In her day job, Amy P. Knight is a lawyer specializing in death penalty cases. She has also written a fascinating and wholly original novel, LOST, ALMOST, which depicts the life of a physicist who works on nuclear weapons. She and James talk about the intricate structure of the novel, the warmth of her descriptions of science and math, and the virtues of writing by hand. Then, Whitney Scharer talks about the incredible deal for her debut novel, THE AGE OF LIGHT.

Amy P. Knight

Amy and James discuss:

AMERICAN PROMETHEUS: THE TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

WAR GAMES

Freeman Dyson

Richard Feynman

Vassar College

Matthew Lansburgh

University of Arizona

THE IMPERFECTIONISTS by Tom Rachman

LIARS AND SAINTS by Maile Meloy

Ann Patchett

Whitney Scharer

Whitney and James discuss:

Peabody Essex Museum

Man Ray

Lee Miller

Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

Sonya Larson

VCCA

Sonya Larson

Julie Barer

Judy Clain

Little, Brown and Company

Grub Street

Harvard Book Store

After studying Spanish literature and embarking on a career as a lawyer, Matthew Lansburgh found fulfillment in writing. He won the Iowa Short Fiction Award for his linked short short story collection, OUTSIDE IS THE OCEAN. He and James discuss the spiritual fulfillment of writing, the need for dissatisfaction, the joys of close reading, and their shared love of outsiders in fiction. Plus, agent Christopher Rhodes.

Matthew Lansburgh

Matthew and James discuss:

Princeton University

Middlebury College

POET IN NEW YORK by Federico Garcia Lorca

RESIDENCIA EN LA TIERRA by Pablo Neruda

WISE BLOOD by Flannery O’Connor

TOWARDS ANOTHER SUMMER by Janet Frame

92nd Street Y

“The Bear Came Over the Mountain” by Alice Munro

Darin Strauss

Hannah Tinti

Josh Weil

Carmen Maria-Machado

Iowa Short Fiction Award

Christopher Rhodes

Christopher & James discuss:

Borders Books at World Trade Center

Simon & Schuster

Michael Selleck

The Carol Mann Agency

Paul Auster

University and North Carolina at Wilmington

Emily Smith

ECOTONE

James Fitzgerald

BRASS by Xhenet Aliu

Random House

Gwendolyn Knapp

The Stuart Agency

Andrew Stuart

Scottie Jones

Taylor Brown

Garth Risk Hallberg

Emma Cline

MARLENA by Julie Buntin

THE NIX by Nathan Hill

W.B. Belcher

Jared Yates Sexton

LAY DOWN YOUR WEARY TUNE by W.B. Belcher

Beth Staples

THE SCAMP by Jennifer Pashley

ONE STORY

“World’s End” by Clare Beams