BookSwell Intersections

bookswellclub
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A literary podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of writers from historically excluded communities.

  1. 09/23/2025

    Désirée Zamorano interview

    Désirée Zamorano, author and educator, joins BookSwell Intersections host Cody Sisco to discuss Dispossessed, her powerful historical novel about mass deportations of Mexican Americans in 1930s Los Angeles. They explore the novel’s themes of invisibility and injustice, the inspiration behind its good-man protagonist, and the urgent parallels between past and present struggles for equity and representation.

    28 min

  2. 08/13/2025

    Jase Peeples interview

    Jase Peeples, award-winning journalist and author of Twirl and Square Zair Pair, joins host Cody Sisco in conversation about his debut YA MM romance novel in the competitive world of Color Guard. They discuss Jase's inspirations competing in and coaching the sport, writing about young love, San Francisco as a significant setting, and the power of representation in fiction for queer youth and families.

    20 min

  3. 07/23/2025

    Joe McClean interview

    Joe McClean, screenwriter, director, and author of Sins of Survivors, joins host Cody Sisco in conversation about his debut novel rooted in the history of Black Bottom, Detroit. They discuss the Great Migration, the Carter brothers’ struggle to build an empire and leave their criminal pasts behind, the legacy of segregation and redlining, and adapting from screenwriting to prose. Joe shares how his research uncovered hidden histories, why he portrays the era’s violence unflinchingly, and what to expect in the upcoming sequel set during Detroit’s 1943 race riots.

    25 min

  4. 07/01/2025

    Tisha Reichle-Aguilera interview

    Tisha Reichle-Aguilera, poet, educator, and author of the YA novel Breaking Pattern, joins Cody Sisco in conversation about rodeo sports, growing up in Southern California, difficult family relationships, and challenging norms and expectations around gender roles and socio-economic status.

    36 min

  5. 03/26/2025

    Lynne Thompson interview

    Lynne Thompson, Fourth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, joins host Cody Sisco in conversation about her most recent collection of poetry, Blue on a Blue Palette. They discuss taking inspiration from the world, how women are both elevated and denigrated, palm trees, Black lives, poetic forms, and being a good poetry citizen. Lynne also reads three of her poems.

    31 min

  6. 02/04/2025

    Rasheed Newson interview

    Rasheed Newson, television writer and producer and author of My Government Means to Kill Me, discusses the fallout from the HIV/AIDS crisis. In conversation with host Cody Sisco, Rasheed talks about the ascendance of sex positivity thanks to PrEP, how his novel imagines a young gay Black man in 1980s New York encountering ACT UP, and the legacy of the Gay Liberation and Civil Rights movements.

    32 min

  7. 07/10/2024

    Jessamyn Violet interview

    Jessamyn Violet, author of Secret Rules to Being a Rockstar and musician, shares her musings on the power of music and more. In conversation with host Cody Sisco, Jessamyn discusses the rock and roll lifestyle, writing a true-to-life Hollywood coming-of-age novel, and the power of being an outsider.

    23 min

  8. 02/13/2024

    Melissa Chadburn interview

    Dr. Melissa Chadburn, author of A Tiny Upward Shove and self-proclaimed recovering journalist, shares her inspirations during this episode to re-launch the BookSwell Intersections podcast. In conversation with host Cody Sisco, Melissa discusses the foster care system, recovering her Filipina heritage and language to research and write her novel, the ethics of witnessing, and how to balance darkness and light.

    23 min
See All (25)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

A literary podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of writers from historically excluded communities.

Information

  • Creator
    bookswellclub
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    BookSwell Intersections