Between The Covers

Cliff Ashpaugh talks about his debut novella, JOSH’S WALL (Spout Hill Press; July 2014). Set in the early 1960s in the wilds of San Gabriel Valley, it’s a coming-of-age story about a boy who wakes up to a world of bullies, liars, and strangers—including himself. At age six... Read more

Host Jay Thiemeyer speaks with Smith Henderson about his novel "Fourth of July Creek."  Henderson explores the complexities of freedom, community, grace, suspicion and anarchy, depicting our nation's disquieting and violent contradictions. Smith Henderson is the recipient ... Read more

Between the Covers welcomes local author, Polly Dugan, in conversation about her debut short story collection, So Much a Part of You. "Two young women who've dated the same man navigate love, destiny, loss, and choice in this powerful debut.  Anna Riley and Anne Cavanaugh ha... Read more

Author and Senior Editor at Exterminating Angel Press, Tod Davies talks with host Lyn Moelich about her latest book  in the Jam Today series Jam Today Too: the Revolution Will Not Be Catered. Like Kate Christensen and Jim Harrison, Davies is a novelist - and amateur cook --... Read more

It’s 2015, and Patricia Cowan is very old. “Confused today,” read the notes clipped to the end of her bed. She forgets things she should know—what year it is, major events in the lives of her children. But she remembers things that don't seem possible. She remembers marryin... Read more

Host Ken Jones talks with Portland-based author Jason Beem about his first novel Southbound. The book follows a recovering gambling addict who, in the wake of losing his job for the summer, and his girlfriend, makes a gambling pilgrimage to the big three Southern California... Read more

Roxane Gay is a powerful new literary voice whose short stories and essays have already earned her an enthusiastic audience. In An Untamed State, she delivers an assured debut about a woman kidnapped for ransom, her captivity as her father refuses to pay and her husband fig... Read more

Host Jim Schumock speaks with Phil Klay about his novel "Redeployment," which takes readers to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking us to understand what happened there, and what happened to the soldiers who returned.  Interwoven with themes of brutali... Read more

Leni Zumas and Luca DiPierro's A Wooden Leg is a novel in 64 cards, consisting of 64 drawings and corresponding captions which the reader is free to arrange into a variety of narrative and visual sequences. They join host David Naimon in a discussion of A Wooden Leg, contex... Read more

Host Sarika Mehta speaks with Portland born-and-raised journalist Julia Cooke about her new book The Other Side of Paradise: Life in the New Cuba, which combines narrative with detailed reporting and shares the unique stories of those Cooke encountered during time spent in ... Read more