Tk With James Scott

Satire can be the last, best way to critique difficult topics, and Ryan Chapman's blistering novel, RIOTS I HAVE KNOWN, takes on, among other things, incarceration, literature's standing in the culture, and intellectual pretension. He and James talk novellas, using contemporary cultural references, writing to a melody, and publishing a book after working in the field. Plus, literary advocate, legend, and Ryan's editor, Ira Silverberg.   - Ryan Chapman: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ryan-Chapman/140796679 Buy RIOTS I HAVE KNOWN: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781501197307 Ryan and James discuss:  Joseph Heller  Mark Leyner  Martin Amis  Don DeLillo  Thomas Pynchon  AO Scott Wesley Morris  BREAKING BAD  Philip Roth  Roberto Bolano  Horacio Castellanos Moya  New Directions Books Poopy Atherton  University of Iowa  WG Sebald  THE CRYING OF LOT 49 by Thomas Pynchon  Kanye West  A$AP Rocky  DRAM  JURASSIC PARK  Steve Martin  Michel Foucault  "Pardon Edward Snowden" by Joseph O'Neill Tin House Summer Wo

With the long road of a novel ahead of her, Julia Phillips mined her obsessions, and based her debut, DISAPPEARING EARTH, on her love of Russia's Kamchatka peninsula and her desire to portray the effects of violent acts on women. She and James talk about the cost of being horrified, the surprising realization that not everyone loves Soviet architecture, the book that unlocked her book, and the need to keep readers from chopping the vegetables. Then James talks to Jon Sealy about his new press, Haywire Books.  - Julia Phillips: http://www.juliaphillipswrites.com/ Buy DISAPPEARING EARTH: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525520412 Julia and James discuss:  JONESTOWN: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PEOPLES TEMPLE  Kamchatka Peninsula  THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN  Fulbright Fellowship  Yaddo  Emerson College  PT Anderson  THE ANATOMY OF STORY by John Truby  GOOD TALK by Mira Jacob  ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac - Jon Sealy: http://www.jonsealy.com/ Haywire Books: https://www.haywirebooks.com/ Jon and James discuss:   THE WH

The dazzling, drunken, dirty (in an elegant, literary way) debut by Chip Cheek, CAPE MAY, is the result of a feverish writing spree and a measured revision process. Old friends Chip and James discuss learning to let go, having fun at the desk, selecting the right words in sex scenes, discovering characters through their dialogue, and changing ice cream to sherbet. Then, super agent to Chip and many past guests, Katherine Fausset.   - Chip Cheek Buy CAPE MAY: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250297150 Chip and James discuss: Pages: A Bookstore  Whitney Scharer  Sally Rooney The Chunky Monkeys  Celeste Ng  Grace Talusan  Jenn De Leon  Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich  Lizzie Stark  THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt  James Salter  THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald  REVOLUTIONARY ROAD by Richard Yates  BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S by Truman Capote  THE CALL OF CTHULHU by H.P. Lovecraft  Jeanne Leiby Jim Butler  Gustave Flaubert  Jennifer Haigh  Katherine Fausset  - Katherine Fausset: https://www.curtisbrown.com/ag

At first, she wrote essays as a distraction from her fiction, but over time, Grace Talusan felt the pull of the experiences that would form the foundation of her memoir, THE BODY PAPERS. From immigration to cancer to sexual abuse, the book depicts a life marked by trauma, and yet through it all there is humor, family, and hope. Grace tells James how she embraced her own story, faced honesty, and escaped despair. Plus, Grace's editor and Restless Books marketing director, Nathan Rostron.  - Grace Talusan: http://gracetalusan.com/ Buy THE BODY PAPERS: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781632061836 Grace and James Discuss:  UC-Irvine  Joanne Diaz  Restless Books  Ilan Stavans  ONCE MORE TO THE RODEO by Calvfin Hennick  Ross White's THE GRIND  Bread Loaf Writer's Conference  Tell All  Grub Street  Alysia Abbott  Celeste Ng  Porter Square Books  Whitney Scharer  Chunky Monkeys  Jeff Rubin THE FACT OF A BODY by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich  Tufts University Counseling Center  - Nathan Rostron of RESTLESS BOOKS: http

Back in episode 47, Whitney Scharer discussed the incredible sale of her debut, THE AGE OF LIGHT, and now, she and James discuss the actual novel, which depicts the relationship between Lee Miller and May Ray. They talk about creating fictional characters from real people, when she had her "Aha!" insight into Lee's psyche, cultural movements, Boston apartment hopping, and, of course, what you call a butt. Plus, Whitney's UK cover designer, Stuart Wilson.  -  Whitney Scharer: https://whitneyscharer.com/ THE AGE OF LIGHT: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316524087 Whitney and James discuss:   Lee Miller  Man Ray  Peabody-Essex Museum  CAPE MAY by Chip Cheek  Jean Cocteau Janet Flanner  THE NEW YORKER  Ernest Hemingway  GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES by Anita Loos  David Bain  Margot Livesey  Pamela Painter  Emerson College  Richard Kenney  JUST KIDS by Patti Smith  CBGB's  Robert Mapplethorpe  - Stuart Wilson Stuart and James discuss:  Francesca Main  Whitney Scharer  Jeff Cottenden  Lee Miller  Pan 70th Anniversa

In our final episode of our Sewanee Writers' Conference series recorded in the summer of 2018, James is joined by Christine Schutt, one of our greatest authors, to discuss her career from FLORIDA to her latest, PURE HOLLYWOOD. They cover a lot of books, and a lot of ground, from nerves about reading to insecurity about writing, in an honest and illuminating conversation. Plus, friend and (relatively) new PARIS REVIEW editor Emily Nemens.  -  Christine Schutt: https://www.christineschutt.com/  Christine and James discuss:  Christine's books: FLORIDA; A DAY, A NIGHT, ANOTHER DAY, SUMMER; NIGHTWORK; ALL SOULS; PROSPEROUS FRIENDS; PURE HOLLYWOOD: AND OTHER STORIES  Amy Hempel  Barry Hannah  Gordon Lish  Lucy Corin  UC Davis  Mary Jo Salter  John Casey Cheri Peters  William Gay  Wyatt Prunty  Jill McCorkle  AWP  Donald Justice  Elizabeth Bishop  BLUETS by Maggie Nelson  TRIQUARTERLY  National Book Award  Kathryn Davis  SLEEPLESS NIGHTS by Elizabeth Hardwick TRAIN DREAMS by Denis Johnson CHILD OF GOD by Cormac McCa

The third in a series of conversations recorded at the Sewanee Writers' Conference in the summer of 2018 finds James sitting down with Randall Kenan, who talks about the books that made him feel less alone, the art of writing about food, and the legacy of James Baldwin. Plus, Anna Lena Phillips Bell, editor at Ecotone Magazine.     - Randall Kenan: https://randallkenan.com/ Randall and James discuss:  Margot Livesey  Richard Bausch  Jill McCorkle  Tony Earley  Steve Yarbrough  Wyatt Prunty  Maurice Manning  Zora Neale Hurston  Charles Chestnut  Latin American Boom  Gabriel Garcia Marquez  Carlos Fuentes  Mario Vargas Llosa  Isabelle Allende  UNC- Chapel Hill  Amos Tutuola  Wole Soyinka  William Faulkner  Bennett Cerf  Donald Klopfer  Christine Schutt  Little Richard  Studs Terkel  V.S. Naipaul  THE LIVING IS EASY by Dorothy West  Jackie Kennedy  THE WEDDING by Dorothy West  Dan O'Brien  C-SPAN'S BOOKNOTES with Brian Lamb  SOUTHERN FOOD by John Egerton  Southern Foodways Alliance  INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Elliso

In the second in a series of conversations recorded at the Sewanee Writers' Conference in the summer of 2018, James spoke to three people from the world of playwriting: old friend and playwright Dan O'Brien, agent Beth Blickers, and actor Emily Shain. They discuss what draws them to work, how the written word earns its space, and the great value of surprise.   - Dan O'Brien: http://www.danobrien.org/ Dan and James discuss:  David Baldacci  THE HOUSE IN SCARSDALE: A MEMOIR FOR THE STAGE  NEW LIFE  Paul Watson  THE BODY OF AN AMERICAN  Guggenheim Fellowship  - Beth Blickers: https://www.apa-agency.com/ Beth and James discuss:  APA Agency  Theatre Breaking Through Barriers  Jean-Baptiste Lamarck  Charles Darwin  MASTER OF NONE  MJ Kaufman  WIT by Margaret Edson  Theatre by the Blind  Ike Schambelan  Nicholas Viselli  TEENAGE DICK by Mike Lew  Gregg Mozgala  Shannon DeVido   - Emily Shain: http://www.emilyshain.com/ Emily and James discuss:  Performing Prose:  https://www.performingprose.com/  Shawn McIntyre  Ann

In the first in a series of Sewanee Writers' Conversations, recorded at the Sewanee Writers' Conference in July 2018, James sat down with poet Maurice Manning to talk about his latest collection, ONE MAN'S DARK, as well as a beautiful story about a gift from Claudia Emerson, challenging himself with each book, and how his poetry has changed. Plus, editor-in-chief of 32 POEMS, George David Clark.  Sewanee Writers' Conference: http://www.sewaneewriters.org/ - Maurice Manning Maurice and James discuss: Tony Earley  Tim O'Brien  Claudia Emerson  Pelican pens  Margot Livesey  Daniel Boone  Brooks Haxton  By Maurice Manning: ONE MAN'S DARK, THE GONE AND THE GOING AWAY, BUCOLICS, THE COMMON MAN, A COMPANION FOR OWLS, LAWRENCE BOOTH'S BOOK OF VISIONS  - George David Clark: http://www.georgedavidclark.com/ 32 POEMS: http://32poems.com/ David and James discuss:  32 POEMS  Texas Tech  VIRGINIA QUARTERLY REVIEW MERIDIAN  John Poch  ONE STORY  Hannah Tinti  Dan O'Brien  REDIVIDER  Mark Wagner  Aimee Bender  Lydia Davis  "

Lydia Kiesling tricked herself into writing a novel by starting with small vignettes about her feelings as a new parent and setting them in a northern California that's rarely explored in literature. The result of tying those scenes together is her excellent debut, THE GOLDEN STATE. She and James talk about her work as editor of THE MILLIONS, spreadsheets, local newspapers, present tense, and barfing toddlers. Plus, Shuchi Saraswat from Brookline Booksmith talks about the Transnational Literature Series and book sales.  - Lydia Kiesling: http://www.lydiakiesling.com/ Lydia and James Discuss:  CAL SUNDAY MAGAZINE  Sarah Smarsh  Hamilton College  OFF COURSE by Michelle Huneven  MODOC COUNTY RECORD  David Lodge  Sarah Blackwood  LUCKY JIM by Kingsley Amis  Tobias Wolff  Brandon Taylor  THE MILLIONS  Laura van den Berg  Emily Bell  Charles Dickens  THE GRADUATE dir by Mike Nichols  C. Max Magee  THE LAST SAMURAI by Helen DeWitt  - Shuchi Saraswat: https://www.shuchisaraswat.com/ Shuchi and James discuss:  Brookli

The realization that distance will always be present in even the most connected of people is one of the recurring themes in Rita Bullwinkel's spectacular debut story collection, BELLY UP (out now from A STRANGE OBJECT). Rita and James talk about spanning the real and the unreal, finding balance in sequencing, and loving stories where characters have tools to leave their bodies. Plus Dick Scanlan on RENASCENCE, the new musical featuring the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay.  -   Rita Bullwinkel: http://ritabullwinkel.com/ Rita and James discuss: Jill Meyers  A STRANGE OBJECT  AMERICAN SHORT FICTION  Vanderbilt University  Kelly Link  Diane Williams  ALTMANN'S TONGUE by Brian Evenson EVERYTHING RAVAGED, EVERYTHING BURNED by Wells Tower  COAST OF CHICAGO by Stuart Dybek Mills College  Center for New Music  PURE HOLLYWOOD by Christine Schutt  Blair School of Music  Mark Jarman  Michael Alec Rose  Ben Marcus  "Slatland" by Rebecca Lee  NEW AMERICAN SHORT STORIES  STORIES ON STAGE  - Dick Scanlon: http://www.playb

Daniel Torday makes a triumphant return to talk about his new novel, BOOMER1. He and James chat about creating the world around the book, reinventing like Dylan, aspiring to anti-lyricism, and getting excited about liking stuff. They try to parse out a comic novel vs. a funny one and what constitutes satire. Plus, Emory Harkins discusses the mobile and now brick-and-mortar book store he co-founded and co-owns with Alexa Trembly, Twenty Stories.   - Daniel Torday: http://www.danieltorday.com/ Daniel and James Discuss:  David Crosby  THE RUMPUS  "Pretty Polly"  Fleet Foxes  Dirty Projectors  Dr. Dog  WXPM  "Superstitious" by Stevie Wonder  The Velvet Underground  PASTORALIA by George Saunders  MAGIC FOR BEGINNERS by Kelly Link  Junot Diaz  Karen Russell  David Foster Wallace  Flannery O'Connor  Bob Dylan William Faulkner  THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH by Saul Bellow  SEIZE THE DAY by Saul Bellow INFINITE JEST by David Foster Wallace  John Updike  Philip Roth  Netflix  TREE OF SMOKE by Denis Johnson  JESUS' SON

Laura van den Berg returns to discuss her brilliantly unsettling new novel, THE THIRD HOTEL. She and James discuss her three research trips to Havana, film adaptations, women in horror, crucial details, and her thought log, which is exactly what it sounds like. Then Marya Brennan talks about a Writing Blood Oath and her work as the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program Director.  - Laura van den Berg: http://lauravandenberg.com/ Laura and James Discuss:  Jenny Halpert  Kate Sharp  THE BURNING SEASON  Naomi Watts  The Tribeca Film Festival  Claire McCarthy  ARRIVAL dir by Denis Villeneuve  "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang SCREAM dir by Wes Craven  THE BABADOOK dir by Jennifer Kent  A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT dir by Ana Lily Aminpour  VERTIGO dir by Alfred Hitchcock  THE SHINING dir by Stanley Kubrick  Shelley Duvall  PIANO by Jean Echenoz  James Longenbach  - Marya Brennan, NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program Director: https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ Marya and James Discuss:  Annie Hartnett  Robbie!  Aimee Bender  DE

Caleb Johnson claims he could score nine points in an NBA Finals game. Other fictions he's spun include his fantastic debut novel, TREEBORNE, which is set in his native Alabama. He and James talk about staying true to the storytelling tradition, writing in dialect, giving characters autonomy, and reading the right book at the right time. Then, Justin Jannise, editor of GULF COAST: A JOURNAL OF LITERATURE AND FINE ARTS.     Caleb Johnson: https://www.calebjohnsonauthor.com/  Caleb and James discuss:  Sewanee Writers' Conference  Robbie!  Alabama Booksmith  Jake Reiss  University of Wyoming  Hernando de Soto  Chilton Country, Alabama  University of Alabama  Rick Bragg  THE SELMA-TIMES JOURNAL DIRTY WORK by Larry Brown Barry Hannah  Cormac McCarthy  William Gay Daniel Woodrell  BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES  THE MARS ROOM by Rachel Kushner  Gabriel Garcia Marquez  William Faulkner  Lewis Nordan TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee   TRAIN DREAMS by Denis Johnson    - Justin Jannise of Gulf Coast: https://gulfcoastm

The grief over the sudden death of his wife Joy compelled novelist Jonathan Santlofer to begin writing, and those scribbled thoughts and memories became his beautiful memoir, THE WIDOWER'S NOTEBOOK. He and James discuss losing the first person you want to share stories with, not letting yourself off the hook, falling in love with a cat, relying on process, and, ultimately, refusing to live in the shadows. Plus, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich on the response to their book, THE FACT OF A BODY.  - Jonathan Santlofer: http://jonathansantlofer.com/ Jonathan and James discuss:  SALON PEOPLE  Yaddo  FOOD CITY: FOUR CENTURIES OF FOOD-MAKING IN NEW YORK by Joy Santlofer and Marion Nestle  Norton  New York University Faculty Club  Tom's Bakery  Brooklyn Brine  Malaprop's Bookstore  RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS by Beverly Donofrio Lee Child  CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Fyodor Dostoevsky  LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov  AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY by Theodore Dreiser THE ICEBERG by Marion Coutts  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross IN A DARK WOOD by Joseph

Though SOUTHERNMOST, the story of preacher Asher Sharp, took a while to take shape, it's a tale Silas House was born to tell. He and James discuss writing about LGBTQ issues, finding the right angle for a novel, putting characters in trouble, working with your reader, and grieving the loss of conversation. Plus, a great talk with Algonquin Books executive editor Kathy Pories.    - Silas House: https://www.silas-house.com/ Silas and James discuss:  Thomas Hardy  Willa Cather  JONAH'S GOURD VINE by Zora Neale Hurston WINTER LIGHT dir by Ingmar Bergman  Tom Petty  Mamas & the Papas  Jim James  "Rain" by Patty Griffin  Joni Mitchell  Celia Cruz  Jason Isbell  My Morning Jacket  Dolly Parton -  Kathy Pories, Algonquin Books: https://www.algonquin.com/ Kathy and James discuss:  Sewanee Writers' Conference  Wyatt Prunty  Philipp Meyer Ron Rash  Mary Robison Alexander Chee  Newtonville Books  Christine Schutt  Jill McCorkle  Workman Publishing  LIKE WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen  Anne Winslow  THE OPTIMISTIC

In the most clarifying conversation James has had about the process of learning to be a writer, Sarah Ann Strickley discusses her story collection, FALL TOGETHER, as well as the dangers of the Muse, the joys of plot and structure, finding your voice, giving up your heroes, and being Superman's neighbor. Plus, they nerd out over Marilynne Robinson's HOUSEKEEPING. Then, past guests provide summer reading recommendations.  - Sarah Anne Strickley: https://www.sarahannestrickley.com/ Sarah and James discuss:  Ian Stansel  Raymond Carver  The Cure  Joy Division  The University of Iowa  Emerson College  Joseph Campbell  Darrell Spencer  COUNTRY DARK by Chris Offutt HOUSEKEEPING by Marilynne Robinson "Hover" by Nell Freudenberger Karen Russell  Carmen Maria Machado Laura van den Berg  Fortress of Solitude  Superman  Superman's Neighbor - Summer Reading Recommendations:  Julia Fine, author of WHAT SHOULD BE WILD (ep. 58)  THE LUMINARIES by Eleanor Catton THE WAKE by Paul Kingsnorth  INVITATION TO A BONFIRE by Adrienne

Despite their easy descriptions-- a book about small town baseball, a memoir of grief and addiction, a discussion of reality television-- Lucas Mann's books are unlike anything else, with each page revealing a fresh perspective or a surprising insight. He tells James about writing weird books in a way that feels normal, throwing subjects off-kilter in interviews, learning to write unhinged to create emotion, and playing Jenga with narrative. Plus, Nathan McNamara on the art of book reviewing.  - Lucas Mann: http://www.lucasmann.com/ James and Lucas discuss:  The University of Iowa  HOMAGE TO CATALONIA by George Orwell  Arundhati Roy  Amitava Kumar  James Baldwin  THE VILLAGER  Film Forum  THRONE by Kerry Howley  THE NEW YORKER  Roger Angell "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu" by John Updike  David Halberstam  BLUETS by Maggie Nelson  THE LOVER by Marguerite Duras  THE SUICIDE INDEX by Joan Wickersham  SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE  Malcolm Gladwell  Virginia Center for the Creative Arts  The Kardashians  - Nathan McNamara: http:

In her debut novel, THE ENSEMBLE, Aja Gabel beautifully captures the shifting dynamics of a string quartet. She and James talk about boxing, prodigies, losing yourself in art, and capturing joy versus describing pain. Plus, Aja's cover designer from Riverhead Books, Grace Han.  - Aja Gabel: http://www.ajagabel.com/ Aja and James discuss:  WHAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT WRITING by Haruki Murakami Antonya Nelson  SATURDAY by Ian McEwan  Guarneri String Quartet  FREEDOM by Jonathan Franzen  - Grace Han: http://heaeunhan.com/ Grace and James discuss:  Riverhead Books  Ecco  Helen Yentus  Pinterest  THE READYMADE THIEF by Augustus Rose  Marcel Duchamp  School of Visual Arts  THE LINE BECOMES A RIVER by Francisco Cantu  Richard Misrach  THE KING IS ALWAYS ABOVE THE PEOPLE by Daniel Alarcon  STRENGTH IN STILLNESS: THE POWER IN TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION by Bob Roth  - http://tkpod.com / tkwithjs@gmail.com / Twitter: @JamesScottTK Instagram: tkwithjs / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkwithjs/

Of all the terrible just-out-of-college jobs that have been described on TK, Julia Fine probably had the worst. Later, she ended up leaving a good position to pursue an MFA, and the result is WHAT SHOULD BE WILD, a (wild) combination of fairy tale, folklore, mystery, road trip, and countless other inspirations. She and James talk about how she managed to juggle so many influences while avoiding genre expectations. Plus, Julia's editor from Harper, Erin Wicks.  -  Julia Fine: https://www.julia-fine.com/ Julia and James discuss: Annie Hartnett  Columbia College Chicago Harper  Mercedes Lackey  Tamora Pierce  HIS DARK MATERIALS by Philip Pullman Angela Carter  WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson  Robert Graves  FROM THE BEAST TO THE BLONDE by Marina Warner  Erin Wicks  Carmen Maria Machado   Kelly Link  SWAMPLANDIA! by Karen Russell THE TIGER'S WIFE by Tea Obreht  MR. FOX by Helen Oyeyemi  Benjamin Percy  Stephen King  MARLENA by Julie Buntin - Erin Wicks: @Erin_Wicks Erin and James discuss:  W