Join us Spring 2025 for the newest episodes of Check This Out—your go-to author interview series on NHPR. This season, Check This Out is expanding to 12 episodes, offering more opportunities for in-depth exploration of diverse and emerging authors. Each show will also feature downloadable PDF discussion questions, perfect for book clubs and readers looking to dive deeper into the themes and characters of the novels discussed.
Check This Out will air Saturdays at 3 p.m. beginning April 5 and will run through June 21 on NHPR and NHPR.org. Subscribe to the podcast here.
In this series host Rachel Barenbaum, along with her guests, provide insightful conversations that go beyond the pages of each book. We discuss not only the characters and themes, but the writing process itself—from finding writing groups to navigating the evolving world of publishing.
In addition, we are thrilled to announce new partnerships with PEN/Faulkner and 826 Boston, organizations that champion new voices in literature. Their support further strengthens Check This Out's mission to uplift emerging and diverse authors in the literary community.
“The mission of Check This Out has always been to highlight emerging authors and create spaces for meaningful discussions about the writing process,” said Emily Quirk, NHPR Program Director. “We are thrilled to continue that work with the help of PEN/Faulkner and to amplify the voices of talented writers through this exciting new season.”
Here's a sneak peek of season four:
Karissa Chen, Homeseeking - Saturday, April 5 at 3 p.m.
“Homeseeking” follows Haiwen and Suchi, two separated lovers through six decades of Chinese history. War, famine, and opportunity take them from Hong Kong, to Taiwan, New York, and LA. This debut novel is a story of family, sacrifice, and loyalty, and of the power of love to endure beyond distance and time.
Olivia Wolfgang-Smith, Mutual Interest - Saturday, April 12 at 3 p.m.
A novel about marriage and ambition, sexuality and secrecy, and the true costs of building an empire. “Mutual Interest” explores the lives of “three queer misfits turned business titans” during the Gilded Age with immersive period detail and compelling emotional stakes.
Callan Wink, Beartooth - Saturday, April 19 at 3 p.m.
Two brothers are living off the grid on the edge of Yellowstone. In dire straits and desperate for money, they accept a dangerous proposition that permanently alters their lives and their relationship to each other.
Julie Iromuanya, A Season of Light - Saturday, April 26 at 3 p.m.
When 276 schoolgirls are abducted from their school in Nigeria, a Florida-based lawyer and former POW of the Nigerian Civil War is consumed by memories of his younger sister who went missing during that conflict. “A Season of Light” explores the shaky promise of the immigrant American dream and a family struggling with intergenerational trauma.
Tova Mirvis, We Would Never - Saturday, May 3 at 3 p.m.
Inspired by a true story, “We Would Never” is a gripping murder mystery and an intimate family drama. It explores the issues of loyalty, betrayal, and the blurred line between protecting and forsaking the ones we love most.
Sameer Pandya, Our Beautiful Boys - Saturday May 10 at 3 p.m.
Three star players on a high school football team are accused of violence by another student. Their secrets, and the secrets of their parents, threaten to shatter their entire community in a novel of race, class, and privilege.
Colwill Brown, We Pretty Pieces of Flesh - Saturday May 17 at 3 p.m.
A coming of age novel about working-class female friendship, set in the schoolyards, nightclubs, and alleyways of a gritty, post-industrial town in Yorkshire, England. Three girls are inseparable, their friendship as indestructible as they are, but as they grow up and away from one another, a long-festering secret threatens to rip the trio apart.
Jon Hickey, Big Chief - Saturday May 24 at 3 p.m.
A story about power and politics on a reservation in Wisconsin in the days leading up to a hotly contested tribal election, where loyalties are being sharply tested, and the lines between right and wrong have become blurred. This debut novel is also a family saga that explores what it means to belong to a family, a community, and a history.
Check back later for more author updates!