Best Stu Levitan Podcasts (2025)

1
Theresa Okokon on her memoir in essays "Who I Always Was"

11d ago

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On this edition of Madison BookBeat, host Sara Batkie chats with author Theresa Okokon about her debut memoir in essays, Who I Always Was. When Theresa Okokon was nine, her father traveled to his hometown in Nigeria to attend his mother’s funeral…and never returned. His mysterious death shattered Theresa as her family’s world unraveled. Now a story…

1
Not Completely Unknown 07: Bob and Woody at Greystone Park Hospital 35:45

1M ago35:45

35:45

‘A Complete Unknown’ starts and ends with Dylan & Woody Guthrie in Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains New Jersey. In this episode we learn more about Dylan’s time there with Guthrie from two people who were directly involved, Woody’s daughter Nora Guthrie and his friend Jahanara Romney (then known as Bonnie Beecher). Beecher’s nam…

1
Not Completely Unknown 06: The Gaslight Tapes (1961-62) by Dylan Revisited 39:35

2M ago39:35

39:35

In this episode of Dylan Revisited, host Colm Larkin takes us into The Gaslight to talk about Dylan’s work and recordings there. These are visits that took place in the very early years of Dylan arriving in New York. We'll hear about two famous Dylan shows there, one from September 1961 and another from 1962 that has later been officially released.…

1
Not Completely Unknown 05: Voice of A Generation (A Bob Dylan Primer Pt.2) 21:14

2M ago21:14

21:14

Our Not Completely Unknown series continues, with Episode 2 from A Bob Dylan Primer, this time focusing on Dylan's life and work between the release of his debut album and the release of Another Side of Bob Dylan just two years later. Host Michael Hacker tells the story of this pivotal period when Dylan the songwriter came to the forefront. This al…

1
Not Completely Unknown 04: Elijah Wald on Newport '65 (with Stu Levitan) 46:05

2M ago46:05

46:05

Today we hear from Elijah Wald, who wrote “Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan and the Night that Split the Sixties” the book on which the movie 'A Complete Unknown' is based. As the title suggests, the book looks at the events of this period based on Seeger and his role in the established folk Music, Dylan’s arrival and ascension, and the …

1
Not Completely Unknown 03: Bob Dylan & Folk Music 37:55

2M ago37:55

37:55

The Bob Dylan portrayed in A Complete Unknown finds those incredible songs pouring out of him—a characterization we’ve often heard about Dylan. While the blistering pace at which they emerged is astonishing, it’s important to understand the influences, borrowing, and creative remaking that played a huge role in this period of his life. Far from dim…

1
Not Completely Unknown 02: Bob Dylan's Debut Album by Dylan Revisited 23:24

2M ago23:24

23:24

Just 10 months after he arrived in New York City, Bob Dylan found himself at Columbia Records recording his first record. This episode tells the story of what was then considered a rather unspectacular debut. This is the first episode of Dylan Revisited, a new podcast by Colm Larkin that grew out of his Twitter/Bluesky thread posts. Not Completely …

1
Not Completely Unknown 01: A Thousand Miles From Home (A Bob Dylan Primer 01) 24:50

2M ago24:50

24:50

Before television, a boy was born in springtime Minnesota. 25 years later he was the most beloved, and most reviled – pop star on the planet. A Bob Dylan Primer is a series that tells the story of the work and life of Bob Dylan. Over the course of 16 episodes it covers the time period from Dylan’s youth in Minnesota and early days in New York City …

1
Not Completely Unknown - Series Announcement 4:06

2M ago4:06

4:06

We're kicking off a new series on Dylan.FM called “Not Completely Unknown” focused on helping new Dylan fans learn more about the guy they met in the film, or the musician that they've never taken the time to get to know well. This will be an ongoing series of podcasts, blog posts, and social media chirps (primarily on Bluesky @dylan.thefm.club). T…

1
What Books Did You Like This Year? 53:03

2M ago53:03

53:03

As 2024 draws to a close, David Ahrens reflects on his bountiful year of reading. He's joined by Chali Pittman, Andrew Thomas, and callers throughout the hour to share their recommendations. New York Times bestseller James by Percival Everett is a clear favorite. It's a re-imagining of Huckleberry Finn from a distinctly different point of view. Tha…

1
Zara Chowdhary on The Lucky Ones 53:52

2M ago53:52

53:52

Zara Chowdhary sits down with David Ahrens to talk about her exquisite memoir The Lucky Ones (Penguin, 2024). In 2002, Zara Chowdhary was sixteen years old and living with her family in Ahmedabad, India, when a train fire claimed the lives of sixty Hindu passengers — and upended the lives of millions of Muslims. Instead of taking her school exams t…

1
The Year in Books with Three Madison Booksellers

2M ago

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On this edition of Madison BookBeat, host Sara Batkie chats with Madison booksellers Iris Tobin from A Room of One’s Own, Hilary Burg from Mystery to Me, and Molly Fish from Lake City Books to see how their 2024 went. Take a listen to learn about the new releases they loved, event highlights from the past year, reads they recommend for people who w…

1
Imagining Beyond Prisons: On Books-to-Prisons Bans and Abolition Activism 52:20

3M ago52:20

52:20

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Andrew Thomas speaks with folx from LGBT Books to Prisoners and A Room of One's Own bookstore on the Wisconsin Department of Corrections’ recently-implemented restrictions on book donations, the condition of prison libraries, and the current state of abolition activism. “On the whole, people tend to take p…

1
If You Don’t Deal With Your Past, It’s Still Your Present 52:48

3M ago52:48

52:48

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Lisa Malawski talks with local Madison author Tammy Borden. Tammy is a professional copywriter turned novelist. She has had a whirlwind of a year since releasing her novel, Waltraud. She has reached thousands of readers on 5 continents, had more than 70 speaking or book-related events, and approximately on…

1
Author and geologist Marcia Bjornerud on the rocks that made her

3M ago

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On this edition of Madison BookBeat, host Sara Batkie speaks with author, geologist, and Lawrence University professor Marcia Bjornerud about her new book, Turning to Stone. Earth has been reinventing itself for more than four billion years, keeping a record of its experiments in the form of rocks. Yet most of us live our lives on the planet with n…

1
We Do Not Make Very Good Gods: Nature Critic Boyce Upholt on the Sinuous History of the Mississippi River

4M ago

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In his 1979 Whole Earth Catalog, Stewart Brand wrote, “We are as gods, so we might as well get good at it.” Based on his time on the Mississippi River, however, Boyce Upholt concludes “that we do not make very good gods.” In the final pages of The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi, Upholt reflects, “The river is an unappeasabl…

1
Observing Ann Garvin as an Author and a Human Being 48:31

4M ago48:31

48:31

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Lisa Malawski talks with local Madison author Ann Garvin. Ann Garvin became an author at age fifty. Ann Garvin Ph.D. is a nurse, a professor, and USA Today Bestselling Author. She thinks everything is funny and a little bit sad. Ann writes stories about people who do too much in a world that asks too much …

1
Bob Wake & Diya Abbas, First-Place Fiction & Poetry Winners 52:17

4M ago52:17

52:17

Today on the show, incoming host Ella Saph speaks with the first-place winners in the 2024 Wisconsin People & Ideas Writing Contest. Cambridge writer Bob Wake took home the gold for his poem "Mending Ruth," and Madison poet Diya Abbas took home the prize for their poem “Al-Eashiq." Both will present at a reading next week at the Wisconsin Book Fest…

1
Jane Rotunda and Jessica Calarco Preview the 2024 Wisconsin Book Festival

4M ago

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On this edition of Madison BookBeat, host Sara Batkie speaks with festival director Jane Rotunda and author Jessica Calarco about her book Holding It Together, ahead of Calarco’s appearance at the Wisconsin Book Festival on Thursday, October 17th. Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net chronicles the devastating consequences of …

1
Novelist E.M. Tran on History, Humor, and a Superstitious Beauty Queen

5M ago

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In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Andrew Thomas speaks with E.M. Tran on her debut novel, Daughters of the New Year (2022, Hanover Square Press). Daughters of the New Year is a novel about the three Trung sisters and their mother. It’s also a novel about Vietnam and its long history of colonization at the hands of the Chinese, Japanese, an…

1
S03.09 Blind Willie McTell: The Song & The Man w/Michael Gray 24:01

5M ago24:01

24:01

In 1983 Bob Dylan recorded Blind Willie McTell, but it remained unreleased until The Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3, and became one of Dylan's most revered songs. It finally appeared in concert in 1997 where it remained an occasional highlight for a long long time. On this episode we dive into this well loved Dylan song with Michael Gray, who researched a…

1
Jennifer Kabat on the Importance of Solidarity in Unsettled Times

5M ago

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On this edition of Madison BookBeat, host Sara Batkie speaks with author Jennifer Kabat about her memoir The Eighth Moon from Milkweed Editions, ahead of Kabat’s appearance at A Room of One’s Own on Tuesday, September 10th. A rebellion, guns, and murder. When Jennifer Kabat moves to the Catskills, she has no idea it was the site of the Anti-Rent Wa…

1
A Raw and Tangible Discussion on Grieving the Loss of a Partnership 49:27

6M ago49:27

49:27

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Lisa Malawski talks with Kathleen Paris about her book Gentle Comforts For Women Grieving the Loss of a Beloved Life Companion. As an author, educator, and management consultant, Paris has assisted organizations over the past thirty years to plan for new realities and improve their systems and organization…

1
Katharine Beutner talks about her Edna Ferber Award-winning novel Killingly

6M ago

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In this edition of Madison BookBeat, host Sara Batkie speaks with Milwaukee-based author Katharine Beutner about her Edna Ferber Award-winning novel, Killingly, which is out now in paperback from Soho Crime. Massachusetts, 1897: Bertha Mellish, “the most peculiar, quiet, reserved girl” at Mount Holyoke College, is missing. As a search team dredges …

1
A Voice Both Austere and Intimate: Poet-Turned-Novelist Henry Wise on his Debut, Holy City 49:57

7M ago49:57

49:57

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Andrew Thomas speaks with Henry Wise on his debut novel, Holy City (2024, Grove Atlantic Press). Holy City is a novel that grabs your attention by the opening sentence and propels you into a world of crime, guilt, unrealized desire, and vanquished hopes and dreams. The narrative shuttles between Richmond, …

1
Robin and Joan Rolfs, Passionate About All Things Thomas Edison 49:02

7M ago49:02

49:02

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Lisa Malawski talks with Robin and Joan Rolfs about their book Hearthstone: America’s Electrical National Treasure. Joan and Rob have been enthralled with Hearthstone since the 1970’s when they moved to the Fox Cities. Joan developed a successful Interior Design program at Fox Valley Technical College in 1…

1
S03.08 Jokerman w/Michael Gray 47:06

7M ago47:06

47:06

To listen to the Extended and Bonus Episodes of our shows you can either: Subscribe to FM+ : Click the subscribe button in Apple Podcasts or sign up here. (One subscription covers all our network podcasts for one low price ! ) Join FM Premium: Get an FM+ Subscription plus video interviews, blog posts, a weekly bonus email and more. VIDEO AVAILABLE …

1
Poet Nikki Wallschlaeger Talks Getting The Rhythm Right In “Hold Your Own” 49:43

8M ago49:43

49:43

In her fourth collection, Driftless Area-based poet Nikki Wallschlaeger further proves herself as a singular poet of astonishing emotional depth and formal range. Hold Your Own is a steadfast search for peace, self-acceptance, and pleasure in a world that makes those basic rights an everyday challenge for Black women. It was published in May 2024 b…

1
Author and publisher Richard Sweitzer on his own terms 1:01:54

8M ago1:01:54

1:01:54

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Lisa Malawski talks with Richard Sweitzer about his book ODE The Scion of Nerikan. Richard is award-winning author and longtime morning radio host. He received his Master’s of Arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Richard is the author and publisher of ODE The Scion of…

1
Author Richard Scott Larson discusses his new memoir, "The Long Hallway" 50:32

9M ago50:32

50:32

Richard Scott Larson's debut The Long Hallway (University of Wisconsin Press, April 2024) is a lyrical memoir that expresses a boy’s search for identity while navigating the darkness and isolation of a deeply private inner world. Growing up queer, closeted, and afraid, Richard Scott Larson found expression for his interior life in horror films, esp…

1
Just as a Serpent Sheds Its Skin: Priti Srivastava on Ecofeminism and Reincarnation in Storytelling

9M ago

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In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Andrew Thomas speaks with Priti Srivastava about their novel The Nagini Anarchy, self-published in 2023. Priti Srivastava lives in Madison, Wisconsin with their best friends working to create inclusive spaces so that one day everyone will feel as though they belong. When Priti isn’t working or doing chores…

1
RACHEL WERNER AND HER MANY TALENTS 54:54

9M ago54:54

54:54

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Lisa Malawski talks with Rachel Werner about her children’s book, Moving and Grooving to Fillmore’s Beat and her cookbook, Macro Cooking Made Simple. Rachel is a model, an author, a poet, a book reviewer, the founder of The Little Book Project, a freelance writer and digital medical consultant, teaching ar…

1
Author Beth Nguyen discusses her new memoir, "Owner of a Lonely Heart" 54:00

9M ago54:00

54:00

Madison author Beth Nguyen’s latest book Owner of a Lonely Heart (Scribner, July 2023) is a memoir about parenthood, absence, and the condition of being a refugee: the story of Beth’s relationship with her mother. At the end of the Vietnam War, when Beth Nguyen was eight months old, she and her family fled Saigon for America. Only Beth’s mother sta…

1
Poet Daniel Khalastchi on Wordplay, the Collision of Images, and White Whales

10M ago

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In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Andrew Thomas speaks with poet Daniel Khalastchi about hist new collection The Story of Your Obstinate Survival (2024, University of Wisconsin Press). The Story of Your Obstinate Survival is a propulsive collection. It’s very funny, uncannily mundane and starkly surreal. The poems are a collision of juxtap…

1
Angela Trudell Vasquez on Poetry in her Life 44:52

10M ago44:52

44:52

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Lisa Malawski talks with Angela Trudell Vasquez, who until recently, was the City of Madison Poet Laureate. Trudell Vasquez is a poet, writer, performer, and activist. Her most recent chapbook, My People Redux (2022, Finishing Line Press) honors her heritage, contending with generational hardships immigran…

1
Madison Poet Cynthia Marie Hoffman On “Exploding Head” 53:40

10M ago53:40

53:40

Cynthia Marie Hoffman’s latest book of prose poetry, Exploding Head (Persea Books, February 2024) is described as an OCD memoir in prose poems. It chronicles her childhood onset and adult journey through obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which manifests in fearful obsessions and counting compulsions that impact her relationship to motherhood, re…

1
Bending Granite Tells Tales Of Leading Organizational Change 52:00

11M ago52:00

52:00

How do you make change at organizations that resemble hard granite, and aren’t designed to bend? Only by patiently and persistently nudging them forward day-by-day, one improvement at a time, according to the authors of Bending Granite: 30+ true stories of leading change (Acta Publications, 2022). It’s a compilation of stories from leaders, mostly …

1
S03.07 Traveling Wilburys: A Little Help From Bob's Friends w/Jeff Slate 1:03:38

11M ago1:03:38

1:03:38

Dylan's participation in The Traveling Wilburys was a clear career bright spot of the 1980s. What started as a few friends dropping by the house turned into a hit record. In this episode Musician Jeff Slate talks to us about how this happened, what it produced, and what it mean to Dylan and his career. ** This Episode is available on video for FM P…

1
GUEST POD: Jason Nodler on Infinity Goes Up On Trial (IOT 01) 56:35

11M ago56:35

56:35

In this special episode we're sharing the premiere episode of a new podcast called 'Infinity Goes Up On Trial' hosted by Erin Callahan. It's monthly show with discussions about the ideas and emotions in Dylan's work, with artists, activists, educators, and more. SHOW NOTES The emotions and ideas in Bob Dylan’s work have an expansive reach that exte…

1
Ann Garvin On Writing Her First Book At Age Fifty 50:00

11M ago50:00

50:00

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Lisa Malawski talks with local Madison author Ann Garvin. Ann Garvin became an author at age fifty. She has now written five books. Ann Garvin is a nurse, a professor, and USA Today Bestselling Author. She thinks everything is funny and a little bit sad. Ann writes stories about women with a good sense of …

1
S03.06 Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar & Angelina w/Michael Gray 24:50

11M ago24:50

24:50

Continuing our discussion with Michael Gray on his book Song & Dance Man Vol.2, we discuss Chapter 4 which focuses on Groom Still Waiting At The Altar and also covers Angelina and Caribbean Wind. Michael explains the biblical references from the title of Groom, we discuss the lyrical changes as sung from those in the lyric books, the various and ad…

1
Cynthia Simmons On The “Wrong Kind Of Paper” 52:00

12M ago52:00

52:00

Hallie Linden yearns to write for the New York Times. At the moment, she’s stuck at a daily newspaper in tiny Green Meadow, Indiana, a town known for its amusement park and nothing else. It’s 1989, and juicy reporting jobs are hard to find. She resolves to work hard, win a few awards, and then welcome the job offers. In this edition of Madison Book…

1
S03.05 "Let Our Geniuses Fail" - Dylan In The Mid 80's w/Erin Callahan 24:49

12M ago24:49

24:49

Bob Dylan struggled in many ways in the mid 80's, no matter how you look at it. We talk about the perception and reality of that struggle, along with his triumphs, with Professor Erin Callahan. Erin often hosts The Dylantantes podcast, is co-author/co-editor of The Politics and Power of Bob Dylan’s Live Performances - a recent book looking at Dylan…

1
Fragile Institutions: Shibani Mahtani And Timothy McLaughlin on the 2019 Protests in Hong Kong 51:47

12M ago51:47

51:47

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Andrew Thomas speaks with journalists Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin for a conversation on their book Among the Braves: Hope, Struggle, and Exile in the Battle for Hong Kong and the Future of Global Democracy (2023, Hachette Books). Among the Braves is a narrative history of the 2019 pro-democracy …

1
Jacquelyn Mitchard On The Importance of Titles 35:24

12M ago35:24

35:24

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Lisa Malawski talks with prolific author Jacquelyn Mitchard. Mitchard is now a frequent lecturer and professor of fiction and creative nonfiction at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpellier. She once worked as a journalist at several Wisconsin newspapers, including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and…

1
A conversation with Greg Mickells, retiring director of Madison Public Library 53:35

1y ago53:35

53:35

For more than a decade, Greg Mickells led the Madison Public Library. He's responsible for a significant transformation of the Madison library system. His tenure as Director took him to three continents, and to the White House in 2016, when Madison Public Library was recognized with a National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Additional awards…

1
S03.04 Yonder Comes Sin & Every Grain of Sand w/ Michael Gray 22:48

1y ago22:48

22:48

We continue our series with Michael Gray on Song & Dance Man, Vol. 2 with a discussion of two chapters on great songs from Bob's Born-Again Period. The first is Yonder Comes Sin, and outtake captured at a live show soundcheck, and unreleased until the Trouble No More Bootleg Series. The Second is the beloved Every Grain of Sand. This is an extended…

1
It’s Not Nothing: Essayist Peter Coviello on How Our Favorite Books and Songs Help Us Make Worlds Together

1y ago

—

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Andrew Thomas speaks with Peter Coviello on his book of essays Is There God After Prince? Dispatches from an Age of Last Things (2023, University of Chicago Press). Exuberant, effusive, rye, and incisive, this collection of essays analyze a wide range of cultural objects in order to shore up some modicum o…

1
S03.03 Dylan & The Dead - The Relationship w/ Harold Lepidus 23:59

1y ago23:59

23:59

Dylan & The Dead is much more than an album, it's a relationship. In this episode we talk to Dylan and Dead expert Harold Lepidus about all aspects of that history, the shows, the rehearsals, the inspiration, and the impact. This a part of our 'Five Worst Years' series looking at all sides of 1984-1988. Dylan first started spending time with The De…

1
Madison's Shoshauna Shy on bringing poetry to the public 48:56

1y ago48:56

48:56

In this edition of Madison Book Beat, host Lisa Malawski talks with local poet Shoshauna Shy. Shoshauna Shy has been involved in local poetry and literary events for decades. She founded the Poetry Jumps Off the Shelf program in 2004, a project with the mission of placing poetry in public places where it isn't expected. She's previously worked for …

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