Burned By Books

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

An interview with Edan Lepucki, author of California (2014), Woman No. 17 (2017). Edan and I talk about being on the bleeding edge of the violent girl novel, being promoted by Stephen Colbert, the great California novel, and returning to one’s own “failed” novels.Books Recommended in this episode:Carolyn See, Golden Days 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 Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here (2020). Kevin shares his recommendations for summer reading, including his votes for the best ever short novels, the line that he repeats every day, and the book that made him less afraid of what comes after death.Books Recommended in this episode: Yiyun Li, Must I Go Marcy Dermansky, Bad Marie Katie Kitamura, The Long Shot Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle 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

Interviews with Bob Proehl, author of A Hundred Thousand Worlds and The Nobody People, and Miller Susen, author, director, and Educational Director at LiveArts, Charlottesville VA.Books Recommended in this episode: Katharine Heiny, Standard Deviation Octavia Butler, The Parable of the Sower 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 Alexandra Chang about her debut novel, Days of Distraction (2020). I introduce some distraction reads, some for when you want to wallow in the anxiety, and others for pure escapism.Books Recommended in this episode: Nothing to See Here, Kevin Wilson Days of Distraction, Alexandra Chang Alexandra recommends: The Visiting Privilege, Joy Williams; The House is a Body, Shruti Swami; Luster, Raven Leilani Distraction Reads: Escapism vs Punch-in-the-face’ism: Journal of a Plague Year, Daniel Defoe; They Came Like Swallows, William Maxwell; Severance, Ling Ma; Weather, Jenny Offill; The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins; Trick Mirror, Jia Tolentino 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 Lisa Swayze, the General Manager of Buffalo Street Book in Ithaca, New York. Buffalo Street Books is one of a handful of community-owned bookstores in the country. It survived the double plague of a Borders and a Barnes and Nobles in the same tiny city with them by reaching out to the community to buy ownership shares. We discuss her latest recommendations for reading during the pandemic, and I share my delight with the sub-genre of the “paranoid campus novel.”Books Recommended in this episode: The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel Lisa’s Best of last 5 years: Ask Again Yes - Mary Beth Keane; The Great Believers - Rebecca Makkai; History of Wolves - Emily Fridlund; The Mothers - Brit Bennett; The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead; The Night Watchman - Louise Erdrich; Nothing to See Here - Kevin Wilson; On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong; Pachinko - Min Jin Lee; Red at the Bone - Jacqueline Woodson; Sing Unburied Sing - Jesmyn Ward; There There - Tommy Orange; Women Talking - Miriam Toews. What to look for: This Town Sleeps by Dennis Staples; Book of the Little Axe by Lauren Francis Sharma; Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang; The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet; Migrations by Charlotte McCongahy; And Lisa’s best book of the year thus far, The Death of Vivek Oji by Awkeke Emezi The Paranoid Campus Novel: The Secret History, Donna Tartt; The Magicians, Lev Grossman; Catherine House, Elisabeth Thomas; Bunny, Mona Awad; Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro 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