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The Los Angeles Review of Books Radio Hour is a weekly show featuring interviews, readings and discussions about all things literary. Hosted by LARB Editors-at-Large Kate Wolf, Medaya Ocher, and Eric Newman.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes500Founded11 years ago
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Society & CultureBooksArts

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Artwork for LARB Radio Hour

Latest Episodes

Host Eric Newman and LARB Editor-in-Chief Medaya Ocher speak with Columbia history professor Kim Phillips-Fein about her new book Country of Lords: Neo-Aristocrats, Social Darwinists, Tech Utopians, and the Long Fight Against Equality in America. Phi... more

This week we are listening back to Kate Wolf and Medaya Ocher speak with New Yorker staff writer Rachel Aviv as she discuss her first book, Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us. The book collects the stories of people ... more

Medaya Ocher and Eric Newman speak with the Nigerian writer Pemi Aguda about her debut novel, One Leg on Earth. Set in Lagos, a young woman is at the start of a promising new architecture career working on an ultra-luxury development when she becomes... more

Medaya Ocher, Kate Wolf, and Eric Newman come together for a special episode about aging. In the past decade, medical miracles and technological innovations have given us the chance to cheat or at least elude death longer. But what social and cultura... more

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Recent Guests

Rachel Aviv
Staff writer at The New Yorker; author of Strangers to Ourselves
The New Yorker
Episode: Rachel Aviv's "Strangers to Ourselves"
Pemi Aguda
Author of One Leg on Earth
Author, Transition Magazine (Hortense Spillers Assistant Editor)
Episode: Pemi Aguda's "One Leg on Earth"
Harriet Clark
Writer and author of The Hill
Author
Episode: Harriet Clark's "The Hill"
Carlos Barragán
Author of The Yahoo Boys, Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria's Romance Scammers
The New York Times (reporter/researcher)
Episode: Carlos Barragán's "The Yahoo Boys"
Barry Walters
Journalist and music critic; author of Mighty Real
Freelance; longtime writer for Village Voice, The Advocate, Spin, Rolling Stone, NPR, Pitchfork
Episode: Barry Walters' "Mighty Real"
Kimberlé Crenshaw
Legal scholar and author of Backtalker, An American Memoir
Harvard Law School; UCLA
Episode: Kimberlé Crenshaw's "Backtalker: an American Memoir"
Andrew Durbin
Writer and editor, editor-in-chief of Freeze, author of The Wonderful World That Almost Was
Freeze; Los Angeles Review of Books (interview subject)
Episode: Andrew Durbin's "The Wonderful World that Almost Was"
Sarah Wang
Debut novelist of New Skin, a mother-daughter story rooted in LA and immigrant contexts
Author, New Skin
Episode: Nose Jobs and Reality TV
MJ Corey
Psychodynamic therapist and author of Deconstructing the Kardashians, A New Media Manifesto
Author, Deconstructing the Kardashians
Episode: Nose Jobs and Reality TV

Hosts

Kate Wolf
Host of the show
Medaya Ocher
Editor-in-chief and host
Eric Newman
Host and producer

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 222 ratings
  • Found You

    Guys, what is happening! You’re over here now? I was getting worried. Also, pls bring back the mid-show book recommendation.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    kthy13
    Canada2 months ago
  • Los Angeles

    As filmmaker Thom Anderson says in his film, Los Angeles Plays Itself, it's not "LA" (cringe) it's Los Angeles.

    Audible
    3
    Anonymous
    United States6 months ago
  • As filmmaker Thom Anderson says in his film, Los Angeles Plays Itself, it's not "LA" (cringe) it's Los Angeles.

    Audible
    3
    Anonymous
    United States6 months ago
  • Happy Pride

    I really enjoyed the recent Pride episode. The interviews with Milo Todd and Vince Aletti were great.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    chabad fan
    United Statesa year ago
  • huge fan!

    I love the variety and consistency of the LARB podcast — the hosts are well-informed and articulate and likeable, and I really enjoy listening to them. They are also very grounded somehow, which is nice for a podcast about books and the zeitgeist and so on. That balance seems difficult to strike and I’m glad this podcast exists!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Sachita Nishal
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

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

The show is valued for thoughtful questions, breadth of topics, and high-quality book recommendations.
Listeners praise the show for its intelligent, engaging conversations and strong host-pod relationships.
Guests are consistently described as insightful and well-chosen, with deep expertise across literature, film, and culture.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#235
United States/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#232
Canada/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#87
Australia/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#92
Finland/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#113
Brazil/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#149
South Africa/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Pemi Aguda's "One Leg on Earth"
Q: What is the relationship between pregnancy, motherhood, and agency in the novel, and how do you approach these themes without reducing them to stereotypes?
Aguda notes that pregnancy becomes a site of power dynamics and social scrutiny, while the protagonist's agency evolves within a larger system of development and control; she emphasizes memory, history, and the city's forces as shaping factors rather than straightforward choice.
Pemi Aguda's "One Leg on Earth"
Q: How does architecture influence Lagos's emotional landscape in your book, and what role does the city's physical chaos play in shaping the characters?
She discusses Lagos's varied architectural landscapes—from colonial remnants to sprawling, divergent facades—and how this visual chaos mirrors the city's social and economic tensions, shaping the characters' experiences and ambitions.
Pemi Aguda's "One Leg on Earth"
Q: Can you describe the transition from writing short stories to a full-length novel and how that shifted your approach to the narrative?
Aguda explains that starting with a single character and then exploring multiple voices allowed her to amass 50,000 words for the class while maintaining a polyphonic texture; later feedback helped streamline the multiple perspectives into one cohesive arc.
Rachel Aviv's "Strangers to Ourselves"
Q: Why begin the book with your own hospitalization as a child?
Aviv explains that starting with her childhood experience creates a frame for understanding how interpretation and social response shape the experience of illness, setting up the central tension between pure anguish and its form in diagnosis and treatment.
Rachel Aviv's "Strangers to Ourselves"
Q: You've written for a long time about mental health—was this topic something you were always drawn to?
Yes, the interviewer notes the lifelong engagement with mental health topics, and Aviv explains that her interests grew from personal experiences and the complexity of communicating mental illness, which later shaped her approach to writing.

Audience Metrics

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

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Frequently Asked Questions About LARB Radio Hour

What is LARB Radio Hour about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Listeners tend to be literary-minded, culture-curious, and intellectually engaged, often drawn to deep-dive conversations with writers, filmmakers, journalists, and critics. The show regularly features authors, translators, historians, and filmmakers who discuss books, cinema, and broader cultural trends, with an emphasis on memory, identity, politics, and global perspectives. Noteworthy is the blend of intimate interviews, critical analysis, and end-of-episode book recommendations, which makes it a strong fit for audiences who want thoughtful, provocative conversations and cross-disciplinary ideas.

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How many episodes of LARB Radio Hour are there?

LARB Radio Hour launched 11 years ago and published 500 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact LARB Radio Hour?

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What guests have appeared on LARB Radio Hour?

Recent guests on LARB Radio Hour include:

1. Rachel Aviv
2. Pemi Aguda
3. Harriet Clark
4. Carlos Barragán
5. Barry Walters
6. Kimberlé Crenshaw
7. Andrew Durbin
8. Sarah Wang

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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