07-10-09: Alan Cheuse on Writing the Textbook : Poetry (Genre, Non-Fiction, Critical Studies, Poetry)
This is the podcast in which a barking dog plays an integral part. I suppose that comes as less of a surprise given that we were talking about poetry, but yes, sometimes having the dog actually helps matters. Today, Alan Cheuse and I talk about his work on the vlume of poetry and his process of collaboration with Nicholas Delbanco.
When it comes to collaboration, working on a textbook is a rather daunting task. Cheuse and Delbanco spent five and half years putting these three books together, and they worked fast according to industry standards. Cheuse told me how they collaborated and how they divided the duties, which became quite important when it comes to dealing with the huge number of works they had to sift through and choose. As well, there quite a bit more work involved in this one than in the fiction, again due to the sheer number of poems covered. Cheuse read a number of the best selections, some famous, some merely great. You can hear a huge chunk of poetry, criticism and talk about the craft of putting together textbooks by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
Jeff Sharlet
07-09-09: A 2009 Interview with Jeff Sharlet : Secular Twilight
It's not really about theocracy, so much as it is about power. That's what's so shocking about 'The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power.' Of course, given the names of the folks who are deep in The Family — let me mention John of Nevada and Mark Sanford of South Carolina — it's clearly not about what is generally thought of as a "fundamentalist Christian" lifestyle. But Jeff Sharlet has a perfect grasp on this wildly powerful but seriously under-reported organization.
I was fortunate enough to speak with Jeff Sharlet for KUSP's Talk of the Bay on Sunday, July 5, an appropriate enough day, following the celebration, as it were of our independence from a country where the state imposed a religion on the populace. But religion has many uses, especially for the powerful, who find it a fine way of controlling the masses. But as Sharlet and I discussed, The Family has a very different approach, a "trickle down" theory of imposed power. But the people they put in the company of Jesus, including Hitler, Mao, Stalin and Lenin are not usually thought of in a Christian context. Sharlet and I had a grand time talking about this truly mind-boggling book. Once you recognize that the end has come and gone, you can begin to do something about; start by reading Jeff Sharlet's book and listening to him via this link to the MP3 audio file.
07-08-09: Agony Column News Report : Lou Anders in Conversation on SF, Games, and the Fate of Storytelling
You know, it's pretty amazing what Lou Anders has accomplished in such a short time. Take a look at one example from Pyr, 'Fast Forward 2.' These are some pretty amazing stats: 2 Hugo nominations, 2 Sturgeon nominations, 2 Locus Award nominations, PKD nom for the whole anthology, Chesley nom for the cover, and 4 stories reprinted 5 times in 4 Year's Bests.
So clearly, here's a man who knows a story when he one comes round to bite him. Here, as well, is a man who knows science fiction, from the front cover (all hail John Picacio!) to the final page of acknowledgements. And clearly, Lou's got an idea about what's happening with science fiction as the ghetto dissolves and a non-trivial number of readers, writers and hangers-on lament the death of the ghetto. And what of storytelling in the ultra-rich environments of video games and MMPORPG? Can we expect anything worthwhile of from James Cameron's Avatari? I mean Avatar. Well, Lou and I started out at A and ended up somewhere around K. Not surprising, but we'll be back next week with another linked MP3 audio file.
Laurie R. King
07-07-09: Laurie R. King : Cities of Mystery
So you think you want to invent a city and set a novel there? Let's presume you've decided to write a mystery. Then here's Laurie R. King, to help you understand the basics of how cities work as foreground, background and killing grounds in contemporary mystery novels.
When I needed to know something about cities in the mystery genre, it was an easy guess as to where I would go to find out. Laurie R. King combines an encyclopedic knowledge of the genre with an engaging style and answers my questions about how one might go about fabricating the perfect setting for an imperfect crime; well, aren't they all? Only those we haven’t heard about might be prefect, and they're simply mythical, so pull up a chair and enjoy Laurie R. King on cities and mystery by following this link to an MP3 audio file.
David Sedaris
07-06-09: A 2009 Interview with David Sedaris : 'When You Are Engulfed in Flames'
"Sometimes your life just feels like a story" — David Sedaris
This time around, I had managed to at least make the appointment, though not without a significant effort on my part. There were the time and day changes that had me reeling. Did I have be ready then or then? Would I interview him at the Café (no he gets caught up signing, and it's a distraction) or at KUSP (alas the schedule changed) or a hotel room, no, we'll do KQED. By the time I got there I half-expected him to be flanked by Rayban-clad unsmiling Secret Service agents. I could see myself, sitting in the studio, conducting the interview with a red laser dot on my forehead. "David, about your efforts to quit smoking — " "I'm sorry, Mr. Kleffel, this interview is terminated," would be the first words I'd hear one of them say and the last words I'd hear on this earth.
Suffice it to say my fears were unfounded, at least so far as the agents and laser dot went. I'm sorta disappointed, but he still has time to run for President of the United States, and wouldn't that be a hoot? That said, you can hear our conversation about his new book by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
New to the Agony Column
02-06-12: Commentary : Eric Weiner Posts 'Man Seeks God' : Religious Pilgrimmage and Mordant Wit
Agony Column Podcast News Report: A 2012 Interview with Eric Weiner : "...by the end, given all the amazing people I met out there, I've changed my views about that."
02-01-12: Commentary : Stan Lee Splashes 'Stan Lee's How to Write Comics' and 'Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics' : Lessons in the Form, From the Master
01-23-12: Commentary : Sara Paretsky Nails 'Breakdown' : The Machine Stops
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2012 Interview with Sara Paretsky : "Everything in a courtroom is a story; it's not justice, it's combating narratives."
01-18-12: Commentary : Téa Obreht Conjures 'The Tiger's Wife' : The Grammar of Vision
01-13-12: Commentary : Hard Case Subterranean Block : Not from Bob's Basement Tapes
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2012 Phone Interview with Lisa Randall : "...there seems to be some evidence, especially from one of the experiments."
01-10-12: Commentary : Archive Review: Terry D'Auray Catches Lawrence Block and 'The Burglar on the Prowl' : "A show well worth the price of a ticket."
12-29-11: Commentary : My Life in the Bush of Books : Island of Vice by Richard Zacks, Iago by David Snodin, The Coincidence Engine by Sam Leith and The Dipatcher by Ryan David Jahn
12-15-11:Agony Column Podcast News Report : The Agony Column Live with Lisa Goldstein and Ayize Jama-Everett, and music by Fenyang Smith, December 10, 2011 : "... let's look at what happens if people have abilities that other people don't have ..."
11-28-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Scott Wallace : "Within months of first contact, these groups experience a huge die-off."
11-22-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Charles Frazier, Part Two : "It's not me telling you, there's this storyteller voice."
11-21-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Charles Frazier : "If we're going in the wrong direction, we could turn around and go back."
11-17-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Gianni Mola : "The only way you can learn, I told them, is to watch me cook it."
11-11-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Karl Marlantes : "...the way I "think" about things, with quotes around think, is I tend to write them down..."
10-31-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Colson Whitehead : "In the Apocalypse, somebody's gonna have to do the grunt work..."
10-17-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Russell Banks : "They are in a sense, permanently marked and thrown into this darkness..."
