Story Behind the Story

Stories about stories and how they came to be

Displaying 10 items of Story Behind the Story with the tag "nonfiction".

“nonfiction” RSS Feed

Reds with Maurice Isserman

1 November 2026 | 1 hr 5 mins

authors, history, interviews, nonfiction

I talk to author and historian Maurice Isserman about his historical account of the American Communist Party.
The Score with C. Thi Nguyen

15 September 2026 | 42 mins 59 secs

Philosophy, data, interviews, nonfiction, value capture

Host Clara Sherley-Appel talks to C. Thi Nguyen about his book, THE SCORE: HOW TO STOP PLAYING SOMEONE ELSE'S GAME.
Against Tech Oligarchy with JS Tan & Clarissa Redwine

1 September 2026 | 50 mins 46 secs

Labor, interviews, multiple authors, nonfiction

Host Clara Sherley-Appel talks to JS Tan and Clarissa Redwine about their new book, AGAINST TECH OLIGARCHY: WORKER RESISTANCE IN THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL INDUSTRY.
Episode 60: Christopher Blackwell and Deborah Zalesne - ENDING ISOLATION: THE CASE AGAINST SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

6 September 2025 | 56 mins 33 secs

authors, interviews, ksqd, nonfiction

I talk to prison journalist Christopher Blackwell and legal scholar Deborah Zalesne about their book, ENDING ISOLATION: THE CASE AGAINST SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, which comes out later this month.
Episode 57: John Gibler - TORN FROM THE WORLD

3 May 2025 | 54 mins 48 secs

authors, interviews, ksqd, nonfiction

I talk to author and journalist John Gibler about his 2014 book, TORN FROM THE WORLD: A GUERILLA'S ESCAPE FROM A SECRET PRISON IN MEXICO.
Episode 56: Laura Spinney - PROTO

21 April 2025 | 54 mins 4 secs

authors, interviews, ksqd, nonfiction

I talk to author and journalist Laura Spinney about her latest book, PROTO: HOW ONE ANCIENT LANGUAGE WENT GLOBAL.
Episode 49: Tedd Siegel - SIGNS OF THE GREAT REFUSAL

8 April 2024 | 46 mins 37 secs

authors, interviews, ksqd, nonfiction

Clara talks to author and ex-academic administrator Tedd Siegel about his book SIGHTS OF THE GREAT REFUSAL: THE COMING STRUGGLE FOR A POSTWORK SOCIETY.
Episode 44: Jenn Shapland - THIN SKIN

7 October 2023 | 55 mins 21 secs

authors, interviews, ksqd, nonfiction

Host Clara Sherley-Appel speaks with Jenn Shapland, whose new essay collection, Thin Skin, explores the porousness of boundaries — between humans and the environments we inhabit, between ourselves and other people, and between the identities we construct and the social pressures and expectations we encounter.
Episode 43: Brett Christophers - RENTIER CAPITALISM

2 September 2023 | 53 mins 52 secs

authors, interviews, ksqd, nonfiction

Host Clara Sherley Appel speaks with Brett Christophers, author of Rentier Capitalism.
Episode 36: Stephanie Foo - WHAT MY BONES KNOW

1 April 2022 | 54 mins 10 secs

authors, interviews, ksqd, nonfiction

Host Clara Sherley-Appel talks to author and former NPR producer Stephanie Foo about her memoir, WHAT MY BONES KNOW.