552 episodes

A podcast where writers talk honestly about books, writing, and the literary world. Hosted by Mike Ingram and Tom McAllister, authors and long-time editors for Barrelhouse, a nonprofit literary magazine and book publisher. New episodes every other week, with bonus episodes for Patreon subscribers.

Book Fight Mike Ingram and Tom McAllister

    • Arts
    • 4.5 • 240 Ratings

A podcast where writers talk honestly about books, writing, and the literary world. Hosted by Mike Ingram and Tom McAllister, authors and long-time editors for Barrelhouse, a nonprofit literary magazine and book publisher. New episodes every other week, with bonus episodes for Patreon subscribers.

    Ep 440: Michael Tager

    Ep 440: Michael Tager

    We welcome writer and editor Michael Tager (Mason Jar Press; Pop Culture Poetry: The Definitive Collection ) to talk about Mindy Kaling's essay collection Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? Tager read Kaling's book during a period when he was reading a lot of memoirs and essay collections by comedians, including books by Tina Fey and Chelsea Handler. He talks about what made Kaling's stand out, and how his usual reading habits were interrupted by fatherhood. 
    You can learn more about Tager's writing and editing projects, including his forthcoming book, at his website: http://www.michaelbtager.com/
    If you like our podcast, and would like more of it in your life, please consider subscribing to our Patreon, where $5 a month gets you two monthly bonus episodes, plus access to our entire back catalog: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight
    Thanks for listening!

    • 58 min
    Ep 439: Sal Pane

    Ep 439: Sal Pane

    We're joined by Sal Pane--author, most recently, of the short story collection The Neorealist in Winter (winner of the 2002 Autumn House fiction prize) to discuss a pair of novellas by Italian writer Natalia Ginzburg. Plus: writing for video games, surviving winter, and cuffing season.
    For more about Sal, and his books, visit his website: https://salvatore-pane.com/
    If you'd like more Book Fight in your life, consider subscribing to our Patreon, where $5 gets you two bonus episodes each month, including throughout our upcoming hiatus: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight
    Thanks for listening!

    • 1 hr 13 min
    Christmas Spectacular 2023!

    Christmas Spectacular 2023!

    It's a fan favorite every year: we choose a (possibly terrible) Christmas novel, and we invite some of our fellow Barrelhouse editors on to discuss it. This year the book was A Christmas Memory, by the "king of Christmas fiction," Richard Paul Evans. And our guests include Dave Housley, Becky Barnard, Chris Gonzalez, and Joe Killiany!
    Is this book a heartwarming autobiographical tale about a young boy's friendship with an old African-American man in late-1960s Utah? Or is it the story of a little incel boy who will eventually grow up to found a creepy men's rights organization and compare the plight of white men to Jews in Nazi Germany? 
    Every year we try to take a "fun" trip to Christmas Town, and every year we somehow wind up mired in a terrible shit show. Feliz Navidad!

    • 1 hr 15 min
    Ep 437: Hannah Grieco

    Ep 437: Hannah Grieco

    We're joined by Hannah Grieco (writer, editor, recent MFA finisher) to discuss the 2021 novel Nightbitch, by Rachel Yoder, and its depiction of an overworked mother gone feral. 
    You can order a copy of Already Gone, the anthology Hannah edited featuring 40 stories of people running away.
    And if you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting us by joining our Patreon, where $5 gets you two bonus episodes each month.

    • 1 hr 23 min
    Ep 436: Athena Dixon

    Ep 436: Athena Dixon

    We're joined by Athena Dixon (The Loneliness Files, Tin House Books) to talk about a famous novel she hated when she was first made to read it, and why it spoke to her so much more strongly when she revisited it years later.
    You can find links to order Athena's new essay collection via Tin House.
    You can sign up for Mike's Substack here: https://mikeingram.substack.com/
    And if you like our podcast, $5/month can help us keep it going, plus give you access to two bonus episodes each month (and a whole slew of back episodes): https://www.patreon.com/BookFight
     

    • 1 hr 2 min
    Ep 435: Adam O'Fallon Price

    Ep 435: Adam O'Fallon Price

    Author Adam O'Fallon Price (The Hotel Neversink) returns to talk about a great--if tough to categorize--Don Carpenter novel, Hard Rain Falling. We talk about the novel's many plot swerves, and the depth and surprise in its portrayal of complicated men. Plus: an update on Tom's fancy "white glove service" desk from West Elm.
    For more on Adam, you can follow him on Twitter, or visit his website.
    If you like the podcast, and want more of it in your life, we're doing two monthly bonus episodes for just $5: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight
     

    • 1 hr 19 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
240 Ratings

240 Ratings

bruschi!1!1 ,

Incredibly fun

Love that they balance taking about reading and writing with more light hearted jokes. Some literary podcasts take themselves so seriously that it can be like a lecture. This is more like sitting in on a conversation

Ravi O' Li ,

The ole college try

I like the premise. But I feel phoney considering I haven’t finished any of the books I purchased since moonwalking with einestein.

Maybe hunger games or Harry Potter would be the podcast im looking for. That’s more my speed. Im also more of a introvert. It seems as though people listen to podcast to ignore the people around them instead of being mindful, but that’s just my opinion.

malfoxley ,

Great show!

Mike and Tom, hosts of the podcast, highlight all aspects of great creative writing and more in this can’t miss podcast! The hosts and expert guests offer insightful advice and information that is helpful to anyone that listens!

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