Best Granta Magazine Podcasts (2024)

1
Benjamin Kunkel, The Granta Podcast 47:40

13d ago47:40

47:40

In this episode of the Granta podcast we speak to the novelist and journalist Benjamin Kunkel, author of Indecision (2005) and co-founder of the journal n+1. We discuss his short story ‘Prairie Dogs’ (Granta 167: Extraction), his return to writing fiction, involuntarily becoming a ‘Marxist public intellectual’ and being politicised by literature. F…

1
Sheila Heti, The Granta Podcast 46:12

2M ago46:12

46:12

In this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist Sheila Heti, author of the books How Should a Person Be?, Motherhood and Pure Colour. Her latest book, Alphabetical Diaries, was published in 2024. We discuss her new book, along with her interview with the academic Phyllis Rose that appeared in Granta 166: Generations. You can find al…

1
Andrew O’Hagan, The Granta Podcast 49:22

3M ago49:22

49:22

In this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist and journalist Andrew O’Hagan, author of seven novels and several books of non-fiction. We discuss his short story, ‘The Sensitivity Reader’ (Granta 166: Generations), and the new novel Caledonian Road (2024), both of which explore the value of challenging the established narrative as …

1
Lauren Oyler, The Granta Podcast 44:43

4M ago44:43

44:43

In this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist and critic Lauren Oyler, author of No Judgement (2024) and Fake Accounts (2024), about living in Berlin, the boundary between our private and public selves, and the trajectory of autofiction. We also discuss Oyler’s essay, ‘Last Week at Marienbad’, which appeared in Granta 165: Deutsch…

1
Brandon Taylor, The Granta Podcast 50:46

5M ago50:46

50:46

In this episode of the Granta Podcast, we speak to the novelist Brandon Taylor, author of Real Life (2020) and The Late Americans (2023), about naturalism, the future of fiction, and the connection between Émile Zola and The Sims. We also discuss Taylor’s short story ‘Stalin, Lenin, Robespierre’, which appeared in Granta 166: Generations. You can r…

1
Jamaica Kincaid, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 111 28:13

1+ y ago28:13

28:13

In 2022 Jamaica Kincaid spoke to editor Josie Mitchell about childhood, the concept of memory and her early love of Paradise Lost. Jamaica Kincaid grew up on the island of Antigua. She began writing for the New Yorker and went on to publish many books, including the novel Annie John and the collection of stories At the Bottom of the River. A number…

1
Claire-Louise Bennett, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 110 46:23

1+ y ago46:23

46:23

Last year Claire-Louise Bennett and editor Josie Mitchell talked about rereading, resisting homogenisation and committing to the process of unravelling. Claire-Louise Bennett is the author of Pond, a collection of short stories, and the 2021 novel Checkout 19. Read an extract of Bennett's novel here.…

1
Lynne Tillman, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 109 45:56

1+ y ago45:56

45:56

In 2022 Lynne Tillman and editor Josie Mitchell discussed the afterlife of novels, haunted houses and the sexual revolution. Lynne Tillman is the author of many books, including the 2006 novel American Genius: A Comedy and the 2014 essay collection, What Would Lynne Tillman Do? Two of Tillman’s early works are now published in the UK by Peninsula P…

1
Vanessa Onwuemezi, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 108 38:21

1+ y ago38:21

38:21

In 2022 Vanessa Onwuemezi spoke to editor Josie Mitchell about Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring, sitting with strangeness and the joy of trying out new sounds on the page. Vanessa Onwuemezi is a writer and poet living in London, her story ‘At the Heart of Things’ won the White Review Short Story Prize in 2019. Her debut story collection, Dark Neigh…

1
Anthony Anaxagorou, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 107 39:42

1+ y ago39:42

39:42

In 2022 Anthony Anaxagorou and editor Josie Mitchell talked about heritage, national identity and poetry that cannot keep still. Anthony is the author of several volumes of poetry, non-fiction and a collection of short stories. His latest book, Heritage Aesthetics, draws on family migratory histories between Cyprus and the UK to interrogate patriar…

1
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 106 34:42

1+ y ago34:42

34:42

In 2022 Ayanna Lloyd Banwo spoke to editor Josie Mitchell about a fear of forgetting, Lapeyrouse Cemetery and our cultural traditions around death. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo is a writer from Trinidad and Tobago currently living in London. Her debut novel When We Were Birds was named one of the Observer’s Best Debuts of 2022 and one of the Economist’s Best…

1
Mary Gaitskill, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 105 40:16

1+ y ago40:16

40:16

In 2022 Mary Gaitskill talked to editor Josie Mitchell about her fascination with the idea of hell, returning to past creative work and writing characters with different experiences from her own. Mary Gaitskill is the author of Bad Behavior; Two Girls, Fat and Thin; Because They Wanted To; Veronica; Don’t Cry; The Mare; Somebody with a Little Hamme…

1
Eula Biss, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 104 38:28

2y ago38:28

38:28

In 2021 Eula Biss talked to editor Josie Mitchell on the distortions of capital, bartering with Pokémon cards and the conditions necessary for creativity. Eula Biss is the author of four books, including On Immunity and Notes from No Man’s Land. Her most recent book, Having and Being Had, looks at our beliefs about class and owning property. Read a…

1
Stephanie Sy-Quia, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 103 35:09

2y ago35:09

35:09

Last year Stephanie Sy-Quia spoke to online editor Josie Mitchell about modern cathedrals, telling her grandmothers’ stories and the impulse to categorise. Stephanie Sy-Quia’s debut poetry collection Amnion was selected as a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. Her writing has appeared in the FT Weekend, the TLS, the Economist, the Spectator and TAN…

1
Tice Cin, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 102 33:14

2y ago33:14

33:14

Last year Tice Cin spoke to Josie Mitchell about poetry, brutalist architecture and returning home. Tice Cin is an interdisciplinary artist from north London. Her debut novel Keeping the House has been longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. A DJ and music producer, she also hosts Homing Tunes, a show on Threads Radio. Get a copy of Keeping the Hous…

1
Anuk Arudpragasam, The Granta Podcast Ep. 101 39:19

2y ago39:19

39:19

In 2021 Anuk Arudpragasam spoke to Josie Mitchell about the influence of Thomas Bernhard, writing in the wake of war and his relationship to the English language. Arudpragasam was born in Colombo and currently lives between Sri Lanka and India. His debut novel, The Story of a Brief Marriage, won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, and was sho…

1
Kathryn Scanlan, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 100 26:09

4y ago26:09

26:09

Back in the early summer of 2020, the writer Kathryn Scanlan joined Josie Mitchell to talk about her story collection, The Dominant Animal. They discussed her precarious worlds, the drama of the sentence and working with the writer and editor Diane Williams. ‘Fable’, a story taken from The Dominant Animal , is available to read here.…

1
Joanna Kavenna, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 99 23:36

4y ago23:36

23:36

Joanna Kavenna joins Josie Mitchell to discuss Zed – a sci-fi dystopia exploring our fears about the psychological cost of surveillance capitalism. Early in 2020, newly under lockdown, they discussed the psychic threat posed by today’s tech companies, the blurring of citizen and consumer, and the early optimism of cyberspace. You can read an excerp…

1
Caleb Klaces, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 98 22:44

4y ago22:44

22:44

Caleb Klaces joins Josie Mitchell to talk about about his debut novel, Fatherhood – his poet’s account of becoming a father. Back at the beginning of the UK lockdown, they discussed parenting your kids at home, and talked about the expectations placed on fathers and the sense of community on offer to them. You can find poetry and short fiction by C…

1
Sophie Mackintosh, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 97 26:01

4y ago26:01

26:01

Sophie Mackintosh speaks to editor Josie Mitchell about her new novel, Blue Ticket. They talk about what it means to be pregnancy-adjacent, the bloodthirsty aspects of motherhood, and letting the body have what it wants. You can find more fiction by Sophie Mackintosh on Granta.com, including ‘The Last Rite of My Body’ and ‘The Weak Spot’.…

1
Ottessa Moshfegh, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 96 25:46

4y ago25:46

25:46

Ottessa Moshfegh joined Josie Mitchell to talk about about her novel, Death in Her Name. They discuss the ‘perfect storm’ trapping us inside with our Zoom-ready devices, the propaganda in the air, and the psychological effects of isolation on the elderly narrator of her novel. You can read an excerpt from Death In Her Name here. As well as more fic…

1
Carmen Maria Machado, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 95 26:41

4y ago26:41

26:41

Carmen Maria Machado discusses her new memoir, In the Dream House, with Josie Mitchell. They discuss memory as architecture, formal experimentation, and making space for queer narrative. Carmen is the author of Her Body and Other Parties. You can read more of her work, including the new story ‘The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Templ…

1
Momtaza Mehri, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 94 28:18

4y ago28:18

28:18

Josie Mitchell talks to Momtaza Mehri about her pamphlet, Doing the Most with the Least, out with Goldsmiths Shorts. They discuss the value of self-interrogation, the significance of the Black Arts Movement and the limits to checking your privilege. You can read Momtaza’s poetry and essays on our website: https://granta.com/contributor/momtaza-mehr…

1
Jenny Offill, The Granta Podcast, Ep. 93 26:18

4y ago26:18

26:18

Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation, talks to editor Josie Mitchell about her new novel, Weather. They discuss pre-apocalypse warnings, the doomers among us and the draws of prepper culture in a world gone mad. You can read an interview between Jenny and Mark O’Connell, author of Notes from an Apocalypse, on our website: https://granta.com…

1
Sandra Newman: The Granta Podcast Ep. 92 20:04

5y ago20:04

20:04

Sandra Newman is the author of the novels The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done, Cake, The Country of Ice Cream Star and four non-fiction books including the memoir Changeling. Her most recent novel The Heavens is published by Granta Books. She spoke to Lucy Diver about friendship, love, hope and how to write like an Elizabethan.…

1
Maureen N. McLane: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 91 11:53

6+ y ago11:53

11:53

Maureen N. McLane reads from her book My Poets. My Poets begins its first chapter ‘proem, in the form of a Q&A’, which is what you hear at the beginning of the recording. The second part of the recording is from ‘My Elizabeth Bishop / My Gertrude Stein’, the fourth chapter in the book,By Maureen N. McLane

1
Kamila Shamsie: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 90 30:20

6+ y ago30:20

30:20

Kamila Shamsie is the author of seven novels and one book of non-fiction. Among many other accolades, Kamila is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 2013 was named a Granta Best of Young British Novelist. She joined us in the Granta offices for an interview about her new novel Home Fire, published by Bloomsbury. Home Fire was longlist…

1
Max Porter reads Will Self: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 89 34:19

7y ago34:19

34:19

In this episode of the Granta podcast, Max Porter, author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers reads ‘False Blood’ by Will Self. Diagnosed with a rare blood condition, Self attends weekly ‘venesections’ (the modern-day equivalent of bloodletting) which inspire morbid thoughts on addiction and disease. The story can be found in full on our website: h…

1
Margo Jefferson reads Kathleen Collins: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 88 9:14

7y ago9:14

9:14

In this episode of the Granta podcast, Margo Jefferson, author of Negroland, reads Kathleen Collins’s short story, ‘The Uncle’, taken from the collection Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? Kathleen Collins was a pioneer African-American playwright, film-maker, civil rights activist and educator. You can read more work by Kathleen Collins on our…

1
Andrea Stuart: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 87 12:32

7y ago12:32

12:32

In this episode of the Granta podcast, Josie Mitchell speaks with Andrea Stuart about her essay ‘Travels in Pornland’. They discuss the value of feminist porn, the importance of counter narratives and the challenges faced by feminist pornographers. The essay was first published in August 2016. You can read the essay in full on our website: https://…

1
George Saunders In Conversation: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 86 18:41

7+ y ago18:41

18:41

Luke Neima talks to George Saunders about his first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo. They discuss the pressures on Abraham Lincoln during the civil war, the art of creating distinctive historical voices, verbal improv and writing the afterlife.By George Saunders

1
Diane Williams: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 85 17:27

7+ y ago17:27

17:27

In this edition of the Granta podcast, editor Luke Neima talks to Diane Williams, the author of eight books of fiction and founder and editor of the distinguished literary annual NOON. Diane reads from her latest book, Fine, Fine, Fine, Fine, Fine, and discusses her approaches to writing and editing, the gatekeepers of literary publication and stit…

1
Ros Porter reads Carmen Maria Machado: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 84 41:02

8y ago41:02

41:02

Rosalind Porter reads Carmen Maria Machado’s ‘The Husband Stitch’. The story was first published in 2015, and went on to be nominated for the Nebula and Shirley Jackson Award.Carmen Maria Machado’s debut short story collection, Her Body and Other Parties, is out with Graywolf Press.By Granta Magazine

1
Madeleine Thien: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 83 23:01

8y ago23:01

23:01

In this edition of the Granta Podcast, editor Ka Bradley speaks with Madeleine Thien about her book, Do Not Say We Have Nothing, which has recently been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. They talk about translating the sensation of music for a reader, the importance of writing about women of colour, and the Chinese conceptual framework of time.…

1
Astrid Alben: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 82 21:16

8y ago21:16

21:16

In this edition of the Granta podcast we speak to Astrid Alben, who reads a selection from her book of poetry Plainspeak, discusses her work as a translator and as an editor of the interdisciplinary journal Pars, shares a poem by Valérie Rouzeau – translated from the French by Susan Wicks – and explains how she develops her poetic alter ego.…

1
The Irish Writing Boom: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 81 23:38

8y ago23:38

23:38

In our latest podcast, Joanna Walsh discusses the Irish Writing Boom with Sarah Davis-Goff of Tramp Press; Susan Tomaselli, editor of Gorse Journal; and Amy Herron of the Irish Writers' Centre. They touch on the culture and history of Ireland’s literary journals; short story culture; the fight against marketing departments and the work of fostering…

1
Sally Rooney and Joanna Walsh: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 80 13:27

8y ago13:27

13:27

Sally Rooney and Joanna Walsh: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 80 by Granta MagazineBy Sally Rooney

1
New Irish Writing: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 79 25:59

8+ y ago25:59

25:59

Ireland has one of the world's most distinguished literary traditions. In Granta 135: New Irish Writing, we showcase contemporary Irish fiction, memoir, poetry and photography.For the launch of the issue, Granta and Foyles hosted Peggy Hughes, Sally Rooney, Lucy Caldwell and Sara Baume in a discussion about their work, the state of Irish writing an…

1
No Man’s Land: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 78 17:50

8+ y ago17:50

17:50

Last year we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, but the legacy of war and communism lives on in eastern Europe. In the new issue of Granta – No Man’s Land – Peter Pomerantsev writes about propaganda in Ukraine’s Donbas region, where pro-Russian activists battle with pro-Ukrainian, pro-democracy activists and Ukraini…

1
Patrick deWitt and Neel Mukherjee: The Granta Podcast Ep. 77 15:24

8+ y ago15:24

15:24

Neel Mukherjee and Patrick deWitt discuss their books, Undermajordomo Minor and The Lives of Others, subconscious influence, the power of the exclamation mark and love.By Neel Mukherjee, Patrick deWitt

1
Hiromi Kawakami: The Granta Podcast Ep. 76 14:47

10+ y ago14:47

14:47

Hiromi Kawakami is a novelist, haiku poet, literary critic and essayist. Her books include 'Manazuru, Pasuta mashiin yūrei' ('Pasta Machine Ghosts') and 'Sensei no kaban' ('The Briefcase'), published as 'Strange Weather in Tokyo' by Portobello Books in the UK. She was awarded the 1996 Akutagawa Prize for 'Hebi o fumu' (Tread on a Snake).Here, she t…

1
Ruth Ozeki: The Granta Podcast Ep. 75 38:54

10+ y ago38:54

38:54

Ruth Ozeki is the author of 'My Year of Meats', 'All Over Creation' and 'A Tale for the Time Being', which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. For Granta’s Japan issue, she wrote an essay on her grandfather: about a mysterious photograph she has of him and about the ways she feels linked to him acros…

1
Mark Gevisser and Jonny Steinberg: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 74 37:15

10+ y ago37:15

37:15

In the latest Granta podcast, Mark Gevisser and Jonny Steinberg discuss recent South African history, their personal relationship to Johannesburg, and their personal relationship to a divided city. Mark Gevisser is the author of 'A Legacy of Liberation: Thabo Mbeki and the Future of the South African Dream', published by Palgrave Macmillan in the U…

1
Lindsey Hilsum: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 73 24:30

11y ago24:30

24:30

Lindsey Hilsum is International Editor of Channel Four News and the author of ‘Sandstorm: Libya in the Time of Revolution’.In 1994 she was the only English-speaking Foreign Correspondent working in Rwanda when the genocide began. Her essay in the latest issue of Granta tells of her return to the country 19 years after the conflict.Here we talk abou…

1
Juan Pablo Villalobos: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 72 30:53

11y ago30:53

30:53

In the latest Granta podcast, we’re joined by Juan Pablo Villalobos, author of 'Down the Rabbit Hole', which was nominated for the 2011 Guardian First Book Award and, most recently, 'Quesadillas'.Here, Villalobos talks about parodying Mexican identity, the difficulty of translation and class struggle in Mexico. ‘The worst thing wasn’t being poor; t…

1
Eleanor Catton: The Granta Podcast, Ep. 71 55:35

11y ago55:35

55:35

Eleanor Catton’s debut novel, The Rehearsal, was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, and the Dylan Thomas Prize, longlisted for The Orange Prize and received a Betty Task award. Her second novel, The Luminaries, has been shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker prize. Here, Granta Books editor Anne Meadows talks to Catton about opium sand gol…

1
Lina Wolff: The Granta Podcast Ep. 70 40:23

11y ago40:23

40:23

Granta speaks to Lina Wolff, author of the story collection 'Många människor dör som du' ('Many Pepole Die Like You') and the novel 'Bret Easton Ellis och de andra hundarna' ('Bret Easton Ellis and the Other Dogs'). Wolff writes in Swedish, and her story in the issue is based in Spain. Here she discusses the tension she felt between a ‘Spanishness’…

1
Sonia Faleiro: The Granta Podcast Ep. 69 33:30

11y ago33:30

33:30

In the latest Granta podcast, Saskia Vogel speaks to Sonia Faleiro, a contributor to the Travel issue and a reporter. Faleiro is the author of a book of fiction, The Girl, and one book of non-fiction, Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay’s Dance Bars. She talks about how her gender influences her work and how she started out as a repo…

1
Robert Macfarlane: The Granta Podcast Ep. 68 17:34

11y ago17:34

17:34

In the latest Granta podcast, Rachael Allen speaks to travel writer Robert Macfarlane. Macfarlane is the author of Mountains of the Mind, The Wild Places and most recently, The Old Ways. Macfarlane talks about ‘Underland’, his essay in Granta 124: Travel, which sees him exploring the underground caves of Karst country, and the different approaches …

1
Rebecca Solnit: The Granta Podcast Ep. 67 40:19

11y ago40:19

40:19

In the latest Granta podcast, Yuka Igarashi speaks to writer, journalist and activist Rebecca Solnit. Solnit is the author of numerous books about art, landscape, ecology and politics. They include A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster; A Field Guide to Getting Lost; Wanderlust: A History of Walking; Infinit…

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