This is one of the greatest professional failures of my life, missing that.
Barnabas Piper
You’ve heard us all talk about his books a lot. You’ve heard Barnabas admit that he has a semi-idolatrous man-crush on him. And a couple weeks back, it happened:
Acclaimed novelist Leif Enger joined us on the show.
In the studio in Nashville.
And Barnabas wasn’t there to be a part of it. (He was off on a work trip to Colorado, and still has trouble sleeping at night.)
In our conversation, we talked about:
- Leif’s writing process and why it took 10 years for Virgil Wander to be released;
- Why his latest is his “most Christian but least evangelical” book yet
- What it means to be a successful writer (and how he handles criticism);
- How his three books connect with different seasons; and
- Why book tours actually still matter.
And even though Barnabas wasn’t with us in person, we made sure he wasn’t left out of the group photo.
Listen and subscribe here:
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A few of the books mentioned in this episode:
- The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
- The Overstory by Richard Powers
- 1984 by George Orwell
- The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
- Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
- Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Eric Idle
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About Leif
Leif Enger was raised in Osakis, Minnesota, and worked as a reporter and producer for Minnesota Public Radio for nearly twenty years before writing his bestselling debut novel, Peace Like a River, which won the Independent Publisher Book Award and was one of the Los Angeles Times and Time Magazine‘s Best Books of the Year. His second novel, So Brave, Young, and Handsome, was a national best seller, No. 8 on Amazon’s Top 100 Editors’ Picks and a Midwest Booksellers’ Choice Award Honor Book for Fiction. His latest book, Virgil Wander, released to critical acclaim in October 2018. He and his wife, Robin, live in Minnesota.
About the hosts
Aaron Armstrong is the author of several books and screenplays, most recently I’m a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ. From 2016 to 2021, he was the Brand Manager of The Gospel Project, and co-host of The Hero of the Story, a podcast presented by The Gospel Project.
Dave Schroeder is the VP of Marketing for B&H Publishing Group, contributor to LifeWay Books, and a lover of many books.
Barnabas Piper is the author of several books, most recently The Curious Christian (B&H 2017), Marketing Manager for B&H Academic, and the co-host of The Happy Rant.
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