Keene on Books

Keene on Books is back with an episode discussing Daniel Kraus's 2025 novel, Angel Down. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Celia Rabinowitz, the Assistant Vice-President for Academic Engagement and Dean of Mason Library at Keene State as well as Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the Center for Research and Writing at KSC. The episode runs over an hour, but we had to put a period on it at some point.

Keene on Books returns with an episode on Suzanne Collins's 2025 novel and Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Amber Davisson, Professor and Chair of the Communication and Philosophy Department at Keene State and Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the KSC Center for Research and Writing. It is winter in New England and 'snow KEEPS landing on top'; is that what people mean when they call this novel relevant to our current events?

Keene on Books makes its 2026 return with an episode on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's 2025 novel Dream Count. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by KoB legend Dr. Emily Robins Sharpe. She is Professor of English at Keene State, teaching courses on, amongst other things, postcolonial and world modernist literatures. Emily is the author of Mosaic Fictions: Writing Identity in the Spanish Civil War.

Keene on Books returns with an episode on Agustina Bazterrica’s 2017 novel Tender Is the Flesh (Sarah Moses's 2020 English translation). Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by three KSC legends: Dr. Anna Schur is Professor of English at Keene State and author of the books Wages of Evil: Dostoevsky and Punishment and The Letters and the Law: Legal and Literary Culture in Late Imperial Russia; Dr. Kirsti Sandy is Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Keene State, an English professor, and author of the prizewinning book of linked memoir essays, 2017’s She Lived, and the Other Girls Died; and Dr. Lisa DiGiovanni is Professor of Modern Languages and Cultures and Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State and author of the 2025 book, Militarized Masculinity in Spain and Chile: Remembering Violence through Film and Literature.

Keene on Books returns with an episode discussing Louise Erdrich's 2024 novel, The Mighty Red. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Celia Rabinowitz, Director of Keene State's Mason Library and Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the Center for Research and Writing at KSC. Molly may have founded The Mighty Red fan club, but Celia and I are eager members.

It is autumn, and we are back. Keene on Books returns with an episode on Taylor Jenkins Reid's 2025 novel, Atmosphere. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Amber Davisson, Professor and Chair of the Communication and Philosophy Department and Meriem Pagès, Professor of English, departmental medievalist, and Director of the Medieval and Renaissance Forum. For those interested, yes, we have already sold the tv and film rights to this episode: we're all played by AI.

Keene on Books returns with an episode on Rufi Thorpe's 2024 novel Margo's Got Money Troubles. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Amber Davisson, Professor and Chair of the Communication and Philosophy Department at Keene State and Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the KSC Center for Research and Writing. A book with pro wrestling, OnlyFans, and narrative theory: I've never wished more that the intro music for Keene on Books was Stone Cold Steve Austin's entrance music. /glass breaks

Keene on Books returns with an episode discussing Kate Atkinson's 2024 novel, Death at the Sign of the Rook. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Celia Rabinowitz, Director of Mason Library at Keene State and Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the Center for Research and Writing at KSC. You should listen, but the TL;DL here is that we love Atkinson, and Beatrice can steal our paintings anytime.

Keene on Books returns with an episode on Lauren Groff's 2021 novel, Matrix. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Meriem Pagès, Professor of English and Director of KSC's Medieval and Renaissance Forum as well as Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the Center for Research and Writing. Of course, we discuss Groff's book. But Meriem also tells us about the 12th-century generally -- and Marie de France's lais "Bisclavret," which is about, to use Meriem's literary, academic language, "a really awesome werewolf." Join us! 

Keene on Books returns with an episode on Friedrich Gorenstein’s 1967 novel Redemption (Andrew Bromfield's 2018 English translation). Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Dr. Anna Schur, Professor of English at Keene State and author of the books Wages of Evil: Dostoevsky and Punishment and The Letters and the Law: Legal and Literary Culture in Late Imperial Russia as well as “Evil, Theodicy, and Jewishness in Fridrikh Gorenshtein” in Fall 2023 issue of Slavic Review. If I told you the book starts with a ball and ends with loads of babies, I don't think you'd be able to guess the middle. Read it.

Keene on Books returns with an episode discussing Miranda July's 2024 novel, All Fours. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Celia Rabinowitz, Director of Mason Library and Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the Center for Research and Writing. Discussing the New York book of the summer in January in New Hampshire is our BRAND.

Keene on Books returns with an episode discussing Maia Kobabe's 2019 graphic memoir, Gender Queer. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Eleanor Green, Teen Librarian at Keene Public Library, Alyssa Hamilton, English teacher at ConVal High School, and Ian Kaplan, Coordinator of LGBTQ+ Student Support at Keene State. Only Eleanor had the deluxe edition of the book, but our whole conversation is really pretty deluxe. 

Keene on Books returns with an episode discussing Min Jin Lee's 2017 novel, Pachinko. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Cindy Cheshire, biblical scholar, JEDI Faculty Fellow, and Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Communication and Philosophy at Keene State as well as Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the Center for Research and Writing. We may not have found 100% of the biblical allusions, but 100% of the ones we did find were found by Cindy.

Keene on Books returns with an episode discussing 2023's Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror, edited by Jordan Peele. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Kirsti Sandy, Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and English prof at Keene State as well as illustrious KSC senior students and writers Kyla Culver and Moses Fisher. 

Keene on Books returns with an episode discussing Kaveh Akbar's 2024 novel, Martyr!. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Celia Rabinowitz, Director of Mason Library and Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the Center for Research and Writing. Cue a dream sequence where you listen to this podcast with a family member and your favorite basketball player / cartoon character.

Keene on Books is back with an episode discussing Emma Cline's 2023 novel, The Guest. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Dr. Kirsti Sandy, Professor and Chair of the Keene State English Department and Kyla Culver, an English literature major and studio art minor at KSC. Spoiler: in the story of our conversation, we make it to Simon's Labor Day party but do NOT die on the manicured grass.

Keene on Books returns with an episode discussing Nana Kwame Adjei Brenyah's 2023 novel, Chain-Gang All-Stars. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Celia Rabinowitz, Director of Mason Library and Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the Center for Research and Writing. Depending on how you think about it, this is either the least or most appropriate novel to think about near the Super Bowl...

Just in time for the holidays and year-end book lists, Keene on Books is back with an episode discussing Zadie Smith's 2023 novel, The Fraud. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Kirsti Sandy, Professor and Chair of the Keene State English Department and William Stroup, Professor of English. If you are deciding between listening to this podcast and reading a novel by William Ainsworth, it is our humble opinion as English professors that you should listen to us.

Keene on Books returns with a romance novel double feature with Casey McQuiston's 2022 novel I Kissed Shara Wheeler and Ruby Dixon's 2020 novel When She Purrs. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Amber Davisson, Professor and Chair of Communication and Philosophy and Meriem Pagès, Professor of English and Director of the Medieval and Renaissance Forum. Come for the break down of the genre conventions of romance; stay for the blushing.

Keene on Books returns with a podcast discussing Celeste Ng's 2022 novel, Our Missing Hearts. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Celia Rabinowitz, Director of Mason Library and Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the Center for Research and Writing. Get thee to a library!

Keene on Books returns with a podcast discussing Jennifer Egan's 2022 novel, The Candy House. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Emily Robins Sharpe, Chair of the English Department, and Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the Center for Research and Writing. 

Keene on Books returns with a podcast discussing Danya Kukafka's 2022 novel, Notes on an Execution. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Amber Davisson, Professor and Chair in the Communication Department and Meriem Pagès, Professor of English and Director of the Medieval and Renaissance Forum. 

No fiction: Keene on Books returns with a podcast discussing Elizabeth McCracken's 2022 novel, The Hero of This Book. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Celia Rabinowitz, Director of Mason Library and Brinda Charry, Professor of English and author of the recently released novel, The East Indian.

Keene on Books discusses Lydia Millet's 2020 novel, A Children's Bible. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Celia Rabinowitz, Director of Mason Library, and Molly Parsons, Assistant Director of the KSC Center for Research and Writing. Biblical allusions welcome. 

Keene on Books goes full superfan and discusses Tana French's 2012 mystery novel, Broken Harbor. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by two KSC Professors of English: Brinda Charry and Meriem Pages. We hear it in the walls sometimes, too.

Keene on Books discusses Edward St. Aubyn's 2017 novel, Dunbar, an entry in the Hogarth Shakespeare's novelized retellings of the plays. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Brinda Charry, novelist, Shakespeare scholar, and KSC Professor of English. We do a top three list of our favorite movie adaptations of Shakespeare; teen movies and Bollywood are well represented.

Keene on Books discusses China Mieville's 2011 novel, Embassytown. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by John Slefinger, KSC Lecturer in English and American Studies. Keywords? Aliens. Linguistics.

Keene on Books discusses Moshin Hamid's 2017 novel, Exit West. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Director of Mason Library, Celia Rabinowitz. Magical doors in this one -- but not to Narnia.

Keene on Books discusses Jess Friedman's 2017 book of prose poetry, Floating Tales. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by the author himself, Jeff Friedman, as well as KSC student Ashley Rollend.

Keene on Books discusses Toni Morrison's final novel, God Help the Child (2015). Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Braema Mathiaparanam, the 2019 Global Fellow in Keene State’s HGS program and the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, and Judy Gannon, Mason Library Circulation Assistant.

Keene on Books discusses Jarrett Krosoczka's 2018 graphic memoir, Hey, Kiddo. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Liz Chipman, former Executive Director of the Keene Housing Kids Collaborative; Kathy Fleming, a college instructor of graphic novels; and Heather Gigliello, Chair of English at Monadnock Regional High School and KSC Education Department Lecturer. Your favorite character probably should be Shirley. 

Keene on Books brings a horror novel double feature and discusses BOTH Silvia Moreno-Garcia's 2020 novel, Mexican Gothic, AND Megan Giddings 2020 novel, Lakewood. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Professor of English Meriem Pages and Professor and Chair of Communication and Philosophy Amber Davisson. Beware the fungus.

Keene on Books discusses Elena Ferrante's 2020 novel, The Lying Life of Adults (translated into English by Ann Goldstein). Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Director of Mason Library, Celia Rabinowitz. Adults are the worst. Except for you.

Keene on Books discusses two essays by two legends: Toni Morrison’s 1981 “City Limits, Village Values: Concepts of Neighborhood in Black Fiction” and James Baldwin’s 1981 “The Language of the Streets.” Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Professor Emeritus of American Studies, Mike Antonucci as well as two former Keene State students (and current New Hampshire English teachers), Michael Costa and Rowan Hawthorne. 

Keene on Books discusses poet Cheryl Savageau's 2020 book, Out of the Crazywoods. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Professor Emeritus of American Studies, Mike Antonucci. At one point, Mike explains to me how Massachusetts drivers learn to drive, and New England makes just a little more sense.

Keene on Books discusses Ross Gay's 2019 book of essayettes, The Book of Delights. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Professor of English, William Stroup. It is all quite delightful really.

Keene on Books discusses Hanif Kureishi's 1990 novel, The Buddha of Suburbia. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Professor and Chair of English, Emily Robins Sharpe. You really need to beware of the dog for this one.

Keene on Books discusses Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro's 2015 novel, The Buried Giant. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Assistant Director of the Keene State Center for Research and Writing, Molly Parsons (and her entire immediate family...in Maine...in the summer...the full new England).

Keene on Books discusses earth's greatest living mystery writer Tana French and her 2020 novel, The Searcher. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by the Assistant Director of the Keene State Center for Research and Writing, Molly Parsons.

Keene on Books discusses Margaret Atwood's 2019 novel, The Testaments, a sequel to her 1985 legend, The Handmaid's Tale. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Professor and Chair of Communication and Philosophy, Amber Davisson, and Adjunct Professor of Communication and Philosophy, Cynthia Cheshire.

As a branch campus of the Kate Atkinson fan club, Keene on Books discusses her 2018 novel, Transcription. Host / Associate Professor of English Education Chris Parsons is joined by Adjunct Professor of Communication and Philosophy Cynthia Cheshire.