American fiction writer
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Hosted by Ben Fountain
6 episodes with Ben Fountain
3 episodes with Ben Fountain
2 episodes with Ben Fountain
2 episodes with Ben Fountain
2 episodes with Ben Fountain
2 episodes with Ben Fountain
2 episodes with Ben Fountain
2 episodes with Ben Fountain
Ben Fountain, the award winning author of "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk," joined KRLD Business Analyst David Johnson in the CEO Spotlight.
WVBR News Director Jack Donnellan sat down for a second time with author, editor, and publisher Mark Wish. Mark and his wife founded an annual short story anthology, Coolest American Stories, which pushes its contributors to make their fiction as compelling as possible, reminding them that readers crave “unputdownable” storytelling. Mark also served as the Fiction Editor of California Quarterly, was the founding Fiction Editor of New York Stories and a Contributing Editor for Pushcart, and has long been known as the freelance editor who has revised the fiction of once-struggling writers, leading it to land numerous book deals as well as publication in dozens of venues including The Atlantic Monthly, The Kenyon Review, Tin House, Michigan Quarterly Review, The Hudson Review, and Best American Short Stories. His first novel, Confessions of a Polish Used Car Salesman, compared favorably with Huckleberry Finn by the Los Angeles Times back in 1997, went to a second printing one month after publication. Watch Me Go, his third novel, was published by Putnam and praised by Rebecca Makkai, Daniel Woodrell, Ben Fountain, and Salman Rushdie. More than 125 of Mark's short stories have appeared in print venues such as Best American Short Stories, The Georgia Review, TriQuarterly, American Short Fiction, The Antioch Review, Crazyhorse, The Gettysburg Review, Fiction, The Southern Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, New England Review, Barrelhouse, The Yale Review, The Sun, Paris Transcontinental, and Fiction International, and have won distinctions such as the Tobias Wolff Award, the Kay Cattarulla Award, an Isherwood Fellowship, and a Pushcart Prize. The interview aired live on Talk of the Town on WVBR 93.5 FM on Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 3:00 PM. Catch the full Talk of the Town radio show on Saturdays at 3p on WVBR 93.5 FM or at wvbr.com. Follow us on social media! @WVBRFMNews on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. wvbr.com/afterhours
In Episode 171, Rufi Thorpe she joins me to discuss her latest novel, Margo's Got Money Troubles, and her career arc in general. Rufi talks about her inspiration for Margo and the quirky elements she uses to explore deeper topics like loneliness, motherhood, untraditional family dynamics, money, and art — all with a great sense of humor. We also go behind-the-scenes of marketing the book, including cover design, titles, and comparison titles. Plus, Rufi shares her book recommendations! This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights A spoiler-free overview of Margo's Got Money Troubles. Rufi talks about the inspiration for bringing together pro wrestling, OnlyFans, motherhood, a father-daughter story, and the challenges of making ends meet. How Wonder Woman (2017) played a role in creating Margo. Her thoughts on Margo's Got Money Troubles possibly being her breakout book. The challenges of marketing such a complex book, including designing the cover. Rufi's got title troubles: the working titles for a couple of her books! The big questions Rufi addresses in all her work. Some scenes that were cut from earlier versions book. A theme she's exploring in her next book is gossip (which also contains time-travel and thriller elements). The way Rufi and her publisher handles comps for her hard-to-pin-down books. What she learned from an unpublished book she wrote between Dear Fang, With Love and The Knockout Queen. Rufi's Book Recommendations [39:30] Two OLD Books She Loves Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:45] Ordinary Love and Good Will by Jane Smiley | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:45] Two NEW Books She Loves Oye by Melissa Mogollon | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:35] Devil Makes Three by Ben Fountain | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:25] Other Books Mentioned: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain [50:36] One Book She DIDN'T Love The Bee Sting by Paul Murray | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:56] One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About Mad Woman by Chelsea Bieker (Sept 3, 2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [52:09] Other Books Mentioned: God Shot by Chelsea Bieker [52:23] Last 5-Star Book Rufi Read Come and Get It by Kiley Reid | Amazon | Bookshop.org [54:07] Other Books Mentioned: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid [54:24] Other Books Mentioned Dear Fang, With Love by Rufi Thorpe [1:57] The Girls from Corona del Mar by Rufi Thorpe [2:12] The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe [13:49] The Cider House Rules by John Irving [19:53] A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara [30:32] Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong [30:48] The Pisces by Melissa Broder [31:36] Milk Fed by Melissa Broder [31:38] Victim by Andrew Boryga [38:36] About Rufi Thorpe Website | Instagram | X | Facebook Rufi Thorpe received her MFA from the University of Virginia in 2009. Rufi is the author of The Knockout Queen, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, Dear Fang, With Love, and her first novel, The Girls from Corona del Mar, which was long-listed for the 2014 International Dylan Thomas Prize and for the 2014 Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize. A California native, she currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and sons.
The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life
On today's show, Samantha Nickerson interviews the fiction writers Celeste Ng and Ben Fountain!
On Monday's show: Since December, some Houstonians have been experiencing major mail delivery delays, which the Postal Service says may not be resolved anytime soon. Houston Chronicle reporter Peter Warren explains why we're seeing delays here (and not elsewhere) and what it has to do with the post office's long-term plans. Also this hour: Texas writer Ben Fountain talks about what the nation of Haiti has to tell the rest of the world about looming issues that may affect us. Fountain's longtime interest in the history and plight of Haiti has influenced his latest novel, Devil Makes Three, which he discusses at an Inprint event tonight. Then, veterinarian Dr. Lori Teller answers your pet care questions. And we get an update on Houston sports from Jeff Balke.
Sam is just back from Dallas, where he visited Interabang Books and learned of Dallas writer Ben Fountain, and so has his brand-new "Devil Makes Three," instead of a Larry McMurtry book. In the meantime, Hannah has read the new Kelly Link, "The Book of Love," which she is big-time into ("It was so. good."), which leads into a discussion of why we like books about magic, including magic and dragons, like the new "Murtagh," after a quick sidebar on Hannah's twisted ankle. That leads to talk about books on airplanes, books that 17-year-old boys like, the NYT 10 best books of the year, and then the very-well-narrated new Kiley Reid audiobook, "Come and Get It." Sophomore efforts can be difficult, but the book did get Hannah to say "denouement." Finally, a quick note about a great book for family purchases, which leads to a chat about the Newbury Medal-winning "The Eyes & the Impossible," which Sam really liked. Oh, also, George Harrison was kinda weird.
Ben Fountain is the best-selling author of "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" his new novel is "Devil Makes Three." It is about greed, power, and American complicity set in Haiti.
A Ben double feature! First, author Ben Fountain (Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk) joins Daniel Ford on the show to chat about his latest novel Devil Makes Three. Then, Ben Purkert talks with Daniel about his debut novel The Men Can't Be Saved. To learn more about Ben Fountain, visit his official website. Learn more about Ben Purkert by visiting his official website. Writer's Bone is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Mark Cecil's upcoming novel Bunyan and Henry; Or, the Beautiful Destiny.
Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues Ben Fountain, whose latest novel is “Devil Makes Three,” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded at Book Passage Bookstore in Corte Madera. Ben Fountain is the author of one previous novel, “Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2012. His non-fiction book about the 2016 election, “Beautiful Country, Burn Again” was published in 2018. His earlier short stories were collected in “Brief Encounters with Che Guevara,” which won the PEN/Hemingway Award in 2007/ “Devil Makes Three” is a long dense novel set in Haiti in 1992, beginning with the coup that toppled the democratically elected government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and features four main characters: a young CIA agent on her first assignment, an American everyman who runs a dive shop, and a brother and sister from a wealthy family. The young American becomes a favorite of the leader of the coup, who is a scuba fanatic, and the story goes from there. Complete 59-minute Interview Book Interview/Events and Theatre Links Note: Shows may unexpectedly close early or be postponed due to actors' positive COVID tests. Check the venue for closures, ticket refunds, and vaccination and mask requirements before arrival. Dates are in-theater performances unless otherwise noted. Some venues operate Tuesday – Sunday; others Wednesday or Thursday through Sunday. All times Pacific Time. Closing dates are sometimes extended. Book Stores Bay Area Book Festival Event calendar and links to previous events. Book Passage. Monthly Calendar. Mix of on-line and in-store events. Books Inc. Mix of on-line and in-store events. The Booksmith. Monthly Event Calendar. Center for Literary Arts, San Jose. See website for Book Club guests in upcoming months. Green Apple Books. Events calendar. Kepler's Books On-line Refresh the Page program listings. Live Theater Companies Actor's Reading Collective (ARC). See website for past streams. Alter Theatre. See website for upcoming productions. American Conservatory Theatre A Christmas Carol, December 6 -24, Toni Rembe Theater. Aurora Theatre 1984 by George Orwell, adapted by Michael Gene Sullivan, In Theater, November 10 – December 10, Streaming, December 5-10. Felonious Mixtape runs Nov. 30-Dec. 2 and Dec. 7-9. Awesome Theatre Company. See website for upcoming productions. Berkeley Rep Bulrusher by Eisa Davis, October 27 – December 3, 2023, Peets Theatre. Harry Clarke by David Cale, featuring Billy Crudup, Roda Theatre, November 15 – December 23, 2023. Berkeley Shakespeare Company. See website for upcoming productions. Boxcar Theatre. See website for upcoming shows. Brava Theatre Center: See calendar for current and upcoming productions. BroadwaySF: See website for assorted upcoming events in 2023. Disney's The Lion King, November 22 – December 30, Orpheum. Broadway San Jose: Ain't Too Proud, October 31 – November 5. California Shakespeare Theatre (Cal Shakes). See website for events. Center Rep: The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez, November 4 -26, Lesher Center for the Arts. Central Works The Engine of Our Disruption by Patricia Milton, October 14 – November 12. Cinnabar Theatre. The Addams Family, November 17-December 2. The Last Five Years, January 5-21, 2024, Club Fugazi. Dear San Francisco. Open-ended run. Contra Costa Civic Theatre ;Tintypes, October 20 – November 12. Curran Theater: See website for upcoming live events and streaming choices. Custom Made Theatre. Upcoming shows to be announced. Cutting Ball Theatre. Rossum's Universal Robots by Karel Capek, adapted by Chris Steele, October 20 – November 12, Cutting Ball Theatre, 277 Taylor St., SF 42nd Street Moon. Mame, November 2 -19, 2023. Golden Thread ReOrient Festival of Short Plays, October 13 – November 4, 2023. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. Soulful Christmas, December 14-17, Magic Theatre. Magic Theatre. See website for events at the Magic. Saint John Coltrane Church service, Sundays 11 am. Mother/Tongues, based on Sam Shepard and Joseph Chaikin's experimental play, Tongues. November 18, one night only. Marin Theatre Company Dragon Lady written and performed by Sara Porkalob, November 24-December 17. Fall Benefit November 5, 2023. Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts Upcoming Events Page. New Conservatory Theatre Center (NCTC) we are continuous by by Harrison David Rivers, October 20 – November 26. Oakland Theater Project. See website for upcoming events. Pear Theater. In Repertory, November 17 – December 10: District Merchants by Aaron Posner; William Shakespeare's The Land of the Dead by John Heimbuch. PianoFight. Permanently closed as of March 18, 2023. Presidio Theatre. See website for schedule of events and performances. Ray of Light: The Rocky Horror Show, Oasis Nightclub, October 6 – November 4. See website for Spotlight Cabaret Series at Feinstein's at the Nikko. San Francisco Playhouse. Nollywood Dreams by Jocelyn Bioh, September 28 – November 4, 2023. SFBATCO See website for upcoming streaming and in- theater shows. San Jose Stage Company: The Play That Goes Wrong. November 15 – December 10. Shotgun Players. Hedwig and the Angry Inch. October 28 – December 17. South Bay Musical Theatre: A Little Night Music, January 27 – February 17, 2024. The Breath Project. Streaming archive. The Marsh: Calendar listings for Berkeley, San Francisco and Marshstream. Theatre Rhino Group Therapy by Tanika Baptiste, November 9 – December 3, Thursday thru Sunday. Streaming: Essential Services Project, conceived and performed by John Fisher, all weekly performances now available on demand, New performances most Wednesdays. TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, November 29 – December 24, Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto. Word for Word. Citizen by Greg Sarris, October 18 – November 12, Z Below. Misc. Listings: BAM/PFA: On View calendar for BAM/PFA. Berkeley Symphony: See website for listings. Chamber Music San Francisco: Calendar, 2023 Season. Dance Mission Theatre. On stage events calendar. Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Calendar listings and upcoming shows. San Francisco Opera. Calendar listings. San Francisco Symphony. Calendar listings. Filmed Live Musicals: Searchable database of all filmed live musicals, podcast, blog. If you'd like to add your bookstore or theater venue to this list, please write Richard@kpfa.org The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – November 2, 2023: Ben Fountain appeared first on KPFA.
A probing convo on American imperialism as seen from abroad; the rich historical and economic complexity of Haiti; and being a creative late-bloomer; with the great Ben Fountain, discussing his new international thriller Devil Makes Three. A true gentleman of American letters; the entire chat was as fresh as it was compelling. Pre-order Mark Cecil's upcoming novel Bunyan & Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm.
Ben Fountain, whose latest novel is “Devil Makes Three,” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded at Book Passage Bookstore in Corte Madera, October 19, 2023. Ben Fountain is the author of one previous novel, “Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2012. His non-fiction book about the 2016 election, “Beautiful Country, Burn Again” was published in 2018. His earlier short stories were collected in “Brief Encounters with Che Guevara,” which won the PEN/Hemingway Award in 2007/ “Devil Makes Three” is a long dense novel set in Haiti in 1992, beginning with the coup that toppled the democratically elected government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and features four main characters: a young CIA agent on her first assignment, an American everyman who runs a dive shop, and a brother and sister from a wealthy family. The young American becomes a favorite of the leader of the coup, who is a scuba fanatic, and the story goes from there. The post Ben Fountain, “Devil Makes Three,” 2023 appeared first on KPFA.
Ben Fountain's work has received the Los Angeles Book Prize for Fiction, and a Whiting Writers Award, and has been a finalist for the National Book Award and runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. His books include Brief Encounters with Che Guevara, which won the PEN/Hemingway Award and the Barnes & Noble Discover Award for Fiction, and the novel Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, winner of the National Book Critics' Circle Award. His non-fiction book is Beautiful Country Burn Again. His latest novel is Devil Makes Three. We talked about Ben's early exposure to social justice and politics, his history as a traveler to Haiti, protagonists who may or may not stake their claim on their own agency, writing from a female Haitian's point of view, his creative writing process, and Robert Stone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sometimes the release of a new title by a great author is a welcome excuse to explore their previous work. On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review Ben Fountain's latest novel, Devil Makes Three and an earlier, well-loved work Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. Marion Winikwill be in conversation with Ben Fountain on Monday October 9 at 7 pm, at Politics and Prose in DC. All titles available at The Ivy Bookshop and other fine local retailers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
AI book theft; The White Review suspends publication; Amazon is sued; and we welcome writer Ben Fountain to the podcast to discuss his immersive and thrilling new novel, Devil Makes Three.
Wellness by Nathan Hill follows a marriage over decades through a variety of successes, challenges and surprises. Hill joins us to talk about how long it took him to write his novel, describing a realistic marriage, the power of algorithms and more. Ben Fountain's Devil Makes Three brings readers to Haiti in 1991 with a cast of characters ranging from divers looking for shipwrecked treasure to CIA agents navigating a country in the midst of political unrest. Fountain joins us to talk about his connection to Haiti and the research he has done, the unique historical events that provide the backdrop for the novel, his influences and more. Listen in as these authors speak separately with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays). Featured Books (Episode): Wellness by Nathan Hill Devil Makes Three by Ben Fountain The Nix by Nathan Hill A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme Forty Stories by Donald Barthelme Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain Brief Encounters with Che Guevara by Ben Fountain Beautiful Country Burn Again by Ben Fountain The Immaculate Invasion by Bob Shacochis
Last fall, two authors, Ben Fountain, the author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk and Andrew Cryovac, writer of The Sojourn, were interviewed by students Jack Wyant, Isa Ramos, Francesca Nielsen and Madison Featherstone.
Sergio Troncoso graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and has two graduate degrees from Yale. He is a Fulbright scholar, president of the Texas Institute of Letters and teaches at the Yale Writers' Workshop. He is the author of Nobody's Pilgrims, a novel about three teenagers escaping the United States-Mexico border and pursued by evil which Ben Fountain called a “superb novel.” Nobody's Pilgrims won the 2022 Gold Medal for Best Novel - Adventure or Drama in English at the International Latino Book Awards. Book Reviews: Publishers Weekly called his first book, “The Last Tortilla and Other Stories”, “Richly satisfying.” “A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son”, his latest book, is a collection of linked short stories on immigration which Junot Díaz called “a masterwork.” “From This Wicked Patch of Dust”, which Kirkus Reviews named one of the best books of 2012 in a starred review. The novel also won the Southwest Book Award. “Crossing Borders: Personal Essays”, it won the Bronze Award for Essays from Foreword Reviews. “The Nature of Truth”, hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “impressively lucid.” Books: Nobody's Pilgrims Get the book on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3mLcV9S ASIN: 1947627414 Nepantla Familias: An Anthology of Mexican American Literature on Families in between Worlds Get the book on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3aZ45CE ASIN: 1947627333 A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son Get the book on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3HoyWEY ASIN: 1623499631 About the Show The Writers Corner has been a water cooler for authors since July 2018. The show is broadcast live so readers are able to engage with the authors in real time. The weekly talk show is 30 minutes long and give you some insight into the author's journey and/or details about the book you would otherwise not have known. It is a family friendly show and authors range from New York Times Best Selling Authors to debut authors. About the Show Hosts Bridgetti Lim Banda Bridgetti is an Author, Talk Show Host, on Camera Confidence Coach and Executive Producer who offers Livestreaming as a Service (LaaS). She helps business owners host live events, e.g. town halls, talk shows, brand awareness campaigns and fireside chats. Mary Elizabeth Jackson Mary Elizabeth Jackson is a special needs and disabilities advocate, ghost writer and award-winning author. Her latest release is Cheers from Heaven with Thornton Cline. #WritersCorner #BLiveMedia #WritersNetwork #WritingCommunity #WritersLife #TheConversation #Ad #SergioTroncoso --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/blivemedia/message
The original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad's creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was partly a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women's bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don't know yet—but should.
The original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad's creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was actually a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women's bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don't know yet—but should. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad's creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was partly a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women's bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don't know yet—but should.
The original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad's creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was partly a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women's bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don't know yet—but should.
The original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad's creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was partly a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women's bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don't know yet—but should.
The original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad's creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was partly a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women's bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don't know yet—but should.
The original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad's creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was partly a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women's bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don't know yet—but should.
Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk among other works, talks about storytelling, the role Dallas plays in his writing and his sense of this city as an essence of America.
Playwright Tom Stoppard famously said, “It's not the voting that's democracy; it's the counting”. And in the US, the counting continues to affirm Joe Biden as the next president.
Chi vincerà, Trump o Biden? Chi sarà il prossimo presidente degli Stati Uniti?Ne abbiamo parlato con Marta Dassù (direttore The Aspen Institute Italia), Gigi Donelli (caporedattore Radio 24), Mario Dal Pero (docente di Storia della politica estera americana a SciencePo, Parigi), Ben Fountain (autore di "America Brucia Ancora", premio Pen/Hemingway), Woodrow Johnston (stratega repubblicano del Nevada per McShane, Las Vegas) e Dante Atkins (stratega democratico per Atkins Strategies, Washington DC).
When you Absofreakinglutely love your craft you spend hours honing and perfecting it, Duy, loves his work, it’s obvious from the magnificent covers he created. If you're wondering what covers I'm referring to, you must've been under a rock for the past few weeks. I first became familiar with Duy's when Pricilla Jackson posted a sample of his work. it was instantly clear and to me that he loved craft. Duy created decades worth Runner's World Magazine covers on Korea Town's Running Club Page . Why? Why would Duy create Runner's World Magazine covers for random strangers? Well, Duy understads the importance of representation. A few years ago, Duy had an opportunity to cover Run Across Haiti and like Ben Fountain, the author of Brief Encounters with Che Guevara, he kept returning to the country-after his first trip he fell in love with running. When he returned to Korea Town he started a running club. Oh yeah I haven't mentioned my Ko-fi page. The launching of my Ko-fi page is me embracing my talents, this is me walking in my purpose, this is me taking the leap, acknowledging that what I'm doing is providing a valuable service for the audience, the guest and the sponsors. BTW Podcast is a business. I took the leap 4years ago to drive for Uber/Lyft Full-time, so I could have the flexibility to devote to building BTW Podcast. Ko-fi is platform that will allow entrepreneurs/business owners to sponsor an episode PRE, MID or POST roll, it also allows you to buy me a cup of coffee. Today's episode is brought to you by Komfort-Zone LLC Thanks for accompanying my on this ride. Leave a voicemail to let us know how were doing and receive a shout out in a future episode. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/derek-oxley/support
What if instead of dropping off our stereos, cocktail sets and coffee tables, all those sleek white vans that sneak through our streets took our possessions away? You might call them "Recovery Operations," imagines Ben Fountain, the award-winning author of Billy Flynn's Long Halftime Walk, and most recently, Beautiful Country Burn Again. In a time of national crisis, isn't giving up your 800-thread-count sheets in the name of shared sacrifice the least you can do?Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini. Hosted by Ashley C. Ford. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosts Jen O'Neill Smith and Sally Brooks start the episode with quickies about a tiny house wedding and a giant male member. Then Jen tells the sad and crazy story of the murder of Jane Bashara. Sally sparks inspiration with the love story of author Ben Fountain and attorney Sharon Fountain. They end the episode talking about sad things (Jen's sweet dog, Miles and the murder of George Floyd) and things they love (good friends and comedian Sam Evan's new album, Sweet Baby Boy).Join Dumb Love on PatreonSee pictures from this episode!Contact Dumb Love dumblovepod@gmail.comFollow Dumb Love:Instagram, Facebook, Twitterdumblovepodcast.comLinks from this episode:Demand Justice for George Floyd in Harpers BazaarMalcolm Gladwell "Late Bloomers" in the New YorkerBuy Ben Fountain's books on Indiebound.orgBuy Sam Evan's new album, Sweet Baby Boy
Negli Stati Uniti, il Super Bowl è uno degli eventi più attesi dell’anno. È la finale del campionato di football, lo sport più popolare del paese, che replica nelle sue complicate e spesso violente dinamiche alcuni dei miti fondanti dello spirito americano: la conquista, la frontiera, la difesa del proprio territorio, la forza, il sacrificio individuale, la lotta collettiva. Oltre alla partita, altri rituali celebrano e raccontano l’America: il canto dell’inno, l’halftime show, gli spot ideati per le pause pubblicitarie, l'omaggio all'esercito. Tutti questi momenti ai limiti del religioso, però, non sono fissi, intoccabili: anno dopo anno raccontano la contemporaneità che l’America sta vivendo, si adattano, si arricchiscono, si rafforzano e riescono così a mantenere tutta la loro potenza, a fare davvero parte della vita degli spettatori. Viviamo il Super Bowl attraverso gli occhi del protagonista del romanzo "È il tuo giorno Billy, Lynn!" di Ben Fountain: non gli occhi di un giocatore, ma quelli di un soldato che partecipa alla cerimonia in qualità di eroe di guerra. La puntata è stata realizzata con il supporto di Rum Zacapa e prodotta dalla Good Luck Factory di Thomas Guiducci. Fa parte del progetto www.lamcmusa.com.
Ben Fountain is far more than just the author of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, which won RTB hearts and minds (and the National Book Award) long before it became a weird Ang Lee movie. What is consoling and engaging the author of the best novel about America’s dismal experience in Iraq? American novels, especially … Continue reading "33 RTB Books in Dark Times 9: Ben Fountain (JP)"
Ben Fountain is the author of the novel Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, winner of the National Book Critics' Circle Award and a finalist for the National Book Award. Fountain traveled across the country during Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign in an effort to document that political and social disaster as it took place in real time. The result is his most recent book Beautiful Country Burn Again. Fountain shares how he is trying to remain focused and grounded in these maddening and surreal days of the Trump Pandemic. He also explains that Trump is so powerful and alluring for his followers because the Great Leader is one of the greatest con men in American history. Ben Fountain warns that America will need a second Great Reconstruction if it is to have any hope of remaining a democracy after the damage done by the Trump regime. Chauncey DeVega reflects on the human zoo that is Trump's white supremacy-white privilege anti-public health and safety pandemic “protests” in Michigan and other parts of the United States. And Chauncey DeVega shares some hidden history about what Donald Trump really meant by his suggestion that people should inject detergent and other toxic cleaning products into their bodies to fight his pandemic. Hint: it involves “feminine hygiene” and Lysol. SELECTED LINKS OF INTEREST FOR THIS EPISODE OF THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW Trump Disinfectant Comments Trigger Manufacturers to Warn People Against Injecting Themselves With Cleaning Products The Secret Life of Vintage Lysol Douche Ads Lysol Used to be Advertised as a Feminine Hygiene Product and Birth Control Trump Received Intelligence Briefings On Coronavirus Twice In January Republican-led states signal they could strip workers' unemployment benefits if they don't return to work, sparking fresh safety fears Nursing ranks are filled with Filipino Americans. The pandemic is taking an outsized toll on them WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: chaunceydevega@gmail.com Leave a voicemail for The Chauncey DeVega Show: (262) 864-0154 HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow Please subscribe to and follow my new podcast The Truth Report https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-truth-report-with-chauncey-devega/id1465522298 http://thetruthreportwithchaunceydevega.libsyn.com/ Music at the end of this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show is by JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound. You can listen to some of their great music on Spotify.
It started as a short story in grad school, but Gabriel Urza kept coming back to what would eventually be his novella THE WHITE DEATH: AN ILLUSION. He talks to James about feeling like a child in the face of magic, having trouble extricating past from present, portraying the ambiguity of the supernatural, working through your problems when writing, and reading that's like eating a bag of chips. Plus, Tyler Glauz-Todrank from Bear Pond Books in Montpelier, VT on fall releases. - Gabriel Urza: http://gabrielurza.com/ Buy THE WHITE DEATH: AN ILLUSION: http://nouvellabooks.com/the-white-death-by-gabriel-urza/ Gabriel and James discuss: Charles Dickens ANGELS & DEMONS by Dan Brown Kurt Vonnegut The Ohio State University "Fantasy for Eleven Fingers" by Ben Fountain the Magic Castle "Eisenheim the Illusionist" by Steven Millhauser Jeff Mcbride Mt. Hood Sewanee Writers' Conference Bread Loaf Writers' Conference Annie Hartnett Hannah Tinti Loch Ness Claire Vaye Watkins THE THIRD HOTEL by Laura van den Berg PALE FIRE by Vladimir Nabokov Deena Drewis - Tyler Glauz-Todrank Bear Pond Books, Montpelier, VT: https://www.bearpondbooks.com/ Tyler and James discuss: BUNNY by Mona Awad: Buy BUNNY Bear Pond Books Rivendell James Baldwin WHO KILLED MY FATHER by Edouard Louis trans. by Lorin Stein: Buy WHO KILLED MY FATHER New Directions Press LIE WITH ME by Philippe Besson trans. by Molly Ringwald: Buy LIE WITH ME LOT: STORIES by Bryan Washington: Buy LOT THE WORD FOR WOMAN IS WILDERNESS by Abi Andrews: Buy THE WORD FOR WOMAN IS WILDERNESS Two Dollar Radio HARD MOUTH by Amanda Goldblatt: Buy HARD MOUTH GRAND UNION: STORIES by Zadie Smith: Buy GRAND UNION IN THE DREAMHOUSE: A MEMOIR by Carmen Maria Machado: Buy IN THE DREAM HOUSE Graywolf Press RED AT THE BONE by Jacqueline Woodson: Buy RED AT THE BONE NOTHING TO SEE HERE by Kevin Wilson: Buy NOTHING TO SEE HERE TUNNELING TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH by Kevin Wilson: Buy TUNNELING TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH THE FAMILY FANG by Kevin Wilson: Buy THE FAMILY FANG AN AMERICAN SUNRISE by Joy Harjo: Buy AN AMERICAN SUNRISE Ben Lerner ON SWIFT HORSES by Shannon Pufahl: Buy ON SWIFT HORSES OUT OF DARKNESS, SHINING LIGHT by Petina Gappah: Buy OUT OF DARKNESS, SHINING LIGHT Scribner EYES BOTTLE DARK WITH A MOUTHFUL OF FLOWERS by Jake Skeets: Buy EYES BOTTLE DARK WITH A MOUTHFUL OF FLOWERS Richard Avedon Milkweed Editions HUNGER MOUNTAIN HOMIE by Danez Smith: Buy HOMIE HOW WE FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES by Saeed Jones: Buy HOW WE FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES Simon & Schuster Maggie Nelson WE THE ANIMALS by Justin Torres: Buy WE THE ANIMALS EROSION: ESSAYS OF UNDOING by Terry Tempest Williams: Buy EROSION: ESSAYS OF UNDOING MAKE IT SCREAM, MAKE IT BURN: ESSAYS by Leslie Jamison: Buy MAKE IT SCREAM MAKE IT BURN YEAR OF THE MONKEY by Patti Smith: Buy YEAR OF THE MONKEY CONFESSIONS OF THE FOX by Jordy Rosenberg: Buy CONFESSIONS OF THE FOX - http://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK Instagram: tkwithjs / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/
Ben Fountain is the author of the novel Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, winner of the National Book Critics' Circle Award and a finalist for the National Book Award. Fountain traveled across the country during Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign in an effort to document that political and social disaster as it took place in real time. The result is his most recent book Beautiful Country Burn Again. Fountain explains the deep and burning rage in America from a lack of hope and limited dreams which in turn helped to spawn Trumpism, why Trump's deplorables love him so, and how America's democracy went so wrong. Fountain also highlights how the Democratic Party shares no small amount of responsibility for Trump's reactionary movement because they succumbed to neoliberalism and abandoned American workers to the gangster capitalists. On this week's show Chauncey DeVega says what must be said about (now private citizen) Robert Mueller: he is a coward and not a hero. Chauncey also warns the public that Trump and his personal bodyguard and human shield William Barr are and will be collecting receipts against their enemies such as journalists and reporters who dare to tell the truth about this regime. SELECTED LINKS OF INTEREST FOR THIS EPISODE OF THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW Billionaires! Bill Moyers Talks To Author Ben Fountain About Trump's Triumph Last week, Trump nearly knocked out democracy: Can it still be saved? Corporations paid $91 billion less in taxes in 2018 under Trump's tax law Alien Sightings Overshadowed by 3-Day Weekend Barr Is Cool With the FBI Spying on Any American Except Trump 2020 Candidates Call for Impeachment in Response to Mueller's Press Conference In Terrifying Interview, William Barr Goes Full MAGA Study Finds Trump Tax Cuts Failed to Do Anything But Give Rich People Money IF YOU ENJOYED THIS WEEK'S SHOW YOU MAY LIKE THESE EPISODES OF THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW AS WELL Ep. 223: Eddie Glaude Jr on The Age of Trump vs The Black Freedom Struggle Ep. 218: What Type of a White Person Do You Want to Be? Ep. 210: Donald Trump is Responsible for the Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre and the "MAGA Bomber" Ep. 209: Chris Hedges Explains How America is a Diseased Society and Donald Trump is the Symptom Ep. 190: Black Genius and Childish Gambino's "This is America" WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: chaunceydevega@gmail.com Leave a voicemail for The Chauncey DeVega Show: (262) 864-0154 HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow Music at the end of this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show is by JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound. You can listen to some of their great music on Spotify.
This week on #StrangeDays, we cover the crisis in Venezuela with WLRN (South Florida NPR station) Americas Editor Tim Padgett, who covers Latin America and the Caribbean, and Venezuelan-born South Florida political consultant Maurizio Passariello. After that, we return to our fascinating interviews from the #MiamiBookFair with Thomas Frank, author of Rendezvous from Oblivion, and Ben Fountain, author of Beautiful Country Burn Again. But WAIT! There’s more… David Cay Johnston, author of “It's Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America” rounds out our show. Buckle up and enjoy! Buy Thomas Frank’s “Rendezvous with Oblivion: Reports from a Sinking Society”: https://amzn.to/2GedSDJ Buy Ben Fountain’s “Beautiful Country Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion, Revolution”: https://amzn.to/2MIJ5jx Buy David Cay Johnston’s: “It’s Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration is Doing to America”: https://amzn.to/2MHqwMr Become a Patreon subscriber to get access to our exclusive bonus interviews: www.patreon.com/strangedays
The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life
This week has Miami Book Fair International conversations with Ben Fountain,Celeste Ng, and Gary Shteyngart! Ben Fountain and beverages in the Confucius Institute at Miami Dade College. TEXTS DISCUSSED
When a novelist turns reporter, you don't get journalistic cliches or more of the pack consensus. Ben Fountain is unsparing of both political parties as he reports on the presidential campaign of 2016. In “Beautiful Country Burn Again,” he finds the seeds of an “existential crisis.” Meantime, a question out of American mythology for president Trump: whatever happened to George Washington's promise never to tell a lie?
In conversation with Dick Polman, "Writer in Residence" at the University of Pennsylvania, national political columnist at WHYY News and contributor to The Atlantic Ben Fountain is the author of The New York Times bestseller Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, ''a bracing, fearless and uproarious satire of how contemporary war is waged and sold to the American public'' (San Francisco Chronicle). It won the National Book Critics Circle Award, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and was adapted by Ang Lee into a popular film. He is also the author of the PEN/Hemingway Award-winning Brief Encounters with Che Guevera. Exploring America's current existential crisis through wide-reaching reportage, Fountain's new essay collection Beautiful Country Burn Again narrates the shocking and polarizing events of the 2016 American presidential election. Watch the video here. (recorded 10/15/2018)
Today we share AudioFile Magazine’s list of the 2018 Best Nonfiction & Culture Audiobooks. Listen in as we discuss these audiobook winners and share a sound clip from one of the best of the year, Ijeoma Oluo’s SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE, narrated by Bahni Turpin. AudioFile Magazine’s Best Nonfiction & Culture Audiobooks of 2018 BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY BURN AGAIN by Ben Fountain, read by Ron Butler, published by Harper Audio I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK by Michelle McNamara, read by Gabra Zackman, Gillian Flynn [Intro.], Patton Oswalt [Afterword], published by Harper Audio SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE by Ijeoma Oluo, read by Bahni Turpin, published by Blackstone Audio THE DEATH OF TRUTH by Michiko Kakutani, read by Tavia Gilbert, published by Random House Audio THE HAPPINESS CURVE by Jonathan Rauch, read by Robert Fass, published by Macmillan Audio WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? by Marilynne Robinson, read by Carrington MacDuffie, published by Blackstone Audio Explore ALL of the audiobooks in AudioFile’s Best of the Year Ezine with sound clips and narrator videos at https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/bestof/. On today’s episode are Robin Whitten, Founder and Editor, and Michele Cobb, Publisher at AudioFile Magazine. We are giving away audiobooks from Libro.FM, Audiobooks.com, and Downpour on Twitter — visit us there at @audiofilemag and look for the #podcast for your chance to download your picks from our Best Of lists. For more free audiobook recommendations, sign up for AudioFile Magazine’s newsletter. Support for Behind the Mic comes from Grammy Award-winning publisher Hachette Audio, home to works by James Patterson, JK Rowling, Joel Osteen, David Sedaris, David Baldacci, Elin Hilderbrand, Michael Connelly, and many more bestselling audiobooks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to the first episode of Bookin', presented by Quail Ridge Books! In this episode, we welcome Ben Fountain, who is discussing his new book Beautiful Country Burn Again. Autographed copies of Beautiful Country Burn Again are available at Quail Ridge Books while supplies last.
Ben Fountain writes with equal opportunity vexation, trying to make sense of what we're doing in our lives, in his new book Beautiful Country Burn Again.
Alan Greenspan has argued that the essence of American capitalism is creative destruction. That our tolerance for change, for the new, for being willing to replace incumbents, even when painful, is the essence of what has moved the US to become, in a mere 400 years, the most powerful economic engine on the planet. However, With respect to our governance, we have not been as tolerant or as flexible. We have clung to ideas and systems that have changed only under the most dire circumstances. The civil war changed us, but not entirely...The great depression changed us, but again, not entirely...just listen to Mitch McConnell last week looking to shred the social safety net. As for the present, Donald Trump did not deliver all the problems we face today. He merely exploited them….just as demagogues often do. And so as we once again face a huge disconnect between the reality of the world...a world of global integration, social and economic dislocation and division, siloed and self-reinforcing news and information, and a governmental system unattuned and unresponsive. All of this can’t help but leaveBen Fountain has examined this world from the first volleys of the 2016 election, right up until today. His observations are in his new work Beautiful Country Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion, and Revolution whole groups of people behind. Author and journalist My conversation with Ben Fountain:
Join us this Wednesday as we speak with Ben Fountain
Ben Fountain, whose latest book, “Beautiful Country, Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion and Revolution” details the 2016 presidential campaign through essays, some of which were previously published in a different form in The Guardian, is interviewed by host Richard Wolinsky. Ben Fountain is primarily a fiction writer, the author of the best-selling novel, “Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk” and the story collection, “Brief Encounters with Che Guevara.” In this interview, he discusses elements of the 2016 election, including how the Democrats have chosen to abandon the New Deal, Trump's success as a demagogue, the failure of the press during the election, along with the arc of his career as a writer. The post Ben Fountain: Beautiful Country, Burn Again appeared first on KPFA.
We continue our 2018 Miami Book Fair series with lawyer turned acclaimed author Ben Fountain and his new book, Beautiful Country Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion and Revolution“. Fountain argues that the United States is in the middle of an existential crisis akin to the Civil War or the Great Depression that will require a “burning” of the old order for a new America to emerge.
Ben Fountain stopped by the podcast to talk with us on his visits to Haiti, his inspiration for his award winning book “Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk”, and his time […]
Ben Fountain stopped by the podcast to talk with us on his visits to Haiti, his inspiration for his award winning book "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk", and his time following candidates in the 2016 election, which became the subject of his new book "Beautiful Country Burn Again". Enjoy the show?! Please leave us a review right here. Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com Leave us a voicemail at 860-598-0570. We might even play it on the podcast!!! Not a contributor on Patreon? You're missing out on amazing bonus content! Sign up to be one of our contributors today! www.patreon.com/fortressonahill A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh, Will Ahrens, and Gage Counts!! Without you guys, we couldn't continue our work. Thank you so much!!! Not up for something recurring like Patreon, but want to give a couple bucks?! Visit Paypal.me/fortressonahill to contribute!! Facebook - Fortress On A Hill Twitter - Fortress On A Hill Soundcloud - Fortress On A Hill FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris 'Henri' Henrikson and Danny Sjursen Intro / outro music "Fortress on a hill" written and performed by Clifton Hicks. Be sure to check out Clifton's Bandcamp page and Clifton's Patreon page Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
A sermon on Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29 preached by Youth Pastor Ben Fountain on Palm Sunday, April 9th, 2017.
On our newest episode we speak with author Ben Fountain whose novel was the basis for the Ang Lee film Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.
Ang Lee's latest film, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, stars British actor Joe Alwyn as 19-year-old private Billy Lynn, who is caught on camera saving a comrade and, after the video goes viral on YouTube, becomes a pin-up for the war in Iraq. Through a sequence of flashbacks the realities of the war are revealed in contrast with the public's distorted perceptions of heroism. Kirsty talks to Ben Fountain, the novelist on whose book the film is based, and Joe Alwyn who was offered the part whilst still in drama school.Widely acclaimed as a central figure of the Bloomsbury Group, the modernist painter, Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) was a pivotal player in 20th century British art, but her reputation as an artist has long been overshadowed by her family life and romantic entanglements. Dulwich Picture Gallery in London seeks to rectify that with the first major solo exhibition of her work. Its curator, Sarah Milroy, shows Kirsty around.To mark the centenary of the Russian Revolution, Front Row has asked figures from the arts world to select the art work, inspired by the events of 1917, they most admire. Tonight writer, comedian and lifelong Russophile, Viv Groskop selects a poem by Anna Akhmatova.We remember sitcom writer Alan Simpson who has died at the age of 87. As one half of writing duo Galton and Simpson, the pair created sitcoms including Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe and Son.Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Edwina Pitman.
As he prepares to follow up his novels A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME and THIS DARK ROAD TO MERCY, Wiley Cash tells James how touring, independent booksellers, and sales reps worked together to make him a success. They talk about Southern fiction, writing about place, and the subject of his next book, due out Fall 2017. Then, past guests give recommendations for 2016. Wiley and James discuss: The Odyssey Bookshop BEAUTIFUL RUINS by Jess Walter BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK by Ben Fountain BRIEF ENCOUNTERS WITH CHE GUEVARA by Ben Fountain Thomas Wolfe Charles Chesnutt Nat Sobel (agent) CRAB ORCHARD REVIEW ELLEN FOSTER by Kaye Gibbons TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee I AM ONE OF YOU FOREVER by Fred Chappell Ernest Gaines Clyde Edgerton Jill McCorkle Woody Guthrie Ella May Wiggins Pete Seeger James Fenimore Cooper Frank Norris - Sarah Domet Recommends: SHOUTING WON'T HELP by Katherine Bouton THE NIX by Nathan Hill THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS by Laurie Frankel - Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes Recommends: QUEEN OF THE NIGHT by Alexander Chee HERE COMES THE SUN by Nicole Dennis-Benn THE WINTERLINGS by Cristina Sanchez-Andrade LAND OF LOVE AND RUINS by Oddny Eir MARGARET THE FIRST by Danielle Dutton - Jesse Donaldson Recommends: THE FAR EMPTY by J. Todd Scott BUTCHER'S CROSSING by John Williams LONESOME DOVE by Larry McMurtry HOMEGOING by Yaa Gyasi BORN TO RUN by Bruce Springsteen THE GIFT by Lewis Hyde - Howard Axelrod Recommends: MOBY DICK by Herman Melville THE WEST WING (tv show) - Laura van den Berg Recommends: WHAT IS YOURS IS NOT YOURS by Helen Oyeyemi WE SHOW WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED by Clare Beams THE UNFINISHED WORLD by Amber Sparks - Mona Awad Recommends: HAGSEED by Margaret Atwood IN-BETWEEN DAYS by Teva Harrison THE VEGETARIAN by Han Kang - Daniel Torday Recommends: Rebecca Curtis's short stories including "The Christmas Miracle" GET IN TROUBLE by Kelly Link FOR THE TIME BEING by Annie Dillard - http://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK Instagram: tkwithjs / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/
Join us this Wednesday as we speak with award-winning author Ben Fountain
Five years ago, the Boston Bruins won their sixth Stanley Cup. In this episode, Mike Miccoli and Ben Fountain reminisce on what it was like living through the Bruins' improbable championship run in 2011 as a fan and a media member. Mike & Ben discuss superstitions, watch parties, and their thoughts on championship parades.
In this episode, Mike Miccoli and Ben Fountain are joined by friend and Radiohead superfan Jared Cain to talk about the band's latest, A Moon Shaped Pool. The three discuss whether its a glorified B-side album, if there's a right or wrong way to listen to it, and where it ranks among other Radiohead releases.
In this episode, Mike Miccoli and Ben Fountain try to fix the WWE in 30 minutes or less. The ideas? Less RAW, more Network, a new title, and...an NCAA-like tournament of 32 for the WWE Championship. Let's get weird.
Ben Fountain is the author of Brief Encounters with Che Guevara and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. He has received the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Barnes & Noble Discover Award for Fiction, and a Whiting Writers' Award, among other honors and awards. He and his family live in Dallas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Regular co-host Randy is back and there is much rejoicing. We discussed BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK by Ben Fountain and HOPE FLOATS starring Sandra Bullock. We also had time to cover JESSICA JONES, MASTER OF NONE, SPY, MOM, and YOU'RE THE WORST. And right out of the gate, Randy has a correction: There was a disconnect between my brain and my mouth, which I blame on the cold medicine I was taking. I DO know the differences between "single-cam" and "multi-cam". YOU'RE THE WORST is obviously a single-cam sitcom, not a multi-cam sitcom. And when I say "I'm kind of over multi-cam sitcoms", I should have said "I'm kind of over single-cam sitcoms."
The Lone Reader; one librarian talks about the books he reads. A rarity, a successful war satire. Billy Lynn is a soldier in Bravo Company, captured on film by Fox news in a chaotic firefight with Iraqi insurgents. Bravo wins a boatload of medals and is dispatched across country in a "victory tour" to shore up American opinion about the war. The book's setting is during the final surreal event of the tour, a cold Thanksgiving Day football game in Dallas Texas, as the Bravos are feted as heroes by the Dallas Cowboys fans and brass. Music: Back Porch Banjo Stand, by Eric Kanold Time: 0:02:19 Size: 2.12Mb
The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience
Multiple New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink stopped by The Writer Files to chat about his secrets for getting words onto the page. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! Mr. Pink is the author of five provocative titles on the subjects of business, work, and human behavior — including To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others — and has written for The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Sunday Telegraph, Fast Company, and Wired. In addition to having one of the most viewed TED talks of all time — “The puzzle of motivation” — Dan recently hosted and co-executive produced the TV series “Crowd Control” for the National Geographic Channel. In this file Daniel Pink and I discuss: Why You Should Never Check Email Before You Write The Effectiveness of Word Count Quotas Why the Adage “Butt-in-Chair” Really Works How to Structure Your Writing Schedule to Beat “Resistance” The Author’s Exhaustive Reading Recommendations His Fantasy Chipotle Table Guests And Why You Need to Get Over Yourself and Get to Work Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes http://www.danpink.com/ Dan Pink’s TED talk: “The puzzle of motivation” Crowd Control on National Geographic Channel Daniel Pink on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter The Transcript How Bestselling Author Daniel Pink Writes Voiceover: This is Rainmaker.FM, the digital marketing podcast network. It’s built on the Rainmaker Platform, which empowers you to build your own digital marketing and sales platform. Start your free 14-day trial at RainmakerPlatform.com. Kelton Reid: These are The Writer Files, a tour of the habits, habitats, and brains of working writers, from online content creators to fictionists, journalists, entrepreneurs, and beyond. I’m your host Kelton Reid: writer, podcaster, and mediaphile. Each week, we’ll find out how great writers keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid writer’s block. Multiple New York Times bestselling author, Daniel Pink stopped by The Writer Files to chat about his secrets for getting words onto the page. Mr. Pink is the author of five provocative titles on the subjects of business, work, and human behavior, including To Sell Is Human, The Surprising Truth About Moving Others. He’s also written for The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Sunday Telegraph, Fast Company, and Wired. In addition to having one of the most viewed TED Talks of all time, The Puzzle of Motivation, Dan recently hosted and co-executive produced the TV series Crowd Control for the National Geographic Channel. In this File, Daniel and I discuss why you should never check email before you write, the effectiveness of word-count quotas, whether the adage ‘butt-in-chair” really works, how to structure your writing schedule to beat resistance, and why you need to get over yourself and get to work. If you enjoy The Writer Files podcast, please do me a favor and leave a rating or a review in iTunes to help other writers find us. Thanks for listening. Dan, thanks so much for agreeing to come on The Writer Files and update your file. Daniel Pink: I’m happy to be here. Actually, I thought that this was The Rockford Files. Kelton Reid: I think that’s been off the air. Daniel Pink: I thought it’d be so cool. I’m going to be on The Rockford Files. I thought that show was off the air. Kelton Reid: Now that you know that you’re not on The Rockford Files, would you like to update your writer file? Daniel Pink: Sure, why not. Kelton Reid: Absolutely. Let’s talk about you the author. For listeners who may not know you or your work, who are you, and what is your area of expertise as a writer? Daniel Pink: Who am I? I am Daniel Pink. I am a middle-aged white man who lives in Washington, D.C. For the last 18 years, I have been working for myself and mostly centered around writing books. The books tend to be about business, work, and human behavior. Kelton Reid: Where can we find your writing? Daniel Pink: You can find it at your local library, in your favorite online or offline bookstore. You can find it online at DanPink.com. Kelton Reid: What are you presently working on, Dan? Daniel Pink: I am working on anticipating your next question. No, I’m not. Actually, believe it or not, Kelton, I am in the throes of trying to write a few book proposals to see which is the next book I want to write. Kelton Reid: To see which one sticks? Daniel Pink: Yeah. Here’s the thing. Even though I’ve been doing this for a fairly long time, I still try to write fairly thorough proposals before I launch into a book. That’s less for the publisher than it is for me. It offers me a way to stress test the idea to see whether I’m interested in it, to see whether it holds up, to see whether I want to spend the next two years working on this kind of thing. That’s what I’m doing right now. I’m actually writing multiple proposals just to see which one or ones feel the best. Kelton Reid: Yeah, technically this is what nonfiction writers do to get the ball rolling there. Actually, listeners may not know that you are also a TV producer. Daniel Pink: Well, barely, yeah. Kelton Reid: TV producer is code for also writer. Were you writing your National Geographic show as well? Daniel Pink: A little bit of it. What I was doing more than anything else was actually helping conceive the segments, figure out the segments, lay them out. Also, the way that we did the show required a lot of on-the-fly decisions. For the handful of listeners who didn’t see every episode of the show, Crowd Control, I should point out that the show was a really great show on National Geographic. We did 12 episodes of a series where we took problems out there in the world, things like people speeding, people jaywalking, people parking in disabled spaces, kids peeing in pools. Then, using social science and some cool design technology, we would put a solution in place, turn on our cameras, and see what happened. A lot of the ‘producing’ was actually on the fly where we do the experiment and see how people reacted. You had to figure out, “Okay, what’s going on here? How are we going to cover this?” and so forth. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Thinking on your feet quite a bit. Daniel Pink: Yeah. Kelton Reid: Very cool. When you’re getting ready to launch into a bigger writing project, how much time would you say per day that you’re researching or reading about your topic? Why You Should Never Check Email Before You Write Daniel Pink: It really depends. My process, generally, for a nonfiction book, is to begin with a skeletal outline. It depends on how I’m doing the research. If it’s research that involves reading a lot of papers and so forth, that’s one thing. If it involves doing actual reporting where you’re going out interviewing people, watching stuff happening, that’s another story. In the reporting and research phase, I like to spend, where I can, most of the workday on it. Kelton Reid: Before you sit down to actually get clacking there, do you have any pre-game rituals or practices that get you in the mode? Daniel Pink: Pre-game rituals, no. What I will do many times is I’ll check my email just to make sure that there isn’t something urgent. That’s always a really bad idea. You just go down the rabbit hole of useless email. In terms of do I say any prayers, have rosary beads, or spin three times on my desk, I don’t do anything like that. I just open the door and put my butt in the chair. Kelton Reid: Very nice. Do you write every day when you’re working on something big? The Effectiveness of Word Count Quotas Daniel Pink: When I’m working on something big, I do. When I’m working on a book or it’s at that stage where I’ve done enough research, where I feel like I’ve more or less mastered a lot of the material and can move on to executing it, I actually think of it as bricklaying where I’ll come to my office, show up in my office at a certain time, like say 9:00. I’ll set myself a word count for the day. Let’s say 500 words. I will then turn off my phone, turn off my email, and then I will do nothing, truly nothing, until I hit my word count. If I hit my word count at 11:00 in the morning, hallelujah. If it’s 2:00 in the afternoon and I still haven’t hit my word count, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll cancel meetings and cancel phone calls in the afternoon if it takes me till. 8:00 in the evening, which it actually has unfortunately. I won’t do anything else. Kelton Reid: Got you. Is your most productive locale your office there that we’ve seen pictures of? Daniel Pink: Ah, yes, the beautiful Pink Ink world headquarters, which is a refurbished garage behind my house in Washington, D.C. That’s where the magic happens. Kelton Reid: Are you a writer who can listen to music while you write, or do you prefer silence? Daniel Pink: I can listen to music when I run or exercise. That’s it, or just listening to music for the sake of listening to music. I actually have the exact opposite view when I write. I have these little foam earplugs that I sometimes will put in just in case some imaginary sound is out there. I also even now have noise-canceling headphones that I will wear. I like silence. That way I can tune in more accurately to my own anguish. Kelton Reid: I like that. Are you someone who believes in writer’s block? Why the Adage ‘Butt-in-Chair’ Really Works Daniel Pink: No. I think writer’s block is a crock. I really do. I think that most writers agree with that. Writer’s block is for amateurs. Get your butt in the seat, and get to work. Kelton Reid: Let’s talk about your workflow. What hardware or typewriter are you using there in the garage? Daniel Pink: I’ve moved beyond typewriters, fortunately. Here’s what I’ve got in the setup. I’m looking at it right now. I have both a MacBook Air laptop and a 21-inch screen, maybe 25-inch screen iMac. I use my laptop, my Air for a lot of things. I actually will write books or even articles on the iMac. I don’t know why I do that. Because the screen is so big, I can put up a lot of stuff. The other thing that it does is it does fix me in place. Even though the files exist in Dropbox, I could do it anywhere. There’s something about that fixedness of coming to the same spot every single day, looking at the same screen every single day that helps me do stuff. Kelton Reid: What do you find in your workflow your most used software for writing and staying organized? Daniel Pink: For writing, I have made a dramatic leap into 1996 by using Word, although, as I said before, Dropbox is my co-pilot. I’ve become so reliant on putting everything in Dropbox. I have, though, being a modern guy, I’ve started to use Evernote a little bit. I can easily get by with Word and Dropbox. Kelton Reid: Your crucial outlining, that’s part of your organizational method. Do you have any other hacks, or are you a Post-it note guy at all? Daniel Pink: You know what I am? It’s interesting. It’s interesting to me because it’s about me. I’m not sure it’s interesting to anybody else. I use what I refer to as an — and this is a term of art — big-ass stickies, which are these giant Post-it notes. I prefer the graph paper versions of them. There’s something about graph paper that I love. It just makes me feel like I’m imposing some order on a world moving toward entropy or something. I don’t use whiteboard. I will use these big-ass stickies and put them all over my office. I like to write on stuff. I like to outline. I like to see it. I like to see stuff. I face a window, but if I turn my chair around, there’s a wall of cabinets. When I was writing this book, To Sell Is Human, I would have various outlines and things there. Sometimes, it sounds bizarre, but it actually works for me. Sometimes I will just turn my chair and look at the outlines, just look at them, and let it simmer a little bit. For me, seeing that stuff on the walls is really helpful. Kelton Reid: Do you have any best practices for beating procrastination? I know you’ve mentioned it. Are you someone who leans into the procrastination? How to Structure Your Writing Schedule to Beat ‘Resistance’ Daniel Pink: Yeah, I think that I and many people, most writers face what Steven Pressfield calls the ‘Resistance’ every single day. All of the forces of the universe are conspiring to make you stop writing. I think that what helps beat procrastination is as weird as it is, is a structure. When I go to sleep the night before, I know what I’m doing that next morning. I’m writing 500 words. I don’t want to get to the office, turn on my computer and say, “Huh, what should I do today? Should I type in ESPN.go.com and spend an hour there, or should I write 500 words? Hmmm, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll do the ESPN thing.” I don’t want to have that. I want to have the structure to say, “The choice is made for me. Here’s what you do.” That’s how I beat procrastination. Kelton Reid: Nice. Daniel Pink: Sometimes procrastination wins. Procrastination is a ferocious opponent. Kelton Reid: Well put. At the end of a long day, how do you unplug? Daniel Pink: I’m a pretty boring guy. I don’t really do all that much, Kelton. My wife and I have three kids. I actually spend a lot of time, compared to maybe some other people, I like to spend time with my family. I just like talking to them, hanging out with them. That’s one thing that I do. Especially when I’m writing, I try to run every day if I possibly can. When we’re done here today, I will go for a run, probably go faster because I’m so exhilarated by talking about myself. I like to eat good food and drink good wine. Because I’m on the verge of being an old man, I like to listen to baseball on the radio. Kelton Reid: Very nice. Daniel Pink: I basically just ensured that no one would ever want to hang out with me. Voiceover: Just a quick pause to mention that The Writer Files is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and online entrepreneurs. Find out more and take a free 14-day test drive at Rainmaker.FM/Platform. Kelton Reid: Let’s talk about creativity a little bit. I know in your work creativity is a big part of getting into … a lot of what you talk about involves storytelling and even though you talk about social behavior and psychology, can you define creativity in your own words? How Dan Defines Creativity, Sans a Muse Daniel Pink: Creativity is giving the world something it didn’t know it was missing. That’s my favorite definition. I think that the definition originally came from Paola Antonelli at the Museum of Modern Art. Kelton Reid: When do you personally feel the most creative? Daniel Pink: Aside from right now? Kelton Reid: Yes. Daniel Pink: Yeah, when do I feel the most creative? It’s weird. I actually sometimes feel the most creative when I’m in motion, whether I’m running or traveling somewhere. I get a lot of good ideas when I’m in motion. Kelton Reid: I’ve had many of guests actually mention that they get a lot of work done on the plane. Do you find that phenomenon as well? Daniel Pink: I can’t write on planes. I probably could if I had to. I don’t like writing on planes. It’s just not the right environment for me for whatever weird idiosyncrasies. I can focus pretty intently on planes. I can edit on planes. I’ll edit pages. This is just another just really exciting facet of my life. I will sometimes batch my email and spend an airplane ride answering 70 emails. Kelton Reid: Circling back to our friend who talks about Resistance, do you have a creative muse? Daniel Pink: No, come on. I’m a bricklayer who happens to use a computer. Do people really give you a serious answer to that? Kelton Reid: I don’t know. Daniel Pink: I’m serious. Come on, do people say, “Oh yes, my creative muse is named Daphne and she appears to me in the corner of my office every day at 8:00.” Kelton Reid: Sure. Daniel Pink: Come on. Kelton Reid: It probably should be redacted. Daniel Pink: No, I like it. It’s basically a test to see who’s full of it and who’s not. I think if the answer is yes, you should cease the interview. Kelton Reid: This interview’s over so, in your opinion, what makes a writer great? Daniel Pink: That’s an interesting question. What makes a writer great? I think it’s the ability to look at something that other people have looked at and see something entirely different, if that makes any sense. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Daniel Pink: I think that’s part of it. I also think it’s the ability to linger in somebody’s mind long after the encounter is over. I think that’s a mark of a really good writer. Kelton Reid: Do you have some favorite authors at the moment? Dan’s Exhaustive Reading Recommendations Daniel Pink: Gazillions of them. I think there’s so many, so many, so many good writers out there. I think that you can learn from lots of them. I would have to give you not an exhaustive, but just a gigantic, massive list. For instance, Michael Lewis, the guy’s unbelievably good. It’s irritating how good he is. He’s really just extraordinary. I would put Michael Lewis on the top of any list. Katherine Boo, who is a journalist, I think she’s extraordinary. I like the short story writer, novelist sometimes, Edgar Keret, Israeli guy, who writes these super short, iddy biddy short stories. I like the Japanese novelist Haruki Muraukami. I like Junot Diaz. I love Colson Whitehead, another novelist. In my world, I also like Malcolm Gladwell. Some people think it’s uncool, but I think he’s awesome. I like sheer business writers like Seth Godin and Tom Peters. My favorite novel in the last decade is a book called Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by a guy named Ben Fountain. I like Phillip Roth. I like Toni Morrison, those kind of legendary writers. I like George Pelecanos, a local guy who writes. I like Adam Kilgore, who’s a sports writer for The Washington Post. I used to love reading Gary Smith’s stuff in Sports Illustrated. I think that Derek Thompson at The Atlantic is one of the best young writers around. There’s so many, so many great people. There’s so many. Kelton Reid: You share a lot of great quotes in your work and in your speaking. Can you share maybe a best loved quote that floats to the top right now? Daniel Pink: That floats to the top. I like the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote that says, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.” I like that. Also, there’s a great Viktor Frankl quote. Viktor Frankl says, “Live as if you were already living for a second time and as if you had made the mistakes you are about to make now.” I think that’s incredibly good advice. Kelton Reid: Absolutely. Let’s do a couple of fun questions next. Daniel Pink: I thought the first ones were fun. Kelton Reid: Good. I shouldn’t preface it like that. Who is your favorite literary character? Daniel Pink: Favorite literary character, it’s going to be weird because he’s just so deranged. I would say Nathan Zuckerman from the Phillip Roth Zuckerman novels. Please do not, listeners, impute any psychological meaning to that. Kelton Reid: That’s right. Daniel Pink: I just love his level of derangement and his obsessiveness. Also, I like the fact that Roth was able to carry him through multiple books. Kelton Reid: If you could choose one author from any era for an all-expense paid dinner to your favorite spot, where would you go, and who would you take? Dan’s Fantasy Chipotle Table Guests Daniel Pink: Just one? Kelton Reid: I’m sorry. Well, in your case, you can bring two. Daniel Pink: Yeah, I’m going to break this rule a little bit. I actually have an answer to that. It doesn’t quite conform to the structure that you’re giving me. I say this in all seriousness. If it were somehow metaphysically possible, I would like to sit down with Mohammed, Buddha, and Jesus. I would make sure that I had my voice recorder, maybe even iPhone video to record the whole thing. I think it would be a great documentary. I think it would be an awesome book, too. The reason for that is that if you think about writers, thinkers, philosophers, whatever you want to call them, who had a long-reaching affect, those guys did. There are people out there who still care about Jesus, and still care about Mohammed, and still care about Buddha. We like to think, “Oh, Shakespeare had such a great influence.” Jesus has about 1,600 years on him. Kelton Reid: Interesting. Where would this meal take place? Daniel Pink: It’s got to be Chipotle. Can you imagine, just walk into Chipotle with Jesus, Mohammed, and Buddha? Those guys, I’d feel chagrined taking them to a fancy restaurant. It’d be antithetical to a lot of what they stand for. I think we’re going to Chipotle. Kelton Reid: I can only imagine the faces of the other diners at Chipotle. Hopefully I won’t make a political crack there. Do you have a writer’s fetish at all? Daniel Pink: What do you mean by a writer’s fetish? Kelton Reid: It could be metaphorical. It could be something physical. Daniel Pink: I get it now. Believe it or not, I use pencils. I really like using pencils for editing. I hate mechanical pencils. I think mechanical pencils are Satan’s creation. I like regular old pencils that I sharpen. I use those for almost everything that I do at my desk. Kelton Reid: Cool. Who or what has been your greatest teacher? Daniel Pink: My mistakes, no question. Kelton Reid: Can you offer any advice to fellow writers on how to keep the ink flowing and the cursor moving? Why You Need to Get Over Yourself and Get to Work Daniel Pink: There’s a theme to this. It’s the same thing, which is basically get to work. Get over yourself. Get to work. Sit in the chair, and start working. If the ink isn’t flowing or the cursor’s not moving, maybe take a walk or something like that, but otherwise, make it move. Again, it’s like the question about the muse. If you’re waiting for the muse to strike you, you’re going to be there for a long time. That cursor’s going to be blinking forever. Kelton Reid: I want listeners to remember that the muse question is really the disqualifier. Daniel Pink: It’s the disqualifier for this. Kelton Reid: Where can fellow scribes connect with you out there? Daniel Pink: Fellow scribes, you can connect with me on the website DanPink.com. I spend more time than should on Twitter where my handle is @DanielPink. Those are two good ways to reach me or find out what’s going on. I do an email newsletter. It’s an irregular and irreverent email newsletter that I do just to stay in touch with readers, that lists maybe some tips that I’ve learned over the years, or stuff that I’m reading that I like. Kelton Reid: I am signing up for that as we speak. Daniel Pink: Thank you. Kelton Reid: Thank you so much for coming on The Writer Files and updating your file. I’m a big fan. I look forward to seeing your latest and greatest. Hopefully, we’ll see your face some more on television as well. Daniel Pink: We’ll see. I appreciate it. These are fun questions. For the print version of what you do, I like reading other people’s answers, too. It’s really interesting. I’m surprised that some people take themselves more seriously than I think that they should. Other people give some really, really great insight into what it’s like. I also think that there would be some insight in somebody going through a lot of your interviews and finding the common themes. Kelton Reid: Absolutely. Daniel Pink: If someone were to go through the interviews and say, “What are the common themes among all the people you talk to?” I think that would be fascinating. Kelton Reid: Yeah, definitely. I will also remind the listeners that the transcripts from all of the shows are posted to the website, WriterFiles.FM, shortly after the interview goes live out there in the world. You can actually find all of the printed versions of these. They are edited as well, so they actually spell things correctly. Daniel Pink: Wow. Kelton Reid: Yes, I’m telling you. Thanks again, Dan. I really appreciate your time. Daniel Pink: All right, appreciate it. Thanks, Kelton. See you later. Kelton Reid: Cheers. Thank you for tuning in to The Writer Files. Get your butt back in the saddle. For more episodes of The Writer Files and all of the show notes, or to leave us a comment, or a question, simply drop by WriterFiles.FM. You can always chat with me on Twitter @KeltonReid. Cheers. See you out there.
Valley Fever (Farrar Strauss Giroux) A razor-sharp, cross-generational tragicomedy set in California's wine-soaked Central Valley. Ingrid Palamede never returns to places she's lived in the past. For her, "whole neighborhoods, whole cities, can be ruined by the reasons you left." But when a breakup leaves her heartbroken and homeless, she's forced to return to her childhood home of Fresno, California. Back in the "real" wine country, where grapes are grown for mass producers like Gallo and Kendall-Jackson, Ingrid must confront her aging parents and their financial woes, soured friendships, and blissfully bad decisions. But along the way, she rediscovers her love for the land, her talent for harvesting grapes, and a deep fondness and forgiveness for the very first place she ever left. With all the sharp-tongued wit of her first novel, Rules for Saying Goodbye, Katherine Taylor examines high-class, small-town life among the grapes--on the vine or soaked in vodka--in Valley Fever, a blisteringly funny, ferociously intelligent, and deeply moving novel of self-discovery. Praise for Valley Fever: “Valley Fever goes straight to the heart of it: How are we supposed to live? How to jump through those hoops of fire known as love and work and family, and hopefully emerge with body and soul more or less intact. Or even--dare I say it?--to come through with some measure of peace in ourselves. Katherine Taylor's unflinching novel takes on the big stuff, and does so with an empathy and insight that reward the closest reading. This superb book succeeds on every level." – Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk “In Katherine Taylor's stirring and sneakily capacious novel, what begins as a family romance widens out to be nothing less than a portrait of the knotty, complicated relationship between land and the people who make it their life's work to nurture and sometimes exploit it. Heartbreak comes in the form of relentless heat, ravaging dust, and a perfect grape left to wither on the vine, and the undoing of a once proud family vineyard becomes as potent a tale of love and betrayal as any I've recently read. Taylor's prose is sharp, rueful, hilarious and crackling with life. Her characters' raw, unsentimental affairs with one another and with the earth they till will stay with you long after you've left the book's pages behind.” – Marisa Silver, author of Mary Coin Katherine Taylor is the author of the novels Valley Fever and Rules for Saying Goodbye. Her stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Elle, Town & Country, ZYZZYVA, The Southwest Review and Ploughshares, among other publications. She has won a Pushcart Prize and the McGinnis Ritchie Award for Fiction. She has a B.A. from University of Southern California and a master's degree from Columbia University, where she was a Graduate Writing Fellow. Katherine lives in Los Angeles. Matthew Specktor is the author of the novels American Dream Machine and That Summertime Sound. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, GQ, the Paris Review, Tin House, The Believer, and numerous other periodicals and anthologies. He is a founding editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books.
In our third episode we begin the show discussing Steve Martin’s autobiography “Born Standing Up” with comedian Dan Van Kirk, looking into the incredible career of the legendary comedian. We also delve into the art and challenges of stand up comedy, the improvised stand up show “Set List”, audience dynamics, and how fame and popularity change everything. Next, we get a visit from a “Helicopter Mom” in New Canaan Conn., Julia Ballentine Peter, who tells us how a children’s book by James Patterson of ‘Alex Cross’ fame, “Treasure Hunters”, got her daughter Nel, 8, to fall in love with reading. It turns out that’s something he’s passionate about, and he has a great website called readkiddoread.com that promotes reading for kids and does lots of great work. Next, we talk to comedian Doug Dixon about a fascinating non-fiction book, “How We Got To Now: Six innovations That Made the Modern World” - by Steven Johnson. Based on the television series of the same name, hosted by Steven Johnson of the same person, seen on BBC2 and PBS. It’s an amazing multi-media project about innovation and how things change our world in surprising ways. Read it or watch it, you can choose! (You’re probably gonna watch it, aren’t you?) This project reminds me of another multi-media project I love, The Big History Project, a collaboration between Bill Gates and David Christian that’s about, well, everything. I highly recommend checking it out. It’s fun, easy, and informative. We wrap it up with a timely selection from Raj Desai, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk”: by Ben Fountain. Currently being made into a movie by Ang Lee, this provocative novel leads us into a great discussion about late bloomers, heroes, Raj’s hometown of Arlington Tx., Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, a young Alan Arkin, Malcolm Gladwell, The Dallas Cowboys, and so much more. Enjoy! Related Links https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdoQ5XwLxb4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Van_Kirk https://www.bighistoryproject.com/home http://video.pbs.org/program/how-we-got-now/ http://www.readkiddoread.com
Jeremy Paxman and Mary Beard argue heatedly and entertainingly about the books they love, with presenter Harriett Gilbert acting as referee. Jeremy's choice is Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain: a rollercoaster of a novel that's been called the Catch-22 of the Iraq War. The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon Davis is classicist Mary Beard's recommendation. It's a depiction of French peasant life that's been described as even greater than the film of the same story. Travels with my Aunt, a genuinely funny novel by Graham Greene, is Harriett Gilbert's contribution.
The Betrayers (Little Brown and Company) Please welcome back to Skylight Books David Bezmozgis, the award-winning author of Free World and Natasha and Other Stories. His latest, The Betrayers is a compact saga of love, duty, family, and sacrifice from a rising star whose fiction is "self-assured, elegant, perceptive . . . and unflinchingly honest" (New York Times) These incandescent pages give us one fraught, momentous day in the life of Baruch Kotler, a Soviet Jewish dissident who now finds himself a disgraced Israeli politician. When he refuses to back down from a contrary but principled stand regarding the settlements in the West Bank, his political opponents expose his affair with a mistress decades his junior, and the besieged couple escapes to Yalta, the faded Crimean resort of Kotler's youth. There, shockingly, Kotler comes face-to-face with the former friend whose denunciation sent him to the Gulag almost forty years earlier. In a whirling twenty-four hours, Kotler must face the ultimate reckoning, both with those who have betrayed him and with those whom he has betrayed, including a teenage daughter, a son facing his own moral dilemma in the Israeli army, and the wife who once campaigned to secure his freedom and stood by him through so much. Stubborn, wry, and self-knowing, Baruch Kotler is one of the great creations of contemporary fiction. An aging man grasping for a final passion, he is drawn inexorably into a crucible that is both personal and biblical in scope. In prose that is elegant, sly, precise, and devastating in its awareness of the human heart, David Bezmozgis has rendered a story for the ages, an inquest into the nature of fate and consequence, love and forgiveness. The Betrayers" is a high-wire act, a powerful tale of morality and sacrifice that will haunt readers long after they turn the final page. Praise for The Betrayers“The Betrayers is a moral thriller in the tradition of Bernard Malamud, but the generosity, grace, and wisdom of the writing belong entirely to David Bezmozgis. The magic of fiction is that it makes the reader care deeply about imaginary strangers, and Bezmozgis is a magician.”—Aleksandar Hemon, National Book Award finalist for The Lazarus Project “This outstanding novel definitively establishes David Bezmozgis as one of the foremost writers of his generation.”—Ben Fountain, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk “This unforgettable novel squanders no words in its brilliant, deft depictions of love, of memory, of compassion—and, ultimately, despite its title, of loyalty.”—Edith Pearlman, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award forBinocular Vision David Bezmozgis moved from Latvia to Canada at the age of six. After studying English literature at McGill University and fine arts at the Southern California School of Cinema-Television, he created his first documentary in 1999, entitled L.A. Mohel, capturing the busy lives of three mohels (Jewish ritual circumcisers) in Los Angeles. His debut short story collection, Natasha and Other Stories, won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book and was nominated for a Governor General's Award. Bezmozgis is currently a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.
Several programs are working to provide solutions in mental health training & treatment. Researchers are developing new ways to treat & manage chronic pain. And author Ben Fountain talks about his new book.
California (Little Brown and Company) A former Skylight staffer comes home to read from her much anticipated debut novel! You might recognize this book is you're a regular viewer of The Colbert Report -- this is the novel Sherman Alexie and Stephen Colbert recommended on the June 3 show! (You can pre-order it from us, too. Just click the Add to Cart button below.) The world Cal and Frida have always known is gone, and they've left the crumbling city of Los Angeles far behind them. They now live in a shack in the wilderness, working side-by-side to make their days tolerable in the face of hardship and isolation. Mourning a past they can't reclaim, they seek solace in each other. But the tentative existence they've built for themselves is thrown into doubt when Frida finds out she's pregnant. Terrified of the unknown and unsure of their ability to raise a child alone, Cal and Frida set out for the nearest settlement, a guarded and paranoid community with dark secrets. These people can offer them security, but Cal and Frida soon realize this community poses dangers of its own. In this unfamiliar world, where everything and everyone can be perceived as a threat, the couple must quickly decide whom to trust. A gripping and provocative debut novel by a stunning new talent, California imagines a frighteningly realistic near future, in which clashes between mankind's dark nature and deep-seated resilience force us to question how far we will go to protect the ones we love. Praise for California “In her arresting debut novel, Edan Lepucki conjures a lush, intricate, deeply disturbing vision of the future, then masterfully exploits its dramatic possibilities.” —Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize winner “An expansive, full-bodied and masterful narrative of humans caught in the most extreme situations, with all of our virtues and failings on full display: courage, cowardice, trust, betrayal, honor and expedience. The final eighty pages of this book gripped me as much as any fictional denouement I've encountered in recent years....I firmly believe that Edan Lepucki is on the cusp of a long, strong career in American letters.”—Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk “Edan Lepucki is the very best kind of writer: simultaneously generous and precise. I have long been an admirer of her prose, but this book—this book, this massive, brilliant book—is a four-alarm fire, the ambitious and rich introduction that a writer of her caliber deserves. I can't wait for the world to know what I have known for so many years, that Edan Lepucki is the real thing, and that we will all be bowing at her feet before long.” —Emma Straub, author of Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures “A stunning and brilliant novel, which is a wholly original take on the post-apocalypse genre, an end-of-the-world we've never seen before and yet is uncomfortably believable and recognizable. By turns funny and heartbreaking, scary and tender, beautifully written and compulsively page-turning, this is a book that will haunt me, and that I'll be thankful to return to in the years to come. It left me speechless. Read it, and prepare yourself.” —Dan Chaon, author of Await Your Reply “It's tempting to call this novel post-apocalyptic, but really, it's about an apocalypse in progress, an apocalypse that might already be happening, one that doesn't so much break life into before and after as unravel it bit by bit. Edan Lepucki tells her tale with preternatural clarity and total believability, in large part by focusing on the relationships—between husband and wife, brother and sister, parent and child—that are, it turns out, apocalypse-proof. Post-nothing. California is timeless.”—Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore Edan Lepucki is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a staff writer for The Millions. Her short fiction has been published in McSweeney's and Narrative magazine, and she is the founder and director of Writing Workshops Los Angeles.
The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made (Simon & Schuster) Join us tonight for a very special event as we, along with cast and crew, step inside The Room, the movie Patton Oswalt referred to as "modern-day Plan 9 From Outer Space." As part of tonight's event we'll be celebrating the release of the audiobook version of The Disaster Artist and will be screening a special behind-the-scenes, making-of documentary together with cast members Juliette Danielle (LISA),Kyle Vogt (PETER), and Robyn Paris (MICHELLE) and camera operator Joseph Setele. A can't miss event from a movie that redefines the term "cult classic." In 2003, an independent film called "The Room"--starring and written, produced, and directed by a mysteriously wealthy social misfit named Tommy Wiseau--made its disastrous debut in Los Angeles. Described by one reviewer as "like getting stabbed in the head," the $6 million film earned a grand total of $1,800 at the box office and closed after two weeks. Ten years later, it's an international cult phenomenon, whose legions of fans attend screenings featuring costumes, audience rituals, merchandising, and thousands of plastic spoons. Hailed by "The Huffington Post" as "possibly the most important piece of literature ever printed," "The Disaster Artist" is the hilarious, behind-the-scenes story of a deliciously awful cinematic phenomenon as well as the story of an odd and inspiring Hollywood friendship. Greg Sestero, Tommy's costar, recounts the film's bizarre journey to infamy, explaining how the movie's many nonsensical scenes and bits of dialogue came to be and unraveling the mystery of Tommy Wiseau himself. But more than just a riotously funny story about cinematic hubris, "The Disaster Artist is one of the most honest books about friendship I've read in years" ("Los Angeles Times)." Praise for The Disaster Artist "Finally, a hilarious, delusional, and weirdly inspirational explanation for the most deliciously awful movie ever made."--Rob Lowe, actor and author of Stories I Only Tell My Friends "A great portrayal of hopefuls coming to Los Angeles to pursue their ambitions, and an even greater examination of what it means to be a creative person with a dream and trying to make it come true….In so many ways. Tommy c'est moi."– James Franco, VICE.com "The Disaster Artist has to be one of the funniest, most deliciously twisted tales I have ever read. This extraordinary book is many things: a guide on how to succeed, sort of, in Hollywood; a life lesson in the virtues of deaf, dumb, and blind persistence; a very surreal variation on the archetypal American story of the immigrant dream. But at its heart lies the story of a deep and abiding friendship that survives against all odds, and the insanely bizarre film that stands as proof."--Ben Fountain, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk "The Disaster Artist doesnt just answer the question: How do awful cult movies get made? It also reminds us how confusing, hilarious, and wonderful it is to be in your 20s, and why youre glad you dont have to do it twice. Its like a wonderfully weird mash-up of a contemporary Candide and Sunset Boulevard.--Joel Stein, author of Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity "One of the worst movies of all time has spawned one of the most entertaining books I've read in years. It's a happy ending worthy of Hollywood."--A. J. Jacobs, author of Drop Dead Healthy Greg Sestero is an actor, producer, and writer. He was born in Walnut Creek, California and raised between the San Francisco Bay Area and Europe. He is fluent in both French and English. At the age of 17, Greg began his career in entertainment by modeling in Milan for such designers as Valentino and Armani. Upon returning to California, Greg went onto pursue acting and appeared in several films and television shows before co-starring in the international cult phenomenon The Room. Greg's many passions include film, sports, nutrition, animals, and traveling Tom Bissell is the author of Chasing the Sea, Extra Lives, Magic Hours, God Lives in St. Petersburg and the winner of the Rome Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He writes frequently for Harper's and The New Yorker. Originally from Escanaba Michigan, he now resides in Los Angeles.
Fourth of July Creek (Ecco) Smith Henderson, author of one of the most anticipated debut novels of the season, discusses his work with novelist Brian McGreevy (Hemlock Grove). In this shattering and iconic American novel, PEN prize-winning writer, Smith Henderson explores the complexities of freedom, community, grace, suspicion and anarchy, brilliantly depicting our nation's disquieting and violent contradictions. After trying to help Benjamin Pearl, an undernourished, nearly feral eleven-year-old boy living in the Montana wilderness, social worker Pete Snow comes face to face with the boy's profoundly disturbed father, Jeremiah. With courage and caution, Pete slowly earns a measure of trust from this paranoid survivalist itching for a final conflict that will signal the coming End Times. But as Pete's own family spins out of control, Pearl's activities spark the full-blown interest of the F.B.I., putting Pete at the center of a massive manhunt from which no one will emerge unscathed. Praise for Fourth of July Creek: “This book left me awestruck; a stunning debut which reads like the work of a writer at the height of his power…Fourth of July Creek is a masterful achievement and Smith Henderson is certain to end up a household name.”—Philipp Meyer, New York Times bestselling author of The Son “Fourth of July Creek knocked me flat. This gorgeous, full-bodied novel seems to contain all of America at what was, in retrospect, a pivotal moment in its history...Smith Henderson has delivered nothing less than a masterpiece of a novel."—Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk “Fourth of July Creek cannot possibly be Smith Henderson's first book. Its scope is audacious, its range virtuosic, its gaze steady and true. A riveting story written in a seductive and relentlessly authentic rural American vernacular, this is the kind of novel I wish I'd written.”—Claire Vaye Watkins, author of Battleborn “Fourth of July Creek is an astonishing read. The writing is energetic and precise. Henderson has a mastery of scale that allows this particular place and these particular people to illuminate who we are as Americans...I could not recommend this book more highly.”—Kevin Powers, bestselling author of The Yellow Birds “Tremendously satisfying—think Daniel Woodrell's Winter's Bone...or Jimmy McNulty...set...in...another kind of violent American wilderness...[a] mesmerizing accomplishment. I cannot think of a finer first novel; it's hard, in fact, to think of a finer second, third, or fourth one, either.”—Antonya NelsonSmith Henderson was born and raised in western Montana. His family were in the timber industry, ranching, and other trades, but he was the first to go to college, earning a Classics degree. He worked with traumatized children for a few years, and briefly as prison guard. He took writing jobs where he could find them, until he was admitted to the MFA program at the University of Texas. His short fiction has appeared in a variety of journals and been anthologized in the Pushcart Prize Anthology. In 2011 he was the Philip Roth Resident and Bucknell University and won the Emerging Writer Award in Fiction from the PEN Foundation. Brian McGreevy is the author of Hemlock Grove, which was adapted into a Netflix series of the same name. He is also a founding partner of the production company El Jefe, with multiple film and television projects in development. A former James Michener Fellow in fiction at the University of Texas, he currently lives in Los Angeles.
Football and the Iraq war come together in Ben Fountain’s novel, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, a portrait of fictional war heroes during a “victory tour” in 2004. The disco trio discusses the books insights on war, class, and politics. Not to mention Fountain’s mastery of his craft. But first, it’s Bookshelf Roulette, which brings up important questions such as, why do all fantasy novels take place in England? Who in the world still has personalized license plates? And, what WAS the plot of Marilynne Robinsons’ novel Housekeeping? (Seriously, does anybody remember? Please email us.) Click here to purchase from an independent bookseller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lee Boudreaux is the guest. She is the editorial director at Ecco Press and has worked with a long list of notable authors, including Stephen King, David Wroblewski, Alissa Nutting, Patrick DeWitt, and Ben Fountain. Monologue topics: mail, strange mail, Whole Foods, marriage, parenthood, using your words. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
MARY COIN (Blue Rider Press) In her first novel since "The God of War, " critically acclaimed author Marisa Silver takes Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" photograph as inspiration for a breathtaking reinvention--a story of two women, one famous and one forgotten, and of the remarkable legacy of their singular encounter. In 1936, a young mother resting by the side of a road in Central California is spontaneously photographed by a woman documenting the migrant laborers who have taken to America's farms in search of work--little personal information is exchanged and neither has any way of knowing that their chance encounter has produced the most iconic image of the Great Depression. Three vibrant characters anchor the narrative of "Mary Coin" Mary, the migrant mother herself, who emerges as a woman with deep reserves of courage and nerve, with private passions and carefully-guarded secrets. Vera Dare, the photographer wrestling with creative ambition who makes the choice to leave her children in order to pursue her work. And Walker Dodge, a present-day professor of cultural history, who discovers a family mystery embedded in the picture. In luminous, exquisitely observed prose, Silver creates an extraordinary tale from a brief moment in history, and reminds us that though a great photograph can capture the essence of a moment, it only scratches the surface of a life. Mary Coin is quite simply one of the best novels I have read in years . . . In her portrayal of a time in American history when survival was often a day-to-day thing, Silver drills down to the absolute essentials: family, love, loss, the perpetual uncertainty of life. Again and again I found myself wondering: How does she know that? Silver's wisdom is rare, and her novel is the work of a master.--Ben Fountain, author of the 2012 National Book Award finalist "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Marisa Silver is the author of two novels, The God of War (a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist) and No Direction Home, and two story collections, Alone With You and Babe in Paradise (a New York Times Notable Book and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year). Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Best American Short Stories, and the O. Henry Prize Stories. Silver lives in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times book critic David L. Ulin authored The Myth of Solid Ground: Earthquakes, Prediction, and the Fault Line Between Reason and Faith and The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Are So Important in a Distracted Time. Photo by Bader Howar THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS ON APRIL 6, 2013 COPIES OF THE BOOK FROM THIS EVENT CAN BE PURCHASED HERE: http://www.skylightbooks.com/book/9780399160707
Sam Lipsyte is the guest. His new story collection, The Fun Parts, is now available from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. Ben Fountain raves "Lipsyte expertly works the line between hilarity and pathos." And Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, says “In this second story collection, fierce satire mingles with warmth and pathos as Lipsyte (The Ask) showcases his knack for stylistic variety and tangles with the thorny human experiences of moving beyond one’s past or shedding one’s personal baggage . . . Lipsyte’s biting humor suffuses the collection, but it’s his ability to control the relative darkness of each moment that makes the stories so engrossing.” Monologue topics: mountain rescue, urban heroism, mail, ménage-á-trois clarifications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
North Carolina native Ben Fountain has been honored with many awards for his writing and his book of short stories Brief Encounters with Che Guevara won widespread critical praise, but he has never published a novel == until now. "Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk" already is being called the next great American novel and he talks to DG Martin about the book and its rich characters.
Mariella Frostrup talks to Ben Fountain about his satirical Iraq War novel Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. Siri Hustvedt discusses her latest book, a collection of essays about her own life: Living, Thinking, Looking. Tom Tivnan, Features and Supplements Editor for The Bookseller, explains the world of internet book sales. And in conjunction with the British Library's Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands exhibition, we continue our series exploring how writers have been inspired by the landscape.
Pushcart and O. Henry Prize-winner Ben Fountain talks about heroes, war, and street language in his new novel.
Ben Fountain is the guest. He is the author of the debut short story collection Brief Encounters with Che Guevara (Harper Perennial), which won him the PEN/Hemingway Award. And now he has published his first novel, entitled Billy Lynn's Long ... Continue reading → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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