Burned By Books

An interview with Hermione Hoby, author of Virtue (2021). Hermione and I discuss not needing her characters to be ethical, the mysteries of beautiful marriages, privilege and its trappings, and reading Adorno by the pool.Books Recommended in this episode: Theodor Adorno, an Introduction Willa Cather, My Antonia Sally Rooney, Beautiful World, Where are You James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room Jesse McCarthy, Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul? Mieko Kawakami, Heaven Clare Sestanovich, Objects of Desire Joshua Cohen, The Netanyahus Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers, discusses the impact of a plague novel in the age of COVID-19, her archival work into the Act Up protests in Chicago, and the pleasures and complications of stepping outside of what you know.

An interview with Jack Wang, author of We Two Alone (2021). Jack and I discuss his debut story collection, We Two Alone, which Viet Thanh Nguyen calls “utterly remarkable,” the as-of-yet unwritten Great Hockey Novel, AAPI hate, and the new global novel.Books Recommended in this episode:Jack Recommends: Nana Nkweti, Walking on Cowry Shells Gil Adamson, Ridgerunner Ling Ma, Severance Te-Ping Chen, Land of Big Numbers K-Ming Chang, Bestiary Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An interview with Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind (2020), a finalist for the National Book Award. Rumaan and I discuss how all fiction must now be climate fiction, being a promiscuous reader, the fallacy of writing from “your roots”, why there is no autofiction of black women’s experience, and the genius of J.M. Coetzee.Books Recommended in this episode:Rumaan’s novels: Rich and Pretty, That Kind of Mother, Leave the World BehindRumaan Alam Recommends: J.M. Coetzee, Disgrace David Gates, Jurnigan Anita Brookner, Visitors Michelle Houellebecq, Elementary Particles Don Delillo, Running Do Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An interview with Miranda Popkey, author of Topics of Conversation (2020).Books Recommended in this episode:Miranda Popkey Recommends: David Burr Gerrard, The Epiphany Machine Alex Higley, Old Open Catie DiSabato, U UP? Rachel Kong, Goodbye Vitamin Framing Brittany Spears Tale of Princess Kaguya, Isao Takahata (Ghibili Films) Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An interview with Gina Nutt, author of Night Rooms (2021), a linked collection of essays that use the horror movie genre as a catalyst to cultural understanding. Gina and I discuss the “final girl” trope in horror and the need for a #metoo moment for the genre, the terrible, beautiful humanity of Swedish horror films, and the process of coming to terms with our proximity to death and the swirling void that is always following in our wake.Books Recommended in this episode: Chelsea Hodson, Tonight I’m Someone Else Hanif Abdurraqib, The Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us Jia Tolentino, Trick Mirror Samantha Irby, Wow, No Thank You Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a live show, sponsored by Buffalo Street Books in Ithaca, NY, Lauren and I discuss the opiating allure of social media, the impossibility of authenticity, and our desire for books without cellphones.Books Recommended in this episode:Lauren Oyler recommends: The Faces, Tove Ditlevsen On the Edge of Reason, Miroslav Krleža The Princess of 72nd Street, Elaine Kraf Mona, Pola Oloixarac Dark Constellations, Pola Oloixarac Savage Theories, Pola Oloixarac The Divorce, Cesar Aira Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An interview with debut novelist, Ellie Eaton, author of The Divines (2021). Ellie and I talk about class and race at English public schools, the genre of the campus novel, and the power and cruelty of teenagers.Books Recommended in this episode:Ellie Eaton Recommends: Micah Nemerever, These Violent Delights Dantiel Moniz, Milk, Blood, Heat Torrey Peters, Detransition Baby Emily Layden, All Girls Shirley Jackson, Hangsaman Brandon Taylor, Real Life Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An interview with celebrated Belarusian American poet, Valzhyna Mort. The publication of one of the collections poems, “Antigone, A Dispatch” in the New Yorker, brought attention to the anti-democratic tyranny in Belarus, where the most recent fair election was squashed by the Putin-puppet, Alexander Lukashenko. Music for the Dead and Resurrected (2020) is a testament to the voices and lives of her friends, family, and compatriots (especially her fellow artists) who have been brutalized in this anti-democratic power grab.Books Recommended in this episode:Valzhyna Mort recommends: Carolyn Forché, In the Lateness of the World: Poems Eduardo Corral, Guillotine: Poems Victoria Chang, Obit Michael Prior, Burning Province Canisia Lubrin,The Dyzgraphxst Joy Harjo, When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry Kevin Young (edit.) African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song Ales Steger, Above the Sky Beneath the Earth Galina Rymbu, Life in Space Paul Celan, Memory Rose into Threshold Speech: The Collected Earlier Poetry: A Bilingual Edition Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Seeing the Body Eliza Griswold, If Men, Then Nathalie Diaz, Postcolonial Love Song Alice Oswald, Nobody: A Hymn to the Sea Steven Leyva, The Understudy's Handbook Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An interview with Alia Trabucco Zerán, author of Remainder (2019), and Carl Fischer, author of Queering the Chilean Way (2016). Alia and I discuss the vote in Chile for a constitutional convention, her struggle with long haul Covid, and the inherited trauma of fascism. Also, I welcome Professor of Latin American Literature at Fordham University, Carl Fischer.Books Recommended in this episode: Fernanda Melchor, Hurricane Season Lina Miruane, Seeing Red Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, The Adventures of China Iron Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices