10-30-09: Kim Stanley Robinson Reads at SF in SF on October 17, 2009 : "The Lucky Strike"
Once again, the pleasures of discovery; and not just those of the writer. Here we are at SF in SF on November 17, and not without some trepidation, about to be subjected to a literary experiment. SF in SF has, for all my experience, been a fiction-only operation. Not that this has seemed a dictate; it's just the way it's happened. Eric Simons changed all that, and in the best possible way. He was just remarkably entertaining. I'm guessing he sold a few books.
And with this reading from his novella, you get the best of both worlds. Robinson abridged his story while reading at SF in SF, off-the-cuff, so to speak, reading selections here and there that boil down the story and give a perfect verbal version of the much longer written version. What’s so nice is that when you listen to the reading, you can get the emotional and intellectual shock of Robinson's story. You'll feel the literal blast that he describes as he reads.
But because Robinson has read a self-abridged version of his longer story, you can still go out, but the book and read the story to get the fully fleshed-out as well as the live reading audio experience. This is a very clever move on his part, and not just because he sells you a book. No, it's much better than that. As a listener and a reader, you'll get to experience the same set events from two equally powerful perspectives; the reading experience will enhance the audio and vice versa, but in a different manner. It's a fascinating experiment for the writer and the reader. You can begin your experiment by following this link to the MP3 audio of the story.
10-29-09: Eric Simons Follows in Darwin's Footsteps at SF in SF November 17, 2009 :
"She tried to talk me into a nice plane ride.." — Eric Simons
Once again, the pleasures of discovery; and not just those of the writer. Here we are at SF in SF on November 17, and not without some trepidation, about to be subjected to a literary experiment. SF in SF has, for all my experience, been a fiction-only operation. Not that this has seemed a dictate; it's just the way it's happened. Eric Simons changed all that, and in the best possible way. He was just remarkably entertaining. I'm guessing he sold a few books.
So here's the plan for Simons' book. He just decided to follow in modern times, Darwin's trek through South America, remembering that when Darwin went on his voyage, he wasn't a stodgy old man but a dodgy young kid. And with that in place, Simons though all the places where people have replaced trees, and the places where literally nothing has changed. So settle back for some entertaining, sorta-science related travel-writing. Indeed, it won't involve you traveling much more than following the link to this MP3 audio file.
10-28-09: Jeremy Lassen Covers 'Eclipse 3' and the WFC : No, Not Who F-ing Cares
I actually woke up Jeremy Lassen at 9 AM on a Sunday morning, but gave him a couple of minutes and he was ready to talk. I'd been up since 3:30 AM, as usual. I had a real bee in my bonnet, vis a vis the wonderful cover of Night Shade's latest anthology, 'Eclipse 3
Two aspects of that cover intrigued me. The first was the fact that all the names were women. I wasn't then, and still am not now, certain as to whether any other anthology series that is open to both men and women writers had ever done that. Of course the names are outstanding as well, Karen Joy Fowler, Elizabeth Bear, Caitlin Kiernan — all these and more are grabbers and add up to an enjoyable literary diversion.
But I also loved the cover image, which, as I told Jeremy in our conversation, reminded me of the best of the 70's "World's Best SF" covers from the old Terry Carr series. He told me that the cover, by Richard Powers, had been obtained from the estate, and had been originally commissioned for another anthology that never came to pass. So, if any readers out there can tell me what anthology the cover was originally commissioned for, I'll send them the anthology. In the interim, give a listen to Jeremy and I talk about 'Eclipse 3' and the upcoming World Fantasy Convention by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
10-27-09: Thomas Frank's Labor and Paranoia
This is something that drives a certain segment of our society absolutely crazy..." — Thomas Frank
...and in that quote we've not even begun to talk about paranoia! That's right, Thomas Frank is back, with a look at the big ideas in small events, the little bread crumbs that are found in the back pages of the newspaper that actually point out the huge changes coursing through our cultural and political establishments. This week, we looked at one of those tweedly, insider bits of news that opens up a new vista of vapidity and celebrated the upcoming 45th anniversary of a little bit of prescience on the part of Richard Hofstadter from the November 1964 edition of Harper's Magazine.
I caught up with Thomas Frank as the tears started to roll down the face of a certain talk-show host. Actually, that's not hard! There's a whole lot of crying and self-pity going on in the political world. And fascinatingly, it starts from the smallest of seeds, from the Mike Enzi hold on Obama nominee Labor Department solicitor nominee Patricia Smith, guilty of having been an effective advocate for labor rights, in that she helped to start the Wage Watch program, chronicled in Frank's column for the Wall Street Journal,"The GOP vs. Labor Law". There's an interesting strain of politician afoot who seems to feel the needs to be a politician while denying the import of government; sort of like if your local police thought that laws were counterproductive in terms of encouraging and enforcing lawful behavior. It's funny, in a very depressing fashion.
Frank and I also talk about The Paranoid Style in American Politics, by Richard Hofstadter, an essay writer some 45 years ago to address the then-minor-league phenomenon of the John Birch Society. It's a great essay, and it was especially fun, after reading Frank's essay for the Wall Street Journal, "From John Birchers to Birthers", to talk with him about the new ranks of the American Paranoids. These are people who have pioneered cry-on-demand television. Alas, their only reason for crying is their mind-boggling wealth. I have too much fun talking to Thomas Frank, and I trust you'll enjoy hearing his take on events as you follow this link to the MP3 audio file.
10-26-09: A 2009 Interview with E Van Lowe
"When you're writing for screen or TV, you're really only writing the cinematic." — E Van Lowe
You know, I just didn't ask his first name. After about three minutes of talking to him, I would have sworn that the "E" in E. Van Lowe stood for "Enthusiastic." And not in a smarmy way, but in that sort of genuine, really-likes-writing manner. E — that's what I'll call him here, because that's what I called him in the interview — is one of the many writers I've met who has, simply put, found his calling. In this case, writing about zombies for high-school age girls. Hey, there's a niche for everyone in this world.
The thing that sets 'Never Slow Dance With a Zombie' apart from the rest of the zombies is Van Lowe's sense of humor. It starts on page 1, and continues right through to the end of the book, and it came out in our interview at the generous digs of NPR West. E (I later found out from Scott "S. G." Browne that "E" stands in for Eric) approaches his subject with just the right combination of empathy (another good choice for lead initial fodder) and insouciance to get buy-in from readers of all ages. If you've ever been to high school, then E's got your number. Especially if that high school is infested with zombies, and you know, to my mind that's every high school in America! Just follow this link to the MP3 audio file to hear the simple rules for fighting zombies!
New to the Agony Column
07-30-10: Commentary : Subterranean Press and Robert R. McCammon Wake at 'The Wolf's Hour' : The Time Before Cheese
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books with Alan Cheus : Allegra Goodman, 'The Cookbook Collector,' Noam Shpancer's 'The Good Psychologist' and Elie Wiesel 'The Sonderberg Case'
07-28-10: Commentary : Rule Britannia, In Space 2 : En Route, RJ Frith and Peter F. Hamilton
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Brian and Wendy Froud at SF in SF on Monday, July 19, 2010: Q & A : "The people you deal with at the publishers ... if they last the end of the week, you're lucky."
07-27-10: Commentary : Rule Britannia, In Space : UK Space Opera Demonstrates Excess is Not Enough (Part one, the Arrived)
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Brian and Wendy Froud at SF in SF on Monday, July 19, 2010 : "Well, I thought if I do faeries then nobody's going to say that I've got it wrong."
07-26-10: Commentary : Brian and Wendy Froud Seek 'The Heart of Faerie Oracle' : Cards, Books and a New Perspective
07-20-10: Commentary : Adam Elenbaas is Caught by 'Fishers of Men' : The Gospel of an Ayahuasca Vision Quest
Agony Column Podcast News Report : The Agony Column Live, July 10, 2010 : Alan Cheuse and Peter S. Beagle : "There are certain phrases I'm leery of using; one's "the creative process" and the other is "inspiration." ” Peter S. Beagle "Habit is the best thing for you if you're trying to write prose." ” Alan Cheuse
07-19-10: Commentary : Phil Cousineau is the 'Wordcatcher' : A Selectionary for Curious Mind
07-09-10: Commentary : Harlan Ellison's 'Deathbird Stories' : Back from the Dead and Ready to Party
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books With Alan Cheuse : Everything by Kevin Canty, The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson by Kim Stanley Robinson, and Glorious by Bernice McFadden
07-07-10: Commentary : Kitchen Testing 'The New Vegetarian Epicure' and 'Get Cooking' : Lentil Power
Agony Column Podcast News Report : The Agony Column Live, June 26, 2010 : Mollie Katzen and Anna Thomas, Part Two : "'You should really write a cookbook,' and I thought, 'Yeah, that's a good idea...'"
07-06-10: Commentary : Anna Thomas Cooks Up 'Love Soup' : Recipes, Menus and Meals
Agony Column Podcast News Report : The Agony Column Live, June 26, 2010 : Mollie Katzen and Anna Thomas, Part One : Time to Get Cooking Because You Love Soup : "It makes a huge difference really, really, it does, to completely clean up when you're done."
07-05-10: Commentary : Abraham Verghese Will Not Be 'Cutting for Stone' : Stories of Spirit and Words of Comfort
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Abraham Verghese : "Literature has a wonderful ability to restore your imagination for the suffering of others."
07-02-10: Commentary : Sloane Crosley Asks 'How Did Get This Number' : Excellent Essays for the Short of Temper
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Live Interview With Sloane Crosley : We Did Not Mention the Title of Her Essay 'Fuck You, Columbus'
06-30-10: Commentary : Mark Charan Newton Enters 'City of Ruin' : Inspector Jeryd Rides Again
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Panel Discussion at SF in SF on June 12, 2010, with Seanan McGuire, Deborah Grabien and Terry Bisson : "Coke Black was just a horrible thing unleashed on an unsuspecting world."
06-29-10: Commentary : 'Twelve,' 'Thirteen,' Tongues of Serpents,' and 'The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack' : Historical SF & Horror Makes Rousing Summer Reading
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Seanan McGuire Interviewed at SF in SF, June 12, 2010 : "If I have my unbreakables, I can set my conditionals."
06-28-10: Commentary : Jennifer Egan Gets 'A Visit from the Goon Squad' : Revisiting the Novel Genre
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Conversation with Jennifer Egan : "The characters and the action led the way... I was led into the future not so much because I was thinking, 'I want to write about the future,' but more because I wanted to re-visit this particular person."
06-23-10: Commentary : Adam Langer Corrals 'The Thieves of Manhattan' : Lies, Balderdash and the Absolute, Unvarnished Truth
06-21-10: Commentary : Linda Greenlaw is 'Seaworthy' : Back to the Grand Banks in Not-So-Grand Style
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Linda Greenlaw : "Well, I call him up and tell him I'm going to the Grand Banks and he pretty much signs himself right up."
06-17-10: Commentary : Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud Lives 'A Life on Paper' : Translating the Ineffable
06-15-10: Commentary : Donald R. Burleson Whispers 'Wait for the Thunder' : Stories for a Stormy Night
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books With Alan Cheuse : Lucyby Laurence Gonzalez, Spies of the Balkansby Alan Furst, A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
06-14-10: Commentary : James P. Othmer Drinks the 'Holy Water' : Backing Into the Future
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2009 Interview with Juliet Schor : "...We need to move to much more open, collaborative, sharing knowledge systems."
06-10-10: Commentary : Brett Easton Ellis Peers Inside 'Imperial Bedrooms' : Panic After the Year Zero
06-09-10: Commentary : Dan Dion and Paul Provenza Free the '!Satiristas!' : Bleeding the Comedians
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Conversation with Paul Provenza and Dan Dion : "I was raised to respect the printed word so much, when I was in school, I couldn't highlight books..."
06-08-10: Commentary : China Miéville Unleashes 'Kraken' : Comedy of Tentacles
06-03-10: Commentary : Justin Cronin Enters 'The Passage' : A girl who saves the world
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books With Alan Cheuse : The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, The Nearest Exit by Olen Steinhauer, The Passage by Justin Cronin
06-02-10: Commentary : 'Animythical Tales' by Sarah Totton and 'Metrophilias' by Brendan Connell : Better Seeds
06-01-10: Commentary : The Return of The Agony Column : Logic, License and Habit
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Karl Marlantes : "..these are common human foibles and failings, it's just that they get magnified in a combat, war situation..."
