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05-15-09 : Agony Column Podcast News Report :
Three Books With Alan Cheuse :


Sonata Mulattica
by Rita Dove

Shannon A Poem of the Lewis Clark Expedition
by Campbell McGrath

The Song is You
by Arthur Phillips

Once again, I'm honored to be joined by Alan Cheuse as we take another look at three books worth your valuable time and money. This time, we're heading over to the poetry section, to examine two unusual books of poetry by Rita Dove and Campbell McGrath. Then, just to keep things lively, we look at the latest novel by Arthur Phillips, 'The Song is You,' an actual song that I have tucked away somewhere on one of my Stan Getz records. Yes, vinyl records.

Music runs through the selections for today's Three Books conversation. Rita Dove's 'Sonata Mulattica' poetry collection is a historical narrative about George Polgreen Hightower, a wunderkind musical genius, the son of a white European woman and an "African Prince" who travels from London to Vienna to meet Ludwig Van Beethoven, who had written a sonata to honor him — until they met. Campbell McGrath's 'Shannon', is a 100 page narrative poem about George Shannon, the 16 year old boy who was separated from the Lewis and Clark Expedition and wandered alone on the prairie for 16 days is written in vivid, musical prose. And Arthur Phillips, 'The Song is You' is the first great American iPod novel, and offers an usual celebration of the sorts of technology that are usually shown as alienating factors in our lives. You can hear Alan and I discuss these books by following this link to the MP3 audio file.



Neal Coonerty  
05-14-09 : Agony Column Podcast News Report : Neal Coonerty on the Live Oak Redevelopment Project

I've been wanting to interview Neal Coonerty for a long time, but to tell the truth, I've been sort of scared, intimidated. After all, he's man behind the legendary Bookshop Santa Cruz, a past President of the American Booksellers' Association, and is currently the Third District Supervisor for Santa Cruz County. I've left a lot of stuff out, I'm sure. But you get the picture. He's not just a legend, he's a local legend.

Fortunately for me, life made it easy. Here I am, innocently hosting Talk of the Bay and answering requests from John Leopold the ever-able Supervisor for Live Oak to talk about Redevelopment, and, alas, the date of my show, Supervisor Leopold can't make it; but Supervisor Coonerty can. So, I find myself forced to something I've been heretofore afraid to do and not surprisingly, it turned out swell. It's all on the guest, I'll tell you. I just ask the questions, and you can hear how Coonerty displays a politician's skills without sounding like a politician by following the link to this MP3 Audio File.



05-13-09 : Agony Column Podcast News Report : The Mountain Community Theater Serves 'Breakfast of Champions' : The Author's Voice

When I think of works that lend themselves to adaptation, I have to admit that Kurt Vonnegut's anarchic 'Breakfast of Champions' is probably near the end of the line. It's a novel to end novels, a work that steps all over the form in a manner you might not think conducive to adaptation.

Apparently, in the 1980's, one Robert Egan decided to adapt Vonnegut's novel for the stage, and now our local Repertory Company, Mountain Community Theater , has decided to take on the task of mounting a performance. Wearing my "Talk of the Bay" hat, I interviewed the director, Steve Brenner, along with Denny Vierra, who plays the Author, and Adrienne Bischoff who plays about ten characters as part of "The Ensemble." For me, 'Breakfast of Champions' is a seminal novel that has really shaped my thinking and perspective on the world. But it's also only barely a novel as we normally know it, and it was fascinating to hear the director and cast discuss the challenges of getting Vonnegut's vision across. You can hear our action-packed conversation by following this link to the MP3 file.



Ginjer Buchanan  
05-12-09 : A 2009 Interview With Ginjer Buchanan: Ace Editor

Here's how things happen at The Agony Column. So, I'm trying to find out who the publicist is for the new Stephen Baxter novel, 'Flood.' A colleague at NPR wanted a copy. I know the publisher Penguin, so I gave them a ring.

I was quickly sent into voicemail and managed to climb to that branch of the phone tree where I could "Dial by name." Who did I know there I asked myself, racking my brain. Then I remembered Ginjer Buchanan, arguably The Most Important Person In SF; the senior editor at Ace Books, the woman responsible for much of our best genre fiction, and as a general notion, helping to keep the damn thing alive. She'd know who to talk to.

She did in fact know how to talk to, but then it occurred to me that she w2as the one to talk to. In these dark days for the publishing world, when editorial and publicity staff fall by the wayside, she'd know the scoop. And indeed, you can find the scoop by following this link to the MP3 audio file of our conversation.



Sarah Waters
05-11-09 : A 2009 Interview with Sarah Waters : "Something very malign"

Sarah Waters builds her novels as she might build a house; first the framework, then the layers and layers of details, the tiny muscles that move the plot. When I talked to her at KQED about her latest novel, "The Little Stranger," she emphasized the architectural nature of her writing process, saying that sometimes she had to rip down an entire wing and move it elsewhere.

Waters is an engaging and entertaining speaker. She talked to me about her writing process, which she explains involves mostly re-writing, and about her research into the psychic leaders of the day, particularly the work of Frederic Meyers. Meyers is an interesting guy, who hypothesized that in moments of stress, people can split off portions of their personality that can manifest as psychic phenomena. This sort of detail carries throughout the work, and Waters talked about researching the journals of James Lees-Milne to get a feel for the country houses. You can hear our conversation by following this link to the MP3 audio file.


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Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Alta Ifland and Stephen Kessler : "I had to do it; it was a way of both coming to terms with the experience, of documenting the experience, of commemorating it..."

03-17-10: Commentary : Ted Chiang Charts 'The Lifecycle of Software Objects' : Joshua Blue, Digital Chimps and Lives in Flux

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03-16-10: Commentary : Mario Guslandi Reviews 'Seven Deadly Pleasures' by Michael Aronovitz: Dark Mainstream

Agony Column Podcast News Report : SF in SF, Saturday, March 13, 2010 : Malinda Lo Reads at SF in SF : Reading from Ash

03-15-10: Commentary : Elif Shafak Reveals 'The Forty Rules of Love' : Intimacy and Centuries

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Elif Shafak : "I know that culture that exists in my country, that is carried on by women, generations of women."

03-12-10: Commentary : Karl Marlantes Scales the 'Matterhorn' : World-Building in the Past

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A Conversation with Thomas Frank: Playing Monopoly & Revising History

03-11-10: Commentary : Otto Penzler Scans 'The Lineup' : Behind Imaginary Badges

Agony Column Podcast News Report : Lou Anders, Pyr at Five, and DragonCon : Vampire Fang Installation Nightmares

03-10-10: Commentary : Thomas Ligotti Reveals 'The Conspiracy Against the Human Race' : MALIGNANTLY USELESS, From Arthur Schopenhauer to Peter Zappfe

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview With Rusty Morrison and Ken Keegan : OmniDawn Rises

03-09-10: Commentary : Paul McHugh Meets 'Deadlines' : Murdering the California Coast

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Paul McHugh : "..the strengths of good writing go all the way, across all the genres..."

03-08-10: Commentary : Joe Hill Grows 'Horns' : Devil and Detail

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Joe Hill : "Eventually, the wicked and the unworthy will get their just desserts on the business end of the Devil's pitchfork."

03-05-10: Commentary : Henry Porter Calls 'The Bell Ringers' : It Takes The Village

Agony Column Podcast News Report : Four Books With Alan Cheuse : Thrillers! : Henry Porter, The Bell Ringers; Keith Thomson, Once a Spy; Jo Nesbo, The Devil's Star; Hennig Mankel, The Man From Beijing

03-04-10: Commentary : Jo NesbØ Earns 'The Devil's Star' : Rewind

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Victoria Blake : The View from the Underland

03-03-10: Commentary : Underland Press and Joe R. Lansdale Present 'The Complete Drive In' : Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Joe R. Lansdale : Riding the Drive In Omnibus

03-02-10: Commentary : Stephen S. Hall Exhibits 'Wisdom' : From Philosophy to Neuroscience

Agony Column Podcast News Report : Laurie R. King, Jedediah Berry and Terry Bisson at SF in SF : Beyond BoucherCon

03-01-10: Commentary : Adam Haslett Invests With 'Union Atlantic' : Abstract Power Abstracts Absolutely

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02-26-10: Commentary : Dan Simmons Heads for the 'Black Hills' : Unstuck in Life

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Dan Simmons : "I just loved being in Wilkie's drug-soaked, lying conniving mind."

02-25-10: Commentary : Henning Mankel Introduces 'The Man from Beijing' : Standalone Frozen

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Keith Thomson : "They hate the word 'drone,' but they're losing that battle."

02-24-10: Commentary : Chaz Brenchley Stars as Daniel Fox in 'Dragon in Chains' and 'Jade Man's Skin' : Fantasy and Feudal China

Agony Column Podcast News Report : Laurie R. King Interviewed at SF in SF, February 13, 2010 : "Is this one fiction? Is that one fiction?"

02-23-10: Commentary : Adam Haslett Knows 'You Are No Stranger Here' : Stories from Strangers' Shoes

Agony Column Podcast News Report : Jedediah Berry Interviewed at SF in SF, February 13, 2010 : "...being at Small Beer has actually introduced whole worlds to me ..."

02-22-10: Commentary : Graeme Gibson's 'The Bedside Book of Birds' and 'The Bedside Book of Beasts' : A Feast for Your Mind, Your Eyes and Your Mind's Eye

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2009 Interview with Graeme Gibson : "Our common humanity, our common culture, will help make the connections."

02-19-10: Commentary : Ralph Waldo Ellison 'Three Days Before the Shooting ...' : One Book, Many Stories

Agony Column Podcast News Report : John Callahan and Adam Bradley and 'Three Days before the Shooting' : "I've moved through the phases of my own life, and I find those phases mirrored in the characters of this novel." — John Callahan "...capable of brilliance, eloquence and power; that's how I understand the second novel, as we see it in Three Days Before the Shooting, and that's certainly how I understand, and I think how Ellison understood, America." — Adam Bradley

02-18-10: Commentary : George Mann Scares Up 'The Ghosts of Manhattan' : Hard Core Pulp Action

Agony Column Podcast News Report : Speaking Frankly With Thomas Frank : From Tea to Shining Tea : "When I think about what I'm saying, it's so depressing..."

02-17-10: Commentary : Thomas More, Clarence Miller and 'Utopia' : Politics, Satire, Fantasy

Agony Column Podcast News Report : Laurie R. King Reads at SF in SF on February 13, 2010 : "...as real as Sherlock Holmes..."

02-16-10: Commentary : Patrick Lee Steps Through 'The Breach' : American Cheese Done Right

Agony Column Podcast News Report : Jedediah Berry Reads at SF in SF on February 13, 2010 : The Manual of Detection

02-15-10: Commentary : 'Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded' by John Scalzi : A Decade of Whatever

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02-12-10: Commentary : Stephanie Merritt Becomes S. J. Parris : 'Heresy'

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02-11-10: Commentary : Max Watman 'Chasing the White Dog' : Home-Made Hooch and Rebellion

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview With Sam Farr : : "The money came from Washington, but the uses for that money came from the local community."

02-10-10: Commentary : Anne Lamott Spots 'Imperfect Birds' : The Ties That Unbind

Agony Column Podcast News Report : Speaking Frankly: Thomas Frank on Re-Populism and Re-Launching The Baffler : "I have never seen 'populist backlash in a headline before."

02-09-10: Commentary : Douglas Clegg Returns to 'Neverland' : Is 1980's Horror Returning from the Grave?

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2009 Interview with David Drake, Part 2 / Complete : "I didn't have governor ... that is ... anything, endgame, was me killing somebody.""

02-08-10: Commentary : David Louis Edelman Completes Jump 225 : 'Geosynchron'

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2009 Interview with David Drake, Part 1 : "I'm still screwed up, but not nearly as badly as I was."

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