Best Graham Thornton Podcasts (2025)

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248: Patrick Ryan (BUCKEYE) & Christopher Isherwood's A SINGLE MAN 1:09:04

Play Pause

16h ago1:09:04

1:09:04

Patrick Ryan drops into the Damn Library Soda Shoppe for a chocolate peanut butter egg cream and a chat about his much-lauded novel Buckeye. We chat about a family secret that fueled the book, how he achieves the right tone, and how he discovered the spirit realm on the page. Plus, he brings along Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man, and we slight…

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#70: Signal vs. Noise: Navigating the Crowded TA Tech Landscape 41:13

8d ago41:13

41:13

Fresh off conference season, Mark Tomasino and I break down what we actually saw on the show floor. The net out: If your differentiator is "AI-powered," you've already lost. We dig into the feedback loop nobody's talking about: job seekers using AI to mass apply to jobs, employers using AI to filter the noise, and the whole apparatus just... creati…

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247: Mona Awad (WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY) & Kenneth Grahame's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS 1:09:38

22d ago1:09:38

1:09:38

Mona Awad becomes the most frequent guest of So Many Damn Books with this appearance, chatting We Love You, Bunny, how it’s a good time to make fun of yourself, and the pleasure of getting too deep into a narrative, even if you can’t find your way back out. Plus, she brings along the classic The Wind in the Willows, and talks why she almost didn’t …

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246: Kerry Cullen (HOUSE OF BETH) & Nicky Gonzalez's MAYRA 52:46

1M ago52:46

52:46

Kerry Cullen drops in, in person, so I smoke a cocktail (and forget to mention that Manhattans contain vermouth). We get to talking about working in books and then writing a book, shocking your writing group, and the best places to write. And then we talk about Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez, another book about a character revisiting their past and findin…

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245: Leonie Swann (BIG BAD WOOL, THREE BAGS FULL, AGNES SHARPE) & Robert Jackson Bennett's THE TAINTED CUP 1:07:26

2M ago1:07:26

1:07:26

Held it together pretty well interviewing Leonie Swann, the author of one of my favorite novels of all time, Three Bags Full, about her recently translated sequel Big Bad Wool, and all the pleasures of stepping back into the river a changed person. Plus, she brings along The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, a surprisingly fun fantasy detectiv…

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244: Favorite Reads of 2025 (so far) 17:59

3M ago17:59

17:59

We only have five months of the year left, so that means it’s time to look back and reminisce. It’s always a good time to look back and reminisce, baby, you better believe it. Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com…

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243: Allison King (THE PHOENIX PENCIL COMPANY) & Anton Hur's TOWARD ETERNITY 52:18

4M ago52:18

52:18

Pencils UP, everyone! Point their sharpened points straight to the sky, because Allison King, author of the endlessly inventive Phoenix Pencil Company, drops by the virtual library to talk all things pencils and magic and the one book that changed her life. Plus, she brings along Anton Hur’s novel in stories, about AI and robots and poetry, Toward …

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242: Drew Returns (to revisit "Top 6 of 2015" and chat books aimlessly) 1:10:36

4M ago1:10:36

1:10:36

Former co-host of the show, current writer and bookseller and host of The Lit Hub Podcast Drew Broussard stops by to chat about our Top 6 of 2015 episode from 10 years ago, plus some other random bookish thoughts. As listenable as a quaffable white wine is quaffable! Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episod…

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241: Tyler Wetherall (AMPHIBIAN) and Terjei Vesaas' THE ICE PALACE 1:12:43

5M ago1:12:43

1:12:43

Tyler Wetherall, author and sole force behind the indispensable literary reading series newsletter, Reading the City visits the Damn Library in person in order to have a very involved mezcal margarita, and chat about her novel Amphibian, and mermaids, her memoir No Way Home, and the fun part of research for a new project. And then we also get into …

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#69: Recruitment Is Marketing: The Evolution of Talent Acquisition 39:35

5M ago39:35

39:35

In this episode of The Changing State of Talent Acquisition, hosts Graham Thornton and Martin Predd welcome Maria Christopoulos Katris, Founder and CEO of Built In. Maria shares her 15-year journey growing Built In from a Chicago-based tech community to a global recruitment platform, offering sharp insights into why traditional applicant tracking s…

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#68: The AI Skills Gap: How Educational Institutions and Employers Can Prepare Workers for the Future 39:17

6M ago39:17

39:17

In this thought-provoking episode, we welcome Alex Swartsel, leader of JFF Labs Insights Practice at Jobs for the Future, to explore the growing AI skills gap and its implications for the future of work. Alex shares eye-opening research showing how AI usage in the workplace skyrocketed from 8% to 35% in just one year, while revealing a concerning d…

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240: Kate Folk (SKY DADDY) and Marlen Haushofer's THE WALL 54:51

6M ago54:51

54:51

Kate Folk flies into the Zoom Damn Library and boy are her arms tired! That’s an airplane joke, and it’s very fitting, actually, because she’s here to discuss her madcap Sky Daddy, as well as the more subdued but no less crazy The Wall by Marlen Haushofer. Put your tray tables up and your seatbacks in the full upright position, it’s time to listen!…

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#67: Building Human-Centric AI in HR Tech: From Fear to Adoption 33:08

6M ago33:08

33:08

In this episode, Kyle Lagunas of Aptitude Research discusses the crucial distinction between "human-in-the-loop" and truly "human-centric" AI approaches in HR. Drawing from his extensive 15-year career studying innovation cycles in HR tech, Kyle explains why adoption rates for AI in HR are stalling despite executive support, and offers practical st…

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239: Jeanne Thornton (A/S/L) & Anton Solomonik's REALISTIC FICTION 1:11:43

6M ago1:11:43

1:11:43

Jeanne Thornton physically drops by the Damn Library to talk A/S/L, her incredible novel about amateur video game coders in the 90s and how they’re doing a couple decades years later, and also a bit of her novel Summer Fun as well, because why not. Plus, she brings along Anton Solomonik’s Realistic Fiction, an excitingly strange and very funny shor…

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#66: Hiring Humans in the Age of AI 37:19

7M ago37:19

37:19

In this episode of The Changing State of Talent Acquisition, we sit down with Craig Fisher—CEO of TalentNet Media, author of Hiring Humans, and one of the most respected voices in the HR tech space. From his early days in staffing to launching TalentNet Live, Craig has worn nearly every hat in the talent world. We explore why friction in the hiring…

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238: Kate Slotover (of The Book Club Review) Returns, Solvej Balle's ON THE CALCULATION OF VOLUME VOL 1 1:00:00

7M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

Kate Slotover of The Book Club Review drops in again, virtually this time, to talk about a visit to a posh library, her reading life of late, and Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume Vol. 1, and also we talk about Volume 2 some. Get on the train bound for November 18th! Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclus…

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#43 - Michael Levin: Revolutionizing Biology with New Informational Theories 58:32

7M ago58:32

58:32

Today I’m joined by Professor of Biology at Tufts University, Michael Levin. On the surface, Michael studies information processing inside biology, technology, and a combination of both, often with the goal of addressing health issues such as aging and cancer. But on a deeper level, Michael is a researcher whose name I hear whispered with a sort of…

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#65: The Future of Work: How AI, Gig Economy, and Fractional Employment Are Redefining Careers 46:45

7M ago46:45

46:45

In this episode of The Changing State of Talent Acquisition, we sit down with Rishad Tobaccowala—author, speaker, and strategist with 37 years of leadership experience at Leo Burnett and Publicis Groupe—to explore the shifting dynamics of work in the age of AI and digital transformation. Rishad shares insights from his books Rethinking Work and Res…

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237: 21 Long Books to Sink Into 19:51

8M ago19:51

19:51

A list of 22 long books because sometimes you need to get lost in a book, like really lost, like 400 pages in and not even halfway there and every tree looks just like the one that came before. But you’re happy about it, because getting lost in a book was the point. That kind of lost. Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen t…

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#64: Rethinking Upskilling: On Building Resilient Careers in an AI-Driven World 40:37

8M ago40:37

40:37

In this episode of the Changing State of Talent Acquisition, hosts Graham Thornton and Martin Predd are joined by Matthew J. Daniel, Senior Principal of Talent Strategy at Guild, for a deep dive into the evolving nature of skills and career development. Matthew shares insights from his diverse background in learning, talent development, and in-hous…

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#63: Workforce Risk – On Navigating Demographics, AI & the Changing American Dream 44:50

8M ago44:50

44:50

This week Graham and Marty sit down with Cole Napper, VP of Research and Innovation at Lightcast and host of the Directionally Correct Podcast, to dive into groundbreaking research on workforce risk. Cole draws on his extensive people analytics experience—from multinational corporations to startups—to shed light on Lightcast’s Workforce Risk Report…

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#42 - Adam Zeman: Aphantasia - Life Without a Visual Imagination 57:52

8M ago57:52

57:52

On this episode we're joined by British neurologist Adam Zeman. Adam is most known for his pioneering work that led to the development and on-going refinement of the condition known as aphantasia–the inability to visualize inside our minds eye. In this conversation with Adam, we explore what we know about this condition. How common is it? What evid…

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#62: The Promise of AI – Aligning Efficiency with the Candidate (and Recruiter) Experiences 43:46

8M ago43:46

43:46

This week we welcome David Ellis to the podcast. David started his career as a recruiter in New Zealand, before relocating to Europe to work as a talent consultant. After earning his PhD, he moved to Boston to join Korn Ferry, where he currently sits as SVP of Talent Transformation. Topics include: The future of talent acquisition, how AI can strea…

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#41 - Nick Enfield: Why Language Is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists 55:55

8M ago55:55

55:55

On this episode, I’m joined by Nick Enfield, a linguistic anthropologist at the University of Sydney. We discuss Nick’s journey into the field of linguistic anthropology, the significance of multilingualism, how language affects our cognition, and how language serves as a tool for social coordination. We particularly focus on an idea that’s at the …

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236: 22 Short Books for Short Attention Spans 19:56

8M ago19:56

19:56

A list of 22 short books for short attention spans because we all hey look at that dog! he’s trying to catch a butterfly!! Join the Patreon and hang out in the monthly book club, listen to exclusive episodes, and get access to the SMDB virtual book stoop a couple times a year! https://patreon.com/smdb For the drink recipe, every book and link menti…

Graham Thornton Podcasts

1
The Changing State of Talent Acquisition

Graham Thornton

1
Curious Apes

Steven Parton

1
So Many Damn Books

Christopher Hermelin

1
248: Patrick Ryan (BUCKEYE) & Christopher Isherwood's A SINGLE MAN 1:09:04

1
#70: Signal vs. Noise: Navigating the Crowded TA Tech Landscape 41:13

1
247: Mona Awad (WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY) & Kenneth Grahame's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS 1:09:38

1
246: Kerry Cullen (HOUSE OF BETH) & Nicky Gonzalez's MAYRA 52:46

1
245: Leonie Swann (BIG BAD WOOL, THREE BAGS FULL, AGNES SHARPE) & Robert Jackson Bennett's THE TAINTED CUP 1:07:26

1
244: Favorite Reads of 2025 (so far) 17:59

1
243: Allison King (THE PHOENIX PENCIL COMPANY) & Anton Hur's TOWARD ETERNITY 52:18

1
242: Drew Returns (to revisit "Top 6 of 2015" and chat books aimlessly) 1:10:36

1
241: Tyler Wetherall (AMPHIBIAN) and Terjei Vesaas' THE ICE PALACE 1:12:43

1
#69: Recruitment Is Marketing: The Evolution of Talent Acquisition 39:35

1
#68: The AI Skills Gap: How Educational Institutions and Employers Can Prepare Workers for the Future 39:17

1
240: Kate Folk (SKY DADDY) and Marlen Haushofer's THE WALL 54:51

1
#67: Building Human-Centric AI in HR Tech: From Fear to Adoption 33:08

1
239: Jeanne Thornton (A/S/L) & Anton Solomonik's REALISTIC FICTION 1:11:43

1
#66: Hiring Humans in the Age of AI 37:19

1
238: Kate Slotover (of The Book Club Review) Returns, Solvej Balle's ON THE CALCULATION OF VOLUME VOL 1 1:00:00

1
#43 - Michael Levin: Revolutionizing Biology with New Informational Theories 58:32

1
#65: The Future of Work: How AI, Gig Economy, and Fractional Employment Are Redefining Careers 46:45

1
237: 21 Long Books to Sink Into 19:51

1
#64: Rethinking Upskilling: On Building Resilient Careers in an AI-Driven World 40:37

1
#63: Workforce Risk – On Navigating Demographics, AI & the Changing American Dream 44:50

1
#42 - Adam Zeman: Aphantasia - Life Without a Visual Imagination 57:52

1
#62: The Promise of AI – Aligning Efficiency with the Candidate (and Recruiter) Experiences 43:46

1
#41 - Nick Enfield: Why Language Is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists 55:55

1
236: 22 Short Books for Short Attention Spans 19:56