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Artwork for Between The Covers : Conversations with Writers in Fiction, Nonfiction & Poetry

Between The Covers : Conversations with Writers in Fiction, Nonfiction & Poetry

David Naimon, Milkweed Editions
Poetry
Colonialism
Identity
Literature
Grief
Memory
Memoir
Feminism
Language
Death
Ecology
Palestine
The Story Game
Theory & Practice
Trans Rights
Tone
Duet For One
Reincarnation
Family Dynamics
Women's Literature

BOOKS ∙ WORKSHOPS ∙ PODCAST

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes352Founded14 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
BooksArtsFiction

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Artwork for Between The Covers : Conversations with Writers in Fiction, Nonfiction & Poetry

Latest Episodes

Today’s conversation between Thalia Field and David Naimon, moderated by Anne de Marcken, was recorded in February as part of the Pacific Northwest College of Art’s Visual Arts low residency MFA program. Thalia and David discuss and explore their pie... more

Today’s guest, poet Hajjar Baban, discusses her truly remarkable debut collection of poetry Low Flying Planes. Together we explore Kurdish poetics, the role of silence, refusal and isolation in her work, the Kurdish Poets Collective, writing lineages... more

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Today’s conversation with poet Morgan Parker was recorded in-person in 2019 and was Morgan’s second appearance on the show. Both conversations with Morgan are unforgettable, so don’t miss her first appearance in 2017 after you enjoy today’s episode a... more

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Claudia Rankine first appeared on Between the Covers in 2014 to discuss Citizen: An American Lyric. Our first encounter back then was before January 6th or October 7th, before Trump 1.0 or Trump 2.0, before the public murder of George Floyd or the li... more

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Recent Guests

Hajjar Baban
Poet and author of Low Flying Planes
Milkweed Editions
Episode: Hajjar Baban : Low Flying Planes
Morgan Parker
Poet, essayist, and author of Magical Negro
Tin House Books
Episode: From the Archives : Morgan Parker : Magical Negro
Claudia Rankine
Poet, essayist, playwright; author of Triage
Between The Covers / Milkweed Editions
Episode: Claudia Rankine : Triage
Valeria Luiselli
Author of Beginning Middle End
Episode: Valeria Luiselli : Beginning Middle End
Cristina Rivera Garza
Writer, translator, critic; author of The Tyga Syndrome and The Iliac Crest
Writer, translator, critic (University of Houston)
Episode: From the Archives : Cristina Rivera Garza : The Taiga Syndrome & The Iliac Crest
Eleni Sikelianos
Poet, writer and translator; subject of Memory Rehearsal
Independent/Author
Episode: Eleni Sikelianos : Memory Rehearsal
Kate Briggs
Past Between The Covers guest
Writer/Scholar
Episode: Lisa Robertson : Riverwork
Lucy Bonvalet
Visual artist and writer; spouse of the host
Artist/Writer
Episode: Lisa Robertson : Riverwork
Sarah Dowling
Poet and scholar
Coach House/University context
Episode: Lisa Robertson : Riverwork

Host

David Naimon
Host of Between The Covers, guiding conversations with writers and shaping deep literary dialogue

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 911 ratings
  • So Good

    As others have written this podcast is to be greatly admired. David, the host, has clearly done a huge amount of reading/ research prior to each episode so the explorations with each of the authors interviewed are so rewarding to listen to. I am immensely grateful to be able to listen to this podcast and wholly recommend it to anyone who is / might be interested in literature. Thank you.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    PineGroveCharlie
    United Kingdom5 months ago
  • What a gift!

    I decided to go back to the beginning while I wait for a new conversation. I’m so grateful for the expansive archive you’ve built and made accessible. And I’m re-listening, too. I’m going back for another dose of you and Brandon Shimoda. We need a kind of club for these chats. I don’t even know where to start with that. I feel bereft after each podcast. Every last one.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jobitek
    Canada6 months ago
  • Thrilling and thought-provoking

    Thank you for the episode with the glorious Robin Coste Lewis

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Lisa Blumenfeld
    United States10 months ago
  • Incredibly rich and deep

    Absolutely gorgeous guests, thoughtful preparation and profound conversations. My only request would be for the host to speak about 40% less to let the guests take up more time. While David’s questions are often so rich and steeped in care, sometimes they tend to center him and his thinking instead of the guest. I still found both episodes I listened to deeply moving and transcendent but I did find myself craving more of the guest’s voice. Thank you though that this exists what a gift!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    LLaurenne
    United Statesa year ago
  • Best Lit Podcast out there

    One time I thought this podcast was being cancelled and I literally sank to the kitchen floor in tears. David Naimon does so many writers so much justice and you can hear it in their responses

    to his incredibly thoughtful questions. This podcast is a beautiful portal to webs of writers dreaming and writing towards better worlds !

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    lolalou89
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the host's meticulous preparation and thoughtful questions.
Guests consistently provide rich, nuanced discussions and deep dives into their work.
Some listeners wish guests had more speaking time to foreground their voices.
The archive is described as a valuable resource with extensive research linked to episodes.
Content is noted as highly rewarding for serious readers, though occasionally dense.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#66
United States/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#185
United States/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#62
Canada/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#103
United Kingdom/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#170
Canada/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#65
Australia/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

From the Archives : Morgan Parker : Magical Negro
Q: How do repetition and the concept of time function in Magical Negro, and what do you hope readers take away about progress and Black history?
She argues that repetition enacts both history and resistance, challenging readers to recognize ongoing Black persistence beyond fashionable urgency. The book asks readers to confront cycles of oppression and the ways in which time has been weaponized, offering a more nuanced sense of progress.
From the Archives : Morgan Parker : Magical Negro
Q: You've described Magical Negro as a shift from your earlier work. How does the book's structure support its themes, and what did you want to achieve with that archival approach?
Parker explains that the book's structure mirrors an ethnography and archive, with sections and recurring motifs designed to catalog and interrogate Black life, absence, and memory. The approach invites readers to engage with history and culture on multiple levels, not just through surface content but through form and reference.
Claudia Rankine : Triage
Q: Why Antigone, and what does it offer your current work on triage?
Antigone functions as a structural mirror for the book's preoccupation with duty, law, and the calculation of care; placing Ismene against Antigone allows Rankine to explore competing forms of responsibility in a contemporary setting.
Valeria Luiselli : Beginning Middle End
Q: Hasmina Barrera asks about whether Beginning Middle End treats fiction as consuelo in the face of pain and how consuelo operates within the book's structure.
Luiselli explains consuelo as a form of intimate, shared comfort that emerges from reading and storytelling, especially when confronting violence and grief, and discusses how the book uses memory, multi-generational voices, and myth to offer solace.
Valeria Luiselli : Beginning Middle End
Q: Enrique Villamagnos asks about Kafka and humor, and why the author doesn't find Kafka humorous while still acknowledging it as a serious writer.
Luiselli discusses humor as a serious, often unsettling force in literature and argues that humor appears differently in Kafka, Bila Matas, and Samantha Schweblin, serving to reveal the absurdity and violence of reality without reducing it to comedy.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A rigorous literary interview series that foregrounds deep reading and cross-genre conversation. Guests span fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, with episodes often centering memory, language, borders, care, and world-building through archive, translation, and form. The host's meticulous preparation and broad scholarly reach yield conversations that feel like guided tours of a writer's corpus, making it a strong fit for listeners who want thoughtful, scholarly, and practice-informed discussion about books, ideas, and their real-world contexts.

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These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:

1. London Review Bookshop Podcast
2. Poetry Off the Shelf
3. The Shakespeare and Company Interview
4. The New Yorker: Poetry
5. Otherppl with Brad Listi

How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 14 years ago and published 352 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Hajjar Baban
2. Morgan Parker
3. Claudia Rankine
4. Valeria Luiselli
5. Cristina Rivera Garza
6. Eleni Sikelianos
7. Kate Briggs
8. Lucy Bonvalet

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