Nick Flynn’s newest book, The Ticking is the Bomb, emerged from his response to the leaked photos from Abu Ghraib in 2004. This second memoir is his attempt at illumination upon the cultural darkness that followed.

Philip Smith’s memoir, Walking Through Walls, is about his father, a Miami interior decorator-turned-psychic healer, and about his own ensuing teenage rebellion. We recently sat down and asked him a few questions—from one SMITH to another.

Suzanne Guillette wanted to publish a book of strangers’ most embarrassing moments, but in the end, she decided that her own experiences were the ones worth writing about. She speaks with Lisa Qiu about Much to Your Chagrin.