

fiction/non/fiction
fiction/non/fiction
Hosted by Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan, fiction/non/fiction interprets current events through the lens of literature, and features conversations with writers of all stripes, from novelists and poets to journalists and essayists.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 25, 2025 • 44min
S8, Ep 52 Caleb Gayle on Black Settlers in the American West
Journalist Caleb Gayle joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his new book Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State, which recounts the efforts of Edward McCabe, a Black settler who became a prominent politician in the late 1800s and spearheaded a mission to establish a majority-Black state in the American West. Gayle sets the scene of McCabe’s upbringing as a free Black man on the East Coast and his move across the country to majority-Black towns in Kansas and Oklahoma. Gayle also talks about how Black settlers navigated the challenges of the supposed promised land, including bleak weather and the machinations of white politicians. Despite great difficulties, Gayle explains, McCabe persisted, and while his dreamed-of state never came to fruition, his legacy is visible in some Western towns even today. Gayle reads from Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State.
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/
This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, and Moss Terrell.
Caleb Gayle
Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State
We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power
What Was the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921?
Others:
Victor LaValle’s Lone Women
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6, Episode 25: "Alone on the Range: Victor LaValle on Lone Women’s Homesteaders, History, and Horror"
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Sep 18, 2025 • 56min
S8, Ep. 51 Omar El Akkad on Gaza and Western Empire
Join novelist and journalist Omar El Akkad as he delves into the powerful themes of his National Book Award-nominated work. He shares his emotional disconnection from the West and critiques the Democratic Party's response to Gaza. El Akkad discusses practical resistance to capitalism and how to engage children in understanding global atrocities, emphasizing compassion over indifference. His personal journey from Egypt through various countries informs his insights, making for a thought-provoking conversation on ethics in today’s political landscape.

Sep 11, 2025 • 47min
S8, Ep 50 Jessica Francis Kane on Penelope Fitzgerald in Mexico
Novelist Jessica Francis Kane joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss her new novel Fonseca, which fictionalizes writer Penelope Fitzgerald’s 1952 trip to Mexico. Kane talks about imagining Fitzgerald in her mid-thirties, before she had become a novelist, when she was living a financially precarious life and editing a journal with her husband Desmond. Kane reflects on Fitzgerald’s decision to travel to Mexico with her son Valpy, a prospective heir for sisters there who are distantly connected to their family. Kane explains how she came to correspond with Fitzgerald’s children and the choice to use those letters as part of the book; her belief that the trip had a formative effect on Fitzgerald; “following the plot” based on the available facts; and introducing historical speculation, like an acquaintance with painter Edward Hopper, into the storyline. Kane reads from Fonseca.
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/
This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, and Moss Terrell.
Jessica Francis Kane
Fonseca
Rules for Visiting
This Close
The Report
Bending Heaven
Penelope Fitzgerald:
"Following the plot" | Penelope Fitzgerald | London Review of Books
Our Lives are Only Lent to Us | Penelope Fitzgerald | Granta Magazine
The Means Of Escape
Offshore
The Blue Flower
Others:
Penelope Fitzgerald: A Life by Hermione Lee
"The Peripatetic Penelope Fitzgerald" | Lucy Scholes | Granta
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Sep 4, 2025 • 47min
S8, E49 Patrick Ryan on ‘The Good Heart’ of Buckeye
Fiction writer and editor Patrick Ryan joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his debut novel, Buckeye, which traces two generations of two Midwestern families connected by a secret. Ryan recalls the coincidental conversation that informed his portrayal of one character’s experiences with disability in World War II-era Ohio, and reflects on taking Ann Patchett’s advice to keep the point of view very close when depicting experiences one hasn’t personally had. He explains how a spiritualist character became “the good heart of the book,” as well as his favorite fiction writing experience of all time. He also talks about troubling two fictional marriages and leaving his characters few paths through their woes. Ryan reads from Buckeye.
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/
This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, and Moss Terrell.
Patrick Ryan
Buckeye
The Dream Life of Astronauts
Send Me
Saints of Augustine
In Mike We Trust
Gemini Bites
Others:
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Gilded Age
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Aug 28, 2025 • 49min
S8, Ep. 48 Jennifer Szalai and Alexandra Jacobs on Great American Road Trip Books
New York Times book critics Jennifer Szalai and Alexandra Jacobs join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss their recent article, “Love Jack Kerouac? Read These Great American Road Trip Books Next,” which they co-authored with their fellow critic Dwight Garner, and which includes books published after Kerouac's On the Road. They talk about road trips as escapism, claustrophobia, exploration, and nostalgia, and reflect on their picks, including Hilma Wolitzer’s 1980 novel Hearts, Gypsy Rose Lee’s 1957 eponymous memoir, Michael Paterniti’s 2000 non-fiction book Driving Mr. Albert, and Jesmyn Ward’s 2017 novel Sing, Unburied, Sing. Szalai and Jacobs talk about developing an expansive conception of what qualifies as a road trip book, leaving Lolita out, and favorite road trip music and games. They read from the article.
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/
This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, and Moss Terrell.
Jennifer Szalai and Alexandra Jacobs
"Love Jack Kerouac? Read These Great American Road Trip Books Next." by Dwight Garner, Alexandra Jacobs, and Jennifer Szalai - The New York Times
Others:
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Hearts by Hilma Wolitzer
Gypsy by Gypsy Rose Lee
Driving Mr. Albert by Michael Paterniti
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Tigerlily by Natalie Merchant
The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor
Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch by Alexandra Jacobs
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Aug 26, 2025 • 52min
S8 Ep. 47: Nicholas Boggs on James Baldwin’s Love Stories
Biographer Nicholas Boggs joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his groundbreaking new book, Baldwin: A Love Story, the first major biography of James Baldwin to be published in three decades. Boggs recalls how finding Baldwin’s only children’s book in a Yale library as a college student led him to track down the volume’s illustrator, the French artist Yoran Cazac, Baldwin’s last great love. He talks about interviewing people who had never previously spoken about their relationships with the iconic author, including Cazac, whom at least one previous biographer had wrongly guessed was deceased. Boggs reflects on the importance of considering Blackness, queerness, and chosen family as central to Baldwin’s life and art. He discusses Baldwin’s youth in Harlem, his years in Europe and Istanbul, and his relationships with the painters Beauford Delaney and Lucien Happersberger, the actor Engin Cezzar, and Cazac, as well as many others. Boggs considers how Baldwin’s deepest friendships and romances influenced his life and work, including Another Country, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Notes of a Native Son, and Giovanni’s Room. He reads from the book.
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/
This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, and Moss Terrell.
Nicholas Boggs
Baldwin: A Love Story
Little Man, Little Man (ed.)
“They Will Try to Kill You”: James Baldwin’s Fraught Hollywood Journey | Vanity Fair
James Baldwin’s Love Stories | Vogue
James Baldwin
"Open Letter to the Born Again" | The Nation
“If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” | The New York Times
Giovanni’s Room
Another Country
Notes of a Native Son
Go Tell It on the Mountain
Everybody’s Protest Novel
Others:
James Baldwin′s Turkish Decade by Magdalena J. Zaborowska
James Baldwin: A Biography by David Leeming
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Aug 14, 2025 • 45min
S8 Ep. 46: Will Bardenwerper on Baseball’s Betrayal of Its Minor League Roots
Will Bardenwerper, a journalist and author of 'Homestand,' discusses the heart-wrenching cuts to minor league baseball teams and their impact on small communities. He passionately highlights the story of the Batavia Muckdogs, celebrating the resilience of fans and the unique gathering spaces that local teams provide. Bardenwerper reflects on the emotional ties fans have to the game, contrasting the comfort of local traditions with the corporate pressures of Major League Baseball. His insights shed light on the intricate connections between sports, community values, and economic challenges.

Aug 7, 2025 • 57min
S8 Ep. 45: Barbara Kingsolver on Supporting Appalachian Women Recovering from Addiction
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss her support of Higher Ground, a long-term residence for women recovering from addiction. Kingsolver talks about Lee County, Virginia, which is both Higher Ground’s location and the setting for her wildly successful novel Demon Copperhead, which transforms Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield into a story of the opioid epidemic in Appalachia. Kingsolver explains how she came to use profits from the novel to found Higher Ground, as well as the local partnerships and conversations that made the project possible. She also reflects on Purdue Pharma’s exploitation of Appalachia; her views on ethical philanthropy; her worries about what the Big, Beautiful Bill will do to rural America; and her opinions on Vice President J.D. Vance’s authenticity. She considers how she developed the voices of her novel’s characters, and reads from Demon Copperhead.
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/
This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, Hunter Murray, Janet Reed, and Moss Terrell.
Barbara Kingsolver
Demon Copperhead
Higher Ground Women's Recovery Residence
Unsheltered
Flight Behavior
The Lacuna
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
The Poisonwood Bible
Pigs in Heaven
Others:
"‘I’ve dealt with anti-hillbilly bigotry all my life’: Barbara Kingsolver on JD Vance, the real Appalachia and why Demon Copperhead was such a hit" |The Guardian
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 31, 2025 • 47min
S8 Ep. 44: Vanity Fair’s Dan Adler on Jeffrey Epstein and What Ghislaine Maxwell Knows
Vanity Fair journalist Dan Adler joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his coverage of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of facilitating Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of minors. Adler explains how Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence and was just interviewed by the Department of Justice, has recently emerged as a key figure in unlocking the puzzle of Epstein’s broader network. He recalls covering Maxwell’s trial in 2021 and analyzes her social circle, British background, and supporters, as well as the timeline and nature of her involvement with Epstein. He talks about her creation of a book celebrating Epstein’s birthday, a volume that reportedly includes a suggestive note from President Trump. He also reflects on Trump’s base’s intensifying interest in the rumored existence of the “Epstein files.” Adler reads from his recent Vanity Fair article, “How Ghislaine Maxwell Is Riding the New Jeffrey Epstein Wave.”
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/
This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, Hunter Murray, Janet Reed, and Moss Terrell.
Dan Adler
How Ghislaine Maxwell Is Riding the New Jeffrey Epstein Wave | Vanity Fair
Others:
Trump’s Name Is on Contributor List for Epstein Birthday Book - The New York Times
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Jul 24, 2025 • 40min
S8 Ep. 43: Gary Shteyngart on Vera, or Faith and American Authoritarians
Acclaimed novelist Gary Shteyngart joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his new novel, Vera, or Faith, which explores American identity, politics, and immigrant experiences in the near future through the eyes of the eponymous 10-year-old protagonist. Shteyngart talks about the novel’s speculative “Five-Three” amendment, a proposal to give those who can trace their ancestry back to the American Revolution five-thirds of a vote, as long as their ancestors “were exceptional enough not to arrive in chains.” He reflects on how this echoes current rhetoric surrounding nationalism and exclusion. Shteyngart unpacks a scene in his novel featuring a “March of the Hated,” in which the Five-Three amendment, like the Trump administration, attracts both the privileged and those who will suffer under the policy. Shteyngart and the hosts examine the role of elite education, AI, and childhood in shaping Vera’s understanding of the world. He reads from Vera, or Faith.
To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/
This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, Hunter Murray, Janet Reed, and Moss Terrell.
Gary Shteyngart
Vera, or Faith
Our Country Friends
Lake Success
Little Failure: A Memoir
Super Sad True Love Story
Absurdistan
The Russian Debutante’s Handbook
Others:
“Tech billionaire Trump adviser Marc Andreessen says universities will ‘pay the price’ for DEI” | The Washington Post
Choice by Neel Mukherjee
“The Little Man At Chehaw Station” by Ralph Ellison
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