Best Alexis & Adrian Podcasts (2026)

1
Bryan Washington Reads Yiyun Li 1:16:55

Play Pause

35m ago1:16:55

1:16:55

Bryan Washington joins Deborah Treisman to read “A Small Flame,” by Yiyun Li, which was published in The New Yorker in 2017. Washington, a winner of the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award, is the author of the story collection “Lot” and the novels “Memorial,” “Family Meal,” and “Palaver,” which was a finalist for the National Book …

1
Miriam Toews Reads Raymond Carver 1:02:05

29d ago1:02:05

1:02:05

Miriam Toews joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Elephant,” by Raymond Carver, which was published in The New Yorker in 1986. Toews has published ten books, including the novels “A Complicated Kindness,” which won the Governor General’s Award for Fiction; “All My Puny Sorrows,” “Women Talking,” and “Fight Night”—and the memoir “A Truce That…

1
Adam Levin Reads David Foster Wallace 1:06:21

2M ago1:06:21

1:06:21

Adam Levin joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Backbone,” by David Foster Wallace, which was published in The New Yorker in 2011. Levin, a winner of the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award, is the author of the story collection “Hot Pink” and the novels “The Instructions,” “Bubblegum,” and “Mount Chicago.” Learn about your a…

1
Karen Russell Reads Louise Erdrich 49:19

3M ago49:19

49:19

Karen Russell joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Stone,” by Louise Erdrich, which was published in The New Yorker in 2019. Russell is the author of six books of fiction, including the story collections “Vampires in the Lemon Grove” and “Orange World and Other Stories” and the novels “Swamplandia!,” which was a finalist for the Pulitzer…

1
Episode 59: Pitch Craft with Laura Goode 35:53

3M ago35:53

35:53

Greeetings! It's been a while! But we're back and one of us (Laura!) has A BOOK! It's called Pitchcraft: The Writer's Guide to Getting Agented, Published, and Paid, and it's out next week. So this is a short introduction to that book, to the writing life and to how Laura came to write it. We also have important announcements about the future of the…

1
Victor Lodato Reads Denis Johnson 1:30:37

4M ago1:30:37

1:30:37

Victor Lodato joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Largesse of the Sea Maiden,” by Denis Johnson, which was published in The New Yorker in 2014. Lodato is a playwright and the author of the novels “Edgar and Lucy,” “Mathilda Savitch,” the winner of the PEN USA Award for fiction, and “Honey,” which came out in 2024. He has been publishing…

1
Episode 58: Writing as Everything Falls Apart with Choé Caldwell 50:56

5M ago50:56

50:56

When Chloé Caldwell began writing Trying, she imagined it being about her fertility journey. That was, until a betraying truth was revealed about her marriage. This week, Chloe joins the podcast to talk about the freedom she found in writing about her life right as it fell apart. Chloé Caldwell is a national bestselling author and writing teacher. …

1
Lauren Groff Reads Elizabeth Hardwick 1:12:03

5M ago1:12:03

1:12:03

Lauren Groff joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Faithful,” by Elizabeth Hardwick, which was published in The New Yorker in 1979. Groff’s works of fiction include the novels “Fates and Furies” and “Matrix,” both of which were finalists for the National Book Award, and “The Vaster Wilds,” which was published in 2023. A new story collecti…

1
Episode 57: Queer & Trans Oral Histories with Caro De Robertis 47:25

6M ago47:25

47:25

In this episode, Caro De Robertis joins Laura to discuss their new book, So Many Stars: an Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color. Caro and Laura take a deep look into the queer medicine found within the stories of Queer and Trans elders who fought to create space for their full selves in the world. Caro De Ro…

1
Souvankham Thammavongsa Reads Samanta Schweblin 48:30

6M ago48:30

48:30

Souvankham Thammavongsa joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Size of Things,” by Samanta Schweblin (translated, from the Spanish, by Megan McDowell), which was published in The New Yorker in 2017. Thammavongsa is a Laotian Canadian writer. Her publications include the poetry collections “Light” and “Cluster” and the story collection “How…

1
Episode 56: Abstinence & Horny Nuns with Melissa Febos 56:55

7M ago56:55

56:55

Melissa Febos joins Laura and Adrian to discuss her new book, The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year Without Sex. Together, the trio dives deep into histories of horny nuns and Melissa’s experience of self discovery and feminist transformation during her period of abstinence. Melissa Febos is the critically acclaimed author of 5 books inclu…

1
Edwidge Danticat Reads Zadie Smith 44:06

7M ago44:06

44:06

Edwidge Danticat joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Two Men Arrive in a Village,” by Zadie Smith, which was published in The New Yorker in 2016. Danticat, a MacArthur Fellow and a winner of the Vilcek Prize in Literature, has published six books of fiction, including “Breath, Eyes, Memory,” “The Farming of Bones,” “Claire of the Sea Light,…

1
Yiyun Li Reads William Trevor 1:11:01

8M ago1:11:01

1:11:01

Yiyun Li joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Piano Tuner’s Wives,” by William Trevor, which was published in The New Yorker in 1995. Li has published eight books of fiction, including the novels “Must I Go” and “Book of Goose,” a winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and the story collection “Wednesday’s Child,” which was a fina…

1
Episode 55: Cat Bohannon on Women and Evolution 45:09

9M ago45:09

45:09

In this episode, Cat Bohannon joins Laura and Adrian to discuss her most recent book, Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution, where she reframes the stories we tell about human evolution with women at the center. Cat Bohannon’s is a poet, academic, and scientist. She completed her PhD in 2022 at Columbia University, whe…

1
David Wright Faladé Reads Madeleine Thien 1:16:54

9M ago1:16:54

1:16:54

David Wright Faladé joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Lu, Reshaping,” by Madeleine Thien, which was published in The New Yorker in 2021. Falade is the author of the novels “Black Cloud Rising” and “The New Internationals,” and the nonfiction work “Fire on the Beach: Recovering the Lost Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesav…

1
Paul Theroux Reads V. S. Pritchett 1:05:25

10M ago1:05:25

1:05:25

Paul Theroux joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Necklace,” by V. S. Pritchett, which was published in The New Yorker in 1958. Theroux’s nonfiction books include “The Great Railway Bazaar” and “On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey.” A winner of the James Tait Black Award and the Whitbread Prize, he has published thirty-nine books o…

1
Anne Enright Reads John McGahern 1:07:34

11M ago1:07:34

1:07:34

Anne Enright joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Sierra Leone,” by John McGahern, which was published in The New Yorker in 1977. Enright, a winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and the Man Booker Prize, among others, has published eleven books of fiction, including the story collection “Yesterday’s Weather” and the novels …

1
Jennifer Egan Reads Margaret Atwood 1:07:24

1y ago1:07:24

1:07:24

Jennifer Egan joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Kat,” by Margaret Atwood, which was published in The New Yorker in 1990. Egan’s books of fiction include “The Keep,” “A Visit from the Goon Squad,” “Manhattan Beach,” and “The Candy House.” She is a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Andrew Carnegie…

1
Ayşegül Savaş Reads Tessa Hadley 1:24:40

1y ago1:24:40

1:24:40

Ayşegül Savaş joins Deborah Treisman to discuss “An Abduction,” by Tessa Hadley, which was published in The New Yorker in 2012. Savaş has published three novels, “Walking on the Ceiling,” “White on White,” and “The Anthropologists,” and one nonfiction book, “The Wilderness,” an essay and memoir about the first forty days of motherhood. A collection…

1
Aleksandar Hemon Reads ZZ Packer 1:17:11

1y ago1:17:11

1:17:11

Aleksandar Hemon joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere,” by ZZ Packer, which was published in The New Yorker in 2000. Hemon, a winner of a MacArthur Fellowship and a PEN/W. G. Sebald Award, among others, is the author of eight books, including the novels “The Lazarus Project” and “The World and All It Holds,” the sto…

1
Rebecca Makkai Reads Jhumpa Lahiri 1:18:50

1+ y ago1:18:50

1:18:50

Rebecca Makkai joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Third and Final Continent,” by Jhumpa Lahiri, which was published in The New Yorker in 1999. Makkai is the author of the story collection “Music for Wartime” and the novels “The Borrower,” “The Hundred Year House,” “The Great Believers,” for which she won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for E…

1
Episode 54: Alexis Pauline Gumbs and The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde 1:17:19

1+ y ago1:17:19

1:17:19

This week, we have the incredible Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs on the show. Her newest work Survival is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde is a biography that offers a new understanding of the life and work of Audre Lorde. Alexis Pauline Gumbs is the first researcher to explore the full depths of Lorde’s manuscript archives and this work illumi…

1
Louise Erdrich Reads Karen Russell 1:12:47

1+ y ago1:12:47

1:12:47

Louise Erdrich joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Haunting Olivia,” by Karen Russell, which was published in The New Yorker in 2005. Erdrich's novels include “The Round House,” which won the National Book Award in 2012, and “The Night Watchman,” which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2021. She will publish a new novel, “The Mi…

1
Episode 53: Samhita Mukhopadhyay & What Comes After the Death of the Girlboss? 48:48

1+ y ago48:48

48:48

Join Laura for a discussion with Samhita Mukhopadhyay exploring her newest book, The Myth of Making It. The former executive editor of Teen Vogue brings to this conversation her experiences of workplace reckoning to help us reimagine what work can be when we are tired, searching for justice, and longing to be liberated from the oppressive grip of h…

1
David Sedaris Reads George Saunders 46:59

1+ y ago46:59

46:59

David Sedaris joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Love Letter,” by George Saunders, which was published in The New Yorker in 2020. Sedaris is the author of more than a dozen books of essays, memoirs, and diaries, including, most recently, “A Carnival of Snackery” and “Happy-Go-Lucky.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
Episode 52 - Vanessa Angélica Villarreal 1:15:20

1+ y ago1:15:20

1:15:20

Join Laura and Adrian as they talk with Vanessa Angélica Villarreal about her newest book, Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders. In this conversation, the crew discusses topics like the queered pop culture icons of the 90's, exploring gender expression as a racialized teenager, and the work of remembering after erasure. Co…

1
Episode 51: Sarah Manguso & the Liars marriage makes 1:04:52

1+ y ago1:04:52

1:04:52

Sarah Manguso joins Laura to talk about her newest book, Liars. Telling the blistering story of a marriage as it burns to the ground, Liars depicts the slow and normalized forms of abuse and misogyny baked into marriage. Pre-order liars now, for release on July 23rd. Sarah Manguso's book tour comes to San Francisco on Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 7:…

1
Nathan Englander Reads Chris Adrian 1:04:19

1+ y ago1:04:19

1:04:19

Nathan Englander joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Every Night for a Thousand Years,” by Chris Adrian, which was published in The New Yorker in 1997. Englander is the author of five books of fiction, including the novel “kaddish.com” and the story collection “What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank,” which was a finalist for the …

1
Episode 50 - Jessica Calarco: Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women. 1:03:06

1+ y ago1:03:06

1:03:06

Jessica Calarco joins Laura and Adrian to unpack her newly released book, Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Social Safety Net. They discuss the histories and the sociological interviews central to Calarco's book, painting a picture of the women who are tasked with holding society together with their labor. Dr. Jessica Calarco is an As…

1
André Alexis Reads Alice Munro 1:38:34

1+ y ago1:38:34

1:38:34

André Alexis joins Deborah Treisman for a special tribute to Alice Munro, who died in May at age ninety-two. Alexis reads and discusses “Before the Change,” by Munro, which was published in The New Yorker in 1998. Alexis’s works of fiction include “Fifteen Dogs,” which won the Giller Prize, “Days by Moonlight,” and the story collection “The Night P…

1
Rachel Cusk Reads Marguerite Duras 54:38

1+ y ago54:38

54:38

Rachel Cusk joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss "The Bible" and “The Stolen Pigeons” by Marguerite Duras, which were translated from the French, by Deborah Treisman, and published in *The New Yorker* in 2006 and 2007. Cusk is a winner of the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Somerset Maugham Award, and is the author of five books of nonfic…

1
David Bezmozgis Reads Sarah Shun-lien Bynum 1:08:35

1+ y ago1:08:35

1:08:35

David Bezmozgis joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Likes,” by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, which was published in The New Yorker in 2017. Bezmozgis is a filmmaker and writer. He has published two story collections and two novels, “The Free World,” which was a finalist for the Governor General's Award and the Giller Prize, and “The Betrayers,” wh…

1
Greg Jackson Reads Jennifer Egan 1:14:37

2y ago1:14:37

1:14:37

Greg Jackson joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Safari,” by Jennifer Egan, which was published in The New Yorker in 2010. Jackson has published a story collection, “Prodigals,” and a novel “The Dimension of a Cave,” which was one of The New Yorker's Best Books of 2023. He has been publishing in the magazine since 2014. Learn about your ad …

1
Episode 49 - Lyz Lenz RETURNS! 1:17:53

2y ago1:17:53

1:17:53

Author and self-described "soccer mom Simone de Beauvoir" Lyz Lenz makes a triumphant return to the pod to discuss her new book THIS AMERICAN EX-WIFE with Laura and Adrian. (Please refer to TFP Episode 7 from December 2020 for Lyz's first mid-derecho podcast appearance!) Her third book in five years, THIS AMERICAN EX-WIFE brings Lenz's characterist…

1
Sterling HolyWhiteMountain Reads Roberto Bolaño 1:09:13

2y ago1:09:13

1:09:13

Sterling HolyWhiteMountain joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Labyrinth,” by Roberto Bolaño, translated from the Spanish by Chris Andrews, which was published in The New Yorker in 2012. HolyWhiteMountain is a Jones Lecturer at Stanford, and grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-ch…

1
Rivka Galchen Reads Aleksandar Hemon 1:06:54

2y ago1:06:54

1:06:54

In the two hundredth episode of the New Yorker Fiction Podcast, Rivka Galchen joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Bees, Part 1,” by Aleksandar Hemon, which was published in The New Yorker in 2002. Galchen’s books include the story collection “American Innovations” and the novel “Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch.” Learn about your a…

1
Teju Cole Reads Anne Carson 52:56

2y ago52:56

52:56

Teju Cole joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “1=1,” by Anne Carson, which was published in The New Yorker in 2016. Cole’s novels include “Open City” and “Tremor,” which was published this year. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesBy Deborah Treisman

1
Episode 48 - Nicole Chung 58:12

2y ago58:12

58:12

After a stunning revelation about a life-changing moment THE Dr. Roxane Gay offered Laura, Adrian and Laura join acclaimed memoirist Nicole Chung to discuss her second book, A Living Remedy. Following the contours of A Living Remedy, this discussion travels through the national tragedy of American healthcare, what an elite education and successful …

1
Margaret Atwood Reads Mavis Gallant, Live 1:19:09

2y ago1:19:09

1:19:09

Margaret Atwood joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Varieties of Exile,” by Mavis Gallant, which was published in The New Yorker in 1976. Atwood is the author of more than forty books of poetry and fiction, including the novels “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “The Testaments” and the story collection “Old Babes in the Wood,” which was published e…

1
Lucinda Rosenfeld Reads Annie Ernaux 45:31

2y ago45:31

45:31

Lucinda Rosenfeld joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Returns,” by Annie Ernaux, translated from the French by Deborah Treisman, which was published in The New Yorker in 20233. Rosenfeld is the author of five novels, including “I’m So Happy for You” and “Class.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
Episode 47 - Lydia Kiesling 55:47

2+ y ago55:47

55:47

Laura interviews novelist Lydia Kiesling about her second novel Mobility. Related discussion topics also include the astrology of The Sopranos (Laura and Lydia are both Christopher suns, Mobility's protagonist Bunny Glenn is more of a Meadow rising), the '90s in girlhood, the time Lydia joined a panel Laura organized at Stanford with a newborn on h…

1
Andrew O’Hagan Reads Donald Antrim 1:16:11

2+ y ago1:16:11

1:16:11

Andrew O’Hagan joins Deborah Treisman to discuss “An Actor Prepares,” by Donald Antrim, which was published in The New Yorker in 1999. O’Hagan is the author of six novels, including “The Illuminations” and “Mayflies,” which was published in 2020 and won the Los Angeles Times Christopher Isherwood Prize. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org…

1
Episode 46 - Aliens 46:33

2+ y ago46:33

46:33

Laura and Adrian embark on their new series: feminism and the horror genre. We dedicate the first episode of this series to two favorites of ours: Hollywood treasure Sigourney Weaver and slimy aliens with acid for blood. A discussion of 1986’s Aliens, horror and motherhood, and dueling queens.

1
Episode 45 - Deadloch with Moira Donegan 38:00

2+ y ago38:00

38:00

This episode is basically a PSA: if you’re not watching the Australian feminist crime show Deadloch, then Laura, Adrian and guest Moira Donegan have one question for you: why not? Depressed industrial towns, toxic masculinity, lesbians, a four-hour movie called ‘Poseidon’s Uterus’: this show has everything, and we’re here for all of it.…

1
David Means Reads Lorrie Moore 1:00:16

2+ y ago1:00:16

1:00:16

David Means joins Deborah Treisman to discuss “Face Time,” by Lorrie Moore, which was published in The New Yorker in 2020. Means is the author of a novel and six story collections, including “Instructions for a Funeral” and “Two Nurses, Smoking,” which came out in 2022. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
In Bed With The Right: Midge Decter with Matt Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell 1:22:39

2+ y ago1:22:39

1:22:39

Midge Decter (1927-2022) has often been called the "grandmother of neoconservatism" -- hers was in some ways a pretty classic trajectory, from New Deal liberalism to profound unease with the social movements of the 1960s, to the center of the conservative movement and Republican politics. But unlike most of her fellow neocons, Midge Decter always f…

1
In Bed With The Right: Gay Marriage with Moira and Adrian 1:40:00

2+ y ago1:40:00

1:40:00

Join us for the first episode of the all-new show In Bed With The Right. For their inaugural episode, Moira and Adrian delve into right-wing (ahem) contributions to the gay marriage debate. Ten years ago the Supreme Court decided Windsor v. US and Hollingsworth v. Perry, which together spelled the beginning of the end of the gay marriage debate (ga…

1
In Bed With The Right - Trailer 2:07

2+ y ago2:07

2:07

Get a sneak peek at the upcoming, all-new show In Bed With the Right hosted by Moira Donegan and TFP's very own Adrian Daub.

1
George Saunders Reads Claire Keegan 1:11:10

2+ y ago1:11:10

1:11:10

George Saunders joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “So Late in the Day,” by Claire Keegan, which was published in The New Yorker in 2022. Saunders is the author of the novel “Lincoln in the Bardo,” and five story collections, including “Tenth of December” and “Liberation Day,” which came out last year. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.…

1
Episode 44 - A Guestless Catch-up-isode Spectacular 30:46

2+ y ago30:46

30:46

After a few months of absence, your trusty co-hosts return to tell you about new projects, new episodes, and new friends of the pod! Live from cyberspace, it's ... a guestless update spectacular!