Paraphrase

About Paraphrase

Paraphrase is a podcast all about literary beginnings, from the first words in novel to the first steps in a career. Host Stephen Fishbach asks novelists to discuss the craft and thematic decisions behind the beginnings of their books.

Publisher

Stephen Fishbach

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Dec 2018

Latest episode

31 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

3 of 21 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   31 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Tiffany Hanssen: My Name Was Gerry Sass

   Debut novelist and WNYC host Tiffany Hanssen discusses writing violence, complex characters, and humor in her dark story with the host.

2. 

   22 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Anna Nordberg: When She Was Ours

   Debut novelist Anna Nordberg shares with host [Host Name] how to transform personal grief into art and navigate genre expectations.

3. 

   14 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Daniel Pollack-Pelzner on 'Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist'

   Daniel Pollack-Pelzner joins me to discuss his debut book Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist. How did Lin-Manuel Miranda, the sweet, sensitive son of Puerto Rican parents from an immigrant neighborhood in Manhattan, rise to become the preeminent musical storyteller of the 21st century? Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist is his incredible story as never told before, tracing Miranda's path from an often isolated child to the winner of multiple Tonys and Grammys for his Broadway hits Hamilton and In the Heights; a global chart-topping sensation for his songs in Disney's Moana and Encanto; and the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur Genius Grant.

Inside a recent episode

Tiffany Hanssen: My Name Was Gerry Sass

Published 31 Aug 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] No, I'm kidding. No. I grew up with a single mom. I learned about my father very late. During the pandemic, I did a DNA test. We hadn't really known. He disappeared when my mom got pregnant with me. And so I just didn't have any real information about him whatsoever. And it turned out that everything that he told my mother was a lie anyway. And so it was a little bit of a red herring for me to try to find... anything about him online or anywhere else. And I did a DNA test during the pandemic when we were all sitting at home and trying to figure out what to do with ourselves and found some half-siblings and found out a little bit more about him. […]

Who has been a guest on Paraphrase

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

• Tiffany Hanssen
• Anna Nordberg
• Sara Levine
• Johannes Lichtman
• Lauren Oliver

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

72 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Contact Paraphrase

Guest appearances

Books guests

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

Questions about Paraphrase