Paraphrase

Paraphrase is a podcast all about literary beginnings, from the first words in novel to the first steps in a career. Host Stephen Fishbach asks novelists to discuss the craft and thematic decisions behind the beginnings of their books.

Sara Levine on 'Treasure Island!!!' 12/23/2024

Sara Levine on 'Treasure Island!!!' Sara Levine joins me to discuss her novel 'Treasure Island!!!' When a college graduate with a history of hapless jobs (ice cream scooper, gift wrapper, laziest ever part-time clerk at The Pet Library) reads Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island, she is dumbstruck by the timid design of her life. Convinced that Stevenson's book is cosmically intended for her, she redesigns her life according to its Core Values: boldness, resolution, independence, and horn-blowing. The New York Times raves, "A rollicking tale, shameless, funny and intelligent." /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/34583055

Johannes Lichtman on 'Calling Ukraine' 07/21/2023

Johannes Lichtman on 'Calling Ukraine' Johannes Lichtman joins me to discuss his novel "Calling Ukraine." National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree and author of Such Good Work Johannes Lichtman returns with a novel that is strikingly relevant to our times—about an American who takes a job in Ukraine in 2018, only to find that his struggle to understand the customs and culture is eclipsed by a romantic entanglement with deadly consequences. /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/27504675

Lauren Oliver on 'Panic' 10/20/2022

Lauren Oliver on 'Panic' Lauren Oliver joins me to discuss her novel 'Panic.' Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought. Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for. /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/24746106

Lincoln Michel on 'The Body Scout' 10/24/2021

Lincoln Michel on 'The Body Scout' Lincoln Michel joins me to discuss his novel 'The Body Scout.' /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/20920553

Teddy Wayne on 'Apartment' 10/05/2020

Teddy Wayne on 'Apartment' Teddy Wayne joins me to discuss his novel 'Apartment.' /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/16282898

Carmen Maria Machado on 'In the Dream House' 11/05/2019

Carmen Maria Machado on 'In the Dream House' Carmen Maria Machado joins me to discuss her memoir 'In the Dream House.' /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/11890532

Ryan Chapman on 'Riots I Have Known' 06/18/2019

Ryan Chapman on 'Riots I Have Known' Ryan Chapman joins me to discuss his debut novel 'Riots I Have Known.' /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/10195070

Namwali Serpell on 'The Old Drift' 05/15/2019

Namwali Serpell on 'The Old Drift' 1904. On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from Victoria Falls, there is a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. In a smoky room at the hotel across the river, an Old Drifter named Percy M. Clark, foggy with fever, makes a mistake that entangles the fates of an Italian hotelier and an African busboy. This sets off a cycle of unwitting retribution between three Zambian families as they collide and converge over the course of the century. /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/9785153

Nathan Englander on 'Kaddish.com' 04/03/2019

Nathan Englander on 'Kaddish.com' Nathan Englander joins me to discuss his new novel 'Kaddish.com.' /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/9256073

Sam Lipsyte on 'Hark' 03/12/2019

Sam Lipsyte on 'Hark' Sam Lipsyte joins Stephen to discuss his new novel 'Hark.' /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/8963525

Lauren Wilkinson on 'American Spy' 02/26/2019

Lauren Wilkinson on 'American Spy' Lauren Wilkinson joins Stephen to discuss her debut novel 'American Spy'. /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/8779508

Garth Greenwell on 'What Belongs to You' 02/12/2019

Garth Greenwell on 'What Belongs to You' Garth Greenwell joins Stephen to discuss his debut novel 'What Belongs to You. /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/8614841

Ling Ma on 'Severance' 02/01/2019

Ling Ma on 'Severance' Ling Ma joins host Stephen Fishbach to discuss her debut novel 'Severance.' /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/8478341

Teddy Wayne on 'Loner' 01/18/2019

Teddy Wayne on 'Loner' Teddy Wayne joins host Stephen Fishbach to discuss his novel 'Loner.' /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/8237477

Jaclyn Gilbert on 'Late Air' 01/04/2019

Jaclyn Gilbert on 'Late Air' Jaclyn Gilbert joins host Stephen Fishbach to discuss her debut novel 'Late Air.' /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/8127368

Joshua Max Feldman on 'Start Without Me' 12/21/2018

Joshua Max Feldman on 'Start Without Me' Joshua Max Feldman joins host Stephen Fishbach to discuss his novel 'Start Without Me.' /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/7889711

Jeff VanderMeer on 'Annihilation' 12/04/2018

Jeff VanderMeer on 'Annihilation' In the debut episode, author Jeff VanderMeer joins host Stephen Fishbach to discuss his novel 'Annihilation.' Jeff is the author dozens of novels, short stories, literary criticism, nonfiction, and basically anything else a person can write, including stellar tweets. He has been called "the Weird Thoreau" by the New Yorker. 'Annihilation,' the first book of his Southern Reach trilogy, won the Nebula and Shirley Jackson awards, and was adapted into a movie by director Alex Garland. /episode/index/show/paraphrase/id/7799615

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