Selected Prose

Hello everyone. Today’s guest is the brilliant Nada Alic. She has a new book out called Bad Thoughts (Vintage). It's her debut collection. Buy it wherever books are sold.  Selected Prose highly recommends Bad Thoughts. Nada is a refreshingly original writer. Her voice is unique, she's wise beyond her years, and she's hilarious. My favorite stories in here were The Intruder, Daddy's Girl, and Earth To Lydia. Some people have compared Nada Alic to Miranda July or Sally Rooney. I don’t really know what that means.  Nada Alic is Nada Alic. And she’s very good. This debut is quite an achievement. And I'm happy to have learned we can expect a novel from her in the near future... Enjoy!  As always, if you like this podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or support on Patreon.

Patrick Doerksen reads his short story, ‘I Was Promised A Hot Dog,’ for the Selected Prose Reading Series. Patrick holds an MFA from NYU. His stories have appeared in Mysterion, Aurealis, and Penguin Canada's Journey Prize Anthology. He lives in Brooklyn.

Our next guest is professor Brandon Gauthier. Brandon completed his doctorate in Modern History at Fordham University in 2016. He is the Director of Global Education at The Derryfield School and an Adjunct Professor of History for Fordham University. His first book, BEFORE EVIL: Young Lenin, Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Mao, and Kim came out in April of 2022, from Tortoise Books. Here is a brief summary of this compelling examination of the lives of the 20th century's worst dictators: "Historian Brandon K. Gauthier has created a fascinating work—epic yet intimate, well-researched but immensely  readable, clear-eyed and empathetic—looking at the lives of these six  dictators, with a focus on their youths. We watch Lenin’s older brother executed at the hands of the Tsar’s police—an event that helped  radicalize this overachieving high-schooler. We observe Stalin grappling  with the death of his young, beautiful wife. We see Hitler’s mother  mourning the loss of three young children—and determined that her first  son to survive infancy would find his place in the world. The  purpose isn’t to excuse or simply explain these horrible men, but  rather to treat them with the empathy they themselves too often lacked.  We may prefer to hold such lives at arm’s length so as to demonize them  at will, but this book reminds us that these monstrous rulers were also  human beings—and perhaps more relatable than we’d like." *Content Warning* - We discuss online radicalism and mass murder.

Bud Smith is today's guest. His latest novel is called TEENAGER and its from Vintage Books. Make sure to follow Bud on twitter. Make sure to read the book and spread the good word on the internet. What Else?  I've been reading a wonderful little book of poems called OMG THE DAY by Theo Thimo. Big Recommend! What Else?  If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on APPLE PODCASTS and consider supporting the podcast on PATREON. Goodbye. ***INTRO MUSIC BY SIGHPILOT***

Ryan Napier is the author of Four Stories about the Human Face (Bull City Press). He lives in Massachusetts. More at ryannapier.net and @ryanlnapier on Twitter.

A short story from Sam Price titled The Sequel. Sam lives in Pennsylvania.

Today's guest is Marlowe Granados! Marlowe is a writer living in Toronto. Happy Hour is her debut novel. Marlowe is also a filmmaker and hosts a podcast called The Mean Reds, a show highlighting women-led films. She has an advice column in The Baffler titled "Designs for Living." And as if all this wasn't impressive enough, Marlowe also works in fashion. **Thank you to Klankbeeld for the lovely sounds and SighPilot for the music

Brittney Uecker is a librarian, writer, and Scorpio living in rural Montana. Her work has been featured in HAD, Taco Bell Quarterly, Kalopsia, and others. She is a Best of the Net nominee for fiction and tweets (@bonesandbeer). This story originally appeared in Dark Entries Journal in October of 2021. 

Today's guest is the great Hannah Lillith Assadi. Her new novel, The Stars Are Not Yet Bells, was published by Riverhead in early January. It was named a Most Anticipated book of the year by The Washington Post, Good Morning America, Bustle, Lit Hub, Hey Alma, and The Millions. I recommend Stars, especially if you're fond of unreliable narrators, the slippery nature of memory, and the Great Mystery.  In this interview, we discuss creating and executing unreliable narrators, Faulkner, toying with time and chronology, the good and bad of publishing, Hannah's revision process, death and dying, the afterlife, and more. Not only is Hannah a brilliant writer, but she's also a professor of creative writing at Columbia's MFA program. You'll learn much from her, I have no doubt. *Support the podcast by recommending it to a friend or an enemy, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, or subscribing to the Selected Prose Patreon*

A short story by Joanna Acevedo.   Joanna is the author of the poetry collection The Pathophysiology of Longing (Black Centipede Press, 2020) and the short story collection Unsaid Things (Flexible Press, 2021). She was a finalist for the Editor’s Chapbook Prize in Fiction from the Southern Humanities Review, and received her MFA in Fiction from New York University in 2021.

The final 10 pages of the novel Jenny in Corona by Stuart M. Ross  Stuart Ross (@myskypager) is a writer from Queens living in Chicago. Jenny in Corona (from Tortoise Books) is his first novel.

Michael McSweeney reads a chapter from his upcoming novel, Heroman Michael is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, where he lives with his partner and cat.

Allie Rowbottom is today's guest!  Allie is the author of the New York Times Editors’ Choice memoir Jell-O Girls (Little Brown) and the upcoming novel Aesthetica (SoHo Press). Allie's writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, Salon, Lit Hub, No Tokens, NY Tyrant, The Drunken Canal, Bitch, and elsewhere. She has a PhD in literature and creative writing from the University of Houston and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts and has taught fiction and non-fiction at the University of Houston, CalArts, and Catapult. In this episode, we discuss her upcoming book at length, explore the depths of Instagram and influencer culture, and Allie gives us invaluable lessons on incorporating the language of the social media into our work. Thrilled to have Allie on the show. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram and keep your eyes out for Aesthetica, coming soon.  If you like the show, please leave me a REVIEW on Apple Podcasts and/or support us on Patreon.  Music by @SighPilot

Mark Leidner is today's guest! Mark is a brilliant, hilarious, and extraordinarily talented poet, fiction writer, filmmaker, and more! I've read two of his books, Under The Sea (Tyrant) and Returning the Sword to the Stone (Fonograf Editions), and each of them filled me with joy, made me laugh hysterically, and provided me with a sense of proximity to The Great Mystery that is this life. I love Mark's work. If you haven't read him, I suggest you do so, pronto! Also, follow him on twitter because he is extremely funny (@markleidner) Enjoy this interview! Patreon: www.patreon.com/selectedprose Twitter: @SelectedProse

Harris Lahti's work has appeared in Bomb, Sleepingfish, Epiphany, New York Tyrant, Hobart, and elsewhere. He edits fiction for Post Road and Fence, and paints houses for a living in New York's Hudson Valley. Recently, he finished his first novel, The Foreclosure Gothics. Read more: harrislahti.com.

Today's guest is Marcus Pactor. His new book is Begat Who Begat Who Begat, from Astrophil Press. His first book, Vs. Death Noises, won the 2011 Subito Press Prize for Fiction. His story, “Megaberry Crunch” was selected for Best Small Fictions 2021. His work has most recently appeared in 3:AM Magazine, Juked, and Harsh. He lives and works in Jacksonville, Florida. Follow Marcus on twitter - @MarcusPactor  *If you enjoy the show, please follow the podcast on twitter @SelectedProse, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, and support us on Patreon*

Today’s guest is the great Gary Shteyngart! He’s the author of Super Sad True Love Story, Lake Success, Absurdistan, and more. His latest novel, Our Country Friends, was released earlier this month. It’s a hilarious, clever novel set in the pandemic, described by Kirkus reviews as "The Great American Pandemic Novel only Shteyngart could write." Go read it immediately! It’s an honor for me personally to have Gary on the podcast. I admire him as a writer and as a teacher of craft. He was kind enough to provide many invaluable lessons in this episode. I hope you enjoy. I also want to mention that on December 16, I will be hosting an in-person reading at KGB bar in New York. Message me for details. Finally, if you like the show, please support me on Patreon and/or leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Photo by Brigitte Lacombe Music by @SighPilot

Troy James Weaver is today's guest! Troy is the author of Witchita Stories, Temporal, Marigold, Visions, and Selected Stories. His work has appeared in NY Tyrant, Hobart, The Southwest Review, and many others. He lives in Wichita, Kansas with his wife and dogs. We discuss absurdism, humor, Beckett, first person narrative, working and writing, workshopping, Sam Pink, and more.  Enjoy!

Do It Like This was written and recorded by Dalton Monk. The story originally appeared in New York Tyrant.  Dalton's other stories have appeared in New York Tyrant, Hobart, and Joyland. He lives in West Virginia.

Duncan Birmingham is today's guest! His latest book is called 'The Cult In My Garage' (Maudlin House) and it's wild and hilarious and great.  ****Get a 10% DISCOUNT when you use the code "PROSE10" at checkout on Maudlin House's website! Link: https://shop.maudlinhouse.net/#the-cult-in-my-garage  Duncan is a writer living in LA. He's worked on a bunch of movies and TV shows including Maron on IFC and Blunt Talk. Films he's written have appeared in Sundance and AFI, and his writing has appeared in Maudlin House, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Joyland, and elsewhere. Enjoy the episode. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe on Patreon. Follow me on twitter and instagram (@selectedprose). Thank you, Jon