Literary & general fiction
The novels that get taught, argued over and re-read a decade later.
The whole shelf
Every genre, from every part of the world
We don't run a literary-fiction show with occasional guests from elsewhere. Craft is craft: a cozy mystery writer plotting a reveal and a Nobel laureate cutting a paragraph are solving the same problem. Here's the full map — 81 genres across 8 families, and 6 regions we record in.
81
Genres on the shelf
72
Countries listening
8
Authors in the archive
Speculative worlds
Writers who move one rule of reality and follow the consequences honestly.
- Science Fiction1 in archive
- Fantasy
- Epic Fantasy
- Speculative Fiction2 in archive
- Dystopian Fiction1 in archive
- Climate Fiction
- Magical Realism
- Horror
- Gothic
- Weird Fiction
- Alternate History
- Steampunk
- Cyberpunk
- Afrofuturism
Crime, thriller & mystery
Plot as engineering: what the reader knows, when, and what it costs them.
- Crime & Noir1 in archive
- Detective Fiction
- Cozy Mystery
- Psychological Thriller
- Legal Thriller
- Spy & Espionage
- Domestic Suspense
- True Crime
Love & relationships
The most demanding structure in publishing, and the least respected.
- Contemporary Romance
- Historical Romance
- Romantasy
- Queer Romance
- Romantic Comedy
- Women's Fiction
- Erotica
Nonfiction & ideas
Research, argument and the discipline of getting the facts to sing.
- Memoir1 in archive
- Biography
- Essays & Criticism1 in archive
- History
- Popular Science
- Nature & Environment
- Travel Writing
- Politics & Society
- Philosophy
- Economics & Business
- Health & Medicine
- Food Writing
- Sport
- Art & Photography
- Religion & Spirituality
- Self-Help
- Reportage & Long-Form Journalism
Poetry & drama
Where every writer we interview says they learned to hear a line.
- Poetry3 in archive
- Prose Poetry
- Spoken Word
- Playwriting
- Screenwriting
- Libretto
Young readers
Harder than adult fiction: no reader is more willing to close the book.
- Picture Books
- Middle Grade
- Young Adult
- YA Fantasy
- YA Contemporary
- Graphic Novels
- Manga
- Comics
Worldwide & in translation
Roughly a third of our episodes are with writers read first in another language.
- Translated Fiction1 in archive
- African Literature
- Latin American Literature
- Caribbean Literature
- Arabic Literature
- South Asian Literature
- East Asian Literature
- Nordic Literature
- Indigenous Literatures
- Diaspora Writing
- Postcolonial Literature
Worldwide
Where the writers — and the listeners — are
Recorded in London, Toronto, Lagos, Osaka and Kraków so far, and heard in 72 countries. Roughly a third of our episodes are with writers first read in another language.
Africa
Lagos, Nairobi and Accra are three of our ten biggest listening cities.
Nigeria · Kenya · Ghana · South Africa · Senegal · Egypt · Zimbabwe
In the archive: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Asia
Recorded in Osaka and Seoul; translated editions drive most of our mail.
Japan · South Korea · India · Vietnam · China · Indonesia · Türkiye
In the archive: Min Jin Lee
Europe
Our home studio is in London, with regular sessions in Kraków and Dublin.
United Kingdom · Ireland · Poland · France · Germany · Italy · Norway · Spain
In the archive: Kazuo Ishiguro, Olga Tokarczuk, Bernardine Evaristo
North America
Toronto, New York and Hartford dates, plus the bulk of our download traffic.
United States · Canada · Mexico
In the archive: Margaret Atwood, Colson Whitehead, Ocean Vuong
Latin America
Season five opens with two writers recorded in Bogotá and Buenos Aires.
Colombia · Argentina · Brazil · Chile · Peru
Oceania
Late-night listening territory: our biggest per-capita audience is here.
Australia · Aotearoa New Zealand · Fiji
Never miss an episode
One email a week. The episode, plus the craft notes.
Every Wednesday we send the new conversation with a short written breakdown of the writing lessons inside it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.