One of the things about doing a lot of recording is that you find archives that have not been released, some of them jaw-droppingly good. Consider this: Lisa Goldstein reading at SF in SF, with part of her reading consisting of "The Bondmaid's Tale."
I recorded this back in June, and though I had podcasted it because I have broadcasted part of it, The Bondmaid's Tale, and I'll probably do so again, because it is that good.
10-19-11:A 2011 Interview with Lisa Goldstein at SF in SF
"I couldn't put it down, I had to finish it."
—Lisa Goldstein
Confession time: Lisa actually thanks me in the Acknowledgements for 'The Uncertain Places' for what to my mind is as close to proof of the supernatural as you are going to get in this world. Back in June of 2009, I hosted a panel at SF in SF so the indefatigable Terry Bisson could catch a break. Pat Murphy, Lisa Goldstein, and Michaela Roessner were the guests, and in the break, I was chatting with Goldstein who told me a bit about what would become 'The Uncertain Places.'
There was just one thing that she needed to know more about; winery history in Northern California. Just a couple of days before, Janet over at Capitola Book Café had asked if I wanted to interview Vivienne Sosnowski, who had a new book out that definitely seemed worth my valuable reading time titled, 'When the Rivers Ran Red: An Amazing Story of Courage and Triumph in America's Wine Country.' Unfortunately, it was happening during the time when I hosted my show on KUSP. But these things happen for a reason.
10-18-11 UPDATE:Podcast Update: Time to Read, Episode 14: Lisa Randall, 'Knocking on Heaven's Door'
Here's the fourteenth episode of my new series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read. The podcasts/radio broadcasts will be of books worth your valuable reading time. I'll try to keep the reports under four minutes, for a radio-friendly format. If you want to run them on your show or podcast, let me know.
My hope is that in under four minutes I can offer readers a concise review and an opportunity to hear the author read from or speak about the work. I'm hoping to offer a new one every week.
"They are in a sense, permanently marked and thrown into this darkness..."
—Russell Banks
Russell Banks has an air about him that is difficult at first to pin down. He's friendly, yes, and smart, yes, but that's not it, not entirely. After a while, though, it dawns on me. Banks exudes sympathy, a kind of no-nonsense clarity of vision that lets you reveal who you are while he observes everything, takes in everything. It's just what he needs to write about the characters who drive his novels.
I met with Banks upstairs at Bookshop Santa Cruz, and managed to find a much nicer setup for us to talk. Rather than using the couch, I wrangled some big puffy chairs around the corner of a desk and put my mic on the desk. It worked out to make me, at least, much more at ease, since I did not need to worry about mic stability.
Banks is a fascinating writer who understands his own writing process well. He talked about the origins of this story, which unfolded outside of his own window, and about his decision to ratchet the narrative into the almost dreamlike state he achieves. But these are waking dreams inspired by our own inability to ever truly know another person until we see from their eyes. The means we have to do this is reading, which moves us two steps away from life, but somehow infinitely closer. Readers can get closer to this interview by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
New to the Agony Column
09-05-15: Commentary : Susan Casey Listens to 'Voices in the Ocean' : Science, Empathy and Self
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Susan Casey : "...the reporting for this book was emotionally difficult at times..."
08-21-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report : Senator Claire McCaskill is 'Plenty Ladylike' : Internalizing Determination to Overcome Sexism [Incudes Time to Read EP 211: Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike, plus A 2015 Interview with Senator Claire McCaskill]
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Emily Schultz Unleashes 'The Blondes' : A Cure by Color [Incudes Time to Read EP 210: Emily Schultz, The Blondes, plus A 2015 Interview with Emily Schultz]
07-05-15: Commentary : Dr. Michael Gazzaniga Tells Tales from Both Sides of the Brain : A Life in Neuroscience Reveals the Life of Science
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Michael Gazzaniga : "We made the first observation and BAM there was the disconnection effect..."
04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 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 : 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
