FILMMAKER MAGAZINE LISTS OTHER PEOPLE IN ‘THE SUPER 8’

Good news! Filmmaker magazine has included Other People in its Winter 2012 ‘Super 8’ list! (Thanks to Scott Macaulay and everyone over at Filmmaker!)

Here’s the write-up:

fi

FULL STOP COMMENTS ON EPISODE 37

Full Stop magazine has written about the podcast:

In the past week I came across two rather disparate author reactions to their fans. Strangely enough, the “nice guy” writes books that focus on, in his words, “a preoccupation with the invasive nature of violence in our lives.” The not-so-nice guy is a children’s book author. It all started with Brad Listi’s brilliant “Other People” podcast, specifically an interview with Alan Heathcock, author of the critically acclaimed story collection Volt. Alan spoke about his intensive book touring schedule, which lasted from March through November and involved a lot of time away from his wife and kids. When Brad asked if he ever got tired of the touring grind, Alan shared a surprising answer:

To read the rest, just click right here.  

THE CONTEXTUAL LIFE OFFERS A ROBUST REVIEW OF OTHER PEOPLE

Other People has gotten a rave review over at a blog called The Contextual Life.  (Thanks to Gabrielle Gantz!)

To read the full review, just click right here.

OTHER PEOPLE MAKES MATADOR NETWORK’S LIST OF 21 FAVORITE PODCASTS

Good news!  Other People has made the Matador Network’s list of 21 favorite podcasts.

(Thanks to Kate Sedgwick and the folks at Matador.)

I HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED BY 16-YEAR-OLD BOOK BLOGGER ROBBY AULD

I’ve been interviewed about Other People and The Nervous Breakdown by 16-year-old book blogger wünderkind Robby Auld.

To read, please click right here.

EPISODE 25 — JOHN WARNER

Today’s guest is John Warner. He’s the author of four books, most recently a debut novel called The Funny Man, available now from SoHo Press. And he’s also the longtime editor of McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. Publishers Weekly calls The Funny Man “[An] equally sickening and humorous portrait of the celebrity as a delusional man.” And the New York Journal of Books says:

“The Funny Man joins a short list of intelligent, dark comedies about self-loathing main characters whose success is built on the poor taste and/or low IQ of the American public…[the book] puts Warner among the most perceptive and edgy chroniclers of an increasingly coarse American culture.”

This one was fun. Really enjoyed talking with John.

Topics of conversation include: Lake Charles, McSweeney’s, tent revivals, McNeese State, bicycle cops, Robert Olen Butler, John Hughes, Chicago, Dave Eggers, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, South Carolina, church, the phrase “bless your heart,” The Real World, Barry Bonds, living with your parents, the Woody Creek Tavern, Comic Sans, humor writing, and trying to fit your fist in your mouth.

Please remember to subscribe to the show over at iTunes, or at Stitcher. It’s free. Or listen online by clicking right here.

Thanks for listening, everybody. Really appreciate it.

-BL

PS. If you like show, please take a moment to rate and review it on iTunes. (Pretty please?)

EPISODE 24 — CHARLES SHIELDS

Charles Shields is the guest. He’s the author of And So It Goes — Kurt Vonnegut: A Life, now available in hardcover from Henry Holt. Shields is also the author of Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, also available from Holt.

This is the first authoritative biography of Vonnegut ever written, with Vonnegut himself authorizing the project prior to his death in 2007.

We talk all things Kurt.

Topics of conversation include: Indianapolis, Dresden, Cornell, PTSD, suicide, The Great Depression, family, journalism, WWII, The Battle of the Bulge, Billy Pilgrim, Slaughterhouse Five, Joe Crone, creative burnout, Jill Krementz, Cape Cod, New York City, Sardi’s, divorce, tragedy, self-loathing, and the psychology of meeting famous people.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the show over at iTunes, if you haven’t already done so. It’s free. Or, if you’re a Stitcher person, you can subscribe there, too.  (Or click here to listen online.)

Many thanks, & enjoy the show…

-BL

EPISODE 23 — DENNIS COOPER

Dennis Cooper is the guest. He’s the author of several books, including The Sluts, God Jr., the five novels of the George Miles cycle, and, most recently, The Marbled Swarm, now available from Harper Perennial.

“Disquieting, humbling, and sadly beautiful in the way only Dennis Cooper can be,” raves Patrick deWitt. “The Marbled Swarm is a mystifying and courageous novel that represents [Cooper’s] finest work to date.”

And Booklist says: “Readers unfamiliar with transgressive fiction would do well to brace themselves for what will either be the shock of the unrelentingly different or, perhaps, the shock of recognizing writing that speaks to their souls.”

Dennis is a great guest. We talk about stuff.

Topics of conversation include: Los Angeles, Paris, F Troop, growth spurts, Rimbaud, Sade, vegetarianism, self-publishing, punk, anarchy, school, Ginsberg, Burroughs, England, Little Caesar, blogging, New York, Blake Butler, Art Forum, SPIN, the Pompidou, sex, violence, David Lynch, and porn writing as a creative exercise.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the show over at iTunes, or at Stitcher. It’s free. 

Thanks for listening.

-BL  

EPISODE 22 — DARIN STRAUSS

Darin Strauss is today’s guest. He is the author of three novels—Chang & Eng, The Real McCoy, and More Than It Hurts You. And his most recent book is a memoir called Half a Life (McSweeney’s) which won the National Book Critics Circle Award.

The New York Times Book Review calls it “…elegant, painful, [and] stunningly honest.”

And Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, says, “[Half a Life] is a searingly self-disciplined work of literature, and of self-examination…the impact is staggering and unforgettable.”

Plenty to talk about here.

Topics of conversation include: short books, Courier New, guilt, PTSD, the performative aspects of grief, auto-responders, subconscious motives, Dave Eggers, writing slowly, conjoined twins, Philip Roth, emoticons, David Lipsky, gestation periods, and the difference between history and memoir.

Please be sure to subscribe to the show over at iTunes, if you haven’t already done so. It’s free. Or, if you’re a Stitcher person, you can subscribe there, too.

Many thanks, and enjoy the show…

-BL