Story Behind the Story
Host Clara Sherley-Appel interviews authors about their creative process, from the inspiration behind the books they write to specific choices they make.
- Update frequency
- every 33 days
- Average duration
- 54 minutes
- Episodes
- 56
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2025
Episode 40: Elaine Hsieh Chou - DISORIENTATION
In Elaine Hsieh Chou's 2022 debut novel, Disorientation, a Taiwanese-American graduate student named Ingrid Yang discovers that the subject of her dissertation is a fraud: Xiao-Wen Chou is not a Chin…
Episode 39: Ruthanna Emrys - A HALF-BUILT GARDEN
Host Clara Sherley-Appel talks to author Ruthanna Emrys about her hopepunk novel, A HALF-BUILT GARDEN.
Episode 38: Isaac Fellman - DEAD COLLECTIONS
Isaac Fellman is an author and archivist living in San Francisco. His debut novel, The Breath of the Sun, won the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. In this epi…
Episode 37: Gretchen Felker-Martin - MANHUNT
Gretchen Felker-Martin is a writer, film critic, and self-described professional cenobite who writes about sexual revulsion, body horror, and how violence forms and fits into our lives. In addition t…
Episode 36: Stephanie Foo - WHAT MY BONES KNOW
If you listen to the radio, you have almost certainly encountered Stephanie Foo's work. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz in just 3 years, she joined the staff of Snap Judgment, first as an intern …
Episode 35: Calvin Kasulke - SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE TYPING
I talk to author and playwright Calvin Kasulke about his debut novel, Several People Are Typing.
Episode 34: Kent Leatham - MONTEREY POETRY FESTIVAL
I talk to Monterey Bay Area poet, translator, and educator Kent Leatham about his writing.
Episode 33: Jamey Williams - BREATHING UNDER WATER and TO BE BLACK IS TO LOVE
I talk to Bay Area poet and educator Jamey Williams about his poetry collections BREATHING UNDER WATER and TO BE BLACK IS TO LOVE.
Episode 32: Kenny Garcia - MONTEREY POETRY FESTIVAL
I talk to Monterey Bay Area writer Kenny Garcia about his poetry, the Monterey Poetry Festival, and his involvement with Boukra Press.
Episode 31: Rémy Ngamije - THE ETERNAL AUDIENCE OF ONE
I talk to Namibian author Rémy Ngamije about his debut novel, THE ETERNAL AUDIENCE OF ONE.
Episode 30: Alice Sparkly Kat - POSTCOLONIAL ASTROLOGY
I talk to astrologer and writer Alice Sparkly Kat, author of POSTCOLONIAL ASTROLOGY.
Episode 29: Stephen Granade - LOSING YOUR GRIP
I talk to writer / game designer Stephen Granade about the differences between interactive and traditional fiction.
Episode 28: Ethel Rohan - IN THE EVENT OF CONTACT
I talk to Bay Area local Ethel Rohan, author of IN THE EVENT OF CONTACT.
Episode 27: Muriel Leung - IMAGINE US, THE SWARM
Muriel Leung is a recipient of fellowships to Kundiman, VONA/Voices Workshop and the Community of Writers, and she has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her writing can be found in The Baffler, …
Episode 26: Jeff VanderMeer - HUMMINGBIRD SALAMANDER
Over his 35 year career, Jeff VanderMeer has published more than a dozen novels, and his non-fiction writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, Slate, Salon, and…
Episode 25: Finola Austin - BRONTË'S MISTRESS
Finola Austin was born in England and moved to Northern Ireland when she was five; she is now based in Brooklyn, New York. Her debut novel Brontë’s Mistress, is a retelling of the infamous affair bet…
Episode 24: Kamala Puligandla - YOU CAN VIBE ME ON MY FEMMEPHONE
In this episode, I talk to author Kamala Puligandla about her new novella, You Can Vibe Me on My FemmePhone, queer coming of age stories, and the function of humor in her writing. Puligandla lives in…
Episode 21: Elisa Gabbert - THE UNREALITY OF MEMORY
Elisa Gabbert is obsessed with disasters and how we perceive them. In The Unreality of Memory, which was released last year in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Gabbert tackles pandemics, enviro…
Episode 20: Lev Grossman - THE SILVER ARROW
In this month's episode, I talk to New York Times-bestselling author Lev Grossman about his new middle-grade fantasy novel, The Silver Arrow, which follows 11-year-old Kate and her younger brother To…
Episode 19: Adam Sass - SURRENDER YOUR SONS
In this month's episode, I talk to author Adam Sass about his debut novel, Surrender Your Sons, a queer YA thriller set in a conversion therapy center in Costa Rica. Sass is a gay man himself, and he…