Author: Matt Boutte

John Phillip Santos

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A conversation with John Phillip Santos; a writer, journalist, and documentary filmmaker from San Antonio, Texas.  His two memoirs, Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation (a National Book Award Finalist) and The Farthest Home is in an Empire of Fire, together tell the ancestral stories of his mother and father’s families, an American origin story of the centuries-long migrations that emerged out of Spain, Mexico, and the lands that became South Texas.  His book of poems is Songs Older Than Any Known Singer.  

Michael Kleber-Diggs

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A conversation with Michael Kleber-Diggs. Michael Kleber-Diggs is a poet, essayist, and literary critic. His debut poetry collection, Worldly Things, won the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize and will be published by Milkweed Editions in June of this year and his essay "On the Complex Flavors of Black Joy," is included in "There's a Revolution Outside, My Love: Letters from a Crisis," edited by Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman. This is an important, if at times painful, discussion about race, community, and hope. I'm grateful to Michael for having it with me.

Daniel Slager

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A conversation with Daniel Slager, Publisher & CEO of Milkweed Editions, about the interplay between publishers, authors, and readers. We talk about independent bookstores and the impact of Amazon on the entire industry. I learned so much in this conversation about the independent publishing and book businesses. If you're at all interested in books, writers, publishers, or even the evolving nature of retailing in the era of Amazon, I think you'll get a lot from this episode.