Episodes

  • Ep. 11: Zadie Smith (Authorized: Firsts)

    Ep. 11: Zadie Smith (Authorized: Firsts)
    Oct 24 2017
    [Contains explicit content] In the last episode of the season, Ashley sits down with Zadie Smith, whose new novel is Swing Time . Smith discusses writing a book about tap dance, how she sees a writer's role in tough political times, and what it means to her to finally be satisfied with a novel.
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    24 mins
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  • Ep. 10: Jade Chang (Authorized: Firsts)

    Ep. 10: Jade Chang (Authorized: Firsts)
    Oct 24 2017
    Ashley sits down with Jade Chang, whose debut novel is The Wangs vs. the World. Chang discusses the process of writing a non-traditional immigrant story, and reads an excerpt from her unpublished first novel that is sure to thrill fans of the musical Hamilton.
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    19 mins
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  • Ep. 9: Amani Al-Khatahtbeh (Authorized: Firsts)

    Ep. 9: Amani Al-Khatahtbeh (Authorized: Firsts)
    Oct 24 2017
    [Contains explicit content] Ashley sits down with Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, whose debut memoir is Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age. Amani talks Islamophobia, Bad Girls Club and the impact of her website, Muslim Girl, a platform for young Muslim women to make their voices heard in the media.
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    19 mins
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  • Ep. 8: Stephanie Danler (Authorized: Firsts)

    Ep. 8: Stephanie Danler (Authorized: Firsts)
    Oct 24 2017
    Ashley sits down with Stephanie Danler, whose debut novel Sweetbitter chronicles a young woman’s coming of age while working in a New York City restaurant. Danler reflects on her own time in the food industry, the challenges of writing sex scenes, and the stories we can find in cookbooks.
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    19 mins
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  • Ep. 7: Jessica Valenti (Authorized: Firsts)

    Ep. 7: Jessica Valenti (Authorized: Firsts)
    Oct 24 2017
    Ashley sits down with author and Guardian columnist Jessica Valenti, whose newest book is Sex Object: A Memoir. Valenti talks motherhood, the memoir genre, and what it means to be a feminist in the real world and online.
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    18 mins
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  • Ep. 6: Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (Authorized: Firsts)

    Ep. 6: Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (Authorized: Firsts)
    Oct 24 2017
    Ashley Ford sits down with Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, who published her first novel, New York Times best seller The Nest, when she was 55. They talk through the pros and cons of a later literary debut, and Sweeney dissects the process of writing about - and in spite of - newfound wealth.
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    18 mins
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  • Ep. 5: Adelle Waldman (Authorized: Firsts)

    Ep. 5: Adelle Waldman (Authorized: Firsts)
    Oct 24 2017

    Ashley Ford sits down with Adelle Waldman, author of New York Times best seller The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. They talk about struggling with picking up the pen after great literary success, and Adelle shares a rejection letter she received for her very first novel--a book that exists only in her drawer.
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    15 mins
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  • Ep. 4: Tayari Jones (Authorized: Firsts)

    Ep. 4: Tayari Jones (Authorized: Firsts)
    Oct 24 2017
    Ashley Ford sits down with author Tayari Jones, who is in the midst of finishing up her novel about a Black man who's been wrongfully convicted of a crime. Ashley and Tayari discuss the pressure Black writers experience to write about tough subjects such as racism, mass incarceration and hardship. Tayari Jones brings with her the first story she ever wrote, at the tender age of 15.
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    19 mins
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