LARB Radio Hour

Medaya Ocher is joined by writer Lauren Rothery to discuss her novel Television, which follows an aging movie star named Verity, his on and off lover Helen, and Phoebe a screenwriter and filmmaker. One day, on a whim, Verity decides to hold a lottery, giving away his earnings from a massive superhero movie to one lucky filmgoer. Rothery discusses the relationship between failure and success, the current state of Hollywood and why she thinks television is a good metaphor for romance.

Kate Wolf and Eric Newman speak with Caroline Fraser about her new book, Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers. Taking an ecological approach to true crime, the book explores how decades of industrial pollution from large smelting plants in the Pacific Northwest may have shaped the social and environmental conditions that coincided with an unusually high number of serial killers in the region during the 1970s and 1980s, including Ted Bundy, Randall Woodfield, and others. Fraser discusses how she came to draw connections between environmental contamination and these terrifying killers, while also considering the wider human costs of unchecked corporate power and deregulation on vulnerable communities.

In this engaging conversation, bestselling author Susan Orlean shares insights from her memoir, Joyride. She discusses her initial reluctance to label it a memoir and the balancing act between confidence and humility in writing. Orlean reflects on the role of curiosity, the ethics of journalism, and the importance of adaptability in a changing media landscape. With anecdotes about handling rejection and her journey from alt-weeklies to The New Yorker, she dives deep into the intricate relationship between reporters and their subjects.

Sally Mann, an acclaimed American photographer and author known for her groundbreaking works and candid reflections on art, shares insights from her book, Artwork: On the Creative Life. She delves into her journey to becoming an artist and discusses how self-doubt fuels her creativity. Mann emphasizes the importance of persistence, drawing from her experiences with rejection and her rural Southern roots that shape her art. She also candidly addresses controversies surrounding her work and the evolving nature of photography in a world flooded with images.

Join writer and comedian Jenny Slate, known for her dynamic roles in film and stand-up, as she shares insights into motherhood and creativity with author Sarah Manguso. They explore the transformative nature of parenthood and its impact on truth-telling in her writing. Slate reflects on her creative journey, the necessity of failure, and the importance of diverse female voices in literature. She also unveils a favorite excised piece from her book and discusses the aesthetic joy found in ordinary objects. It's an enlightening conversation on art, identity, and motherhood!

Kate Wolf is joined by two of today's finest film critics to discuss the current state of Hollywood—including the sale of Warner Brothers Discovery—the art of writing about movies, and some of the year's best films. Up first is critic A.S. Hamrah, author of two new books: Last Week In End Times Cinema, which compiles the relentless follies of the film industry from March of 2024 to 2025 in an annals of ever-winnowing corporate conglomeration and AI speculation, and Algorithm of the Night: Film Writing 2019-2025. Next, Melissa Anderson discusses her latest book, The Hunger: Film Writing 2012-2024. A self-proclaimed "acteurist" whose attention often centers on a film's star rather than its plot, Anderson's criticism engages with movies on an affective level, charting her own pleasure, desire, and occasional disgust. Here she talks about grounding her writing in queer and feminist politics and how her ardent cinephilia is born of a sense of open-minded curiosity, hopefulness, and the willingness to be transported.

The hosts reflect on a challenging year by sharing their favorite books, films, and TV shows from 2025. Medaya highlights standout books, while Kate passionately lists numerous favorites. Eric dives into memorable films, including horror hits and surprises. TV picks range from engaging scripts to feel-good comfort shows. Music discussions feature incredible albums by Rosalia and Bad Bunny, alongside intriguing scandals like the latest in political journalism. The hosts emphasize the importance of supporting local journalism.

Medaya Ocher and Eric Newman speak with director Julia Loktev about her new documentary My Undesirable Friends. Filmed in 2021, just before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the five-hour epic follows independent journalists at TV Rain as they navigate escalating government repression and the "foreign agent" laws designed to silence dissent. The film is a moving, unsettling portrait of resilience and a stark reminder of the global stakes of Russia's suppression of independent media. Medaya and Eric talk to Julia about her experience filming the documentary in a moment of intense political upheaval, as well as what the disturbing parallels between the campaign against the press in Russia and the United States.

Kate Wolf and Eric Newman speak with Robin Coste Lewis about her new poetry collection, Archive of Desire. The four part collection emerged out of a collaboration with other artists commissioned by the Onassis Foundation to celebrate the 160th birthday of poet Constantin Cavafy, exploring Lewis's encounters with Cavafy's life, work, and sexual history. Lewis discusses her experience poring over the materials from Cavafy's archives in Athens, how his poetry still speaks to us so profoundly more than a century later, and their queer kinship.

Eric Newman speaks to Brandon Taylor about his latest novel, Minor Black Figures. It centers on Wyeth, a Black artist in his thirties wrestling with creative stagnation and the pressures of sudden fame after some of his paintings unexpectedly go viral. As he resists the temptation to produce the sort of identity-based art the market seems to want, Wyeth engages in recovering the life and career of a forgotten Black artist from the 1970s. He also finds himself entangled in a romance with a former seminarian whose views on art and faith challenge and inspire him amid the humid swirl of summer in New York. Taylor discusses the novel's origins, the white gaze and the struggles faced by Black artists, and how to write a good sex scene.