About this episode
This week on Unorthodox, are we ready for a Better Bagel? Our guest is novelist Alice McDermott , whose latest book is What About the Baby? Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction . She tells us about her 1998 National Book Award-winning novel, Charming Billy , as well as her Catholic faith, relationship with the church, and what she misses now that she’s no longer teaching. Unorthodox is produced by Tablet Studios. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at bit.ly/givetounorthodox . Send comments and questions to unorthodox@tabletmag.com , or leave us a voicemail at (914) 570-4869. You can also record a voice memo on your smartphone and email it to us. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Join our Facebook group , and follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram . Get a behind-the-scenes look at our recording sessions on our YouTube channel ! Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, mugs, and baby onesies at bit.ly/unorthoshirt . Want to book us for a live show? Email producer Josh Kross at jkross@tabletmag.com . Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts . Tablet’s 100 Most Jewish Foods book has been reimagined as a jigsaw puzzle, memory game, and sticker book, just in time for Hanukkah. Check out the whole set here . Sponsors: Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards recognize 15 extraordinary Jewish teenagers from across the United States with an award of $36,000 to honor their initiatives to help change the world. Nominate a teen by January 7 at dillerteenawards.org/unorthodox . AJWS supports more than 500 grassroots human rights organizations in 18 countries around the world. Made a twice matched donation today at AJWS.org/unorthodox . Spertus Institute’s Certificate in Jewish Leadership is specifically geared to the particular needs of Jewish organizations. Find out more at spertus.edu/certificate .