Free Daily Podcast Summary
Bookwild: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Kate Hergott, Bookwild Collective
On Tuesdays, Kate Hergott talks with authors about their books and writing processes. On Fridays, Kate talks with multiple co-host Bookstagrammers and BookTubers about a variety of bookish topics.
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- 3 days ago47 min
Identity, Immigration and Intent: Isabel J. Kim's Sublimation
In this episode, I talk with Isabel J. Kim about her debut speculative fiction, Sublimation! Listen to hear about: How Isabel J. Kim's inspiration for Sublimation came from her own experience growing up between Korea and the United States and wondering how different her life might have been if she had stayed in Korea permanently. Why "instancing" (where you split into two people when you cross a border) worked so well as a speculative framework to explore identity, immigration, belonging, and the ways environment shapes who we become over time. The process of expanding her short story into a novel, which required adding new perspectives and characters to show that different people would experience the phenomenon of instancing in radically different ways. How she chose to approach borders as both physical and social constructs, examining how governments, corporations, immigration systems, and personal choices all influence identity and belonging. Why speculative fiction often isn't really about the future—it uses imagined worlds to examine present-day social, political, and cultural tensions through a different lens. Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
- 1 weeks ago55 min
MacKenzie Green is the Global Head of Social for Audible!
MacKenzie Green is back, and she's now the Global Head of Social for Audible! Listen to hear about: How MacKenzie grew up dyslexic, relied heavily on audiobooks to keep up in school, and never imagined she would one day become Head of Global Social at Audible. Why people should read what they actually enjoy, DNF books that aren't working, and use whatever format—audio, ebook, or print—helps them engage with stories. How asking people what they were reading helped her build relationships, conduct informational interviews, and create meaningful follow-up conversations throughout her career, which all culminated in her new job at Audible. How reading is a way to understand other perspectives, strengthen listening skills, and connect with people through shared stories, and how audiobooks are a return to the oldest form of storytelling: oral tradition. Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
- 1 weeks ago1h 22m
From Indoctrination to Curiosity: Promise Backlund's Gospel of Lies
In this episode, I talk with Promise Backlund about her book Gospel of Lies! She shares her experience growing up in evangelical Christianity, examining how fear, purity culture, certainty, and religious identity shaped her childhood and adult life. We dive into deconstruction, religious trauma, politics, sexuality, pleasure, and the complicated process of rebuilding meaning, identity, and awe outside of rigid belief systems. Listen to hear about: How faith was woven into every part of both our childhoods—from sunsets to sickness—creating a worldview where God explained everything and fear explained the rest. How fear of hell, thought policing, and religious perfectionism can overlap with anxiety and OCD, especially when introduced during childhood. Deconstructing during the late 2010s and how political shifts exposed tensions between teachings of love and exclusion inside evangelical spaces. An examination of Biblical stories like Adam and Eve, questioning themes of obedience, curiosity, punishment, and whether religious narratives discourage questioning and self-trust. How purity culture, worship environments, and restricted access to secular art shaped identity—and how reclaiming pleasure, curiosity, art, and personal agency became part of healing. Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
- 1 weeks ago1h 7m
All Our Thoughts About Good People by Patmeena Sabit with Erin Ashley
This week, Erin Ashley is back, and we dive into all our thoughts and reactions to Patmenna Sabit's stunning debut novel Good People! THIS IS A SPOILER EPISODE. Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
- 2 weeks ago50 min
Palestinian Joy, Stand-Up Comedy and Secret Family History: Sara Hamdan's What Will People Think
This week, I talk with Sara Hamdan about her journey from finance and journalism into fiction, and how writing What Will People Think became a way to explore identity, belonging, family history, and the freedom to define yourself outside of expectations. Through conversations about comedy, Palestinian representation, women’s choices, historical memory, and the many forms of love, the episode explores how fiction can create connection and make complex experiences feel deeply human. Listen to hear about: How moving from finance into journalism—and eventually fiction—helped her discover storytelling as both a craft and a way to explore her own family history and identity. Why stand-up comedy became central to the novel, including Sara’s real-life experience taking comedy classes to overcome public speaking anxiety and how humor can deliver difficult truths with softness. Code-switching, compartmentalizing identity, and the pressure many women feel to justify life choices—while emphasizing the importance of autonomy and becoming comfortable showing up as your full self. Fiction as a way to preserve cultural memory and show everyday life beyond headlines, using family stories, historical detail, and personal experiences to create empathy. Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
- 3 weeks ago57 min
Vietnam Vets, Addiction and Deserved Justice: Karen E Osborne's Justice for Emerson
This week, I talk with return guest Karen E. Osborne about her newest mystery Justice for Emerson! Listen to hear about: How Karen approached a dual-timeline mystery that blends a present-day murder investigation with the long emotional aftermath of the Vietnam War, addiction, race, and trauma. How Karen’s research process is deeply people-centered—drawing from her husband’s Vietnam experiences, veterans, recovering addicts, and sensitivity readers to create emotionally authentic characters without judgment. How she crafted her protagonist: a widowed nonprofit CEO balancing grief, self-doubt, romance, family tension, and danger while unraveling a conspiracy. The way survival—through volunteering, recovery, or writing—gives meaning and accountability can help people endure trauma, addiction, and reinvention. Karen's approach to writing, creativity, discipline, and timing, and how small daily habits (like 15 minutes a day) can build a creative life. Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
- 3 weeks ago36 min
Haunted Houses and the Horrors of Domestic Motherhood: Aimee Pokwatka's Accumulation
This week, I talk with Aimee Poktwatka about her hew horror book Accumulation! Listen to hear about: Aimee's unconventional path to becoming an author—from anthropology and veterinary work to creative writing—and how curiosity has shaped her storytelling. How Accumulation was inspired by Aimee’s real 18th-century home, a creepy doll her husband found in the yard, and her fascination with haunted house stories as metaphors for domestic life. How the novel blends haunted house horror, psychological suspense, and social commentary to examine motherhood, invisible labor, and the slow erosion of self. Aimee's “inefficient” writing process—heavy outlining followed by intuitive drafting—and how revision uncovers deeper emotional truths. Why horror, especially domestic and psychological horror, can uniquely explore trauma, gender roles, and the unsettling transformation of everyday spaces into something terrifying. Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
- 4 weeks ago1h 2m
Kara Confer and Emily Hone Are Getting Introverts to Go Out: The Wild Geese Event Staff
This week, you get to meet the book girlies who I haven't been able to stop talking about! Kara Confer and Emily Hone are the event team at Wild Geese Bookshop, and they are bringing some incredible authors to Indiana. Hear about how they have evolved into their current positions, some book event BTS, starting their podcast Fill Your Cup, and books that define their reading tastes! Books Kara Mentioned The Secret Lives of Church Ladies — Deesha Philyaw The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman — Deesha Philyaw Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead — Emily Austin Remarkably Bright Creatures — Shelby Van Pelt Done and Dusted — Lyla Sage Books Emily Mentioned The Hunger Games series — Suzanne Collins Superfan — Jenny Tinghui Zhang The Song of Achilles — Madeline Miller Exquisite Things — Abdi Nazemian A Good Vampire’s Guide to Blood and Boyfriends — Jamie D’Amato The Strength of the Few — James Islington The Poppy War — R.F. Kuang Seek the Traitor’s Son — Veronica Roth Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It — Brooke Averick Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
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About Bookwild
On Tuesdays, Kate Hergott talks with authors about their books and writing processes. On Fridays, Kate talks with multiple co-host Bookstagrammers and BookTubers about a variety of bookish topics.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Bookwild as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
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Bookwild covers topics including Fiction, Drama, Film, TV & Film, Film Reviews. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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