Bookworm (radio show)

Bookworm is an interview radio show hosted by Michael Silverblatt and produced by KCRW. The show featured interviews and discussions with authors and other literary figures. The show ran from 1989 to 2022, syndicated nationally on NPR.

Bookworm

Running time	30 minutes
Country of origin	United States of America
Language(s)	American English
Home station	KCRW
Hosted by	Michael Silverblatt
Original release	1989 (1989)
Website	kcrw.com/bookworm

Background

The show has been running since 1989 and has since become available as a podcast.^[1] Silverblatt was unpaid for the first five years that he hosted the show until receiving the "Lannan Literary Grant" from the Lannan Foundation.^[2][3] The show aired on KCRW-FM (89.9) in Santa Monica on Thursdays at 2:30pm.^[4] The show was also available on WNYC Radio 820-AM at 4:30pm on Sundays.^[5] The show is syndicated to more than fifty radio stations throughout the United States.^[6] According to Believer Magazine, Silverblatt has interviewed over twelve hundred writers.^[7] David Foster Wallace was interviewed on the show and a tribute episode was later recorded after his death.^[8] The show used the song "You (Are A Human Animal)" as the theme song for twenty-one years until Sparks created a new theme song for the show in 2010.^[9][6]

Reception

Sarah Fay praised the show saying that Bookworm "reminds us that the literary interview can function as art."^[10] Neil Denny commented on the show saying that "Bookworm has become a fixture of the US literary scene."^[11] Simon Lowe of The Guardian praised the show saying that it "is a rare pleasure and unlike any other author interview you will hear."^[12] Dana Dickey of PureWow recommended the show saying that "You'll feel smarter just by listening."^[13] A Public Space called the show "the country's premier literary talk show" in 2018 when Silverblatt received The Deborah Pease Prize.^[14]

See also

• List of book podcasts

References

1. Porter, Ryan (January 22, 2017). "Curl Up With a Good Book Podcast: Ten of the Best Book- and Writing-Focused Podcasts Out There Right Now". The Toronto Star. Torstar. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
2. Davis, Kristy. "The Consummate Reader: KCRW's Bookworm Michael Silverblatt". Oprah.com. Harpo Productions. p. 4. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
3. "Lannan Foundation". Lannan Foundation. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
4. Kellogg, Carolyn (August 5, 2010). "Michael Silverblatt: Good Literary Listening". LA Times Blogs. Nant Capital. Archived from the original on September 19, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
5. Shustack, Mary (March 15, 2001). "WABC Talks for a Cure During Fund-Raiser: For Book Lovers". The Journal News. Gannett. p. 81. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
6. "Guy Maddin in Conversation With Bookworm Host Michael Silverblatt at the News Café: Replay". Winnipeg Free Press. FP Publications. March 16, 2013. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
7. Fay, Sarah (June 1, 2010). "An Interview with Michael Silverblatt". Believer Magazine. Black Mountain Institute. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
8. Krajeski, Jenna (September 22, 2008). "Gold for Silverblatt". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
9. Kellogg, Carolyn (September 3, 2010). "'Bookworm' Debuts New Theme Song by Sparks". LA Times Blogs. Nant Capital. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
10. Fay, Sarah (May 23, 2012). "The Precarious State of the Literary Interview". The Atlantic. Emerson Collective. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
11. Denny, Neil. "Little Atoms' Seven Best (Other) Book Podcasts". Little Atoms. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
12. Lowe, Simon (November 7, 2016). "Words in Your Ears: The 10 Best Books Podcasts—A Bookseller and Writer Chooses His Favourite Audio Options for Those Occasions When Actually Reading a Book Would Be Ill-Advised". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
13. Dickey, Dana (December 4, 2020). "8 Los Angeles Podcasts We're Obsessed With Right Now". PureWow. Gallery Media Group. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
14. "The Deborah Pease Prize: Michael Silverblatt to Receive the Inaugural Deborah Pease Prize From a Public Space". A Public Space. A Public Space Literary Projects. October 1, 2018. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2022.

External links

• Official website
• Bookworm on NPR
• Bookworm on PRX