Category: Podcasts

The realization that distance will always be present in even the most connected of people is one of the recurring themes in Rita Bullwinkel’s spectacular debut story collection, BELLY UP (out now from A STRANGE OBJECT). Rita and James talk about spanning the real and the unreal, finding balance in sequencing, and loving stories where characters have tools to leave their bodies. Plus Dick Scanlon on RENASCENCE, the new musical featuring the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay.

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Rita Bullwinkel

Rita and James discuss:

Jill Meyers

A STRANGE OBJECT

AMERICAN SHORT FICTION

Vanderbilt University

Kelly Link

Diane Williams

ALTMANN’S TONGUE by Brian Evenson

EVERYTHING RAVAGED, EVERYTHING BURNED by Wells Tower

COAST OF CHICAGO by Stuart Dybek

Mills College

Center for New Music

PURE HOLLYWOOD by Christine Schutt

Blair School of Music

Mark Jarman

Michael Alec Rose

Ben Marcus

“Slatland” by Rebecca Lee

NEW AMERICAN SHORT STORIES

STORIES ON STAGE

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Dick Scanlon

Dick and James discuss:

MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL

Barry Gordy

EVERYDAY RAPTURE

Carmel Dean

William Finn

Edna St. Vincent Millay

THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE

Steepletop

The Millay Colony

Edna St. Vincent Millay Society

Holly Peppe

Danny Kornfeld

Kathleen Millay

Caroline B. Dow

Mikaela Bennett

Norma Millay

Eugen Jan Bossevain

Elaine Ralli

Vassar

Donald Webber Jr.

Brett Banakis

Daniel Torday makes a triumphant return to talk about his new novel, BOOMER1. He and James chat about creating the world around the book, reinventing like Dylan, aspiring to anti-lyricism, and getting excited about liking stuff. They try to parse out a comic novel vs. a funny one and what constitutes satire. Plus, Emory Harkins discusses the mobile and now brick-and-mortar book store he co-founded and co-owns with Alexa Trembly, Twenty Stories.

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Daniel Torday

Daniel and James Discuss:

David Crosby

THE RUMPUS

“Pretty Polly”

Fleet Foxes

Dirty Projectors

Dr. Dog

WXPM

“Superstitious” by Stevie Wonder

The Velvet Underground

PASTORALIA by George Saunders

MAGIC FOR BEGINNERS by Kelly Link

Junot Diaz

Karen Russell

David Foster Wallace

Flannery O’Connor

Bob Dylan

William Faulkner

THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH by Saul Bellow

SEIZE THE DAY by Saul Bellow

INFINITE JEST by David Foster Wallace

John Updike

Philip Roth

Netflix

TREE OF SMOKE by Denis Johnson

JESUS’ SON by Denis Johnson

TRAIN DREAMS

RED CALVARY by Isaac Babel

Twenty Stories Bookstore

FLORIDA by Christine Schutt

THE AGE OF WIRE AND STRING by Ben Marcus

Aleksandar Hemon

BLOOD MERIDIAN by Cormac McCarthy

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN by Cormac McCarthy

SUTTREE by Cormac McCarthy

James Joyce

ABSALOM, ABSALOM by William Faulkner

LIBRA by Don DeLillo

Dana Spiotta

Leonard Michaels

Grace Paley

Thomas Bernhard

Laszlo Krasznahorkai

Franz Kafka

Samuel Beckett

Jack Ruby

Lee Harvey Oswald

The Titanic

Occupy Wall Street

ORLANDO by Virginia Woolf

WE ARE LEGION

McSweeney’s

DAWN OF THE DEAD dir George A. Romero

David Remnick

Fyodor Dostoevsky

YOUR DUCK IS YOUR DUCK by Deborah Eisenberg

Lydia Davis

Dave Barry

Colson Whitehead

Rivka Galchen

OZARK

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

Gary Shteyngart

John Mulaney

Pitchfork

Mike Nichols & Elaine May

Dave Chappelle

Chris Rock

THE SOPRANOS

Alfred Hitchcock

Chris Farley

Jane Goodall

Harold Bloom

Lewis Hyde

Yaddo

Best American Short Stories

The O. Henry Prize Stories

Mary Gaitskill

ESQUIRE

“Messiah” by George Friderick Handel

Chris Thile

The Ramones

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TWENTY STORIES

Emory and James discuss:

ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS by Hunter S. Thompson

Alexa Trembly

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

DISQUIET

AMERICAN SHORT FICTION

TWO DOLLAR RADIO

CURBSIDE SPLENDOR

THE DEEPER THE WATER, THE UGLIER THE FISH by Katya Apekina

HALF OF A YELLOW SUN by Chimamanda Adichie

COMEMADRE by Roque Larraquy, translated by Heather Cleary

WHEN RAP SPOKE STRAIGHT TO GOD by Erica Dawson

JESUS’ SON by Denis Johnson

WHITE GIRLS by Hilton Als

something bright, then holes by Maggie Nelson

Laura van den Berg returns to discuss her brilliantly unsettling new novel, THE THIRD HOTEL. She and James discuss her three research trips to Havana, film adaptations, women in horror, crucial details, and her thought log, which is exactly what it sounds like. Then Marya Brennan talks about a Writing Blood Oath and her work as the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program Director.

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Laura van den Berg: http://lauravandenberg.com/

Laura and James Discuss:

Jenny Halpert

Kate Sharp

THE BURNING SEASON

Naomi Watts

The Tribeca Film Festival

Claire McCarthy

ARRIVAL dir by Denis Villeneuve

“Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang

SCREAM dir by Wes Craven

THE BABADOOK dir by Jennifer Kent

A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT dir by Ana Lily Aminpour

VERTIGO dir by Alfred Hitchcock

THE SHINING dir by Stanley Kubrick

Shelley Duvall

PIANO by Jean Echenoz

James Longenbach

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Marya Brennan, NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program Director: https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/

Marya and James Discuss: 

Annie Hartnett

Robbie!

Aimee Bender

DEEP WORK by Cal Newport

NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O’Brien

Chris Baty

Caleb Johnson claims he could score nine points in an NBA Finals game. Other fictions he’s spun include his fantastic debut novel, TREEBORNE, which is set in his native Alabama. He and James talk about staying true to the storytelling tradition, writing in dialect, giving characters autonomy, and reading the right book at the right time. Then, Justin Jannise, editor of GULF COAST: A JOURNAL OF LITERATURE AND FINE ARTS.

Caleb Johnson 

Caleb and James discuss:

Sewanee Writers’ Conference

Robbie!

Alabama Booksmith

Jake Reiss

University of Wyoming

Hernando de Soto

Chilton Country, Alabama

University of Alabama

Rick Bragg

THE SELMA-TIMES JOURNAL

DIRTY WORK by Larry Brown

Barry Hannah

Cormac McCarthy

William Gay

Daniel Woodrell

BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES

THE MARS ROOM by Rachel Kushner

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

William Faulkner

Lewis Nordan

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee

TRAIN DREAMS by Denis Johnson

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Justin Jannise of Gulf Coast

Justin and James discuss:

The University of Houston

“The Figure a Poem Makes” by Robert Frost

TREEBORNE by Caleb Johnson

Donald Barthelme

REDIVIDER

“The Bear” by William Faulkner

Phillip Lopate

The grief over the sudden death of his wife Joy compelled novelist Jonathan Santlofer to begin writing, and those scribbled thoughts and memories became his beautiful memoir, THE WIDOWER’S NOTEBOOK. He and James discuss losing the first person you want to share stories with, not letting yourself off the hook, falling in love with a cat, relying on process, and, ultimately, refusing to live in the shadows. Plus, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich on the response to their book, THE FACT OF A BODY.

Jonathan Santlofer

Jonathan and James discuss:

SALON

PEOPLE

Yaddo

FOOD CITY: FOUR CENTURIES OF FOOD-MAKING IN NEW YORK by Joy Santlofer and Marion Nestle

Norton

New York University Faculty Club

Tom’s Bakery

Brooklyn Brine

Malaprop’s Bookstore

RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS by Beverly Donofrio

Lee Child

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Fyodor Dostoevsky

LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov

AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY by Theodore Dreiser

THE ICEBERG by Marion Coutts

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

IN A DARK WOOD by Joseph Luzzi

“Experience” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING by Joan Didion

H IS FOR HAWK by Helen Macdonald

Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

Alexandria and James Discuss: 

“On the Necessity of Turning Oneself into a Character” by Philip Lopate

Jonathan Santlofer

Lauren Groff

“By the Book” from THE NEW YORK TIMES

Though SOUTHERNMOST, the story of preacher Asher Sharp, took a while to take shape, it’s a tale Silas House was born to tell. He and James discuss writing about LGBTQ issues, finding the right angle for a novel, putting characters in trouble, working with your reader, and grieving the loss of conversation. Plus, a great talk with Algonquin Books executive editor Kathy Pories.

Silas House

Silas and James discuss:

Thomas Hardy

Willa Cather

JONAH’S GOURD VINE by Zora Neale Hurston

WINTER LIGHT dir by Ingmar Bergman

Tom Petty

Mamas & the Papas

Jim James

“Rain” by Patty Griffin

Joni Mitchell

Celia Cruz

Jason Isbell

My Morning Jacket

Dolly Parton

Kathy Pories, Algonquin Books

Kathy and James discuss: 

Sewanee Writers’ Conference

Wyatt Prunty

Philipp Meyer

Ron Rash

Mary Robison

Alexander Chee

Newtonville Books

Christine Schutt

Jill McCorkle

Workman Publishing

LIKE WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen

Anne Winslow

THE OPTIMISTIC DECADE by Heather Abel

OTHER PEOPLE’S LOVE AFFAIRS by D. Wystan Owen

In the most clarifying conversation James has had about the process of learning to be a writer, Sarah Ann Strickley discusses her story collection, FALL TOGETHER, as well as the dangers of the Muse, the joys of plot and structure, finding your voice, giving up your heroes, and being Superman’s neighbor. Plus, they nerd out over Marilynne Robinson’s HOUSEKEEPING. Then, past guests provide summer reading recommendations.

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Sarah Anne Strickley

Sarah and James discuss:

Ian Stansel

Raymond Carver

The Cure

Joy Division

The University of Iowa

Emerson College

Joseph Campbell

Darrell Spencer

COUNTRY DARK by Chris Offutt

HOUSEKEEPING by Marilynne Robinson

“Hover” by Nell Freudenberger

Karen Russell

Carmen Maria Machado

Laura van den Berg

Fortress of Solitude

Superman

Superman’s Neighbor

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Julia Fine, author of WHAT SHOULD BE WILD (ep. 58) 

THE LUMINARIES by Eleanor Catton

THE WAKE by Paul Kingsnorth

INVITATION TO A BONFIRE by Adrienne Celt

Xhenet Aliu, author of BRASS (ep. 50) 

WATCHMEN written by Alan Moore, art by David Gibbons, colorist John Higgins

A RIVER OF STARS by Vanessa Hua

THE INCENDIARIES by R.O. Kwon

Patrick Crerand, author of THE PAPER LIFE THEY LEAD (ep. 56) 

PANORAMA by Steve Kistulentz

BRAZEN CREATURE by Anne Barngrover

BAD STORIES by Steve Almond

PRIEST DADDY by Patricia Lockwood

THE INFORMATION by James Gleick

Mark Powell, author of SMALL TREASONS (ep. 11) 

FLORIDA by Lauren Groff

WARLIGHT by Michael Ondaatje

OUTLINE by Rachel Cusk

MY LIFE AS A RUSSIAN NOVEL by Emmanuel Carrere

KINGDOM by Emmanuel Carrere

BLUETS by Maggie Nelson

THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA by Philip Roth

Kirstin Chen, author of BURY WHAT WE CANNOT TAKE (ep. 55) 

MOTHER OF INVENTION by Caeli Wolfson Widger

SUICIDE CLUB by Rachel Heng

AN OCEAN OF MINUTES by Thea Lim

WHITE DANCING ELEPHANTS by Chaya Bhuvaneswar

Aja Gabel, author of THE ENSEMBLE (ep. 59) 

CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS by Sally Rooney

A SEPARATION by Katie Kitamura

Michael Nye, author of ALL THE CASTLES BURNED (ep. 52) 

ASYMMETRY by Lisa Halliday

SWEET & LOW by Nick White

INDIAN HORSE by Richard Wagamese

REMEMBERING POETS by Donald Hall

Annie Hartnett, author of RABBIT CAKE (ep. 30) 

THERE, THERE by Tommy Orange

WHO IS VERA KELLY? by Rosalie Knecht

THE LITTLE STRANGER by Sarah Waters

THE WORLD OF TOMORROW by Brendan Matthews

LESS by Andrew Sean Greer

THE MARS ROOM by Rachel Kushner

Despite their easy descriptions– a book about small town baseball, a memoir of grief and addiction, a discussion of reality television– Lucas Mann’s books are unlike anything else, with each page revealing a fresh perspective or a surprising insight. He tells James about writing weird books in a way that feels normal, throwing subjects off-kilter in interviews, learning to write unhinged to create emotion, and playing Jenga with narrative. Plus, Nathan McNamara on the art of book reviewing.

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Lucas Mann

James and Lucas discuss:

The University of Iowa

HOMAGE TO CATALONIA by George Orwell

Arundhati Roy

Amitava Kumar

James Baldwin

THE VILLAGER

Film Forum

THRONE by Kerry Howley

THE NEW YORKER

Roger Angell

“Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu” by John Updike

David Halberstam

BLUETS by Maggie Nelson

THE LOVER by Marguerite Duras

THE SUICIDE INDEX by Joan Wickersham

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE

Malcolm Gladwell

Virginia Center for the Creative Arts

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Nathan McNamara

Nathan and James discuss:

PLOUGHSHARES

Johns Hopkins University

Vassar College

COFFEE HOUSE PRESS

SAMUEL JOHNSON’S ETERNAL RETURN by Michael Riker

DOROTHY, A PUBLISHING PROJECT

Megan McDowell

Christina MacSweeney

Emma Ramadan

Riff Raff Bookstore

Michael Silverblatt

BOOKWORM

Annie Hartnett

THE LOS ANGELES REVIEW OF BOOKS

Ellie Duke

Danielle Dutton

THE SHUTTERS by Ahmed Bouanani

THE HOSPITAL by Ahmed Bouanani

NEW DIRECTIONS PRESS

COMEMADRE by Roque Larraquy

Alejandra Pizarnik

THE POETRY FOUNDATION

Jeremy Lybarger

THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE: STORIES by Mariana Enriquez

FEVER DREAM by Samantha Schweblin

MY HEART HEMMED IN by Marie NDiaye

TWO LINES PRESS

THE BABYSITTER AT REST by Jen George

In her debut novel, THE ENSEMBLE, Aja Gabel beautifully captures the shifting dynamics of a string quartet. She and James talk about boxing, prodigies, losing yourself in art, and capturing joy versus describing pain. Plus, Aja’s cover designer from Riverhead Books, Grace Han.

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Aja Gabel: 

Aja and James discuss:

WHAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT WRITING by Haruki Murakami

Antonya Nelson

SATURDAY by Ian McEwan

Guarneri String Quartet

FREEDOM by Jonathan Franzen

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Grace Han

Grace and James discuss: 

Riverhead Books

Ecco

Helen Yentus

Pinterest

THE READYMADE THIEF by Augustus Rose

Marcel Duchamp

School of Visual Arts

THE LINE BECOMES A RIVER by Francisco Cantu

Richard Misrach

THE KING IS ALWAYS ABOVE THE PEOPLE by Daniel Alarcon

STRENGTH IN STILLNESS: THE POWER IN TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION by Bob Roth

Of all the terrible just-out-of-college jobs that have been described on TK, Julia Fine probably had the worst. Later, she ended up leaving a good position to pursue an MFA, and the result is WHAT SHOULD BE WILD, a (wild) combination of fairy tale, folklore, mystery, road trip, and countless other inspirations. She and James talk about how she managed to juggle so many influences while avoiding genre expectations. Plus, Julia’s editor from Harper, Erin Wicks.

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Julia Fine: https://www.julia-fine.com/

Julia and James discuss:

Annie Hartnett

Columbia College Chicago

Harper

Mercedes Lackey

Tamora Pierce

HIS DARK MATERIALS by Philip Pullman

Angela Carter

WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson

Robert Graves

FROM THE BEAST TO THE BLONDE by Marina Warner

Erin Wicks

Carmen Maria Machado

Kelly Link

SWAMPLANDIA! by Karen Russell

THE TIGER’S WIFE by Tea Obreht

MR. FOX by Helen Oyeyemi

Benjamin Percy

Stephen King

MARLENA by Julie Buntin

Erin Wicks: @Erin_Wicks

Erin and James discuss: 

WHAT SHOULD BE WILD by Julia Fine (obviously)

SUNSHINE STATE by Sarah Gerard

BINARY STAR by Sarah Gerard

WAVE by Sonali Deraniyagala