https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes daily 0.75 2026-03-24 https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-20-john-sayles monthly 0.5 2026-03-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/e8741b37-43b3-495a-9bd9-b00d487580f3/John-Sayles.png EPISODES - Episode 20: John Sayles We’re excited to welcome filmmaker and author John Sayles to the show. John spoke with us about his most recent novel, Crucible, which focuses on the impact that an egocentric automobile magnate’s uninformed plans has on the economy and other populations. Sounds vaguely familiar. We also dove into his career, screenwriting vs. writing fiction, and what makes Pittsburgh so great. Then, our intrepid hosts returned to a topic hinted at last time: how much overlap there is between the books the two of us have read? What a shocker: we both read Moby-Dick! https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-19-rejection-is-good-and-you-never-read-alone monthly 0.5 2026-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/8849a585-101b-4e0e-a4ac-f6e6143d557a/reading.png EPISODES - Episode 19: Rejection is Good! And you never read alone So your manuscript was rejected by another publisher. Will you revise your work to meet the shifting whims of the marketplace, or hold steady to your uncompromising vision, bragging all the while about the rejections you’ve accumulated like tumbleweeds tangled in a barbed wire fence? Meanwhile, we also wonder if one can ever truly read a book alone, or if the various social contexts are inextricable from that experience, like tumbleweeds tangled in a barbed wire fence. https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-18-author-tom-ryan-and-movies-being-too-literal monthly 0.5 2026-02-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/7ac0984a-e3e4-45b8-ace6-5b322c867613/Tom%2BRyan%2B2025.png EPISODES - Episode 18: Author Tom Ryan and Movies Being Too Literal Will Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown, or any of the other fictional teen sleuths ever grow up? We spoke with Tom Ryan, whose novel We Had a Hunch throws adult versions of kid detectives into several harrowing grown-up situations, from hunting a serial killer to the slow-dawning realization that they’ve become middle-aged. Plus: are the creative works of our era too literal? It’s no fun if a novel or a movie tells to your face the theme and meaning you should take away from it. That’s the message of our movie, Movies Should Not Tell You Their Meaning. https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-17-interpretation-and-ecstasy monthly 0.5 2026-02-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/4c24f33e-ed15-44c6-847f-5f3b904910f3/Samuel_Johnson_by_Joshua_Reynolds_2.jpg EPISODES - Episode 17: Interpretation and Ecstasy We have too many reviews and not enough interpretive criticism. At least, that’s what Nathan says, and it seems to hold water. A true critique engages your intellect and raises questions, while a review just says whether you should watch that movie/read that book/listen to that podcast. In our second segment, we engage with Ivy Pochoda’s latest novel, Ecstasy, which itself engages with the classical play The Bacchae. We’re not saying a cult of drunken women who kill the men would solve all our problems, but maybe it’s a start. https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-16-literature-for-aliens-and-how-to-be-perfect monthly 0.5 2026-01-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/c98eb05a-cce1-4ed5-a3ca-98edfeeefce6/nebula.png EPISODES - Episode 16: Literature for Aliens, and How to Be Perfect Our hosts have ideas about what sort of books should have been included on the Voyager spacecraft, to support its heartwarming mission of spreading humanity to the stars. Would you have just sent the aliens your favorite book? Because maybe they don’t have the context to understand what a “Da Vinci Code” even is. And speaking of putting a lot of pressure on a book, TV creator Michael Schur’s How to Be Perfect put that pressure on itself. Philosophical ethics never sounded so good. https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-15-chris-hauty-author-of-dead-ringer-and-books-as-bad-gifts monthly 0.5 2026-01-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/54812f2f-75f8-45df-96d7-b7151eb1f7b0/Screenshot+2026-01-03+at+10.51.11%E2%80%AFAM.png EPISODES - Episode 15: Chris Hauty, author of Dead Ringer, and Books as (bad) gifts Author and screenwriter Chris Hauty joined us to discuss his latest thriller, Dead Ringer, about a JFK assassination conspiracy—and if you think you’ve heard it all on this topic, we assure you this novel will take you somewhere unexpected. Chris shared his surprising influences and offered insights about where Hollywood and book publishing overlap (and where they don’t). Then, we ponder why books are such popular gifts when they’re actually rather fraught as an item to give someone else. What if they don’t like it? Or you’re trying too hard? Or … what if we’re overthinking this topic. Hmm. https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/bonus-episode-we-hate-best-books-lists-plus-our-2025-best-books-list monthly 0.5 2026-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/9ff6c303-a717-4e5e-bb2b-9c043a53145f/image-from-rawpixel-id-11063995-jpeg.jpg EPISODES - Bonus Episode: We Hate ‘Best Books’ Lists. Plus: Our 2025 ‘Best Books’ List! All those “best books of the year” lists are bogus marketing material that flatten the distinct reading experience that an individual brings to a book they interact with. We tore apart the very concept of those lists in this episode. Then we shared our own Best Books list! Hypocrisy, or the nuanced ability to delicately balance competing perspectives? Eh. Also, what is Author X up to with that crummy novel they released this year? Blind and not-so-blind items on the year’s worst books. https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-13-short-stories-we-love-part-2 monthly 0.5 2025-12-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/36a79b1e-32ec-4c17-8d31-a5aa0c3d5c0a/stories2.png EPISODES - Episode 13: Short Stories We Love, Part 2 We’re back with more Short Stories We Love, after Nathan scoured the literary mags to find writers who deserve a closer look. Short stories aren’t just for The New Yorker! In this episode, Joey Hedger brings us a tale of cancer and terrible liqueur; Glenn Clifton joins from Canada with a story of viral infamy and relationships; and Patricia Q. Bidar shares an ode to her hometown featuring a massive explosion. “Her Jesus Year” by Joey Hedger is in HAD “What You Are Looking For Is What Is Looking” by Glenn Clifton is in The Ex-Puritan “Port Town” by Patricia Q. Bidar is in Waxwing https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-12-amber-sparks-and-we-love-you-bunny monthly 0.5 2025-11-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/fa086eee-09e9-472c-aeb8-15b99965bdd9/amber+sparks.png EPISODES - Episode 12: Amber Sparks and We Love You, Bunny We had a great time welcoming writer Amber Sparks to the show and discussing her new novel Happy People Don’t Live Here, which features a girl detective, abusive men, ghosts, a mermaid, and what it means to keep your love for someone alive long after they — or you — are gone. Amber is conflicted about the idea of Virginia Woolf using social media and, like several guests before her, stands up for the unjustly maligned second person POV. Then, we do a deep dive on We Love You, Bunny, this year’s follow-up to Mona Awad’s cult hit novel Bunny. We are unanimous in our belief that it is both sequel and prequel, which is both interesting and problematic. https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-11-jason-diamond-and-book-blurbs monthly 0.5 2026-01-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/ae964e73-e3e1-4e46-a190-3f9a95621016/Screenshot+2025-11-09+at+8.41.52%E2%80%AFPM.png EPISODES - Episode 11: Jason Diamond and Book Blurbs We sat down with Jason Diamond, bookish man about town and author of the multigenerational Jewish gangster saga Kaplan’s Plot. He made a strong case for Chicago as a literary city and for not forgetting the immigrant experience in your ancestry. Then, we pull back the curtain on back-of-the-book blurbs and other publicity tactics. “Riveting!” — Stephen King https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-10-spooky-season-with-kyle-winkler-and-faust monthly 0.5 2025-10-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/c0fcf41a-e312-4689-8d84-95606b65ae47/enter-the-peerless-final-cover.jpg EPISODES - Episode 10: Spooky Season with Kyle Winkler and Faust We’re feeling spooky with horror author Kyle Winkler, back to discuss his latest novel, the creepy and horrifying Enter the Peerless, which starts with a private investigator trying to figure out what happened to a bunch of people who went into an abandoned trailer and never came out. Always a thoughtful and fun guest, Kyle gives us some insight into his process for this novel while establishing a mind-meld with Nathan over possible Halloween costumes. Plus, Mason overreacts to an upcoming novel being based on the Faust myth, and demands a moratorium on Faust retellings. Will the literary establishment take note? https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-09-short-stories-we-love monthly 0.5 2025-10-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/76ddc7c5-7c86-4f62-b434-5a8d9e26a631/short+stories.png EPISODES - Episode 09: Short Stories We Love - The first in an occasional series focusing on short stories we found in various journals, and interviews with those authors. Short stories don't get much love outside of The New Yorker or MFA workshops, but they should. Many of them are incredible. Try one today! Our guests include writers Billy Irving, Kelly Magee, and Kit McGuire. https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-08-meta-stole-our-writing-to-feed-its-ai monthly 0.5 2025-09-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/d4c7f2d8-be84-48db-8b9c-73ed92fa9db2/zuck.png EPISODES - Episode 08: Meta Stole Our Writing to Feed its AI - We knew Zuck was a fan of the podcast. We didn’t know he would go so far as to dig up our old articles and use them, along with a million other books, to train Meta’s AI. Oh, you say he didn’t do it himself, and maybe it’s not stealing (legal opinions pending)? This may be true, or it may just be a topic we debate on this episode. Plus: We review the novel Luminous, by Silvia Park, a touching story of humans seeking connection in a world where robots walk among us. https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/erin-lyndal-martin-z9gnw monthly 0.5 2025-09-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/0238efc6-98e1-41fb-b93e-b062548aa607/hussein.png EPISODES - Episode 07: Erin Lyndal Martin Writer Erin Lyndal Martin joins the show to inform us that Saddam Hussein wrote a romance novel, but only after we wondered if Joe Rogan could do it. Other topics include whether men should read more literature, which we think Yes! They should, and whether men doing so would make the world a better place, which we think is debatable. Also, what to do about books that are capital-I Important but maybe not so great? https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-06-paul-bradley-carr-part-2 monthly 0.5 2025-09-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/ed7c7602-00d1-4e1d-95f4-6f2627b9c5fa/Paul2.png EPISODES - Episode 06: Paul Bradley Carr, Part 2 - Bestselling author and bookstore owner Paul Bradley Carr returns for Part 2 of our conversation about artificial intelligence, the power of narratives, drinking blood, and whether vaping is cool (spoiler: no). The AI chatbots kept trying to disrupt our Zoom session with Paul, but for now, humans remain dominant. We also discuss Tom Comitta’s Patchwork, a novella constructed entirely out of snippets of text taken from other, previously published works. One of our hosts was turned off by this experimental approach. Try to guess which one! We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/ep-05-kyle-winkler-and-blob monthly 0.5 2025-09-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/0a890be5-f9f5-4541-ba4e-8c9f3b5c6ef8/Kyle+author+pic.jpg EPISODES - Ep. 05: Kyle Winkler and BLOB - Author Kyle Winkler joins this episode to talk about horror fiction. What's scarier: There's a Wocket in my Pocket or Goodnight Moon? We also give a close read to Kyle’s novel Tone Bone (spoiler: we like it). Plus, we review the novel BLOB by Maggie Su, and, in the process, enjoy saying “blob” over and over again. Try it! https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/paul-bradley-carr-1 monthly 0.5 2025-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/ed7c7602-00d1-4e1d-95f4-6f2627b9c5fa/Paul2.png EPISODES - Ep. 04: Paul Bradley Carr, Part 1 We invited former tech journalist and bestselling author Paul Bradley Carr for a rollicking discussion about his new novel, The Confessions. It features an all-knowing Artificial Intelligence that doesn’t want to destroy the world—because it was trained by reading fiction. He also shared his polite and laudatory thoughts about several leading tech industry personalities. Plus, our discussion of Nobel Prize winner Patrick Modiano’s latest novel, Ballerina, inspired Nathan to invent the cool new subgenre Proustian Noir. https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/ep-03-dan-eastman monthly 0.5 2025-07-20 https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-02-mfa-authors monthly 0.5 2025-07-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/24afd792-8986-4609-870e-cfd24a64f66f/MFA.png EPISODES - Episode 02: MFA Authors Nate and Mason both have MFAs, but do they go around telling everyone and demanding book deals because of it? Well, yes, if you’re offering. But anyway, a social media firestorm about a take about Sally Rooney not having an MFA got us thinking: Are They Good and Should Anyone Care? Then Nate and Mason make each other guess if authors have an MFA based on excerpts of their work. (Still no name for the podcast when we recorded this one.) https://www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/episode-01-is-reading-good monthly 0.5 2025-07-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d704cfd010a12f9b26b728/dc780120-e13f-4fc7-8fac-41f9d6fdb3e7/lincoln2.png EPISODES - Episode 01: Is Reading Good? Specifically, is reading fiction inherently good, as well as instrumentally good (meaning, it’s good for some other reason, like making you smarter)? We grapple with this, mostly by talking. The podcast was called “Untitled Podcast” when we recorded this one. 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