For the past decade, Jason Reynolds has become an inspiring voice in the literary world. He’s a New York Times bestselling author and as of this month, a 2024 MacArthur fellow.

Reynolds sits with us today to share his latest YA novel Twenty-Four Seconds From Now… (10:32), why he was interested in writing a story about boyhood and masculinity (13:00), and an early passage from the book (16:50) that captures the distinct rhythm of his writing (19:00). Then, we talk about the story structure of this new novel (21:00), how Queen Latifah’s Black Reign introduced him to poetry (23:00), and how his early memories of writing (30:00) and a singular high school teacher (40:00) saved his life.

On the back-half, Reynolds describes a meaningful post-college job at rag & bone (51:00), what he’s seen in the education system post-pandemic (1:05:00), his hope for the next generation (1:15:00), and his lifelong mission to embolden students to see the value in their own narratives (1:27:25).

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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Today, culture critic Wesley Morris (The New York Times) returns to Talk Easy for a conversation about The Wonder of Stevie, his new podcast with the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions.

At the top, Wesley unpacks Stevie Wonder’s legendary five-album run from 1972-1976, his recent “battleground states” tour in the run up to the election, and how his relationship to Stevie’s music has evolved in the process of making this limited series.

To listen to The Wonder of Stevie, stream here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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Since his directorial debut in 2006, Jason Reitman has made the kind of films they say Hollywood doesn’t make anymore.

Today, we sit to discuss his latest project Saturday Night (9:09), the influence of 1970s movies like Michael Ritchie’s The Candidate (12:46), and the details Reitman and his co-writer Gil Kenan collected from dozens of interviews leading up to production (17:45). Then, Jason describes the dynamic between Lorne Michaels and his father, the late director Ivan Reitman (21:55), his formative years at the movie theater (25:50), and the filmmakers that shaped his early work: Alexander Payne, Kevin Smith, Spike Jonze, and Richard Linklater (31:03).

On the back-half, we talk about Reitman’s debut film Thank You For Smoking (39:06), the collaborators that shaped Juno (42:50), his personal connection to Up in the Air (43:10), and lessons from making Young Adult (49:43) and Labor Day (51:08). To close, a story about fatherhood (53:00) and the joy of directing (58:58).

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.