listening to book fight a few weeks ago every day on my way to school. It’s always captivating and interesting and there’s always so much to learn. Knowing little literary and publishing jargon, Mike and Tom really open me up to that industry and it’s processes in a easy, understandable way. They also give a great professional opinion on the story, how it’s written, and why some books are good and bad. I’ve read a few of the books they’ve covered and they do a great job by not spoiling anything.

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