Podcast appearances and mentions of Jim Shepard

Jim Shepard reads his story “The Queen of Bad Influences,” from the June 16, 2025, issue of the magazine. Shepard, a winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story, is the author of thirteen books of fiction, including the novels “The Book of Aron” and “Phase Six” and the story collection “The World to Come.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In this episode, Jim Shepard and Frank Bealer from Generis share their journey of transforming church generosity, raising over $7 billion while emphasizing discipleship over fundraising. We explore how the seeker-friendly movement reshaped church giving, shifting from traditional models to contemporary approaches, and the impact on discipleship. You'll also learn strategies to engage Millennials and Gen Z in giving, backed by Barna research and real success stories. Tune in for insights on nurturing year-round generosity and fostering spiritual growth within your congregation.To learn more about Generis, please visit https://generis.com/

From childhood memories to global aspirations, every plunge counts in the fight against ovarian cancer. Dive into our latest episode with Jim Shepard to learn more!#MakingWaves #GOSHpodcastBio: Meet Jim Shepard. The co-chairs of Plunge for the Cure. The Plunge for the Cure Foundation is a registered Canadian charity that was established to raise funds for drug and treatment development targeting ovarian cancer. Jim initiated the foundation motivated by a family member's diagnosis and the alarming five-year survival rate of under 40 percent.  The foundation's focal point is an annual event held on the last Sunday in May, where individuals and teams engage in fundraising and take part in celebrating the arrival of summer by plunging into the water. These funds are directed towards the world-renowned UBC/VGH research facilities in Vancouver.   The episode aims to spotlight ovarian cancer issues, sharing the inspiring stories and efforts of individuals like Jim Shepard. Their collective goal is to increase awareness and improve outcomes for ovarian cancer, making a meaningful impact in the ongoing fight against this challenging disease. Resources:Plunge for the Cure Foundation website - https://www.plungeforthecure.com/ _For more information on the Gynecologic Cancer Initiative, please visit https://gynecancerinitiative.ca/ or email us at info@gynecancerinitiative.ca   Where to learn more about us:  Twitter – @GCI_Cluster Instagram – @gynecancerinitiative Facebook – facebook.com/gynecancerinitiative

On this episode we talk to an Emmy-award winning writer from “The Daily Show.” We talk to a writer from “How I Met Your Mother,” one from “Parks and Recreation,” one from “Veep,” and one from the deeply under appreciated “Bored to Death.” We also reconnect with a friend from our high school with the singing voice of an angel. And my word! It's all the same person! We are thrilled to introduce you to the brilliant Rachel Axler, who has brought along her teacher from her days at Williams College, award-winning author, Jim Shepard.

"In terms of what I'm writing, I'm always trying to make myself a more interesting human being. And so that means I'm coming across these human dilemmas where I'm like what would it have been like to be in that position? And that snags my emotional imagination. I do think that literature is all about extending the empathetic imagination. And so I'm always looking to educate myself in emotional terms, too. Because I'm very interested in the way we respond in those situations where it feels like we both have responsibility, and we don't have responsibility."How can literature help us extend our empathic imaginations? How can writing and reading expand our curiosity and compassion for people in situations distant from our own?Jim Shepard is the author of seven previous novels, most recently The Book of Aron (winner of the 2016 PEN New England Award, the Sophie Brody medal for achievement in Jewish literature, the Ribalow Prize for Jewish literature, the Clark Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Esquire, Tin House, Granta, Zoetrope, Electric Literature, and Vice, and has often been selected for The Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles, and he teaches film and creative writing at Williams College. His story “The World to Come” was adapted into a feature film starring Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston.https://jimshepard.wordpress.comwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

How can literature help us extend our empathic imaginations? How can writing and reading expand our curiosity and compassion for people in situations distant from our own?Jim Shepard is the author of seven previous novels, most recently The Book of Aron (winner of the 2016 PEN New England Award, the Sophie Brody medal for achievement in Jewish literature, the Ribalow Prize for Jewish literature, the Clark Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Esquire, Tin House, Granta, Zoetrope, Electric Literature, and Vice, and has often been selected for The Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles, and he teaches film and creative writing at Williams College. His story “The World to Come” was adapted into a feature film starring Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston."In terms of what I'm writing, I'm always trying to make myself a more interesting human being. And so that means I'm coming across these human dilemmas where I'm like what would it have been like to be in that position? And that snags my emotional imagination.I do think that literature is all about extending the empathetic imagination. And so I'm always looking to educate myself in emotional terms, too. Because I'm very interested in the way we respond in those situations where it feels like we both have responsibility, and we don't have responsibility."https://jimshepard.wordpress.comwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

"In terms of what I'm writing, I'm always trying to make myself a more interesting human being. And so that means I'm coming across these human dilemmas where I'm like what would it have been like to be in that position? And that snags my emotional imagination. I do think that literature is all about extending the empathetic imagination. And so I'm always looking to educate myself in emotional terms, too. Because I'm very interested in the way we respond in those situations where it feels like we both have responsibility, and we don't have responsibility."How can literature help us extend our empathic imaginations? How can writing and reading expand our curiosity and compassion for people in situations distant from our own?Jim Shepard is the author of seven previous novels, most recently The Book of Aron (winner of the 2016 PEN New England Award, the Sophie Brody medal for achievement in Jewish literature, the Ribalow Prize for Jewish literature, the Clark Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Esquire, Tin House, Granta, Zoetrope, Electric Literature, and Vice, and has often been selected for The Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles, and he teaches film and creative writing at Williams College. His story “The World to Come” was adapted into a feature film starring Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston.https://jimshepard.wordpress.comwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

How can literature help us extend our empathic imaginations? How can writing and reading expand our curiosity and compassion for people in situations distant from our own?Jim Shepard is the author of seven previous novels, most recently The Book of Aron (winner of the 2016 PEN New England Award, the Sophie Brody medal for achievement in Jewish literature, the Ribalow Prize for Jewish literature, the Clark Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Esquire, Tin House, Granta, Zoetrope, Electric Literature, and Vice, and has often been selected for The Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles, and he teaches film and creative writing at Williams College. His story “The World to Come” was adapted into a feature film starring Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston."In terms of what I'm writing, I'm always trying to make myself a more interesting human being. And so that means I'm coming across these human dilemmas where I'm like what would it have been like to be in that position? And that snags my emotional imagination.I do think that literature is all about extending the empathetic imagination. And so I'm always looking to educate myself in emotional terms, too. Because I'm very interested in the way we respond in those situations where it feels like we both have responsibility, and we don't have responsibility."https://jimshepard.wordpress.comwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

"It's a thrill to work with actors you admire. And I got to work with Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston and their wonderful actors. The whole business of film runs on compliments because then if you compliment people, you don't have to pay them. And so I got to be on the set in the Carpathians when they were filming, and I got a steady diet of, 'Oh my God, you're such a good writer. This is such a good screenplay!' And I was just basking in it. As a fiction writer, you don't get that very often. So, I was just happy to have a little narcissistic warm bath and float around in that for a while and imagine myself as Casey Affleck's favorite writer, which I think I was for 30 minutes or something like that.Cinema is not very good at interiority. Cinema is good at behavior, at action, at allowing us to figure out through exterior signals what's going on...is very appealing to me. So as soon as you tell me that this was the biggest tsunami ever, I'm like, I want to know more about that. And that kind of childlike wonder about the visual is often what drives me to sit down and do a story in the first place. So I start with a much more visual and a much more spectacular, and I'm sure cinema drove me in that direction in the first place."How can literature help us extend our empathic imaginations? How can writing and reading expand our curiosity and compassion for people in situations distant from our own?Jim Shepard is the author of seven previous novels, most recently The Book of Aron (winner of the 2016 PEN New England Award, the Sophie Brody medal for achievement in Jewish literature, the Ribalow Prize for Jewish literature, the Clark Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Esquire, Tin House, Granta, Zoetrope, Electric Literature, and Vice, and has often been selected for The Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles, and he teaches film and creative writing at Williams College. His story “The World to Come” was adapted into a feature film starring Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston.https://jimshepard.wordpress.comwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

How can literature help us extend our empathic imaginations? How can writing and reading expand our curiosity and compassion for people in situations distant from our own?Jim Shepard is the author of seven previous novels, most recently The Book of Aron (winner of the 2016 PEN New England Award, the Sophie Brody medal for achievement in Jewish literature, the Ribalow Prize for Jewish literature, the Clark Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Esquire, Tin House, Granta, Zoetrope, Electric Literature, and Vice, and has often been selected for The Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles, and he teaches film and creative writing at Williams College. His story “The World to Come” was adapted into a feature film starring Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston."It's a thrill to work with actors you admire. And I got to work with Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston and their wonderful actors. The whole business of film runs on compliments because then if you compliment people, you don't have to pay them. And so I got to be on the set in the Carpathians when they were filming, and I got a steady diet of, 'Oh my God, you're such a good writer. This is such a good screenplay!' And I was just basking in it. As a fiction writer, you don't get that very often. So, I was just happy to have a little narcissistic warm bath and float around in that for a while and imagine myself as Casey Affleck's favorite writer, which I think I was for 30 minutes or something like that.Cinema is not very good at interiority. Cinema is good at behavior, at action, at allowing us to figure out through exterior signals what's going on...is very appealing to me. So as soon as you tell me that this was the biggest tsunami ever, I'm like, I want to know more about that. And that kind of childlike wonder about the visual is often what drives me to sit down and do a story in the first place. So I start with a much more visual and a much more spectacular, and I'm sure cinema drove me in that direction in the first place."https://jimshepard.wordpress.comwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

How can literature help us extend our empathic imaginations? How can writing and reading expand our curiosity and compassion for people in situations distant from our own?Jim Shepard is the author of seven previous novels, most recently The Book of Aron (winner of the 2016 PEN New England Award, the Sophie Brody medal for achievement in Jewish literature, the Ribalow Prize for Jewish literature, the Clark Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Esquire, Tin House, Granta, Zoetrope, Electric Literature, and Vice, and has often been selected for The Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles, and he teaches film and creative writing at Williams College. His story “The World to Come” was adapted into a feature film starring Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston."Once the Columbine shooting happened, I remember thinking that discussion that we had would have been very different if that kid had had access to automatic weapons because the argument that we used to talk him out of it was you're not going to kill enough people to make it worth it. And that kind of alienation I never forgot. Because I also remembered the way adolescence is so apocalyptic. That's something that seems unendurable on Wednesday. On Thursday you sort of go, Okay, I think I can get through that."https://jimshepard.wordpress.comwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

"Once the Columbine shooting happened, I remember thinking that discussion that we had would have been very different if that kid had had access to automatic weapons because the argument that we used to talk him out of it was you're not going to kill enough people to make it worth it. And that kind of alienation I never forgot. Because I also remembered the way adolescence is so apocalyptic. That's something that seems unendurable on Wednesday. On Thursday you sort of go, Okay, I think I can get through that."How can literature help us extend our empathic imaginations? How can writing and reading expand our curiosity and compassion for people in situations distant from our own?Jim Shepard is the author of seven previous novels, most recently The Book of Aron (winner of the 2016 PEN New England Award, the Sophie Brody medal for achievement in Jewish literature, the Ribalow Prize for Jewish literature, the Clark Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Esquire, Tin House, Granta, Zoetrope, Electric Literature, and Vice, and has often been selected for The Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles, and he teaches film and creative writing at Williams College. His story “The World to Come” was adapted into a feature film starring Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston.https://jimshepard.wordpress.comwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

"In terms of what I'm writing, I'm always trying to make myself a more interesting human being. And so that means I'm coming across these human dilemmas where I'm like what would it have been like to be in that position? And that snags my emotional imagination. I do think that literature is all about extending the empathetic imagination. And so I'm always looking to educate myself in emotional terms, too. Because I'm very interested in the way we respond in those situations where it feels like we both have responsibility, and we don't have responsibility."How can literature help us extend our empathic imaginations? How can writing and reading expand our curiosity and compassion for people in situations distant from our own?Jim Shepard is the author of seven previous novels, most recently The Book of Aron (winner of the 2016 PEN New England Award, the Sophie Brody medal for achievement in Jewish literature, the Ribalow Prize for Jewish literature, the Clark Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Esquire, Tin House, Granta, Zoetrope, Electric Literature, and Vice, and has often been selected for The Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles, and he teaches film and creative writing at Williams College. His story “The World to Come” was adapted into a feature film starring Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston.https://jimshepard.wordpress.comwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

How can literature help us extend our empathic imaginations? How can writing and reading expand our curiosity and compassion for people in situations distant from our own?Jim Shepard is the author of seven previous novels, most recently The Book of Aron (winner of the 2016 PEN New England Award, the Sophie Brody medal for achievement in Jewish literature, the Ribalow Prize for Jewish literature, the Clark Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Esquire, Tin House, Granta, Zoetrope, Electric Literature, and Vice, and has often been selected for The Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles, and he teaches film and creative writing at Williams College. His story “The World to Come” was adapted into a feature film starring Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston."What the arts offer is what kids need. Which is some kind of human companionship. Some sense that you're not alone out there. And certainly reading is on the decline, and that's a huge problem. I'm not willing to concede that we all should give up reading and critical thinking, but our culture is pushing us in that direction. I have three children five years apart. And the youngest is 21 years old and her connection to the phone is way more profound than the oldest one. We all are dependent on our phones now. But that sense we have that we need to be checking it all the time, that sense we have that we will not immerse ourselves in the arts anymore because there might be something on our phone we have to check, that's way more widespread now than it used to be."https://jimshepard.wordpress.comwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

"What the arts offer is what kids need. Which is some kind of human companionship. Some sense that you're not alone out there. And certainly reading is on the decline, and that's a huge problem. I'm not willing to concede that we all should give up reading and critical thinking, but our culture is pushing us in that direction. I have three children five years apart. And the youngest is 21 years old and her connection to the phone is way more profound than the oldest one. We all are dependent on our phones now. But that sense we have that we need to be checking it all the time, that sense we have that we will not immerse ourselves in the arts anymore because there might be something on our phone we have to check, that's way more widespread now than it used to be."How can literature help us extend our empathic imaginations? How can writing and reading expand our curiosity and compassion for people in situations distant from our own?Jim Shepard is the author of seven previous novels, most recently The Book of Aron (winner of the 2016 PEN New England Award, the Sophie Brody medal for achievement in Jewish literature, the Ribalow Prize for Jewish literature, the Clark Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Esquire, Tin House, Granta, Zoetrope, Electric Literature, and Vice, and has often been selected for The Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles, and he teaches film and creative writing at Williams College. His story “The World to Come” was adapted into a feature film starring Casey Affleck, Vanessa Kirby, and Katherine Waterston.https://jimshepard.wordpress.comwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Getting pacing right and keeping the reader's emotional and intellectual attention isn't about the stuff you make happen, but the incremental revelation of information about your characters' emotional makeup, their relationships, and the way they see (or don't see) their world as well as thematic resonances. Such revelations are often more implicit than explicit, sitting in the subtext of a scene, and giving the writer-in-process a good measuring tool to understand what they've put on the page and how to use it. To help us understand this important concept, we talk to esteemed author and teacher Jim Shepard. Jim Shepard has written eight novels, including most recently Phase Six, and The Book of Aron, which won the Sophie Brody Medal for Jewish Literature, the PEN/New England Award for Fiction, and the Clark Fiction Prize, and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, a finalist for the National Book Award and Story Prize winner.   Seven of his stories have been chosen for the Best American Short Stories, two for the PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, and two for Pushcart Prizes. He's also won a Guggenheim Foundation Award, the Library of Congress/ Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction and the ALEX Award from the American Library Association.  He teaches at Williams College.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

For years, we've enjoyed talking to writers about the books they love best. In this "best of" episode, we go deep into the archive for three of our favorites: Jim Shepard and his youthful discovery of Bram Stoker's Dracula; Margot Livesey and her love for Ford Madox Ford's modernist classic The Good Soldier; and Charles Baxter telling us about his love for the poetry of James Wright. Enjoy! Additional listening suggestions: 96 Dracula, Lolita, and the Power of Volcanoes (with Jim Shepard) 63 Chekhov, Bellow, Wright (with Charles Baxter) 78 Jane Eyre, The Good Soldier, Giovanni's Room (with Margot Livesey) Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Shepard talks about his novel Phase Six. Then Cob Carlson tells us about his new documentary, The Greatest Radio Station In The World. The post Jim Shepard, PHASE SIX & Cob Carlson, THE GREATEST RADIO STATION IN THE WORLD appeared first on Writer's Voice.

Writer and educator Amye Archer joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her 2019 anthology, If I Don't Make It, I Love You: Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings, co-edited with Loren Kleinman. Archer explains how hearing the heartbreaking details of loss can prevent us from glossing over the staggering trauma of these events. Archer also reads from the anthology's section on the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, and questions why, as a nation, we haven't changed the Second Amendment in response to modern weapons.  To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/. This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf. Selected Readings: Amye Archer  If I Don't Make It, I Love You: Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings (pre-order paperback) “Holding the Pain,” Longreads, July 2019 Others: Gun Violence Archive “What to Know About the School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas,” | The New York Times | May 30, 2022 “Medical Worker Rushed to Escape 'Labyrinth' of Offices in Tulsa,” by Alex Traub | The New York Times | June 2, 2022 “Gunman Kills 10 at Buffalo Supermarket in Racist Attack,” | The New York Times | May 17, 2022  “California Church Shooting Was 'Hate Incident,' Sheriff Says,” by Livia Albeck-Ripka, Shawn Hubler and Eduardo Medina | The New York Times | May 16, 2022 Full Transcript: Biden's Speech on Gun Control - The New York Times  “From Sandy Hook to Uvalde, the Violent Images Never Seen,” by Elizabeth Williamson | The New York Times | May 30, 2022 “For Uvalde, Caskets Adorned in Childhood Dreams,” by Emily Rhyne and Mark Abramson | The New York Times | June 2, 2022 “The Fourth State of Matter,” by Jo Ann Beard | The New Yorker, June 17, 1996 Elephant (2003) dir. Gus Van Sant “Gun Violence, #NeverAgain and the Power of Teenage Protest,” Jim Shepard and Danielle Evans, Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 1, Episode 12 New York Times Sunday Review tweet of gun violence graphic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Jim Shepard, co-author of Phase Six. Jim Shepard is the author of seven previous novels, most recently The Book of Aron (winner of the 2016 PEN New England Award, the Sophie Brody Medal for Achievement in Jewish Literature, the Ribalow Prize for Jewish literature, the Clark Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and five story collections, including Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize. His short fiction has appeared in, among other magazines, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Esquire, Tin House, Granta, Zoetrope, Electric Literature, and Vice, and has often been selected for The Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with his wife, three children, and three beagles, and he teaches at Williams College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jacke plays a clip from Nabokov discussing his famous novel Lolita, in which the frantic narrator Humbert Humbert recounts his passionate (and illegal, immoral, and illicit) love for a young girl. After hearing from the author, Jacke plays clips from three History of Literature Podcast interviews: Jenny Minton Quigley, Jim Shepard,, and Joshua Ferris. Additional listening: Episode 318 - Lolita (with Jenny Minton Quigley) Episode 96 - Dracula, Lolita, and the Power of Volcanoes (with Jim Shepard) Episode 112 - The Novelist and the Witch-Doctor: Unpacking Nabokov's Case Against Freud (with Joshua Ferris) Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Shepard and Karen Shepard are writers and English professors at Williams College who recently visited Nichols. Both individuals have a great sense of humor and can connect with any audience. In the podcast, the Shepard's talk about their experiences as writers, advice for aspiring writers, some rather comedic stories, and much more. Hosted by Lucas Suero and Sal Deni

Above the Arctic Circle, much of the land is underlaid by permafrost. But climate change is causing it to thaw. This is not good news for the planet.  As the carbon rich ground warms, microbes start to feast… releasing greenhouse gases that will warm the Earth even more. Another possible downside was envisioned by a science-fiction author. Could ancient pathogens–released from the permafrost's icy grip–cause new pandemics? We investigate what happens when the far north defrosts. Guests: Jacquelyn Gill – Associate professor of paleoecology at the University of Maine. Jim Shepard – Novelist and short story writer, and teacher of English at Williams College, and author of “Phase Six.” Scott Saleska – Global change ecologist, professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona, and co-founder of IsoGenie.  

This week, Jim Shepard discusses his latest book “Phase Six.” The novel is about the next pandemic that reads like a fictional sequel to our current crisis. Shepard is also the author of seven previous novels including, “The Book of Aron.” Photo courtesy of Random House.

This week, Jim Shepard discusses his latest book “Phase Six.” The novel is about the next pandemic that reads like a fictional sequel to our current crisis. Shepard is also the author of seven previous novels including, “The Book of Aron." Photo courtesy of Random House.

Bechdel Test Fest founder Corrina Antrobus talks to Mona Fastvold, director of The World To Come. In this powerful 19th century romance set in the American Northeast, Abigail (Katherine Waterston), a farmer's wife, and her new neighbour Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) find themselves irrevocably drawn to each other. A grieving Abigail tends to her withdrawn husband Dyer (Casey Affleck) as free-spirit Tallie bristles at the jealous control of her husband Finney (Christopher Abbott), when together their intimacy begins to fill a void in each other's lives they never knew existed. Directed by Mona Fastvold and scripted by Jim Shepard and Ron Hansen, THE WORLD TO COME explores how isolation is overcome by the intensity of human connection. Who Is She? A Bechdel Test Fest Podcast is a Bechdel Test Fest production. It was written and hosted by Beth Webb and produced by Stephanie Watts, with additional support from Corrina Antrobus and Caitlin Quinlan. Our music was written and produced by Zoe Mead, check out her band Wyldest on all major streaming platforms. Make Up clips were courtesy of Picturehouse Entertainment. Please like, subscribe and tell your friends. Got feedback or suggestions on who to feature in forthcoming episodes? Hit us up at bechdeltestfest@gmail.com. The team on Twitter: @BethKWebb @corrinacorrina @_stephwatts @csaquinlan

Emmet and John talk about America's delight in self-serving, cruel narcissists via the movies Vice and GoodFellas in addition to an essay by Jim Shepard. The conversation ranges from the political culture during the Iraq War, the uncanny similarities between Dick Cheney and Henry Hill, what it means for the American government to be normatively strong, but administratively weak, and more! "No Regrets: Goodfellas and American Hardball (https://believermag.com/no-regrets-goodfellas-and-american-hardball/)" by Jim Shepard. Subscribe to our Patreon for 2 exclusive episodes a month (https://www.patreon.com/exhaust)! Bibliography (https://exhaust.fireside.fm/articles/ep43bib). Twitter. Closing Song: "Dallas Beltway" by Chat Pile (https://chatpile.bandcamp.com/album/remove-your-skin-please).

This week, host Jason Jefferies is joined by PEN New England and Story Prize-winning author Jim Shepard, who discusses his newest book Phase Six, which is published by our friends at Alfred A. Knopf.  Topics of discussion include pandemic novels, environmental catastrophes, why we don't listen to scientists, John Snow, and much more.  Copies of Phase Six can be ordered here with FREE SHIPPING for members of Readers Club+.

Jacke hosts Jenny Minton Quigley, editor of the new collection LOLITA IN THE AFTERLIFE: On Beauty, Risk, and Reckoning with the Most Indelible and Shocking Novel of the Twentieth Century, for a discussion of Vladimir Nabokov's classic (and controversial) 1958 novel. Jenny Minton Quigley is the daughter of Lolita's original publisher in America, Walter J. Minton. Lolita in the Afterlife includes contributions by the following twenty-first century literary luminaries: Robin Givhan • Aleksandar Hemon • Jim Shepard • Emily Mortimer • Laura Lippman • Erika L. Sánchez • Sarah Weinman • Andre Dubus III • Mary Gaitskill • Zainab Salbi • Christina Baker Kline • Ian Frazier • Cheryl Strayed • Sloane Crosley • Victor LaValle • Jill Kargman • Lila Azam Zanganeh • Roxane Gay • Claire Dederer • Jessica Shattuck • Stacy Schiff • Susan Choi • Kate Elizabeth Russell • Tom Bissell • Kira Von Eichel • Bindu Bansinath • Dani Shapiro • Alexander Chee • Lauren Groff • Morgan Jerkins Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, or by following Jacke and Mike on Twitter at @thejackewilson and @literatureSC. Or send an email to jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com. New!!! Looking for an easy to way to buy Jacke a coffee? Now you can at paypal.me/jackewilson. Your generosity is much appreciated! The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

节目摘要 这一期节目我们聊了两部电影：《打开心世界》(The World to Come)和《女生要革命》(Moxie)。虽然是两个发生在不同时代背景的故事，但当中却有着千丝万缕的关系，面对困境，女性应对方式的改变——从想象一种自由到用双手去打破牢笼，恰好印证了时代在不断进步这一时常会被人忽视的现实。 我们下一期将会是读书会节目，这次所读的是社会学家凯特琳·柯林斯的著作：《职场妈妈生存报告》，感兴趣的朋友可以参与共读。 节目备注 支持我们 订阅听友通讯请点击这里。 欢迎通过微博关注我们的节目@不丧Podcast和女主播@constancy好小气。 关于线上读书微信群：由于目前群人数超过100人，无法继续通过扫码入群。想要入群的朋友可以先加我的微信号（ID: hongming_qiao），然后再拉你入群。 我们的电报(Telegram)听友群：不丧电报群 我们播客的邮箱地址：busangpodcast@gmail.com 这集播客中提到的相关作品的介绍和链接： 《约翰·威尔逊的十万个怎么做》(How to with John Wilson)(2020) Van Neistat的Youtube频道 《奈斯塔德兄弟》(The Neistat Brothers)(2010) 马鲨鲨Bilibili频道 《打开心世界》(The World to Come)(2020) Jim Shepard, The World to Come 《燃烧女子的肖像》(Portrait de la jeune fille en feu)(2019) David Chang, Eat a Peach “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.” — Charles Bukowski 《女生要革命》(Moxie)(2021) 《爱你，西蒙》(Love, Simon)(2018) 凯特琳·柯林斯，《职场妈妈生存报告》 如何收听「不丧」 任何设备都可以通过访问「不丧」的网站在线收听 我们推荐使用泛用型播客客户端收听「不丧」 泛用型播客客户端直接通过播客上传者提供的RSS向用户提供播客内容和信息，不会有第三方的干涉；并且只要上传者更新了Feed，就能在客户端上收听到节目。 iOS平台上我们推荐使用Podcast（苹果预装播客客户端），Castro，Overcast和Pocket Casts。 Android平台上收听方式可以参照这里。 macOS和Windows平台可以通过iTunes收听。 现在你也已经可以在小宇宙、Spotify和Google Podcast平台上收听我们的节目。

节目摘要 这一期节目我们聊了两部电影：《打开心世界》(The World to Come)和《女生要革命》(Moxie)。虽然是两个发生在不同时代背景的故事，但当中却有着千丝万缕的关系，面对困境，女性应对方式的改变——从想象一种自由到用双手去打破牢笼，恰好印证了时代在不断进步这一时常会被人忽视的现实。 我们下一期将会是读书会节目，这次所读的是社会学家凯特琳·柯林斯的著作：《职场妈妈生存报告》，感兴趣的朋友可以参与共读。 节目备注 支持我们 订阅听友通讯请点击这里。 欢迎通过微博关注我们的节目@不丧Podcast和女主播@constancy好小气。 关于线上读书微信群：由于目前群人数超过100人，无法继续通过扫码入群。想要入群的朋友可以先加我的微信号（ID: hongming_qiao），然后再拉你入群。 我们的电报(Telegram)听友群：不丧电报群 我们播客的邮箱地址：busangpodcast@gmail.com 这集播客中提到的相关作品的介绍和链接： 《约翰·威尔逊的十万个怎么做》(How to with John Wilson)(2020) Van Neistat的Youtube频道 《奈斯塔德兄弟》(The Neistat Brothers)(2010) 马鲨鲨Bilibili频道 《打开心世界》(The World to Come)(2020) Jim Shepard, The World to Come 《燃烧女子的肖像》(Portrait de la jeune fille en feu)(2019) David Chang, Eat a Peach “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.” — Charles Bukowski 《女生要革命》(Moxie)(2021) 《爱你，西蒙》(Love, Simon)(2018) 凯特琳·柯林斯，《职场妈妈生存报告》 如何收听「不丧」 任何设备都可以通过访问「不丧」的网站在线收听 我们推荐使用泛用型播客客户端收听「不丧」 泛用型播客客户端直接通过播客上传者提供的RSS向用户提供播客内容和信息，不会有第三方的干涉；并且只要上传者更新了Feed，就能在客户端上收听到节目。 iOS平台上我们推荐使用Podcast（苹果预装播客客户端），Castro，Overcast和Pocket Casts。 Android平台上收听方式可以参照这里。 macOS和Windows平台可以通过iTunes收听。 现在你也已经可以在小宇宙、Spotify和Google Podcast平台上收听我们的节目。

节目摘要 这一期节目我们聊了两部电影：《打开心世界》(The World to Come)和《女生要革命》(Moxie)。虽然是两个发生在不同时代背景的故事，但当中却有着千丝万缕的关系，面对困境，女性应对方式的改变——从想象一种自由到用双手去打破牢笼，恰好印证了时代在不断进步这一时常会被人忽视的现实。 我们下一期将会是读书会节目，这次所读的是社会学家凯特琳·柯林斯的著作：《职场妈妈生存报告》，感兴趣的朋友可以参与共读。 节目备注 支持我们 订阅听友通讯请点击这里。 欢迎通过微博关注我们的节目@不丧Podcast和女主播@constancy好小气。 关于线上读书微信群：由于目前群人数超过100人，无法继续通过扫码入群。想要入群的朋友可以先加我的微信号（ID: hongming_qiao），然后再拉你入群。 我们的电报(Telegram)听友群：不丧电报群 我们播客的邮箱地址：busangpodcast@gmail.com 这集播客中提到的相关作品的介绍和链接： 《约翰·威尔逊的十万个怎么做》(How to with John Wilson)(2020) Van Neistat的Youtube频道 《奈斯塔德兄弟》(The Neistat Brothers)(2010) 马鲨鲨Bilibili频道 《打开心世界》(The World to Come)(2020) Jim Shepard, The World to Come 《燃烧女子的肖像》(Portrait de la jeune fille en feu)(2019) David Chang, Eat a Peach “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.” — Charles Bukowski 《女生要革命》(Moxie)(2021) 《爱你，西蒙》(Love, Simon)(2018) 凯特琳·柯林斯，《职场妈妈生存报告》 如何收听「不丧」 任何设备都可以通过访问「不丧」的网站在线收听 我们推荐使用泛用型播客客户端收听「不丧」 泛用型播客客户端直接通过播客上传者提供的RSS向用户提供播客内容和信息，不会有第三方的干涉；并且只要上传者更新了Feed，就能在客户端上收听到节目。 iOS平台上我们推荐使用Podcast（苹果预装播客客户端），Castro，Overcast和Pocket Casts。 Android平台上收听方式可以参照这里。 macOS和Windows平台可以通过iTunes收听。 现在你也已经可以在小宇宙、Spotify和Google Podcast平台上收听我们的节目。

On this episode of Why Watch That:SNEAK PEEKSLandWebsite: Focus FeaturesSynopsis: From acclaimed actress Robin Wright comes her directorial debut Land, the poignant story of one woman’s search for meaning in the vast and harsh American wilderness. Edee (Wright), in the aftermath of an unfathomable event, finds herself unable to stay connected to the world she once knew and in the face of that uncertainty, retreats to the magnificent, but unforgiving, wilds of the Rockies. After a local hunter (Demián Bichir) brings her back from the brink of death, she must find a way to live again.Release Date: In theaters February 12, 2021Directed by: Robin WrightScreenplay by: Jesse Chatham and Erin DignamStarring: Robin Wright, Demián Bichir, and Kim DickensDistributor: Focus FeaturesGenre: DramaRunning Time: 1 hour 29 minutes Rated PG-13The World to ComeWebsite: Bleecker StreetSynopsis: In this powerful 19th century romance set in the American Northeast, Abigail (Katherine Waterston), a farmer's wife, and her new neighbor Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) find themselves irrevocably drawn to each other. A grieving Abigail tends to her withdrawn husband Dyer (Casey Affleck) as free-spirit Tallie bristles at the jealous control of her husband Finney (Christopher Abbott), when together their intimacy begins to fill a void in each other's lives they never knew existed. Directed by Mona Fastvold and scripted by Jim Shepard and Ron Hansen, THE WORLD TO COME explores how isolation is overcome by the intensity of human connection.Release Date: In theaters February 12, 2021 and on digital March 2, 2021Directed by: Mona FastvoldScreenplay by: Jim Shepard and Ron HansenStarring: Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Christopher Abbott, and Casey AffleckDistributor: Bleecker Street MediaGenre: DramaRunning Time: 1 hour 38 minutesRated RJudas and the Black MessiahWebsite: Warner Bros.Synopsis: FBI informant William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield) infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya). A career thief, O'Neal revels in the danger of manipulating both his comrades and his handler, Special Agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons). Hampton's political prowess grows just as he's falling in love with fellow revolutionary Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback). Meanwhile, a battle wages for O'Neal's soul. Will he align with the forces of good? Or subdue Hampton and The Panthers by any means, as FBI Agent J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen) commands?Release Date: In theaters and on HBO Max for 31 days on February 12, 2021Directed by: Shaka KingScreenplay by: Shaka King and Will BersonStory by: Shaka King, Will Berson, Kenny Lucas, and Keith LucasStarring: LaKeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Dominique Fishback, Jesse Plemons, and Martin SheenDistributor: Warner Bros.Genre: Biography, Drama, HistoryRunning Time: 2 hours 6 minutesRated R See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Discussion Notes: The Zero Meter Diving Team This week’s story: The Zero Meter Diving Team by Jim Shepard  Next week’s story: Out There by Kate Folk  Rated: Clean Gerald, Andy and Anais discuss “The Zero Meter Diving Team” by Jim Shepard, a story which parallels the power dynamics of a Russian family with the Chernobyl... The post Ep 182: The Zero Meter Diving Team by Jim Shepard appeared first on Literary Roadhouse.

Discussion Notes: The Zero Meter Diving Team This week’s story: The Zero Meter Diving Team by Jim Shepard  Next week’s story: Out There by Kate Folk  Rated: Clean Gerald, Andy and Anais discuss “The Zero Meter Diving Team” by Jim Shepard, a story which parallels the power dynamics of a Russian family with the Chernobyl... The post Ep 182: The Zero Meter Diving Team by Jim Shepard appeared first on Literary Roadhouse.

Discussion Notes: With The Beatles This week’s story: With the Beatles by Haruki Murakami  Next week’s story: Zero Meter Diving by Jim Shepard  Rated: Clean Gerald, Andy and Anais discuss “With the Beatles” by Haruki Murakami. This melancholy story is about a man who remembers two young women from his younger days. Our hosts grappled... The post Ep 181: With The Beatles by Haruki Murakami appeared first on Literary Roadhouse.

Discussion Notes: With The Beatles This week’s story: With the Beatles by Haruki Murakami  Next week’s story: Zero Meter Diving by Jim Shepard  Rated: Clean Gerald, Andy and Anais discuss “With the Beatles” by Haruki Murakami. This melancholy story is about a man who remembers two young women from his younger days. Our hosts grappled... The post Ep 181: With The Beatles by Haruki Murakami appeared first on Literary Roadhouse.

In this episode, Dave speaks with Léonce Crump, Senior Pastor of Renovation Church in Atlanta.  Dave asks Léonce about his early years, he talks about his many interests growing up and explains how he went on to play college and professional football despite not playing in high school (~8:45).  Léonce shares about his college years and how a small church planted between two bars near campus changed his life path (~17:30). Dave and Léonce discuss the starting of Renovation Church and Léonce talks about the obstacles he and his wife Breanna faced those first few years in Atlanta (~27:15). Dave asks Léonce what is distinctive about Renovation Church and Léonce talks about the desire to be a transcultural community and the hard decisions they have had to make to uphold their values, including a move to the suburbs( ~35:45).  Léonce shares his advice to other leaders (~42:00) and what he is hopeful for (~43:30). Dave is then joined by Jim Shepard who shares some thoughts about the episode, and his friend Léonce. To more learn more about Léonce and Renovation Church you can visit https://renovationchurch.com/His book Renovate: Changing Who You Are by Loving Where You Are can be found wherever books are sold. Find out more about Dave Travis at generis.com/dave-travis and subscribe to the newsletter at churchleaderinsider.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greatthingsgodhasdone.substack.com

City Lights celebrates the award-winning literary periodical's fall issue. Editor Michael Ray and Managing Editor Manjula Martin are joined by several contributors in an afternoon of readings and celebrations. Guests include Frances de Pontes Peebles, Patrick Dacey, and Daniel Orozco. Founded by Francis Ford Coppola in 1997, Zoetrope: All-Story is a quarterly print magazine of short fiction, one-act plays, and essays on film. Among the most celebrated literary periodicals in the world, it has won every major story award, including four National Magazine Awards for Fiction, along with a number of design commendations. The magazine's contributors comprise the most promising and significant writers of our era: Mary Gaitskill, Colum McCann, Rachel Cusk, Jim Shepard, Elena Ferrante, Daniel Alarcón, Karen Russell, Yiyun Li, Jonathan Lethem, Wes Anderson, Elizabeth McCracken, David Mamet, Ha Jin, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Margaret Atwood, Pedro Almodóvar, Ethan Coen, Yoko Ogawa, Charles D'Ambrosio, Neil Jordan, Haruki Murakami, and many more.

Introducing "Dealer's Choice," an occasional series in which your Book XChange podcast hosts decide to feature a particular writer whose work we feel deserves in-depth discussion and recommendation. In the inaugural installment, we dive into the work of one of America's finest writers, Jim Shepard. "Who is Jim Shepard, and why should I be reading him?" is exactly what we aim to address, and we hope our listeners will trust us enough to listen in and find out. The brothers couldn't possibly recommend the novels, essays and especially the short stories of Mr. Shepard any higher. Tune in to this jam-packed episode as we unpack his work, discuss what makes it thrilling and unique, and examine why reading Shepard "makes you feel as if you're becoming a better human being." BOOKS DISCUSSED/MENTIONED/RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE: What Jude is currently reading/plans to read next: 'Nightmares and Dreamscapes,' Stephen King (Future read withheld by request of the co-host!) What John is currently reading/plans to read next: 'The Sisters Brothers,' Patrick deWitt Works by Jim Shepard discussed in this episode: 'Like You'd Understand, Anyway' (stories) 'You Think That's Bad' (stories) 'Love and Hydrogen: New and Collected Stories' 'The World to Come' (stories) 'Paper Doll' (novel) 'Project X' (novel) 'You've Got to Read This: Contemporary American Writers Introduce Stories that Held Them in Awe' (edited by Ron Hansen and Jim Shepard) Planned next episode of the Book XChange podcast: Book-to-Film Adaptations

There are many classic trilogies of books known and loved the world over, and some that are lesser known but well worth diving into. In this episode, Jude and John recommend some of their favorite Trilogies and discuss why they are worth the investment of your time and energies. Ranging from epic fantasy quests to existential mysteries to poetic elegies of a fading time and culture, this discussion covers a ton of ground and should have something for just about any reader. It's a 3-for-1 special on the latest installment of the Book XChange! BOOKS DISCUSSED/MENTIONED/RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE: Trilogies recommended by both John and Jude: The Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, Return of the King) - J. R. R. Tolkien The Border trilogy (All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, Cities of the Plain) - Cormac McCarthy The New York trilogy (City of Glass, Ghosts, The Locked Room) - Paul Auster Other titles from Jude: Current read: 'The Mirror and the Light,' Hilary Mantel Other recommended trilogies: The Divine Comedy trilogy by Dante Alighieri, the Los Angeles trilogy by James Ellroy, the Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov, the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanDerMeer Upcoming read: 'Paper Doll'/'Project X,' Jim Shepard Other titles from John: Current read: Various short stories by Jim Shepard Other recommended trilogies: The Africa trilogy by Chinua Achebe, the Cairo trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz, the Barrytown trilogy by Roddy Doyle Upcoming read: Various short stories by Jim Shepard (in preparation for Episode 12)

The heat is on when Wendy and Amy dive into Jim Shepard's short "The Zero Meter Diving Team," a fictionalized narrative on the Chernobyl disaster. Who will be left with more than just radiation burns?Link to short: Zero Meter Diving Team

Emil Amos (of Grails, Om, Holy Sons, Drifter's Sympathy) joins Bob and Mike to discuss the impact of college radio in the '90s, four-track recording, the Ajax catalog, and nearly getting arrested in Australia, plus songs from Reagan Youth, Bumcello, Jim Shepard, Two Dollar Guitar and more.

The second summer of conversations recorded at the Sewanee Writers' Conference continues with playwright Rachel Bonds, who tells James about finding her voice in a one-act, using jealousy as a job coach, being on the writing treadmill, and recognizing the struggles of those close to us. Plus, actor and Performing Prose co-founder Sean McIntyre.      http://www.sewaneewriters.org/ 2020 Applications due March 15! - Rachel Bonds   Rachel and James discuss:  Olivier Sultan (agent)  St. Andrew's-Sewanee School  Lisa D'Amour  Barack Obama  James Agee  George Saunders  Jennifer Egan  Kevin Wilson  - Sean McIntyre: https://www.performingprose.com/ Sean and James discuss:  THE SOPRANOS  Drew Barrymore  Middlebury College  Steve Yarbrough  Jim Shepard  ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare  THE SIMPSONS  LES MISERABLES music by Claude-Monet Schonberg "Master of the House"  Emily Nemens  Tim O'Brien  SEINFELD  BREAKING BAD  THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA by Edward Albee  Dan O'Brien  Marilyn Nelson  SLINGS AND ARROWS  Keanu Reeves  The Stratford Festival  Performing Prose  Emily Shain  Anne Ray  Sewanee Writers' Conference  -  Music courtesy of Bea Troxel from her album, THE WAY THAT IT FEELS: https://www.beatroxel.com/ -  http://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK /Instagram: tkwithjs / FB: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/

Jim Shepard discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Jim has written seven novels, including The Book of Aron, which won the Sophie Brody Medal for Jewish Literature, the PEN/New England Award for Fiction, and the Clark Fiction Prize, and five story collections, including Like You’d Understand, Anyway, a finalist for the National Book Award and Story Prize winner. Seven of his stories have been chosen for the Best American Short Stories, two for the PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, and two for Pushcart Prizes. He’s also won the Library of Congress/ Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction and the ALEX Award from the American Library Association. He teaches at Williams College. Paestum http://www.amalficoastdrivers.com/paestum.asp Muddy Waters' album Fathers and Sons https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/fathers-sons-90263/ Maria Beig https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/10/16/no-judgment-no-message-no-mercy/ Eric Schlosser’s Command and Control https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/books/review/command-and-control-by-eric-schlosser.html Writer's Tears http://walshwhiskey.com/writers-tears-copper-pot/ Mike Leigh’s Topsy-Turvy https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2000/02/24/stompin-at-the-savoy/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Kevin Wilson's fifth book, the novel NOTHING TO SEE HERE, is a perfect combination of everything that made his previous work so singular: the humor and edge of THE FAMILY FANG, the intensity of his short fiction, and the heart and earnestness of PERFECT LITTLE WORLD. He and James talk depicting basketball, writing being fun and versatile, keeping it short, and lacking a radar for weirdness. Plus, Ecco executive editor Zachary Wagman.   - Kevin Wilson: https://www.wilsonkevin.com/ Buy NOTHING TO SEE HERE: Buy NOTHING TO SEE HERE Kevin's work mentioned: "Blowing up on the Spot", PERFECT LITTLE WORLD, TUNNELING TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, THE FAMILY FANG, Buzzfeed essay: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kevinwilson/i-cant-save-my-son-from-the-anxiety-ive-passed-on-to-him.  Kevin and James discuss:  PLOUGHSHARES  Laura van den Berg  Lee Boudreaux  Harry Potter  The Southern Voices Festival  "A to B" from A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan  Caki Wilkinson  Latina Davis  Kim Woodley  Grundy County  Franklin County  Kansas State  University of Florida  Patrick Ewing  Hakeem Olajuwon  Kevin McHale  THE DART LEAGUE KING by Keith Lee Morris  "Boys Town" by Jim Shepard  Harvard University  THE NEW YORKER  Calvin Trillin WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson  A MEMBER OF THE WEDDING by Carson McCullers  MRS. CALIBAN by Rachel Ingalls  GOODBYE, VITAMIN by Rachel Khong  TREASURE ISLAND!!! by Sara Levine  BAD MARIE by Marcy Dermansky  THE LONGSHOT by Katie Kitamura  TRAIN DREAMS by Denis Johnson  Christine Schutt  Steven Millhauser  Larry Bird  Johnny Storm, "The Human Torch"  Julie Barer  Ecco  Greensboro Review  Nicole Kidman  Keith Urban  Christopher Walken  Ryan Call  - Zachary Wagman: @zackwagman Zack and James discuss:  THE FAMILY FANG BABY, YOU'RE GONNA BE MINE  PERFECT LITTLE WORLD  Saturday Night Live  ALA  The Lead Read  The Today Show  Vintage  Crown  Dennis Lehane  Dan Halpern  Hogarth  Knopf  New England Patriots  Gillian Flynn  Pulitzer Prize  Nobel Prize  YOUR HOUSE WILL PAY by Steph Cha  COLD STORAGE by David Koepp - http://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/ Instagram: tkwithjs

It took Amanda Goldblatt eight years to write her debut novel, HARD MOUTH. The result is a brilliantly inventive work combining style with emotional impact and classic storytelling. She and James talk about their long friendship, cutting the apocalypse, summoning (or not) imaginary beings, making rules for novels, and remembering the books they read as kids. Plus, Amanda's agent from Frances Goldin Literary Agency, Caroline Eisenmann.  - Amanda Goldblatt: https://amandagoldblatt.com/ Buy HARD MOUTH: Buy HARD MOUTH from your local indie bookstore! Amanda and James discuss:  Washington University  THE CUPBOARD  Eugene Pallette  Caroline Eisenmann  Turner Classic Movies  POND by Claire-Louise Bennett  MY MAN GODFREY  HATCHET by Gary Paulsen  THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON by Johann David Wyss Harry Potter THE HUNGER GAMES  E.T.  J Dilla  VOX  Notorious B.I.G.  Andre 3000  MF Doom  Talib Kweli  Kerri Webster  Gordon Lish  Gary Lutz  Amy Hempel  Sam Lipsyte  Christine Schutt  "The Sentence is a Lonely Place" by Gary Lutz  Jim Shepard  Mary Ruefle  Tim O'Brien  Marilynne Robinson Denis Johnson  Cormac McCarthy  - Caroline Eisenmann: https://goldinlit.com/agents/ Caroline and James discuss:  NOON  James Salyer  Mary Gaitskill  Annie Proulx  Ottessa Moshfegh  Halle Butler  Claire Messud  Nell Zink  Garth Greenwell  Jack Kerouac  Ernest Hemingway  I KNOW YOU KNOW WHO I AM by Peter Kispert  ICM  GOING DUTCH by James Gregor  Simon & Schuster  THE LOVE AFFAIRS OF NATHANIEL P by Adelle Waldman  THE LONGING FOR LESS: LIVING WITH MINIMALILSM by Kyle Chayka - http://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK Instagram: tkwithjs / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/

A random sign for free dogs inspired Mary Miller to drop a manuscript she'd been researching and create the character of Louis McDonald, Jr. for her hilarious and heartbreaking novel, BILOXI. She tells James about feeling indebted to her characters, teaching herself to write, looking in holes with her dog, needing to find joy, and reading with John Grisham. And bologna. And feet licking. Plus a chat with Bennet Johnson from Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, MI.  - Mary Miller: http://www.maryumiller.net/ BUY BILOXI: Buy BILOXI from an Indie Bookseller ALSO BY: BIG WORLD, THE LAST DAYS OF CALIFORNIA, ALWAYS HAPPY HOUR  Mary and James discuss:  Frederick Barthelme Jerry Seinfeld  THE MOTEL LIFE by Willy Vlautin  THE OFFICE  THE MOVIEGOER by Walker Percy  THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt  Books-A-Million ZOETROPE ON WRITING by Stephen King  BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott  Elizabeth Ellen  Aaron Burch  Square Books  Lemuria Book Store  Bennet Johnson  Literati Bookstore Parnassus Books John Evans  Richard Howorth Lisa Howorth  Grisham Writers in Residence  John and Renee Grisham  Michener Center for Writers  Ann Patchett  Ole Miss  Mississippi State  Claudia Smith Chen Kevin Sampsell  REM  Elizabeth Spencer  Tom Franklin  Beth Ann Fennelly  W. W. Norton & Company  Charlie Day  IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA - Bennet Johnson  Literati Bookstore: https://www.literatibookstore.com/ Literati Cultura: https://www.literatibookstore.com/literati-cultura-collectors-club Bennet and James Discuss:  Mike & Hilary Gustafson  SING, UNBURIED, SING by Jesmyn Ward  ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong  YOU KNOW YOU WANT THIS by Kristen Roupenian  OHIO by Stephen Markley  MIDWEST LITERARY WALK PACHINKO by Min Jin Lee  HAWKING by Jim Ottaviani  "Boys Town" by Jim Shepard  Calvin Trillin  Amy Hempel  Mary Ruefle  Kevin Wilson  Hannah Pittard  Lorrie Moore  Ernest Hemingway  Literati Book Store Presents  John U. Bacon  Randall Munroe Sister Helen Prejean  Salman Rushdie  Jonathan Safran Foer  - http://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK Instagram: tkwithjs / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/

Short story by Jim Shepard

Watch the video here. Then We Came to the End, Joshua Ferris's ''truly affecting novel about work, trust, love, and loneliness'' (Seattle Times), won the 2008 PEN/Hemingway Award for best first novel and was a finalist for the National Book Award. His other works include The Unnamed and To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, which was shortlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize. One of The New Yorker's ''20 Under 40'' writers and winner of the International Dylan Thomas Prize, Ferris has published fiction in Granta, Prairie Schooner, and Best American Voices, among other places. The Dinner Party, his first story collection, is rife with characters searching for answers in the aftermath of life's pitfalls. ''Nailing entire worlds together with teeming, precise detail'' (The New York Times), Jim Shepard is the author of seven novels, including The Book of Aron and Project X. A writer's writer, he is perhaps more celebrated for his short fiction, which has appeared in publications ranging from The Paris Review to Playboy. His story collections include You Think That's Bad and Like You'd Understand, Anyway, a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of The Story Prize. His new collection explores the emotional hazards of everyday life writ large on the canvases of historic tragedy and triumph. (recorded 5/24/2017)

Comedian Joe Pera has been hailed as one of the top "Comedians Under 30," "20 of the Most Innovative Comedians Working Today," and the "Cozy Sweater of Comedy." His lovable, pleasantly awkward delivery style has made him a breakout star on the standup circuit and on late-night shows like Conan and Late Night with Seth Meyers. In this special episode of The History of Literature, Joe joins Jacke to discuss the comedians he grew up admiring, his first attempts at standup, and his new television show Joe Pera Talks with You, which premieres on May 20 on Adult Swim, the #1 network with millennials 18-34. Special bonus: Jacke tries his hand at writing a few jokes about literature. Will they earn the admiration of a professional comedian? We'll see! For more information about Joe Pera and his show Joe Pera Talks with You, visit the Joe Pera website or his Twitter account @JosephPera. To listen to the notorious Madame Bovary episode, head to Episode 79 - Music That Melts the Stars - Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. For more about literature and comedy (and another dose of Christopher Guest), try Episode 96 - Dracula, Lolita, and the Power of Volcanoes (with Jim Shepard). Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. Learn more about the show at historyofliterature.com or facebook.com/historyofliterature. Contact the host at jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or on Twitter @thejackewilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

‘And Then I Go’ highlights the cruel world of junior high. The protagonist, Edwin, suffers from anxiety and alienation, along with his only friend Flake. Together, they come up with a terrifying idea to get vengeance. The story comes from Jim Shepard’s novel, ‘Project X.’ The book and film showcases an unflinching look at adolescent through childhood friends and an effort to find belonging, even when it means life or death. In this interview, Director Vincent Grashaw discusses his passion for film at an early age, how writers can grow out of material, the tipping point for a character with elevated emotions, how to make a story truly relatable and the importance of focus, lighting, and point-of-view to highlight the headspace of a protagonist. Make sure to also listen to our interview with the screenwriter of ‘And Then I Go’ back in Episode 29, where Brett Haley spoke about ‘The Hero.’ Stay up-to-date on other creative advice at www.creativeprinciples.live

The Movie Geeks welcome director Vincent Grashaw, whose new film And Then I Go releases on Digital HD and On Demand platforms on April 17. Based on Jim Shepard’s 2004 novel Project X, the film deals with subjects related to adolescence with moving candor, and stars Arman Darbo, Sawyer Barth, Melanie Lynskey, Justin Long, and Tony Hale. Support this podcast

The Movie Geeks welcome director Vincent Grashaw, whose new film And Then I Go releases on Digital HD and On Demand platforms on April 17. Based on Jim Shepard’s 2004 novel Project X, the film deals with subjects related to adolescence with moving candor, and stars Arman Darbo, Sawyer Barth, Melanie Lynskey, Justin Long, and Tony Hale.

On this week's show, I share interviews I did with the short story writer Jim Shepard and one of my favorite novelists, Jennifer Egan. [caption id="attachment_22997" align="alignnone" width="1430"] Jennifer Egan © Pieter M. van Hattem.[/caption] TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES Please leave a review of the show on iTunes. Episode 305 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.

In mid-February, seventeen students and adults were shot at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In the aftermath, surviving students have led a powerful campaign for gun control. In episode 12, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell bring you two authors—and a pile of books—that have covered the territory of school shootings, activism, and coming of age. First, Jim Shepard discusses his 2004 novel Project X, which is told from the POV of an eighth-grader who decides to commit a Columbine-style shooting. Shepard offers his thoughts on empathy, alienation, and how schools tend to treat their outcasts. Then Danielle Evans shares her read on the students activists in the #neveragain movement and the longstanding literary trope of child narrators who outwit adults. Adolescent anger and activism play out in Evans's story "Robert E. Lee is Dead," set in a high school in the south; she also points us to Edward P. Jones's story “The First Day” for a particularly poignant phrasing of the transition of adolescence. Readings: Project X by Jim Shepard (2004); "Robert E. Lee is Dead" by Danielle Evans, from the collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self (2011); "The First Day" by Edward P. Jones, from the collection Lost in the City (2004); The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (1970). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan talks to James about his remarkable new collections of plays, PLAYS ONE, and poetry, NEW LIFE, made even more remarkable by Dan's fight with colon cancer. The afternoon after a clean scan, he and James discuss the illness, young writers, and their shared affinity for not reading reviews. Then, Shuchi Saraswat talks about her excellent essay for Tin House and, as a book buyer for Brookline Booksmith, recommends her favorite summer reads and fall books to look forward to. - Dan O'Brien: http://www.danobrien.org/ Dan and James Discuss: ILLNESS AS METAPHOR by Susan Sontag  Sewanee Writers' Conference  Middlebury College  THE VOYAGE OF THE CARCASS by Dan O'Brien (DO)  THE DEAR BOY (DO)  Andra Harbold  Blake Montgomery  School Jacques Lecoq  Vassar College  New York Stage and Film  Williamstown Theatre Festival  Brown University  Jessica St. Clair  Pauline Kael  THE NEW YORKER  INDIANA JONES  THE BODY OF AN AMERICAN (DO)  ICE GHOSTS by Paul Watson  Sam Shepard  Eugene O'Neill Theater Center: National Playwrights Conference  Patti Smith BREAD LOAF WRITERS' CONFERENCE  Thomas Mallon Pinckney Benedict  NEW LIFE: POEMS (DO) WAR REPORTER (DO) THE HOUSE IN HYDESVILLE (DO)  THE CHERRY SISTERS REVISITED (DO)  - Shuchi and James discuss: RUNNING IN THE FAMILY by Michael Ondaatje  TIN HOUSE  Emma Komlos-Hrobsky  Teju Cole  John Berger  W.G. Sebald  IN THE SKIN OF A LION by Michael Ondaatje  DIVISADERO by Michael Ondaatje  IN THE DISTANCE by Hernan Diaz  MEEK'S CUTOFF dir by Kelly Reichardt  THE CAT'S TABLE by Michael Ondaatje  THE BURNING GIRL by Clare Messud  SMALL TREASONS by Mark Powell  THE MOUNTAIN by Paul Yoon  HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES by Carmen Maria Machado  Kelly Link Aimee Bender  Laura van den Berg  Karen Russell  AT NIGHT WE WALK IN CIRCLES by Daniel Alarcon  THE KING IS ALWAYS ABOVE THE PEOPLE by Daniel Alarcon FIVE-CARAT SOUL by James McBride  THE GOOD LORD BIRD by James McBride  Jeffrey Eugenides  Tom Hanks  Steve Martin  Junot Diaz  Alice Munro  Jim Shepard  Brookline Booksmith  NOBODY IS EVER MISSING by Catherine Lacey   - ttp://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK Instagram: tkwithjs / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/

James speaks with the authors of two new story collections, Tim Weed (A FIELD GUIDE TO MURDER & FLY FISHING) and Meghan Kenny (LOVE IS NO SMALL THING). They discuss sequencing their books, what unifies the stories, and what they learned in the writing process. Tim tells James how short stories are like jumping in cold water, and Meghan and James contemplate pulling a Freaky Friday.    - Tim Weed: https://timweed.net/ Tim and James Discuss:  National Geographic  Cuba Writers Program  Sir Francis Bacon  Middlebury College  Grub Street, Inc.  Ingmar Bergman  Laura van den Berg  Benjamin Percy  Green Writers Press  John Tiholiz  Grateful Dead JESUS' SON by Denis Johnson THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy William Gay  Paul Bowles  Jim Shepard  The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College DOG SOLDIERS by Robert Stone BEAR AND HIS DAUGHTER by Robert Stone  FUN WITH PROBLEMS by Robert Stone  "Helpers" by Robert Stone  THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT FICTION - Meghan Kenny: http://meghankenny.co/index/ Meghan and James Discuss:  Tobias Wolff  Richard Ford  Andre Dubus  PJ Mark  Lorrie Moore  Jim Shepard  Alice Munro  W.W. Norton & Company  LSU Press  Josh Weill  Anthony Doerr  FREAKY FRIDAY The Kenyon Review Writers Workshop Boise State University  Emerson College  Laura van den Berg  Newtonville Books - http://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK Instagram: tkwithjs / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/

In early July, LARB invited Lorin Stein, the Editor in Chief of the Paris Review, to speak at its publishing workshop at USC. During the trip, he also joined LARB's Tom Lutz for a public dialogue on the state of publishing, books, journals, reading, and literature - which naturally flowed into an even wider range of subjects from the joy of print, the craft of editing, translation in the digital age, Michael Houellebecq, and the marvelous writing of Edouard Louis. Also, author Fiona Maazel, who's new book is A Little More Human, returns to recommend Jim Shepard's new collection of stories The World To Come.

In this episode, Carlea and Lindsay discuss Roxane Gay's short story "I Am A Knife", and guest contributor Daniel Knowlton talks about Jim Shepard's short story collection Love and Hydrogen.

Rog talks with American novelist and short story writer Jim Shepard about his new book "The World To Come," how he unearths and selects the stories he tells, his love for Amsterdam Football Club Ajax, and why he's Alex Trebek's worst nightmare.

In all of his conversations, James has never found anyone who approached the craft of writing with the scientific common sense of Julie Lekstrom Himes. They discuss her debut novel, MIKHAIL AND MARGARITA, and the tremendous amount of work she put into her research in order to understand Russian culture, tracing it all the way to its origins. Plus, Michael Reynolds, Editor-in-Chief of Europa Editions.     - Julie Lekstrom Himes: https://www.europaeditions.com/author/204/julie-lekstrom-himes Julie and James Discuss: Grub Street Fine Arts Work Center  Jim Shepard  SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN  Margot Livesey  Hannah Tinti  Daniel Wallace New York State Summer Writers Institute  THE MASTER AND MARGARITA by Mikhail Bulgakov  THE WHITE GUARD by Mikhail Bulgakov  A YOUNG DOCTOR'S NOTEBOOK by Mikhail Bulgakov  LIE DOWN IN DARKNESS and THE CONFESSIONS OF NAT TURNER by William Styron  THE QUIET AMERICAN by Graham Greene  I REMEMBER by Joe Brainard  - Europa Editions: https://www.europaeditions.com/ Michael and James Discuss: Edizioni E/O THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG by Muriel Barbery  OLD FILTH by Jane Gardam  THREE WEEKS IN DECEMBER by Audrey Schulman  Elena Ferrante  MIKHAIL AND MARGARITA by Julie Lekstrom Himes  -  http://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK Instagram: tkwithjs / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/

Author Jim Shepard joins the podcast to discuss everything from the humor of Christopher Guest and S.J. Perelman to the poetic philosophy of Robert Frost and F.W. Murnau’s classic film, Nosferatu. He and host Jacke Wilson flutter around Nabokov’s Lolita, sink their teeth into Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and descend into the world of volcanoes in Krakatua 1883, where they explore how an author discovers emotional truths in unexpected places. Other works and artists discussed include Robert Frost, Howard Nemerov, James Thurber, Robert Stone, Anne Carson, Love at First Bite, and the deadpan style of Pat Paulsen. Show Notes:  Contact the host at jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or by leaving a voicemail at 1-361-4WILSON (1-361-494-5766). You can find more literary discussion at jackewilson.com and more episodes of the series at historyofliterature.com. Check out our Facebook page at facebook.com/historyofliterature. You can follow Jacke Wilson at his Twitter account @WriterJacke. You can also follow Mike and the Literature Supporters Club (and receive daily book recommendations) by looking for @literatureSC. Music Credits: “Handel – Entrance to the Queen of Sheba” by Advent Chamber Orchestra (From the Free Music Archive / CC by SA). “Sweeter Vermouth” and “Spy Glass” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a series of tragedies, Hannah Tinti figured out what she truly cares about, and in doing so, rediscovered the spark in her writing, resulting in her brilliant and immensely entertaining new novel, THE TWELVE LIVES OF SAMUEL HAWLEY. She and James discuss finding community in the lonely business of writing, immediately knowing which pieces of a book belong, using roadsigns to create tension, and having the audacity to write about whales. They also discuss Hannah's incredible work in co-creating and editing the literary magazine ONE STORY.    Hannah Tinti: http://hannahtinti.com/ Hannah and James Discuss: Daniel Wallace  American Short Fiction  Sewanee Writers' Conference  Maribeth Batcha  "Villanova" by John Hodgman  NYU  Writers House, A Literary Agency  Devin Emke  THE AREAS OF MY EXPERTISE by John Hodgman  THE BOSTON REVIEW  ATLANTIC MONTHLY  C. Michael Curtis  THE NEW YORKER  HARPER'S  PLOUGHSHARES  THE PARIS REVIEW  McSWEENEY'S  Samuel French  THE KENYON REVIEW  TIN HOUSE  GRANTA  REDIVIDER  "World's End" by Clare Beams  Victor Kiam  The One Story Debutante Ball  The Fray  Margo Rabb  "Fear Itself" by Katie Coyle  "The Strings Attached" (unfortunately not entitled "Banjo") by James Scott  ANIMAL CRACKERS by Hannah Tinti (2004, The Dial Press)  Winston Churchill  LENNY Hedgebrook Writers in Residence Program   Alfred Hitchcock  Annie Hartnett  50 Cent  Greg Mollica  Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home  Matthew Cheney  Jim Shepard  E.L. Doctorow  -  http://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK Instagram: tkwithjs / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/

Jim Shepard is an American novelist and short story writer, who teaches creative writing and film at Williams College.  His latest novel is The Book of Aron. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Advice from a psychic led Annie Hartnett to the residency that helped her finish her fantastic novel, RABBIT CAKE. She and James talk about spending time in cemeteries, writing in yards, giving a good reading, and how to sprinkle naked mole rat facts throughout to make the best fiction. Then, Masie Cochran from Tin House Books talks about discovering RABBIT CAKE and her route to becoming an editor.  - Annie Hartnett: http://www.anniehartnett.com/ Annie and James Discuss:  "Refresh, Refresh" by Benjamin Percy  GOSSIP GIRL  Newtonville Books  Tin House Books  Hamilton College Bread Loaf School of English  University of Alabama  Grub Street  Boston Public Library  Kellie Wells  Kobo  The Bread Loaf Writers' Conference  Mike Scalise  Alex Awards  THE KEPT REDIVIDER  FIND ME by Laura van den Berg  THE FAMILY FANG by Kevin Wilson  SWAMPLANDIA by Karen Russell  Aimee Bender  Samantha Hunt  THE WILDS by Julia Elliott  Mary Cotton  Jaime Clarke  George Saunders  - Tin House Books: https://www.tinhouse.com/books/ Masie and James Discuss:   (intro)  SWIMMING LESSONS by Claire Fuller  OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS by Claire Fuller  GHOST SONGS by Regina McBride  THE OTHER SIDE by Lacy Johnson  DRYLAND by Sara Jaffe  RELIEF MAP by Rosalie Knecht  (talk)  Katie Grimm of Don Congdon Associates  Michael Farris Smith  Nanci McCloskey Sabrina Wise TIN HOUSE  Tin House Writers' Workshop  Win McCormack  Richard Pine  Inkwell Management  GEEK LOVE by Katherine Dunn  99 STORIES OF GOD by Joy Williams  Jim Shepard  - http://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK Instagram: tkwithjs / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/

Michael Farris Smith and James figured out pretty early on in the conversation that they were cut from the same cloth. Michael is the author of THE HANDS OF STRANGERS, RIVERS, and his latest novel, DESPERATION ROAD, is out now. He and James discuss following the story, not thinking too hard, realizing something is boring, and how the rise and fall of music can serve as a model for fiction. Then, Steve Iwanski, manager of Turnrow Book Co., talks about his store and recommends books.   - Michael Farris Smith: https://michaelfarrissmith.com/ Michael and James discuss:  THE MAID'S VERSION by Daniel Woodrell The Southern Festival of the Book Square Books  Lemuria Books  Ann Patchett  Newtonville Books Brookline Booksmith  Porter Square Books Mississippi Book Festival  Somerset Review  CLMP  Manhattan Public Library  The Pushcart Prize  The Center for Writers at Ole Miss  Publisher's Weekly  Carolina Wren Press Hannah Tinti  One Story  Frederick Barthelme  Steven Barthelme  The New Yorker  Jason Isbell  "Fire Away" by Chris Stapleton Steve Earle  "Breaker's Roar" by Sturgill Simpson  "You Want it Darker" by Leonard Cohen - Turnrow Book Co: http://turnrowbooks.com/ James and Steve Discuss: COMMONWEALTH by Ann Patchett Lady Gaga Jamie Kornegay  FURIOUS COOL: RICHARD PRYOR AND THE WORLD THAT MADE HIM by David Henry and Joe Henry The Alabama Booksmith Wiley Cash  William Faulkner  Eudora Welty  THE NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH by Richard Flanagan  The Greenwood Shakespeare Project DESPERATION ROAD by Michael Farris Smith  THE STRAYS by Emily Bitto  THE HISTORY OF WOLVES by Emily Fridlund THE MIDNIGHT COOL by Lydia Peele  Ketch Secor Old Crow Medicine Show  THE WORLD UNDONE by GJ Meyer  THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD by Douglas Preston  THE LOST CITY OF Z by David Grann  ICE GHOSTS by Paul Watson  THE WORLD TO COME by Jim Shepard  LINCOLN IN THE BARDO by George Saunders  SALVAGE THE BONES by Jesmyn Ward  MEN WE REAPED by Jesmyn Ward  SING, UNBURIED, SING by Jesmyn Ward  - http://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK Instagram: tkwithjs / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/

Watchlist: 32 Stories by Persons of Interest (Catapult) In Watchlist, some of today's most prominent and promising fiction writers from around the globe respond to, meditate on, and mine for inspiration the surveillance culture in which we live. With contributions from Etgar Keret, T.C. Boyle, Robert Coover, Aimee Bender, Jim Shepard, Alissa Nutting, Charles Yu, Cory Doctorow, and many more, Watchlist unforgettably confronts the question: What does it mean to be watched? By turns political, apolitical, cautionary, and surreal, these stories reflect on what it s like to live in the surveillance state. Aimee Bender is the author of five books; the most recent, The Color Master, was a New York Times Notable Book of 2013. Her short fiction has been published in Granta, Harper’s, The Paris Review, and more, as well as heard on This American Life. She lives in Los Angeles, and teaches creative writing at USC. Alexis Landau studied at Vassar College and received an MFA from Emerson College and a PhD from the University of Southern California in English literature and creative writing. Her first novel, The Empire of the Senses, was published by Pantheon Books in the spring of 2015. She lives with her husband and two children in Los Angeles. Miles Klee is an editor for the web culture site the Daily Dot as well as author of Ivyland (OR Books, 2012) and the story collection True False (OR Books, 2015). His essays, reportage, fiction, and satire have appeared inVanity Fair, Lapham’s Quarterly, The Awl, Guernica, The Collagist, and elsewhere. Bryan Hurt is the author of Everyone Wants to Be Ambassador to France, winner of the Starcherone Prize for Innovative Fiction. His work has appeared in The American Reader, The Kenyon Review, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Recommended Reading, Tin House, TriQuarterly, among many others. He teaches creative writing at St. Lawrence University. Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction author, activist, journalist, and blogger—the co-editor of Boing Boing (boingboing.net) and the author of the YA graphic novel In Real Life, the nonfiction business book Information Doesn’t Want to Be Free, and young adult novels like Homeland, Pirate Cinema, and Little Brother and novels for adults like Rapture of the Nerds and Makers. He is the former European director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and cofounded the UK Open Rights Group. Born in Toronto, Canada, he now lives in Los Angeles.

James and Jung talk about her incredible debut novel, Shelter, and the craziness she has ahead of her. They compare the similar traits that made them want to process dark subject matter into fiction and how their spouses forced them to celebrate the good things. Plus, Chris Linendoll from Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, NY, gives five debut recommendations.    James and Jung discuss:  Town & Country  Sophie's Choice by William Styron  Gotham Writers' Workshop "The School" by Donald Barthelme  John Cheever  Richard Yates  The Rising by Ryan D'Agostino  "At the Train Bridge" by Calvin Trillin  "Boys Town" by Jim Shepard  You Think That's Bad by Jim Shepard    James and Chris discuss: Shelter by Jung Yun The Point of Vanishing by Howard Axelrod*  The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks Lay Down Your Weary Tune by W.B. Belcher* Poorly Drawn Lines by Reza Farazmand* Red Rising by Pierce Brown*  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins  Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott  Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick  Divergent by Veronica Roth  Dear Mr. You by Mary-Louise Parker*  *- Chris's recommendation   e-mail: tkwithjs@gmail.com // facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/ // instagram: tkwithjs

This is episode 114 of Roguelike Radio, where Darren Grey, Mark Johnson, Jim Shepard and Brett Gildersleeve talk about fitting procedural generation techniques around the intended gameplay. Apologies for the low audio quality.Read more »

Author Jim Shepard discusses his novel, The Book of Aron, the years of research that went into writing it and how his love of reading started with nonfiction.

Jim Shepard '78, a Connecticut native, teaches creative writing and film at Williams College. His work has been published in McSweeney's, Granta, The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, Harper's, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Ploughshares, Triquarterly, and Playboy. His short story collection , "Like You'd Understand, Anyway" won the Story Prize in 2007, and was nominated for a National Book Award in 2007. The novel Project X won the 2005 Massachusetts Book Award. Along with writing novels and short stories, Shepard has also drafted two screenplays.

This is episode 95 of Roguelike Radio, where we talk about the end of 2014 and look ahead to the new year. Talking this episode are Darren Grey, DarkGod and Jim Shepard. Read more »

This is episode 85 of Roguelike Radio, where we look back on the happenings of 2013. Talking this episode are Darren Grey, Eben Howard, DarkGod and Jim Shepard.Read more »

This is episode 76 of Roguelike Radio, where we interview Jim Shepard, creator of Dungeonmans, with Darren Grey, Eben Howard, Brian Jeffears (aka getter77) and Kawaii Dragoness. Read more »

First Draft interview with Jim Shepard

Kitchens of the Great Midwest (Pamela Dorman Books) From one of our favorite local authors comes a hotly anticipated debut--about a young woman with a once-in-a-generation palate who becomes the iconic chef behind the country's most coveted dinner reservation.  When Lars Thorvald's wife, Cynthia, falls in love with wine--and a dashing sommelier--he's left to raise their baby, Eva, on his own. He's determined to pass on his love of food to his daughter--starting with pureed pork shoulder. As Eva grows, she finds her solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota. From Scandinavian lutefisk to hydroponic chocolate habaneros, each ingredient represents one part of Eva's journey as she becomes the star chef behind a legendary and secretive pop-up supper club, culminating in an opulent and emotional feast that's a testament to her spirit and resilience.  Each chapter in J. Ryan Stradal's startlingly original debut tells the story of a single dish and character, at once capturing the zeitgeist of the Midwest, the rise of foodie culture, and delving into the ways food creates community and a sense of identity. By turns quirky, hilarious, and vividly sensory, Kitchens of the Great Midwest is an unexpected mother-daughter story about the bittersweet nature of life--its missed opportunities and its joyful surprises. It marks the entry of a brilliant new talent. Praise for Kitchens of the Great Midwest: "Kitchens of the Great Midwest is a big-hearted, funny, and class-transcending pleasure. It's also both a structural and empathetic tour de force, stepping across worlds in the American midwest, and demonstrating with an enviable tenderness and ingenuity the tug of war between our freedom to pursue our passions and our obligations to those we love." --Jim Shepard, author of Project X and National Book Award finalist for Like You'd Understand, Anyway "Tender, funny, and moving, J. Ryan Stradal's debut novel made me crave my mother's magic cookie bars...and every good tomato I've ever had the privilege of eating. Kitchens of the Great Midwest manages to be at once sincere yet sharply observed, thoughtful yet swiftly paced, and the lives of its fallible, realistic, and complicated characters mattered to me deeply. It's a fantastic book."-- Edan Lepucki, bestselling author of California  "In Kitchens of the Great Midwest, a charming, fast-moving round robin tale of food, sensuality and Midwestern culture, Mr. Stradal has delivered one extremely tasty, well-seasoned debut in what is sure to be a long and savory career."--Janet Fitch, author White Oleander "From the quite literally burning passions of a lonely eleven-year-old girl with an exceptional palate, to the ethical dilemmas behind a batch of Blue Ribbon Peanut Butter Bars, J. Ryan Stradal writes with a special kind of meticulous tenderness--missing nothing and accepting everything. A superbly gratifying debut."--Meg Howrey, author of The Crane's Dance  "An impossible-to-put-down, one-of-a-kind novel. The prose is beautiful, the characters memorable, and the plot is surprising at every turn. I have never read a book quite like this--and neither, I'll bet, have you. This stunning debut announces J. Ryan Stradal as a first-rate voice in American fiction. This is a wildly creative, stunningly original, and very moving novel. I can't wait to see what Stradal does next."-- Rob Roberge, author of The Cost of Living  "A Great American Novel in the fullest sense of the term. Everything you want a book to be."--Ben Loory, author of Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day J. Ryan Stradal is the author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest. Born and raised in Minnesota, he now lives in Los Angeles, where he is Acquisitions Editor at Unnamed Press and the Fiction Editor at The Nervous Breakdown.  Julia Ingalls is primarily an essayist. Her work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Salon, Guernica, and KCRW, among others. From David Mitchell to Alan Ball to Amelia Gray, she's had the pleasure of conversing with the world's finest imaginative writers, a tradition she continues tonight with J. Ryan Stradal.

Amy is Asif Kapadia's documentary telling the story of the short life of the talented singer Amy Winehouse. We look at the launch of Apple Music - is it an exciting brand new way to explore what's out there or just another option in an already over-serviced market? Jim Shepard's novel The Book of Aron is about a young boy in wartime Poland occupied by the Nazis. Does it manage to say something new about a familiar subject? There's a revival in London of the first AIDS play: As Is. It premiered in New York in 1985 and won a TONY. What does it say about the situation today? The Joseph Cornell retrospective at London's Royal Academy allows visitors to view collages rarely seen in the UK.

How to Cary Bigfoot Home (Red Hen Press) The King of the Sea Monkeys (Guernica Editions)  The thirteen stories in Chris Tarry's richly imagined debut, How To Carry Bigfoot Home, lay bare the insurmountable forces that determine who we are and who we become. From an out-of-work dragon-slaying father in "Here Be Dragons" to a family arguing aboard a rocket ship in "Topics in Advanced Rocketry," the stories use fantastic settings, blazing wit, and imaginative circumstances to explore very human truths. The stories work to reconcile the public self with the private heart. To contemplate the monsters we carry home and lay bare for the ones we love the most. Praise for How to Carry Bigfoot Home: “Chris Tarry's stories come at what we might call The Problem of Men as Boys from all possible angles, from a hapless medieval stay-at-home Dad who's running a con game out of his one-room hovel to a Bigfoot who's a sad failure as a creative writing teacher. These stories hilariously and poignantly evoke the way, when it comes to relationships, all men are living under a leaky thatched roof with winter on the way, always believing they're on the edge of a turnaround, even though failure keeps returning like an old friend back in town.” —Jim Shepard, Story Prize–winning author of You Think That's Bad and Project X  “What would happen if some mad scientist were able to fuse the otherworldly exuberance of H.P. Lovecraft with the nuanced pathos of John Cheever? The result would be a dazzling, explosive, and inexhaustible new kind of illumination: a writer named Chris Tarry.” —Stefan Merrill Block, author of The Story of Forgetting and The Storm at the Door . . .  Mark E. Cull's The King of the Sea Monkeys is a novel in two parts. Because the protagonist suffers from a traumatic brain injury, the first part is fragmented, finding its way in the larger narrative in disorderly pieces. The novel is centered on a young high school teacher living a fairly normal life. This life disintegrates when he is involved in a shooting at a convenience store. He survives but his world is undone. Issues of traumatic brain injury are examined and the existence of God comes into question. We find ourselves asking what the framework of a real life is. Praise for King of the Sea Monkeys: The King of the Sea Monkeys unfolds a lot like the creatures of this novel's title. This new world is at first so promising and real and then it is all taken away. The characters in this novel bring me back to life, back to a full appreciation of the wonder of it all. It is a novel about love and innocence and wisdom and surrender, the good kind. Mark Cull has shaped a fitting lesson for us in this era of passivity and neglect. – Percival Everett . . .  Chris Tarry holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia, and is the author of the story collection, How To Carry Bigfoot Home (Red Hen Press 2015). His fiction has appeared in publications such as The Literary Review, On Spec, The GW Review, PANK, Bull Men's Fiction, and Monkeybicycle. His non-fiction has appeared in the anthology How to Expect What You're Not Expecting, Outside In Literary & Travel Magazine, Grain Magazine, and many other places. In 2012, his story “Here Be Dragons” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He is also a four-time Juno Award winner (the Canadian Grammy), and one of New York's most sought-after musicians. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey with his wife Michelle and two amazing kids, Chloe and Lucas. Visit him at http://christarry.com Mark E. Cull is a publisher and author who lives in Los Angeles with his wife and Red Hen Press Co-Founder, Kate Gale. Born and raised in Los Angeles, fortune led him to spend nearly two decades in the aerospace and defense industries before a lurking passion for literature finally compelled him to that world, and more specifically the world of publishing. Ready to change the publishing landscape, Mark joined Kate Gale in establishing one of the most respected and eclectic presses in the independent literature publishing sector, Red Hen Press. Mark attended college at Cal State Northridge, majoring in Literature. Since that transition, he has authored a short story collection, One Way Donkey Ride (Asylum Arts, 2002), founded The Los Angeles Review, serves on the advisory board of WriteGirl, and has co-edited three collections of short fiction: Anyone is Possible, Blue Cathedral, and The Crucifix is Down. In addition to the upcoming release of The King of the Sea Monkeys (April, 2015: Guernica Editions), he is currently at work on a novel and seeking a home for two others.

Take This Man (Simon & Schuster) Join us this evening and welcome back an icon of literary Los Angeles, Brando Skyhorse! From PEN/Hemingway award winner Brando Skyhorse comes this stunning, heartfelt memoir in the vein of "The Glass Castle "or "The Tender Bar," the true story of a boy's turbulent childhood growing up with five stepfathers and the mother who was determined to give her son everything but the truth. When he was three years old, Brando Kelly Ulloa was abandoned by his Mexican father. His mother, Maria, dreaming of a more exciting life, saw no reason for her son to live his life as a Mexican just because he started out as one. The life of "Brando Skyhorse," the American Indian son of an incarcerated political activist, was about to begin. Through a series of letters to Paul Skyhorse Johnson, a stranger in prison for armed robbery, Maria reinvents herself and her young son as American Indians in the colorful Mexican-American neighborhood of Echo Park, California. There Brando and his mother live with his acerbic grandmother and a rotating cast of surrogate fathers. It will be over thirty years before Brando begins to untangle the truth of his own past, when a surprise discovery online leads him to his biological father at last. From an acclaimed, prize-winning novelist celebrated for his "indelible storytelling" ("O, The Oprah Magazine"), this extraordinary literary memoir captures a son's single-minded search for a father wherever he can find one, and is destined to become a classic.  Praise for Take This Man "Take This Man is a grand story full of fantastic characters--characters whom the author brings vividly to life because they ARE his life. Skyhorses's shifting identity creates an intense quest for meaning, a kind of whodunit memoir that explores the sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, often absurd, and always fascinating childhood that the author, no matter his lineage, has no choice but to claim as his own. Pour a shot of Wolff's This Boy's Life, add a jigger of Moehringer's The Tender Bar, throw in a splash of Rivera's Family Installments, and this is what you get: a heady cocktail of memories with a twist."--Kim Barnes, Author of In the Kingdom of Men and In the Wilderness: Coming of Age in Unknown Country "Take This Man is as astonishing a memoir as I've ever read. Brando Skyhorse's beautifully-told tale of his truly bizarre childhood and his search for a father moved me in a way that few books have. I will never forget Skyhorse's charismatic mother and grandmother, nor the tortured triangle the three of them formed. I was reminded at times of Geoffrey Wolff's "The Duke of Deception", and also of "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls and "The Tender Bar" by J.R. Moehringer. But I guarantee that this is a family story unlike any you've read before. It deserves to become a classic."--Will Schwalbe, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Your Life Book Club "The details of Brando Skyhorse's life are as outlandish and attention-grabbing as his name. Imagine the kind of mother who advertises you for adoption in the back of a magazine and then denies it to your face, or the kind of stepfather who calls his prison 'Arizona State, ' as if discussing his alma mater. Take This Man is a funny and harrowing and touching portrait of the abyss in families between what we know we should do and how our hearts lead us to behave."--Jim Shepard, author of Like You'd Understand, Anyway and You Think That's Bad "A beautiful, compassionate, but also hilarious and hair-raising tale of one boy's life, the lies and truths his mother told, and the damage and the magic she created. Brando Skyhorse is an irresistible writer with an incredible story."--Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle "This gorgeous, wrenching, ultimately uplifting book is a testament to the large and generous heart of its author. Brando Skyhorse has made art out of the chaos of his own extraordinary family history, and, in so doing, has raised the bar, not only for memoirists, but for us all."--Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of Still Writing "Take This Man reaches beyond the bounds of my imagination. We use the word "survivor" with disgracefully casual ease. But this writer truly survived being held hostage, raised by wolves. Brando's grandmother and mother are terrifying and mesmerizing. Their cruelty to their biographer was audacious, calculated and thrilling to read. Stories molested him and nourished him. And it is with relief that I read in Take This Man flashes of Brando's bitterness and heat, sane fury directed at the Scheherazades who toyed with him. Whatever else they did to him, when he escaped he knew how to tell a story, and this is one hell of story."--Geoffrey Wolff, author of The Duke of Deception Brando Skyhorse's debut novel, The Madonnas of Echo Park, received the 2011 PEN/Hemingway Award and the Sue Kaufman Award for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The book was also a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick. He has been awarded fellowships at Ucross and Can Serrat, Spain. Skyhorse is a graduate of Stanford University and the MFA Writers' Workshop program at UC Irvine. He is the 2014 Jenny McKean Moore Writer-In-Washington at George Washington University. 

Leah Hager Cohen, the author of four novels including The Grief of Others and four works of narrative nonfiction including Train Go Sorry, is the Chair in Contemporary American Letters at the College of the Holy Cross and a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review. Jim Shepard is the author of six novels, including Project X, and four story collections, including the National Book Award finalist Like You’d Understand, Anyway and You Think That’s Bad, released April 2011. Following readings from Shepard and Cohen, Marilyn Sides, professor of English at Wellesley College, moderated a discussion. The event took place as part of Distinguished Writers Series at Wellesley's Newhouse Center for the Humanities in March 2012.

You Think That's Bad, Jim Shepard and Kurt Vonnegut: Novels and Stories, 1963-1973, Kurt Vonnegut and Sidney Offit

Project X by Jim Shepard

Project X (Knopf); Love and Hydrogen (Vintage) Jim Shepard's fondness for the little guy, the day-dreaming Walter Mitty type is the focus of this conversation, leading to the big question...

This week, Jim Shepard discusses his latest book “Phase Six.” The novel is about the next pandemic that reads like a fictional sequel to our current crisis. Shepard is also the author of seven previous novels including, “The Book of Aron." Photo courtesy of Random House.