Join us this fall for more in-depth exploration of the work of diverse and emerging authors.
Host Rachel Barenbaum and her guests go beyond the pages of each book, discussing not only the characters and themes, but the writing process itself—from finding writing groups to navigating the evolving world of publishing.
Check out the show page for each episode to discover downloadable PDF discussion questions for readers and book clubs.
Check This Out is proud to partner with The PEN/Faulkner Foundation to champion new voices in literature.
Listen to all the back episodes on NHPR.org or download the show as a podcast!
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A complex meditation on Black history set in West Tennessee, a family saga where the Devil plays a leading role. -
A Black Southern family drama unfolds as the sins of a favorite son rock a small Mississippi town. -
A debut novel that takes us to a small village in 18th-century England where neighbors are convinced five sisters are turning into dogs. -
Host Rachel Barenbaum speaks with Ruben Reyes Jr. about his new book "Archive of Unknown Universes" followed by media maven Zibby Owens to get a view of what's happening in the publishing world today. -
Jennifer Armentrout is proving that the next giant of fiction doesn’t need a giant publisher, as we talk with her about her latest "romantasy" novel. -
A wacky caper involving kidnapped Western bachelors and snail conservation becomes a personal reckoning with the war in Ukraine. -
A debut novel about missing teenage boy, cases of fluid and mistaken identity, and the transformative power of boxing. "The Slip" tackles race, gender and questions of identity with a mix of the absurd and the sublime. -
A coming-of-middle-age novel full of humor and grief. When Abe Jacobs is faced with an unthinkable diagnosis, he follows his fragile hope for a cure to the Mohawk rez where he grew up. -
A young Stanford graduate caught between worlds of race and class, glamour and tragedy, a friend’s mysterious death and his own arrest. Pulled into the court system and mandated treatment, he finds himself in an absurd but dangerous situation: his class protects him, but his race does not. -
Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. We follow her journey across a transformed city as she walks and reflects on life and hopes for the future.
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