In celebration of PEN/Faulkner’s new partnership with New Hampshire Public Radio to produce the fourth season of Check This Out, Executive Director Gwydion Suilebhan sat down with host Rachel Barenbaum.
You’re not only a podcaster, you’re a terrific writer. (We first met, in fact, when I wrote you a note after reading your excellent novel A Bend in the Stars.) How does being an artist yourself inform the way you approach interviewing the writers on your show?
Thanks for asking this question. I think the fact that I’m a writer is what makes Check This Out truly unique. I see and have seen the publishing world from so many different angles that I can’t help myself, I have to ask authors about their journey to publication. In fact, the last segment of every show focuses on each author’s personal experiences and what advice they have for other writers.
I personally love hearing all the juicy details and learning from other authors. It’s a big part of why I started the show in the first place. Plus, I’ve heard from a lot of listeners that they love this part, too. Listeners especially love hearing my guests talk about all their rejections. I think that’s because so many people devoted to my show are writers themselves. They are in the trenches looking for agents, editors, residencies. Hearing about other author’s journeys helps. It’s also just a great way to learn about the industry, to get a sense of what is changing and what is working or not working in publishing.
What inspired you to launch Check This Out? Do you consider it a distinct endeavor from your work as a novelist, or is it part and parcel of the same creative impulse for you?
Check This Out is 100% a part of my writing life and work. Talking to authors is a shot of adrenaline for me. It inspires me and pushes me to write more, to read more. Writing and interviewing go hand in hand and I love them both. Every single time I interview an author, I learn something and I adore that. Working on the show is also entirely creative. There’s no strict format or outline that I have to follow. Every time I’m in the studio, something is different and new. It is pure energy and I eat it up every time we go live.
Tell us how you go about deciding who you want to interview on Check This Out. Obviously, you work hard to ensure that your seasons include a diverse array of artists, many or most of whom are emerging, but what is it about any particular book that makes you really want to lean into it?
I wish I had a secret formula – it would save a lot of time! My show is a one-hour interview with an author so the first big question I have for every book is the same: Can I talk to this author for an hour? To answer that question, I dig into two aspects of every novel that crosses my desk.
First, I look into what I call the personal side. I ask myself if the book seems personal to the author, if I think they are emotional about the theme or plot. I’m looking for authors who are somehow personally invested beyond just telling a good story. There are tons of books that aren’t personal and are still incredible. I read books like that all the time, but for my show I look for books with personal connections because those connections often make for incredible conversations.
Second, I look into what I call the theme side. I ask if the book has themes or ideas I can’t stop thinking about. Has this book made me think about something in a new way, or see a new angle, and do I want to talk to my friends about it? If the answer is yes, then there’s a really good chance I want to talk to the author about those ideas for an hour or more. Sometimes these themes are only addressed for ten pages in a novel. Sometimes they’re the entire novel. Either way, I look for an idea that I can’t stop thinking about and when I find it I know I want to interview the author.
Most of us who love fiction have attended any number of literary programs. What in your mind makes a literary conversation stand out from the crowd and become particularly significant or relevant?
Two things come to mind. (Do I always see things in twos?!)
First, authors are often in sales mode during a public conversation. Many are guarded or sit down with talking points they want to make sure they work into the conversation and they try to land them as quickly as possible. Before I start an interview, I always tell an author not to rush to their talking points. It is always much, much better to make a personal connection with the interviewer/audience. Imagine you’re talking to your friend, not an interviewer. I’m not saying authors should give away secrets! I’m suggesting authors lean into conversations and not stress about marketing points because readers don’t want to be sold. If they have taken time out of their busy lives to listen to an author, they want to relax into a conversation – not a sales pitch. When an author is willing to make the conversation feel like two friends chatting, the conversation is always a home run.
Second, unless an author writes a book with a HUGE twist at the end, they should never worry about spoilers or shy away from talking about anything in their book. Authors should let it all out, talk about everything. That’s what makes for a magical conversation. We all read tons of books where we know the plot from page one – think about every love story you’ve ever read. Throwing in a few surprises does not make something a spoiler. People listening to an author talk about their book want to hear it all. I promise readers will still buy the book. For context, I probably only read one or two books a year with true spoilers and they are all thrillers/ whodunnits. And, I’m willing to bet that even if an author gives it all away in an interview, the best thrillers/ whodunnits would still sell like crazy.
What does it take to produce a single episode of Check This Out? From selecting books to preparing for and conducting an interview to post-production: can you give us a little bit of a look behind the scenes?
I love it when people ask about the nuts and bolts of Check This Out because there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. Sometimes people don’t realize how much has to happen to make each episode. Here’s a brief outline of what happens.
Book selection starts with publishers and publicists emailing me pitches. I read through publisher catalogues, PEN/Faulkner sends books of note, and lots and lots of friends and colleagues send titles I should consider. I read the first twenty to fifty pages of almost every book that comes my way and at this point know pretty quickly if I should keep going, if there’s a chance I can talk to the author for an hour. From there, I form a short list and start going through it with my producers. Again, there’s no magic formula. We’re really looking for books we can talk about for an hour – with subjects and ideas that blow us away.
Then there’s logistics. Once I have an even shorter list, I send out invitations to potential guests and Jessica Hunt, my main producer, steps in and takes over. She books the studio, makes sure we have digital assets, author information, contact information, studio time. Jessica deals with a million small details that make each interview possible.
After that, I write up a script for every interview. This is usually a six page document filled with questions and ideas I want to talk about. Most of it goes out the window once we start recording and I fall into the interview, following the conversation wherever it leads.
Finally, there’s editing. Jessica takes over once we have the recording. She adds her magic, edits out all the do-overs and ums. She polishes and polishes – and schedules air dates/ times, uploads to PRX and everywhere else. She also comes back and often has me re-record intros or sentences that should be added for clarity or fun. I proof-listen to every episode before it airs and sometimes we edit and re-edit until we have the final episode.
It’s a lot of work and I love every minute of it. Truly, a dream job!
Are there any memorable moments from the first three seasons of Check This Out that you want to make sure people know about? Any deep cuts from the archive people should go back and listen to?
Marjan Kamali was a guest on Check This Out in October 2024 for her novel THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN. I loved this conversation because it centered on the idea of freedom and how quickly it can disappear. The book is set between Iran and the US, focused on a woman who fled from Iran around the time of the revolution. Kamali really pulled me into that moment, into what it felt like to watch freedom evaporate. She also showed a side of Iran that we don’t see today. She showed me an Iran that was beautiful, hopeful, progressive, and diverse. It’s an Iran I have a hard time imagining – which is what made the conversation so good.
Andrew Boryga was a guest on Check This Out in June 2024 for his novel VICTIM. This novel is about a hustler from a family of hustlers that made me ask what real diversity looks like. Boryga pushed tough questions on his readers and on me during the interview. We really dug into the push/pull of descriptive vs substantive representation. I loved the ideas in this novel and just couldn’t stop asking questions.
Listeners should check out both interviews.
Thank you, Rachel. It’s really wonderful to have you as a partner.
Thank you, Gwydion. I am thrilled to work on Check This Out with you and NHPR and can’t wait to build our audience and champion more and more emerging authors. I can’t imagine a better job.