This week, horror novelists and podcasters discuss their craft. Featuring: Quan Barry, Jeffrey Cranor, Joseph Fink, Scott Hawkins, and moderated by A.V. Bach.

The creators and writers of the fiction podcast Welcome to Night Vale, Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink, come together with novelists Quan Barry (The Unveiling) and Scott Hawkins (The Library at Mount Char) to discuss horror in fiction, and how the writing changes based on the medium. Moderated by fellow writer A.V. Bach.

This program was part of the 2026 American Writers Festival. Co-hosted by the American Writers Museum and Chicago Public Library, the American Writers Festival is a free literary event featuring in-depth conversations with diverse writers from across genres and backgrounds. This conversation took place June 7, 2026 and was recorded live at the Harold Washington Library Center.

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More about the books and podcasts discussed during the episode:

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

Populated by an unforgettable cast of characters and propelled by a plot that will shock you again and again, The Library at Mount Char is at once horrifying and hilarious, mind-blowingly alien and heartbreakingly human, sweepingly visionary and nail-bitingly thrilling—and signals the arrival of a major new voice in fantasy.

The Unveiling by Quan Barry

A genre-bending Black literary horror novel exploring abandonment, guilt, and survival in the shadow of America's racial legacy, The Unveiling follows a group of tourists turned disaster survivors on an Antarctica cruise over Christmas Eve. With sharp social satire, Quan Barry questions the limits of human bonds, the masks we wear, and the truths we hide even from ourselves.

Welcome to Night Vale by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink

Welcome to Night Vale is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.

About the writers:

A.V. BACH is a writer and musician living in Chicago, IL. Born in Minnesota and (mostly) raised outside Chicago, he attended Syracuse University in 2004, studying under several prominent writers such as George Saunders, Mary Gaitskill, and Arthur Flowers. He graduated SU in 2008 with a BA in English and Textual Studies, with a concentration on Film and Creative Writing. In 2008 Bach enrolled in Johns Hopkins University's Writing Program, receiving his MA in Fiction Writing in 2010. His fiction has been published in the US and UK, including Gargoyle, Fogged Clarity, Gone Lawn, Kerouac's Dog Magazine, a...

This week, Amy Bizzarri discusses her cookbook and travelogue, Route 66 Recipes: A Culinary Cruise Along the Mother Road, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the famous highway. Bizzarri talks about the food history of the legendary road, and the diners, cafes, soda shops, and dive bars that make up the landscape. Moderated by editor and writer Erica Floyd. Discover more stories about Route 66 here!

This program was part of the 2026 American Writers Festival. Co-hosted by the American Writers Museum and Chicago Public Library, the American Writers Festival is a free literary event featuring in-depth conversations with diverse writers from across genres and backgrounds. This conversation took place June 6, 2026 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum.

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More about Route 66 Recipes:

Cook up iconic dishes from all along Route 66 in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Fuel up with the "world's best" coffee and donut holes at Lou Mitchell's in downtown Chicago and then cruise into Doc's Soda Fountain in Girard for a fizzy Green River phosphate. The tiger stripe fudge in Uranus, Missouri, doesn't disappoint, but you best save room for the Big Texan seventy-two-ounce steak challenge in Amarillo. Bop into Midpoint Café in Adrian for a slice of ugly crust pie and then ready yourself for a fiesta of flavors in New Mexico, from prickly pear margaritas to poblanos rellenos. Arizona's Hualapai Lodge serves up piñon stew, rich with tradition, just like the comforting bowl of chili you can dig into at Barney's Beanery in Santa Monica, the end of the road.

Author Amy Bizzarri serves up recipes—each paired with a side of history—that capture the essence of the classic diners, cozy chili parlors, welcoming inns, old-school soda shops, tasty burger joints, and unforgettable dive bars that have fueled generations of travelers.

AMY BIZZARRI is a Chicago-based author whose books celebrate the flavors, stories, and roadways that shaped American culture. Her work spans the country's most iconic routes and eras, from Route 66 Recipes, a culinary journey along the Mother Road, to The Civilian Conservation Corps Cookbook, which revives dishes from one of the nation's most influential New Deal programs. She has chronicled regional food traditions in Iconic Chicago Dishes, Drinks and Desserts and Iconic Hollywood Dishes, Drinks and Desserts, and explored America's legendary highways in The Best Hits on Route 66 and The Best Hits on Route 61.

ERICA FLOYD is the founder and owner of Lake Literary Center, a literary arts hub in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, offering writing workshops, author readings, literary events, books clubs, and open mics. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A former magazine editor-in-chief and marketing director, her writing appears in Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Lunch Ticket, BusinessWeek, and nonfiction books. Floyd is currently writing a second novel, essays, and translations. She lives in rural Wisconsin, where she co-owns her family’s certif...

This week, writers and free speech advocates Jacob Mchangama and Sara Paretsky discuss the importance of free speech today.

Jacob Mchangama is the author of Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media, which traces the riveting legal, political, and cultural history of this idea. He is also the co-author, along with Jeff Kosseff, of the new book The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy’s Most Essential Freedom. He is joined by mystery writer and free speech advocate Sara Paretsky to discuss this important topic. Paretsky's latest novel, Bad Company, comes out November 2026.

This program was part of the 2026 American Writers Festival. Co-hosted by the American Writers Museum and Chicago Public Library, the American Writers Festival is a free literary event featuring in-depth conversations with diverse writers from across genres and backgrounds. This conversation took place June 6, 2026 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum.

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More about The Future of Free Speech:

The Future of Free Speech argues for a reinvigorated, global commitment to open dialogue. Mchangama and Kosseff advocate nonpartisan, civic-minded solutions that resist both government overreach and corporate silencing. They offer a compelling case for how free speech can meet modern challenges without abandoning its foundational role in sustaining democracy, human rights, and shared understanding.

More about Bad Company:

Meet Lily. Once the CIA's most effective field agent, she's now the target of a Company womanhunt designed to silence her. She's in her 70s. Can she call on her old field skills to save her life?

JACOB MCHANGAMA is the Founder and Executive Director of The Future of Free Speech and research professor at Vanderbilt University. Author of Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media, (Basic Books 2022) and The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy’s Most Essential Freedom (Johns Hopkins University Press 2026). He is the recipient of numerous awards for his work on free speech and human rights.

SARA PARETSKY revolutionized the mystery world in 1982 when she introduced V.I. Warshawski in Indemnity Only. By creating a detective with the grit and smarts to take on the mean streets, Paretsky challenged a genre in which women historically were vamps or victims. V.I. struck a chord with readers and critics; Indemnity Only was followed by twenty more V.I. novels. Paretsky detailed her journey from Kansas farm-girl to New York Times bestseller in her 2007 memoir, Writing in an Age of Silence, which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. In addition, Paretsky has written two stand-alone novels, Ghost Country, and Bleeding Kansas, set in the part of rural Kansas where Paretsky grew up. She has published several short story collections, most recently Love & Other Crimes, and has edited numerous other anthologies.

This week, Reyna Grande and Erika L. Sánchez discuss Grande’s new book Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget, an ambitious memoir in essays that illuminates the hidden cost of the American Dream and the complex journey of healing that follows survival. This conversation originally took place September 23, 2026 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum.

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More about Migrant Heart:

What is the true power of stories? Can they heal the jagged edges of a traumatic childhood? Is the cost of telling the story worth the price of the cure?

Reyna Grande has spent her career capturing the raw reality of life across borders. In this intricate and deeply intimate memoir-in-essays, the author of the landmark memoirs The Distance Between Us and A Dream Called Home again turns her gaze inward to explore the scars left by migration and the ongoing work of stitching herself back together.

With her signature blend of sophistication and raw honesty, Grande interrogates how living between two nations, two languages, and two identities has shaped the woman, mother, and writer she has become. Moving from the legacy of violence in her hometown of Iguala, Mexico, to a bittersweet family vacation in Europe spent reconciling her own impoverished past with her children’s world of abundance, she uncovers startling truths about the nature of survival.

Whether being racially profiled in the Arizona borderlands or finding unexpected wisdom from the slugs in her garden, Grande unflinchingly asks: How do we bridge the gap between who we were and who we have become? How do we turn pain into power? When memory threatens to define us, how can we use story to heal while still honoring our boundaries?

Migrant Heart is a powerful testament to Grande’s role as a storyteller and cultural witness. It expands our understanding of life in the United States and the complex people who cross and live within its borders. It is an essential read for the seekers, the dreamers, and anyone who believes in the enduring, transformative power of finding one’s voice.

REYNA GRANDE is an award-winning author whose work powerfully illuminates the complexities of immigration, family separation, and the pursuit of the American Dream. Born in Mexico, Grande embarked on a perilous journey to the U.S. at age nine to reunite with her parents—a defining experience that fuels her writing. Breaking generational barriers, she became the first in her family to graduate from college, earning a BA from UC Santa Cruz and an MFA from Antioch University.

Her diverse body of work includes her celebrated memoirs, The Distance Between Us and A Dream Called Home, and the novels Across a Hundred Mountains, Dancing with Butterflies, and the historical epic A Ballad of Love and Glory. She amplifies undocumented voices as co-editor of Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Immigration, Survival, and New Beginnings. She has earned numerous accolades, such as the American Book Award, the Premio Aztlan Literary Award, the Luis Leal Award, and the Hummingbird Award in Literary Arts. Her most recent book, Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget, was published in English and Spanish in May 2026.

E...

This week, two of Chicago's leading poets—Mayda del Valle and Eve L. Ewing—discuss how to use poetic forms to tell stories, reveal characters, and express memory. Mayda del Valle is the Poet Laureate of the City of Chicago, and Eve L. Ewing is an award-winning poet and scholar.

This program was part of the 2026 American Writers Festival. Co-hosted by the American Writers Museum and Chicago Public Library, the American Writers Festival is a free literary event featuring in-depth conversations with diverse writers from across genres and backgrounds. This conversation took place June 7, 2026 and was recorded live at the Harold Washington Library Center.

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In this episode, both Mayda and Eve read their poems aloud, some of which are published and some that have not been published yet. For the published work, they read from these collections:

A South Side Girl's Guide to Love & Sex: Poems by Mayda del Valle

As a child of Puerto Rican migrants on Chicago's Southside, Mayda del Valle's poetry utilizes part Spanish and English, part hip-hop and salsa, part Nas and Sonia Sanchez, part Shakespeare and John Leguizamo. It is inherited history as well as traditions remixed and invented.

Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing

Electric Arches is an imaginative exploration of black girlhood and womanhood through poetry, visual art, and narrative prose. Blending stark realism with the fantastical, Ewing takes us from the streets of Chicago to an alien arrival in an unspecified future, deftly navigating boundaries of space, time, and reality with delight and flexibility.

1919: Poems by Eve L. Ewing

The Chicago Race Riot of 1919, the most intense of the riots comprising the nation's Red Summer, has shaped the last century but is not widely discussed. In 1919, Ewing explores the story of this event—which lasted eight days and resulted in 38 deaths and almost 500 injuries—through poems recounting the stories of everyday people trying to survive and thrive in the city. Ewing uses speculative and Afrofuturist lenses to recast history, and illuminates the thin line between the past and the present.

More about the poets:

MAYDA DEL VALLE is a Chicago-born poet, and interdisciplinary artist. A former Grand Slam Champion at the Nuyorican Poets Café, she became the youngest poet and first Latinx winner of the National Poetry Slam. She has appeared on Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry and was an original cast member of the Tony Award-winning Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. She is a 2024 Letras Boricuas Fellow and in January of 2026, began her tenure as the second Poet Laureate of the City of Chicago. She is currently developing Herencia, a multimedia performance exploring Puerto Rican migration to Chicago's South Side.

DR. EVE L. EWING is a writer, scholar, and cultural organizer from Chicago. She is the award-winning author, most recently, of Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, an instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller. She has also published the poetry collections Electric Arches and 1919,...

This week, two scholars discuss "Social Change, Faith, and the Making of Latino Chicago."

Felipe Hinojosa, author of Apostles of Change: Latino Radical Politics, Church Occupations, and the Fight to Save the Barrio and Lilia Fernández, author of Brown in the Windy City: Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in Postwar Chicago, explore the intertwined histories of Latino faith, politics, and community formation in postwar Chicago and beyond. This episode is presented in partnership with the Newberry.

This program is also presented in conjunction with the AWM's special exhibit American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture, a powerful exhibit that takes you on the ultimate exploration through spirituality and storytelling. Travel through vibrant spaces that trace the many paths of American faith, from sacred rituals to songs of devotion. Discover rare artifacts and creative works from literature, film, music, and comedy along the way. This isn’t just an exhibit—it’s a shared journey of reflection, inspiration, and connection through the stories that move us all.

This program was part of the 2026 American Writers Festival. Co-hosted by the American Writers Museum and Chicago Public Library, the American Writers Festival is a free literary event featuring in-depth conversations with diverse writers from across genres and backgrounds. This conversation took place June 7th, 2026 and was recorded live at the Harold Washington Library Center.

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About Apostles of Change by Felipe Hinojosa:

Unraveling the intertwined histories of Latino radicalism and religion in urban America, this book examines how Latino activists transformed churches into staging grounds for protest against urban renewal and displacement.

About Brown in the Windy City by Lilia Fernández:

The first history to examine the migration and settlement of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in postwar Chicago. Lilia Fernández reveals how the two populations arrived in Chicago in the midst of tremendous social and economic change and, in spite of declining industrial employment and massive urban renewal projects, managed to carve out a geographic and racial place in one of America’s great cities.

About the writers:

LILIA FERNÁNDEZ is professor of history at University of Illinois Chicago, where her current research continues to examine Latino history in the Chicago area, focusing on cross-ethnic interactions among Latinos, their labor politics, class dynamics, activism, and strategic articulations of a panethnic identity.

FELIPE HINOJOSA, John and Nancy Jackson Endowed Chair in Latin America and Professor of History at Baylor University, is currently working on a book on the Latinx civil rights movement and its role in shaping American democracy in the post-World War II era.

Founded in 1887, THE NEWBERRY is one of Chicago’s most historic cultural institutions. Curious people from all over visit to res...

This week, cartographers Stentor Danielson and Andy Woodruff discuss mapmaking and telling stories with maps, moderated by David Weimer, the Robert A. Holland Curator of Maps at the Newberry Library. Explore cartographic writing through Belt Publishing's "Cities in 50 Maps" series. Danielson is the author of Pittsburgh in 50 Maps, while Woodruff is the author of Boston in 50 Maps. Woodruff also served as cartographer for Cincinnati in 50 Maps.

This program was part of the 2026 American Writers Festival. Co-hosted by the American Writers Museum and Chicago Public Library, the American Writers Festival is a free literary event featuring in-depth conversations with diverse writers from across genres and backgrounds. This conversation took place June 7, 2026 and was recorded live at the Harold Washington Library Center.

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About Boston in 50 Maps by Andy Woodruff

Covering four distinct categories ("The Making of Boston," "The Lay of the Land," "Getting Around," and "People and Culture"), Andy Woodruff's newly created, original maps investigate all facets of Boston's past and present. In unraveling the many complex layers that comprise the "real" Boston, some explorations are expected: sports championships, universities, and pothole complaints. Others, such as the former cow paths that predated downtown streets, are decidedly more hidden. Entertaining and informative in equal parts, Boston in 50 Maps brings The Hub's history, urban plans, and lore to life.

About Pittsburgh in 50 Maps by Stentor Danielson

Whether you call it the Steel City, the City of Bridges, City of Champions, Hell with the Lid Off, or even the Paris of Appalachia, Pittsburgh's distinctive character is undeniable. Pittsburgh in 50 Maps considers the boundaries of the city's 90 distinct neighborhoods (plus Mister Rogers' Neighborhood), the legacy of the steel industry, and how immigration continues to shape the city. You'll also find the areas with the highest concentrations of bike lanes, supermarkets, tree cover, and fiberglass dinosaurs. Each colorful map offers a new perspective on one of America's most consistently surprising cities and the people who live here.

About the speakers:

STENTOR DANIELSON has been a map nerd since reading The Lord of the Rings in third grade. After spending their childhood in both western and eastern Pennsylvania, they earned a BA in Geography from Colgate University and a PhD in Geography from Clark University. Since 2009 they have lived in (or just outside) Pittsburgh while teaching geography and environmental studies at Slippery Rock University. Since 2015, they have run Mapsburgh, an online shop making paper cutout street maps and fantasy-style maps of real places. They currently share a house with one human partner, two feline bosses, and a classic mid-century Pittsburgh pink tile bathroom.

DAVID WEIMER is the Robert A. Holland Curator of Maps and Director of the Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography at the Newberry. He previous...

This week, comedian and author Jenny Gorelick discusses her recent dating guide, The Book of Red Flags: Dating Signs They Aren't It, with fellow comedian Ton Johnson. For singles striving to mingle, The Book of Red Flags is a beacon on the modern dating darkness, detailing all the hilarious signs they aren't it.

Content warning: this episode contains language and themes that may not be suitable for younger audiences, listener discretion is advised.

This program was part of the 2026 American Writers Festival. Co-hosted by the American Writers Museum and Chicago Public Library, the American Writers Festival is a free literary event featuring in-depth conversations with diverse writers from across genres and backgrounds. This conversation took place June 7, 2026 and was recorded live at the Harold Washington Library Center.

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More about The Book of Red Flags:

Whether they have a butt tattoo, own too many novelty T-shirts, or still Venmo their ex, this laugh-out-loud list of cautionary signs will affirm the reader in saying, "Thank you, next." Gorelick details absurd anecdotes and all-too-real jokes about the messy dating trends everyone seems to experience in The Book of Red Flags. This comedic and cathartic list is perfect for anyone who ignored their gut feeling or best friend’s warnings. Swipe left on red flags with confidence, and laugh so hard that it clears a path to "the one."

Peppered with brutal honesty, real situations, and the author's trademark humorous touch, The Book of Red Flags will resonate with anyone who has played the dating game with frustrating results. Perfect gift for Galentine's Day with its beautiful packaging and quirkily appealing illustrations by Margalit Cutler.

About the speakers:

JENNY GORELICK is a comedian, actor, writer, two-time Emmy-nominated producer, and former Jersey girl based in New York. She's been called an "ever-charming host" and "crush-worthy comedian" by Time Out New York. Her essays have been featured in The New York Times's "Modern Love" column, Cosmopolitan, McSweeney's, and The New Yorker's "Shouts & Murmurs." Her Substack series, "Night Out," about partying and dating in NYC, boasts over 10,000 subscribers and a "2024 Featured Publication" designation.

ANTON "TON" JOHNSON uses his comedy as a platform for the questions people won't ask and the things they won't say. Based in the Milwaukee area, Ton is quickly making a name for himself throughout the Midwest after winning several comedy competitions, participating in festivals, and opening for touring headliners such as Kool Bubba Ice, Chastity Washington, Dennis Banks, Rondell Sheridan, Kevin "Damn Fool" Simpson and many more!