Literary Hub

Ursula Hegi on Exploring the Richness of Secondary Characters

Bookable features established authors and emerging talent in conversation with host and author Amanda Stern, perhaps best known for creating the Happy Ending Music & Reading Series at New York’s famous Joe’s Pub and Symphony Space. With an immersive sound experience designed around each episode, Bookable takes you on an audio exploration of a book—usually new, sometimes classic and occasionally obscure but always worth knowing about.

Writers can sometimes overlook the richness of their less central characters. Ursula Hegi isn’t one of those writers. In The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls, she sets in motion characters that fans of Hegi will remember well to tell an entirely new story. In this eagerly awaited new work, Hegi revisits a story told to great acclaim&—this time from a new perspective with an even deeper sense of heartache, compassion, and understanding.

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To listen to the rest of the episode, as well as the whole archive of Bookable, subscribe and listen on iTunes or wherever else you find your favorite podcasts.

Ursula Hegi is the author of over a dozen books, including Stones from the River, Children and Fire, Floating in My Mother’s Palm, and Tearing the Silence, and has received more than thirty grants and awards. She teaches in the Stony Brook MFA program and lives with her family on Long Island.

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