Library Talks

Feed your brain with the best live conversations from The New York Public Library. An eclectic mix of voices and perspectives, 'Library Talks' features your favorite writers and the ones you’ll love next.

Library Talks - Marilynne Robinson 04/30/2024

Library Talks - Marilynne Robinson Legendary novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson discusses her new book, Reading Genesis, with author Ayana Mathis. Often overlooked as a piece of literature, Robinson reconsiders The Book of Genesis and its exploration of themes that resonate throughout the Old and New Testaments. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/31054713

Hillary Rodham Clinton with Jennifer Weiner 04/16/2024

Hillary Rodham Clinton with Jennifer Weiner Hillary Rodham Clinton sits down with author Jennifer Weiner to discuss books, politics, and much more. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/30847038

Sasha Issenberg with Maggie Haberman: The Lie Detectives 04/02/2024

Sasha Issenberg with Maggie Haberman: The Lie Detectives Journalist and the author Sasha Issenberg sits down with the New York Times’ senior political correspondent Maggie Haberman to discuss his latest book, The Lie Detectives. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/30646003

Lyn Slater and Chloé Cooper Jones 03/19/2024

Lyn Slater and Chloé Cooper Jones The Accidental Icon Lyn Slater, a fashion and culture influencer, talks about her new book, How to Be Old, and reflects on life in her 60s. She speaks with Chloé Cooper Jones, author of the bestselling memoir Easy Beauty. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/30422433

Chasing Bruno Schulz: Benjamin Balint with Joshua Cohen 03/05/2024

Chasing Bruno Schulz: Benjamin Balint with Joshua Cohen Author and journalist Benjamin Balint sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Joshua Cohen to discuss Balint’s latest book Bruno Schulz, a fresh portrait of the Polish-Jewish writer and artist that draws on extensive new reporting and archival research. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/30246288

Álvaro Enrigue with Marie Arana: You Dreamed of Empires 02/21/2024

Álvaro Enrigue with Marie Arana: You Dreamed of Empires The author of Sudden Death returns with a new novel that reimagines the destinies of Tenochtitlan. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/30042083

Heather Cox Richardson with Andrew Delbanco: Democracy Awakening 02/06/2024

Heather Cox Richardson with Andrew Delbanco: Democracy Awakening Historian and author Heather Cox Richardson sits down with Andrew Delbanco to discuss her most recent book, Democracy Awakening. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/29826243

Lesbian Poetic Traditions: Judy Grahn and Friends 01/23/2024

Lesbian Poetic Traditions: Judy Grahn and Friends The iconic feminist poet Judy Grahn re-explores the traditions of lesbian poetry from Sappho to Pat Parker and beyond. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/29603543

Vauhini Vara with Leslie Jamison: This Is Salvaged 01/09/2024

Vauhini Vara with Leslie Jamison: This Is Salvaged Prize-winning author Vauhini Vara sits down with Leslie Jamison to discuss her first collection of short stories, This Is Salvaged. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/29406098

Ayana Mathis and Justin Torres 12/26/2023

Ayana Mathis and Justin Torres Authors Ayana Mathis, author of The Unsettled, and Justin Torres, author of Blackouts, speak about their award-winning novels. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/29231363

Outrageous: Kliph Nesteroff with Marc Maron 12/12/2023

Outrageous: Kliph Nesteroff with Marc Maron In this episode of Library Talks, author Kliph Nesteroff sits down with comedian Marc Maron to discuss his new book, Outrageous, which chronicles the controversies of American show business and the ongoing attempts to change what we watch, read, and hear. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/29040738

Far from Over: The Fight for the Equal Rights Amendment 11/28/2023

Far from Over: The Fight for the Equal Rights Amendment Politicians and activists discuss the continuing push to revive the much-contested Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/28810323

Mary Beard with Tim Gunn: Emperor of Rome 11/14/2023

Mary Beard with Tim Gunn: Emperor of Rome Mary Beard returns to the Library to talk with Tim Gunn about her new book, Emperor of Rome, her long-awaited follow up to the international bestseller SPQR. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/28625043

C Pam Zhang with Padma Lakshmi: Land of Milk and Honey 10/31/2023

C Pam Zhang with Padma Lakshmi: Land of Milk and Honey In this episode of Library Talks, C Pam Zhang sits down with Padma Lakshmi to discuss her latest novel Land of Milk and Honey, which tells the story of climate disaster and a young chef discovering pleasure at the end of the world. Zhang is the winner of the Academy of Arts and Letters Rosenthal Award and the Asian/Pacific Award for Literature, a Booker Prize nominee, and a finalist for numerous other prizes, including the the PEN/Hemingway Award and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Zhang’s writing appears in Best American Short Stories, The Cut, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. She is a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree and a New York Public Library Cullman Fellow. Padma Lakshmi is an Emmy-nominated producer, television host, food expert, and a New York Times best-selling author and one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People (2023). /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/28468010

Matthew Desmond and Andrea Elliott: Poverty, by America 10/17/2023

Matthew Desmond and Andrea Elliott: Poverty, by America Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond’s latest book, Poverty, by America, reimagines the American debate on poverty, making an original and ambitious argument about why it persists here: because too many of us benefit from it. In this episode of Library Talks, Desmond speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Andrea Elliot to discuss his new ways of thinking around this morally urgent, uniquely American problem—and imagines practical, achievable solutions for making poverty disappear. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/28334201

Building the World We Want: Artificial Intelligence and Global Governance 10/03/2023

Building the World We Want: Artificial Intelligence and Global Governance Acclaimed scholar and writer Alondra Nelson leads a discussion on the transnational impacts of artificial intelligence and the need for global collaboration. Speakers include Karen Kornbluh, Maria Ressa, Olatunbosun Tijani, Tim Wu /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/28203494

Luis Alberto Urrea: Good Night, Irene 09/19/2023

Luis Alberto Urrea: Good Night, Irene The new novel by award-winning author Luis Alberto Urrea, Good Night, Irene, tells an overlooked story of women’s heroism in World War II, inspired by the experiences of his own mother. Urrea speaks about his “moving and graceful tribute to heroic women” that asks whether a friendship forged on the front lines of war defines a life forever. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/28067553

Sasha Velour and Joe E. Jeffreys: Drag Manifesto 09/05/2023

Sasha Velour and Joe E. Jeffreys: Drag Manifesto Sasha Velour is an iconic queen. Turns out she’s also a historian! In this episode of Library Talks, Velour sits down with drag historian Joe E. Jeffreys to discuss her new book, The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag, a treasure trove of revelations about radical queer expressions throughout time. The revered entertainer and winner of RuPaul's Drag Race weaves together gender theory, politics, and memoir to tell the story of drag. Velour redefines drag for a new generation while uncovering the history of queer life that made it all possible. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/27915159

Sherrilyn Ifill: How America Ends and Begins Again 08/22/2023

Sherrilyn Ifill: How America Ends and Begins Again Welcome back! The Library presents conversations with an incredible array of authors, performers, activists, and thinkers, and our Library Talks podcast brings some of those conversations to you. Today we are relaunching the show with Sherrilyn Iffill delivering the annual Robert B. Silvers Lecture, titled How America Ends and Begins Again. Within this dangerous period of accelerated democratic unraveling, Sherrilyn Ifill argues that our country has a unique opportunity. Can we use this moment to build at long last a healthy, multiracial democracy anchored in the values of equality and justice? /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/27697023

Stonewall 50: The Sound of Memory 06/23/2019

Stonewall 50: The Sound of Memory The Stonewall Riots were a flash point in LGBTQ history. After the riots that took place at the Stonewall Inn in June 1969, the LGBTQ civil rights movement went from handfuls of pioneering activists to a national movement mobilizing thousands. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/10242017

Before Stonewall 06/16/2019

Before Stonewall Frank Collerius, Manager of the Jefferson Market branch at NYPL, interviews writer and curator Hugh Ryan about his new book 'when brooklyn was queer.' We also hear a reading of 'The How and Why of Virginia,' the personal story of Virginia Prince, the founder and editor of the magazine 'Transvestia,' read by actor LeLand Gantt. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/10154585

Marlon James Gets Nerdy with Kevin Young 06/09/2019

Marlon James Gets Nerdy with Kevin Young Marlon James is a Jamaican novelist and winner of the Man Booker Prize. His recent book is the first in a epic trilogy that blends myth, fantasy, and history—what James has described as "African Game of Thrones." He spoke with fellow fantasy and comic book fan, Kevin Young, who is a poet and the Director for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. They talked about James' two years of research for the series, map making, Afrofuturism, and books they love, while unleashing their inner nerd. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/10076012

A History of the Queer Press 06/02/2019

A History of the Queer Press The Gay Liberation Front was an organization recognized for publishing the first gay liberation newspaper in the world,"Come Out!". It provided openly queer media exposure for many activists, writers, and artists. In conjunction with the NYPL exhibition Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50, founding members of the GLF, Perry Brass and Karla Jay, speak with media and activism scholar Michael Bronski, and Kathy Tu and Tobin Low, co-hosts of WNYC Studios’ podcast Nancy. They discussed the fight for inclusion in the media, the rise of the queer press in the 1960s and 70s, and the lasting impact of its legacy. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/10003694

Erin Lee Carr and Ta-Nehisi Coates Remember David Carr 05/26/2019

Erin Lee Carr and Ta-Nehisi Coates Remember David Carr Documentary filmmaker Erin Lee Carr remembers her father, legendary journalist David Carr, in a moving new memoir, "All That You Leave Behind." Erin Lee Carr, went looking for support and comfort in the lifetime of correspondence that they had shared. She was also looking for clues—advice the famous mentor, journalist, and father might have to offer on how to cope with her devastating loss, and continue on with her life and career. Erin Lee Carr will be joined by one of her father’s admiring mentees, Ta-Nehisi Coates, to discuss the legacy David Carr has left for his family, the journalistic community, and readers at large. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/9920744

How Robert Caro Writes About Power and the Powerless 05/19/2019

How Robert Caro Writes About Power and the Powerless At age 83, Robert Caro pulls back the curtains on his process, in his new book "Working." He also answers the question he is asked most often: why does it take him so long to write his books? Caro is the author of the Robert Moses biography "The Power Broker" and "The Years of Lyndon Johnson," The biographer, who has spent much time doing what he does best in the Allen Room of The New York Public Library, returns to share some stories of his own with William P. Kelly, The New York Public Library’s Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/9828899

Breaking New Ground with Dr. Carla Hayden and Tracy K. Smith 05/12/2019

Breaking New Ground with Dr. Carla Hayden and Tracy K. Smith Dr. Carla Hayden is the 14th Librarian of Congress, the first African American and the first woman to hold this position. Tracy K. Smith is the 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States, and Director and Professor of Creative Writing at Princeton University. In a conversation with Schomburg Director, Kevin Young they discussed their work, the future of Black librarianship and the democratization of libraries /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/9744779

Jill Abramson and Jane Mayer's Insider Take on the News 05/05/2019

Jill Abramson and Jane Mayer's Insider Take on the News The former executive editor of "The New York Times" tells the story of the news industry in her new book "." Jill Abramson traces the past ten years of four major news outlets and their prospective futures in the face of rapidly changing technologies, shifting business models, and a president who almost daily assails the mainstream media as fake news. She spoke with long-time friend and colleague, investigative reporter Jane Mayer. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/9653600

Eliza Griswold Uncovers the Human Cost of Fracking 04/28/2019

Eliza Griswold Uncovers the Human Cost of Fracking Journalist, Eliza Griswold just won a Pulitzer Prize and a Bernstein Award for her recent book,"Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America." Even at its most basic level, the book is a fascinating story about the energy boom's relationship to the natural land. But it's also a moving portrait of a family—a resolute mother trying to care for her two children, sickened by the fracking fallout. Griswold sat down with NYPL's Gwen Glazer to talk about the making of this story, immersion journalism, and where things stand in rural America today. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/9556289

Shane Bauer's Undercover Reporting from Inside a Private Prison 04/21/2019

Shane Bauer's Undercover Reporting from Inside a Private Prison Going undercover as a prison guard in Winnifield, Louisiana, journalist Shane Bauer exposes the brutality of for-profit private prison systems, and this country's history of outsourcing criminal punishment in his book This stunning work recently won NYPL's 2019 Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism. In this conversation with Aidan Flax-Clark, Bauer discusses the making of this book, the dangers of private prisons in the U.S., and his personal difficulties balancing his identities as a prison guard and reporter. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/9466529

Emily Bazelon and Stacey Abrams talk Criminal Justice Reform 04/14/2019

Emily Bazelon and Stacey Abrams talk Criminal Justice Reform In the search for meaningful criminal justice reform, are prosecutors one of the keys to change? In her new book, "Charged," journalist Emily Bazelon argues that prosecutors play an "outsize role" in mass incarceration -- from choosing the charge to setting bail to determining the plea bargain. To discuss the issue, Bazelon was joined by Stacey Abrams, a lawyer, novelist and politician who in 2018 campaigned for criminal justice reform as a candidate in a historic race for governor in Georgia. /episode/index/show/newyorkpubliclibrary/id/9385106

Library Talks

TOPICS