The Englewood Review of Books Podcast

An ongoing, thoughtful conversation about the reading life brought to you by the editors and contributors to the Englewood Review of Books. Panelists discuss how they engage in reading, what it means to read well, and of course the books and writers they enjoy. Expect lively discussions about books from all genres from a rotating group of writers and readers who care about reading well.

The Englewood Review of Books Podcast is a arts podcast hosted by Englewood Review, with 97 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Englewood Review hosts The Englewood Review of Books Podcast, a arts show with 97 episodes published.

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  The Englewood Review of Books Podcast

  Episode 96: Novelists Amy Frykholm & Doug Worgul

  Sep 16, 202655 min

  In our very first conversation with two novelists. C. Christopher Smith , Senior Editor of The Englewood Review of Books , talks with Amy Frykholm and Doug Worgul about their latest novels and their writing processes. Among other things, Doug and Amy discuss writing fiction within the world of a particular place and developing complex characters. Amy Frykholm is a novelist, journalist, poet, podcaster, and non-fiction writer. Her debut novel High Hawk was long-listed for the 2025 PEN/Hemingway Award. She is the co-founder of Sage Mountain Institute, a writing and creativity institute that offers workshops and retreats. She lives in Leadville, Colorado. Doug Worgul was born into a family of preachers, teachers and writers, in the state of Michigan. He now resides in Kansas City, where barbecue and the blues are a way of life. In addition to writing two novels, Doug has been a newspaper journalist and editor of regional and national magazines. He is married, with four daughters, and is a nationally recognized authority on the history and cultural significance of American barbecue traditions. Books Mentioned in this Episode If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books (An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) By Amy Frykholm: High Hawk: A Novel By Doug Worgul: Thin Blue Smoke: A Novel The Night Office: A Novel Other Books Mentioned: Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder Lake Woebegone Days by Garrison Keillor The Moviegoer by Walker Percy Tracks by Louise Erdrich Lila by Marilynne Robinson The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene The Book of Bebb by Frederick Buechner Godric by Frederick Buechner Like a Fading Shadow by Antonio Muñoz Molina When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr Meditations of the Heart by Howard Thurman Every Riven Thing: Poems by Christian Wiman The Dance: Poems by Christian Wiman

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  The Englewood Review of Books Podcast

  Episode 95: Glaser & Vanderlugt

  Aug 5, 202649 min

  In this episode of The Englewood Review of Books Podcast, Lindsey Cornett, the Managing Editor of Englewood Press and Assistant Editor of The ERB, is joined by children’s book authors, Dana VanderLugt and Karina Yan Glaser. They address the role of storytelling and imagination in a life of faith and the sometimes surprising ways faith and spirituality show up in children’s literature, with a particular emphasis on life in community and the challenge of loving our enemies. They talk about the tension between marketing books for children when they can, in fact, be enjoyed and appreciated by all readers. Finally, Lindsey, Dana, and Karina discuss some of their favorite contemporary middle grade readers and offer recommendations for anyone needing stories of hope, faith, and love. Dana VanderLugt is a writer and teacher who descends from a family of Michigan apple growers and storytellers. Her first book, Enemies in the Orchard: A World War 2 Novel in Verse was published by Zonderkidz in September 2023. The middle grades novel is based on the stories of German POWs who came to work on her grandfather’s orchard during the 1940s. Dana’s work has been published in Longridge Review , Relief: A Journal of Art & Faith , the Michigan Reading Journal , and The Reformed Journal , where she is also a frequent contributor on its daily blog. A former middle school English teacher, Dana now works as a literacy consultant and has an MFA in Creative Writing from The Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing at Spalding University. She lives in Michigan with her husband, three sons, and a spoiled Golden Retriever. And yes, she makes a mean apple pie. Karina Yan Glaser is a Newbery Honoree and a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator. Originally from California, Karina came to New York City for college and has stuck around for nearly thirty years. She has had a varied career teaching and implementing literacy programs in family homeless shelters and recruiting healthcare professionals to volunteer in under resourced areas around the world. One of her proudest achievements is raising two kids who can’t go anywhere without a book. She lives in Harlem with her husband, two teenagers, two dogs, three cats, and a fish named Gustav. Books Mentioned in this Episode If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books (An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) By Dana VanderLugt: Enemies in the Orchard: A WW2 Novel in Verse By Karina Yan Glaser: The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street The Vanderbeekers Ever After (Book #7 in The Vanderbeekers Series) The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli Other Books Mentioned: The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary Schmidt The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate Birdie by Eileen Spinelli Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower The Life by Carrie Fountain Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life by Charlotte Donlon The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer Owls and Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver

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  Episode #93

  Episode 93: Julie L. Moore

  Jun 23, 20261h 7m

  In this episode, C. Christopher Smith , founding editor of ERB, chats with poet Julie Moore, who is also the new producer of this podcast. Chris and Julie offer a behind-the-scenes look at the podcast and discuss Julie's hopes for her work as producer. They also discuss Julie's brand collection of poems, Devil's Backbone, which arrives in bookstores this week. A Best of the Net and eight-time Pushcart Prize nominee, Julie L. Moore is the author of five poetry collections, including, the brand new collection Devil's Backbone. Her previous collection, Full Worm Moon , won a 2018 Woodrow Hall Top Shelf Award and received honorable mention for the Conference on Christianity and Literature's 2018 Book of the Year Award. After directing two university Writing Centers for 20 years, Julie now lives in Indiana and works at Eastern University for its LifeFlex program as a Senior Online Advisor and First Year Composition Instructor.

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  Episode #92

  Episode 92: Shannan Martin & Amar Peterman

  May 18, 202655 min

  In this episode, Chris Smith, founding editor of ERB , speaks with best-selling author Shannan Martin and first-time author Amar Peterman about the intersecting themes of faith, justice, and community in their new books. Their conversation explores the tension between life’s “heavy goodness” and its “undercurrent of grief,” demonstrating that "we can only counter what we're first willing to weigh," as Martin puts it. In addition, the authors explore the tension between one’s personal comfort and the call to “draw near in mercy” to our neighbors, especially those who are marginalized, as Peterman points out. Both authors emphasize that meaningful change begins not with grand gestures but with everyday relationships, accompanying our neighbors across lines of difference through joys and struggles. Overall, the episode, like the books, is not prescriptive but rather rooted deeply in how the authors work to cultivate a sense of belonging for everyone in their local neighborhoods. If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books (an independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) Books by Shannan Martin Counterweights The Ministry of Ordinary Places Start with Hello Falling Free Work by Amar Peterman Becoming Neighbors: The Common Good Made Local Other Books Mentioned A Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutiérrez Paul Farmer: Servant to the Poor by Jennie Weiss Block Make Your Home in this Luminous Dark by James K. Smith God Without Being by Jean-Luc Marion Hope for the Mission by Kevin Nye Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times by Gregory Boyle Kin by Tayari Jones (novel) The Message , a Bible translation by Eugene Peterson

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  The Englewood Review of Books Podcast

  Episode 91: Our Favorite Books of 2025!

  Jan 5, 202659 min

  Joel hosted a fun and freewheeling discussion, with a stand-out panel of readers, of our favorite books from 2025. They discuss many books that were published in 2025, but not exclusively new titles, covering a wide swath of genres from biblical studies to young adult literature to poetry. There's something in this discussion for everyone! Jessica Hooten Wilson is the Fletcher Jones Endowed Chair of Great Books at Pepperdine University (’23). She co-hosts a podcast called The Scandal of Reading , and is the author of many books, including READING FOR THE LOVE OF GOD and THE SCANDAL OF HOLINESS. Nijay K. Gupta is Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He is the cohost of the Slow Theology podcast, and author of books including TELL HER STORY, STRANGE RELIGION, and many scriptural commentaries. Dorothy Littell Greco is a writer, speaker, and photographer. Her writing has been featured in many publications including Christianity Today, Missio Alliance , and The Common Good and her most recent book is FOR THE LOVE OF WOMEN. If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books (An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) Reading for the Love of God: How to Read as a Spiritual Practice by Jessica Hooten Wilson The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints by Jessica Hooten Wilson Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught & Ministered in the Early Church by Nijay Gupta Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous & Compelling by Nijay Gupta Slow Theology: Eight Practices for Resilient Faith in a Turbulent World by Nijay Gupta & A.J. Swoboda For the Love of Women: Uprooting and Healing Misogyny in America by Dorothy Littell Greco The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward by Malcolm Foley Redeeming Eden: How Women in the Bible Advance the Story of Salvation by Ingrid Faro with Joyce Koo Dalrymple The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri Holes by Louis Sachar Do Not Judge Anyone: Desert Wisdom for a Polarized World by Isaac Slater Where God Happens: Discovering Christ in One Another by Rowan Williams Jesus and the Law of Moses: The Gospels and the Restoration of Israel Within First-Century Judaism by Paul Sloan Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good & Beautiful by Karen Swallow Prior Romans: An Interpretation Bible Commentary by Susan Eastman 1 Corinthians: A Theological, Pastoral & Missional Commentary by Michael Gorman For Such a Time as This: An Emergency Devotional by Hanna Reichl When Courage Calls: Josephine Butler and the Radical Pursuit of Justice for Women by Sarah C. Williams Nervous Systems: Spiritual Practices to Calm Anxiety in Your Body, the Church and Politics by Sara Billups A Pilgrimage Into Letting Go: Helping Parents and Pastors Embrace the Uncontrollable by Kara Root & Andrew Root Some of the Words are Theirs: The Art of Writing and Living a Sermon by Austic Carty

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