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- Feed Preview KQED: The Writers' Block
Irvine Welsh: Skagboys
Irvine Welsh, the man behind the best-selling phenomenon TRAINSPOTTING, reads a passage from its prequel, SKAGBOYS.
Robin Sloan: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
Robin Sloane reads a passage from MR. PENUMBRA'S 24-HOUR BOOKSTORE, a gleeful tale of global conspiracy, young love, and rollicking adventure.
Megan Mayhew Bergman: Birds of a Lesser Paradise
Megan Mayhew Bergman reads a passage from her debut collection, BIRDS OF A LESSER PARADISE.
Scott Hutchins: A Working Theory of Love
Scott Hutchins, a former Truman Capote Fellow in the Wallace Stegner Program at Stanford, reads a passage from his debut, A WORKING THEORY OF LOVE.
Ian Frazier: The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days
Ian Frazier reads a passage from THE CURSING MOMMY'S BOOK OF DAYS, a comic novel based on his widely read columns for The New Yorker.
Margaret Talbot: The Entertainer
Margaret Talbot, staff writer for The New Yorker, reads a passage from THE ENTERTAINER about her Hollywood actor father and his relationship with Ed Wood.
Marcus Samuelsson: Yes, Chef
Marcus Samuelsson, James Beard Award recipient and winner of Top Chef Masters, reads a passage from his memoir, YES, CHEF.
Cassie J. Sneider: More Fine Fine Music
Cassie J. Sneider reads "Homegrown," a story from her hilarious collection FINE FINE MUSIC about Jersey, the importance of having a car antenna, and violent monkeys.
Sam Sax: Memorized Poems
Sam Sax, the first ever Bay Area Unified Grand Slam Champion, reads a selection of his poems.
Colin Meloy: Under Wildwood
Colin Meloy, also known as the lead singer of The Decemberists, reads from UNDER WILDWOOD, the second book in the Wildwood series.
William Gibson: Distrust That Particular Flavor
William Gibson, author of NEUROMANCER and father of the cyberpunk subgenre of science fiction, reads the introduction from his new collection of essays, DISTRUST THAT PARTICULAR FLAVOR.
Paul Auster: Winter Journal
Paul Auster, author of hits such as THE NEW YORK TRILOGY and SUNSET PARK, reads a passage from his latest, WINTER JOURNAL.
Nate Waggoner: April 3rd 2012
Nate Waggoner, one of the five writers taking part in The Writers' Block Lit Crawl event "New Kids on the Block" on October 13th, reads a piece called "April 3rd, 2012."
Diana Salier: Letters from Robots
Diana Salier, one of the five writers taking part in The Writers' Block Lit Crawl event "New Kids on the Block" on October 13th, reads selected poems from LETTERS FROM ROBOTS.
D.W. Lichtenberg: Our Generation is One of Moving Back in with Your Mother
D.W. Lichtenberg, one of the five writers taking part in The Writers' Block Lit Crawl event "New Kids on the Block" on October 13th, reads "Our Generation is One of Moving Back in with Your Mothe...
Alli Warren: Chapbook Poems
Alli Warren, one of the five writers taking part in The Writers' Block Lit Crawl event "New Kids on the Block" on October 13th, reads a collection of poems.
Andrea Kneeland: People Who Are Good People
Andrea Kneeland, one of the five writers taking part in The Writers' Block Litcrawl event "New Kids on the Block" on October 13th, reads from her short story "People Who Are Good People."
Molly Ringwald: When It Happens to You
Molly Ringwald, everyone's favorite redhead from movies like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club, reads from her first novel, WHEN IT HAPPENS TO YOU.
Molly Ringwald: When It Happens to You
Molly Ringwald, everyone's favorite redhead from movies like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club, reads from her first novel, WHEN IT HAPPENS TO YOU.
Cassie J. Sneider: Fine Fine Music
Cassie J. Sneider reads "Sugar Sugar," a story from her hilarious collection FINE FINE MUSIC about the hazardous effects of being forced to wear a sexy wizard costume for Halloween at the age of ...
John Brandon: A Million Heavens
John Brandon, author of the much acclaimed CITRUS COUNTY, reads a passage from his latest, A MILLION HEAVENS.
David Rakoff: Half Empty
Acclaimed humorist David Rakoff died last week, but his acerbically witty writing lives on. Before you run out to buy all his books, listen to this episode from our archives, in which Rakoff read...
Rob Reid: Year Zero
Rob Reid reads a passage from YEAR ZERO, his novel that takes a headlong journey through the outer reaches of the universe and the inner workings of our absurdly dysfunctional music industry.
Cheryl Strayed: Tiny Beautiful Things
Cheryl Strayed reads two passages from TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS, a collection of advice columns she wrote under the pseudonym Dear Sugar for The Rumpus.
Karen Thompson Walker: The Age of Miracles
Karen Thompson Walker reads a passage from THE AGE OF MIRACLES, the story of what happens when the rotation of the earth suddenly begins to slow.
Chuck Palahniuk: Invisible Monsters Remix
Chuck Palahniuk, best-selling author of FIGHT CLUB, reads a passage from INVISIBLE MONSTERS REMIX, his updated 1999 daring satire on beauty and the fashion industry.
Bill Clegg: Ninety Days
Bill Clegg reads a passage from NINETY DAYS, which begins where PORTRAIT OF AN ADDICT AS A YOUNG MAN ends and tells the wrenching story of Clegg's battle to reclaim his life from addiction.
Sapphire: The Kid
Sapphire, the author whose novel, PUSH, was adapted into the Oscar-nominated film PRECIOUS, reads a passage from THE KID, a sequel that follows the life of Precious' son.
Rosecrans Baldwin: Paris, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down
Rosecrans Baldwin reads a passage from PARIS, I LOVE YOU BUT YOU'RE BRINGING ME DOWN, his new book that explores living in the Paris of Sarkozy, text-message romances, smoking bans, and a McDonal...
Joan Frank: Make It Stay
Joan Frank reads a passage from MAKE IT STAY, the story of what happens after a mysterious catastrophe hits the tree-nestled Northern California town of Mira Flores.
Wendy McClure: The Wilder Life
Wendy McClure reads a passage from THE WILDER LIFE, a hilarious chronicle of her attempt to immerse herself in all things Little House on the Prairie.
Jenny Lawson: Let's Pretend This Never Happened
Jenny Lawson, also known as the Bloggess, reads a hilarious passage from LET'S PRETEND THIS NEVER HAPPENED, about the time her father brought home a magic squirrel.
Delia Ephron: The Lion Is In
Delia Ephron, the woman behind such films as YOU'VE GOT MAIL, HANGING UP, and THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS, reads a passage from THE LION IS IN, her new novel about three women who flee ...
Jim Nisbet: Weight Less Than Shadow
In honor of the Golden Gate Bridge's 75th Anniversary, we pulled this reading by Jim Nisbet from the archives to get you in the mood to celebrate San Francisco's favorite piece of infrastructure.
Eric Erlandson: Letters to Kurt
Eric Erlandson, founding member of the band Hole, reads a passage from LETTERS TO KURT, an anguished, angry, and tender meditation on the octane and ether of rock and roll.
Alison Bechdel: Are You My Mother?
Alison Bechdel, author of the wildly successful FUN HOME, reads a passage from her latest graphic memoir, ARE YOU MY MOTHER? An enhanced version of this podcast is available at kqed.org/writersbl...
Miranda Mellis: None of This Is Real
Miranda Mellis reads a passage from NONE OF THIS IS REAL, her collection that imagines a not-too-alternate reality of philosophical children, reincarnating chimeras, mutant matriarchies, and kind...
Doug Mack: Europe on 5 Wrong Turns a Day
Doug Mack reads a passage from EUROPE ON 5 WRONG TURNS A DAY, about being mistaken for a Diane Keaton groupie on a trip to Paris.
Moshe Kasher: Kasher in the Rye
Moshe Kasher reads a passage from KASHER IN THE RYE, the true tale of a white boy from Oakland who became a drug addict, criminal, mental patient, and then turned 16.
Ramona Ausubel: No One Is Here Except All Of Us
Ramona Ausubel reads a passage from NO ONE IS HERE EXCEPT ALL OF US, about a Romanian village that tries to save itself from the horrors of World War II through the sheer force of imagination.
Martha Grover: More from One More for the People
Martha Grover reads "Swedish Massage," a story from her new collection, ONE MORE FOR THE PEOPLE.
Matt Ruff: The Mirage
Matt Ruff reads a passage from THE MIRAGE, a mind-bending novel in which an alternate history of 9/11 and its aftermath uncovers startling truths about America and the Middle East.
Ellen Ullman: By Blood
Ellen Ullman reads a passage from her latest novel, BY BLOOD, about a disgraced professor who becomes enraptured by the troubles of his psychologist neighbor's patient.
Trinie Dalton: Baby Geisha
Trinie Dalton reads "Escape Mushroom Style," a story from her latest collection, BABY GEISHA.
Krys Lee: Drifting House
Krys Lee reads a passage from DRIFTING HOUSE about a South Korean woman who goes to America in search of her daughter whom she believes has been kidnapped.
Martha Grover: One More for the People
Martha Grover reads "Fifteen Things I'm Not Putting on My OkCupid Profile," a story from her new collection, ONE MORE FOR THE PEOPLE.
Nathan Englander: What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank
Nathan Englander reads a passage from his latest story collection, WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ANNE FRANK.
Blake Nelson: Dream School
Blake Nelson reads a passage from DREAM SCHOOL, the sequel to his beloved 1994 novel GIRL.
Ryan Boudinot: Blueprints of the Afterlife
Ryan Boudinot reads a passage from BLUEPRINTS OF THE AFTERLIFE about the aftermath of a sentient glacier wiping out most of North America.
Leigh Stein: The Fallback Plan
Leigh Stein reads a passage from her debut novel, THE FALLBACK PLAN, about what happens when you graduate college without a fallback plan.
Ellis Avery: The Last Nude
Ellis Avery reads a passage from THE LAST NUDE, her new novel about an artist and her most famous muse in Paris between the world wars.
Tea Obreht: The Tiger's Wife
Tea Obreht, one of The New Yorker's best American writers under forty, reads a passage from her debut novel, THE TIGER'S WIFE.
Joshua Mohr: Damascus
Joshua Mohr reads a passage from DAMASCUS, his latest novel about a man whose birthmark unfortunately resembles a Hitler mustache.
Ismet Prcic: Shards
Ismet Prcic reads a passage from SHARDS, his debut novel about a young Bosnian who flees his war-torn homeland.
Anisse Gross: Last Year's Snow
Anisse Gross reads her evocative poem, LAST YEAR'S SNOW.
Peter Orner: Love and Shame and Love
Peter Orner reads a passage from LOVE AND SHAME AND LOVE, his latest novel that illuminates the countless ways that love both makes us whole and completely unravels us.
John Jeremiah Sullivan: Pulphead
John Jeremiah Sullivan, contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, reads "Feet in Smoke," a piece from his new essay collection, PULPHEAD.
Hector Tobar: The Barbarian Nurseries
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and novelist Hector Tobar reads a passage from his latest, THE BARBARIAN NURSERIES.
Erin Morgenstern: The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern reads a passage from THE NIGHT CIRCUS, her spell-casting debut novel that has been heralded as the next Harry Potter.
Alan Hollinghurst: The Stranger's Child
Alan Hollinghurst, winner of the 2004 Booker Prize for THE LINE OF BEAUTY, reads a passage from his latest novel, THE STRANGER'S CHILD.
Ann Joslin Williams: Down from Cascom Mountain
Ann Joslin Williams reads a passage from DOWN FROM CASCOM MOUNTAIN, her debut novel about how a rural New Hampshire community deals with tragedy.
Jeffrey Eugenides: The Marriage Plot
Jeffrey Eugenides, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of THE VIRGIN SUICIDES and MIDDLESEX, reads a passage from his latest, THE MARRIAGE PLOT.
Jesmyn Ward: Salvage the Bones
Jesmyn Ward reads a passage from SALVAGE THE BONES, her novel that was just announced as a finalist for the National Book Award.
LitCrawl Event Preview: Lisa Brown: Baby, Be Of Use
This Saturday, October 15, 2011, join The Writers' Block at Bruno's in San Francisco for "Some Girls from the Block," a live reading by five of the podcast's most popular female writers. We pulle...
Michael David Lukas: The Oracle of Stamboul
Michael David Lukas reads a passage from THE ORACLE OF STAMBOUL, his debut novel about a young girl who becomes an advisor to the sultan of the Ottoman empire.
Alice LaPlante: Turn of Mind
Alice LaPlante reads a passage from TURN OF MIND, her novel about the disintegration of a strong woman's mind and the unhinging of her family.
Charles Warnke: I Have A Few Last Words
Charles Warnke reads I HAVE A FEW LAST WORDS, a short story told from the perspective of a driver involved in a fatal car crash.
Justin Torres: We The Animals
Justin Torres reads from WE THE ANIMALS, his blistering debut novel about three brothers tearing their way through childhood.
Lizzy Acker: Monster Party
Lizzy Acker reads from MONSTER PARTY, her collection of short stories about boys, violence, drinking and aliens.
Ben Loory: More from Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day
Ben Loory reads The Tree, another story from STORIES FOR THE NIGHTTIME AND SOME FOR THE DAY, his collection of wry and witty, dark and perilous contemporary fables.
Ben Loory: Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day
Ben Loory reads The Crown, a story from STORIES FOR THE NIGHTTIME AND SOME FOR THE DAY, his collection of wry and witty, dark and perilous contemporary fables.
Grace Krilanovich: The Orange Eats Creeps
Grace Krilanovich reads a passage from THE ORANGE EATS CREEPS, her debut novel about a band of slutty teenage hobo vampire junkies.
S.G. Browne: Fated
S.G. Browne reads a passage from FATED, his latest novel about what happens when Fabio a.k.a. Fate breaks rule number one and falls in love with a human.
Charles Yu: How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
Charles Yu reads a passage from HOW TO LIVE SAFELY IN A SCIENCE FICTIONAL UNIVERSE, the story of a time travel technician and resident of Minor Universe 31, who travels to crucial moments in the ...
Jesse Ball: The Curfew
Jesse Ball reads a passage from THE CURFEW, the story of an epitaphorist and his mute daughter trying to survive in the dystopian city of C.
Oscar Hijuelos: Thoughts without Cigarettes
Oscar Hijuelos, author of THE MAMBO KINGS PLAY SONGS OF LOVE and the first Latino to win the Pultizer for literature, reads from his memoir, THOUGHTS WITHOUT CIGARETTES.
Francine Prose: My New American Life
Francine Prose reads a passage from MY NEW AMERICAN LIFE, a darkly humorous novel of mismatched aspirations, Albanian gangsters, and the ever-elusive American dream.
Daniel Orozco: Orientation
Daniel Orozco reads the title story from ORIENTATION, a dark and funny account of a new employee's first day on the job.
Keetje Kuipers: Beautiful in the Mouth
Keetje Kuipers reads select poems from her collection, BEAUTIFUL IN THE MOUTH.
Francisco Goldman: Say Her Name
Francisco Goldman reads a passage from SAY HER NAME about the love and loss of his wife, Aura Estrada.
Chris Adrian: The Great Night
Chris Adrian, one of the New Yorker's 20 under 40, reads from his latest novel, THE GREAT NIGHT, a retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream set in San Francisco's Buena Vista Park.
Michelle Tea: Black Wave
Michelle Tea reads a passage from her brand new as-yet-unpublished novel, BLACK WAVE, about the end of the world and the end of love in '90s San Francisco.
Sloane Crosley: How Did You Get This Number
Sloane Crosley reads an essay from her hilarious collection, HOW DID YOU GET THIS NUMBER, about her experiences in Alaska.
Geoff Dyer: Otherwise Known as the Human Condition
Geoff Dyer reads "Of Course," an essay from his latest collection, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE HUMAN CONDITION, about meeting his wife and Burning Man.
Blake Butler: There Is No Year
Blake Butler reads a passage from THERE IS NO YEAR about a family that moves into a new home and finds a copy family already living there.
Gabrielle Hamilton: Blood, Bones and Butter
Gabrielle Hamilton reads a passage from BLOOD, BONES AND BUTTER, her memoir that takes a journey through the many kitchens she has inhabited through the years.
Terry Castle: The Professor
Terry Castle reads an essay from her latest collection, THE PROFESSOR, about her relationship with Susan Sontag.
Neil Strauss: Everyone Loves You When You're Dead
Neil Strauss reads passages from EVERYONE LOVES YOU WHEN YOU'RE DEAD, his collection of 120 interviews with the world's biggest celebrities.
Joyce Carol Oates: A Widow's Story
Joyce Carol Oates, literary icon and author of over 50 novels, reads from her new memoir, A WIDOW'S STORY.
Kristin Kimball: The Dirty Life
Kristin Kimball reads a passage from THE DIRTY LIFE, her memoir about transitioning from the life of a city girl to that of a farmer.
Benjamin Hale: The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore
Benjamin Hale reads a passage from THE EVOLUTION OF BRUNO LITTLEMORE, his comic novel told from the perspective of a talking chimpanzee.
Jasmin Darznik: The Good Daughter
Jasmin Darznik reads a passage from her memoir, THE GOOD DAUGHTER, about discovering her mother's secret past life.
Wesley Stace: Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer
Wesley Stace reads two passages from CHARLES JESSOLD, CONSIDERED AS A MURDERER, a novel about music and murder in 1920s England.
Mira Bartok: The Memory Palace
Mira Bartok reads a passage from her memoir, THE MEMORY PALACE, about living with a schizophrenic mother as well as a traumatic brain injury.
Karen Russell: Swamplandia!
Karen Russell reads a passage from SWAMPLANDIA!, her debut novel about a family of alligator wrestlers.
Colm Toibin: The Empty Family
Colm Toibin, the author behind THE MASTER, reads the title story from his latest collection, THE EMPTY FAMILY.
Heidi Durrow: The Girl Who Fell from the Sky
Heidi Durrow reads a passage from THE GIRL WHO FELL FROM THE SKY about a young boy who witnesses a family fall through the sky from his window.
David Levithan: The Lover's Dictionary
David Levithan, author of NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST, reads passages from THE LOVER'S DICTIONARY, a modern love story told through dictionary entries.
Vivek Shraya: God Loves Hair
Vivek Shraya reads selections from GOD LOVES HAIR, his debut story collection about growing up queer and Indian.
Tom Rachman: The Imperfectionists
Tom Rachman reads a passage from THE IMPERFECTIONISTS about an obituary writer who works for a newspaper in Rome.
Christie Hodgen: Elegies for the Brokenhearted
Christie Hodgen reads a passage from ELEGIES FOR THE BROKENHEARTED about an unforgettable skirt-chasing, car-racing uncle who comes in and out of his family's lives.
Salman Rushdie: Luka and the Fire of Life
Salman Rushdie, literary icon and author of THE SATANIC VERSES and MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN, reads a passage from his latest novel, LUKA AND THE FIRE OF LIFE.
Suzanne Rivecca: Death Is Not An Option
Suzanne Rivecca reads the title story from DEATH IS NOT AN OPTION about a high school senior who finds a warped kind of redemption on a school retreat.
Stephen O'Connor: Here Comes Another Lesson
Stephen O'Connor reads "Ziggurat," a story from HERE COMES ANOTHER LESSON about a Minotaur who is awakened to his humanity by a girl who was sent to be his supper.
Terry McMillan: Getting to Happy
Terry McMillan reads a passage from GETTING TO HAPPY, the sequel to WAITING TO EXHALE.
Nora Ephron: I Remember Nothing
Nora Ephron, the force behind WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and I FEEL BAD ABOUT MY NECK, reads a passage from her latest book, I REMEMBER NOTHING.
David Rakoff: Half Empty
David Rakoff, author of FRAUD and DON'T GET TOO COMFORTABLE, reads a passage from his hilarious new book HALF EMPTY
Nicole Krauss: Great House
Nicole Krauss, author of international bestseller THE HISTORY OF LOVE, reads from her latest National Book Award nominated novel, GREAT HOUSE.
Koren Zailckas: Fury
Koren Zailckas, author of the best-selling memoir SMASHED, reads a passage from her latest, FURY.
Dinaw Mengestu: How to Read the Air
Dinaw Mengestu reads a passage from HOW TO READ THE AIR about a young Ethiopian immigrant couple who set off on a road trip in search of a new identity.
Michael Cunningham: By Nightfall
Michael Cunningham, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel THE HOURS, reads a passage from his latest, BY NIGHTFALL.
Myla Goldberg: The False Friend
Myla Goldberg, author of the best-selling novel BEE SEASON, reads a passage from her latest, THE FALSE FRIEND.
Howard Norman: What is Left the Daughter
Howard Norman reads a passage from WHAT IS LEFT THE DAUGHTER about what becomes of Wyatt Hillyer after he is suddenly orphaned when his parents, within hours of each other, jump off two different...
Doug Dorst: The Surf Guru
Doug Dorst reads a passage from THE SURF GURU about an old surfing champion who sits on his ocean-front balcony watching a new generation of surfers come of age on the waves.
William Gibson: Zero History
William Gibson reads a passage from ZERO HISTORY, the third installment in the Bigend series.
Yiyun Li: Gold Boy, Emerald Girl
Yiyun Li, recent recipient of the MacArthur "Genius Grant," reads the title story from GOLD BOY, EMERALD GIRL which chronicles what happens when a professor introduces her middle-aged son to her ...
Alex Cohen and Jennifer Barbee: Down and Derby
Alex "Axles of Evil" Cohen and Jennifer "Kasey Bomber" Barbee read a passage from DOWN AND DERBY, a brassy celebration of the rough and tumble sport of roller derby.
Charlie Smith: Three Delays
Charlie Smith reads a passage from THREE DELAYS, which follows the troubled lives of two lovers as they combat their passions and each other.
Gary Shteyngart: Super Sad True Love Story
Gary Shteyngart reads a passage from SUPER SAD TRUE LOVE STORY, a deliciously dark tale of America's dysfunctional coming years and the timeless and tender feelings that just might bring us back ...
Trinie Dalton: Sweet Tomb
Trinie Dalton reads a story from SWEET TOMB about a witch who decides to leave her candy house in the forest for the big city with the help of her hallucinated friend, Pinocchio.
Paul Harding: Tinkers
Paul Harding reads a passage from TINKERS, this year's winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
David Mitchell: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
David Mitchell reads a passage from THE THOUSAND AUTUMNS OF JACOB DE ZOET about an earnest young clerk whose life plans are shaken when he meets the daughter of a Samurai in 18th century Japan.
Jon Clinch: Kings of the Earth
Jon Clinch reads a passage from KINGS OF THE EARTH, a powerful and haunting story of life, death, and family in rural America.
Joshua Mohr: Termite Parade
Joshua Mohr reads a passage from TERMITE PARADE, which the New York Times Book Review recently named an Editors Choice.
Joshilyn Jackson: Backseat Saints
Joshilyn Jackson reads a passage from BACKSEAT SAINTS about a Texas housewife who must kill her husband before he kills her.
T Cooper: The Beaufort Diaries
T Cooper reads a hilarious passage from THE BEAUFORT DIARIES, about a polar bear trying to make it in Hollywood.
Kate Walbert: A Short History of Women
Kate Walbert reads a passage from A SHORT HISTORY OF WOMEN about the complicated legacies of mothers and daughters.
Katie Crouch: Men and Dogs
Katie Crouch reads a passage from MEN AND DOGS about a woman's quest to piece together the clues of her father's disappearance.
Vanessa Woods: Bonobo Handshake
Vanessa Woods reads a passage from BONOBO HANDSHAKE, her memoir about the time she spent in the company of bonobos in the jungles of Congo.
Aimee Bender: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Aimee Bender reads a passage from THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE about a young girl whose magical gift of tasting emotions in food becomes a devastating curse.
Jennifer Egan: A Visit from the Goon Squad
Jennifer Egan reads a passage from A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD about a woman in her mid-thirties who must confront her long-standing compulsion to steal.
John Waters: The Kindness of Strangers
In the second episode of a two-part exclusive, John Waters reads THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS, a chapter from ROLE MODELS about the impact that Tennessee Williams has had on his life.
John Waters: Cult Leader
In the first episode of a two-part exclusive, John Waters reads a selection from CULT LEADER, a chapter from ROLE MODELS that describes what a John Waters-led cult might look like.
Claire Light: Pinball Effect
Claire Light reads PINBALL EFFECT, her story about a human who is traveling through the galaxy with his alien abductors and finds love and much more on a weightless planet.
Aryn Kyle: Boys and Girls Like You and Me
Aryn Kyle reads Femme, a short story from her collection BOYS AND GIRLS LIKE YOU AND ME about the loneliness, selfishness, and longing that underlie female experience.
Wendy Burden: Dead End Gene Pool
Wendy Burden reads a passage from DEAD END GENE POOL, her wickedly funny memoir about growing up in an overfunded family of blue bloods on the verge of financial and moral decline.
Kate Simmons: Your Next Girlfriend
Kate Simmons reads YOUR NEXT GIRLFRIEND, her short story that chronicles the ups and downs of a modern relationship.
Zachary Mason: The Lost Books of the Odyssey
Zachary Mason reads a passage from THE LOST BOOKS OF THE ODYSSEY, his debut novel that reimagines Homer's epic.
Sam Lipsyte: The Ask
Sam Lipsyte reads two hilarious passages from THE ASK about recently unemployed, middle-aged Milo Burke and all of his anxieties.
Joe Hill: Horns
Joe Hill reads a passage from HORNS, the story of a man who wakes up one morning to discover that he has horns.
Max Watman: Chasing the White Dog
Max Watman reads a passage from CHASING THE WHITE DOG and takes us inside the rich and colorful history of illicit booze in America.
Jandy Nelson: The Sky Is Everywhere
Jandy Nelson reads a passage from THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, the story of a bookworm and band geek who must deal with the loss of her sister along with the advent of two romances.
SG Browne: Breathers
S.G. Browne reads a passage from BREATHERS, the story of a recently deceased everyman and newly minted zombie.
Eric Puchner: Model Home
Eric Puchner reads a passage from MODEL HOME, the story of an unraveling California family.
Amy Bloom: Where the God of Love Hangs Out
Amy Bloom reads Your Borders, Your Rivers, Your Tiny Villages, a story from her new collection WHERE THE GOD OF LOVE HANGS OUT about suppressed desire.
Adam Haslett: Union Atlantic
Adam Haslett reads a passage from UNION ATLANTIC about the harsh realities of war.
Elaine Beale: Another Life Altogether
Elaine Beale reads a passage from ANOTHER LIFE ALTOGETHER, her latest novel about a teenage girl growing up in northern England under the shadow of her mother's mental illness.
Elizabeth Kostova: The Swan Thieves
Elizabeth Kostova reads a passage from THE SWAN THIEVES, the story of a renowned painter who has brutally attacked a canvas in the National Gallery of Art.
Joshua Ferris: The Unnamed
Joshua Ferris reads a passage from THE UNNAMED about a man's incurable illness and its effect on his wife.
Patti Smith: Just Kids
Patti Smith reads from JUST KIDS, her memoir about life with Robert Mapplethorpe.
Lori Ostlund: Talking Fowl with My Father
Lori Ostlund reads a passage from Talking Fowl with My Father, a short story about the complicated relationship between a daughter and her father.
Kristen Tracy: What Kind of Animal
Kristen Tracy reads selected poems from WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL, her collection inspired by her fear and fondness of wild animals.
Mary Karr: More Lit
Mary Karr reads the second of two passages from LIT, a memoir that chronicles her descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness, and her astonishing resurrection.
Mary Karr: Lit
Mary Karr reads the first of two passages from LIT, a memoir that chronicles her descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness, and her astonishing resurrection.
Holly Payne: Kingdom of Simplicity
Holly Payne reads a passage from KINGDOM OF SIMPLICITY, a story set in Amish country about the power of forgiveness.
James Ellroy: Bloods A Rover
James Ellroy reads a passage from BLOODS A ROVER, a political noir tale set during the summer of 1968, a time of assassination conspiracy theories, corruption, and retribution.
Julie Powell: Cleaving
Julie Powell reads a passage from CLEAVING, a memoir about butchering, extramarital affairs, and her life after Julie and Julia.
Stephen Elliott: The Adderall Diaries
Stephen Elliott reads a passage from THE ADDERALL DIARIES, which follows the author as he investigates into a murder confessed by his father.
Amy Reed: Beautiful
Amy Reed reads a passage from her debut novel BEAUTIFUL, about a young girl who trades her good-girl existence for a swift downward spiral tinged with drugs and abuse.
Jonathan Safran Foer: Eating Animals
Jonathan Safran Foer reads a passage from EATING ANIMALS that dissects the emotional ingredients of meals from his childhood.
Jonathan Lethem: Chronic City
Jonathan Lethem reads a passage from CHRONIC CITY, his new novel about a former child actor who meets an unusual friend in a man named Perkus Tooth.
Oran Canfield: Long Past Stopping
Oran Canfield reads a passage from LONG PAST STOPPING, his memoir about growing up around anarchists, socialist rebels, and born-again circus clowns.
Linda Morganstein: My Life with Stella Kane
Linda Morganstein reads from MY LIFE WITH STELLA KANE, the story of a 50s Hollywood gay actress.
Reif Larsen: The Selected Works of TS Spivet
Reif Larsen reads a passage from THE SELECTED WORKS OF T.S. SPIVET, the story of twelve-year-old genius cartographer who meticulously maps, charts, and illustrates his journey to self discovery.
Donna de la Perriere: True Crime
Donna de la Perriere reads poems from her new book, TRUE CRIME.
Heather Barbieri: The Lace Makers of Glenmara
Heather Barbieri reads from THE LACE MAKERS OF GLENMARA, the story of a fashion designer who travels to Ireland to escape her failed marriage.
David Eagleman: SUM
David Eagleman reads five vignettes from SUM, each of which imagines a different possible afterlife.
Mary Gaitskill: Dont Cry
Mary Gaitskill reads the title story from DON'T CRY about a middle-aged woman's quest to adopt a child in Addis Ababa.
Jonathan Tropper: This Is Where I Leave You
Jonathan Tropper reads a passage from THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU, the story of a man who must come to terms with the recent death of his father and his wife leaving him for his boss.
Joyce Maynard: Labor Day
Joyce Maynard reads a passage from LABOR DAY about a thirteen-year-old boy and the mysterious bleeding man who changes his life forever.
Doug Dorst: Alive in Necropolis
Doug Dorst reads a passage from ALIVE IN NECROPOLIS, this year's One City One Book: San Francisco Reads selection.
Suzanne Finnamore: Split
Suzanne Finnamore reads a passage from SPLIT, the story of her painful divorce told with the blackest of humor.
Gloria Frym: Lie and More Lies
Gloria Frym reads "Lie" and "More Lies," two short stories that dissect the practice of lying.
Luis Alberto Urrea: Into the Beautiful North
Luis Alberto Urrea reads from INTO THE BEAUTIFUL NORTH, the story of a small Mexican town called Tres Camarones.
Colson Whitehead: Sag Harbor
Colson Whitehead reads a passage from SAG HARBOR about two young brothers who are often mistaken for twins, but are beginning to grow apart.
Sesshu Foster: World Ball Notebook
Sesshu Foster reads from a collection of narrative prose poems from the genre-breaking WORLD BALL NOTEBOOK.
Deirdre Shaw: Love or Something Like It
Deirdre Shaw reads the first chapter from LOVE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT, the story of a thirty-something woman who moves to LA and quickly learns about the pitfalls of celebrity.
Lisa Lutz: Revenge of the Spellmans
Lisa Lutz reads from REVENGE OF THE SPELLMANS, the third installment of the Spellman series that finds ex-private investigator Izzy reluctantly coming out of retirement.
David Sedaris: Interview
David Sedaris answers five completely random questions. Find out which politician he would like to kick in the shins and which country he thinks has the most "off-the-hook" curse words.
David Sedaris: Author, Author?
In the second episode of a two-part exclusive, David Sedaris reads "Author, Author?," a story that recently appeared in The New Yorker about the joys of book tours, giant boxes of condoms, and Co...
David Sedaris: Just a Quick E-mail
In the first episode of a two-part exclusive, David Sedaris reads "Just a Quick E-mail," an unpublished story about a passive-agressive paraplegic.
Jean Hanff Korelitz: Admission
Jean Hanff Korelitz reads a passage from ADMISSION, her new novel about an admissions officer at Princeton University.
Hillary Jordan: Mudbound
Hillary Jordan reads a passage from her debut novel MUDBOUND, the story of racial prejudice in 1940s Mississippi.
Dave Reidy: Captive Audience
Dave Reidy reads "The Regular," a story from his collection CAPTIVE AUDIENCE, in which two indie music lovers bond over their hatred of karaoke.
Joseph Boyden: Through Black Spruce
Joseph Boyden reads a passage from THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE, the story of a retired Cree Bush pilot who narrates from within his coma, remembering as a way of clinging to life.
Ben Greenman: Please Step Back
Ben Greenman reads a passage from PLEASE STEP BACK, a swirling '60s saga of the rise and fall of a true American icon, a rock star called Rock Foxx.
John Christgau: Kokomo Joe
John Christgau reads a chapter from KOKOMO JOE, the story of the first Japanese American jockey and the adversity he faced in 1940s America.
John Wray: Lowboy
John Wray reads a passage from LOWBOY, the story of a sixteen-year-old paranoid schizophrenic who believes he alone holds the key to the planet's salvation.
Mark von Schlegell: Mercury Station
Mark von Schlegell reads two chapters from MERCURY STATION, his book about the collapse of human civilization on Mercury in 2150.
Patrick deWitt: Ablutions
Patrick deWitt reads a passge from ABLUTIONS about a bartender's relationship with three barflies called Monty, Marge, and Joe.
Catherine Brady: The Mechanics of Falling
Catherine Brady reads "Slender Little Thing," a story from her new book THE MECHANICS OF FALLING, about a mother and daughter's changing relationship.
Craig Arnold: Made Flesh
Craig Arnold reads "Hymn to Persephone," a love poem from his collection MADE FLESH that uses Greek mythology to answer the question: How do we love anyone knowing we will eventually lose them?
Chris Cleave: Little Bee
Chris Cleave reads an excerpt from LITTLE BEE, the story of a young Nigerian refugee who flees from the tribal oil wars of her country to England.
Jeff O'Keefe: The New Haven Line
Jeff O'Keefe reads "The New Haven Line," a story about a young man's battle of wills with his mother, an ex-fashion model, set in New York's Penn Station.
Daniyal Mueenuddin: In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
Daniyal Mueenuddin reads "Nawbdin Electrician," the story of a struggling Pakistani electrician who encounters death and danger.
Debra Gwartney: Live Through This
Debra Gwartney reads a passage from LIVE THROUGH THIS, the story of two runaway daughters and her frantic effort to recover them.
Christina Sunley: The Tricking of Freya
Christina Sunley reads a passage from THE TRICKING OF FREYA, the story of a young woman obsessed with uncovering a family secret that draws her into the strange and magical history, language and ...
Tiffany Baker: The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
Tiffany Baker reads a passage from THE LITTLE GIANT OF ABERDEEN COUNTY, the story of larger-than-life Truly Place and the secrets she finds in her small-minded town's past.
Christopher Moore: Fool
Christopher Moore reads a chapter from FOOL, a retelling of Shakespeare's "King Lear" from the perspective of the Royal Fool.
David Vann: Legend of a Suicide
David Vann reads "Ichthyology," a story from his collection, LEGEND OF A SUICIDE, that takes on the shifting legend of a lost father.
Laura Schadler: How to Survive
Laura Schadler reads "How to Survive," a short story about a young woman surviving in a collapsing world.
Rodes Fishburne: Going to See the Elephant
Rodes Fishburne reads a passage from GOING TO SEE THE ELEPHANT about Slater Brown and his attempt to become the greatest writer ever.
Anisse-Marie Gross: Forevertron
Anisse-Marie Gross reads "Foreverton," an essay about a time machine in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Playground/Allen: Mistaken Variations
PlayGround presents Molly Noble, Julia McNeal, Eric Fraisher Hayes and Mick Mize in Trevor Allen's short play, "The Mistaken Variations."
Robert Gluck: Denny Smith
Robert Gluck reads "Conviction," a short story from DENNY SMITH about fathers and theft.
J. M. Tyree: My Other Family
J.M. Tyree reads "My Other Family," a story of child abandonment and revenge that takes place in a Wal-Mart.
Miranda Mellis: The Revisionist
Miranda Mellis reads a passage from THE REVISIONIST about a civil scientist hired to revise the facts of a crumbling society.
Stewart O'Nan: Songs for the Missing
Stewart O'Nan reads a passage from SONGS FOR THE MISSING, the story of a girl's disappearance and its effect on those left behind.
Vincent Carrella: Serpent Box
Vincent Carrella reads a passage from SERPENT BOX, the story of Pentecostal preachers in Appalachia.
Kate Hahn: Forgotten Fashion
Kate Hahn reads an excerpt from FORGOTTEN FASHION, a tongue-in-cheek history of faux fashion trends.
Margot Kahn: Horses that Buck
Margot Kahn reads a passage from HORSES THAT BUCK, the story of a Wyoming cowboy and the transformation of his world, the frontier West.
David Francis: Stray Dog Winter
David Francis reads a passage from STRAY DOG WINTER about a young boy and his relationship with his alcoholic mother.
Carson Mell: Saguaro
Carson Mell reads a passage from SAGUARO, a first person rock memoir chronicling the life of Bobby Allen Bird.
Carol Cassella: Oxygen
Carol Cassella reads an excerpt from OXYGEN, the story of an anesthesiologist's life.
Joe Meno: Demons in the Spring
Joe Meno reads "What a Schoolgirl You Are," a short story from DEMONS IN THE SPRING that addresses the reader as an awkward teenage girl trying out for a cheerleader squad, and is ingeniously str...
Playground/Pine: Investing
PlayGround presents Julia McNeal and Ken Sonkin in Evelyn Jean Pine's short play, "Investing." Jim Kleinmann directs.
Selden Edwards: The Little Book
Selden Edwards reads a passage from THE LITTLE BOOK, the story of a California rock legend who finds himself in the past -- 1897 Vienna.
Junot Diaz: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Junot Diaz reads a passage from THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCR WAO, the story of an overweight Dominican boy growing up in New Jersey.
Hanif Kureishi: Something to Tell You
Hanif Kureishi reads an excerpt from SOMETHING TO TELL YOU, the story of a middle-aged psychoanalyst with a dark secret.
Amy Tan: Fate Luck Chance
Amy Tan and Stewart Wallace read a passage from FATE! LUCK! CHANCE! describing the inspiration for the opera adaptation of Tan's best-selling novel, THE BONESETTER'S DAUGHTER.
Donna George Storey: Thirteen Views of Grief
Donna George Storey reads "Thirteen Views of Grief," an essay tracing the impact of her father's death from when she was seventeen to the present day.
Andrew Davidson: The Gargoyle
Andrew Davidson reads an excerpt from the beginning of his first novel, THE GARGOYLE.
Linda Robertson: What Rhymes with Bastard
Linda Robertson reads an excerpt from Chapter 3 of her memoir, WHAT RHYMES WITH BASTARD, and performs an accordion ditty called ALL MADE UP.
Paul Auster: Man in the Dark
Paul Auster reads the first chapter of his latest novel, MAN IN THE DARK, a story within a story about a writer and the character he has created to end the war inside his head.
Silhouettes
Kelly Lydick, MG Roberts and Amy Reed preview their upcoming -- August 2008 -- reading at Mama Buzz Cafe in Oakland, CA. This episode includes poems by Lydick and Roberts and "How You Remember He...
Zoe Ferraris: Finding Nouf
Zoe Ferraris reads the first chapter of her debut novel, FINDING NOUF.
Robin Messing: Serpent in the Garden of Dreams
Robin Messing reads a selection from SERPENT IN THE GARDEN OF DREAMS.
Tamim Ansary: West of Kabul, East of New York
Tamim Ansary reads "The Rebel Leader," a chapter from his memoir WEST OF KABUL, EAST OF NEW YORK.
Rudolph Delson: Maynard and Jennica
Rudolph Delson reads a selection from his debut novel, MAYNARD AND JENNICA. In this excerpt, Jennica Green waxes nostalgic for California, and her parents and long-lost best friend all chime in.
Jack Pendarvis: Awesome
Jack Pendarvis reads the first chapter of AWESOME, a humorous and heartwarming tale of the richest, sexiest, handsomest giant you'll ever meet.
Miranda July: The Shared Patio
Miranda July reads a selection from NO ONE BELONGS HERE MORE THAN YOU, her debut short story collection. In "The Shared Patio," a woman longs to share her neighbor's life, but learns that her fan...
Andrew Sean Greer: The Story of a Marriage
Andrew Sean Greer reads the first chapter of THE STORY OF A MARRIAGE, in which Pearlie recounts her courtship and marriage to Holland Cook, her childhood sweetheart.
Ben Greenman: Helpmate
Ben Greenman reads a letter from the forthcoming CORRESPONDENCES. In "Helpmate," a man composes a letter to his wife, reminiscing on his life and (perhaps) its conclusion.
Brian Copeland: Not a Genuine Black Man
Brian Copeland reads the first chapter of NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN, his hilarious memoir about growing up black in the all-white suburb of San Leandro, CA.
Opium Magazine: Bookmark Contest -- Part Two
Authors Rachel Khong, Lisa K. Buchanan, Matt Leibel and Kristin Kearns join actors Jon Walanske and Erin Carter to read Opium Magazine's 250-word bookmark contest winners. (Part two of two.)
Opium Magazine: Bookmark Contest
Authors Rachel Khong, Lisa K. Buchanan, Matt Leibel and Kristin Kearns join actors Jon Walanske and Erin Carter to read Opium Magazine's 250-word bookmark contest winners. (Part one of two.)
Ben Joseph: It's Not You, It's Your Uncontrollable Telekinesis
Ben Joseph reads "It's Not You, It's Your Uncontrollable Telekinesis," a completely true story loosely based on actual events.
Dan White: Operation Water Dump
Dan White reads "Operation Water Dump," a chapter from his book, THE CACTUS EATERS, which revolves around the extremely bad decision that inspired the book's title.
Naomi Williams: Sunday School
Naomi Williams reads "Sunday School," the story of a woman asked to teach a second-grade Sunday school class.
Sloane Crosley: The Pony Problem
Sloane Crosley reads a selection from her debut collection, I WAS TOLD THERE'D BE CAKE. In "The Pony Problem" she worries about what people might find in her apartment after an imagined freak acc...
Playground/Rabin: Reunion
Playground presents Delia MacDougall and Eric Fraisher Hayes in Kenn Rabin's short play, REUNION, the story of a convicted sex offender's arrival at his new home after his recent release from pri...
Masha Tupitsyn: Kleptomania
Masha Tupitsyn reads "Kleptomania," the story of three intergenerational female movie icons meeting for cocktails at a bar. "Kleptomania" is from Tupitsyn's short story collection, BEAUTY TALK AN...
Peter Malae: Turning Point
Peter Malae reads "Turning Point," the story of an ex-con who realizes that life outside prison is just as dangerous as life behind bars. "Turning Point" is from Malae's short story collection, T...
Toby Barlow: Sharp Teeth
Toby Barlow reads a passage from SHARP TEETH describing the decisive battle between two rival werewolf packs in Los Angeles.
Peter Orner: Pampkin's Lament
Peter Orner reads "Pampkin's Lament," his Pushcart Prize-winning story about a man, running for governor of Illinois, who is about to lose more than the election.
Playground/Groenveld: Missive
In Garret Jon Groenveld's short play MISSIVE, a letter holds the key to one man's troubled past and his surprising present. Presented by PlayGround, with Eric Fraisher Hayes as Bobby.
Samantha Hunt: The Invention of Everything Else
Samantha Hunt reads a selection from THE INVENTION OF EVERYTHING ELSE, in which young inventor, Nicola Tesla makes his way to the workshops of his hero, Thomas Edison.
Michael Krasny: Off Mike
Michael Krasny reads the introduction to OFF MIKE, his memoir of talk radio and public life.
Tom Dolby: The Sixth Form
Tom Dolby reads a selection from his second novel, THE SIXTH FORM, in which one of his main characters, Todd Eldon, has an unhappy reunion with his ne'er do well father.
Ellis Avery: The Teahouse Fire
Ellis Avery reads a selection from The Teahouse Fire, in which Aurelia, a young American orphan, recounts the events that led her to the grounds of a Japanese tea ceremony school.
Jean-Pierre Lacrampe: Objects Of My Disaffection
Jean-Pierre Lacrampe reads his poem, "Objects Of My Disaffection."
Mack and Kaufman: A Version of the Truth
Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman read the prologue to A VERSION OF THE TRUTH, in which Cassie Shaw describes the aftermath of the accident that sent her husband to an early grave.
Paul Auster: Travels in the Scriptorium
Paul Auster reads the first section of TRAVELS IN THE SCRIPTORIUM, in which a man awakes to discover that he cannot remember who he is or how he has arrived in an unfamiliar room.
Jane Rhodes: Framing the Black Panthers
Jane Rhodes reads a selection from FRAMING THE BLACK PANTHERS, which chronicles the Panthers May 1967 protest of a gun-control bill at the California state capitol building in Sacramento.
Playground/Brady Lea: Sewermonster Diaries
PlayGround presents Danielle Levin, Eric Fraisher Hayes, Cat Thompson and Mark Farrell in Brady Lea's short play, "Sewermonster Diaries," a comic portrait of a woman who withdraws from society an...
Pia Ehrhardt: Stop
Pia Ehrhardt reads "Stop," from her collection FAMOUS FATHERS AND OTHER STORIES. If you are in need of some New Year's resolution advice, have a listen as Ehrhardt describes what you should most ...
Toni Mirosevich: Pink Harvest
Toni Mirosevich reads the first story from her nonfiction collection, PINK HARVEST. "The View" involves a homeless man, an acute care clinic in an urban hospital, and a viewfinder. It's a few day...
Veronica Gonzalez: twin time: or, how death befell me
Veronica Gonzalez reads a selection from her debut novel, TWIN TIME: OR, HOW DEATH BEFELL ME, in which her main character, Mona, recounts her father's early childhood.
Nora Pierce: East Side West Side
Nora Pierce reads "East Side West Side," a story about choosing sides, in which two eleven year olds try to "dance their way out of the ghetto."
James P. Othmer: The Futurist
In this excerpt from his novel THE FUTURIST, James P. Othmer reads the career ending speech given by Yates, a consultant, guru and keynote speaker at the "Futureworld" conference.
Tess Uriza Holthe: The Flame
Tess Urize Holthe reads a story from her collection THE FIVE-FORTY-FIVE TO CANNES. In "The Flame," Serena Barr visits an open house that she believes belongs to her husband's ex-lover.
Joseph Lease: Broken World
Joseph Lease reads a selection of poems from his collection BROKEN WORLD.
Jean Thompson: Lost
Jean Thompson reads "Lost," the story of a '70s-era college romance that goes bad, from her short story collection, THROW LIKE A GIRL.
Wesley Stace: by George
Wesley Stace reads from the first section of his book, BY GEORGE, in which a ventriloquist's dummy describes his origins.
M. Allen Cunningham: Lost Son
M. Allen Cunningham reads from LOST SON, his fictional biography of poet Rainer Maria Rilke. In this excerpt Rilke meets his lifelong muse, Lou Andreas-Salome.
Elizabeth Bernstein: Laundry Day
Elizabeth Bernstein reads her very short story, "Laundry Day."
Kiara Brinkman: Up High in the Trees
Kiara Brinkman reads selections from her debut novel, UP HIGH IN THE TREES.
Armistead Maupin: Michael Tolliver Lives
Armistead Maupin reads a selection from MICHAEL TOLLIVER LIVES, where we find Michael "Mouse" Tolliver, one of the most beloved characters in contemporary fiction, grappling with what it means to...
Andrew Sean Greer: Wakefield
Andrew Sean Greer reads "Wakefield," a retelling of the Nathaniel Hawthorne story of a man who walks out his door one day and does not return for twenty years.
David Lozell Martin: Our American King
David Lozell Martin reads selections from his new novel, OUR AMERICAN KING. In a near-future America, devastated by a recent cataclysm, Tazza, a presumptive king rises to power. In this selection...
George Saunders: The New Mecca
George Saunders Bonus Feature: George Saunders reads a second selection from his non-fiction collection, THE BRAINDEAD MEGAPHONE. In an excerpt from "The New Mecca," Saunders checks out Dubai, th...
George Saunders: Manifesto
George Saunders reads a selection from his non-fiction collection, THE BRAINDEAD MEGAPHONE. In "Manifesto," a press release from the People Reluctant to Kill For An Abstraction (PRKA), the group ...
Playground/Garret Jon Groenveld: Ondine
Playwright Garret Jon Groenveld introduces us to the story of Ondine and Him, star-crossed lovers from completely different worlds. How far will the white knight go to be with his mythical water ...
Sean Beaudoin: Guerrero
Sean Beaudoin reads his short story "Guerrero," which offers a view from the floor of a Guerrero Street flat. The story is from the "Love" edition of INSTANT CITY, a San Francisco literary quarte...
Gina Apostol: Imeldific
In Gina Apostol's short story "Imeldific," a cohort of the dethroned first lady, Imelda Marcos, goes nuts in the aftermath of her heroine's downfall. Her daughter reflects with grim irony on the ...
Mike Carey: The Devil You Know
Mike Carey reads a selection from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW in which freelance exorcist, Felix Castor goes out for a pint with a few of the workers from a library haunted by a particularly nasty ghost.
Word for Word/Cornell Woolrich: Angel Face
San Francisco theater company, Word for Word perform a few scenes from Cornell Woolrich's ANGEL FACE, a suspense-driven story from the pages of the famous pulp magazine, BLACK MASK. Angel Face is...
Kenneth Walton: Fake
Kenneth Walton reads an excerpt from FAKE: FORGERY, LIES AND EBAY, which details the downward spiral of greed that ultimately led to his federal felony conviction for selling paintings of questio...
Min Jin Lee: Free Food for Millionaires
In this excerpt from the first chapter of Min Jin Lee's novel, FREE FOOD FOR MILLIONAIRES, the Han family dinner is disrupted when a violent argument breaks out between Joseph and his eldest daug...
Mark Lindquist: The King of Methlehem
In this selection from THE KING OF METHLEHEM, author Mark Lindquist introduces "Howard Schultz," the self-proclaimed monarch of methamphetamine production in Pierce County, Washington and Wyatt J...
Playground/Tom Swift: The Beginning
John Patrick Moore and Gabriel Marin perform Tom Swift's short play,THE BEGINNING, about the sweet, awkward and sometimes painful moments at the beginning of a new relationship.
Jeremy Larner: Chicken on Church
Jeremy Larner reads three selections about art and artists from his poetry collection, CHICKEN ON CHURCH.
Jennifer Belle: Little Stalker
Jennifer Belle reads a selection from LITTLE STALKER, which enters the chaotic mind of Rebekah Kettle, a one-time successful novelist (now hopelessly blocked), as she attends a book party for an ...
Ayelet Waldman: Darling, I Like You That Way
Ayelet Waldman reads her essay "Darling, I Like You That Way," in which she defends her not-so-secret wish that at least one of her two sons would turn out gay.
Nicole Mones: The Last Chinese Chef
Nicole Mones reads the from her novel, THE LAST CHINESE CHEF. In this selection, the first chapter of a fictional Chinese food classic, also called The Last Chinese Chef, chef Liang Wei recounts ...
Kottie Paloma: The Immense Complexities of Love
Book 3 in Kottie Paloma's "Books on Tape" series, THE IMMENSE COMPLEXITIES OF LOVE captures the brief history of a relationship.
Elaine Beale: The Increasing Crime Rate
Elaine Beale reads "The Increasing Crime Rate," a first-person nonfiction story inspired by the author's personal experiences in Oakland during the last half of 2006.
Pagan Kennedy: The First Self-Made Man
Pagan Kennedy reads the first chapter of The First Man-Made Man, her biography of Michael Dillon, the first female-to-male transsexual.
Kristen Yawitz: Rear Views
Kristen Yawitz reads "Rear Views," a story from her unpublished collection REWARD BODY.
Lisa Lutz: The Spellman Files
Lisa Lutz reads a selection from her debut novel THE SPELLMAN FILES, in which Isabel "Izzy" Spellman describes her younger sister, Rae.
Aaron Nielsen: Jimmy
Aaron Nielsen reads "Jimmy," the story of a sometimes awkward and difficult high school friendship between two boys; one gay, the other not.
Kurt Andersen: Heyday
Kurt Andersen reads a selection from HEYDAY, his sprawling novel of nineteenth century America. In this excerpt, amateur photographer Timothy Skaggs and volunteer fireman Duff Lucking photograph ...
Elizabeth Bernstein: Alice
Elizabeth Bernstein reads "Alice," the darkly comic story of Joel and Alice Holding, a brother and sister with a big problem on their hands -- the Guinea worm that emerges through the skin just b...
Ben Greenman: Black, Gray, Green, Red, Blue
Ben Greenman reads "Black, Gray, Green, Red, Blue: A Letter From a Famous Painter on the Moon" from his short story collection, A CIRCLE IS A BALLOON AND COMPASS BOTH: STORIES ABOUT HUMAN LOVE.
China Mieville: Un Lun Dun
China Mieville reads a selection from UN LUN DUN, in which twelve-year-old Zanna and her friend Deeba find a secret entrance leading to Un Lun Dun, an urban Wonderland of strange delights where a...
Lalita Tademy: Red River
Lalita Tademy reads a selection from her novel, RED RIVER, which tells how former slaves Lucy and Israel came to be together in Louisiana during Reconstruction.
Alex Espinoza: Still Water Saints
Alex Espinoza reads the first chapter of his novel, STILL WATER SAINTS, describing a day in the life of the Botanica Oshun.
Claire Phillips: Tove's Secret Letter Writing Campaign
Claire Phillips reads her short story, "Tove's Secret Letter Writing Campaign," an action-packed, erotically charged rags-to-riches tale set in the United States of Beef at an unknown time in the...
Howard Norman: Devotion
Howard Norman reads a selection from his novel, DEVOTION, describing the first meeting between David Kozol and Maggie Field at the Durrants Hotel in London.
Geetha Reddy: Honey, I'm Home
PlayGround presents Anthony Nemirovsky and Kerri Shawn in Seetha Reddy's short play, HONEY, I'M HOME. Jim Kleinmann directs.
Craig Clevenger: Dermaphoria
Craig Clevenger reads the first two chapters of DERMAPHORIA, in which Eric Ashworth awakens in jail, unable to remember how he got there or why.
Daniel Alarcon: Lost City Radio
Daniel Alarcon reads a selection from LOST CITY RADIO, an emotionally raw story of the consequences of war. In this excerpt, Victor, a young boy from the jungle village of 1797, is sent to the ca...
Sigrid Nunez: The Last of Her Kind
Sigrid Nunez reads a passage from THE LAST OF HER KIND, an examination of the revolutionary era in which two women came of age. Ann and George's turbulent relationship begins when they are assign...
Mark Coggins: Candy from Strangers
William P. Arney of San Francisco's Noir City Film Festival reads "It Was the Meat," the first chapter of Mark Coggins' novel CANDY FROM STRANGERS, in which jazz bass-playing private eye August R...
Sharon Olson: The Long Night of Flying
Sharon Olson reads several selections from , her first full-length collection of poetry.
Pati Poblete: The Oracles
Pati Poblete reads a couple of selections from THE ORACLES, a memoir about the clash of values in a Filipino American household.
Stephen Elliott: My Girlfriend Comes to the City and Beats Me Up
Stephen Elliott reads a chapter from MY GIRLFRIEND COMES TO THE CITY AND BEATS ME UP, a collection of true stories that wrestle with the unknown and unspoken essences of love. In "Three Men and a...
Playground: Sever
In SEVER, playwright Aaron Loeb revisits the Hansel and Gretel fable with hilarious results.
Christina Nunez: Colored Purple
Inspired by MORTIFIED, the popular monthly performance series, Christina Nunez reads selections from her teenage diary, which detail her obsession with Prince and the musings of a thirteen year o...
Michelle Tea: Rose of No Man's Land
Michelle Tea reads a selection from ROSE OF NO MAN'S LAND, her whirlwind exploration of poverty and dropouts. In this excerpt Trisha and Rose are attempting to hitch a ride and are forced to impr...
Janet Fitch: Paint It Black
Janet Fitch reads a selection from PAINT IT BLACK, in which teen runaway turned art model, Josie Tyrell meets her fiance's mother, Meredith Loewy, a concert pianist who disapproves of her son's l...
Kate Atkinson: One Good Turn
Kate Atkinson reads a selection from ONE GOOD TURN, wherein Gloria, after witnessing a brutal fit of road rage, thinks back on her life with Graham, an unscrupulous real estate tycoon.
Jennifer Kirmse: Mortified
Jennifer Kirmse reads "Horus Hears a Ho," a series of entries from the journal she kept as a teenager, wherein she attempts to gain the attention and affection of her classmate and neighbor Horus...
Meg Tilly: Gemma
Meg Tilly reads selections from her novel GEMMA, a disturbing, yet compelling exploration of the complex dynamics between a sexual predator and his teenage victim, told from the perspective of bo...
Allison Burnett: The House Beautiful
Allison Burnett reads the introduction to his novel THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL, wherein B.K. Troop, a witty, middle-aged, bi-polar, alcoholic, homosexualist describes how his life is turned upside-down ...
Katharine Noel: Halfway House
Katharine Noel reads the first chapter of her novel HALFWAY HOUSE, describing the day that Angie Voorster -- diligent student, all-star swimmer, and Ivy League-bound high school senior -- dove to...
Kelly Link: The Hortlak
Kelly Link reads "The Hortlak," from her short story collection MAGIC FOR BEGINNERS. "The Hortlak" is a Turkish word, meaning revenant, or ghost. Eric and Batu work at the All Night Convenience s...
Michael Tolkin: The Return of the Player
Michael Tolkin revisits his character Griffin Mill a decade after he made his murderous ascent to Hollywood power in THE PLAYER. Now, with his career stalled and only $6 million in the bank, he i...
Brad Meltzer: The Book of Fate
Brad Meltzer reads the first chapter of his latest thriller THE BOOK OF FATE, which starts with a presidential assassination attempt, leads through Masonic history to a two hundred year old code ...
Daniel Handler: Adverbs
Daniel Handler reads "collectively," a chapter from his novel ADVERBS, a book about love, which comes in all forms even when you least expect it.
Ben Ehrenreich: The Suitors
Ben Ehrenreich reads the second chapter of his novel THE SUITORS, an audacious reimagining of THE ODYSSEY, in which Penny waits alone at home while Payne, a modern-day Odysseus, gallivants around...
Marisha Pessl: Special Topics in Calamity Physics
Marisha Pessl reads an excerpt from her novel SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS, wherein Blue Van Meer reflects on her professor father's lovelife and the colorful women he has discarded.
Janis Cooke Newman: Mary
Janis Cooke Newman reads a selection from her novel MARY, Mary Todd Lincoln's account of her own life.
Keith Donohue: The Stolen Child
Keith Donohue reads selections from his novel THE STOLEN CHILD, the story of Henry Day, a seven year old kidnapped by changelings in the dark forest near his home.
John Lescroart: The Adventure of the Giant Rat of Sumatra
John Lescroart reads "The Adventure of the Giant Rat of Sumatra," a Sherlock Holmes mystery wherein Professor Moriarty, Colonel Sebastian Moran and the infamous Dr. Culverton-Smith collude to int...
Leslie Larson: Slipstream
Leslie Larson reads a selection from her novel SLIPSTREAM, an intricately crafted tale of five people whose lives are quietly drawing toward a fateful collision as each struggles to stay afloat i...
Evany Thomas: The Secret Language of Sleep
Evany Thomas reads selections from her book THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF SLEEP: A Couple's Guide to the Thirty-Nine Positions, a manual on how to unlock the power of sleep.
Sarah Anne Cox: We of the Capitals
Poet Sarah Anne Cox reads "We of the Capitals," a poem about the value of abstract nouns in wartime.
Edie Meidav: Crawlspace
Edie Meidav reads a selection from her novel CRAWL SPACE, the story of Emile Poulquet whose dark past haunts him as he awaits sentencing for deporting thousands to almost certain death during Wor...
Paul Malmont: The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril
Paul Malmont reads "Episode One" of his novel, THE CHINATOWN DEATH CLOUD PERIL, a fictional tale featuring 1930's pulp writers William Gibson (The Shadow), Lester Dent (Doc Savage), a pre-sciento...
Lee Skirboll: Herman Melville, Metafictional Laff Riot
Lee Skirboll reads "Herman Melville, Metafictional Laff Riot," an essay that casts Mr. Melville's writing in a more "punk rock" light.