04-01-13 UPDATE:Podcast Update: Time to Read Episode 90: MacKenzie Bezos, 'Traps'
Click image for audio link.
Here's the ninetyth episode of my series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read. Hitting the one-year mark, I'm going to make an effort to stay ahead, so that podcast listeners can get the same sort of "sneak preview" effect that radio listeners get each Friday morning.
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.
The ninetyth episode is a look at MacKenzie Bezos and 'Traps.'
"...a lot of my work in the first draft looks like prose..."
—Patrice Vecchione
I try to leave the poetry to The Poetry Show, but I enjoy reading poetry and speaking with poets, so when Patrice Vecchione told me she had a new collection coming up, I asked her to send me a copy of 'The Knot Untied' so we could sit down to talk about it.
Reading 'The Knot Untied' is easy, but it's a complicated experience because Vecchione has a story to tell, but she tells it in poems put together in a poetic arc. It's the sort of book that you will read quickly, unpack slowly and then come back to re-read a bit more slowly.
For all the layers of complexity in the book and the poetry, Vecchione is refreshingly straightforward when she talks about writing. She reads her poems well, and I had her read quite a few during the interview. Readers who have heard my interviews with the authors of prose fiction and non-fiction (there's a bit of both in this collection) will notice that, appropriately, I think, this interview runs a rather different course from my usual outing —whatever that is!
Vecchione and I talked about her writing process, and the process of putting this book together. We also talked about the content of her poetry, the stories that readers will find in this book as well as the stories within the book and those beyond. There was a lot of crafting to put together this book; from the front cover by the poet to each of the poems within to the collection itself. Each level received careful attention and it shows.
"...the great thing about dystopia is that you get to wear down the world ..."
— Hugh Howey
Writers come with more than one story. There is a story in their book, but there is also a story of their book. Hugh Howey, the author of 'Wool' is a perfect example of what happens when you manage to sidestep the blinkered approach to publication that suggests you gradually work your way up the publication ladder.
When I saw down to talk with Howey recently at KQED, I had two missions in mind. On one hand, I wanted to talk to him about the content of 'Wool.' I'd been sent a wonderful UK hardcover quite some time ago, but thought that it was likely he'd not be showing up soon. It was an excellent take on dystopia, with a rather different feel from much genre fiction. Here I am, hardcover in hand wondering about what was in Howey's mind and background as he approached the novel. That suggested to me the sort of interview that focused on the content of the novel.
When the US version came, much was made of Howey's Internet success. Of course, this suggests another very different sort of interview, along the lines of the many "First Book" interviews I did for NPR. Internet success that leads to a publishing deal is becoming increasing common. The number of "bloggers" whose work goes "viral" and then find a publisher or six waiting at their door is reflected in the pitches I get as a reviewer. But it's not so common in the world of fiction. And Howey's story had a sort of entrepreneurial feel that is even less common.
That left me with a lot of questions for Howey, who is very easygoing and affable. He's well prepared for talking about his book with strangers (I've been told I qualify as strange), as he has been doing so for quite some time now. It was seamless and easy to sit down with Howey, having really enjoyed the sort of old-fashioned feel of his novel. And not surprisingly, he has a great story to tell about how it came to be. I do prepare for my interviews, but also try to leave a few things open, so I can find them out in the interview itself. Happily, Howey had some great surprises for me. You can hear his stories — that of his book and his take on his book — by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
New to the Agony Column
09-18-15: Commentary : William T. Vollman Amidst 'The Dying Grass' : An Epic Exploration of Simultaneity
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with William T. Vollman : "...a lot of long words that in our language are sentences..."
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
