Everyone is talking about romance, and hosts Sanjana Basker and Tyler McCall are here to delve into why. Each week on Radio 831, they dig into the books, tropes, adaptations, drama, and discourse shaping the conversation, exploring what our obsession with love stories says about how we actually live. Expect genre deep-dives, expert discussions with authors and superfans, and strong opinions on everything from dark romance and age gaps to Wuthering Heights and certain Russian hockey players. Come back May 7 to tune in.

Everyone is talking about romance, and hosts Sanjana Basker and Tyler McCall are here to delve into why. Each week on Radio 831, they dig into the books, tropes, adaptations, drama, and discourse shaping the conversation, exploring what our obsession with love stories says about how we actually live. Expect genre deep-dives, expert discussions with authors and superfans, and strong opinions on everything from dark romance and age gaps to Wuthering Heights and certain Russian hockey players. Come back May 7 to tune in.

A weekly discussion of everything romance—from the novels and the tropes to the book-to-screen adaptations and, of course, the drama of it all—with hosts Sanjana Basker and Tyler McCall. Brought to you by the romance publisher 831 Stories.

A weekly discussion of everything romance&mdash;from the novels and the tropes to the book-to-screen adaptations and, of course, the drama of it all&mdash;with hosts Sanjana Basker and Tyler McCall. Brought to you by the romance publisher 831 Stories.

Radio 831: A Romance Podcast

Welcome to Radio 831: A Romance Podcast

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7057fc41-527e-4074-8324-b433011db3e8/transcript

Sanjana and Tyler open by making the case that the World Cup is a 48-country meet-cute machine (see: kilted Scotsmen throwing women over their shoulders in Boston bars). Then KT Hoffman joins to talk baseball in romance: why the minor leagues are more romantic than the majors, why slow-burn and baseball are basically the same thing, and what it takes to write queer and trans joy into sports. And: Tyler and Sanjana watch Bull Durham and Fever Pitch back-to-back—and discover that one is proto-Challengers.
KT Hoffman is the author of The Prospects, a queer and trans baseball romance set in the minor leagues. His recommended reads: You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian, The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson, and the baseball romances of KD Casey.
The baseball movie homework: Bull Durham and Fever Pitch.

Sanjana and Tyler open by making the case that the World Cup is a 48-country meet-cute machine (see: kilted Scotsmen throwing women over their shoulders in Boston bars). Then KT Hoffman joins to talk baseball in romance: why the minor leagues are more romantic than the majors, why slow-burn and baseball are basically the same thing, and what it takes to write queer and trans joy into sports. And: Tyler and Sanjana watch Bull Durham and Fever Pitch back-to-back&mdash;and discover that one is proto-Challengers.
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/squashgoblin/?hl=en">KT Hoffman</a> is the author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-prospects-a-novel-kt-hoffman/b70f884e2ff99018?ean=9780593596869">The Prospects</a>, a queer and trans baseball romance set in the minor leagues. His recommended reads: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/you-should-be-so-lucky-a-novel-cat-sebastian/a47f37e1a4df523d?ean=9780063272804">You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-art-of-catching-feelings-alicia-thompson/3e7dcba7f819b13b?ean=9780593640937">The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson</a>, and the baseball romances of <a href="https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Kd+Casey">KD Casey</a>.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The baseball movie homework: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnWSvSrb1-I">Bull Durham</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6eAxkn2_L4">Fever Pitch</a>.</li>
</ul>

World Cup as Meet-Cute Fodder, KT Hoffman on Romance and Baseball, and a Bull Durham and Fever Pitch Doubleheader

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e85ccd2a-021b-41d6-9441-b482002c67dd/transcript

Tyler and Sanjana kick things off this week with their take on Netflix’s Office Romance: The Brett Goldstein–Jennifer Lopez movie that features Betty Gilpin delivering one of the great rom-com best-friend performances in recent memory. Then Lyla Sage joins to talk about cowboy romance: fantasy vs. reality, writing about rural communities with actual texture in this political moment, and how atmosphere and landscape do the heavy lifting in her books. And, at last, Tyler assigns Sanjana The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, a romance-adjacent cult favorite that gives them much to discuss.
On Office Romance (streaming on Netflix): what J.Lo brings to the rom-com that almost no one else can, why Betty Gilpin’s supporting role is the opposite of window dressing, and what Brett Goldstein’s whole body of work tells you about the kind of story he’s obsessed with telling.
Lyla Sage is the author of theRebel Blue Ranch series and the Sweetwater Peak duology, Soul Searching and the forthcoming Free Falling. Referenced: Never Marry a Cowboy by Lorraine Heath and Cowboys of California by Rebekah Weatherspoon.
Sanj’s homework assignment: The Idea of You by Robinne Lee—consider this your “no HEA” warning!

Tyler and Sanjana kick things off this week with their take on Netflix&rsquo;s Office Romance: The Brett Goldstein&ndash;Jennifer Lopez movie that features Betty Gilpin delivering one of the great rom-com best-friend performances in recent memory. Then Lyla Sage joins to talk about cowboy romance: fantasy vs. reality, writing about rural communities with actual texture in this political moment, and how atmosphere and landscape do the heavy lifting in her books. And, at last, Tyler assigns Sanjana The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, a romance-adjacent cult favorite that gives them much to discuss.
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">On <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81939823">Office Romance</a> (streaming on Netflix): what J.Lo brings to the rom-com that almost no one else can, why Betty Gilpin&rsquo;s supporting role is the opposite of window dressing, and what Brett Goldstein&rsquo;s whole body of work tells you about the kind of story he&rsquo;s obsessed with telling.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Lyla Sage is the author of the<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/meet-me-at-the-lake-lyla-sage/20174422"> </a><a href="https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Rebel+Blue+Ranch+and+lyla+sage">Rebel Blue Ranch series</a> and the Sweetwater Peak duology, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/soul-searching-a-sweetwater-peak-novel-lyla-sage/3e95b2a1fa590902?ean=9780593977774&amp;next=t">Soul Searching</a> and the forthcoming <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/free-falling-a-sweetwater-peak-novel-lyla-sage/f616b4f248a6e8c5?ean=9780593977798&amp;next=t">Free Falling</a>. Referenced: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/never-marry-a-cowboy-lorraine-heath/bf174ff20136ae8e?ean=9780061760945&amp;next=t">Never Marry a Cowboy by Lorraine Heath</a> and <a href="https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Cowboys+of+California+from+rebekah+Weatherspoon">Cowboys of California by Rebekah Weatherspoon</a>.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Sanj&rsquo;s homework assignment: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-idea-of-you-a-novel-robinne-lee/df835849fd042109?ean=9781250353078&amp;next=t">The Idea of You by Robinne Lee</a>&mdash;consider this your &ldquo;no HEA&rdquo; warning!</li>
</ul>

Office Romance Recap, Lyla Sage on Cowboys and Small-Town Romances, and The Idea of You Reading Assignment

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/cba3249e-4b86-4c0c-8ac2-b47b000b079c/transcript

Sanjana takes the stand as the self-proclaimed number one age-gap defender, arguing that the trope is really about power, that demanding moral instruction from romance is a fundamentally conservative impulse, and that “reverse age-gap” is not a thing. Then debut novelist Anna Maria Volkova joins to talk about Games, her romance about an economics grad student and a Soviet-born Wall Street banker: why his Russianness specifically matters to the story, the Hollywood villain problem, and what it looks like when a man shaped by political catastrophe becomes romantically persuasive. And: Tyler and Sanjana do a month-in-media check-in that includes both Cancer Ward and Kennedy Ryan.
On age gaps: why power is the whole point, when the trope works versus when shock replaces substance, and why the demand for capital-M Moral fiction is more conservative than it sounds.
Anna Maria Volkova is the author of Games, a debut romance about desire, grief, and neoliberal capitalism (out June 30). Referenced: Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid.
The month in reading: Score and Reel by Kennedy Ryan, Long Island Girls by Gabrielle Korn, Pool House by Mary H.K. Choi, In Every Possible Way by Alicia Thompson, The Very Definition of Love by Sophia Benoit, The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn, and Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught.

Sanjana takes the stand as the self-proclaimed number one age-gap defender, arguing that the trope is really about power, that demanding moral instruction from romance is a fundamentally conservative impulse, and that &ldquo;reverse age-gap&rdquo; is not a thing. Then debut novelist Anna Maria Volkova joins to talk about Games, her romance about an economics grad student and a Soviet-born Wall Street banker: why his Russianness specifically matters to the story, the Hollywood villain problem, and what it looks like when a man shaped by political catastrophe becomes romantically persuasive. And: Tyler and Sanjana do a month-in-media check-in that includes both Cancer Ward and Kennedy Ryan.
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">On age gaps: why power is the whole point, when the trope works versus when shock replaces substance, and why the demand for capital-M Moral fiction is more conservative than it sounds.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Anna Maria Volkova is the author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/games-a-love-story-anna-maria-volkova/eeb51d821144a223?ean=9780063437722&amp;next=t">Games</a>, a debut romance about desire, grief, and neoliberal capitalism (out June 30). Referenced: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/cancer-ward-a-novel-aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/80c91e644dec3015?ean=9780374534714&amp;next=t">Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn</a> and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/heated-rivalry-rachel-reid/82a2b8a1e28196b4?ean=9781335534637&amp;next=t">Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid</a>.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The month in reading: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/score-kennedy-ryan/9fd190fda57d8475?ean=9781538769652&amp;next=t">Score</a> and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/reel-kennedy-ryan/43d150e8e49c7005?ean=9781538769621&amp;next=t">Reel by Kennedy Ryan</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/long-island-girls-a-novel-gabrielle-korn/6db77424f1603659?ean=9781250432223&amp;next=t">Long Island Girls by Gabrielle Korn</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/pool-house-a-novel-mary-h-k-choi/82db5d85fbf7deea?ean=9781250800442&amp;next=t">Pool House by Mary H.K. Choi</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/in-every-possible-way-alicia-thompson/1a725a8b468fd447?ean=9798217187218&amp;next=t">In Every Possible Way by Alicia Thompson</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-very-definition-of-love-sophia-benoit/66b97acb61bdf914?ean=9781638933557&amp;next=t">The Very Definition of Love by Sophia Benoit</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-paris-match-kate-clayborn/b0922ea6eea23d4d?ean=9780593819371&amp;next=t">The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn</a>, and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/whitney-my-love-judith-mcnaught/81e5c975f408d11d?ean=9781668241745&amp;next=t">Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught</a>.</li>
</ul>

In Defense of Age Gaps, Anna Maria Volkova on Games and the Russian MC, and What We've Been Reading

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/02bf1598-5319-402b-9b67-b4740013dad9/transcript

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