In her debut novel, THE ENSEMBLE, Aja Gabel beautifully captures the shifting dynamics of a string quartet. She and James talk about boxing, prodigies, losing yourself in art, and capturing joy versus describing pain. Plus, Aja’s cover designer from Riverhead Books, Grace Han.

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Aja Gabel: 

Aja and James discuss:

WHAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT WRITING by Haruki Murakami

Antonya Nelson

SATURDAY by Ian McEwan

Guarneri String Quartet

FREEDOM by Jonathan Franzen

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Grace Han

Grace and James discuss: 

Riverhead Books

Ecco

Helen Yentus

Pinterest

THE READYMADE THIEF by Augustus Rose

Marcel Duchamp

School of Visual Arts

THE LINE BECOMES A RIVER by Francisco Cantu

Richard Misrach

THE KING IS ALWAYS ABOVE THE PEOPLE by Daniel Alarcon

STRENGTH IN STILLNESS: THE POWER IN TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION by Bob Roth