Ampersand: The Poets & Writers Podcast

Ed Bok Lee reads a poem from his new collection, Mitochondrial Night, published in March by Coffee House Press.

Jimmy Santiago Baca reads an excerpt of a story from his new collection, When I Walk Through That Door, I Am: An Immigrant Mother’s Quest for Freedom, published in February by Beacon Press.

Debra Gwartney reads an excerpt from her memoir I Am a Stranger Here Myself, published in March by University of New Mexico Press.

Marlon James reads from Black Leopard, Red Wolf; Ilya Kaminsky reads from Deaf Republic; Valeria Luiselli reads from Lost Children Archive; and more.

Ross Gay reads from The Book of Delights; debut poets Justin Phillip Reed, Fatimah Asghar, José Olivarez, and Analicia Sotelo read from their collections; Cowboy Poetry; and more.

Susan Orlean reads from her new book, The Library Book; Barbara Kingsolver in conversation with Richard Powers; Natasha Trethewey reads from her new poetry collection, Monument.

Ada Limón reads from her new poetry collection, The Carrying; Rebecca Solnit reads from her new essay collection, Call Them by Their True Names.

Lauren Groff reads from her new book, Florida; Terrance Hayes reads from American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin; plus readings by Hanif Abdurraqib and A. M. Homes.

Leslie Jamison reads from her new book, The Recovering; Leesa Cross-Smith on writing quiet books; new poetry by Carmen Giménez Smith and Jenny Xie.

Two archival poems by Langston Hughes; a craft essay on fiction and technology by Tayari Jones; and poetry readings by Tarfia Faizullah, David Tomas Martinez, and 2017 New Jersey Poetry Out Loud champion Amos Koffa.

Poets Kaveh Akbar, Eve Ewing, and Layli Long Soldier read from their debut books; Jane Hirshfield on reconnecting to your writing; Steve Almond on unlikable characters; Jay Baron Nicorvo on writing and post-traumatic stress disorder; and more.

David Sedaris reads from Theft by Finding; Clint Smith reads from his profile of Kevin Young; Kiki Petrosino reads from her poetry collection Witch Wife; Victoria Chang reads from her poetry collection Barbie Chang; and more.

Salman Rushdie in conversation with Porochista Khakpour; readings by poets Dawn Lundy Martin and Nicole Sealey and essayist Lina Maria Ferreira Cabeza-Vanegas; and more.

Whitman, Alabama; debut fiction writers Jess Arndt and Zinzi Clemmons read from their new books; Sherman Alexie reads from his new memoir; Erika L. Sanchez reads from her debut poetry collection.

Lidia Yuknavitch on her new novel, The Book of Joan; Gwendolyn Brooks reads "We Real Cool" in 1983; writers, editors, and teachers resist.

George Saunders on his novel, Lincoln in the Bardo; U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera on the importance of poetry in the current political climate; Patricia Smith and Elena Passarello read from their new books.

Colson Whitehead on his National Book Award–winning novel, The Underground Railroad, and writing after the election. Plus readings by Roxane Gay, Ocean Vuong, Safiya Sinclair, and Tommy Pico.

Michael Chabon on his new novel, Moonglow; readings by Brit Bennett and devorah major; Shakespearean Sonnets in the streets of NYC; and more.

Dear President: A Message for the Next Commander in Chief From Fifty American Poets and Writers, including Junot Diaz, Tina Chang, Anthony Doerr, Evie Shockley, and others. Plus advice from MFA students at AWP, Amistad Press editorial director Tracy Sherrod, a report from the softball field, and more.

Advice from literary agents, readings from debut novelists Yaa Gyasi, Imbolo Mbue, Rumaan Alam, and more.