Hey, it's NPR's Book at the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. We talk a lot about series of books on here,

an eye-opening one, smart ones, thought-provoking ones, even funny and light-hearted ones.

But today we wanted to bring you two short-story collections that are kind of playful. Yeah,

I guess that would be the right word. In both interviews, you can

hear the author sort of revel in the sandbox of their heads. In a bit, we'll hear from Helen

Oyeyee about her 2015 book, What Is Not Yours, is Not Yours, that uses keys in both

literal and metaphorical ways. But first, I wanted to let you in on a little NPR secret.

Producers love getting hosts to say wild stuff.

There's nothing funnier than hearing someone transition from a piece about inflation or something

to talking about radioactive cockroaches and Hitachi Magic Wands.

But NPR's Mary Louise Kelly pulls it off in her interview with author Gwen Kirby

about her book, Shit Cassandra Saw.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

If I told you that Gwyn Kirby's debut collection of short stories was wild, that would not begin to capture it.

There's one in which the female characters grow fangs and become radioactive cockroach

warriors seeking revenge on men who annoy them. There's one titled Mary Reid is a cross-dressing pirate, The Raging Seas, 1720.

I mean, how can you not want to read that? The title of the first story contains not one,

...