When a group of some of the nation’s best-known authors embarked on a project during the pandemic, it helped launch a new literary genre: the collaborative novel. Co-edited by Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston, “Fourteen Days” tells the story of a handful of New York City residents who gather each evening on the rooftop of their Manhattan apartment building during the first two weeks of the pandemic lockdown. Each has a tale to share.
This hour, we talk with three of the 36 authors who contributed to the project – as well as two local literary experts – about the new genre and about how writers have been affected by the pandemic, school and library book bans, AI, and more.
Our guests:
- Douglas Preston, co-editor and author of “Fourteen Days” and president of the Authors Guild
- Tess Gerritsen, co-author of “Fourteen Days”
- Roxana Robinson, co-author of “Fourteen Days” and former president of the Authors Guild
- Kyle Semmel, writer and literary translator
- Chad Post, publisher for Open Letter Press