Podcast

The Free Library Podcast is an easy way to participate in the author events and lectures that take place at the Central Library. Visit Author Events to find upcoming events.

Recent Episodes

  • Emma Copley Eisenberg | The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia

    • Recorded Jan 23, 2020

    In conversation with Sarah Marshall, journalist, writer, and co-host of the podcast You’re Wrong About. In June 1980, two young middle-class women who had been hitchhiking to a nature festival called the Rainbow Gathering were found murdered in a… more

    Author Events  Biography and Autobiography   General Research  Social Science  History 

  • Garth Greenwell | Cleanness

    • Recorded Jan 16, 2020

    In conversation with Carmen Maria Machado, most recently author of In the Dream House “A subtle observer of human interactions” with “an inborn ability to cast a spell” ( New York Times ), Garth Greenwell is the author of What Belongs to You , a… more

    Author Events  Fiction  LGBTQ  Literature 

  • Andrew Bacevich | The Age of Illusions: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory

    • Recorded Jan 15, 2020

    Praised for their “clarity of expression . . . devastating directness” and “coruscating wit” ( Washington Post ), Andrew Bacevich’s bestselling books include The Limits of Power ,  America’s War for the Greater Middle East , and  Twilight of the… more

    Author Events  Politics  History 

  • Liz Moore | Long Bright River

    • Recorded Jan 14, 2020

    In conversation with Mike Newall, metro columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer “Incisive, insightful, and compassionate” ( Boston Globe ), Liz Moore is the author of the acclaimed novels Heft and The Unseen World . She is the recipient of the… more

    Author Events  Fiction  Literature 

  • Elaine Sciolino | The Seine: The River That Made Paris

    • Recorded Dec 12, 2019

    A former Paris bureau chief and contributing writer for the New York Times , Elaine Sciolino is acclaimed for her “deliciously detailed and smart” ( Vogue ) chronicles of French culture and history. Her books include the bestsellers The Only… more

    Author Events  Environment and Nature  General Research  History 

  • Salman Rushdie | Quichotte

    • Recorded Dec 10, 2019 Explicit Content

    In conversation with novelist and musician Wesley Stace “One of the major literary voices of our time” ( San Francisco Chronicle ), Salman Rushdie is the author of more than a dozen novels, including The Satanic Verses , The Golden House , and … more

    Author Events  Fiction  Literature 

  • William D. Cohan | Four Friends: Promising Lives Cut Short

    • Recorded Dec 5, 2019

    William D. Cohan is the bestselling author of The Last Tycoons , an inside history of Lazard Frères & Co., one of the country’s most venerable investment banks. A former longtime Wall Street mergers and acquisitions banker, the topics of his… more

    Author Events  Biography and Autobiography   Education  General Research 

  • André Aciman | Find Me

    • Recorded Dec 3, 2019

    In conversation with writer and film critic Gary Kramer André Aciman is the author of the nationwide bestseller Call Me by Your Name , a novel that chronicles the bittersweet love story of a teenage boy and the young academic staying at his… more

    Author Events  Fiction  LGBTQ  Literature 

  • Ronan Farrow | Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators

    • Recorded Nov 26, 2019

    In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition New Yorker writer Ronan Farrow has won the Pulitzer Prize for public service, a National Magazine Award, and a George Polk Award for his “indefatigable and imaginative”… more

    Author Events  Biography and Autobiography   General Research 

  • Deirdre Bair | Parisian Lives: Samuel Beckett, Simone de Beauvoir, and Me

    • Recorded Nov 21, 2019

    Deirdre Bair won the National Book Award for her “blockbuster biography” of Samuel Beckett, “the best introduction to an enigmatic giant of 20th-century literature” ( Christian Science Monitor ). Her other acclaimed biographies include portraits… more

    Author Events  Biography and Autobiography   Literature  History 

Find More Episodes

20th & Vine - Backstage with Ronan Farrow

This month we're featuring Ronan Farrow who recently visited the Free Library of Philadelphia to discuss his new book Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators. Farrow spoke with Laura Kovacs backstage about why he wrote himself into the story and how he found the courage to persevere. 20th & Vine features behind-the-scenes conversations from the Free Library of Philadelphia's award-winning Author Events series. Subscribe now for more videos with your favorite authors.

Top 10 Podcast Episodes December 2019

  1. Ronan Farrow Ronan Farrow
  2. Elaine Sciolino Elaine Sciolino
  3. Salman Rushdie Salman Rushdie
  4. William D. Cohan William D. Cohan
  5. André Aciman André Aciman
  6. Deirdre Bair Deirdre Bair
  7. Susan Orlean Susan Orlean
  8. Jon Dorenbos Jon Dorenbos
  9. Ta-Nehisi Coates Ta-Nehisi Coates
  10. Trevor Noah Trevor Noah

Ten YouTube Videos You May Have Missed

  1. Toni Morrison
  2. Elizabeth Strout
  3. Margaret Atwood
  4. Cornel West
  5. Chris Hadfield
  6. Jojo Moyes
  7. Gabourey Sidibe
  8. B.J. Novak
  9. Maxwell King
  10. Hanya Yanagihara