Literary Friction

Carrie Plitt, a literary agent, and Octavia Bright, a writer and academic, have been co-hosting Literary Friction since 2015, and their decade-long friendship gives the show a warmth and intellectual chemistry that feels earned rather than performed. Each monthly episode centers on a theme -- novellas, masculinity, race, translation -- and weaves together author interviews, curated book recommendations, and the kind of freewheeling literary discussion that makes you want to grab a notebook. Episodes run about 45 to 60 minutes, and the hosts balance cerebral analysis with genuine casualness. One reviewer put it well: it sounds like two knowledgeable friends arguing about books at a pub, except the friends happen to work in publishing and academia. The show also features musical interludes and shorter minisodes between the main episodes. After a brief hiatus, the podcast returned in late 2025, which longtime listeners greeted with relief. With 158 episodes and a 4.8-star rating from 184 reviews, Literary Friction has built a devoted audience over its ten-year run. The thematic structure sets it apart from most book podcasts, which tend to organize around individual titles or release dates. By approaching literature through ideas rather than just new releases, Plitt and Bright surface connections between books that a straightforward review show would miss. The London-based perspective also provides a welcome counterpoint to the American-dominated book podcast scene. If you want literary conversation that feels both smart and companionable, this show has been delivering that combination for a decade.