Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Embarassment of riches

Two great recent finds:

A great literary website with more author interviews you can stick a shake at, the newest being a chitchat with Susan Orlean:
RB: Do you have any fears about people stopping reading?

SO: No. That seems like it is never-ending—the form might keep changing in terms of how things are delivered but what you are talking about is basic human impulse to communicate. I just don't see how you could assume that would go away. And people will always, there will be people who will want to be communicated to and people who want to do the communicating. Whatever the form is, who knows?
Audio interviews with authors originally broadcast by CBS Radio in the 1980s and 90s. Swaim is a remarkably fluid interviewer and can switch gears and keep the conversation flowing with just about anyone. If you ever wanted to know what your favorite writer sounds like, here's your chance. John Barth speaks in long, elaborate sentences just like the college professor he is; Joyce Carol Oates often seems not to know exactly how to explain what she does; and two Stanley Elkin interviews reveal a slightly cantankerous individual (surprise, surprise).

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jason...Scanning this site and what luck! Here you are. Let's just say this is a long lost lady in Colorado. Given your impeccable taste, I'm going to have to take a look at Identity Theory. The excerpt from the Susan Orlean interview is quite enticing.

Jason Comerford said...

Hello, long lost Colorado lady friend!

The jury is still out on this "impeccable taste" thing. I'm known to binge on bad 80s horror movies at the drop of a hat.

Anonymous said...

What's wrong with 80s horror movies? :) Sorry I didn't get back
to you sooner. There have been major changes in my life...I only get online once or twice a week at most now. How have you been?

Jason Comerford said...

Dude. 80s horror movies rock. The worse they are, the more fun I have.

Now I get to play the oh-so-fun guessing game of who this anonymous poster is... happy, happy, joy, joy...

Anonymous said...

The word "Colorado" should have been a giveaway. I apologize for ruining the happy joyness of guessing.

Jason Comerford said...

That was my first guess. I tried emailing you but it got bounced back to me. Glad to hear from you just the same.

We have mad catching up to do. Hit me up with an update via email.