This year Seth Kaufman released “The War on Boredom,” a collection of short stories, and “Nuns with Guns,” a social satire on America’s unhealthy gun obsession. I talked with Seth about reality TV, nuns and guns, and the power of network television.
“Nuns with Guns” by Seth Kaufman is a dark satire about 4 nuns, a reality show producer, and a televised gun exchange program. Hilarity ensues.
This week I review Norman Mailer’s selected letters, giving a new perspective on an iconic and controversial author.
An occasional series that is a continuation of my essay anthology, On Being Human: critical looks at books and movies that examine the question of humanity. (Buy the limited edition hardcover, Kindle version,… Continue reading
On Being Human Redux is an essay series that looks at serial killers, clones, the Culture series, a Beckett play, bunnies in Beatrix Potter and Richard Adams, and adroids.
“. . . with modern permutations of American fun, American Fun: Four Centuries of Joyous Revolt offers a history that is about fun and is fun to read. It illuminates the very American tradition of stickin’ it to the man, dancin’ in the street, and havin’ a blast.”
This week Karl Wolff reviews “The Beatles Are Here!” by Penelope Rowlands, a look back at the Fab Four’s impact on the lives of musicians, writers, and longtime fans.
I recently reviewed Bitter Orange, by Marshall Moore at CCLaP. In this interview with the author, we discuss the superhero genre, the concept of self-loathing, and scheduling creative writing projects around a busy work life.
Richard Melo is the author of the new novel, Happy Talk, about gun-toting nursing students and farcical nation-building efforts in Haiti. We discuss nation-building, literary form, and the publishing website Red Lemonade.
I’m heading to CONvergence in Bloomington, MN for the July 4th weekend and I joined the National Book Critics Circle.
