Always Authors

”Finding Feminism” with Amber Tamblyn and Jessica Valenti

In this invigorating conversation, they discuss how to survive in this hellscape of a world after the overturning of Roe V. Wade; the political and cultural gaslighting that women face, and how to find your intuitive process. 

Sulari Gentill and Robert Gott ”There’s a High Corpse Count...”

In this lively romp, Sulari and Robert reveal the ways they injure their characters tastefully, compare how they handle bad reviews and debunk the myth that Australia is the home of scary, venomous creatures.  

Antoine Wilson and Sarah Manguso ”Ride the Wave You’re On”

In this free-flowing discussion, Antoine and Sarah explore the transition from writing non-fiction to fiction, mull the motivation of likeability in their approach to their work and examine whether poets smoke more weed than fiction writers. 

Chloe Gong and Tashie Bhuiyan ”What if They Didn’t Mean it Like That?”

In this wonderfully exuberant conversation, these ex-roommates extol the benefits of including suggestions from friends into their books, examine Chloe’s “sighing problem” whenever she writes, and re-visit the origin story of Harry Styles following Tashie on social media. Spoiler alert: between offering great insight about the craft of writing, they laugh. A lot. 

Jill Bialosky and Lynn Steger Strong ”I Write to Embarrass my Ancestors”

Lynn and Jill examine Jill's latest novel, The Deceptions, to take a deep dive into a variety of issues, such as personal power, shame, and the complicated ways patriarchal systems affect feminine sensibilities within the creative process, and inform their receptions in the world.

Rebecca Makkai and Aleksandar Hemon ”Around the World in 84 Books”

In addition to sneak peaks of their  books arriving in early 2023, Rebecca and Aleksandar discuss her new literary initiative Around the World in 84 Books, wherein she will read a single book from 84 different countries beginning in September 2022. 

”Nostalgia Is an Inherited Trait.” with Jess Walter and Amor Towles

On this episode we are excited to bring you former National Book Award finalist and winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award, Jess Walter, author of the number one NY times bestseller The Beautiful Ruins, which spent more than a year on the bestseller list, as well as the national bestselling novel Cold Millions, and his latest short story collection The Angel of Rome and Other Stories. Jess is joined by Amor Towles, the NY Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility, A Gentleman From Moscow, and his latest novel, The Lincoln Highway that debuted at number one on the NY Times best seller list and was on the annual book recommendation lists of Bill Gates and Barack Obama. These two friends compare their early story-telling inspirations from Hollywood and music, parse the merits of timely vs timeless writing and examine their yearning to have lived in other eras. 

”Shut Up, Lindsey.” with Bakari Sellers and Jonathan Martin

​This episode debuts an occasional special series called "Live At…" wherein we record a live conversation at an independent bookstore. From Charleston, South Carolina, we bring you Live at Buxton Books.
CNN political analyst Bakari Sellers, author of the NY Times bestseller My Vanishing Country, speaks with  CNN political analyst and NY Times national correspondent Jonathan Martin. 
Set against the backdrop of the January 6th hearings, these two friends and colleagues discuss Jonathan’s new book This Will Not Pass, which he co-authored with Alexander Burns. This riveting work presents an inside look at the political events leading up to the January 6th insurrection, first hand reporting inside the Capitol on that fateful day and a detailed look at the political aftermath over the past 15 months. You will hear never before revealed stories, both hilarious and horrifying, of current figures who have been at the center of this political maelstrom.

”Write the Story You Want To Write.” with Zakiya Dalila Harris and Kellye Garrett

Zakiya Dalila Harris is the author of the debut novel The Other Black Girl, which she is adapting into a Netflix series produced by Rashida Jones. Zakiya received her MFA in creative writing from The New School then spent nearly three years in editorial at Knopf/Doubleday. Her essays and book reviews have appeared in Cosmopolitan, Guernica, and The Rumpus. 
Zakiya is joined by Kellye Garrett, author of the suspense novel Like A Sister which was featured on the TODAY show and was a Book of the Month April 2022 selection. She also wrote the Detective by Day lightweight mysteries, which have won the Anthony, Agatha, Lefty and IPPY awards and have been featured on the TODAY show as a Best Summer Read. Kellye also wrote for the hit TV series Cold Case and is a co-founder of Crime Writers of Color.
Speaking for the first time, Zakiya and Kellye share with each other the role TV writing has played in their book authorship, the courage it takes to write unapologetically about their experience, and how to make the current "golden age” of BIPOC mystery writing more than a trend.

”I Am My Wildest Dream.” with Keah Brown and Ryan O’Connell

Keah Brown is the creator of #DisabledAndCute, journalist, screenwriter, author and whose writing has appeared in Teen Vogue, Elle, and The New York Times, among other publications. Her debut essay collection, The Pretty One is out now and her debut picture book, Sam’s Super Seats will be out in the Fall of 2022. 
Keah is joined by Ryan O'Connell, actor, director and writer whose work has appeared in Vice, BuzzFeed, and other publications including The New York Times. He is the author of the memoir, I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, which he adapted into the Emmy nominated TV series Special on Netflix. His new novel, Just By Looking At Him, is set to drop on June 7th and he plays Julian on Queer as Folk, which debuts June 9th on Peacock.
In their first ever conversation with each other, these multi-hyphenate authors get real about the benefits of their Virgo-driven ambition, the constant struggle to push back against the limitations placed on them as disabled artists and the importance of savoring their success.