#23: Michael Silverblatt

As writers recover from the physical and mental exhaustion of NaNoWriMo, we have a special episode of Writing Drafts today. Whether you've hit the 50,000 word mark or not, whether you have a document on the computer, or a hand written manuscript, and even if you have only risen to the challenge for only a few days, you will have writing to share with a reader. And who you give your writing to matters. As novelists we cannot help but fantasize of a reader who is astute, imaginative, passionate — one who will get exactly what we are trying to do on the page. For the last 25 years, writers and book-loving fans have been blessed with Michael Silverblatt, the host of KCRW's Bookworm, a half-hour dedicated each week to the life-altering wonders of literature.

He's interviewed everyone from Grace Paley to David Foster Wallace, from Toni Morrison to Junot Diaz, from Joan Didion to Edward P. Jones. For anyone who cares about writing and reading, Bookworm is essential.

For Michael, reading is