Marlon James joins Ira Madison III for a conversation about his new novel The Disappearers (which has been shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize), growing up in Jamaica, and the pop culture that shaped him. They get into Marlon’s complicated relationship with his own past, how Prince, Heathers, and ’90s grunge gave him a vocabulary, and why he wants readers to enter the world of his books on his own terms. If you haven't picked up a copy of The Disappearers yet... run, don't walk.

00:00 Ira Madison III Ranks the Booker Prize 2026 Shortlist

04:33 The Disappearers & Writing His Most Personal Novel

07:56 Growing Up Queer in Jamaica

12:12 Prince, Pop Culture & Queerness

20:19 How He Writes & Gets Out of the Way

32:17 How Pop Culture Shapes His Writing

37:13 Jamaican Patois & Writing on His Own Terms

45:15 Queer Sex, Shame & Writing

50:14 Revenge, Trauma & Literary Perspective

52:25 What Marlon Wants to Disappear From Literature

56:58 Writing Multiple Perspectives

01:06:22 How He Knows When a Book Is Finished

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re talking lights, camera, action with writer, director, and Ira’s book club bestie Shatara Michelle Ford. They talk about Ford’s latest feature, Dreams in Nightmares, the real cost of funding their first indie project, and how to make ambitious work without waiting for Hollywood’s green light. Plus, Shatara breaks down what they learned working with director James Gray on Lost City of Z and the moment on set that made Shatara fall in love with Robert Pattinson's acting.

00:00 Welcome to Feedback

03:12 Ira and Shatara Reunite

07:38 Queen Elizabeth and The Black List

13:42 From Test Pattern to Dreams in Nightmares

26:24 Shatara’s Directing Process

33:08 Learning From James Gray

40:31 Robert Pattinson and The Lost City of Z

43:46 Making a Black Queer Road Movie

49:30 Richard Brody and Dreams in Nightmares

51:13 What’s Next for Shatara?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Feedback, Ira sits down with playwright Max Wolf Friedlich, whose Broadway hit "Job" went from a scrappy sleeper to a show so in-demand that Hugh Jackman could barely get a ticket. Max opens up about the realities of creating a Broadway banger, what it's been like following up with his new play "The Holes", and the unlikely origin of his theater career — a LARPing summer camp at age nine. Plus, a little on looksmaxxing, slam poetry, and creating social cachet in supporting art.

0:00 Rachel Cusk's Life of M & the Natalie Portman Rumors

2:52 Introducing Max Friedlich & His New Play The Holes

6:16 How Job Became a Viral Broadway Sensation

9:10 Max's Early Social Media Career

12:24 NYC Celebrity Theater Culture and Writer Anonymity

16:59 The Origin of The Holes: LARPing Camp & an 8th-Grade Assignment

24:14 Max Relives His Slam Poetry Days

28:49 Avoiding a "Job" Sequel: Controversy, Honesty & the Mental Toll of Broadway

33:32 Tech Bros and Social Cachet in Supporting the Arts

40:24 What Theater Teaches Men

46:29 Celebrity Scandal Nostalgia, NYC Food & Comfort Movies

52:08 Indie Film & Theater Influences: Jane Schoenbrun, Passing Strange & The Seafarer

58:46 Screens on Stage, Fan Encounters & Quitting Social Media

1:07:08 Internet Outrage, Dolly Parton & Looksmaxing Culture

1:14:18 Robert Pattinson Producing The Holes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.