Books Are My People

This week, author and Drag Queen Story Hour founder Michelle Tea visits and talks to us about her new Press, Dopamine, its forthcoming anthology, Sluts and how she generates so much writing. This episode of Books Are My People is sponsored by The Year We Danced, A Memoir by Stephen E. Smith Books Discussed:Sluts Anthology edited by Michelle TeaMy Child The Algorithm by Hannah SilvaSkunks by Fiona WarnickCandy Darling : Dreamer Superstar by Candy DarlingMissing White Woman by Kellye GarrettLuster by Raven LeilaniOther Things Discussed:MISA: Madeline Island Arts SchoolSign up for my Read With Me Series in May where we are reading The Book of Ayn by Lexi FreimanApartment Guide’s on 7 Guidelines for building a home library featuring some bookshelf advice by yours truly. Visit Michelle Tea’s Website here. Find Michelle Tea on Instagram @michelleteazFind Michelle on Facebook @MichelleTeaSupport the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Collage artist and printmaker Sarah Z. Short talks about her creative process,  how language figures into her art, the books she used to love to teach and, she recommends some of her favorite reads on episode 124 of Books Are My People. Books Discussed:The Hunter by Tana FrenchReal Americans by Rachel KhongFourth Wing by Rebecca YarrowOne Hundred Days by Alice PungThe Story of Art Without Men by Katy HesselSarah Z. Short WebsiteSarah Z. Short on Instagram Other Things Discussed:The Women by Kritsin Hannah giveaway closes 5/9/24  US mailing addresses only. Click here to be taken to my Substack Read with me series in May is The Book Of Ayn by Lexi Frieman  FSG Poetry hotline 385 3425374 Monday - Friday in AprilInstructables CompetitionGeorge Orwell’s 1984 audiobook linkSupport the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

#123 with Jo Piazza The Sicilian InheritanceThis week, I talk food and books with The Sicilian Inheritance author and podcaster extraordinaire, Jo Piazza.Book RecommendedThe Sicilian Inheritance by Jo PiazzaThe Secret Book of Flora Lee by Patti Callahan HenryThe House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ KluneFinlay Donovan is Killing it by Elle CosimanoFinlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle CosimanoFinlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle CosimanoThe Husbands by Holly GramazioBreaking and Entering by Don GilmoreOther things mentioned:The Sicilian Inheritance Podcast (Watch the trailer)Under the Influence Podcast Where to find Jo Piazza:Substack: Over the Influence @JopiazzaInstagram: @joypiazzaauthorBook Giveaway: Monsters We Have Made closes Wednesday, April 17th To Enter: Visit and post a comment on my Instagram Page and make sure you subscribe to my Books Are My People newsletter on Substack. Open to US mailing addresses only. Gain extra entries by tagging friends and sharing in your stories. Link to LA Times Festival of Books. Sponsorship: reach out to booksaremypeople@gmail.com  Link to my Books Are My People SubstackSupport the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Author Garrard Conley (Boy Erased) speaks with me about his latest novel, All The World Beside. We talk about the research involved in writing historical fiction, how he helped change legislature, and some scandalous letters he discovered while conducting research. ,Books Recommended:All the World Beside by Garrard ConleyExhibit by R.O. KwonJames by Percival EverettThe Son of Man by Jean-Baptiste del AmoThe Morningside by Tea ObrechtThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Other Books Mentioned:Anamalia by Jean-Baptiste del AmoRamona Ausebel, author of The Last Animal, recommends Beautyland by Marie-Helene BertinoGarrard Conley's Links:Instagram @gayrodconTwitter @gayrodconpodcast : History UnerasedGiveaway for Amy Lin’s Here After closes on 3/27/24Open to U.S. mailing addreses only.My Read With Me series on Substack begins in May. We Will be reading The Book of Ayn by Lexi Freiman March 27th at 9 am PT Free Book Cover Art Along and Book Discussion. You must be registered here to attend. April 2: Substack Paying Subscriber Discussion on The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee and the TV series, The Expats time: TBD Hugo awards ArticleTournament of BooksSupport the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

In episode #121, graphic memoirist, Kelcey Ervick joins the show to talk about her graphic memoir and what it’s like to write about and draw her lived experience.  Books Recommended:I Was Their American Dream by Malaka GharibThe Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft Good Talk by Mira JacobThe Painter’s Daughter by Emily HowesGive Me Space But Don't Go Far by Haley Weaver Kelcey's books:The Keeper: Soccer, Me, and the Law that Changed Women's Lives Field Guide to Graphic LiteratureFind Kelcey online:WebsiteSubstackInstagramJoin the Books Are My People Bookclub on SubstackFind a Silent Book Club Near YouSupport the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Roxana Robinson (Leaving) and I discuss novels that move us, Parisian sewers and best approaches to teaching writing.  Books Recommended:Leaving by Roxana RobinsonUnderland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert MacFarlanePiglet by Lottie HazellTrespasses Louise KennedyAlice Sadie Celine by Sarah Blakley-CartrightLate in the Day by Tessa Hadley Guest Author Recommendation:Mrs. Gulliver by Valerie MartinTwitter: @ValerieMmartThe Morning Star by Karl Ove KnausgaardOther Things Discussed:The Expatriates in March and Expats on SubstackFind Roxana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roxana.robinsonAnd on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxanarobinsonauthor/Wesbsite: https://www.roxanarobinson.com Find me on Instagram @jennifercaloyerasSupport the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

In episode #119, John Evans, owner of Diesel Bookstore talks about selling his independent bookstore, what he'll miss most and how books help us deal with difficult subjects such as war.   Click below to purchase the books at my affiliate Bookshop.org shop, which gives money back to Diesel Bookstore and supports this show. Books recommended:Trilogy by H.D.Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire DedererHomage to Catalonia by George OrwellThe Children’s Bach by Helen GarnerCeremony by Leslie Marmon Silko Other books mentioned:The Interestings by Meg WolitzerThe Position by Meg WolitzerVisit Diesel bookstore onlineDiesel Bookstore on InstagramLiterary StampsSupport the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

This week, on episode #117 of Books Are My People, I'm visited by H. Maria Armijo a visual artist, librarian and instructor on a mission to boost community literacy.  We talk books and the importance of information literacy.Books recommended:Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran The Vulnerables by Sigrid NunezI’d Rather Burn Than Bloom by Shannon C. RogersYou Dreamed of Empires by Albert Enrigue translated by Natasha WimmerThe Skull by Jon KlassenGuest author recommendation: Angela Brown, author of Olivia Strauss Is Running Out Of Time recommends Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major  Visit H. Maria Armijo's websiteH. Maria Armijo's InstagramSign up for my Read with Me January Read Along: Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam ZhangSign up for my Book Social happening on Thursday, January 18th at 5 pm PT.  We will share what books we are reading and loving in January. Check out @Blueshineart's artwork and classes. Link to copyright free songs and books.  Support the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Learn about three new works of fiction, one memoir and a backlisted short fiction collection. Join my book club if you're looking for a book community. I talk about book bans in Florida, reading goals and Keanu Reeves. Books Recommended:Birnam Wood by Eleanor CattonThe Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions by Jonathan RosenSafe As Houses by Marie-Helene BertinoThe New Naturals by Gabriel BumpGreek Lessons by Han Kang translated by Deborah Smith and e. yaewon Jennifer Belle, author of Swanna in Love recommends True Grit by Charles PortisOther Books Discussed:Beautyland by Marie Helene BertinoParakeet by Marie Helene BertinoJoin February’s Read Along of Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam ZhangSign up on Substack to receive my Book Release Newsletter  Support the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Today, on episode #116, Andy Hunter CEO of Bookshop.org stops by and talks about how he started his company and he shares some of his favorite recent reads.One of the best things you can do to support my free podcast is to purchase books through my affiliate links below! Or, buy me a coffee! (I do love coffee!)Books Recommended:The Maniac by Benjamin LabatutNonfiction by Julia MyersonThe Book Of Ayn by Lexi FreimanThe Fetishist by Katherine MinDidn't Nobody Give A Shit What Happened to Carlotta by James HannahamOther Books Discussed:Love and Hydrogen by Jim ShepardClick here to follow me on Substack and join me for our February Read With Me: Land of Milk and HoneySupport the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Today, my father and screenwriter Ron Clark and I talk movies and I recommend my favorite reads from 2024. Books recommended:Chain-Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah The Fraud by Zadie SmithBig Swiss by Jen Beagin The Bee Sting by Paul MurrayDeath Valley by Melissa Brodeur Guest Author Recommendations by Betsy Marro, author of Casualties. Betsy recommends Make It Stop by Jim Ruland Other Books Discussed: Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam ZhangFind Betsy oon her Substack, Spark.Link to Elizabeth Marro's book, Casualties. Visit me on Substack. Find me on Instagram. Movies Discussed:The HoldoversOppenheimerFlowers of the Killer MoonMonsterSupport the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Today on episode #114 I go back in time and review my favorite book from 2014.  Etsy Link To My JournalsSend me an email at booksaremypeople@gmail.com with your address I will send you a handmade collage! Books recommended in 2014Euphoria by Lily KingAll My Puny Sorrows by Miriam ToewsA Girl is A Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBrideBoy Snow Bird by Helen OyeyemiDept of Speculation by Jenny OffilllSupport the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Today, on episode #113, Michelle Porter and I discuss her debut fiction novel, A Grandmother Begins The Story. Books Recommended:A Grandmother Begins The Story by Michelle PorterGlory by Noviolet Bulawayo North Woods by Daniel MasonWhitemud walking by Matthew James WeigelThe Golem of Brooklyn by Adam MansbachThe Circle by Katherena Vermette Guest Author Recommendation: Holly M.  Wendt, author of Heading North Recommends Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese  Links Mentioned:Link up to the story of my lost dog  Buy my handmade upcycled book journalshttps://www.etsy.com/shop/booksaremypeople?ref=shop_sugg_market&section_id=44535495 Watch Ada Limon’s read “Dear Human At The Edge Of Time” included in the National Climate Assessment. Support the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Today, I get a visit from one of my favorite authors, Edward Carrey. We talk about his latest novel, Edith Holler.  Books Recommended:Edith Holler by Edward CarreySeeking Fortunes Elsewhere: Stories by Sindya BhanooThe Fraud by Zadie SmithGolem Girl: A Memoir by Riva LehrerMy Brilliant Friend: The Graphic Novel: Based on the novel by Elena Ferrante by Chiara Lagani and Mara CerriKappa by Ryunosuke AkutagawaOther Books Discussed:Little by Edward CarreyThe Swallowed Man by Edward CarreyMy Brilliant Friend by Elena FerranteLink to apply to adopt an adorable puppy I’m fostering. Link to Edward Carrey’s website Link to download the toy theater from Carrey’s website in black and whiteand link to download the toy theater in color.Find me on SubstackFind me oon Instagram. Support the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Today, on episode #111, I recommend five great  reads. Books Recommended:Pet by Catherine ChidgeyThe Art Thief by Michael FinkelShark Heart by Emily HaebeckOur Town by Thornton WilderNotes on An Execution by Danya Kukafka Other BooksNever Whistle at Night Edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris Here is the link to my Substack.Here is the link to my All You Have To Do Is Call book giveaway closing 11/2Letter from Steinbeck to his son.My most recent Live book recommendation  with Annie Sullivan of So This Support the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

On  episode #110 I speak with author Kerri Maher. We talk about reproductive rights, historical fiction and her latest novel, All You Have To Do Is Call.Sign up for my weekly book recommendation  newsletter here. Find me on Substack here.  Books Reccomended:All You Have To Do Is Call by Kerri MaherTake My Hand by Dolen Perkins-ValdezThe Bee Sting by Paul MurrayA Special Place for Women by Laura HankinDeath Valley by Melissa BroderThe House of Eve by Sadeqa JohnsonGuest author recommendation:The Meadows by Stephanie Oaks recommends The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by  Shannon Chakraborty, Other Books Discussed:Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix (Explore the Creature Feature series here.)Our Strangers by Lydia DavisDoppleganger by Naomi KleinTom Lake by Anne Patchett All you have to do is Call book giveaway: This giveaway will close on Thursday, November 2nd, and I will announce a winner on my Instagram Giveaway post on November 3rd. This is Open to U.S. mailing addresses only. To enter: Follow me on Instagram, click here to leave a comment  below the All You Have To Do Is Call  giveaway post and sign up for my weekly Books Are My People newsletter , out each Tuesday with new books releases, paperback releases and more if you haven’t yet already. You can gain extra entries by sharing the giveaway post in your stories and by tagging your book-loving friends.Banned Book wagon tour stops.Monty Hall ProblemVictoria Authors Festival Support the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Today, on episode #109, I speak with young adult Kayvion Lewis, author of the recently published Thieves’ Gambit. We talk about her writing process and her adventurous spirit is so infectious!  Book Recommended:Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion LewisDaughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan Black Sheep by Rachel HarrisonYellow Face by R.F. Kuang Whalefall by Daniel Kraus Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix Guest author Emily Brightwell, author of Mrs. Jeffries Aims to Win recommends Redshirts by John ScalziOther books:Starter Villian by John ScalziSee my art in The Nelligan Review.Shop my art and upcycled book journals. Giveaway: I am giving away TWO copies of Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall. This giveaway will close on publication day, October 10th, and I will announce the two winners on this post on October 11th. Open to U.S. mailing addresses only. To enter: Follow me on Instagram, click here to leave a comment  and sign up for my weekly Books Are My People newsletter, out each Tuesday with new books releases, paperback releases and more in my Linktree on Instagram. Gain extra entries by sharing this post in your stories and tagging your book-loving friends. Annie Sullivan of SoThis and I went live with book recommendations. Click here to check it out! Esquire article on Blurbs: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a44948120/book-publishing-broken-blurbs-system/Support the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Today, on episode #108, I speak with Hannah Carlson, who has a PHD in material culture, to talk about her book, Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close.Books Recommended:The Mummies of Urumchi by Elizabeth Wayland BarberHappiness Falls by Angie KimQueen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline WeberRouge by Mona AwadBarbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William FinneganGuest author recommendation: Laura Zimmerman Just Do This One Thing For MeRecommendsWeather by Jenny Offill Other Books Discussed:Prophet by Sin Blanche and Helen McDonald Miracle Creek by Angie KimUp Next:Pet by Catherine ChidgeyThe Fraud by Zadie Smith Annie Sullivan and I recommend book live on Instagram @JenniferCaloyeras 9 am 9 /19Shop my Journals and Art in my Etsy Shop The Weaver and the Witch Queen Giveaway Link, closes Thursday, 9/14 Sign up for my weekly newsletter out each Tuesday.Follow me on Substack. Follow me on InstagramSupport the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Today, on episode 107 I speak with author Denene Millner about her latest novel, One Blood, and her experience novelizing the film Dreamgirls.Click on any of the links below to purchase the books discussed. Shownotes:My upcycled book journals are on sale with 25% off through September 15th, 2023 with the code: ENDOFSUMMER Free shipping free when you spend $35 or more. Click here to shop! Book Giveaway: The Weaver and the Witch QueenAll you have to do to enter is click here and comment on my The Weaver and the Witch Queen post on my Instagram account, and sign up for my weekly Books Are My. People Newsletter, which comes out each Tuesday on New Book Release Day. You can gain extra entries by sharing the post and tagging friends in the comments. This giveaway will close on Thursday, September 14th and I will announce a winner on the original post on Friday, September 15th. Where to find me online: Instagram @jennifercaloyerasSubstack: Jennifer CaloyerasEmail: booksaremypeople@gmail.comSign up link for my Books Are My People Weekly Newsletter here.  Books Recommended:On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean VuongWhat Never Happened by Rachel Howzell HallTar Beach by Faith RinggoldRipe by Sarah Rose EtterSong of Solomon by Toni Morrison Other Books Discussed:The Weaver and The Witch Queen by Genevieve GornichecThe Witch’s Heart by Genevieve GornichecMedusa’s Sisters by Lauren J. A. Bear The Warriors by Sol YurickPockets: An Intimate History of How We keep things close by Hannah CarlsonSupport the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!

Shownotes:Today, on episode #106,  I am joined by screenwriter, Ron Clark, who also happens to be my father. We discuss the writer's strike, Stephen Sondheim, my dad's secret fear and, we hum, in addition to recommending books, of course. Click on any of the titles to be taken to my bookshop.org shop.  Permanent Linkups: Sign up for my weekly newsletterFollow me on Substack Follow me on Instagram Take a writing class with me Buy a unique, upcycled journal for book lovers Reach out and email me at booksaremypeople@gmail.com Books Recommended:The English Teacher by Lily KingThe Finale by D.T. MaxWide Sargasso Sea by Jean RhysMiss Lonely Hearts by Nathaniel WestA Cool Million by Nathaniel WestThe Day of the Locust by Nathaniel West Guest author recommendation from Eva Silverfine: Shark Heart by Emily HabeckEphemeral Wings by Eva SilverfineHow To Bury Your Dog by Eva SilverfineElastic Walls by Eva SilverfineEva Silverfine on Episode #78 of Books Are My PeopleOther things discussed:The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca SklootBooker Prize LonglistUp next:Oscar Hammerstein and the Invention Of The Musical by Laurie WeinerWhalefall by Daniel Kraus Support the Show.I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week!