Books, backstories, and careful questions.
Speaking of Writers gives authors room to explain the stories behind recent books. Its conversations move from plot and premise into research, faith, law, music, family history, trauma, and cultural memory.
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Speaking of Writers is a long-running author-interview show centered on books and the thinking behind them. Its method is simple and durable. Steve Richards introduces a writer through a specific new work, establishes the premise, and then asks the guest to describe the path into the book. The conversations are not built around rapid banter. They give authors space to talk through research, memory, craft, family history, faith, fear, and public consequence. Recent episodes show the breadth of the format. Ace Atkins discusses a Cold War thriller shaped by pop culture, suburban paranoia, Russian spies, and a Phil Collins-obsessed assassin. Mel Michalski explains a faith-centered book about spiritual reality, hardship, prayer, and daily life with God. Robert Polito considers Bob Dylan's later career through archives, revision, literary influence, film noir, and artistic reinvention. Idana Pucci and Terrence Ward revisit Emilio Pucci not only as a fashion figure, but as an Olympic skier, bomber pilot, intelligence courier, and Gestapo prisoner. Emily Carpenter talks about Southern Gothic suspense, Savannah, psychic power, privilege, deception, and the strange origins of a story idea. Whit Rummel Jr. recounts a family connection to a missing Picasso, the FBI, the Boston mob, and an accidental crime that became a moral crisis. G. Edward White traces Robert H. Jackson from self-trained lawyer to Supreme Court Justice and Nuremberg prosecutor. Nick Petrie connects thriller writing with post-traumatic stress, political fanaticism, technology-driven division, and danger to investigative journalists. The show's strength is its seriousness without theatricality. A short setup often opens into a larger question. What began as a plot detail becomes a discussion of responsibility, revision, belief, justice, or cultural memory. The tone is accessible, but it is comfortable with legal history, archival research, military violence, spiritual language, and genre mechanics. It suits readers who like hearing how books are made and why their subjects matter. It also works as a discovery tool for fiction, biography, memoir, criticism, and history. The show does not chase spectacle. It listens for the book beneath the pitch.
Made for: For readers who want thoughtful author conversations before choosing their next book. It especially suits fans of biography, thrillers, literary history, spiritual memoir, true crime, and book-club-ready context.
What sets it apart: The show stands out through its steady, premise-first interviewing style: each episode starts with the book, then follows the author's research, memory, or moral question. Its range is unusually broad without losing its calm editorial shape.
Welcome to Speaking of Writers. Veteran broadcaster Steve Richards interviews local, regional and best selling authors. For more info email steve @ [email protected]. https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/speakingofwriters/subscribeCover art photo provided by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/@thepootphotographer
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A strange theft story that becomes a study of panic, family loyalty, and consequence.
A Picasso goes missing from Boston's Logan Airport, and the episode traces how an accidental theft spreads into fear, secrecy, and family loyalty. Steve Richards keeps the conversation moving, while Witt Rummel Jr.
A careful portrait of Jackson's climb from Jamestown to Nuremberg.
Speaking of Writers gives Robert H. Jackson a focused, measured portrait, following the self-trained lawyer from Jamestown through the Roosevelt administration, the Supreme Court, and Nuremberg. Steve Richards keeps the discussion practical, opening with why G.
A measured discussion of Revolutionary War violence, local loyalties, and the fragile rules meant to restrain both.
Mark Edward Lender lowers the American Revolution from its heroic register and places it in the local struggles where fear, survival, and authority often decided behavior.
Dramatized deep dives into American history, from the Galveston hurricane to Harper Lee's Mockingbird.
Curious facts, kid-sized and quiz-ready.
Host Steve Richards interviews author Mel Michalski about his faith-centered book 'Living in the Spiritual World'.
Historian Mark Edward Lender discusses his book 'War Without Mercy', which challenges the myth of the American Revolution as a noble struggle.
This episode features an interview with author Chris Hauty about his new conspiracy thriller novel 'Dead Ringer', which explores the JFK assassination through the story of a disgraced Secret Service officer and a Jesuit professor.
This episode features historian David S.
Eric Moskowitz discusses the 1909 Ocean to Ocean Race, a 4,106-mile contest that Henry Ford used to prove the Model T could survive America's roads.
Jennifer Shabib says infertility support must fit each person's narrative because “it's not one size fits all.”
Dan Mason discusses his memoir Fearless with Steve Richards, connecting four decades in radio to leadership, technological change, and personal resilience.
On Speaking of Writers, Steve Richards interviews Joe Posnanski about Big Fan, his book with Michael Schur based on 82,490 miles of travel through sports and fandom.
This episode features an interview with author Ace Atkins about his new Cold War-era thriller 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World,' which follows a 14-year-old BMX-riding teen in 1985 Atlanta who suspects his mom's boyfriend is a KGB agent.
Author Mel Michalski discusses his faith-centered book 'Living in the Spiritual World', which blends autobiography with spiritual insights to explore how the physical and spiritual worlds intertwine in daily life.
This episode features an interview with Robert Polito about his book 'After the Flood: Inside Bob Dylan's Memory Palace', which explores Dylan's later career and artistic reinvention through extensive archival research.
This episode explores the untold life of fashion designer Emilio Pucci, revealing his roles as an Olympic skier, WWII bomber pilot, intelligence courier, and Gestapo prisoner through an interview with the authors of his biography.
This episode features an interview with suspense author Emily Carpenter about her Southern Gothic novel 'A Spell for Saints and Sinners,' exploring its themes, setting in Savannah, and the creative inspiration behind it.
A Picasso disappears from a loading dock at Boston's Logan Airport in 1969.
Steve Richards opens by introducing Robert H.
Former FBI Special Agent John Schachnovsky discusses his book 'Beyond the Badge,' which details his experiences with international crime investigations in Thailand, covering cases like terrorism, kidnappings, and cybercrime.
Historian Mark Edward Lender discusses his new book 'War Without Mercy, Liberty or Death in the American Revolution,' which challenges traditional narratives of the Revolutionary War by highlighting its brutal and personal violence.
This episode features an interview with NFL insider Gary Myers discussing his new book that explores the debate over whether Tom Brady or Bill Belichick was more responsible for the New England Patriots' dynasty.