The Downtown Writers Jam

Margot Bloomstein

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Margot Bloomstein isn't a typical guest here in the Bunker. She works in content strategy and advising. But two things brought her to Brad's at...

Burt Weissbourd

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Burt Weissbourd stopped by the Bunker to discuss his latest book In Velvet. But, there's more than just thriller writing in his bones. Burt has...

Vanessa Lillie

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Vanessa Lillie stopped by the Jam Bunker to talk about her book, For the Best, a follow-up to her Amazon Best Selling debut Little Voices. But ...

Mini Episode: Shannon McLeod

02 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We first caught up with Shannon McLeod way back in 2016 when she published her debut chapbook PATHETIC. Since then, she’s been working on her debut ...

Emma Christie

31 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Emma Christie didn't just publish her first book, The Silent Daughter, during the pandemic. She also helped organize the Diary of a Debut Novel...

Gina Barreca

24 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The brilliant, hilarious, wildly enthusiastic, feminist author Gina Barreca stormed the Bunker this week to talk about her latest edited collection, F...

Mini Episode: Angela Jackson-Brown

20 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We interviewed Angela Jackson-Brown way back in 2014 about her debut novel, Drinking From a Bitter Cup. Seven years later, Brad is thrilled to have he...

Brendan O'Meara

17 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author and podcast host Brendan O'Meara stopped by the Bunker today ostensibly to talk about his podcast, Creative Nonfiction, his book Six Weeks in S...

Diana Giovinazzo

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Diana Giovizanno stopped by the Bunker to talk with Brad about her debut novel, The Woman in Red, a historical novel about Anita Garibaldi, a 1...

Mini Episode: Lucy Leitner

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We've launched a new, short-form video podcast so that we can keep up with all the books hitting the shelves post-pandemic. In our first episode, Pitt...

Paul Vidich

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the program: a blast from Brad's past stopped by the Bunker. Author Paul Vidich's fourth book, The Mercenary, dropped last month. He's become...

Sharon Harrigan

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Sharon Harrigan stopped by the bunker to talk about her first novel, Half, the story of identical twins who speak with one voice. She and Brad ...

Kathy Haueisen

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Bunker is large; We contain multitudes. This week on the program, author and ELCA pastor Kathryn Haueisen stopped by to talk about her debut novel...

Russell Heath

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, author Russell Heath stops by the Bunker to talk about his book Rinn's Crossing. But, here's the thing. Russell is so much more than a writer. ...

Meredith Essalat

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week's Jam is going to take you deep into the heart of elementary and middle-school teachers, something near and dear to our cold hearts here in ...

Melanie Conroy-Goldman

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's hard to sum up this episode. Author Melanie Conroy-Goldman stopped by the Jam Bunker to talk about her latest book, The Likely World. But, as we ...

Bruce Van Dusen

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bruce Van Dusen is one of the funniest people we've had on the program. And, if you doubt our word here in the Bunker, check out his bio. Scratch that...

Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss (Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right) joins Brad in the Bunker for a a very special episode of the Jam this week....

Meredith O'Brien

18 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Meredith O'Brien started her career as a newspaper reporter and investigative journalist before transitioning into an author and teacher. She stopped ...

Simon Stephenson

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Simon Stephenson's road to novel writing was long and winding. After his brother died in the 2004 Thailand tsunami, Simon left his job as a doc...

Ellen Alpsten

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're back after an unexpectedly long holiday break. But what a great start to 2021. Author Ellen Alpsten stops by the Bunk to to talk with Brad about...

Wendy Walker

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Wendy Walker is one of those people just seems so normal. Until you realize that she’s not: she’s exceptional. She’s a world-class over-achiever...

Michelle Bowdler

14 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author Michelle Bowdler's memoir, Is Rape a Crime? A Memoir, An Investigation, and A Manifesto, was long-listed for the National Book Award this year....

Corey Sobel

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Corey Sobel stopped by the Bunker to talk about his debut novel, The Redshirt . But what he and Brad ended up talking about was toxic masculinity, pa...

Sarah Kasbeer

07 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There are times you meet somebody and you instantly recognize each other. That happened with Brad and author Sarah Kasbeer, whose book A Woman, A Plan...

Elizabeth B. Splaine

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We're back after a Thanksgiving hiatus with author Elizabeth B. Splaine. And good people, this is a wild ride. From healthcare to opera to voice teach...

Nina Renata Aron

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Buckle up, good people, because this episode is unlike any other we've done. Author Nina Renata Aron stopped by the Bunker to talk with Brad about her...

Brad Fox

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author Brad Fox is a citizen of the world. Born in Kansas City, he's been wandering around the globe for most of his adult life. And, he joined Brad i...

Lorraine Brown

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Writers face rejection regularly. Listen to this show—or talk to any writer—and the ten-year journey to publication becomes a familiar tale. Autho...

Ava Homa

09 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you're like Brad, you don't know much about the Kurdish people other than they have been our allies in the Middle East. That's all getting fixed in...

Alechia Dow

02 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Alechia Dow first came across the radar here in the Jam Bunker because of her tweets about delicious baked goods she made for her family. But, Brad so...

Larry Smith

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Buckle up. You are about to take a walk through the DIY, GenX media landscape of the nineties. Writer Larry Smith, founder of SMITH magazine, and Brad...

Alysia Sawchyn

26 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Buckle up for the wild ride on the 100th episode from the Jam Bunker. Author Alysia Sawchyn and Brad go on a wild journey from Eastern Europe to Flori...

Elisheba Haqq

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When you get two working class writers together, you an expect some laughter at situations that aren't funny. And Brad and Author Elisheba Haqq didn't...

Suzanne Roberts

19 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

National Geographic’s Traveler named Suzanne Roberts “The Next Great Travel Writer.” Since then, she’s written two travel books, Almost Som...

Keah Brown

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you're on Twitter, you may know Keah Brown as the creator of the hashtag #DisableAndCute and as the author of The Pretty One. But, true to Jam form...

Lilly Dancyger

12 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author Lilly Dancyger is one of the most punk rock, badass writers to stop by the Jam Bunker. She and Brad talked about growing up as working class ki...

Angela Chen

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There's nothing better than a science and journalist stopping by the Jam Bunker. And that's exactly what happened when author Angela Chen joined Brad ...

Esuantsiwa Jane Goldsmith

05 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You're going to want to buckle up for today's conversation with author and activist Esuantsiwa (Esua) Jane Goldsmith, whose book The Space Between Bla...

Jacqueline Friedland

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author Jacqueline Friedland stopped by the Jam Bunker to talk about leaving her law career to pursue her dream of writing, which all happened in the m...

Sara Schaff

28 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Authors rarely travel a direct path to their writing career. But author Sara Schaff may have one of the most winding roads yet. She spent several year...

Iris Cohen

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author Iris Cohen stopped by the Jam Bunker to talk with Brad about her latest novel, Last Call on Decatur Street. But, good people, she is the embodi...

Whitney Hill

21 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author Whitney Hill stops by the Jam Bunker to talk with Brad about her book ELEMENTAL and her Shadows of Otherside series, which she wrote during Nat...

Brad Balukjian

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Balukjian is director of the Natural History and Sustainability Program and teaches biology at Merritt College in Oakland, California. He's also ...

Erica Wright

14 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Erica Wright is a poet, a crime novelist, and now a non-fiction writer, three genres of writing you don't normally associate together. But, here we ar...

Robert Dugoni

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

He's been called one of the best crime writers in the business. And with six million books sold and three thriller series to his credit (and one comin...

Anna Cox

07 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author and photograph Anna Cox brought her charming and upbeat storytelling to the Jam Bunker to talk about her debut novel, I Keep My Worries in My T...

Hafizah Geter

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hafizah Geter is a poet and writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, Boston Review, Longreads, and McSweeneys Indelible in the Hip...

Melissa Faliveno

31 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Melissa Faliveno's writing has appeared in Bitch magazine, the Millions, Prairie Schooner, Midwestern Gothic, and received a notable selection in The ...

Scott Spencer

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author Scott Spencer has written thirteen books and received two National Book Award nominations. His novel Endless Love has sold more than two millio...

Jennifer Steil

24 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You know you're in for a wild interview when the part about the author getting kidnapped barely makes it into the program. That's what happened when J...

Michael Elias

20 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Elias has been more successful in five careers than most of us will be in one. His story cuts across comedy, television, film, theater, and fi...

Melanie Abrams

17 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author Melanie Abrams stopped by the Jam Bunker to talk with Brad about her latest novel, Meadowlark. Melanie is the California-est of Californians—...

Alice Randall

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Songwriter and novelist Alice Randall stopped by the Jam Bunker to talk about her new book, Black Bottom Saints, which is out September 1. Along the w...

Brad Parks

10 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to a very special episode of Between Two Brads, as award-winning mystery and thriller author Brad Parks stops by the Jam Bunker to talk with B...

Emily Liebert

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author Emily Liebert stopped by the Jam Bunker to talk with Brad about her latest book, Perfectly Famous. She's had a wild career: from magazine edito...

Alisson Wood

03 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author Alisson Wood stopped by the Jam Bunker to talk cats, feminism, her little sister, politics, more cats, and her brilliant memoir Being Lolita, w...

Stephanie Scott

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 75: Stephanie Scott: This one is a wild ride. We begin with breakfasting with orangutan, move to translating Dante, slip through banking, and ...

Lee Matthew Goldberg

20 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 74: Lee Matthew Goldberg: It's not often you meet a writer who wrote a four season television show as a middle school student, but author Lee ...

Bobi Conn

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 73: Bobi Conn: It's not too often the Jam comes to you with this much accent. But author Bobi Conn stopped by the Bunker to talk with Brad abo...

Nikki Smith

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 72: Nikki Smith: There's nothing like getting a job at a bank to inspire you to pursue your passion. And that—along with a Facebook message ...

Dr. Megan Kate Nelson

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 71: Dr. Megan Kate Nelson: Author and U.S. historian Dr. Megan Kate Nelson and Brad take a deep dive into the cultural discussion happening ab...

Stephanie Storey

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 70: Stephanie Storey: Author Stephanie Storey (Raphael, Painter in Rome) took a rather circuitous route from Hot Springs, Arkansas to Hollywoo...

Helen Zuman

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 69: Helen Zuman: The search for meaning often takes us on interesting journeys. For author Helen Zuman, that search led the Harvard graduate t...

Aimee Liu

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 68: Aimee Liu: The pandemic has given everyone enough time to sit with our own philosophical musings. And author Aimee Liu and Brad brought th...

Joe Clifford

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 67: Joe Clifford: Buckle up for this interview. It's unlike anything else you've heard on the program. But this is no Hero's Journey for eithe...

Hannah Mary McKinnon

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 66: Hannah Mary McKinnon: You're going to learn a little bit about German dialects and the insanity of the word "the" in the German language i...

Dr. James Carter

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 65: Dr. James Carter: The Downtown Writers Jam Podcast is staying on the history train with author Dr. James (he goes by Jay, though) Carter (...

Dr. Stephen Knott

12 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 64: Dr. Stephen Knott: There’s nothing better than good, old political gossip, and that’s just what Brad got with Dr. Stephen Knott, who—...

Abigail Mann

08 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 63: Abigail Mann: From writing journals at the dinner table to writing her first novel (The Lonely Fajita), novelist Abigail Mann and Brad tal...

Jennifer Louden

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

So much of life is about finding comfort in your own skin. Somehow, Brad and author Jennifer Louden (Why Bother?) stumbled down that rabbit hole on th...

Anika Scott

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author Anika Scott has been on the move for most of her life, but that has made all the difference! While her first novel, The German Heiress, is n...

Susan Allott

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 60: Susan Allott: One of the enduring themes of the program is that almost nobody knows how to become a writer. On this episode of the Jam, au...

Hosho McCreesh

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 59: Hosho McCreesh: Saddle up to the bar, y'all as author Hosho McCreesh and Brad talk about the world of DIY writing, publishing, and drinkin...

Andrew Altschul

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 58: Andrew Altschul: If you're a fan of the show, you've heard Brad talk about the MFA versus kludge writer divide. Today, it comes to the Jam...

Dr. Hilary Green

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 57: Dr. Hilary Green: On this episode of the Jam, Brad and author Dr. Hilary Green talk the importance of oral culture and the difficulty of t...

Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 56: Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky: This is one of those podcasts where you're going to learn a thing or two! Historian Lindsay Chervinsky stopped by ...

Michael Seese

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 55: Michael Seese: Author Michael Seese went from writing business books to writing children's books. But he did that in the most modern way p...

Louise Fein

04 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 54: Louise Fein: Sometimes a conversation stays with me long after the interview. That was the case with novelist Louise Fein, whose book Pe...

Trevor Wood

29 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I'm never quite sure what we're getting into on the Jam. In this episode, author and playwright Trevor Wood took me on a journey that weaved through h...

Tommy Jenkins

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When you get two hillbillies behind the microphone, you never know where the conversation is going to go. Author Tommy Jenkins stopped by the Jam to t...

Samantha M. Bailey

23 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This conversation could have gone on all day. (Don't worry, it doesn't!) Author Samantha M. Bailey stopped by the show to talk about her debut thrille...

Sara Sligar

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Big Number 50 is here! We're happy to celebrate that milestone with author Sara Sligar (Twitter, Instagram), who stopped by the Jam to talk about ...

Janelle Brown

16 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 49: Janelle Brown: I've been wanting Janelle on the program for some time, but the release of her fourth book, Pretty Things, felt like the r...

Katie Orphan

13 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 48: Katie Orphan: Author and book consultant Katie Orphan stopped by the Jam to talk about her book Read Me, Los Angeles: Exploring L.A.'s Boo...

Sarah Frier

09 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bloomberg reporter Sarah Frier stopped by the Jam to discuss her book, No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram. But, we also got into her illustrious...

Mindy Mejia

05 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Crime novelist Mindy Mejia stopped by the Jam to talk about her fourth novel, Strike Me Down. Along the way we talked about growing up around scienc...

Hayley Doyle

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Buckle up, introverts, because two extroverts who've been locked down are coming at you in this episode. Hayley Doyle is an actress, singer, teacher, ...

Elisa Batista

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

My old Wired.com colleague stopped by the Jam to talk about her mom blog, her life as a political activist with MomsRising, and her new book, ¡Presen...

Jen Sullivan Brych

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

JenSul was the Wired.com colleague who wasn't actually my colleague and the person everyone assumed I knew even though we didn't. We've corrected that...

Kristen "KP" Philipkoski

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

My old Wired.com colleague Kristen "KP" Philipkoski dropped by The Downtown Writers Jam to talk about her new venture, Mean Magazine, a feminist magaz...

Erik Deckers

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I sat down with Erik Deckers, a humor column writer, and the co-author of several social media books. He's a grinder, the kind of working writer whose...

Lauren Gaskill

25 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Last year I had the chance to talk with Lauren Gaskill, one of my former writing students. Since graduating, she's had an amazing start to her career...

Remembering Elizabeth Wurtzel

07 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"She was our rock god." Elizabeth Wurtzel passed away on January 7, 2020. She was one of the voices of GenerationX, a proud feminist, and a god damned...

Julia Scheeres

30 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

My friend and former Wired.com colleague Julia Scheeres has written two best sellers: Jesus Land, a memoir of her relationship with her adopted brot...

Woody Lewis

07 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

My friend for nearly twenty years, author Woody Lewis and I sat down for the first time to talk about his book Three Lost Souls: Stories about race, ...

Evan Ratliff

30 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We were Wired lackeys during the dotcom boom, but those days are long gone. In the years since we left the magazine, Evan is a two-time National M...

Danielle Sepulveres

19 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 35: Danielle Sepulveres: Author, actress, and Tweeter extraordinaire, Danielle Supulveres‘ memoir Losing It chronicles how how she lost...

Keri Leigh Merritt

13 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We live in a time when race and class have smashed together in ways that threaten to tear about the social fabric. Historian and author Keri Leigh Mer...

George Carlin (Bonus–Circa 2001)

07 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In 2001, I hosted a thirty-minute interview show as part of Wired.com's strategy to expand into multimedia. Along with my producer Jeremey Barna, we w...