New Books Network

In
1217, the crusader states were in a highly fragile condition. The
Fourth Crusade had failed, and Jerusalem had not been recovered. The
crusaders now set their sights on Egypt. If the breadbasket of the
Mediterranean could be conquered, long-term Christian control of the
Holy Land could be ensured. Led by the rulers of Hungary and Austria,
and backed by the Knights Templar and Hospitaller, the Fifth Crusade was
launched.

In The Fifth Crusade: A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt(Yale University Press, 2026), Dr. Thomas Smith tells the gripping
story of the crusade for Egypt. Looking at a wide range of Christian and
Muslim sources, Dr. Smith sheds new light on the brutal reality of
medieval combat on land and water. We see a dramatic beach landing, the
invention of a unique floating siege engine, and the conquest of the
crucial port city of Damietta—one of the most famous and successful
sieges of the crusades. Dr. Smith provides fresh insights into strategy,
showing how, despite early victories, foolish decision making meant
that the crusaders ultimately snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book
focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty
negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative
analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find
Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

It’s 1980, a decade after he dropped out of grad school, and Paul
Bishop is a lowly writing instructor at a college in Nevada. His former
best friend, Tom Corbin
is now the celebrated poet that Paul once dreamed of being, but shortly
after visiting Paul in Reno, Tom is murdered. The story focuses on
Paul’s crippling guilt, Tom’s wife’s ongoing love for her cheating
husband, and the difficult girlfriend
both Paul and Tom betrayed a decade before. After Tom’s death, all
three are forced to confront their grief and painful memories. A
Moment’s Surrender (Press Americana, 2026) is a thoughtful and literary deep dive into guilt,
marriage, and loyalty.

John Burt has taught English at Brandeis University since 1983. He
is the author of three volumes of poetry: The Way Down (1988), Work
without
Hope (1996), and Victory (2007). His scholarly books include Lincoln's
Tragic Pragmatism (2013) and Robert Penn Warren and American Idealism
(1988). He is also the editor of The Collected Poems of Robert Penn
Warren (1998), and Robert Penn Warren's Brother to Dragons: A Parallel
Text Critical Edition of the 1953 and 1979 versions (forthcoming). Since
1984 he has sung in an ensemble devoted to the polyphonic folk songs
and religious music of the Republic of Georgia, and he transcribes and
engraves music from Georgia for other singers and ensembles to use.
Learn more on his website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Can creative writing become a form of biblical interpretation?

That is the provocative question at the heart of my conversation with Sarah Rosenson about her new book, Fan Fiction on the Book of Genesis: A Guide to Close Reading of and Creative Writing on the Bible (Cherry Orchard Books, 2026).

The modern phenomenon of fan fiction involves readers writing
creative pieces that answer questions left open in favorite works of
literature. This also describes the ancient tradition of midrash, where
readers write stories filling in gaps in the Bible. In Fan Fiction on the Book of Genesis
Sarah Rosenson discusses the questions left open in the first book of
the Bible, and every chapter includes questions for the characters in
the stories, which can serve as prompts for conversations or creative
writing.

Rosenson argues that careful reading reveals narrative gaps:
characters whose motivations remain unexplained, conversations that
never occur, ethical dilemmas left unresolved, and emotions that are
only implied. Drawing on the long tradition of Jewish midrash, she
proposes that readers can engage these silences through disciplined
creative writing, using imagination not as a substitute for close
reading but as an extension of it.

In our conversation, we
discussed some of Genesis's most familiar stories from unexpected
angles. What if Eve's pursuit of knowledge is more complex than simple
disobedience? Why does Noah never challenge God's decision to destroy
the world? What happens when Hagar's perspective becomes central rather
than peripheral? Why does Abraham argue for the people of Sodom but
remain silent when Isaac is placed on the altar? And how does the Joseph
narrative negotiate the relationship between divine providence and
human responsibility?

We also explore the broader methodological
questions raised by the book. Does describing midrash as "fan fiction"
make an ancient interpretive tradition more accessible, or does it risk
misunderstanding it? How far can readers imaginatively expand biblical
narratives while remaining faithful to the text? And what safeguards
distinguish responsible interpretation from speculation?

Whether
you are interested in biblical studies, literary criticism, Jewish
interpretation, or creative writing, our conversation offers a
thoughtful discussion of how ancient texts continue to invite new
readings. More than providing answers, Rosenson's book encourages
readers to ask better questions and, in doing so, to discover that
Genesis remains as intellectually and ethically challenging today as it
has been for centuries.

You can find more about Sarah and her work here.

Amisah Bakuri (PhD) is
an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her work explores the intersections of
religion, sexuality, gender, and migration, especially within African
diasporic communities in the Netherlands.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Technothriller: Film and the American Imagination
(MIT Press, 2026) is the first dedicated examination of popular movies
classified as “thrillers” that channel societal anxiety or dread about
advanced technologies like supercomputers, robotics, AI, biotech,
military weaponry, and surveillance culture. Technothriller is
about the changing imagination of technology within an American context
and its role in engineering some of the most profound ideologies of
modern life.

Soraya Murray
is a Professor in the Film and Digital Media Department at the
University of California, Santa Cruz. Her work explores the visual
culture of innovation, advanced computation, and its imaginaries as
imaged in popular American films, for which technology assumes a central
role. Murray’s first book, On Video Games: The Visual Politics of Race, Gender and Space (I.B. Tauris, 2018, paperback 2021), examines popular video games like Assassin’s Creed, Spec Ops: The Line, Metal Gear Solid, and Grand Theft Auto as visual culture. She currently serves as Provost of Porter College, UCSC.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Captivating for both its grandeur and intimacy, Lift Every Voice
(Penguin Books, 2026) explores the past’s capacity to be both a source
of dread and empowerment, an unshakable reminder of violence and an
indelible testament to the endurance of love. In virtuosic poems that
are wise, musical, richly layered, and saturated with vivid imagery,
Williams honors a mother “who knew seven ways to say bitch under her
breath,” a grandma whose smile “reflects the world,” and wonders at “the
impossible lift” of forgiveness. Lift Every Voice is a
staggering tribute to personal and collective evolutions, a vital chorus
that answers only to God, community, and the empowered self.

Phillip B. Williams is from Chicago, Illinois, and is the author of two collections of poetry: Thief in the Interior, which was the winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and a Lambda Literary Award, and Mutiny,
which was a finalist for the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Collection
and the winner of a 2022 American Book Award. Williams is also the
recipient of a Whiting Award and fellowships from the Radcliffe
Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and the National
Endowment for the Arts. His 2025 novel, Ours, was named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, People, Los Angeles Times, NPR, and more. You can find Phillip on Instagram.

Subscribe, like, follow, and rate Additions to the Archive with Sullivan Summer on Instagram, Substack, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network