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Fiction by ed

Daniel Green and Michael Martone (BSS #56)

Guests: Daniel Green and Michael Martone (LBC finalist, Summer 2006) Condition of Mr. Segundo: Avoiding his own Contributor’s Note. Subjects Discussed: The entertaining components of experimental fiction, the genesis of contributor’s notes, Edith Hamilton, mythology, the “Michael Martones of the universe,” cultural influence, Hugh Kenner’s The Counterfeiters, how the origin of the word “fact” influences […]

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David Mitchell II, Part Two (BSS #55)

[NOTE: This is part two of a two-part podcast.] Author: David Mitchell Condition of Mr. Segundo: Miffed by a grand literary theft. Subjects Discussed: The Simpsons, the ambiguity of Norman Bates, transcontinental reception, the unexpected reception of Black Swan Green, the Stranger review, Haruki Murakami, finding auctorial voice, the “fourth book” breakthrough, avoiding the pitfalls […]

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Fiction by ed

David Mitchell II, Part One (BSS #54)

[NOTE: This is part one of a two-part podcast.] Author: David Mitchell Condition of Mr. Segundo: Responding to the crazed accusations of a major film director. Subjects Discussed: The similarities between Jason Taylor and David Mitchell, idiosynchratic vernacular, first-person vs. third-person voice, index cards, how Granta unexpectedly kicked off Black Swan Green, the correct pronounciation […]

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Fiction by ed

Michael Orthofer and Betsy Wing (BSS #53)

Guests: Michael Orthofer and Betsy Wing (translator, LBC nominee, Summer 2006) Condition of Mr. Segundo: In absentia, fleeing the silly hipsters. Subjects Discussed: How to raise awareness of translated fiction, an idea involving Chad Post, on being a designated translator, language adopted by literary critics, a very friendly dog in the Wing household, breaking down […]

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Fiction by ed

Dan Wickett & Kellie Wells (BSS #52)

Guests: Dan Wickett and Kellie Wells (LBC Nominee, Summer 2006) Condition of Mr. Segundo: Absent, avoiding his family lineage. Subjects Discussed: Interdependent stories, the perception of a “novel in stories,” “Compression Scars” as the launching pad for the novel, building community consciousness within fiction, setting down distinct vernacular, preserving Midwestern cultural details, Sherwood Anderson, the […]

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OGIC, Scott Esposito & Edie Meidav (BSS #51)

Guests: OGIC, Scott Esposito and Edie Meidav (LBC Nominee, Summer 2006). Condition of Mr. Segundo: Running away from the Bolsheviks. Subjects Discussed: Dancing about architecture, Humbert Humbert, antiheroes, character names and wordplay, Nabokov, the memory of environment vs. its inevitable change, balancing secondary characters against a complex protagonist, the real-life inspiration for the wastrels, writing […]

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Fiction by ed

John Updike (BSS #50)

Author: John Updike Condition of Mr. Segundo: Defending himself against obnoxious talk show hosts and ready to move on. Subjects Discussed: Epigraphs, faith and disbelief, starting Terrorist with a Catholic priest, first person vs. third person, on writing upon Americana, post-9/11 symbolism, humanism vs. pessimism, blow jobs, Christopher Hitchens, the state of the September 11 […]

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Dave King (BSS #49)

Author: Dave King Condition of Mr. Segundo: Unknown, replaced temporarily by a shady documentary producer fulfilling a contractual obligation. Subjects Discussed: Modeling, painting, making a transition to writing, ambition, disabilities, self-help, italicized words, iambic pentameter, sincerity in an age of literary realism, Richard Yates, the early ending to The Ha-Ha, getting The Ha-Ha published, Vietnam […]

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Colson Whitehead (BSS #48)

Author: Colson Whitehead Condition of Mr. Segundo: Dismayed by advertising jingle trios and interruptions; more than vaguely litigious. Subjects Discussed: Living in San Francisco, working at CNET, writing on the clock, the importance of names, Theodore Judah, microhistories, the influence of 9/11 upon Apex, metaphors, toes, writing about work, James Wood, didacticism, masculinity, the influence […]

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Ideas by ed

Hal Niedzviecki (BSS #47)

Author: Hal Niedzviecki Condition of Mr. Segundo: Temporarily replaced, due to being incapable of being crass and making a generalization at the same time. Subjects Discussed: The advantages of studying American culture from Canada, individualism vs. conformity, pop star aspirations, American Idol, karaoke, television, the economics of media, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Yeah, William […]

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BEA 2006 Part 4 (BSS #46)

Guests: Eric Reynolds, Mark Binelli, Matt Cheney, Jeremy Lassen, David Axe and George Scithers. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Revealing himself to be a closet poet. Subjects Discussed: Peanuts, Dennis the Menace, Popeye, Fascist Italy, eerie historical similarities, classic comedy teams, journalism vs. novel-writing, free lunches, on being frightened by Bat Segundo, zoot suits, how to […]

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BEA 2006 Part 3 (BSS #45)

Guests: Paul Slovak, C. Max Magee, Carolyn Kellogg, Anne Moore & Dan Sinker, Lauren Landress, Terrie Akers, Camille March and Alan Davis. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Showing an unexpected grasp of history. Subjects Discussed: How Slovak manages Bill Vollmann’s prodigious output, details on Vollmann’s Imperial and the upcoming A.M. Homes memoir, a report on “what […]

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