Best Lit Lisa Podcasts (2025)

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Jessie Redmon Fauset — Plum Bun with Bremond Berry MacDougall and Lisa Endo Cooper 47:19

1M ago47:19

47:19

Send us a text Langston Hughes called Jessie Redmon Fauset “the midwife of the Harlem Renaissance” with good reason. As literary editor at The Crisis magazine from 1919 until 1926, Fauset discovered and championed some of the most important Black writers of the early 20th century. Her own novels contributed to The New Negro Movement’s cultural exam…

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8.10 Yuvan Aves: On Losing Nature and Learning to Care 55:22

2d ago55:22

55:22

What if the key to environmental action isn’t outrage, but observation? And what if the real climate crisis is a crisis of attention? In this powerful conversation, nature writer and activist Yuvan Aves talks about his lyrical and politically urgent book Intertidal. Set along Chennai’s disappearing coasts and wetlands, the book prompts readers to n…

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Edna O'Brien — The Country Girls with Edan Lepucki 43:13

3d ago43:13

43:13

Send us a text When Edna O’Brien published her debut novel The Country Girls in 1960, she was branded a “Jezebel” in her native Ireland—but that didn’t stop her from completing a poignant trilogy about a pair of friends coming of age in a world for which village life and convent school failed to prepare them. Despite initial backlash to her sexuall…

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8.9 Bhawana Somaaya: What Partition Stole, and Writing Restored 44:28

9d ago44:28

44:28

What happens when a celebrated film journalist turns the camera inward? In this moving episode, veteran critic and author Bhawana Somaaya unpacks her memoir Farewell Karachi. Known for her decades-long career documenting Bollywood’s biggest stars like Hema Malini and Amitabh Bachchan, Bhawana shares the deeply personal stories behind her family’s d…

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8.8 Bhavika Govil: On Growing Up, Growing Apart, and Grieving Secrets 51:47

16d ago51:47

51:47

What if one secret could shatter everything you thought you knew about your family? In this episode, Bhavika Govil dives into her haunting, lyrical novel Hot Water, a coming-of-age story about the silences that pull families apart. Bhavika talks about the novel’s striking water motif and the emotional and craft challenges of writing Ashu, a 14-year…

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Brigid Brophy — The King of a Rainy Country 28:03

17d ago28:03

28:03

Send us a text If Brigid Brophy’s The King of a Rainy Country had a soundtrack, it might include the soft patter of rain on a garret window, jazz drifting from a smoky cafe, the hum of a Vespa on narrow cobblestone streets … and the obnoxious griping of a few dozen uncultured Americans! As the description suggests, Brophy’s 1956 novel has a little …

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8.7 Ankush Datar: On Health and Wealth; Two Goals, One Answer 52:48

23d ago52:48

52:48

Tried a fad diet and a get-rich scheme, but failed to do both? Let's talk about what actually works. Ankush Datar, the author of The Health and Wealth Paradox, breaks down the complexities of health and financial planning by getting back to the core principles. His unique approach explains how managing your health and wealth isn’t so different afte…

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8.6 Gowri Ramnarayan & Kamlakar Bhat: On Why South Indian Lit Should Be Your Next Obsession 1:04:52

1M ago1:04:52

1:04:52

Lost in Translation? Or Found in the Process? In this episode, we talk to Gowri Ramnarayan and Kamalakar Bhat, two translators dedicated to bringing Tamil and Kannada texts to life in English. Gowri shares the complex challenges of translating her grandfather’s historical novel, Ponniyin Selvan, from seamlessly blending poetry into prose to interpr…

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8.5 Sanjana Ramachandran: Turning 90s Chaos into Literary Gold 47:05

1M ago47:05

47:05

What happens when the love of family feels more like a battlefield? In her debut novel Famous Last Questions, Sanjana Ramachandran explores the messy, painful, and sometimes beautiful struggle of growing up caught between parental expectations and the search for your true self. With sharp honesty and warmth, she dives into themes of rebellion, iden…

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8.4 Jennifer Sundberg: How Smart Teams End Up Doing Dumb Things 52:05

1M ago52:05

52:05

Are the wrong people making the biggest decisions at your company? Tara and Michelle talk to Jennifer Sundberg—co-founder of Board Intelligence and co-author of Collective Intelligence—about why most leadership teams are flying blind. They dive into how poorly framed questions and bloated reports sabotage decision-making, why writing is thinking, a…

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E.D.E.N. Southworth — The Hidden Hand with Rose Neal 43:18

1M ago43:18

43:18

Send us a text Dastardly villains are no match for Capitola Black, the audacious heroine at the center of E.D.E.N. Southworth’s 1859 bestseller, The Hidden Hand. Readers so admired this literary tomboy’s pluck that Capitola became a popular baby name for decades and inspired the name of a California town. Yet few readers today are familiar with Sou…

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8.3 Tara & Michelle: Can You Love a Book But Hate the Author? 37:28

2M ago37:28

37:28

Should we boycott problematic authors—or just read them with guilt? Tara and Michelle dive into the messy politics of author scandals, from cancel culture to complicity. Plus, what happens when AI writes a book? Would you read it? Should it even exist? Tune in for a no-holds-barred chat on the ethics of art, the limits of accountability, and how re…

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Fire In Our DNA with Elizabeth Azzuz and Margo Robbins

2M ago

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Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff Stories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural and social empowerment, and environmental integrity Fire In Our DNA with Elizabeth Azzuz and Margo Robbins Episode highlight In this episode, Elizabeth Azzuz and Margo Robbins talk about restoring cultural fire in their tribal territ…

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8.2 Puneet Sikka and Nayantara Alva: Finding Love In Unexpected Places, Two New Coming of Age Stories 1:07:15

2M ago1:07:15

1:07:15

What do a privileged student with a saviour complex and an ambitious outsider in Bollywood have in common? Debut authors Nayantara Alva and Puneet Sikka take us into two very different Indias—one set in a liberal arts college, the other on a chaotic film set. Tara and Michelle chat with the authors about their writing processes, the themes that sha…

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ENCORE: Ursula Parrott: Ex-Wife with Marsha Gordon 53:22

2M ago53:22

53:22

Send us a text F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby may be the novel everyone’s talking about this month, but let’s not forget another “Jazz Age” novel that took this country by storm. Ursula Parrott’s Ex-Wife, a tragicomic indictment of early 20th-century romance, brought the author immense fame and wealth at the time of its publication in 1929.…

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The Power of Fire and Memory with Lisa Shepherd and Paul Courtoreille

2M ago

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The Power of Fire and Memory with Lisa Shepherd and Paul Courtoreille Episode highlight In this episode, Lisa Shepherd and Paul Courtoreille share personal memories and cultural insights into fire’s role within Métis traditions. From childhood experiences to modern applications, they discuss fire's ability to connect communities, heal the land, and…

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8.1 Atharva Pandit: On Fictionalising Crime Without Compromising Truth 40:53

2M ago40:53

40:53

Tara talks to journalist and debut author Atharva Pandit, whose novel Hurda is inspired by a real-life case that briefly made headlines in 2013, and then vanished. What begins as a mystery about three missing girls from a village in Maharashtra becomes a statement on what gets remembered and what gets buried. Atharva shares how a two-page newspaper…

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Survivorship into Thrivorship with Ryan Reed

2M ago

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Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff Stories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural and social empowerment and environmental integrity Survivorship into Thrivorship with Ryan Reed Episode highlight In this episode, Ryan Reed talks about how the younger generations are leading the way into the future with a move away…

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Angela Carter — The Bloody Chamber 31:18

2M ago31:18

31:18

Send us a text Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Not the heroines from Angela Carter’s 1979 short story collection The Bloody Chamber. The British author tackles dark, primal themes in her spin on classic fables and fairy tales, urging women to eschew victimhood, reclaim their power and bite back! Join us as we dive into this enchanted world of blo…

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Indigenous Wisdom in Climate Care with Rachael Cavanagh and Melinda Adams

3M ago

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Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff Stories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural and social empowerment and environmental integrity Indigenous Wisdom in Climate Care with Rachael Cavanagh and Melinda Adams Episode highlight In this episode, Rachael Cavanagh and Melinda Adams talk about the role of Indigenous fire…

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Accomplices: Special Episode with Alex Zahara

3M ago

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Accomplices: Special Episode with Alex Zahara Episode highlight In this episode, Alex Zahara talks about how a non-Indigenous person can be a good ally and accomplice to Indigenous peoples in Canada. Resources Alex Zahara UR Pride Center Case Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing the Ally Industrial Complex Pollution is Colonialism Mohawk Interruptus …

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Lucy Irvine — Castaway with Francesca Segal 36:57

3M ago36:57

36:57

Send us a text When Lucy Irvine answered a classified ad to play Girl Friday to a real-life Robinson Crusoe on a remote tropical island, she embarked on an enthralling—and at times harrowing—year-long adventure. The result was her bestselling 1983 memoir, Castaway, a beautifully-written tale of survival. We’re diving into Irvine’s unforgettable sto…

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Existence Is Resistance with Tiffany Joseph

3M ago

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Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff Stories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural and social empowerment and environmental integrity Existence Is Resistance with Tiffany Joseph Episode highlight In this episode, Tiffany Joseph talks about native Indigenous plants and their ability to heal the ecosystem. Resources …

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Healing Modalities: Part 1 - Bio Tuning & Meditation 20:52

3M ago20:52

20:52

If this episode is resonating with you, send us a message - we’d love to hear from you 🤍 Welcome to Light Work, a space where two sisters on the path of healing explore powerful and transformative healing modalities. This week's episode is the start of our multi-part series on Healing Modalities. Through sharing our personal experiences and insight…

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The Social Dynamics of Fire Management with Vanessa Luna-Celino

3M ago

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Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff Stories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural and social empowerment and environmental integrity The Social Dynamics of Fire Management with Vanessa Luna-Celino Episode highlight In this episode, Vanessa Luna-Celino talks about how community-based fire management is the way to s…

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Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich — Religious Mystics with Victoria MacKenzie 47:16

3M ago47:16

47:16

Send us a text Religious mystics Margery of Kempe and Julian of Norwich lived in close proximity to one another in time and place, yet the lives of these two medieval women couldn’t have been more different. One traveled the world in relentless pursuit of spiritual validation, while the other withdrew into a walled cell. One boldly proclaimed her v…

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We Are Fire People with Jessica Angel

4M ago

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Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff Stories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural and social empowerment and environmental integrity We Are Fire People with Jessica Angel Episode highlight In this podcast, Jessica Angel talks to Amy Cardinal Christianson and Vikki Preston about being an Indigenous trans woman brin…

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Healing Trauma Through Burning with Vikki Preston and Monique Wynecoop

4M ago

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Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff Stories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural and social empowerment and environmental integrity Healing Trauma Through Burning with Vikki Preston and Monique Wynecoop Episode highlight In this podcast, Vikki and Monique talk about the role of Indigenous women in fire and the pa…

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Frances Wright — A Few Days in Athens with Tristra Yeager and Eleanor Rust 41:16

4M ago41:16

41:16

Send us a text How do you engage with others in a polarized society? Early 19-century writer and freethinker Frances “Fanny” Wright offers an ostensible how-to manual in the witty didactic novel she penned at age 19, A Few Days in Athens. Wright’s radical ideas garnered her the praise of Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette and Walt Whitman, …

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Katharine S. White — Shaping The New Yorker, with Amy Reading 47:46

4M ago47:46

47:46

Send us a text One hundred years ago this week, The New Yorker published its first issue. A few months later, the magazine’s first (and for decades, only) female editor joined the staff. Katharine S. White spent the better part of the next 50 years wielding her pen and her editorial influence there, carefully tending to an ever-growing stable of ta…

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Light Work: The New Us 16:35

5M ago16:35

16:35

If this episode is resonating with you, send us a message - we’d love to hear from you 🤍 Welcome back to you - and to us! We're returning to our regularly scheduled podcasting (sort of) and we're so excited to take you along on our amazing journey of exploring different healing modalities and ways to bring lightness, and Light Work, into all of our…

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Literary Jewelry with Leigh Batnick Plessner 38:05

5M ago38:05

38:05

Send us a text January was dismal, but we’re distracting ourselves with something shiny in this first new full-length episode of the year. Catbird Chief Creative Officer Leigh Batnick Plessner joins us to explore three works by women writers, each of whom used jewelry as a powerful storytelling device. Louise de Vilmorin, Maria Edgeworth and Doroth…

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Margaret Oliphant — Hester with Perri Klass 45:00

5M ago45:00

45:00

Send us a text If you’re drawn to the hefty tomes of Victorian authors Anthony Trollope and George Eliot, we can pretty much guarantee you’ll enjoy this week’s novel, Hester, as much as we did. Margaret Oliphant is said to have been one of Queen Victoria’s favorite novelists, and she counted J.M. Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson among her many fan…

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Hiatus Replay: Ukrainian Poet Lesya Ukrainka’s The Forest Song 16:25

6M ago16:25

16:25

Send us a text In this week's hiatus replay, we’re focusing on one of Ukraine’s best-known poets and playwrights, Laryssa Kosach, who wrote under the pen name Lesya Ukrainka. Her play The Forest Song is a masterpiece of Ukrainian drama. Discussed in this episode: The Forest Song by Lesya Ukrainka Looking for Trouble by Virginia Cowles Lost Ladies o…

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Learning Fire with Charity Battise

6M ago

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We’re Back! Good Fire Season 3 is officially coming your way! This is a short teaser episode to let you all now we have finally finished recording. Charity Battise is a young Indigenous Fire Steward learning their craft. Amy and Charity met at the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network Event and they talked about Charity’s work with her Nation. Charity…

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Alba de Céspedes — Forbidden Notebook with Joy Castro 49:02

6M ago49:02

49:02

Send us a text Novelist and university professor Joy Castro returns to the show to discuss the 1952 novel Forbidden Notebook by Cuban-Italian writer Alba de Cespedes. In a New York Times review of a 1958 English edition of this novel, de Céspedes was called “one of the few distinguished women writers since Colette to grapple effectively with what i…

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7.16 Ministhy S & Arunava Sinha: Leaping Out Of A Page - Translation is More Than Putting Pen to Paper 1:04:14

6M ago1:04:14

1:04:14

Ever wondered how translators breathe life into stories across languages? Or what it takes to bring the essence of one culture into another? In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara and Michelle unravel the secrets of literary translation with two of India’s finest: Arunava Sinha, who has translated over 80 masterpieces, and Ministhy S., known for…

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7.15 Anisha Lalvani: Love, Crime, and Coming of Age in Noida 50:15

7M ago50:15

50:15

Curious about how contemporary fiction explores women's sexuality, family, and the messy transition into adulthood? In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara and Michelle sit down with Anisha Lalvani to discuss her debut novel, Girls Who Stray, a coming-of-age story set in Noida. The novel follows A, a 23-year-old literature graduate, as she naviga…

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Zitkála-Šá — "The School Days of an Indian Girl" with Jessi Haley and Erin Marie Lynch 42:48

7M ago42:48

42:48

Send us a text At the age of eight, Gertrude Simmons Bonnin (later known by her pen name Zitkála-Šá) left her Yankton Dakota reservation to attend a missionary boarding school for Native Americans, a harsh and abusive experience about which she eventually wrote a series of articles published in The Atlantic Monthly. Jessi Haley, editorial director …

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7.14 Saania Saxena: Friendships, Crushes and Growing Up 47:41

7M ago47:41

47:41

How do teenage years shape the way we view the world around us? In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle and Tara chat with 20-year-old author and philosophy blogger Saania Saxena about her debut book, Teenage Chronicles. Saania, who started her blog at just 12 to cope with school pressures, created a book that features five relatable teenage …

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7.13 Prayaag Akbar: Love, Social Media, Class Struggles in Delhi’s Urban Chaos 54:33

7M ago54:33

54:33

What do a right-wing YouTube creator and a small-town salesgirl have in common? In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle and Tara sit down with Prayaag Akbar, author of Mother India, to explore the intersections of identity, ambition, and the rapid transformations of urban India. Through the lives of Mayank, a right-wing YouTuber, and Nisha, a…

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Christina Rossetti — Speaking Likenesses with Bond & Grace's Ayana Christie 38:42

7M ago38:42

38:42

Send us a text Charmed by her friend Lewis Carroll’s children’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Victorian poet Christina Rossetti followed suit nearly a decade later with her own children’s book — one that alludes to the “Alice” tale while also offering a more clear-eyed view of girls’ duties, even in topsy-turvy dream worlds. Ayana Christie…

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7.12 Ram and Ammar: Exploring Identity, Migration, and Mystery in Fiction 55:43

7M ago55:43

55:43

Curious about how fiction unravels the complexities of identity and migration? In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle and Tara sit down with Ammar Kalia, author of A Person is a Prayer, and Ram Murali, author of Death in the Air, to discuss their remarkable debut novels. Ammar Kalia explores the ripple effects of migration on family dynamics…

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7.11 Sriram Devatha: How Did an Indian Whiskey Brand find Global Market? 57:10

8M ago57:10

57:10

As India rises on the world stage, what stories and narratives are we ready to share? In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara and Michelle speak with author Sriram Devtha the author of Amrut: The Great Churn. Diving into the heart of Indian brands that have received global recognition with Amrut Distilleries, a brand pushing boundaries in the whi…

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Margaret Drabble — The Millstone with Carrie Mullins 36:50

8M ago36:50

36:50

Send us a text Margaret Drabble’s 1965 novel The Millstone offers a nuanced portrayal of single motherhood in 1960s London. Author Carrie Mullins, whose 2024 nonfiction work The Book of Mothers explores literary depictions of motherhood, joins us to discuss Drabble’s fearless protagonist, Rosamund. Together, we explore how The Millstone captures th…

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7.10 Dr. Ramchandra Guha: What Can We Learn from India's Environmental Heroes? 50:19

8M ago50:19

50:19

Curious about India’s unique relationship with the environment and the often-overlooked heroes who shaped it? In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle and Tara welcome celebrated historian Dr. Ramachandra Guha, and talk about his recent book Speaking with Nature. Known for his extensive work on Gandhi, Dr. Guha now uncovers the lives of Indian…

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7.9 K. Hari Kumar: Oracles, Daivas, and Spirit Worship in Tulu Nadu 1:02:14

8M ago1:02:14

1:02:14

Ever been captivated by the supernatural or curious about the secrets behind spirit worship? In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle sits down with Hari Kumar, author of Daiva, who takes us into the fascinating world of spirit worship practiced in Karnataka and northern Kerala’s Tulu Nadu region. Hari dives into the intense practice of spirit…

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Elizabeth Garver Jordan — The Case of Lizzie Borden & Other Writings with Jane Carr and Lori Harrison-Kahan 41:27

8M ago41:27

41:27

Send us a text Elizabeth Garver Jordan’s riveting coverage of the Lizzie Borden trial for The New York World captivated true-crime junkies of the late 19th-century, and her lengthy career as a journalist, fiction writer and literary editor still resonates today. Lori Harrison-Kahan and Jane Carr, editors of a brand new collection of Garver Jordan’s…

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7.8 Dharini & Rupleena: Interfaith Romance, Identity and Coming-of-age Stories of Women in India 50:11

8M ago50:11

50:11

Curious about how fiction explores the intersection of identity, memory, and love? In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle and Tara sit down with Dharini Bhaskar author of ‘Like Being Alive Twice’ and Rupleena Bose author of ‘Summer of Then’ to talk about the art of writing female coming-of-age stories. They dive into the challenges of creati…

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7.7 Manjiri Prabhu: Unraveling Secrets and Mysteries in Portugal’s Wine Country 39:24

8M ago39:24

39:24

Ever wonder how a destination can inspire an entire mystery novel? In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara and Michelle chat with Manjiri Prabhu, India’s first female mystery writer to break into the international scene. She talks about her latest novel, The Mystery of the Portuguese Hearts, set in the heart of Portugal’s wine country. Manjiri re…

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