Tk With James Scott

When her mother suffers a stroke, Tessa Fontaine joins the traveling circus sideshow. She recounts this unique time in her life in her incredible new memoir, THE ELECTRIC WOMAN. She and James talk about being okay with not knowing what you're writing about, how first books are like teenagers, and finding the untold story. And, she is the first guest (to James's knowledge) to flashback to Eagle-Eye Cherry's "Save Tonight." Plus, Meg Reid of Hub City Writers Project.   Tessa Fontaine: http://www.tessafontaine.com/home.html Tessa and James discuss: Annie Hartnett Harper  University of Alabama  University of Utah  Freytag's Pyramid  LET'S NO ONE GET HURT by Jon Pineda  "The First Cut is the Deepest" by Sheryl Crow  "Save Tonight" by Eagle-Eye Cherry  Cormac McCarthy Ernest Hemingway  Jenna Johnson  HELL'S ANGELS by Hunter S. Thompson  - Meg Reid: (Hub City) https://hubcity.org/  (Book Design) http://www.megireid.com/ Meg and James discuss:  WPA  Newtonville Books  Turnrow Book Co.  Square Books  Tessa Fontaine  B

Patrick Crerand started off trying to write blue-collar factory stories, but he eventually discovered his voice writing the more surreal and magical stories contained in his new collection, THE PAPER LIFE THEY LEAD. He tells James about how a story about kidnapping Amish people led him to success, learning to write what he loves, and The Boss's "Glory Days" but with a car. Plus, Arc Pair Press founder Heather Momyer.      Patrick Crerand: https://www.patrickcrerand.com/ Patrick and James discuss:  Dairy Queen  Bowling Green State University  Lawrence Coates Anthony Doerr  Wendell Mayo   Flannery O'Connor Donald Barthelme  University of Louisiana  Ernest J. Gaines  George Saunders  Aimee Bender  Ernest Hemingway  Raymond Carver  Gabriel Garcia Marquez  Franz Kafka  "The Enormous Radio" by John Cheever  Bruce Springsteen  Michael Czyzniejewski MID-AMERICAN REVIEW  Steve Almond  Christopher Grimes  Fc2  Rikki Ducornet  Freytag's Pyramid Heather Momyer  "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen  -  Arc Pair Press: https:

In her second novel, BURY WHAT WE CANNOT TAKE, Kirstin Chen depicts a family in China under the tightening rule of Mao. She tells James about her choice to tell the story when and how she did, along with trying to make people happy, learning to craft endings from short stories, dealing with cultural tourism, and, of course, writing in a cave in a museum. Plus, Michael Nye on the AWP conference, selling your book, scheduling your day, and writing longhand.    - Kirstin Chen: http://kirstinchen.com/ Kirstin and James discuss:  NTU-NAC National Writer in Residence in Singapore Little A  Matthew Salesses  Emerson College  Columbia University  NYU  Chairman Mao  The Great Famine  The Great Leap Forward  Drum Wave Inlet  Michelle Brower  Jamie Quatro  Zadie Smith  Vanessa Hua  The San Francisco Chronicle  -  Michael Nye: http://mpnye.com/  Michael and James discuss:  BOULEVARD MAGAZINE  NATURAL BRIDGE: A JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE  University of Missouri in St. Louis  AWP Conference  Annette Bening  AMERICA

One of James's favorite books of 2018 inspires one of his favorite conversations. Jon Pineda, author of LET'S NO ONE GET HURT, joins the show to talk about being worried for your characters, maintaining a sense of wonder, fooling yourself into writing, inventing the Voltron of fathers, becoming a cobbler (!) and living a life with fewer disclaimers. Plus, Miciah Bay Gault chats about HUNGER MOUNTAIN and the MFA in publishing and writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts.  - Jon Pineda: http://www.jonpineda.com/ Jon and James discuss: HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT dir by Kent Jones  HITCHCOCK by Francois Truffaut  NORTH BY NORTHWEST dir by Alfred Hitchcock Voltron  The Incredible Hulk  WE THE ANIMALS by Justin Torres  Marilynne Robinson  JESUS' SON by Denis Johnson  GIOVANNI'S ROOM by James Baldwin  IF THE SKY FALLS by Nicholas Montemarano THE LOVER by Marguerite Duras  Amy Hempel  ANGEL HEAD: A MEMOIR by Greg Bottoms  HELL AT THE BREECH by Tom Franklin  -  Miciah Bay Gault: https://vcfa.edu/ http://hungermtn.org/   Miciah

Over the course of eleven books, including his latest novel, THE UNMADE WORLD, Steve Yarbrough has established himself as a master of language and place. But James knows him as the leader of the greatest workshop ever. They discuss that class at Sewanee, as well as being a Southern writer with a British aesthetic, structuring novels based on the football calendar, and getting poked in the stomach. Plus, Annie Hartnett on being more productive.    Steve Yarbrough: https://www.steveyarbrough.net/ Steve and James discuss: Sewanee Writers' Conference  Jill McCorkle  Johnny Carson  IN THE SHADOW OF 10,000 HILLS by Jennifer Haupt  THE GIRL FROM BLIND RIVER by Gale Massey  Bill Parcells  Jimmy Johnson  University of Arkansas  William Harrison  John Clellon Holmes  James Whitehead  Bill Belichick  Graham Greene  Emerson College Pamela Painter  Margot Livesey  THE LAST PICTURE SHOW by Larry McMurtry BOOKMARKED: LARRY McMURTRY'S THE LAST PICTURE SHOW by Steve Yarbrough (SY)  PRISONERS OF WAR by SY  THE END OF CALIFORNI

Ever since reading an early copy of Michael Nye's first novel, ALL THE CASTLES BURNED, James has wanted to talk to the author of such an engaging and thought-provoking book. They discuss knowing good books from page one, declaring a new read dead, and writing sports scenes. Thankfully, they save their Celtics talk for off the air. Plus, poet Lauren Moseley, author of BIG WINDOWS.  - Michael Nye: http://mpnye.com/ Michael and James discuss:  Bruce Willis  HOSTAGE dir. by Florent Siri  FEEL FREE by Zadie Smith  SOME HELL by Patrick Nathan  BACK TALK: STORIES by Danielle Lazarin  THE FIFTH ELEMENT dir. by Luc Besson  PACHINKO by Min Jin Lee  HOW TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOVEL: ESSAYS by Alexander Chee  THE MISSOURI REVIEW BOULEVARD  Jane Smiley  PREP by Curtis Sittenfeld  THE STARBOARD SEA by Amber Dermont  A SEPARATE PEACE by John Knowles  THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger  THE ART OF FIELDING by Chad Harbach  Mitch Albom  John Birch  Tom Ripley  OUR HEARTS WILL BURN US DOWN by Anne Valente  - Lauren

In his first essay collection, UP UP DOWN DOWN, Cheston Knapp attends skateboarding camp for adults, recalls his fraternity days, looks for UFOs, and checks out the local wrestling circuit, all in the name of learning more about himself. He and James talk about the art of the essay, the search for community, editing at Tin House, and the difficulty they have living in the moment. Plus Scribner art director and designer Jaya Miceli on book covers.   -  Cheston Knapp: https://www.chestonknapp.com/ Cheston and James discuss: David Foster Wallace  Charles D'Ambrosio  W. G. Sebald  HAMLET  Joan Didion  Zadie Smith  Maurice Merleau-Ponty  Edmund Husserl  Leslie Jamison  A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER by Tom Clancy  Graham Greene  John LeCarre  Sarah Manguso Maggie Nelson -  Jaya Miceli: https://jayamiceli.com/ Jaya and James discuss: UP UP DOWN DOWN by Cheston Knapp Anna Laytham (designer)  Daniel Loedel  THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins THE ANIMALS by Christian Kiefer  THE READY MADE THIEF by Augustus Rose  Marc

BRASS, the excellent first novel by Xhenet Aliu, mixes voice, humor, and simmering rage into the tale of a family that keeps ending up in the same rut. She and James talk about what they're going to do when they grow up, not porn-ifying poverty, editing vs. new pages, and then give credit to the proofreaders out there. Plus, the wondrous Chip Cheek tells James about the writing and thrilling sale of his novel, CAPE MAY.  - Xhenet Aliu: http://xhenetaliu.com/ Xhenet and James discuss: University of Alabama  Bread Loaf Writers' Conference  University of Georgia  Julie Barer  Avid Bookshop  The Old Pal  - Chip and James discuss:  Gunter Grass  Christopher Castellani  Grub Street Bread Loaf Writers' Conference  Emerson College  Whitney Scharer  Jennifer De Leon  Becky Tuch  Celeste Ng  Adam Stumacher  Calvin Hennick Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich  Katherine Fausset Curtis Brown, Ltd.  Laura van den Berg  Benjamin Percy  Josh Weil Deb Futter  Jamie Raab Celadon Books  Macmillan Publishing  Ren and Stimpy  - http://t

Claire Fuller started writing to compete in a local short story slam. Then she started to win. Soon after, she earned an MA and has since written two novels, OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS and SWIMMING LESSONS. She and James talk about the torture of writing new material, the joy of editing, the reader response theory, and the practice of listening to music while writing. Plus, year-end reading recommendations from some of 2017's guests!    Claire Fuller: https://clairefuller.co.uk/ Claire and James discuss: Penguin Books  Tin House Books  Masie Cochran  Fuzzy Felt Green  WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson  THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O'Brien  THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers  HOUSEKEEPING by Marilynne Robinson  LEGEND OF A SUICIDE by David Vann  Iron & Wine  Sam Beam  Townes van Zandt  TURN OUT THE LIGHTS (album) by Julien Baker  Margot Livesey  SOY SAUCE FOR BEGINNERS by Kirstin Chen NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (dir by Coens) THERE WILL BE BLOOD (dir by PT Anderson)  MICHAEL

In order to learn to write, Frank Bill broke down the fiction that he loved. The lessons those books taught him have served him through a collection of short stories and two novels, the latest of which is THE SAVAGE. He and James talk about universe building, skipping the middle, and the film adaptation of DONNYBROOK. Plus, Jesse Donaldson on his tour of Kentucky for ON HOMESICKNESS.  -  Frank Bill: http://frankbillshouseofgrit.blogspot.com/ Frank and James discuss: BLOOD MERIDIAN by Cormac McCarthy  DETROIT: AN AMERICAN AUTOPSY by Charlie LeDuff  BEAT TO A PULP  THE MISSOURI REVIEW   "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin  Jason Starr  THE KILLER INSIDE ME by Jim Thompson  FIGHT CLUB by Chuck Palahniuk  Fyodor Dostoevsky  FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS by Ernest Hemingway  THE ECSTATIC by Victor LaValle  JOE by Larry Brown  FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS by Hunter S. Thompson  Pink Floyd  Jamie Bell  James Badge Dale Margaret Qualley  Frank Grillo  KINGDOM  James Landry Hebert  Tim Sutton  The Old Testament  DEADWOOD  Da

In her day job, Amy P. Knight is a lawyer specializing in death penalty cases. She has also written a fascinating and wholly original novel, LOST, ALMOST, which depicts the life of a physicist who works on nuclear weapons. She and James talk about the intricate structure of the novel, the warmth of her descriptions of science and math, and the virtues of writing by hand. Then, Whitney Scharer talks about the incredible deal for her debut novel, THE AGE OF LIGHT.  - Amy P. Knight: https://amypknight.com/ Amy and James discuss: AMERICAN PROMETHEUS: THE TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin WAR GAMES  Freeman Dyson  Richard Feynman  Vassar College Matthew Lansburgh  University of Arizona  THE IMPERFECTIONISTS by Tom Rachman  LIARS AND SAINTS by Maile Meloy  Ann Patchett  - Whitney Scharer: https://www.whitneyscharer.com/ Whitney and James discuss: Peabody Essex Museum Man Ray Lee Miller Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich Sonya Larson VCCA  Sonya Larson  Julie Barer  Judy Clain 

After studying Spanish literature and embarking on a career as a lawyer, Matthew Lansburgh found fulfillment in writing. He won the Iowa Short Fiction Award for his linked short short story collection, OUTSIDE IS THE OCEAN. He and James discuss the spiritual fulfillment of writing, the need for dissatisfaction, the joys of close reading, and their shared love of outsiders in fiction. Plus, agent Christopher Rhodes.  - Matthew Lansburgh: http://www.matthewlansburgh.com/ Matthew and James discuss: Princeton University Middlebury College  POET IN NEW YORK by Federico Garcia Lorca  RESIDENCIA EN LA TIERRA by Pablo Neruda  WISE BLOOD by Flannery O'Connor  TOWARDS ANOTHER SUMMER by Janet Frame  92nd Street Y  "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" by Alice Munro  Darin Strauss  Hannah Tinti Josh Weil  Carmen Maria-Machado  Iowa Short Fiction Award  - Christopher Rhodes: https://christopherrhodes.net/ Christopher & James discuss: Borders Books at World Trade Center  Simon & Schuster  Michael Selleck  The Carol Ma

Robert Repino had a couple of false start novels before setting out on The War With No Name series, which was inspired by a dream (really) and now includes three books: MORT(E), CUL-DE-SAC, and D'ARC. He and James discuss their MFA memories, learning to write, 80s nostalgia, and fans getting MORT(E) tattoos. Plus, Urban Waite and James talk about MFAs and creating your own residency.    - Robert Repino: https://robertrepino.com/ Robert and James discuss:  Emerson College  St. Joseph's University Press  Arts Boston  TKTS  Pamela Painter  DeWitt Henry  David Emblidge  Aditi Rao  Jessica Treadway  Jennifer Weltz  Laura van den Berg  Urban Waite  Michael Mann  Kapo Amos Ng  Animal Farm  1984  GHOSTBUSTERS  BACK TO THE FUTURE  THE GODFATHER  LETHAL WEAPON  METROID  THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK STAR TREK MRS. FRISBY AND THE RATS OF NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien    -   Urban Waite: http://www.urbanwaite.com/   Urban and James Discuss:    Emerson College Western Washington University University of Washington Margot Livesey

HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES, the dazzling debut by Carmen Maria Machado has garnered tremendous acclaim, including being named a finalist for the National Book Award. Carmen and James discuss never being done editing, her enviable file of images, and being thrown out of a plane. Plus, Editorial Director at Graywolf Press, Ethan Nosowsky.  - Carmen Maria Machado: https://carmenmariamachado.com/ Carmen and James discuss:  Ethan Nosowsky  FIVE CHAPTERS  GRAYWOLF PRESS  THE NEW YORKER  I WANT TO SHOW YOU MORE by Jamie Quatro  Kelly Link  Kevin Brockmeier  Shuchi Saraswat  Kimberly Glyder Aimee Bender Karen Russell  Laura van den Berg  Clarion Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers' Workshop ANNIHILATION by Jeff Vander Meer  SMALL BEER PRESS A STRANGER IN OLONDRIA Sofia Samatar  THE WINGED HISTORIES by Sofia Samatar TENDER by Sofia Samatar Sam J. Miller  Alyssa Wong  Alice Kim  TIN HOUSE  McSWEENEY'S Yaddo   WOODCUTTERS by Thomas Bernhard NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro Ted Chiang  STRANGE HORIZONS  THE AMERICAN R

The legends of Josh Weil's unique writing process precede him, but he and James try to get to the bottom of it, including how he comes up with his ideas, how he challenges himself, and whether his lucky slippers and mug travel with him. They touch on Josh's award-winning books THE NEW VALLEY and THE GREAT GLASS SEA, but dive deep into his new collection THE AGE OF PERPETUAL LIGHT. Plus Cheston Knapp, editor at TIN HOUSE magazine, and an extra bonus with poet Javier Zamora, whose new poetry collection is UNACCOMPANIED.  - Josh Weil: http://www.joshweil.com/site/home.html Josh and James discuss:  THE AGE OF PERPETUAL LIGHT by Josh Weil  Leon Uris  Frederick Forsythe  "Angle of Reflection"  Steven Spielberg  STAND BY ME STRANGER THINGS  Bread Loaf Writers' Conference  Jhumpa Lahiri  Grove Press  THE GREAT GLASS SEA by Josh Weil  "The Point of Roughness"  "No Flies, No Folly"  "Long, Bright Line"  VIRGINIA QUARTERLY  Hannah Tinti ONE STORY "The First Bad Thing" NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN by Cormac McCarthy Yaddo - Ch

Dan talks to James about his remarkable new collections of plays, PLAYS ONE, and poetry, NEW LIFE, made even more remarkable by Dan's fight with colon cancer. The afternoon after a clean scan, he and James discuss the illness, young writers, and their shared affinity for not reading reviews. Then, Shuchi Saraswat talks about her excellent essay for Tin House and, as a book buyer for Brookline Booksmith, recommends her favorite summer reads and fall books to look forward to. - Dan O'Brien: http://www.danobrien.org/ Dan and James Discuss: ILLNESS AS METAPHOR by Susan Sontag  Sewanee Writers' Conference  Middlebury College  THE VOYAGE OF THE CARCASS by Dan O'Brien (DO)  THE DEAR BOY (DO)  Andra Harbold  Blake Montgomery  School Jacques Lecoq  Vassar College  New York Stage and Film  Williamstown Theatre Festival  Brown University  Jessica St. Clair  Pauline Kael  THE NEW YORKER  INDIANA JONES  THE BODY OF AN AMERICAN (DO)  ICE GHOSTS by Paul Watson  Sam Shepard  Eugene O'Neill Theater Center: National Playwright

James speaks with the authors of two new story collections, Tim Weed (A FIELD GUIDE TO MURDER & FLY FISHING) and Meghan Kenny (LOVE IS NO SMALL THING). They discuss sequencing their books, what unifies the stories, and what they learned in the writing process. Tim tells James how short stories are like jumping in cold water, and Meghan and James contemplate pulling a Freaky Friday.    - Tim Weed: https://timweed.net/ Tim and James Discuss:  National Geographic  Cuba Writers Program  Sir Francis Bacon  Middlebury College  Grub Street, Inc.  Ingmar Bergman  Laura van den Berg  Benjamin Percy  Green Writers Press  John Tiholiz  Grateful Dead JESUS' SON by Denis Johnson THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy William Gay  Paul Bowles  Jim Shepard  The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College DOG SOLDIERS by Robert Stone BEAR AND HIS DAUGHTER by Robert Stone  FUN WITH PROBLEMS by Robert Stone  "Helpers" by Robert Stone  THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT FICTION - Meghan Kenny: http://meghankenny.co/index/ Meghan and James D

In her memoir, THE HOT ONE, Carolyn Murnick follows the case of the murder of her childhood best friend while thinking back on how they drifted apart. As the pages turn, the book explores themes like sexuality, competitiveness, aging, and the male gaze without sacrificing its considerable momentum and pace. Plus, OUT editor-in-chief and owner of the beautiful ONE GRAND BOOKS, Aaron Hicklin.  - James and Carolyn Discuss:  THE MUSEUM OF BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS  THE CUT  HOW TO BE A PERSON IN THE WORLD by Heather Havrilesky  PHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY  COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY  Tom Beller  MR. BELLER'S NEIGHBORHOOD  FRENCH ROAST DIARY  NEW YORK MAGAZINE  BEFORE AND AFTER: STORIES FROM NEW YORK  MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM by Lizzy Goodman Larry Weissman  THE FACT OF A BODY by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich  - Aaron and James discuss: THE FOUNDING FISH by John McPhee THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE  THE BIBLE  THE QURAN Dianne Wiest John Cameron Mitchell  Samuel Beckett Marlon James  Michael Stipe Kim Gordon Michael Cunningham 

The seventh book from Benjamin Percy is the terrifying THE DARK NET. He tells James what he's learned writing comics, how he juggles his projects, why his sister slept with the lights on into her 20s (spoiler: it's Ben's fault), and how he overcame being a closeted genre fan. Plus Percy's editor and editorial director of fiction at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Helen Atsma. - Benjamin Percy: http://benjaminpercy.com/ Benjamin and James Discuss: Green Arrow  Teen Titans  Black Canary  Dennis O'Neil  Neal Adams  The Justice League The Flash  Wonder Woman  Batman  Superman  Green Lantern  DC Comics  Juan Ferreyra  THRILL ME by Benjamin Percy  THE WARLORD  Spider-Man  Mike Grell  X-Men  Wolverine  VOODOO HEART by Scott Snyder  WHO CAN SAVE US NOW? ed by Owen King  VERTIGO COMICS  Katherine Fausset RED MOON by Benjamin Percy  Mark Doyle  DIE HARD  The Pulitzer Price  THE DARK NET by Benjamin Percy  CONAN THE BARBARIAN Soundtrack  Tom Waits "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave  Enya  The Jonas Brothers  Rick Astley  Jen Perc

KELLY J. FORD revised and sharpened her debut novel, COTTONMOUTHS, in Grub Street's Novel Incubator program with our second guest, MICHELLE HOOVER. She and James talk about crappy drafts, depression, the woods vs. the forest, coming out narratives, and tents full of mannequin parts. She also describes her process, including using formulas and borrowing the scaffolding of other narratives. Then James asks Michelle about novel writing and workshopping.     -  Kelly J. Ford: http://kellyjford.com/ Kelly and James discuss:  Daniel Woodrell (intro) Sarah Waters (intro)  "Hanging Judge" Parker  Flannery O'Connor Paula Abdul FINGERHUT MAGAZINE Solid Gold Dancers Lisa Borders E.B. Moore FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Laura van den Berg Chip Cheek Cam Terwilliger Diane Johnson THE END OF CALIFORNIA by Steve Yarbrough FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley RE JANE by Patricia Park  THE MIDDLESTEINS by Jamie Attenberg DARK PLACES by Gillian Flynn  LITTLE CHILDREN by Tom Perrotta  WRITTEN ON THE BODY by Jeanette Winterson THE PASSION by Jean