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A podcast about literary fiction and the world of books, with hosts Matt Bucher and Dave Laird. [Logo by Chris Ayers]
Episodes
Monday Jan 23, 2023
Monday Jan 23, 2023
In this episode, we talk with prolific reader and accomplished musician Evan Stephens Hall from the band Pinegrove. We discuss his top books of the year and go through a few of our own favorite reading experiences from 2022.
Here is the David Foster Wallace & Richard Powers Q&A we mention.
The Pinegrove songs featured in this episode are Alaska and Habitat.
Thank you to Rough Trade Records, Pinegrove and Evan Stephens Hall for permission.
Here are our Concavity Show Best Songs of 2022 playlists:
iTunes: https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/best-of-2022/pl.u-EdAVv5dCaMJB7j
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1BwuTDJq2LoU8ZzdSDXSK5?si=052f5d25ed514b43
Evan, top books mentioned:
A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest J. Gaines (Gaines stamp!)
Morality Play by Barry Unsworth
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
Public Library by Ali Smith (and Autumn!)
Breaking and Entering by Joy WIlliams
Leave Society by Tao Lin
Dave, top books mentioned:
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyaasi
Intimacies by Katie Kitamura
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Autoportrait by Jesse Ball
Liberation Day by George Saunders
Matt, top books read this year:
Robert Crews by Thomas Berger
Literary Alchemist by Steve Paul
We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper
Airport Music by Mark Tardi
Zol by REYoung
Evan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evanstephenshall/
Pinegrove website: https://pinegroveband.com/
Contact Dave & Matt:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Tuesday Nov 29, 2022
Tuesday Nov 29, 2022
In episode 70, we talk to our friend Peyton Thomas, a DFW, Louisa May Alcott, and American Girl doll enthusiast. His recent YA novel, Both Sides Now, was published in 2021, and his writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, Pitchfork, and Billboard, and many other places.
Peyton is currently at work on his second novel, a contemporary interpretation of Little Women. You can read more about this forthcoming book in Oprah Daily. Peyton also hosts a podcast about Little Women called Jo's Boys.
Peyton's website - https://peytonthomas.ca/
Buy Both Sides Now - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/652876/both-sides-now-by-peyton-thomas/
Jo's Boys Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jos-boys-a-little-women-podcast/id1610742792
Peyton's Pitchfork reviews - https://pitchfork.com/staff/peyton-thomas/albumreviews/
Peyton on Twitter - https://twitter.com/peytonology
Infinite Jest Fanfiction on Archive of Our Own - https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Infinite%20Jest%20-%20David%20Foster%20Wallace/works
Contact Dave & Matt:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Tuesday Nov 01, 2022
Tuesday Nov 01, 2022
In Episode 69, we talk to our friend Mike O'Connell about his recent collection from University of Mississippi Press, Conversations with George Saunders, and discuss Mike's background, the origins of the collection, particulars of the interviews in the book, the trajectory and flavor of Saunders' literary career, and where it all might go.
Buy the Conversations book here - https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/C/Conversations-with-George-Saunders
Buy George's brand new book, Liberation Day here - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/564990/liberation-day-by-george-saunders/
You can find Michael online in these places:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/moc
Academia.edu - https://sienaheights.academia.edu/MichaelOConnell
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/books_in_2022/
Contact Dave & Matt:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Thursday Aug 04, 2022
Thursday Aug 04, 2022
In Adam's second appearance on the show, we discuss his brand new novel, Mount Chicago, which follows a handful of characters living in the shadow of a "terrestrial anomaly" that befalls Chicago's downtown. Both hilarious and tragic, the book shows off Levin's great versatility as a storyteller, metafictionist, humorist, and, maybe to some extent, autobiographer. We also talk about birds (again).
Buy Adam's new book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/695826/mount-chicago-by-adam-levin/ or here: https://bookshop.org/books/mount-chicago/9780385548243
Adam's website: https://www.adamlevinadamlevin.com/
Seminary Co-op Virtual Event on August 10th (registration required) - https://www.semcoop.com/event/adam-levin-mount-chicago
"A Lot of Things Have Happened" by Adam Levin - The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/12/27/a-lot-of-things-have-happened
Recent New York Times piece on Mount Chicago - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/21/books/summer-books-writers.html
Contact Dave & Matt:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Sunday Jul 10, 2022
Sunday Jul 10, 2022
In Episode 67, we welcome Christian TeBordo back to the show to discuss his new novel, The Apology, as well as get a rundown of the recent David Foster Wallace conference in Austin, with overall reflections from Matt.
Christian on Twitter - https://twitter.com/xtebordo
Buy The Apology here - https://www.astrophilpress.com/the-apology
Contact Dave & Matt:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Wednesday Mar 23, 2022
Wednesday Mar 23, 2022
In Episode 66, we welcome Dario Diofebi, the mind behind one of our favorite books of 2021, Paradise, Nevada, from Bloomsbury Publishing.
You can buy the book here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/paradise-nevada-9781635576207/
Stay tuned for the bonus episode, dropping about two weeks from this launch. Check out our Patreon for access details: https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Contact Matt and Dave:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Friday Feb 18, 2022
Friday Feb 18, 2022
In Episode 65, we bear witness to the glorious return of Kyle Beachy to the show, to discuss his new book on skateboarding (and marriage, architecture, literature, etc.), The Most Fun Thing: Dispatches from a Skateboard Life, out now from Grand Central Publishing!
You can buy the book from your friendly local book store, or online, here: https://bookshop.org/books/the-most-fun-thing-dispatches-from-a-skateboard-life-9781549166969/9781538754115
Find Kyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kylebeachy
And here: https://twitter.com/TheMostFunThing
Kyle's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themostfunthing/?hl=en
Kyle's Podcast, Vent City: https://soundcloud.com/ventcity
Read and check out more or Kyle's writing, interviews, and videos here: https://linktr.ee/kbeachy
Contact Matt and Dave:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Friday Dec 31, 2021
Friday Dec 31, 2021
In Episode 64, we recount our year in reading, noting our highlights along the way. Stay tuned for Film, TV, and Music in the Patreon bonus episode!
Apple Music Year End Playlist - https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/concavity-show-best-of-2021/pl.u-r2yBJmEIPj5rYl
Spotify Year End Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/39OGzFZKMCQGSoZIQGudL6?si=366545dd4e93492d
Show Notes:
Robyn O'Neil Cards - https://www.robynoneil.com/cardsandstickers
Rob Rahmier's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rdeezy84/
Jacob Rahier's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jrahmier/
Contact Matt and Dave:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Friday Dec 03, 2021
Friday Dec 03, 2021
In Episode 63, Matt and Dave talk to Deb Olin Unferth—author of the fantastic novels Barn 8 and Vacation, short story collections Wait Till You See Me Dance and Minor Robberies, and the memoir Revolution—about her writing, research, and creative writing teaching.
Contact Deb about Pen-City - pencitywriters@gmail.com
Deb's Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/debolinunferth
Deb's Shipman Agency page - https://www.theshipmanagency.com/deb-olin-unferth
Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deb_Olin_Unferth
Contact Matt and Dave:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Monday Oct 18, 2021
Monday Oct 18, 2021
In Episode 62, Dave and Matt talk to the author and illustrator of the cryptic meganovel sensation, America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic, out now from Corona/Samizdat Press.
Audio recording featuring thunder!
Show Notes:
Buy the book: 20€ + Shipping, Send email to (rick.harsch@gmail.com), pay through PayPal (same email address)
Leaf by Leaf video review by Chris Via: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2HKsvOU5mM
Everyone Who Reads It Must Converse preview interview w/ Phill and Jeff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6AP66P9bBQ
Off the Wall Novels video review by Daniel Backer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBA4s8Vv_lM
Cactus book official page on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cultofthecactusboots/?hl=en
Phill's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eraserheaddad/?hl=en
Jeff's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matter_interacting/?hl=en
Corona/samizdat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corona_samizdat/?hl=en
Dave and Matt on 30 Mins +/- w/ Maestro and the Doc – https://m.soundcloud.com/user-404883881/episode-15-30-minutes-with-the-maestro-and-the-doc-final-epsidoe
Contact Matt and Dave:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Tuesday Sep 07, 2021
Tuesday Sep 07, 2021
In Episode 61, we welcome the highly celebrated, multi award-winning American writer Steve Erickson, author of Shadowbahn, Tours of the Black Clock, These Dreams of You, and a host of other novels and non-fiction.
To help celebrate the release of Conversations with Steve Erickson, out now from University of Mississippi Press, we're joined by the book's editors, familiar faces on the show, Matt Luter and Mike Miley, who talk with Steve about the book itself, his body of work, his latest online piece "American Stutter," music, film, and lots more.
Stay tuned for the Patreon bonus episode in two weeks, where Matt and Dave talk to Steve about his favorite novels of all-time.
Show Notes:
Conversations with Steve Erickson: https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/C/Conversations-with-Steve-Erickson
Literary Conversations Series: https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Series/L/Literary-Conversations-Series
"American Stutter" by Steve Erickson (from Journal of the Plague Years): https://www.journaloftheplagueyears.ink/long-player-special-edition
Steve Erickson Official Website: https://www.steveerickson.org/
Steve Erickson Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Erickson
Matt Luter Website: https://matthewluter.com/
Matt Luter Twitter: https://twitter.com/matthewjluter
Mike Miley Website: https://www.mikemiley.com/
Mike Miley Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikecmiley
Housekeeping:
Matt's appearance on the Beyond the Zero podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5v3OcB0IPDcvzpydFH8x2s?si=Ap5clHZESWCmJskwwUzZNg&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1&nd=1
David Jensen's Society 6 store: https://society6.com/infinitejensen
David Jensen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/infinitejensen?lang=en
David Jensen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infinitejensen/?hl=en
Howling Fanbot on Twitter: https://twitter.com/howlingfanbot?lang=en
DFW Amsterdam Conference 2021: https://www.dfwsociety.org/dfw2021/
DFW Masterclass with Allard den Dulk: https://www.nica-institute.com/event-masterclass-metamodernism-new-sincerity-post-critique-25-years-after-wallaces-infinite-jest/
DFW Austin Conference 2022: http://www.dfwsociety.org/dfw22/
Contact Matt and Dave:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Friday Aug 06, 2021
Friday Aug 06, 2021
In Episode 60, Dave and Matt are joined by National Book Award Finalist, Brandon Hobson, to discuss his brand new novel, The Removed, as well as his other tremendous fiction.
Notable links:
Order The Removed - https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-removed-brandon-hobson?variant=32126575837218
Healer of the Water Monster by Brian Young (Heartdrum imprint) - htthttps://www.harpercollins.com/products/healer-of-the-water-monster-brian-young?variant=32269101989922
Brandon's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandon.hobson.7/?hl=en
Brandon's Twitter: https://twitter.com/bwhobson
The Mother and the Whore (La Maman et la Putain) film - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mother_and_the_Whore
*Sorry for the barking dog near the end and a couple of Zoom glitch sounds.
Contact Matt and Dave:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Thursday Jul 01, 2021
Thursday Jul 01, 2021
In Episode 59, Dave and Matt make a special announcement about the podcast, and outline a host of exciting changes!
There is also a Jessica Anthony Enter the Aardvark giveaway contest, so hang in til the end. You have until the end of July 15th to email us your entry!
Check out our Patreon page with a fresh $5 per month tier, offering an exciting new reward: https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
We now have a Threadless merch store! Get your Concavity Show wares here: https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
(Note that at time of episode launch, some products are not quite formatting the logo image correctly [notebooks, mugs, stickers, magnets], but we're working through this with their support people)
*Due to some technical issues, you'll notice a shift in audio sound around the 14:20 mark, so sorry for the jarring change. You'll get used to it in no time!
Contact Dave and Matt:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Monday Mar 01, 2021
Monday Mar 01, 2021
In Episode 58, Dave and Matt are joined by YouTube creator Chris Via of the Leaf by Leaf book review/discussion channel. A special surprise guest also makes an appearance that was about impossible to seamlessly edit out!
We discuss Chris' excellent book channel's origins, primary preoccupations, Chris' recent re-read of Infinite Jest, the joy of reading, and a host of other great books and authors.
Show Notes:
Leaf by Leaf Homepage: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZAGMLh7Gh38MjmHeHDTnzw
Chris' Infinite Jest video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOcMmriW0xQ&t=2403s
Leaf by Leaf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leafbyleaf_official/?hl=en
Leaf by Leaf Twitter - https://twitter.com/leafbyleafvlog?lang=en
Growing Sentences with David Foster Wallace - https://kottke.org/09/03/growing-sentences-with-david-foster-wallace
Contact Matt and Dave:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Monday Feb 08, 2021
Monday Feb 08, 2021
In the third and final installment of our 2020 Year in Review episode, Dr. Grace Chipperfield joins us to talk about her Ph.D. thesis on Wallace, and the music and board/video games that stood out this year.
Show Notes:
TGC's Best of 2020 Music Playlist:
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/54cVYaPoAuOOCRFygJjYH9?si=_JT7ZtK6Su63rd_2DOMYoQ
Apple - https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/best-of-2020/pl.u-zPyLLE5tZxBPNl
Grace's Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7qHeOMoSBTHdMRV9nM5VQP?si=1tFzStCITkuS80d6v_g3og
Aidan Knight "Veni Vidi Vici" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmw64PXdJ9g
Contact Grace: grace.chipperfield@flinders.edu.au
Contact Dave and Matt:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
In Part 2 of our 2020 Year in Review, we talk to old friend of the show, Chris Ayers, our resident film and TV specialist, about the year in screen-based entertainment.
Part 3 with Grace Chipperfield coming soon!
Find Chris' amazing Wallace-related and design work here:
Poor Yorick - https://pooryorickentertainment.tumblr.com/
Professional - http://www.chrisayerscreative.com/
Redbubble - https://www.redbubble.com/people/cwayers/shop/?collections=999954
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisayerscreative/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/chrisAcreative
Connect with Dave and Matt:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Thursday Dec 31, 2020
Thursday Dec 31, 2020
Given our Year of Collective Quarantine, we had so much to talk about w/r/t our literary and pop-cultural consumption, that we have a three-parter for our 2020 recap.
In Part 1 here, we talk to old friend and recurring guest of the show, Matt Luter, about his productive year in reading, and ours. We hope you find a slew of new books to add to your stack.
Part 2 coming in January.
Happy New Year to our wonderful listeners, and ode to a much better 2021!
Find Matt Luter on Twitter: https://twitter.com/matthewjluter
Contact Dave and Matt:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Thursday Sep 17, 2020
Thursday Sep 17, 2020
In Episode 56, we have the great pleasure of talking to Jessica Anthony about her exceptional new book, Enter the Aardvark, as well as our classic favorite, The Convalescent, which you've no doubt heard us mention over the years. Jess unpacks for us her views on the imaginate power of fiction, 19th century British taxidermy, and some of the most expensive luxury goods on the planet.
Show Notes:
André Breton “Manifesto of Surrealism - http://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil330/MANIFESTO%20OF%20SURREALISM.pdf
Zadie Smith – “Fascinated to Presume: In Defense of Fiction” - https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/10/24/zadie-smith-in-defense-of-fiction/
Buy Enter the Aardvark (Little, Brown) - https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/jessica-anthony/enter-the-aardvark/9780316536134/
Buy The Convalescent (McSweeney's) - https://store.mcsweeneys.net/products/the-convalescent
Jessica on Instagram - @entertheanthony
Contact Dave and Matt:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Wednesday Jul 22, 2020
Wednesday Jul 22, 2020
In Episode 55, we're joined by writer Christian TeBordo, author of the recent short story collection Ghost Engine, and novel Toughlahoma. He's the director of the creative writing program at Roosevelt University in Chicago, and a colleague and friend of recent guests Adam Levin and Kyle Beachy.
You can buy his excellent books here:
Ghost Engine - bookshop.org/books/ghost-engine-stories/9781732366732
Toughlahoma - bookshop.org/books/toughlahoma/9780986086908
You can read some of his short fiction here:
"The Star Thrower-Thrower" https://www.alwayscrashing.com/current/2018/3/26/the-star-thrower-thrower
&
"How We Lived on Mainstreet" https://vol1brooklyn.com/2018/12/02/sunday-stories-how-we-lived-on-main-street/
Christian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/xtebordo
Connect with The Great Concavity here:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Tuesday May 26, 2020
Tuesday May 26, 2020
In Episode 54, we talk to Martina Testa, Editor at Edizioni SUR, and one of Wallace's Italian translators and interpreters. The conversation explores her background with discovering Wallace's writing, getting contracts to translate his work, the Italian fervour surrounding him, and her friendship with Wallace.
You can find Martina online in these places:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/martinatesta
Edizioni SUR Website - https://www.edizionisur.it/chi-siamo/
Connect with The Great Concavity here:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Tuesday Apr 07, 2020
Tuesday Apr 07, 2020
In Episode 53, we're joined by the writer Adam Levin, author of The Instructions, Hot Pink, and the incredible forthcoming novel Bubblegum, which releases April 14, 2020. In our conversation, we talk a good deal about the new novel, Adam's experience reading/thinking about Wallace, swearing, parrots, swearing & parrots, metafiction, and other fun topics.
Show notes:
Adam's website: https://www.adamlevinadamlevin.com/
Order Bubblegum - https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780385544962
Guernica excerpt of Bubblegum - https://www.guernicamag.com/bubblegum/?fbclid=IwAR39CVIwDGSW9KZm7rrzGA7DaMEAG4sLpf7lxjHVZq4wEvtYZpo2LJW7s58
Order The Instructions - https://store.mcsweeneys.net/products/the-instructions
Order Hot Pink - https://store.mcsweeneys.net/products/hot-pink?taxon_id=1
"Kid Positive" The New Yorker - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/02/kid-positive
"Kid Positive" interview, The New Yorker - https://www.newyorker.com/books/this-week-in-fiction/adam-levin-03-02-20
Contact Us:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Sunday Mar 08, 2020
Sunday Mar 08, 2020
In Episode 52, we talk to Jon Baskin, author of the exciting new book Ordinary Unhappiness: The Therapeutic Fiction of David Foster Wallace. Topics of exploration in the conversation include Freud, Wittgenstein, and hating Ben Lerner (or not).
You can find out more details and buy Jon's book here, through Stanford University Press: https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=29316
Jon’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/BaskinJon
The Point Twitter and website: https://twitter.com/the_point_mag & https://t.co/QV9prYnta5?amp=1
On The Hatred of Literature - https://thepointmag.com/letter/on-the-hatred-of-literature/
Contact Us:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Wednesday Jan 01, 2020
Wednesday Jan 01, 2020
In Episode 51, we bring on our resident film expert and Episode 38 guest Mike Miley to talk about our year in books, movies, music, TV, and games.
Show Notes:
Link to Jeff Tweedy & George Saunders interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWlKCB1JCG0
2019 Playlist (iTunes): https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/the-great-concavitys-best-of-2019/pl.u-yZyVVY3tYq2akv
2019 Playlist (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6blJyhTb9QdKFB1qdyc9ug
Mike's Book: https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/T/Truth-and-Consequences
Mike's Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikecmiley?lang=en
Approaches to Teaching Wallace: https://www.mla.org/Publications/Bookstore/Approaches-to-Teaching-World-Literature/Approaches-to-Teaching-the-Works-of-David-Foster-Wallace
Contact Dave & Matt
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Wednesday Dec 11, 2019
Wednesday Dec 11, 2019
In Episode 50, we talk to Michael McGowan and Martin Brick, the editors of David Foster Wallace and Religion: Essays on Faith and Fiction, out now from Bloomsbury Academic: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/david-foster-wallace-and-religion-9781501345289/
Contact our guests:
Michael McGowan: prof.mcgowan@gmail.com
Martin Brick: brickm@ohiodominican.edu
Contact Dave & Matt
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Wednesday Nov 06, 2019
Wednesday Nov 06, 2019
This is the second and final episode covering Wallace and DeLillo's correspondence, housed at the Ransom Center Archive in Austin, Texas.
Show notes:
1996 Leonard Lopate interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ4AeIRKbfwhttps://www.wnyc.org/story/56878-david-foster-wallace/
1996 David Streitfeld piece: https://craigfehrman.com/2010/05/05/details-1996-profile-of-david-foster-wallace/
Robyn O'Neil's show at The Modern, WE, THE MASSES: https://www.themodern.org/exhibition/upcoming/robyn-oneil-we-the-masses-/5115
Robyn O'Neil pop-up shop at The Modern: https://shop.themodern.org/collections/robyn-oneil
Contact Dave and Matt:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Wednesday Sep 25, 2019
Wednesday Sep 25, 2019
After a very busy summer, Dave and Matt reconvene to discuss the Wallace/DeLillo correspondence housed at the Ransom Center in Austin, Texas. This will be the first instalment of a several-part episode, as there's a lot here to cover!
Five Dials, David Foster Wallace Memorial - https://fivedials.com/files/fivedials_no10.pdf
Contact Dave and Matt:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Monday Jul 01, 2019
Monday Jul 01, 2019
In Episode 48, we're joined by Yonina Hoffman. Yonina is PhD student at the Ohio State University. Her work centers around, you guessed it, David Foster Wallace.
In this discussion, we cover a range of topics around DFW's work and Yonina's dissertation. We discuss voice, narrative, voice, humor and other issues that track across Wallace's career. Yonina has also presented on Updike and New Sincerity so we ask her about that.
You can find Yonina on Twitter: @yonina. She also has this nifty website: http://www.yoninahoffman.com/
Contact Dave and Matt:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Friday May 10, 2019
Friday May 10, 2019
In Episode 47, we're joined by Jim Gauer, author of the excellent Novel Explosives, a book you've no doubt heard us mention in recent conversations. Jim is a mathematician, published poet, and self-described as the world's only Marxist venture capitalist.
In this discussion, we cover a range of topics around Jim's book, it's relation to Wallace's sensibilities and Infinite Jest, the dangers of hyper-capitalism, the anxiety of influence, lethality enhancement, and a host of others.
Jim's book can be purchased through your local bookstore (which he most encourages), with the backup plan of online sales (though he implores you to avoid giving Jeff Bezos more money to fuel his space colony dystopia, if possible) - http://zerogrampress.com/2016/10/08/novel-explosives/
Links discussed:
Jim's interview with Michael Silverblatt on Bookworm: https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/bookworm/jim-gauer-novel-explosives
Jim's interview on Eye 94: https://www.mixcloud.com/lumpenradio/eye-94-4-15-2018-jim-gauer/
Jim's Paris Review poetry: https://www.theparisreview.org/poetry/2778/will-this-thought-do-jim-gauer
Contact Dave and Matt:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Friday Apr 05, 2019
Friday Apr 05, 2019
In Episode 46 we talk to Rhodes College professor and O.G. Wallace scholar Marshall Boswell about his new book The Wallace Effect: David Foster Wallace and the Contemporary Literary Imagination, out now from Bloomsbury Press!
As usual, we bash Franzen a bit, get some overview of the central novels addressed in Marshall's book, and discuss the recent trend of "Wallace Snark" online.
Contact Dave and Matt:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Monday Mar 11, 2019
Monday Mar 11, 2019
In Episode 45, we get to talk to Kyle Beachy, Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Roosevelt U in Chicago, and author of the novel The Slide. In it, we discuss his extensive teaching of Wallace's work to creative writing students, his novel and writing on skateboarding, and get some great book recommendations from him (Kyle being one of the most well-read people Matt knows, which is saying a lot).
Things we said we'd link to:
Growing Sentences with David Foster Wallace - https://kottke.org/09/03/growing-sentences-with-david-foster-wallace
Kyle's "The Deep Seams: A Search for Fun in David Foster Wallace's Peoria" - http://theclassical.org/articles/the-deep-seams
Dave's skate video part (from around 2002) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-4BV-tbwMk
Kyle Beachy's (apparently outdated) website - http://kylebeachy.com/
Kyle Beachy Twitter - https://twitter.com/kylebeachy
Kyle Beachy Tumblr - http://themostfunthing.tumblr.com/
James Dahl Memorial Harry Ransom Donation - https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/utgiving/online/nlogon/?menu1=HR**
Contact us:
The Great Concavity on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
The Great Concavity on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email us - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Monday Jan 21, 2019
Monday Jan 21, 2019
In this episode, Dave and Matt talk about their favorite literary and pop-cultural artifacts from the past year. This episode offers a contest as well, associated with the following music playlist. Good luck!
TGC's Favorite Music of 2018 (iTunes) - https://itunes.apple.com/ca/playlist/the-great-concavitys-favorite-songs-of-2018/pl.u-pMyll2jh4KoErM
TGC's Favorite Music of 2018 (Spotify) - https://open.spotify.com/user/concavityshow/playlist/6Gkdv29x9bpXIIzmmlWolO?si=V2aBBNKASm-70W12xwfn0g
Show Notes:
*Correctional note* - When Matt was talking about Robert Coover in Marfa, he meant Robert Creeley.
Dante Society - https://www.dantesociety.org/
The Great Concavity on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
The Great Concavity on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/?hl=en
Email us - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Thursday Dec 20, 2018
Thursday Dec 20, 2018
In Episode 43 we meet our nemesis Bo Butler of Pynchon in Public for the inevitable postmodern fiction podcast throwdown. Join us as we discuss the history of our beefing over literary turf and all related topics!
Monday Nov 19, 2018
Monday Nov 19, 2018
In Episode 42 we talk to Chicago-based journalist and teacher Esther J. Cepeda about her love of Wallace, annual Infinite Jest reads, and other related literature and pop culture. A huge thank you to our Patrons as well on #ThankYouPatrons day today!
Show notes:
Esther's favourite cards - Art of Play - https://www.artofplay.com/collections/playing-cards
Esther's Twitter - https://twitter.com/estherjcepeda
Great Concavity on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Great Concavity on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/?hl=en
Email us - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Thursday Oct 25, 2018
Thursday Oct 25, 2018
In Episode 41, we talk to Dr. Tim Personn (in person!) from the University of Victoria about his recently-defended dissertation, "Fictions of Proximity: The Wallace Nexus in Contemporary Literature." Buckle up for a philosophical discussion, as Tim takes us on a ride through the work of Wittgenstein, Derrida, and other thinkers whose work informed Wallace's fiction and influence on the modern literary landscape. Other topics include tacos, seeing Parquet Courts live, and potential future podcast beefs!
Show Notes:
Shazia Hafiz Ramji's book Port of Being - https://invisiblepublishing.com/product/port-of-being/
Kieran Setiya's Midlife - http://www.ksetiya.net/midlife.html
Tim's website - timpersonn.com
Post 45 "The Dave Show" - http://post45.research.yale.edu/2011/11/the-dave-show/
Medium/Just Words "How David Lipsky Captures the Spirit of David Foster Wallace" - https://medium.com/just-words/the-dave-show-5f07c1f83a86
Tim's Twitter - https://twitter.com/timpersonn
Contact The Great Concavity:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow
- Email: concavityshow@gmail.com
- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Saturday Aug 25, 2018
Saturday Aug 25, 2018
In Episode 40, we welcome Greg Carlisle, author of the Infinite Jest commentary, Elegant Complexity, and Nature's Nightmare, an analysis of Wallace's Oblivion collection.
Greg's books here: http://www.sideshowmediagroup.com/books/
Contact Greg: g.carlisle@moreheadstate.edu
Tuesday Jun 26, 2018
Tuesday Jun 26, 2018
We're joined by repeat guest Matt Luter to talk about all the fun Dave missed out on at the recent Illinois State University Wallace conference, held June 7-9, 2018. Topics covered include panel recaps, anagram alter egos, karaoke highlights, and all other manner of conference scoops. Almost as good as having been there!
Sunday May 06, 2018
Sunday May 06, 2018
In Episode 38 we talk again with Mike Miley, Vice President of the International David Foster Wallace Society and quiz kid extraordinaire. Topics include film, game shows, Oliver Stone, JFK assassination scoops, and hanging out with Michael Silverblatt.
Show Notes:
Smart Set – “Reading Wallace Reading”
https://thesmartset.com/article08181401/
Medium – “Caught in the Bandana Trap”
https://medium.com/just-words/caught-in-the-9fa2c864b76d
Medium – “The Eye of Sauron”
https://medium.com/just-words/the-eye-of-sauron-d454ed83377a
Critique – “…And Starring David Foster Wallace as Himself: Performance and Persona in The Pale King”
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00111619.2015.1028611?needAccess=true
Mike’s Twitter: twitter.com/MikeCMiley
Wednesday Apr 04, 2018
Wednesday Apr 04, 2018
In Episode 37 we welcome the Diversity Committee Coordinators from the International David Foster Wallace Society to talk about issues of representation in the writing of Wallace, and within the Wallace community itself.
Relevant links:
- Diversity Announcement - https://www.dfwsociety.org/2017/05/27/introducing-the-diversity-committee/
- Diversity Blog Posts - https://www.dfwsociety.org/category/diversity/
- Sean Gandert's “A Short Meditation on the Whiteness of David Foster Wallace’s Writing” - https://www.dfwsociety.org/2017/07/15/a-short-meditation-on-the-whiteness-of-david-foster-wallaces-writing/
- “Cat Person” by Kristen Roupenian, from The New Yorker - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/11/cat-person
- Andrea’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nmn80418
- Diego’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/diego_baez
As always, you can reach Dave and Matt via email at Concavityshow@gmail.com and on Twitter and Instagram @ConcavityShow
Friday Feb 23, 2018
Friday Feb 23, 2018
In Episode 36 we have not one, but two special guests(!), both experts in the cartography of Infinite Jest's Boston (and beyond). William Beutler is the creative mind behind the staggeringly glorious Infinite Map (among other things), and Bill Lattanzi has led a series of walking tours in the Boston area tracing the locations of Wallace's opus, so you can see the emerging theme of the episode here.
List of links to pertinent discussion points in the episode:
Infinite Atlas: http://infiniteatlas.com/
Friday Jan 12, 2018
Friday Jan 12, 2018
In this episode, we stray a bit off our usual Wallacian course (but not too far) to discuss our literary and pop-culture highlights from the last solar revolution.
Links we said we'd share:
Robyn O'Neil's 20 Years of Drawings: https://www.archonprojects.com/shop/robyn-oneil-20-years-of-drawings
Me Reading Stuff podcast by Robyn O'Neil: https://www.robynoneil.com/me-reading-stuff
George Saunders' "Sea Oak": http://www.barcelonareview.com/20/e_gs.htm
The Great Concavity's Best Music of 2017 playlists:
- iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/playlist/the-great-concavitys-best-of-2017/pl.u-pMyllebf4KoErM
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/concavityshow/playlist/0blqF0L6gfYA7jI2Am3l0x
Bottom's Dream Twitter page: https://twitter.com/BottomsMeme
In post-production, Dave realizes he'd mentioned we'd discuss video games we liked this year, but we forgot to do this, so games we played and liked include:
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo Switch)
- Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo Switch)
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch)
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Nintendo Switch)
- Shovel Knight (Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- Cuphead (Xbox One)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)
- Overwatch (PS4)
- Nuclear Throne (PS4)
- Crawl (PS4, etc.)
- Darkest Dungeon (PS4, etc.)
- Nidhogg 2 (PS4)
Sunday Dec 17, 2017
Sunday Dec 17, 2017
In this episode we're joined by friends Nick and Tony to discuss Australia's first ever David Foster Wallace conference, which was held in Melbourne during September 1-3, 2017. Following a discussion of the conference proceedings, join auxillary Concavityite Nick Maniatis as he interviews a host of presenters live from the conference weekend. Huge thanks go to Nick for towing his microphone around and getting all the juicy details for those of us who couldn't attend, and to Tony for organizing the conference!
Nick Maniatis' DFW website, The Howling Fantods: http://www.thehowlingfantods.com/dfw/ (with day-by-day conference recaps)
Conference Abstracts and presenter bios: https://tinyurl.com/y9n8hu79
Conference Schedule: https://tinyurl.com/yc5mjclc
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OzWallace2017/
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Samatha Wallace's new podcast, Circulating Spaces: https://pages.shanti.virginia.edu/Circulating_Spaces/podcasts/
TGC listener Scarlett Sims defeating Austin Rogers on Jeopardy!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nck0RW1AbFU
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Contact The Great Concavity:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - @concavityshow (https://twitter.com/concavityshow)
Instagram - @concavityshow (https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow)
Monday Nov 06, 2017
Monday Nov 06, 2017
In this episode we talk with Allard about philosophy and film in relation to the work of Wallace, and to lesser extent, Dave Eggers and Jonathan Safran Foer. Dr. Allard den Dulk is Lecturer in Philosophy, Literature and Film at Amsterdam University College, and Research Fellow at the Faculty of Humanities of the VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is the author of Existentialist Engagement in Wallace, Eggers and Foer, which is a significant topic of our conversation as well. Other topics include what it's like to show up unannounced at J.S. Foer's personal residence, and DFW cosplay.
Allard's website is: http://www.allarddendulk.nl/
His book, published by Bloomsbury, is available here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/existentialist-engagement-in-wallace-eggers-and-foer-9781501322679/
Monday Oct 09, 2017
Monday Oct 09, 2017
In this episode we talk to award-winning Vancouver poet and writer Shazia Hafiz Ramji about her three consecutive stints as a guide for Infinite Jest online community reads (Poor Yorick's Summer, Sacred Jest, and the recent Ennet House), as well as her own writing and the influence of DFW.
You can find her on Twitter at @Shazi_R
Her chapbook is Prosopopoeia
Poor Yorick's Summer on Twitter at @poor_summer
Sacred Jest on Twitter at @SacredJest
Ennet House on Twitter at @infinitejestyvr
Monday Sep 18, 2017
Monday Sep 18, 2017
In this episode we speak with Matthew Luter, DFW scholar and author of Understanding Jonathan Lethem. https://www.sc.edu/uscpress/books/2015/7512.html
We discuss the state of DFW studies, academia, and Matt's paper at this year's DFW Conference. Matt's paper deals with, among other things, Rita Felski's work and Kevin Birmingham's book on Ulysses, "The Most Dangerous Book."
We also make mention of Sidney Peterson's 1947 experimental film "The Cage" which you can watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXEW_ZCqWsc
You can follow Matt on Twitter at @matthewjluter.
Friday Jul 21, 2017
Friday Jul 21, 2017
In this episode we are joined by Australian Wallace scholar Grace Chipperfield of Flinders University, whose recent work on Wallace deals with the concepts of protracted adolescence and political landscape in Wallace's writing. The recent DFW17 conference and her experience there is also discussed, as is the possible vampireness of Australian politicians (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmqKSKDfSSQ).
Tuesday Jun 13, 2017
Tuesday Jun 13, 2017
On our first live episode (recorded in front of conference attendees at the fourth annual DFW conference at Illinois State University) we talk to Charlie Harris and Jim Plath about the life and legacy of Wallace, give some prizes away, and feature live music for the very first time on the show.
You can also watch the Facebook live video stream, which is archived for posterity, at the top of the page here: https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Thursday May 11, 2017
Thursday May 11, 2017
In this episode we are joined by Wallace scholar Lucas Thompson.
Lucas Thompson is the author of the new book Global Wallace (Bloomsbury) which is the first volume in a new series called "David Foster Wallace Studies" edited by Stephen Burn. Global Wallace centers around the often overlooked sources of influence on Wallace's work. Thompson explores Wallace's connection and borrowing from Manuel Puig, Dostoevsky, hip hop culture, and many others.
Thompson is a Research Fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia. He has published articles in Texas Studies in Literature and Language, Journal of American Studies, The Cormac McCarthy Journal, and Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction. Forthcoming book chapters appear in The Cambridge Companion to David Foster Wallace, MLA Approaches to Teaching: David Foster Wallace, and MLA Approaches to Teaching: Jewish American Fiction. His reviews have appeared in US Studies Online, The European Legacy, and Philament, and he has also written for The LA Review of Books.
Monday Apr 03, 2017
Monday Apr 03, 2017
This time we talk to our friend Jill Braithwaite, a Wallace scholar who wrote her Masters thesis on Infinite Jest and its connections to the ideas of theologian Paul Tillich and Unitarian Universalism. She is on Twitter here.
Jill mentions a sermon she gave (in which Wallace's Kenyon speech makes a sigificant appearance), which can be found here.
Thursday Mar 09, 2017
Thursday Mar 09, 2017
In this episode, we talk with Jeff Severs, author of the excellent new book David Foster Wallace’s Balancing Books: Fictions of Value, published by Columbia University Press. Severs is associate professor of English at the University of British Columbia, Canada, Convexity.
Severs is also a noted Pynchon scholar, author of a number of scholarly articles and co-editor of a book about Against the Day.
His website can be found at https://jeffreysevers.wordpress.com/
Show Notes
1:00 - Introductions
2:40 - Austinites
3:34 - James Manguson
5:00 - MFA programs
6:10 - Mary Carter - the name Matt was trying to think of
7:50 - Overview of the book
9:05 - Balance in general
10:05 - Axiology - study of valuation
13:06 - Heidegger defines axios
17:18 - A Tripartite writer
26:26 - A biographical approach
34:15 - Juxtaposing hard labor with a dissolute consumerist society
40:31 - GQ, Obama, rhetoric, 2008
46:53 - The civic vision of the Pale King
1:35:40 - Jeff correctly picks Moonlight as the Best Picture winner!
Friday Feb 17, 2017
Friday Feb 17, 2017
This time, we talk to our friend Lee Konstantinou, a contemporary US literature scholar who has published significantly on Wallace. His new book Cool Characters is available now from Harvard University Press.