Concavity Show
A podcast about literary fiction and the world of books, with hosts Matt Bucher and Dave Laird. [Logo by Chris Ayers]
Episodes
In Episode 85, we're joined by Camille Bordas, whose recent novel The Material explores what a fictionalized MFA program in stand-up comedy might look like. It's funny (as you might imagine) and philosophical, exploring some of the great cultural questions of our (and just about any other) time.
You can find out more about Camille on her website, where eight of her New Yorker short stories are linked.
In Episode 84, the incredible Sergio De La Pava joins Dave and Matt to talk about his latest novel, Every Arc Bends Its Radian, out now from Simon & Schuster. We also discuss David Lynch and his recent passing, deep sea life, and haunted hotels, among many other things.
You can find Sergio's website here.
Contact Dave & Matt:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https:...
Join Matt and Dave as they look back at the best of their year in reading during 2024, each with a list of ten(ish) books they found compelling and noteworthy.
Dave's top 10:
Dayspring by Anthony Oliveira Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar Prophet Song by Paul Lynch The Bee Sting by Paul Murray Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem Coexistence by Billy-Rae Belcourt What Remains of Elsie Jane by...
In this episode, Matt speaks with Lauren Elkin about her new novel, Scaffolding. They discuss Lacan, marriage, and why Paris is so damn literary, among other things.
Lauren Elkin is a French and American writer and translator, most recently the author of the novel Scaffolding (FSG), a New York Times Editor's Choice which the Observer called both "...
We're delighted to present our conversation with the remarkable Benjamín Labatut for Episode 81, in which we primarily discuss his 2023 non-fiction novel The MANIAC, its primary figure John von Neumann, the madness and magic of fiction, and the limits and future of science and the human mind.
Run, don't walk to buy Benjamín's two English-language books:
When We Cease to Understand the World
For episode 80, we welcome Jessica Anthony back to the show. She has long been one of our favorite writers and she returns this month with a new novel titled The Most (out July 30 from Little Brown).
Jessica Anthony is the author of three books of fiction, most recently the novel Enter the Aardvark, a finalist for the New England Book Award in Fiction. Her debut, The Convalescent, won the inaugural McSweeney’s Amanda Davis Highwi...
In this episode, Matt Bucher interviews Matt Lowell of the band Lo Moon.
They discuss the genesis of Lo Moon's new hit song, "Water." Lowell shares how he discovered David Foster Wallace's writing and he also breaks down his collaborative writing process. Later, he digs into some of his literary influences and the two Matts discuss Salinger, Fitzgerald, Knausgaard, and more.
You can order the new album on vinyl here: https://www....
In this episode, Matt interviews Don Hough. Don is the author of a collection of short stories titled The Funeral Girl, a collection of essays called The Exact Right Word, and a new correspondence collection called All the Best. They discuss how The Funeral Girl is influenced by David Foster Wallace’s work, how Don discovered DFW, James Cameron’s Titanic, Labute’s In the Company of Men, Alexander Theroux, Jonathan Franzen, Taylor S...
In this episode, Dave and Matt sit down with Adam Levin to discuss the publication of the Bar Mitzvah edition of that great novel, The Instructions. They discuss growing up in the land of Bar Mitzvahs, the writing process, and what happens to Gurion, among other things.
Adam Levin's website is: https://www.adamlevinadamlevin.com/
You can order the new edition of the book direct from McSweeney's here: https://store.mcsweeneys.net/pr...
It's our favorite annual episode on the show, when we get to look back at the best of our year in reading with someone else who has read cool stuff. This time it's with Ben Diamond, a very keen listener and patron from London, who for three years running has sent us an annual best of his year recording, always full of interesting books, shows, music, and films. We had an awesome conversation with Ben that we hope you'll enjoy.
S...
In Episode 75 we welcome poet Diego Báez back onto the show, to discuss his fantastic forthcoming book of poetry, Yaguareté White, which releases from University of Arizona Press on February 20, 2024.
You can pre-order it directly from the publisher
or from Bookshop.org
Follow Diego on Twitter
Contact Dave & Matt:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram...
In this episode with speak with bestselling writer and journalist David Lipsky. To David Foster Wallace fans, Lipsky is, of course, familiar as the author of Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself which was the basis of the 2015 film The End of the Tour.
David Lipsky is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, The Best American Short Stories, The Best Ame...
In Episode 73, Dave welcomes special guest Matt Bucher on the show to discuss his debut novel, The Belan Deck.
Buy Matt's book here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-belan-deck-matt-bucher/19943822?ean=9798888623428
Biblioklept review: https://biblioklept.org/2023/06/02/matt-buchers-the-belan-deck-is-an-unexpectedly-moving-argument-for-humanity-and-serious-triviality/
The Belan Deck on Goodreads (featuring reviews by many of our a...
In Episode 72, we welcome friend of the show, Edith Wharton scholar, accordion/bagpiper extraordinaire, and prolific writer, Sheila Liming on to talk about her new book Hanging Out, delving into the myriad ways that unstructured hang time is a radical, life-affirming act that resists capitalist commodification.
The New York Times article on Sheila and the book: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/style/sheila-liming-hanging-out-int...
In this episode, we talk with prolific reader and accomplished musician Evan Stephens Hall from the band Pinegrove. We discuss his top books of the year and go through a few of our own favorite reading experiences from 2022.
Here is the David Foster Wallace & Richard Powers Q&A we mention.
The Pinegrove songs featured ...
In episode 70, we talk to our friend Peyton Thomas, a DFW, Louisa May Alcott, and American Girl doll enthusiast. His recent YA novel, Both Sides Now, was published in 2021, and his writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, Pitchfork, and Billboard, and many other places.
Peyton is currently at work on his second novel, a contemporary interpretation of Little Women. You can read more about this forthcoming book in Oprah Daily. Peyton als...
In Episode 69, we talk to our friend Mike O'Connell about his recent collection from University of Mississippi Press, Conversations with George Saunders, and discuss Mike's background, the origins of the collection, particulars of the interviews in the book, the trajectory and flavor of Saunders' literary career, and where it all might go.
Buy the Conversations book here - https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/C/Conversations-wit...
In Adam's second appearance on the show, we discuss his brand new novel, Mount Chicago, which follows a handful of characters living in the shadow of a "terrestrial anomaly" that befalls Chicago's downtown. Both hilarious and tragic, the book shows off Levin's great versatility as a storyteller, metafictionist, humorist, and, maybe to some extent, autobiographer. We also talk about birds (again).
Buy Adam's new book here: https://...
In Episode 67, we welcome Christian TeBordo back to the show to discuss his new novel, The Apology, as well as get a rundown of the recent David Foster Wallace conference in Austin, with overall reflections from Matt.
Christian on Twitter - https://twitter.com/xtebordo
Buy The Apology here - https://www.astrophilpress.com/the-apology
Contact Dave & Matt:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavitySho...
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