Book Fight

We foist a book upon Tom's college roommate, an avowed non-reader. Will he like it? Will he spit it out, like a child being forced to eat spinach? Talking points include: 80s trivia, Sarah Palin, TV Guide Recommends, info-dumps, dystopian futures, The Princess Bride, and videogames.

Direct download: Ep_33-Ernest_Cline_Ready_Player_One.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Heartbreaking church lock-ins, awkward rest stop encounters, and also we answer some questions about writing. How does one find a mentor? Once you get some work accepted, do the rejections lose their sting? And what's the deal with book trailers?

Direct download: WritersAsk_MENTOR.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Book Fight road trip! We recorded this episode in a car (Tom's) while driving to the annual Conversations and Connections conference in Washington, D.C. The book this week is Tom's pick, and boy is it a bummer. Though a very well-written, culturally important bummer. We still found stuff to joke about, including bears, Tom's driving skills, tunnels, sharks, and Jay Leno's quest for love and approval. We also talked about the upsides and downsides of allegory, and whether Coetzee's narrator is a creep.

This week's closing music is from Phosphorescent's 2005 album "To Willie," which you can find in the iTunes store.

Direct download: Ep_32_Coetzee_WaitingForTheBarbarians.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

To MFA or not to MFA: that is the question. Also, what's our beef with flash fiction? And how should writers use Twitter and Facebook? Plus Tom burns a bridge, and Mike tries to glean some lessons from past failures.

Direct download: WritersAsk_HurtinFeelingsBurninBridges.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

One of Mike's favorite books, which means if Tom doesn't properly love it Mike might have to punch him. Also: Britishisms, the Middle Ages, academic ambivalence, Jenga, and ballet.

Direct download: Ep_31_Amis_Lucky_Jim.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

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