Always Authors

Adrienne Young and Isabel Ibanez ”So You Want to Write a Book”

On this episode we are excited to bring you Adrienne Young and Isabel Ibanez, who recently co-wrote The Storyteller's Workbook, An Inspirational, Interactive Guide to the Craft of Novel Writing.  Adrienne, the New York Times besteslling author of the Sky and Sea duology, and the Fable series; and Isabel, an award-winning designer and the author of Woven in Moonlight, which was included in Time's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time. …. discuss their collaboration and how its many features serve as an inspirational and organizational companion to the journey of creating a book. They also provide a sneak peak of their next novels and compare notes on how they use The Gilmore Girls to reset their creative juices.  

Ashley Griffin and Stephen Schwartz ”The Magical Work of the Unconscious”

A must listen for aspiring writers of any genre, Ashley and Stephen explore the commonalities of multiple artistic vocabularies, including adapting novels to theater, pairing technique with the magical work of the unconscious, and finding confidence as the youngest creative person in the room.  

”Freezing Bits of Time” with Alan Gratz and Ransom Riggs

In this reflective discussion, Alan and Ransom mull the nature of nostalgia in the digital age, compare early video games and explain how to find your way to a story through detailed research. 
You'll also learn about the Ghost Army. Seriously.

”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.