Open Book with Elena Passarello

About Open Book with Elena Passarello

A mini-series from public radio's "Live Wire": Award-winning writer and Live Wire announcer Elena Passarello cracks the spine on writers' most intimate relationships: books. Each episode features a candid conversation with today's most compelling authors about their reading habits, literary dealbreakers, and controversial book opinions. Whether you're a voracious bibliophile or casual reader, "Open Book" invites you to eavesdrop on the kind of passionate book talk usually reserved for late nights and second glasses of wine.

Publisher

PRX

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 May 2025

Latest episode

30 Jul 2025

Latest episodes

10 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Jul 2025

   Open Book: Melissa Febos

   Author Melissa Febos (The Dry Season) opens up about her first addiction: books. Then we hear why it's important to read "books of the people," which includes her favorite micro-genre of “airport romantasy." Plus, Melissa recommends some of her favorite sex writing.

2. 

   23 Jul 2025

   Open Book: Sam Sanders

   Radio host and podcaster Sam Sanders (The Sam Sanders Show, Vibe Check) chats about promoting a book through wearable merch and imagines his “dream casting” for Percival Everett’s novel James. Plus, Sam and Elena attempt to “fix” publishing.

3. 

   16 Jul 2025

   Open Book: Sloane Crosley

   Author Sloane Crosley (Grief Is for People) confesses the origin of her aversion to audiobooks, plus tells us which adaptations are better than their literary source material and reveals the first adult book that made her bawl her eyes out.

4. 

   9 Jul 2025

   Open Book: Omar El Akkad

   Journalist and author Omar El Akkad (One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This) explains why book clubs don’t work for him and how growing up in media-censored Qatar led him to read anything he could gets his hands on — from Little Women to Dennis Rodman’s autobiography. Plus, Omar and Elena bond over the power of the perfect book title.

5. 

   2 Jul 2025

   Open Book: Ann Powers

   Ann Powers, music critic, recounts her unique reading experiences, from childhood puppet shows to engaging with writers on Substack, in a conversation with Elena Passarello.

6. 

   25 Jun 2025

   Open Book: Scaachi Koul

   Writer Scaachi Koul discusses her early reading habits and pet peeves with Elena Passarello, while also exploring the literary genre of hysterical realism and the Bible's most significant sin in this interview.

7. 

   18 Jun 2025

   Open Book: Aubrey Gordon

   Aubrey Gordon explores the hidden truths within bookstore poetry sections and the joy of unexpected literary twists, interviewed by Elena Passarello.

8. 

   11 Jun 2025

   Open Book: Karen Russell

   Author Karen Russell discusses the pleasure of reading beloved books, her childhood Stephen King experiences, and frequently shared books with host Elena Passarello in an interview.

9. 

   4 Jun 2025

   Introducing "Open Book" with Elena Passarello

   Elena Passarello introduces "Open Book," a literary series exploring authors' intimate relationships with books through candid conversations and passionate discussions about reading habits and literary opinions.

10. 

    21 May 2025

    Coming soon...Open Book with Elena Passarello

    Elena Passarello discusses her upcoming "Open Book" episode, but the specific topic remains undisclosed.

Who has been a guest on Open Book with Elena Passarello

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Ann Powers
• Scaachi Koul
• Aubrey Gordon
• Karen Russell

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

1,256,628

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 53 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

59

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

32

Contact Open Book with Elena Passarello

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.