Tom Perrotta, author of GHOST TOWN
From Writers on Writing by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett and Marrie Stone
June 1, 2026 · 1h 0m
About this episode
Tom Perrotta discusses his latest work, GHOST TOWN, and explores themes of childhood, race, and politics in fiction.
Tom Perrotta’s eleven works of fiction include Election and Little Children, both of which were made into Oscar-nominated films, and The Leftovers, which was adapted into a critically acclaimed, Peabody Award-winning HBO series. He’s now been on the podcast five times with Marrie. First in 2007 with The Abstinence Teacher, again in 2011 for The Leftovers, Mrs. Fletcher in 2017, and Tracy Flick Can’t Win in 2022. We return to familiar New Jersey territory in Ghost Town, a place reminiscent of where Tom grew up, which gives him a chance to talk again about writers’ obsessions with childhood homes. He also talks about writing about race and American politics in fiction, as well as what seemingly simple and straight-forward writing can do for your story, and how he tackled point of view. For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It’s stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you’ll find an album’s worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the…
People in this episode
Hosts: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, Marrie Stone
Guest: Tom Perrotta
Topics covered
- writing process
- childhood homes
- race in fiction
- American politics
- point of view
- author interviews
Keywords
- Tom Perrotta
- GHOST TOWN
- writing
- fiction
- childhood
- race
- American politics
- point of view
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: HBO, Patreon, Ko-fi, bookshop.org, Spotify, Apple Music
Books & works: GHOST TOWN, Election, Little Children, The Leftovers
Places: New Jersey
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