PODCAST · education
Library Talks
by The New York Public Library
Join The New York Public Library and your favorite writers, artists, and thinkers for smart talks and provocative conversations from the nation's cultural capital.
Episodes
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Fintan O'Toole: The Idiocy of Greatness
In this episode of Library Talks, the acclaimed Irish writer, Fintan O'Toole, delivers the annual Robert B. Silvers lecture. The idea of greatness has infused politics across much of the globe in the last decade, from Brexit to Donald Trump's MAGA movement. In this lecture, Fintan O'Toole…
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Maile Chapman with Larissa MacFarquhar: The Spoil
In this episode of Library Talks, acclaimed author Maile Chapman joins the podcast to discuss her first novel in fifteen years from acclaimed, The Spoil. As a young girl growing up on the outskirts of Tacoma in the 1970s, Mandy is preoccupied by the paranormal phenomena she reads about in...
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Bob Crawford with Alexis Coe: America's Founding Son
In this episode of Library Talks, The historian and bass player for The Avett Brothers, Bob Crawford revisits the life of John Quincy Adams in his book America's Founding Son. Adams was born nine years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and he died as the United States was...
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Daisy Hernández with Jia Lynn Yang: Citizenship
In this episode of Library Talks, Author Daisy Hernández explores one of the most contested questions in contemporary American life: who belongs. Hernández is joined in discussion with journalist Jia Lynn Yang. Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth braids memoir, history, and cultural criticism…
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Library Talks: Ellen Carol DuBois with Julie Suk, 'Elizabeth Cady Stanton'
In this episode of Library Talks, historian Ellen Carol DuBois discusses her new book Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life with legal scholar Julie Suk. Elizabeth Cady Stanton presents a definitive portrait of one of the most influential figures in the American struggles for women's...
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Jeanne Theoharis with Robyn C. Spencer-Antoine: The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
In this episode of Library Talks, historian Jeanne Theoharis joins the podcast to discuss her groundbreaking work, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. She is joined in discussion by fellow historian Robyn C. Spencer-Antoine. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks is the definitive political...
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Clint Bentley with Aidan Flax-Clark: Train Dreams
In this episode of Library Talks, award winning director Clint Bentley joins the podcast to discuss his new film Train Dreams and the process of adapting Denis Johnson's beloved novella. Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of...
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Nina Sankovitch with Jennifer Finney Boylan: Not Your Founding Father
In this episode of Library Talks, historian Nina Sankovitch discusses her new book Not Your Founding Father: How a Nonbinary Minister Became America's Most Radical Revolutionary. In 1776 a 23-year-old woman named Jemima Wilkinson suffered a severe illness, declared her past self dead, and then...
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Emily Yellin and John C. Lawson II with Michelle Miller: Nonviolent
In this episode of Library Talks, we explore the life of one of the most influential architects of the civil rights era Rev. James Lawson Jr. and discuss his new posthumous memoir Nonviolent: A Memoir of Resistance, Agitation, and Love Rev. James Lawson Jr. spent his life fighting racial and...
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Emerald Fennell with Aidan Flax-Clark: "Wuthering Heights"
In this episode of Library Talks, Academy and BAFTA Award–winning filmmaker, Emerald Fennell, discusses her seductive interpretation of Wuthering Heights. Wuthering Heights has been the subject of controversy since it was first published in 1847. One of its first critics derided the novel's…
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Edward McPherson with Robert Sullivan: Look Out
In this episode of Library Talks, author Edward McPherson sits down with fellow author Robert Sullivan to discuss his latest book, Look Out: The Delight and Danger of Taking the Long View. Look Out is an exploration of long-distance mapping, aerial photography, and top-down and far-ranging...
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Akhil Reed Amar: Born Equal
In this episode of Library Talks, prizewinning constitutional historian Akhil Reed Amar talks about his new book Born Equal: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840–1920. Born Equal recounts the dramatic constitutional debates that unfolded across eight decades, across those eight decades four...
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Siddhartha Mukherjee with Dhruv Khullar: Revisiting The Emperor of All Maladies
In this episode of Library Talks, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and physician Siddhartha Mukherjee joins Library Talks to discuss the updated edition of his groundbreaking book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer Originally published in 2010, The Emperor of All Maladies is a…
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Tim Wu with Lina Khan: The Age of Extraction
In this episode of Library Talks, The legal scholar and former White House official, Tim Wu, examines how today's tech giants extract wealth from ordinary citizens and deepen America's class divide. The Internet was once celebrated as a democratizing force promising widespread prosperity. In his...
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Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper with Joshua David Stein: Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing
In this episode of Library Talks, 4th generation Russ & Daughters co-owners Niki Russ Federman & Josh Russ join the podcast to talk about their book Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing with fellow writer Joshua David Stein. From the legendary New York destination for Jewish appetizing, a...
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Amanda Vaill with Bill Goldstein: Pride and Pleasure
In this episode of Library Talks, writer Amanda Vaill joins the podcast to discuss her new book Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution. Discover America's Founding Era anew through the lives of the Schuyler sisters, two women as formidable as the famous men they loved,...
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Mindy Weisberger with Paula Croxson: Rise of The Zombie Bugs
In this episode of Library Talks, science writer Mindy Weisberger discusses her new book Rise of the Zombie Bugs: The Surprising Science of Parasitic Mind-Control with Neuroscientist Paula Croxson. Zombies aren't just the stuff of nightmares. Explore the fascinating world of real-life insect...
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Margalit Fox: The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum
In this episode of Library Talks, award-winning journalist Margalit Fox joins Library Talks to discuss her latest book, The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss, the true story of a once-infamous criminal mastermind and visionary businesswoman in Gilded...
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Lance Richardson with Sam Anderson: True Nature
In this episode of Library Talks, author Lance Richardson joins Library Talks to discuss his new book True Nature: The Pilgrimage of Peter Matthiessen. He's joined by award-winning writer Sam Anderson. A towering figure of twentieth-century American letters, Peter Matthiessen (1927–2014) defies...
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Jonathan Mahler with Amor Towles: The Gods of New York
In this episode of Library Talks, award-winning author and New York Times Magazine staff writer Jonathan Mahler joins the podcast to discuss the transformative, tumultuous era in New York City he evokes vividly in The Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the…
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Dr. Tom Frieden with Chelsea Clinton: The Formula for Better Health
In this episode of Library Talks, the former director of the CDC Dr. Tom Frieden, joins Library Talks to discuss his new book The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives – Including Your Own. He's joined in conversation by Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation.…
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Irin Carmon with Melissa Murray: Unbearable
In this episode of Library Talks, Irin Carmon speaks with Melissa Murray about her new book Unbearable. In Unbearable, Irin Carmon draws on the history and politics of reproduction, showing how the American story of pregnancy has long been incomplete, hidden, or taken for granted. Pregnant…
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Francesca Wade with Brenda Wineapple: Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife
In this episode of Library Talks, Author Francesca Wade, joins Library Talks to discuss her new book Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife she is joined by fellow author Brenda Wineapple who's most recent book is national bestseller, Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial That Riveted a Nation....
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Ray D. Madoff with Gary Gulman: The Second Estate
In this episode of Library Talks, Ray D. Madoff, a professor at Boston College Law School, talks about her new book The Second Estate which lifts the veil on the 7,000-page tax code that has created two Americas. In one America, "millions of working Americans pay substantial portions of their...
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Cheryl McKissack Daniel with Charlamagne Tha God: The Black Family Who Built America
In this episode of Library Talks, Cheryl McKissack Daniel—fifth-generation leader of the nation's oldest Black-owned design and construction services firm, sits down with multimedia mogul Charlamagne Tha God to discuss her family's extraordinary 200-year history, as captured in her new book The...
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Gish Jen with Weike Wang: Bad Bad Girl
In this episode of Library Talks, acclaimed novelist Gish Jen joins Library Talks to discuss her latest book Bad Bad Girl. She is joined by fellow novelist Weike Wang. Bad Bad Girl began as a memoir of her late mother, Loo Shu-hsin, before evolving into a fictionalized portrait of their turbulent...
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David Szalay with Dua Lipa: Flesh
In this episode of Library Talks, join Dua Lipa for a live discussion of Flesh by David Szalay, a book club pick for Service95—the global lifestyle platform and weekly newsletter she founded. Longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize, Flesh tells the rags-to-riches story of Istvan, a lonely young man...
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Brian Jones with Bettina L. Love and Jesse Hagopian: Black History Is for Everyone
In this episode of Library Talks, Educator NYPL staff member and author Brian Jones joins Library Talks to discuss his new book Black History Is for Everyone. He is joined by Dr. Bettina L. Love and Jesse Hagopian. In Black History Is for Everyone, Brian Jones offers a meditation on the power of...
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The New Yorker Editorial Roundtable
In this episode of Library Talks , in honor of The New Yorker's 100th anniversary, editor David Remnick is joined by Henry Finder, Tyler Foggatt, Susan Morrison, and Daniel Zalewski for a rare editorial roundtable. They offer an insider's view into how articles are assigned, crafted, and brought…
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Jill Lepore with Jamal Greene: We the People
In this episode of Library Talks, American historian Jill Lepore joins Library Talks to discuss her latest book We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution. She is joined by constitutional law expert Jamal Greene. On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding, Jill Lepore's…
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Tricia Hersey with Glory Edim: We Will Rest!: The Art of Escape
In this episode of Library Talks, multidisciplinary artist and theologian, Tricia Hersey joins Library Talks to discuss her latest book We Will Rest!: The Art of Escape. She is joined by Glory Edim, author of Well Read Black Girl. Tricia Hersey is the founder of The Nap Ministry. She is the…
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Lauren O'Neill-Butler with E.C. Feiss and Ciarán Finlayson: The War of Art
In this episode of Library Talks, Author and editor Lauren O'Neill-Butler joins Library Talks to discuss her latest book, The War of Art: A History of Artists' Protest in America. The War of Art tells the history of artist-led activism and the global political and aesthetic debates of the 1960s…
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Miriam Toews with Aidan Flax-Clark: A Truce That Is Not Peace
In this episode of Library Talks, Miriam Toews, the internationally bestselling author of Women Talking and Fight Night discusses writing about her own life in nonfiction for the first time. Miriam Toews had written nine books, but when the organizer of a literary festival prompted her to answer...
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Joshua Miele with Andrew Leland: Connecting Dots: A Blind Life
In this episode of Library Talks, Research scientist Joshua Miele joins Library Talks to discuss his memoir Connecting Dots: A Blind Life. He is joined by Andrew Leland, author of the memoir The Country of the Blind. Throughout his life, Miele has found increasingly inventive ways to succeed in a...
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Eloghosa Osunde with Jake Morrissey: Necessary Fiction
In this episode of Library Talks, award-winning writer and multidisciplinary artist Eloghosa Osunde joins the podcast for a conversation about their new novel Necessary Fiction with the editor of Necessary Fiction Jake Morrissey. Necessary Fiction takes place across Lagos, one of Africa's largest...
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Raquel Willis with Mecca Jamilah Sullivan: The Risk It Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation
In this episode of Library Talks, writer, activist, and speaker Raquel Willis joins Library Talks to discuss her memoir The Risk It Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation. She's joined by fellow writer Mecca Jamilah Sullivan. In The Risk It Takes to Bloom, Raquel Willis recounts with passion and...
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Malcolm D. Lee and Jayne Allen with Bevy Smith: The Best Man: Unfinished Business
In this episode of Library Talks, Writer and director Malcolm D. Lee Joins Library Talks to discuss his debut novel The Best Man: Unfinished Business. He's joined by his coauthor Jayne Allen in a discussion moderated by radio and television host Bevy Smith. The beloved characters from Malcom D...
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Kevin Nguyen with Chris Gayomali: Mỹ Documents
In this episode of Library Talks, Novelist and features editor at The Verge Kevin Nguyen joins Library Talks to discuss his second novel Mỹ Documents Mỹ Documents follows four Vietnamese cousins whose lives are upended after a terrorist attack incites a government crackdown that targets their...
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Jeremy Tiang with Reuben Gelley Newman: State of Emergency
In this episode of Library Talks, Acclaimed translator and playwright Jeremy Tiang joins Library Talks to discuss his debut novel and winner of the Singapore Literature Prize State of Emergency. Jeremy Tiang is a novelist and playwright, and the translator of over thirty books from Chinese. His...
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Jonas Hassen Khemiri with Tess Gunty: The Sisters
In this episode of Library Talks, National book award finalist Jonas Hassen Khemiri talks to Tess Gunty about his latest book, The Sisters. Narrated in six parts, each spanning a period ranging from a year to a day to a single minute, Jonas Hassen Khemiri's The Sisters is a big, vivid family saga...
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Bobby Hankinson: Kweendom: A Night of Queer Stand-Up
In this episode of Library Talks, New York's funniest LGBTQ performers take the stage for a one-night-only celebration of queer comedy, community, and joy. Hosted by Bobby Hankinson, Kweendom is an all-LGBTQ comedy show featuring some of the city's sharpest queer comedians and storytellers. Born...
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John B. King, Jr. with Lisette Nieves: Teacher by Teacher
Former U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr talks to Lisette Nieves about his latest book, Teacher by Teacher.
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Kate Marvel and Friends, 'Human Nature'
In this episode of Library Talks, author and climate scientist Kate Marvel explores her latest book, Human Nature, with David Wallace-Wells, Monica Youn, and Lauren Kurtz through talks, performances, and more Each chapter of Kate Marvel's new book, Human Nature, employs a different emotion to...
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Stephanie Burt with Special Guests: Super Gay Poems: LGBTQIA+ Poetry after Stonewall
In this episode of Library Talks, poets and critics read from and discuss the new anthology, Super Gay Poems: LGBTQIA+ Poetry after Stonewall. In Super Gay Poems, Stephanie Burt curates a boundary-pushing anthology of 51 poems by LGBTQIA+ writers, tracing the evolution of queer poetry since the...
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Barbara Demick with Jessica Bruder: Daughters of the Bamboo Grove
In this episode of Library Talks, acclaimed journalist and National Book Award finalist Barbara Demick talks to Jessica Bruder about her latest book, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins Barbara Demick investigates the...
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Madeleine Thien with Jiayang Fan: The Book of Records
In this episode of Library Talks, author Madeleine Thien talks to Jiayang Fan about her latest book, The Book of Records. The Book of Records is a novel that leaps across generations, ideas, and centuries, as if different eras were separated by only a door. Madeleine Thien worked on The Book of...
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Claire Hoffman with Jelani Cobb: Sister, Sinner
In this episode of Library Talks, Author and Journalist Claire Hoffman sits down with fellow journalist Jelani Cobb to talk about her latest book, Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson Sister, Sinner chronicles the dramatic rise, disappearance,...
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Russell Shorto with Aidan Flax-Clark: Taking Manhattan
Bestselling author and historian Russell Shorto talks to Aidan Flax-Clark about his latest book, Taking Manhattan.
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Haleh Liza Gafori with Maya C. Popa: Water Translating Rumi
Acclaimed poet Haleh Liza Gafori discusses her latest translations of Rumi's lyric poetry in Water with prize-winning poet Maya C. Popa
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Library Talks have?
Library Talks currently has 391 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Library Talks about?
Join The New York Public Library and your favorite writers, artists, and thinkers for smart talks and provocative conversations from the nation's cultural capital.
How often does Library Talks release new episodes?
Library Talks publishes regularly with 391 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Library Talks?
You can listen to Library Talks on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Library Talks?
Library Talks is created and hosted by The New York Public Library.
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