Happy holidays, listeners! It's the Fully Booked Year-in-Review 2019.
Editor-in-chief Tom Beer joins host Megan Labrise to reintroduce two of their favorite interviews from 2019.
First up is National Book Award winner Susan Choi (Trust Exercise), followed by visionary fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi (I.M.: A Memoir).
Choi joined former cohost Clay Smith and Megan for a deep dive into Trust Exercise back in April. Set primarily at an exclusive performing arts high school in an unnamed southern city, this inventive novel presents the story of a steamy, driver-license-less teen love affair that morphs, via shocking shifts in perspective, into a profound interrogation of how personal mythologies are written and rewritten over time.
The incomparable Mizrahi—fashion designer, performer, talk show host, crossword puzzle aficionado, visionary—joined Clay and Megan in February to discuss his generous and funny new memoir. In this no-holds-barred interview, he dishes on the most important people in his life, formative experiences, sex, and psychics.
Finally, children’s editor Vicky Smith, YA editor Laura Simeon, nonfiction editor Eric Liebetrau, and fiction editor Laurie Muchnick join in a spirited discussion of the year’s spiciest book world scandals. Trust us: you won’t want to miss it.
Scandalous syllabus:
“Who’s Afraid of Kathleen Hale?” (Buzzfeed)
“Igloo Farm Becomes Snowy Farm” (American Indians in Children’s Literature blog)
“Book prize judge alleges co-judges did not finish reading shortlist” (Guardian)
“Author Lucy Ellman said what women aren’t supposed to say about motherhood” (Vogue)
“‘Another author’: outrage after BBC elides Bernardine Evaristo’s Booker win” (Guardian)
“RNC bought $95,000 worth of copies of Donald Trump Jr.’s new book” (CBS News)
Fully Booked is produced by Cabel Adkins Audio and Megan Labrise.