WCBN fm Ann Arbor is a community/student run radio station.


Living Writers airs every Wednesday from 4:15pm until 5:15pm EST.

Here is a partial list of archived shows.

Please click on the writer's name to listen to the interview.

06/23/2010 Ken Mikolowski Tune in to hear Michigan's own Ken Mikolowski read poems from "Big Enigmas" published by Past Tents Press. We'll talk about humor, art, and Detroit. We'll also talk about Ann Mikolowski's pocket portraits, reading with MC5 and Iggy and the Stooges, and his most recent event in New York City. 06/16/2010 Twesigye Jackson Kaguri Tune in to hear Twesigye Jackson Kaguri read from his book "The Price of Stones: Building A School For My Village" published this year by Penguin Group (USA). We'll talk about how he founded a school in rural Uganda for children who had been orphaned by AIDS. We'll talk about his calling and his reasons for making this inspiring story into a book. 06/02/2010 Richard Tillinghast and Julia Clare Tillinghast-Akalin Tune in today to hear Richard Tillinghast and Julia Clare Tillinghast-Akalin read from their new translation of Turkish poet Edip Cansever "Dirty August" published by Talisman House in 2009. We'll talk about the work of translation, finding Ireland, and the other places that "the imagination calls home." 05/26/2010 Hannah Tinti Tune in to hear Hannah Tinti read from "The Good Thief" published by Dial Press in 2009. We'll talk about why it was Hannah's goal to write an old-fashion type of book and her interest in resurrection men, mousetraps and wishing stones. 05/19/2010 Louis Sachar Tune in to hear Louis Sachar read from his latest "The Cardturner: A Novel About a King, a Queen and a Joker" published this May by Delacorte Press. We will talk about how he was advised not to write a book about Bridge for the youth market--and how people who read his bestselling "Holes" come to his readings now as adults. 05/12/2010 Nathaniel Philbrick Tune in to hear Nathaniel Philbrick read from "The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn" published this May by Viking. We will talk about considering audience and finding your voice within historical nonfiction. We'll also talk about Moby-Dick, riding a horse during research, and "what makes us American." 05/04/2010 Anthony Deptula Anthony Deptula is the producer/writer of the Sundance Film Festival selection One Too Many Mornings. Unfortunately, the mp3 of this show is unavailable. 04/28/2010 Anselm Berrigan Tune in to hear Anselm Berrigan read from "Free Cell" published by City Lights Books in 2009. We will talk about the shape of the poem on the page, long poems, and St. Mark's Church in NYC. We'll also talk about leaving home to find your voice. 04/21/2010 Yiyun Li Tune in to hear Yiyun Li read from her novel "The Vagrants" published by Random House Trade Paperback Edition in 2010. We will talk about heroism, China in the 1970s, and William Trevor. Yiyun started with the sciences at Iowa. What changed her mind? 04/14/2010 John Burnside Tune in to hear Scottish poet John Burnside read new poems. We will talk about his memoir "A Lie About My Father" published by Graywolf Press. 04/07/2010 Deborah Eisenberg Tune in to hear Deborah Eisenberg read from "The Collected Stories of Deborah Eisenberg" published this April by Picador. We will talk about the intensity of the short story form. We'll also talk about dialogue and character--ex-pats and superheroes. 03/31/2010 Tung-Hui Hu Tune in to hear Tung-Hui Hu read from "Mine" published by Ausable Press in 2007 and from "The Book of Motion" published by University of Georgia Press (2003). We will talk about his current project Last Time You Cried. We'll also talk about film, "time-based art" and palinodes. 03/24/2010 V.V Ganeshananthan Tune in to hear V.V Ganeshananthan read from her novel "Love Marriage" published in 2008 by Random House. We will talk about marriage, politics and religion. Also: writing the first novel. 03/17/2010 Andre Williams Tune in to hear Andre Williams read from his first novel "Sweets and Other Stories" published in 2009 by Kicks Books. You may know Andre as many do as "Mr. Rhythm" from his time at Fortune Records and Chess Records and in Motown with hits such as "Bacon Fat," "Greasy Chicken," Jail Bait," and many others. A true living legend. 03/10/2010 John Freeman Tune in to hear John Freeman read from his book "The Tyranny of E-mail: The Four-Thousand-Year Journey to Your Inbox" published by Scribner in 2009. We'll talk about the genesis of this project, his passion for writers and reading, and his work at the helm of Granta. 03/03/2010 Cole Swensen We'll talk about her work in translation. We'll also talk about why Cole calls Paris her writing place and why Iowa and Washington DC are also home. 02/24/2010 Ron Carlson Tune in to Ron Carlson read from his novel "The Signal" published by Viking in 2009. We'll talk about solitude and the computer, Niagara Falls, honesty in fiction, and Hemingway. Also, Ron Carlson will read a new prose poem written at his Utah cabin. 02/17/2010 Abraham Verghese Tune in to hear Abraham Verghese read from his novel "Cutting for Stone" published this January by Vintage Books. We'll talk about writing fiction that spans continents and history. We'll also talk about memoir, his life in medicine, Ethiopia, and the song, Tizita. 02/10/2010 Joshua Ferris Tune in to hear Joshua Ferris read from his new novel "The Unnamed" published in January by Reagan Arthur Books/Little, Brown. We'll talk about writing the second novel, Emily Dickinson, Key West, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer 02/03/2010 Elizabeth Kostova Tune in to hear Michigan's own Elizabeth Kostova read from her second novel "The Swan Thieves" published this January by Little, Brown. We'll talk about research and the imagination--and the past making itself felt on the present. We'll also talk about Bulgaria, French Impressionism, and obsession. 1/27/2010 Thomas Lynch Tune in to hear Michigan's own Thomas Lynch read from his short story collection "Apparition & Late Fictions" published this January by W.W.Norton & Company. We'll talk about how working with fiction and the short story framework differs from his nonfiction essays and articles. We'll also talk about his new poems, novellas, donkeys and County Clare. 12/30/2009 Matthew Dickman Poet Matthew Dickman called from Portland, Oregon to talk about his book "All American Poem". 12/09/2009 Andrei Codrescu Tune in to hear Andrei Codrescu read from his latest book "The Posthuman Dada Guide: Tzara & Lenin Play Chess" published this year by Princeton University Press. We'll talk about his passion for Dada and how you frame a piece of writing that may want to defy you. We'll also talk about his poems, Exquisite Corpse and Detroit's Ho-Ho Inn. 12/02/2009 Donald Hall Tune in to hear a conversation with Donald Hall and to hear two poems he wrote while teaching here at Michigan. We'll talk about the vocation of poetry,Eagle Pond farm, a life inside and outside academia, and the art of revision. We'll also talk about baseball and Edgar Allan Poe, among others. 11/25/2009 Jonathan Lethem Tune in today to hear Jonathan Lethem read from his latest novel "Chronic City" published this year by Doubleday. We'll talk about voice and character--and toast the Rolling Stones with Dr.Pepper. 11/18/2009 Lorrie Moore Tune in to hear Lorrie Moore read from her latest novel "A Gate at the Stairs" published this fall by Knopf. We'll talk about the music of writing within the novel and the short story. We'll also talk about being part of the community--and writing about loss--our collective and individual sorrows--our awkwardness and joy. And maybe a few words about the Bee Gees. 11/11/2009 John Hodgman Tune in to hear John Hodgman talk about his books "The Areas of My Expertise" and "More" out in paperback this fall with Riverhead Books. We'll talk about the glory of lists and tables--and the lost art of the almanac. We'll also talk about achieving a voice of authority--and boxing. 11/04/2009 David Wevill Tune in today to hear David Wevill read poems including work from "Asterisks" published by Exile Editions in 2007. We'll talk about the self and the non-self as a central force in his work--and whether there is life after poetry. We'll also talk about image and meditation, "The Group," and his granddaughter, Isabella. 10/28/2009 Laura Kasischke Tune in to hear Michigan's own Laura Kasischke read from her latest novel "In A Perfect World" published this autumn by Harper Perennial. We'll talk about writing each day, what it takes to see a novel through and the possibilities of poems. 10/21/2009 Scott Lasser Tune in to hear Scott Lasser read from his latest novel "The Year that Follows" published this year by Knopf. We'll talk about the art of characterization and the challenge within writing about loss--both personal and a country's. We'll also talk with Michigan writer R.A. Riekki at the start of the program about his book "U.P." published in 2008 by Ghost Road Press. It's a metal, hip-hop, punk novel set in our northern reaches. 10/14/2009 Emily Warn Tune in to hear poet Emily Warn read from her latest collection "Shadow Architect" published by Copper Canyon Press in 2008. We'll talk about the forest, spiritual studies and collaboration with a visual artist: how all three are in the making of this book. 10/07/2009 Crystal Williams Tune in to hear Crystal Williams read from "Troubled Tongues" chosen for the 2009 Long Madgett Poetry Award. We'll talk about chants, epistles and ars poeticas. We'll also talk about writing plays and poems--and about growing up in Detroit, going to NYC and heading westward. 09/30/2009 Dean Young Tune in to hear poet Dean Young read new poems--yet to grace the pages of magazine, web or book. We'll also talk about his current manuscript called "The Art of Recklessness" to be published by Graywolf Press later this year. We'll talk about the process of creation, surrealism, and why he exhorts: remember your first urges--why you wrote your first poem. 09/16/2009 Christopher Schmidt Tune in to hear Christopher Schmidt read from his debut book of poems "The Next in Line" winner of the 2007 Slope Editions Book Prize. We'll talk about blogs, journalism, and a 20th century poetry dissertation entitled "Waste Matters." We'll also talk about his recent move from Brooklyn to Ann Arbor, his work at Sweetland Writing Center, and mopeds. 09/09/2009 Lawrence Weschler Tune in to hear Lawrence Weschler in conversation about his book published by Vintage Books in 1996 "Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Technology." Believe it or not, that's just the half of it. We'll also talk about the need for doubt, his Convergence Contest with McSweeney's and the paralyzed cyclops. 09/02/2009 Henry Grimes Tune in to hear a conversation with Henry Grimes, the legendary and visionary jazz musician. He will read from his book of poems "Signs Along the Road" published by Buddy's Knife in 2007 and also will play the acoustic bass and violin. We'll talk about his early life playing with musicians like Charles Mingus and Benny Goodman, the 35 years without music or his bass, and his return in 2003 to music and performance. 08/12/2009 Sherman Alexie This show first aired 25 April 2007. 08/05/2009 Jay Platt Tune in to hear a conversation with Jay Platt, owner of West Side Book Shop. We'll talk about bookselling and life on Liberty for thirty-four years and counting. We'll also talk about Doug Price's collection of Edward Curtis Prints-- and polar exploration, The Wind in the Willows, and Jack Kerouac's first wife. 07/29/2009 Robert Fanning Tune in to hear poet Robert Fanning read from his latest collection "American Prophet" out this year with Marick Press. We'll talk about creating a character that speaks for an entire book of poems and what that allows to surface in the work. We'll also talk about humor, Detroit, the vision within Elvisfest and the karaoke of a Master. 07/22/2009 Matthew Dickman Tune in to hear Matthew Dickman read from his collection "All-American Poem" chosen in 2008 for the APR/Honickman First Book Prize. We'll talk about chapbooks and first books--and about Austin, Texas to Provincetown. We'll also talk about pigs, exclamation marks and other all-American concerns. 07/15/2009 Juan Cole Tune in to hear historian and writer Juan Cole discuss his latest book "Engaging the Muslim World" published this March by Palgrave Macmillan. We'll talk about entering into historical and political discussions as a professor here at Michigan, as a blogger on his popular "Informed Comment" and as guest on political talk shows. We'll also talk about his writing life, science fiction, a poisoned handkerchief, and Kahlil Gibran. 07/08/2009 Tom Zeller Jr. Tune in to hear writer and editor Tom Zeller Jr. discuss his work at The New York Times. We'll talk about being the founder of The Lede, the paper's news blog--also, about alternative energy, Cleveland, and National Georgraphic. We'll hear a piece from the Zeller archive and perhaps come away with some Bocce tips for summer. 07/01/2009 Carlos Ruiz Zafon Tune in to hear Carlos Ruiz Zafon read from his novel "The Angel's Game" published this summer by Doubleday. We'll talk about Gothic stylization, Barcelona, and novels in a series. We'll also talk about visual storytelling and breaking out of what you believe to be your own constraints as a working writer. 06/24/2009 Ali Sethi Tune in to hear Ali Sethi read from his debut novel "The Wish Maker" published this month by Riverhead Books. We'll talk about writing a family story that encompasses multiple generations and historical moments in a nation's history--in this case Pakistan. We'll also talk about his intentions at the core of the novel--concerning the soul and wish-making. 06/17/2009 Josie Kearns Tune in today to hear poet Josie Kearns read from her latest books "The Theory of Everything" and "Alphabet of the Ocean" published this year by Mayapple Press and March Street Press respectively. We'll talk about detail and awareness--and how to capture the perfect image. We'll talk about compiling anthologies and also about the research involved in writing nonfiction using her book "Life After the Line" about retired autoworkers as the focus. 06/10/2009 Shaman Drum Staff and Friends Staff and friends of Shaman Drum Bookshop stop by the station to talk about book life in this community for the past 29 years. 06/03/2009 Joshua Beckman Tune in to hear poet Joshua Beckman read from his latest book "Take It" published this year by Wave Books. We'll talk about collaborative poems and working in translation. We'll also talk about how he found poetry during a hiatus from college--and hear poems from his own hand-bound books. 05/27/2009 Laurie R. King Tune in to hear Laurie R. King read from her latest in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series "The Language of Bees" published this May by Bantam Dell. We'll talk about the strong form of the mystery or crime genre--and about writing in a series versus a stand-alone novel. We'll also talk about settings (especially Sussex and San Francisco), conventions and blogs. 05/20/2009 Colson Whitehead Tune in to hear Colson Whitehead read from his latest novel "Sag Harbor" published this spring by Doubleday. We'll talk about drawing on your own past and using elements of autobiography--the risks and pay-offs involved--rather than using a concept--for example, elevator unions--to frame what ideas you want to explore in your fiction. We'll also talk about summer at the shore and the 80s: music, fashion, and the glory of Coke. 05/13/2009 Valerie Laken Tune in to hear Valerie Laken read from her debut novel "Dream House" published this year by HarperCollins. We'll talk about "the way our homes define and defy us" and how the spirit of obsession can lead to the writing of a kind of ghost story. We'll also talk about how you find your subject or if it finds you--and the research of "True Crimes and the History of the Ann Arbor Police Department." 05/06/2009 David Ritz Tune in today to hear author David Ritz talk about writing collaborative autobiography and biography--and why he prefers the term "ghost writer." We'll talk about his book "Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye" reissued by Da Capo Press in 1991--and hear the story of how he co-wrote the lyrics for Sexual Healing one evening in Europe. We'll be joined in the studio by Michael Awkward, Professor of English and CAAS as we hear about working with Ray Charles, Etta James, Don Rickels and many others. 04/29/2009 Steve Amick Tune in today to hear Steve Amick read from his second novel "Nothing But A Smile" published this March by Pantheon Books. We'll talk about growing up in Ann Arbor and returning--and even setting almost 1/5 of his novel here (the bulk takes place in Chicago). We'll also talk about music, maps, the state of the publishing industry, and discipline. 04/22/2009 Mary Jo Bang Tune in to hear poet Mary Jo Bang read from her latest collection "Elegy" published in 2007 by Graywolf Press. We'll talk about her path to writing, what stands out in the Boston Review slush pile, and aporia. We'll also hear an Alice in Wonderland poem from her book "The Eye Like a Strange Balloon" and talk about creating work within a project's scope. 04/08/2009 Keith Taylor Tune in to hear Keith Taylor read from his latest poetry collection "If the World Becomes So Bright" published this winter by Wayne State University Press for "Made in Michigan Writers Series." We'll talk about dedications, writing about place, "battered guitars" and Bear River. We'll also talk about the coming warblers of May and the wisdom of watching the natural world. 02/11/2009 Patrick Lane and Lorna Crozier Tune in Wednesday to hear Canadian writers Patrick Lane and Lorna Crozier read poems from among their many poetry books including his "Last Water Song" from Harbour Publishing and her "The Blue Hour of the Day" published by McClelland & Stewart, both in 2007. We'll talk about the ways of "seeing"--how these ways might be determined without our even knowing it in our formative years. Patrick looks very close-up to things, and Lorna's vision requires the expanse of space--fields upon fields. Between them they have covered almost everything--from nonfiction to novels to anthologies. We'll talk about Canada's literary scene and ecology too. 02/04/2009 Julian Levinson Tune in today to hear Julian Levinson read from his book "Exiles on Main Street: Jewish American Writers and American Literary Culture" published in 2008 by Indiana University Press. We'll talk about Walt Whitman, Emma Lazarus and The Rolling Stones. We'll talk about the origins of this project-- and why the introduction begins with this from Allen Ginsberg's America: "America I still haven't told you what you did to Uncle Max after he came over from Russia." 01/28/2009 Nami Mun Tune in to hear Nami Mun read from her debut novel "Miles From Nowhere" just out this January by Riverhead. We'll talk about the episodic form--and what a writer might want a reader to bring to the novel's experience: there's nothing passive about the ideal reader. We'll hear about the making of this book and the current whirlwind tour--that began with stops in France and England--and also her life post Michigan MFA. 01/21/2009 Khaled Mattawa Tune in to hear Khaled Mattawa read from his latest poetry collection "Amorisco" published by Ausable Press in 2008. We'll also hear selections from two books of his translations of Iman Mersal and Joumana Haddad, also published last year--and talk about how working in translation impacts and informs his own poetry. We'll talk about his early years in Libya and what it is like to make a life and to make your art outside the country of your birth. And what it means to be a Liverpool supporter. 01/14/2009 Michael Shilling Tune in to hear Michael Shilling read from his debut novel "Rock Bottom" just out this month from Little, Brown & Company. We'll talk about writing from multiple character perspectives. We'll also talk about humor and pacing--and the challenge of creating a story as an insider within a particular culture or industry that others dream about. And we'll hear some about what rock and roll means to this writer's work and life. 01/07/2009 Bill McKibben -rebroadcast-see below- 12/31/2008 Nancy K. Pearson Tune in to hear poet Nancy K. Pearson read from her first collection "Two Minutes of Light" winner of the 2008 Perugia Press Prize. We'll talk about winning a first book prize, addiction and survival, and Provincetown, too. We'll also talk about confessional poetry, autobiography and art. 12/24/2008 Adam Zagajewski Tune in today to hear poet Adam Zagajewski read from his latest book "Eternal Enemies" published this year by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. We'll talk about Lvov, Poland and Milosz, Herbert, essays and eternity. 12/17/2008 Honor Moore Tune in to hear Honor Moore read from her book "The Bishop's Daughter: A Memoir" published this May by W.W.Norton. We'll talk about choosing the artist's life as a way of the spirit and a way toward mystery. We'll also talk about love, activism and the risk of writing memoir--how sometimes it begins with "secret pages." Honor will also read from her book of poems "Red Shoes." 12/10/2008 Julian Levinson Tune in to hear Julian Levinson read from his book "Exiles on Main Street: Jewish American Writers and American Literary Culture" published this year by Indiana University Press. We'll talk about Walt Whitman, Emma Lazarus and The Rolling Stones. We'll talk about the origins of this project-- and why the introduction begins with this from Allen Ginsberg's America: "America I still haven't told you what you did to Uncle Max after he came over from Russia." 12/03/2008 Amy Hempel Tune in today to hear Amy Hempel read from "The Collected Stories" published by Scribner in 2007. We'll talk about writing short shorts and writing prose poems--and about having that first line--how it shows you the way to the story. We'll hear Hempel's latest--a poem called "Sing to It." And we'll talk about dogs. 11/26/2008 Zilka Joseph Tune in to hear poet Zilka Joseph read from "Lands I Live In" published by Mayapple Press in 2007. We'll talk about Bob Dylan and Rabindranath Tagore. We'll also talk about how each of us carries worlds within us--no matter the number of arrivals and departures. 11/19/2008 Nami Mun Coming soon . . . 11/12/2008 Jim Shepard and Ron Hansen Tune in today for a conversation with Jim Shepard and Ron Hansen. A sort of homecoming--these two writers met here at Michigan some years ago, their offices across the hall from each other in Angell. Jim Shepard will read from his latest story collection "Like You'd Understand, Anyway" now in paperback from Vintage. Ron Hansen will read from his latest novel "Exiles" published this year with FSG. 11/05/2008 John Hodgman Tune in today (what a day!) to hear John Hodgman, a famous minor television personality, offering "More Information Than You Require" published by Dutton on October 21, 2008. We'll talk about the arduous journey of writing a trilogy (this is book two) and how fame and fortune has changed Hodgman's writing as well as his wardrobe. 10/29/2008 Nicholas Delbanco Coming soon . . . 10/22/2008 Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum and Salvatore Scibona Tune in today to hear Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum read from "Ms. Hempel Chronicles" published this year by Harcourt--and to hear Salvatore Scibona read from his first novel "The End" published this year by Graywolf Press. We'll talk about the interior pyschology of a character-- and the attention to the beauty of language leading to revelation. 10/15/2008 Deborah Eisenberg Tune in to hear Deborah Eisenberg read from her latest collection of short stories "Twilight of the Superheroes" published in paperback by Picador in 2007. We'll talk about the glories of the short story--and plays and politics. We'll also talk about empathy in fiction and economy of language. 10/08/2008 John Marshall Tune in today to hear poet John Marshall read from his book "Meaning a Cloud" published this March by Oberlin Press. We'll talk about chapbooks and broadsides, James Tate, and the shop in Seattle he co-owns with his wife--Open Books: A Poem Emporium. We'll also talk about how to structure a book that spans several decades of poems--and the marketplace--whether it's selling poems or tires. 10/01/2008 Simon Armitage Coming soon . . . 09/24/2008 Sam Quinones Tune in to hear Sam Quinones read from his book "Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream: True Tales of Mexican Migration" published by University of New Mexico Press in 2007. We'll talk about creative nonfiction and journalism. We'll talk about what it means to work for over a decade in your subject--the people, the politics. 09/17/2008 Christine Rhein Tune in to hear Christine Rhein read from her first book of poems "Wild Flight" published this year by Texas Tech University Press. We'll talk about the politics of daily life and abroad--how to get it in writing. We'll also talk about mechanical engineering, cars, poetic forms and Germany. 09/10/2008 Randa Jarrar Tune in to hear Randa Jarrar read from her debut novel "A Map of Home" published this September by Other Press. We'll talk about writing a coming of age novel that takes place in Kuwait and Texas--and about how a story is still fiction when it is rooted to the writer's biography, how the truths become more true in the fictional telling. 09/03/2008 Ray McDaniel Coming soon . . . 08/27/2008 Bill McKibben -rebroadcast-see below- 08/20/2008 George Saunders -rebroadcast-see below- 08/13/2008 Daniel Handler -rebroadcast-see-below 08/06/2008 C.D. Wright -rebroadcast-see below- 07/30/2008 Thomas H. Cook Coming soon . . . 07/23/2008 Uwem Akpan Coming soon . . . 07/16/2008 Preeta Samarasan Coming soon . . . 07/09/2008 Janet Kauffman Coming soon . . . 07/02/2008 Bogdana and John Carpenter Coming soon . . . 06/25/2008 Miles Harvey Coming soon . . . 06/18/2008 David Sedaris Coming soon . . . 06/11/2008 Richard Price -rebroadcast-see below- 06/04/2008 Lincoln Hall Coming soon . . . 05/28/2008 Jeff Parker Coming soon . . . 05/21/2008 Bill McKibben Coming soon . . . 05/14/2008 Daniel Handler Daniel Handler talks about many things, some unfortunate and others not. We talk about his latest book that's out in paperback with Harper Perennial "Adverbs: A Novel" and Milan Kundera and the tuba. We also hear about what it's like to be the representative of Lemony Snicket and why one can't travel with an accordion these days. There will be some very serious moments and laughing. 05/07/2008 Andrea Barrett Andrea Barrett reads from her novel The Air We Breathe published by Norton in 2007. We talk about what it is to be constrained formally within fiction and about creating a magnetic web of loosely connected characters across four books. We also talk about amateur scientists, first drafts and ideas--that "something that begins between two key strokes." 04/30/2008 Justin Courter Justin Courter reads from his debut novel Skunk: A Love Story (Omnidawn, 2007) and from The Death of the Poem and Other Paragraphs (Main Street Rag, 2008). We talk about writing in multiple genres and creating quirky characters. We also discuss life in NYC and why "sometimes love is supposed to stink." 04/16/2008 C.D. Wright C.D. Wright reads from her latest book of poems Rising, Falling, Hovering published this April by Copper Canyon Press. We'll talk about misery and love and what it means to be an "American Artist." We'll also hear about C.D.'s latest travels to Libya and Ireland. 04/09/2008 Textsound Two of the founding editors of "textsound: an online audio publication", Anna Vitale and Laura Wetherington, join T Hetzel in the studio. We talk about textsound's mission and vision--and the experimental idea. We also talk about the online arts community, the Scandanavian connection and the art of arranging sound in journal form. 04/02/2008 Lynne McMahon Lynne McMahon reads poems from Sentimental Standards published by David R.Godine. We talk about "entertaining science" and the role of audience in poems and in plays. We also discuss collaboration with other artists, working in multiple genres, and birds. 03/26/2008 Richard Price Richard Price reads from his latest novel Lush Life published in March 2008 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. We talk about Manhattan's Lower East Side and his method for finding the story. We also talk about screenwriting versus the novel, dynamic dialogue and The Wire. (This conversation was taped on Friday, March 14th) 03/19/2008 Eileen Pollack Eileen Pollack reads from her latest collection In the Mouth published this year by Four Way Books. We talk about dentistry, Stephen King and pool rules at Florida retirement communities. We also talk about being at the helm of Michigan's creative writing department--and writing a text for creative non-fiction classes. 03/12/2008 Charles Baxter Charles Baxter reads from his latest novel, The Soul Thief published this February by Pantheon Books. We talk about Buffalo, structure and pacing within a book, and identity versus soul. We also talk about warehouses and a character's advice--not in the vein of a midwestern moralist--about airline icecubes. 03/05/2008 Raymond McDaniel Poet Raymond McDaniel reads from his new book Saltwater Empire out this month from Coffee House Press. We talk about Hurricane Katrina, Florida manatees and superheroes. Just for starters. 02/27/2008 Andrew Sean Greer Andrew Sean Greer reads from the beginning of his new novel The Story of a Marriage to be released this spring by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. We discuss the elements of time and structure in both of his books The Confessions of Max Tivoli and The Path of Minor Planets (in paperback by Picador). We talk about a room of one's own and the dynamics of a love story--whether you ever intended to write one or not. (This conversation was taped on January 25th, 2008.) 02/20/2008 Randall Kennedy Randall Kennedy reads from his latest book Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal published in January 2008 by Pantheon Books. We talk about structuring non-fiction around an idea that impacts the present cultural conversation--what to excavate from the past, how to document the present--how to be balanced, how to influence the conversation. We talk about the power of language, Clarence Thomas as a case study, and the law. 01/17/2008 Jaswinder Bolina Poet Jaswinder Bolina reads from new work and from his book Carrier Wave awarded the 2006 Colorado Prize for Poetry. We talk about using a fiction like a secret agent with a briefcase leading to the lines: "You will ignore what pursues you./And if what pursues you does not wish to be ignored,/ you will name it Ernie: It's easier to deal with what pursues you/if what pursues you is Ernie." We talk about leaving a place before writing about it, the Green Mill, Ashbery and transmissions. (This conversation was taped on January 17th when Jaswinder read with Margaret Lazarus Dean in the Zell Visiting Writers Series.) 02/06/2008 Fundraiser with Poets Poets Sean Norton, Fernando Velasquez, Jeremy Hartberg, and Katie Hartsock join T Hetzel to read poems and talk about community. Some quotes by Gandhi too. 01/30/2008 George Saunders A conversation with writer George Saunders includes many books. We talk about his recent book of essays The Braindead Megaphone and his short story collections. George talks about his influences from Sister Lynette to Kurt Vonnegut, beautiful compression, and writing your own story--no one else's--and, by doing so, finding bursts of pleasure. "Sometimes a popsicle is just a popsicle." (This conversation was taped on January 28th.)