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Book Public
Hosted by Yvette Benavides

Book Public is a Texas Public Radio podcast about books. At Book Public we believe books have the power to enlighten and entertain us. Listen in as we talk to authors about their books and why and how they wrote them. At Book Public we’re committed to connecting listeners to books that help us understand today’s world—and each other—a little bit better.

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Latest Episodes
  • Book Public: 'Love, Rita' by Bridgett M. Davis
    Bridgett M. Davis shares a tribute to her sister, Rita. The memoir is a family history, social commentary, elegy, and celebration of life.
  • Book Public: "Loneliness" from the collection 'Second Childhood' by Fanny Howe
    Fanny Howe passed away on July 9 at the age of 85. Yvette Benavides pays tribute to the author and shares Howe's poem, "Loneliness."
  • Book Public: 'The Slip' by Lucas Schaefer
    The Slip by Lucas Schaefer is an epic novel, but it tells a very intimate story about the basic human need to belong. Spanning over a dozen years and weaving the intersecting tales of a varied cast of characters, it's a story for right now—about all of us.
  • Book Public: “Birdsong from the Radio” from the story collection ‘The Souvenir Museum’ by Elizabeth McCracken
    Yvette Benavides reflects on the power of short fiction to convey what we might not have the words for. "Birdsong from the Radio" is from the collection The Souvenir Museum by Elizabeth McCracken.
  • Book Public: 'The Scrapbook' by Heather Clark
    The Scrapbook is a novel that is a modern-day love story in the shadow of German history—a Germany of artists, philosophers, virtuosos—and World War II. Heather Clark is the guest on this episode of Book Public to discuss her novel, The Scrapbook.
  • Book Public: 'Homework' by Geoff Dyer
    Readers of Geoff Dyer’s books have come to expect his trademark humor and incisive cultural commentary. His new book, Homework, shows us that the more success he had in school, the further he diverged from his parents. But his telling of this story brings us up close to share in his profound appreciation of his past.
  • Book Public: 'Endling' by Maria Reva
    In the novel Endling, by Maria Reva, protagonist Yeva joins guided romance tours in Ukraine to help pay for her research as a snail conservationist. Somehow, she becomes part of a kidnapping caper. Then Russia invades Ukraine. And the book shifts to a work of nonfiction with the author herself telling her story. Fiction and reality collide—beautifully.
  • Book Public: 'The Fate of Others' by Richard Bausch
    Richard Bausch discusses his latest story collection, The Fate of Others. This may be the author’s 24th book, but it is a fresh, powerful collection of stories for today’s world with all its resonances of loss and isolation—but also of hope.
  • Book Public: 'Have Mercy on Us' by Lisa Cupolo
    The flaws and follies of Cupolo’s characters teach us something about what it means to be human when we make mistakes or when we allow each other mercy. Lisa Cupolo discusses her award-winning story collection.
  • Book Public: 'The Bright Years' by Sarah Damoff
    The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff is a multigenerational family saga that underscores the ways that a family tries to navigate and survive addiction, grief, shame and the losses that loving deeply can bring to our lives. Secrets and regrets, forgiveness and grace—all figure in this tender story about love in its many forms.