Three Percent Podcast

This week's episode kicks off the four-week discussion of Four by Four by Sara Mesa, translated from the Spanish by Katie Whittemore. A great book for our time (for all times) in relationship to power structures and their systems. And whether it's better to be "free and vulnerable or protected but under control." In this first episode, Max Besora (Adventures and Misadventures of the Extraordinary and Admirable Joan Orpí, Conquistador and Founder of New Catalonia) talks with Chad about campus novels, the various power relationships in the first section of the novel, the difficulties of translating "culo," the precision of Mesa's prose, the way Celia's and Ignacio's storylines run in parallel, the two timelines of this section, and much more. Solid ground-setting episode for what promises to be an amazing season. This week's music is a little gem from Miley Cyrus called "4x4." If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. The next broadcast will be on J

On this episode of the Two Month Review, translator Robin Myers joins Chad and Brian to talk about her translation, Mexican and Argentine poetry, what was most challenging/liberating about the text, ALTA 2009, and much much more. Very insightful conversation for anyone interested in professional translators, or starting out in the field. This week's music is "Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill. If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. The next broadcast will be on June 24th. We'll be talking about Sara Mesa/Katie Whittemore's Four by Four, which is available in bookstores everywhere. (And as an audiobook via Tantor Media!) Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions. And you can get 20% off Four by Four by using the code 2MONTH at checkout. (Offer only good in

This week, Mónica Ramón Ríos joins Chad and Brian to talk about her literary career, how she came to write Cars on Fire, Rutgers, some movies she's recently watched, how to read "Invocation," protests in Chile and NYC, and much much more. An incredibly interesting and informative episode that serves as an incredible guide to approaching and reading these short stories. This week's music is "Dead Men Don't Rape" by 7 Year Bitch. If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. The next broadcast will be on June 17th. Robin Myers will be the special guest, and we'll focus on pages 152-175. This will be the final episode on Cars on Fire before we move on to Four by Four by Sara Mesa and Katie Whittemore. (For which there is an audiobook version!) Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everyw

Season 12 of the Two Month Review kicked off with Cristina Rodriguez from Deep Vellum Bookstore joining Chad and Brian to talk about the first section of Mónica Ramón Ríos and Robin Myers's Cars on Fire. They talk about The Gits, "Dead Men Don't Rape," the connections between academy and power structures, how "timely" this connection is, the clarity of the prose, and much more. In honor of Mia Zapata, this week's music is "Another Shot of Whiskey" by The Gits. If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. The next broadcast will be on June 10th. Mónica Ramón Ríos will be the special guest, and we'll focus on pages 64-151. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions. And you can get 20% off Cars on Fire by using the code 2MONTH at checkout. (Offer only good

On this special edition of the Three Percent Podcast, you can hear short readings of all fifteen finalists for this year's Best Translated Book Awards. You can find all of the titles here on Bookshop.org (fiction, poetry), and you can still RSVP to see the live awards ceremony on Friday, May 29th at 6pm eastern. This week's music is "Famous" by Car Seat Headrest. And if you like the podcast, tell a friend and rate us or leave a review on iTunes! You can also follow Open Letter, Riffraff, and Chad on Twitter and Instagram (OL, Riffraff, Chad) for book and baseball talk. If you don’t already subscribe to the Three Percent Podcast you can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, and other places. Or you can always subscribe by adding our feed directly into your favorite podcast app: http://threepercent.libsyn.com/rss

Rodrigo Fresán himself joins Chad and Brian to talk about phones, Riverdale, Ada or Ardor, Dracula, the world-building in Fresán's oeuvre, the overall structure and focus of the triptych, what to read and watch in quarantine, and much more! If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. The next broadcast will be on June 3rd and will focus on pages 1-63 of Mónica Ramón Ríos's Cars on Fire. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions. And you can get 20% off Cars on Fire by using the code 2MONTH at checkout. (Offer only good in the U.S., since we can't ship overseas, but to be honest, we can't ship right now! Order it from Bookshop.org.) You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the Univ

This week's episode is quite possibly the wildest one yet . . . Chad paid a BookTuber for some promotional love and, well, you'll have to watch/listen to see how that went. Then they talk about outsiders, Franco Moretti, autofiction, HE-IKEA (the Writer's nemesis), overblown rants about reading and phones, and much more. This week's music is "Date with IKEA" by Pavement. If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the May 6th episode (covering pages 487-End) here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. You can get all of Carlos's books via your local bookstore or Open Letter, and you can follow him on Twitter as well. Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions. And you can get 20% off T

A bit of an experimental episode, Chad is joined by five indie booksellers to talk about the "new normal," fears of reopening, what booksellers are doing now, and—most importantly—actual books. The complete rundown of recommendations is below, but one note: please buy these titles from the bookseller who recommended them. Sparks said it diplomatically at the end, but if at all possible, order directly, not through Bookshop.org. (Although given that zero Open Letter books were plugged, maybe you should buy our books only from Amazon? KIDDING. Buy them from Bookshop.org.) Also, if you like this podcast and all the free programming that Open Letter/Three Percent provides, consider donating to us as well. You have to write us in on that U of R form so that the money comes directly to Open Letter, but we absolutely need your support right now. (Especially as Chad tries to figure out the future with no employees for part of the summer . . . Yay mandatory furloughs!) Anyway, here are the recommendations, with links

This week, Chad and Brian talk about the desires of readers, the "middle mind," writing without a hook, Nabokov's "The Vane Sisters," the one contribution Chad made to this book, vocal tics, cocaine, and much more. They both came in high energy on this episode, so sit back and enjoy all the jokes and enthusiasm. This week's music is for a certain type of insomniac. If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the May 6th episode (covering pages 424-487) here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. You can get all of Carlos's books via your local bookstore or Open Letter, and you can follow him on Twitter as well. Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions. And you can get 20% off The Dre

In his most dangerous gag to date, Chad drinks a giant bullshot as he, Brian Wood, and special guest Carlos Labbé talk about Nabokov's Transparent Things, transparency as a concept, the wild bed that The Writer is insomniacing in, Uncle Hey Walrus's hypnosis gone awry, why quarantine time is so crazy yet our dreams are getting so boring, and much much more. This week's music is "Comeback Baby" by Kiwi Jr. If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the May 6th episode (covering pages 362-424) here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. You can get all of Carlos's books via your local bookstore or Open Letter, and you can follow him on Twitter as well. Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA

This week's episode brings us back to The Writer, unable to sleep, living near where Penelope's house burned down (see: The Invented Part), and living off the fortunes of Penelope's writings (RIP). There's a great bit in this section about FBI agent Johnny Dancer and Vladimir Nabokov, there's a horrifying (yet funny!) death scene, and an interesting translation question related to a bad joke. Plus, translator Will Vanderhyden gives us a few hints about what to expect in The Remembered Part! Everyone already knows this week's music, the video of which brings back so so so many memories . . . If you'd prefer to watch the conversation (and if you're going to watch only one episode, I'd recommend this one), you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the April 29th episode (covering pages 307-362) here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information abou

Stacie Williams joins Chad and Tom this week to talk about the role of sales reps at this moment in time and then, after she bolts, Chad and Tom poke fun at Bookfinity (which, really, WOW), the confused messaging of #BooksAreEssential as a hashtag, why bookshops shouldn't open, and how Publishers Weakly is funny AND NOT RUN BY EITHER OF US. (We swear!)  This week's music is Rich Aucoin's "How It Breaks," which has a pretty incredible video up on YouTube. As always, feel free to send any and all comments or questions to: threepercentpodcast@gmail.com. Also, if there are articles you’d like us to read and analyze (or just make fun of), send those along as well. And if you like the podcast, tell a friend and rate us or leave a review on iTunes! You can also follow Open Letter, Riffraff, and Chad on Twitter and Instagram (OL, Riffraff, Chad) for book and baseball talk. If you don’t already subscribe to the Three Percent Podcast you can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, and other places. Or you can always subscribe by

How is COVID-19 impacting bookstores, publishers, translators, and our general sanity? These are the questions Tom and Chad talk about on this episode—the first in a while, but also the longest ever—along with minor jokes, an appeal to authors and publishers to "read the room," a rant that will likely get Chad in trouble, and a few book recommendations.  Some things mentioned on this podcast: "Is This the End of Indie Bookstores?" by Alex Shephard; Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice; Muriel Spark; Life A User's Manual and Chad's posts about this from 2011; This interview with Lola Rogers. This week's music is "Everything Else Has Gone Wrong" by Bombay Bicycle Club because OF COURSE IT IS. As always, feel free to send any and all comments or questions to: threepercentpodcast@gmail.com. Also, if there are articles you’d like us to read and analyze (or just make fun of), send those along as well. And if you like the podcast, tell a friend and rate us or leave a review on iTunes! You can also follow Open L

Chad and Brian go deep into the underlying structure of the second section of Fresan's The Dreamed Part, talking about Penelope's story, her relationship to her parents and the Karmas, and the moment in which she lost her son. We finally get to read about her wrecking house (literally) and see how everything circles back to the start of this section . . . This week's music isn't from The Dreamed Part. It's Yppah's "Dreams Like You," which is somewhat comforting at this time. If you'd prefer to watch the conversation (and if you're going to watch only one episode, I'd recommend this one), you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the April 22th episode (covering pages 255-307) here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And follow Patrick on Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which i

Chad reaches a new quarantine low at the beginning of this week's episode (highly recommend checking out the video version), but after a lot of banter and deep dives into international speculative fiction, The Invention of Morel, Lost, and more, Chad and special guest Rachel Cordasco break down the first part of the "Brontê/Wuthering Heights" section of The Dreamed Part. They get you up to speed with Penelope (The Writer's sister) who is spending her days at Our Lady of Our Lady of Our Lady . . . fixated on Emily Brontë's singular masterpiece. This week's music isn't from The Dreamed Part. It's a new song from Woods called "Where Do You Go When You Dream?" (Lyrics on the outro are perfect.) If you'd prefer to watch the conversation (and if you're going to watch only one episode, I'd recommend this one), you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the April 15th episode (covering pages 202-254) here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Dis

This episode got off to a rough start, with Chad losing his shit over the May IndieNext list [ed. note: he still has not recovered] before Streamyard crashed and the whole episode had to be recorded. In the new, much calmer episode, Chad, Brian, and special guest Patrick Smith talk about tulpas, the night, Fresán writing in a different style, point of view and meta-reflections, and dirty jokes. Patrick lives that Vermont life in the middle of this episode, which brings even more levity to this earnest attempt to entertain everyone in this time of crazy. If you'd prefer to watch the conversation (and if you're going to watch only one episode, I'd recommend this one), you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the April 8th episode (covering pages 156-202) here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And follow Patrick on

Aside from talking about how we're all about five days away from becoming Howard Hughes, Chad, Brian, and special guest Derek Maine talk about dreams vs. rationality, Nabokov and Bob Dylan, dream lovers and MTV videos, Twin Peaks and fantasy baseball. (OK, not the last one.) It's a fun podcast, a minor distraction that hopefully adds a bit of joy into the world. So enjoy! If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch April 1st episode (covering pages 112-155) here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And watch Derek's YouTube channel, Read the World! Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions. And you can get 20% off The Dreamed Part by using the code 2MONTH at checkout. You can also s

Chad, Brian, and special guest Mark Haber tried their damnedest to bring some levity to our current crisis on this week's episode. They laughed a lot while discussing Chad's surprisingly dull dream city, the way The Dreamed Part just drops you right into the flow, dream logic, how Fresan is the exception that proves the rule, and Chad's quarantine situation. If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch March 25th episode (covering pages 57-111) here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. Also, support Brazos Bookshop! Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions. And you can get 20% off The Dreamed Part by using the code 2MONTH at checkout. You can also support this podcast and all of Ope

In this week's preview episode for Season 11 of the Two Month Review--featuring The Dreamed Part by Rodrigo Fresán and Will Vanderhyden--Chad and Brian try their best to recall details from the plot of The Invented Part, the first book in the trilogy. They do . . . well, question mark? As cracked out as their descriptions might seem, you're in for a really fun season and a really fun book from one of the best Spanish writers of his generation. This week's music is "My Friend" by Dan Deacon. (In part because Chad thought the lyrics were "I'm alive, I'm dreaming," but he was wrong.) If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch March 18th episode (covering pages 1-57) here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially

Today's episode is all about small presses. Chad and Tom breakdown, discuss, elaborate on, and praise, Matvei Yankelevich's recent Poetry post 'The New Normal: How We Gave Up the Small Press." This is a rather wide-ranging conversation about grant applications, distribution for small presses, AWP, professionalization, how to value books aside from sales, the emotional side of publishing, and much more.  This week's music is "Everything Has Changed" by Best Coast.   As always, feel free to send any and all comments or questions to: threepercentpodcast@gmail.com. Also, if there are articles you’d like us to read and analyze (or just make fun of), send those along as well. And if you like the podcast, tell a friend and rate us or leave a review on iTunes! You can also follow Open Letter, Riffraff, and Chad on Twitter and Instagram (OL, Riffraff, Chad) for book and baseball talk. If you don’t already subscribe to the Three Percent Podcast you can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, and other places. Or you can always s