x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Book Banter with Rayna

Book Banter with Rayna is your go-to podcast for relaxed, engaging conversations with authors, illustrators, creators, and other bookish personalities. Hosted by indie bookseller and event specialist Rayna Nielsen, each episode dives into the stories behind the stories, exploring the creative journeys, inspirations, and passions of the literary world. Whether you’re a voracious reader, an aspiring writer, or simply a lover of great conversations, Book Banter promises a cozy, insightful, and

arts books

All Episodes

28:19

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Ciera Horton McElroy

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/10/29

Pull up a chair and join us for an illuminating episode of Book Banter! Rayna sits down with Ciera Horton McElroy, author of Atomic Family, a gripping Cold War drama that explores how one family’s secrets and sacrifices ripple through generations. With vivid historical detail and emotional depth, McElroy’s debut shines a light on the human side of nuclear anxiety. Tune in for a fascinating chat about family, fallout, and finding hope amid the tension of the atomic age.- About the Author Ciera

en

29:39

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Rob Renzetti

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/10/14

Pull up a cozy chair and get ready for a spine-tingling good time! In this episode of Book Banter, Rayna chats with Rob Renzetti author, animator, and the creative mind behind My Life as a Teenage Robot and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. His latest book, The Cursed Cloak of the Wretched Wraith, is packed with eerie fun, magical mayhem, and a dash of dark humor that fans of spooky adventures will love.- About the Author Rob Renzetti is a veteran of TV animation whose work on Cartoon Network’s

en

59:24

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Brad Richard, Mona...

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/09/02

This episode brings together four acclaimed poets to reflect on the state of the New Orleans and the world of poetry in the years since Hurricane Katrina. We will begin the evening with Brad Richard to discuss the new edition of his collection Motion Studies. Throughout the hour poets Mona Lisa Saloy, Alison Pelegrin and Karisma Price will join the conversation to share their work and insights.Together, these poets will share work that grapples with memory, loss, survival, and the role of poetry in

en

63:13

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Robert Fieseler

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/08/29

This episode of Book Banter with Rayna takes you right into the buzz of a live event at Blue Cypress Books! I had the joy of sitting down with award-winning author Robert Fieseler to dive into his riveting new book, American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives. It was an unforgettable night of history, storytelling, and community.— About the Author Robert W. Fieseler is a journalist investigating marginalized groups and a scholar excavating forgotten histories. A National

en

34:38

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Darby Baham

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/07/29

What if choosing love meant risking the friendship you’ve always relied on? In this episode of Book Banter, we talk with Darby Baham about A Risk Worth Taking—a charming and emotionally layered friends-to-lovers romance that throws a love triangle into the mix. Set in New York, this novel explores connection, loyalty, and the complicated choices we make when the heart and head don’t quite agree.— About the Author Darby Baham is an author and storyteller on a mission to make women like herself feel

en

44:38

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Margie Fuston

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/07/08

What if finding a vampire was your last shot at saving someone you love? In this episode of Book Banter, we sink our teeth into Margie Fuston’s emotionally charged and darkly magical YA novel Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things. It’s a story about grief, girlhood, and the desperate hope that maybe—just maybe—the impossible might be real.— About the Author Margie Fuston grew up in the woods of California where she made up fantasy worlds that always involved unicorns. In college, she earned

en

55:28

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Danielle Dreilinger

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/07/01

Ever wonder how home ec went from baking pies to building parachutes? In this episode of Book Banter, we chat with Danielle Dreilinger about The Secret History of Home Economics—a fierce, fascinating, and wildly underrated slice of feminist history. From the classroom to the cosmos, the women behind home economics changed the world in ways you’ve probably never heard.— About the Author Danielle Dreilinger is a national rewrite editor for Gannett/USA Today Network and the author of the critically

en

29:07

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Maddie Hannan

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/06/24

In this episode of Book Banter we talk with Madi Hannan about art, pets and her children's picture book, Scrim on the Run.- Author/Illustrator of Scrim on the Run, Madi Hannan, known as “Madicat” in her art career, is a high school science teacher by day and an avid creative by night. When she’s not busy bringing characters to life with her signature whimsical charm, you can find her wrangling her mischievous pets: Jacques, the agility-loving Aussie; Butters, the cat with a lot of opinions; and

en

30:44

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring M. A. Nicholson

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/06/03

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with poet M. A. Nicholson about her luminous debut collection, Around the Gate. Set against the vivid backdrop of New Orleans, her poems blend the personal and the communal, inviting readers to slow down and look closely at the world—and at themselves. We explore how place and history shape her work. Plus we discuss what we are reading now and our summer plans.- M.A. Nicholson is a New Orleans poet, editor, educator, journalist, and a co-founder of

en

45:38

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring David Valdes

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/05/27

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author David Valdes about his fun, heartfelt YA novel Spin Me Right Round. We dive into the book’s time-travel twist, its celebration of queer identity, and how David brings both humor and heart to stories about being seen and finding your place. Plus, he shares what inspired the book and why writing for teens means so much to him.- David Valdes is the author of the nonfiction books Homo Domesticus, The Rhinestone Sisterhood, and Today Show

en

54:11

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Aaron Reynolds

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/05/21

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with Aaron Reynolds, the creator of Effin’ Birds, the wildly funny and delightfully irreverent comic that blends vintage illustrations with modern-day snark. We dive into the origins of his foul-mouthed feathered phenomenon, how he turns frustration into hilarity, and why swearing birds have struck such a chord with readers.- Aaron Reynolds is a Webby Award–winning humorist, aprofessional speaker, and the man behind the Effin’ Birds and Swear Trek

en

55:37

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Bethany Mangle

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/05/13

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Bethany Mangle about her witty and heartfelt YA novels. We explore how she balances humor with emotional depth, the relatable teen experiences that inspire her stories, and the way she writes strong, complicated characters finding their way. Plus, she shares what draws her to writing about family, friendship, and the chaos of growing up.- Bethany Mangle is the author of the Prepped, All the Right Reasons, and Conditions of a Heart. When

en

52:34

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Rien Fertel

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/05/08

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Rien Fertel about his rich and reflective writing on Southern history and culture. We dive into the personal threads that run through his work, how he brings forgotten stories and voices to the forefront, and what it means to write about place with both reverence and critique.- Rien Fertel is the author of four works of nonfiction. He writes about literature for a variety of publications, including the New Orleans

en

34:15

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Julia Ridley Smith

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/05/07

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Julia Ridley Smith about her sharp, funny, and insightful new book, Sex Romp Gone Wrong. We dig into the stories behind the title, the humor and heart that shape her characters, plus we talk about some of the books we're reading now. - Julia Ridley Smith is the author of Sex Romp Gone Wrong (Blair), a short story collection, and The Sum of Trifles (University of Georgia Press), a memoir about cleaning out her antique-dealer parents’

en

40:18

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Jared M. Bentley

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/04/30

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Jared M. Bentley about his sharp and heartfelt sci-fi debut, Robots, Please. We explore the story’s blend of humor, humanity, and artificial intelligence, as well as the themes of loneliness, connection, and what it means to be truly alive in a world built by machines.- Jared M. Bentley is an American writer and educator. His collection of short stories, Robots, Please, is the first in a trilogy that humorously explores how to exist in

en

27:29

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring TQ Sims

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/04/22

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author TQ Sims about their bold and tender sci-fi romance, Lovers in Arms. We dive into the themes of queer love, resistance, and chosen family that pulse through the story, and how TQ crafts emotionally rich worlds that feel both epic and intimate.- TQ Sims crafts engaging stories that center Queer characters in supernormal situations. Their sci-fi series The Lovers Universe, including Godspeed, Lovers and Lovers in Arms, follows two men who

en

30:36

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Anita Felicelli

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/04/15

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Anita Felicelli about her imaginative and genre-blending work. We explore the intersections of identity, science fiction, and philosophy in her writing, and how she uses speculative storytelling to ask big questions about reality, memory, and belonging.- Anita edits Alta Journal‘s California Book Club. Her short stories have appeared in The Massachusetts Review, Air/Light, The Normal School, and elsewhere. She has contributed essays and

en

33:36

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Mike Miley

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/04/08

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Mike Miley about his new book, David Lynch's American Dreamscape: Music, Literature, Cinema. We explore the intersection of literature, film, and memory in his writing, as well as how storytelling shapes our understanding of the world.- Mike Miley teaches literature at Metairie Park Country Day School and film studies at Loyola University New Orleans, USA. He is the author of Truth and Consequences: Game Shows in Fiction and Film (2019)

en

39:20

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Julie Leong

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/04/01

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Julie Leong about her lyrical storytelling, how the right person giving you encouragement can push you to write your book and cats, all the cats. We explore the themes of fate, resilience, and human connection that weave through The Teller of Small Fortunes. Plus, she gives us a glimpse into her creative process and what readers can look forward to next.- Julie Leong is a Malaysian Chinese American fantasy author and corporate

en

36:14

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Darby Baham

Book Banter with Rayna ·

2025/03/25

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Darby Baham about her charming and heartfelt romance novels. We explore the themes of love, personal growth, and Black joy that shine through her stories, as well as how she crafts relatable characters and swoon-worthy moments. Plus, she shares insights into her writing process and what’s next on her literary journey.- Darby Baham (she/her) is an author and storyteller on a mission to make women like herself feel seen and believe that

en

25 results

Similar Podcasts

Start The Breakthrough Full Audiobook Now, Thriller Fans!

thebookvoice.com

Get Hooked On The Life-Enhancing Full Audiobook Experience!

thebookvoice.com

西四五条

主播郑捕头

Podcast Patapoe

0d0a

On Mic Podcast

Jordan Rich