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08-28-09: Three Books With Alan Cheuse : Fall Preview

E. L. Doctorow, Homer & Langley

John Irving, Last Night in Twisted River

Sherman Alexie, War Dances

Looking for a few books worth your valuable time to read this fall? Join Alan Cheuse and I as we talk about three of the big releases for this fall. Your summer reading days are coming to an end, so you’d best cram in all the bad beach reading you can find out there. Soon enough, America's best authors will be bringing you new work to keep you warm in the winter.

For many, this is the last week of summer. Next week, school will be back in session, and down at the beach at 5:20 AM, I'll see Dave the School Bus Driver for the first time since June. Books, like school and movies, follow a predictable pattern, and the fall brings on the
prestigious "Big Lit" releases. I managed to corral Alan Cheuse for one last chat down by the beach to preview three books you’re going to hear a lot about this fall; E. L. Doctorow's subtle, visionary 'Homer & Langley' a massive new novel by John Irving, 'Last Night in Twisted River,' and from Sherman Alexie, 'War Dances,' a collection of short stories. You can the leaves turn gold in the background as Alan and I chat about these fine books by following this link to the MP3 audio file.



08-27-09: Agony Column Podcast News Report — Marta Randall Reads at SF in SF on August 22, 2009 : ' The Dark Boy'

Marta Randall has the sort of precision required to write an effective short story. I had spoken with her before her reading, and I could tell, just tell that she was able to not only put angels on a pinhead, she could make them dance there as well. At Saturday's SF in SF, she proved that to be true with a reading of the sort of story from F&SF that I often think could as easily end up in The New Yorker.

No, I'll not give you a hint as to what the story is about. I didn't have one and you neither want nor need one. Just know that Randall reads with the same precision you'll find in the writing, and the same power as well. It was fascinating to hear the variation between the novel and the short story in terms of how it felt on the receiving end. I was pleased that neither author thought that their work required any introduction. I always prefer to directly immerse myself in the work. You can as well by following this link to the MP3 audio file.



08-26-09: Agony Column Podcast News Report — Elizabeth Lynn Reads at SF in SF on August 22, 2009 : 'Dragon's Treasure'

There's reading aloud — and then there is the act of performing your work. At Saturday's SF in SF, Elizabeth Lynn trended towards the latter, with a stellar reading that emphasized the drama.

I really liked the way Lynn read. She didn't give us any setup. She told us she was going to read out of 'Dragon's Treasure,' and then proceeded to read most if not all of the first chapter of the book. This was immersion at its finest, and I shall pass the benefits on to my readers and listeners. Click the link, follow to hear Elizabeth Lynn's powerful performance of 'Dragon's Treasure.'



 Gill Dennis
08-25-09: A 2009 Interview with Gill Dennis at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Conference

"There are too many ifs in that sentence."
        — Gill Dennis

One of the big tracks at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Conference is screenwriting, which is sort of out-of-keeping with the beautiful, bucolic setting. Here you are in the forest learning to write screenplays, to speak the language of high-tech collaboration. But then you talk to Gill Dennis and realize that screenwriting has a heart, a connection to the human as intense as an interview.

Gill Dennis is a screenwriter, and always has been. His first produced work was Return to Oz, and his most recent was Walk the Line. For the latter, he found himself facing a challenge no less formidable that Johnny Cash himself. How to find the story in a man's life, even a man with a life engaging as Johnny Cash? Dennis knows how. He just talked to the man.

Gill Dennis is a genial man, who seems a bit like a minister or clergyman when you meet him. And to my mind, he might have made an excellent confessor. He's man who knows that they way to learn is to listen, and to ask the questions that will find the heart of the subject. You talk to him for five minutes and you'll quickly find that he is perfectly in place the arts-oriented creative Squaw Valley Community of Writers Conference. He starts at the heart of his subject, no matter how difficult and moves to the center with unerring accuracy. He's an expert communicator, which serves him both as a teacher and writer. You can learn to listen — and listen and learn — by following this link to the MP3 audio file of our interview.



08-24-09: A 2009 Interview with David Corbett

"Crime is all about the individual putting himself above society."
        — David Corbett

David Corbett is a serious mystery writer. He's steeped in the genre and in the life itself. He spent fifteen years as a private investigator, and then wrote 'The Devil's Redhead' and 'Done for a Dime.' His most recent book is 'Blood of Paradise.' He was at the recent Mystery Writing Conference held at Book Passage, where I had the chance to talk to him.

Take a deep breath before you sit down to talk with David Corbett. The author of 'The Devil's Redhead', 'Done for a Dime,' and 'Blood of Paradise,' spent fifteen years as a private investigator. He knows how to immerse himself in others lives, and the path
 David Corbett
he's chosen of late is not an easy one. Corbett is passionately committed to writing the best and most intense mysteries he can, and he brings the skills and techniques of a private investigator to his writing. We talked about guns, gangs, and his latest work, 'Blood of Paradise' as well as his forthcoming novel 'Do They Know I'm Running.' He's spent a lot of time in El Salvador of late, examining a society that has been torn asunder by internecine war and class struggles. I spoke to him at the Book Passage Mystery Writing Conference, where he was teaching classes on characterization, and we talked about what he teaches and why. You can hear our conversation by following this link to the MP3 audio file.



New to the Agony Column

04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro : ".... by the time I was writing this novel, the lines between what was fantasy and what was real had blurred for me..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 202: Kazuo Ishiguro : The Buried Giant

04-17-15: Commentary : Erik Larson Follows a 'Dead Wake' : Countdown to Destiny

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Erik Larson : " "...said to have been found in the arms of a dead German sailor..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 201: Erik Larson : Dead Wake

04-15-15: Commentary : Peter Bell Reflects 'A Certain Slant of Light' : Strange Stories of Modern Scholars

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Peter Bell : "...I looked up some of the old books..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 200: Peter Bell : Strange Epiphanies and A Certain Slant of Light

03-14-15: Commentary : Marc Goodman Foresees 'Future Crimes' : Exponential Potential

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Marc Goodman : "...every physical object around us is being transformed, one way or another, into an information technology..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 199: Marc Goodman : Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It

03-01-15: Commentary : William Ury on Getting to Yes with Yourself: And Other Worthy Opponents : To the BATNA, Robin!

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with William Ury : ...he proceeded to shout at me for approximately 30 minutes..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 198: William Ury : Getting to Yes with Yourself: And Other Worthy Opponents

02-22-15: Commentary : Jennifer Senior Experiences 'All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood' : Reading Fun for the Whole Fambly!

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Jennifer Senior : "...it becomes a source of enormous tension once a baby comes along..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 197: Jennifer Senior : All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood

02-09-15: Commentary : Stewart O'Nan Looks 'West of Sunset' : Twilight of the Great

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Stewart O'Nan : "...we see him as a tragedian because is life is a tragedy..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 196: Stewart O'Nan : West of Sunset

02-04-15: Commentary : Armistead Maupin Maps 'The Days of Anna Madrigal' : Swiftly Flow the Years

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Armistead Maupin : "I could see what silliness was going on while it was happening..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 195: Armistead Maupin : The Days of Anna Madrigal

01-31-15: Commentary : Christine Carter's Path to 'The Sweet Spot: How to Find Your Groove at Home and Work' : Neurohabits

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Christine Carter, Ph.D. : "...a real tipping point..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 194: Christine Carter, Ph.D. : The Sweet Spot: How to Find Your Groove at Home and Work

01-23-15: Commentary : Jake Halpern Pushes 'Bad Paper: Chasing Debt from Wall Street to the Underworld' : Non-Fiction 21st Century Noir

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Jake Halpern : "...he goes to Las Vegas to this debt-buyers' convention..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 193: Jake Halpern : Bad Paper: Chasing Debt from Wall Street to the Underworld

01-19-15: Commentary : David Shields and Caleb Powell Assert 'I Think You're Totally Wrong' : The Power to Bicker

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with David Shields and Caleb Powell : "I read no book reviews any more; the level of discussion is really pedestrian." David Shields "I'm just saying it's a conflict of interest!" Caleb Powell

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 192: David Shields and Caleb Powell : I Think You're Totally Wrong

01-17-15: Commentary : Charles Todd Expects 'A Fine Summer's Day' : We Interrupt This Program...

Commentary : Charles Todd Engages In 'A Test of Wills' : The Politics of Passion and Policing

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Charles and Caroline Todd : "...let them be themselves and sort it out..." Caroline Todd "...it's more on a personal level..." Charles Todd

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 191: Charles Todd : A Fine Summer's Day

01-13-15: Commentary : Rosalie Parker Unearths 'The Old Knowledge' : The New Old World

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Ray Russell and Rosalie Parker : "I thought I'd write something for fun.." Ray Russell "..there was a side of me of that was interested in the strangeness..." Ros Parker

01-12-15: Commentary : Richard Ford 'Let Me Be Frank with You' : The Default Years

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Richard Ford : "...most of our politicians are morons..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 190: Richard Ford : Let Me Be Frank with You

01-06-15: Commentary : Bessel van der Kolk 'The Body Keeps the Score' : Human Trauma

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Bessel van der Kolk : "...being able to see what happens in the brain really helps us to understand certain things..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 189: Bessel van der Kolk : The Body Keeps the Score

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