The American Writers Museum Podcasts

This week, hear from Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, co-creators and performers of the award-winning musical Mexodus, which tells the story of the Underground Railroad heading south into Mexico. Before its highly anticipated 2026 run at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Quijada and Robinson stopped by the AWM to talk about the craft of [...]

This week, longtime independent bookstore owner and AWM Founding Board Member Roberta Rubin discusses her new memoir, Turning Pages: The Life and Times of a Bookseller. For more than thirty years, Rubin owned and ran The Book Stall at Chestnut Court in Winnetka, Illinois—one of the nation’s most admired independent bookstores. In this warm and [...]

In this episode, we discuss the life and legacy of poet and essayist Louise Glück. To quote from the Poetry Foundation’s website: “Considered by many to be one of America’s most talented contemporary poets, Glück was known for her poetry’s technical precision, sensitivity, and insight into loneliness, family relationships, divorce, and death. In 2020, she [...]

This week, novelists Jane Hamilton and Sahar Mustafah explore their craft. Hamilton discusses her new coming-of-age novel The Phoebe Variations, while Mustafah shares insights into her latest novel The Slightest Green. Moderated by journalist and author Arionne Nettles. This program was part of the 2026 American Writers Festival, a biennial, free literary event co-presented by [...]

This week, horror novelists and podcasters discuss their craft. Featuring: Quan Barry, Jeffrey Cranor, Joseph Fink, Scott Hawkins, and moderated by A.V. Bach. The creators and writers of the fiction podcast Welcome to Night Vale, Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink, come together with novelists Quan Barry (The Unveiling) and Scott Hawkins (The Library at Mount [...]

This week, thriller authors (with brand new novels!) discuss how to write a breathtaking thriller, from pacing to twists to turns and everything in between. Edgar Award-nominee Mindy Mejia delves into the latest installment in her Iowa Mysteries Series, the gripping and unsettling The Whisper Place. Bestselling author Joshua Moehling shares insights into his latest, [...]

This week, Amy Bizzarri discusses her cookbook and travelogue, Route 66 Recipes: A Culinary Cruise Along the Mother Road, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the famous highway. Bizzarri talks about the food history of the legendary road, and the diners, cafes, soda shops, and dive bars that make up the landscape. Moderated by [...]

This week, writers and free speech advocates Jacob Mchangama and Sara Paretsky discuss the importance of free speech today. Jacob Mchangama is the author of Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media, which traces the riveting legal, political, and cultural history of this idea. He is also the co-author, along with Jeff Kosseff, [...]

This week, Reyna Grande and Erika L. Sánchez discuss Grande’s new book Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget, an ambitious memoir in essays that illuminates the hidden cost of the American Dream and the complex journey of healing that follows survival. This conversation originally took place September 23, 2026 and was recorded live [...]

This week, two of Chicago’s leading poets—Mayda del Valle and Eve L. Ewing—discuss how to use poetic forms to tell stories, reveal characters, and express memory. Mayda del Valle is the Poet Laureate of the City of Chicago, and Eve L. Ewing is an award-winning poet and scholar. This program was part of the 2026 [...]