First Edition

Apr 11 2025 54 ep. 48 mins 148

First Edition Podcast artwork

BookRiot.com co-founder Jeff O'Neal explores the wide bookish world. Interviews, lists, rankings, retrospectives, recommendations, and much more, featuring people who know and love books.

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Jon Hickey & BIG CHIEF

Apr 11 2025 48 mins

Jeff talks to Jon Hickey about his debut novel, Big Chief. Jon Hickey earned his MFA at Cornell University and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. He has received scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers Conference and the Sewanee Writers Conference, and he is an enrolled member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. His short fiction has appeared

Katie Kitamura & AUDITION

Apr 08 2025 34 mins

Jeff talks to the great Katie Kitamura about her new novel, Audition (it is very, very good). Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm

21 Books I've Got My Eye on This Month (April 2025)

Apr 03 2025 38 mins

Jeff talks about 21 books coming out this month that caught his eye. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack. Discussed in this episode: I Have a Capital Suggestion for a New Pronoun by John McWhorter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writing the Big One with Emma Pattee, Author of TILT

Mar 27 2025 47 mins

Jeff talks to Emma Pattee about her debut novel, Tilt. They talk earthquakes, IKEA, the consequences of writing place precisely, and much more. This book is a winner, folks. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may ea

Making Phosphorus Interesting: WHITE LIGHT and How to Make a Microhistory

Mar 21 2025 49 mins

Jeff is joined by Jack Lohmann, author of the new book White Light: The Elemental Role of Phosphorus-in Our Cells, in Our Food, and in Our World. Plus, his editor at Pantheon, Todd Portnowitz joins the conversation to talk about positioning, crafting, and otherwise publishing non-fiction like this. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras

The Reading Life of Stephen Graham Jones

Mar 20 2025 56 mins

Jeff talks to Stephen Graham Jones about his reading life. Stephen Graham Jones is the NYT bestselling author of thirty-five or so novels and collections, and there are some novellas and comic books in there as well. Most recent are Earthdivers and I Was a Teenage Slasher. His new book, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, is out now. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or

How Hollywood Shaped Joan Didion with Alissa Wilkinson

Mar 14 2025 40 mins

Alissa Wilkinson joins Jeff to talk about her new book, We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Discussed in this epi

A Gift from the Internet, Murder Ballads, and Liking Your Writing with Amal El-Mohtar

Mar 06 2025 54 mins

Jeff talks to Amal El-Mohtar about This is How You Lose the Time War getting one of greatest bookish gifts ever bestowed by the internet before talking about her new book, The River Has Roots. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these

10 Notecards with Scaachi Koul

Mar 04 2025 34 mins

Scaachi Koul joins Jeff to talk about her new book, Sucker Punch with a new little format for First Edition called "10 Notecards With..." Jeff has picked out 10 things from the new book — words, ideas, stories, etc. — written them on notecards, and then has Saachi pick them at random (at least at the start order). Turned out to be a lot of fun, so expect to hear more of these.

How to Talk About New Books for 500 Episodes

Feb 27 2025 59 mins

Liberty Hardy joins Jeff to talk about hosting 500 episodes of All The Books! and a host of other reading-related topics. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack. Discussed in this episode: All The Books! Liberty Hardy on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices