Sabrina Orah Mark

Connor Towne O’Neill is the producer of White Lies — the NPR podcast documentary which became a Pulitzer Prize Finalist for its work reinvestigating the unsolved murder of civil rights activist, Rev. James Reeb. Its most recent season puts fresh eyes on the 1991 Talladega Prison Riot. Connor joins us to discuss the art of investigative storytelling, the “entry fiction” doctrine, and why stories that have been long thought dead are worth revisiting decades later. 

A special thanks to our sound engineer, Sarah Nguyen.

Music by Ryan Bollenbach and covert art by Kearstyn Boucher.

Levi Vonk and Axel Kirschner join Vanessa Golenia to discuss Border Hacker, a work of narrative nonfiction that tells the story of their friendship and how they met on a migrant caravan in 2015. In this episode, they discuss a multi-narrator approach as a form of counter-exploitative storytelling, the elusiveness of writing multiple truths, and having a book release party when you’re under the threat of violence for its publication.

As we mentioned on the show, if you’re interested in helping Axel you can send donations to @Levi-Vonk (Venmo) or ldvonk@g.cofc.edu (PayPal)

A special thanks to our sound engineer, Sarah Nguyen.

Music by Ryan Bollenbach and covert art by Kearstyn Boucher.

Joe Hall joins Ryan Bollenbach to discuss Joe's new book Fugue and Strike. In this episode, Joe and Ryan discuss the inextricable relationship between climate change and capitalism, the fugue state of labor, the politics of striking, and the relationship between activism and publication. 

A special thanks to our sound engineer, Sarah Nguyen.

Music by Ryan Bollenbach and covert art by Kearstyn Boucher.

Sabrina Orah Mark joins Ryan Bollenbach and Vanessa Golenia to discuss her new memoir, Happily: A Personal History-with Fairytales. In this episode, the award-winning fiction writer and poet discusses the process of turning a successful column into a book, the ethics of writing about children, and the special wisdom found in fairytales. 

Peter Turchi joins Vanessa Golenia to discuss his new book, (Don't) Stop Me If You've Heard This Before, essays on the craft of fiction writing. In this episode, Turchi discusses what writers can learn from other art mediums, why omniscient narrators fell out of vogue, and the pitfalls of MFA workshops.

Vanessa Golenia interviews Raquel Gutiérrez — author of the book of essays, Brown Neon. In this episode, Gutiérrez discusses the hybrid memoir, rasquachismo, and artistic legacies in the brown and queer community. 

Ryan Bollenbach, Managing Editor, and Vanessa Golenia, Reviews and Interviews Editor, introduce listeners to the Gulf Coast Journal podcast. 

A special thanks to our sound engineer, Sarah Nguyen.

Music by Ryan Bollenbach and covert art by Kearstyn Boucher.