Otherppl With Brad Listi

Aaron Gwyn is the guest. His new novel, Wynne's War, is now available from Eamon Dolan Books. Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, says "Gwyn’s (Dog on the Cross) story is a gripping tale of men at war in the desolate snow-capped mountains of eastern Afghanistan, and captures the essence of close combat—the terror, excitement, chaos, tension, and cruelty, as well as the harsh decisions men make under stress...its gritty realism is part of the strength." And Nic Pizzolatto, creator of HBO's True Detective, says “Wynne's War is a deep and beautifully written story of men, war, and madness, told by a young American master. A page-turner of poetic and savage grace, of our time but transcending it, this novel takes its rightful place among the great American literature of war.” Monologue topics:  bad news, miscarriage, feeling bad about feeling bad, bad luck, bad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ana Carrete is the guest. Her poetry collection Baby Babe is now available from Civil Coping Mechanisms. Sam Pink says “The first time I heard Ana’s writing was 2 years ago. In November of 2010, I read at the ‘Ear Eater’ reading series in Chicago. Ana was another reader. She was reading via Skype. There were a lot of people at the reading. After I read, I walked out of the room and stood in a hallway, staring at the floor. After a few difficult conversations with people in the hallway, I heard the host of the reading talking to someone on the computer. It was Ana. Ana started reading. I laughed a lot and enjoyed her reading. Seemed like other people weren’t enjoying it as much as me but I was enjoying it a lot. I stood in the hallway laughing and shaking my head ‘Yes’ and people looked at me. I kept thinking, ‘I want to go into the room and watch her face reading’ but then I would think, ‘No, don’t do that, just listen.’ Not sure why I kept telling myself not to go into the room where she was reading but I st

Kelly Braffet is the guest. Her novel Save Yourself is now available in paperback from Broadway Books. Dennis Lehane calls it "The real deal. Save Yourself is an electrifying, tomahawk missile of a thriller with honest-to-God people at its core. It rocks the house." And The New York Times says "There’s storytelling skill to burn here. Ms. Braffet has empathy for her working-class characters and brings neglected places to convincing life." Monologue topics: orders of business, questions from listeners, blogging, what I'm reading currently.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lee Klein is the guest. He has two books out this year. The first is called Thanks and Sorry and Good Luck, available now from Barrelhouse. The second, due out in August 2014, is called The Shimmering Go-Between (Atticus Books). Blake Butler says "Somewhere on the brutal truth continuum between Bill Hicks and Mussolini, Lee Klein’s rejection letters are mini-masterpieces of literary criticism disguised as no-thank-yous from Writer’s Hell. And yet, in each, a little lesson; a steadfast faith that says 'I took the time to read what you created and this is exactly what I thought.' They should be passing these things out under the pillows at MFA camp; we’d all be better off." And Elizabeth Ellen says "Lee Klein made me cry. He was the only editor ever to make me. This was back in 2002. I wish I still had the email. I remember it going something like, 'whenever you have the instinct to write a line like that, delete it immediately, without prejudice.' I hated him for a while. I pictured him looking like the guy in

Katherine Faw Morris is the guest. Her debut novel, Young God, is now available from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.  Daniel Woodrell says "Young God is a poetic, grim, and beautifully dark novel about backwoods violence and horror recounted in a numbed, laconic voice. Morris writes with splendid economy, chapters short as contes, and plenty of slashing insights on the rough world of throwaway lives and varieties of wrong." And Richard Hell says "This book is so clean and dirty: thirteen-year-old Nikki’s nipples pop like buttons; Kool Kings come in a hard box; white goo tastes a little salty but mostly like nothing. The best dreams are of nothing. Except that it is not nothing. It is charged white space: These pages happen to you and now you’re awakening, groping groggily to reconstruct. Get mixed up by it. Enter the single-wide and find some ecstasy with Katherine Faw Morris." Monologue topics: mail, videos, intoxicated listeners on rooftops, my bad memory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch

Stacey D'Erasmo is the guest. Her new novel, Wonderland, is now available fromHoughton Mifflin Harcourt. Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, calls it "A spellbinding look into the protagonist’s being... meticulously crafted ... Days and shows pass, but within this routine, a transformation slowly creeps into the narrative: that of commitment, and, perhaps, hope for the future." And Michael Stipe says "The world of Wonderland is authentic, vibrant, and genuine. Stacey D’Erasmo explores the delight and terror of second chances. A great read!" Monologue topics:  heat, Santa Ana winds, climate change, indifference, idiocy, fear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Megan Stielstra is the guest. Her new essay collection, Once I Was Cool, is now available from Curbside Splendor.   Roxane Gay says "In Once I Was Cool, Megan Stielstra is warm and open and wise. Whether she’s writing about the complex loneliness of early motherhood or failing to rise to the occasion or find the right language while living abroad, Stielstra is a masterful essayist. From the first page to the last, she demonstrates a graceful understanding of the power of storytelling. What she’s truly offering with her words, is the grandest of gifts." And Christine Sneed says "What an amazing cri de coeur Once I Was Cool is. Megan Stielstra tells us in a witty, sympathetic, confident voice who she is and what and whom she cares about most. Reading these essays, I laughed out loud and also found myself on the verge of tears so many times. This book should be read by anyone who's been in love, had a child or thought about having a child. So, probably, that's everyone." Monologue:  humans, friendships, communit

Leslie Jamison is the guest. Her new collection of essays, entitled The Empathy Exams, is now available from Graywolf Press. The New York Times Book Review calls it "Extraordinary and exacting....This capacity for critical thinking, for a kind of cool skepticism that never gives way to the chilly blandishments of irony, is very rare. It's not surprising that Jamison is drawing comparisons to Sontag....There is a glory to this kind of writing that derives as much from its ethical generosity, the palpable sense of stretch and reach, as it does from the lovely vividness of the language itself....It's hard to imagine a stronger, more thoughtful voice emerging this year." And Phillip Lopate, writing for The San Francisco Chronicle, says "[Jamison] writes consistently with passion and panache; her sentences are elegantly formed, her voice on the page intimate and insistent. Always intelligent, self-questioning, willing to experiment with form, daring to engage with the weird and thrust herself into danger spots, a

Kathleen Rooney is the guest. Her new novel, O, Democracy!, is now available from Fifth Star Press. Jonathan Evison raves “O, Democracy! infuriates and inspires. Rooney has written a brilliant and fiercely readable novel of politics and ideals, both an indictment and a celebration of the American Experiment, which will leave you breathless.” And Elizabeth Crane says “With O, Democracy!, Kathleen Rooney makes a swift and seamless transition from poetry to fiction, pairing her skill for image with a fresh voice, humor, and a keen eye for the political world she navigates here. An exciting debut.” Monologue topics:  panicking, whining, suffering publicly, ratings, E.T., money, picking up the tab, emotionally needy social behavior. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juliet Escoria is the guest. Her new story collection, Black Cloud, is now available from Civil Coping Mechanisms.   Adam Wilson says "Juliet Escoria is like a gutter-punk Grace Paley." And Benjamin Samuel, co-editor of Electric Literature, says "Reading the stories in Black Cloud is like getting punched in the throat; Juliet Escoria leaves you speechless. Her honesty teaches us that beauty can be found in violence, truth in pain, and life where we've always been afraid to look." Monologue: travel, American Airlines, family, fatigue, weddings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sommer Browning is the guest. Her new poetry collection, Backup Singers, is now available from Birds Publishing.   Mathias Svalina says "Sometimes I think Sommer Browning is a James Wright for the basic cable generation, at others the gorgeously deformed lovechild of H.D. and Groucho Marx. What I mean is I cannot categorize these poems, and that's the highest compliment I can give any poetry." Monologue topics: Birds, Bird, Charlie Parker, being pressed for time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Raab is the guest. He is the founder of The Newer York Press, an experimental literary publisher based in Los Angeles.  Its latest title, The Inevitable June, by Bob Schofield, is now available for pre-order. Monologue topics: the desert, Coachella, fish tacos, sunlight, curmudgeonliness.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin Hocking is the guest. His new memoir, The Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld, is now available from Graywolf Press. It is the official April selection of the TNB Book Club. Cheryl Strayed says "As generous as it is smart, as intimate as it is grand, as illuminating as it is dark. With grace and guts, Justin Hocking dares to go where few men have gone before: not only out to sea, but also into the depths of the human heart." And Junot Díaz says “This beautiful memoir is beyond cool. A voyage both erudite and affecting.” Monologue topics: TNB Book Club, mail, miscarriage, fatherhood, privilege, sadsploitation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's show features conversations with multiple authors, all of whom have contributed to a new anthology entitled Labor Day: True Birth Stories by Today's Best Women Writers.  Guests include the anthology's editors, Eleanor Henderson and Anna Solomon, as well as Amy Brill, Arielle Greenberg, Cristina Henriquez, Heidi Julavits, Jane Roper, Rachel Jamison Webster, Sarah Jefferis, and Sarah Strickley.   Booklist says "This isn’t a how-to book, nor does it present a case for the ‘perfect birth,’ which sets it apart from the plethora of childbirth manuals and lends it broader appeal and a very different type of resonance." And Emma Straub says "Pregnancy made my body ravenous for food and my brain ravenous for stories like this, stories of how other women had crossed the great divide. In delivery rooms, in the backseats of cars, and at home, these women tell their birth stories so clearly that they must have had stenographers present on the scene. I loved reading this book with my baby asleep in the next room, a

Douglas Coupland is the guest. His new novel is called Worst. Person. Ever. and it is available now from Blue Rider Press. The Globe and Mail says “A satirical, misanthropic romp through reality television, environmental disaster and apocalyptic possibilities. Once again, Coupland...has asserted himself as a documenter of our times and anticipator of societal threats.... The plugged-in consumer-culture philosopher has created a brand of his own, becoming—and, over the long haul, remaining—a thinky superstar for a distracted era. More than 20 years after he became a pop-culture darling with Generation X, Coupland is still innovating—not simply cranking out words and sculptures, but making a significant contribution with astute observations.... As the country’s go-to guy for art, design, and contemporary social commentary, could Coupland be Canada’s Biggest. (Cultural). Brain. Ever?” And The Independent calls it "...a scatological bun-fight of excess and debauchery, of juvenile humour peppered with bilious rag

T. Greenwood is the guest. Her latest novel, Bodies of Water, is now available from Kensington Books. Publishers Weekly says "Greenwood is a writer of subtle strength...finding light in the darkest of stories." And Library Journal calls it "...intricate and tragic...This compassionate, insightful look at hope and redemption is a richly textured portrait." Monologue topics: Otherppl Premium, writing, worrying about the quality of my content.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott O'Connor is the guest. His new novel, Half World, is now available from Simon & Schuster.   The Daily Beast calls it "Gripping...The perfect book for our present moment." And Kirkus Reviews calls it "An invigorating historical thriller... Intimately gripping... O'Connor writes with fire." Monologue topics:  company, family, being too busy, wanting to live in utopia, mail.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rene Denfeld is the guest. She is an accomplished journalist who has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Oregonian, and other publications. She is also a licensed investigator who specializes in death penalty work. Her debut novel, The Enchanted, is now available from Harper. Publishers Weekly calls it “A striking one-of-a-kind prison novel....[with] rich, haunting prose...A stunning first novel from an already accomplished writer.” And Donald Ray Pollock says “Rene Denfeld is a genius. In The Enchanted, she has imagined one of the grimmest settings in the world--a dank and filthy death row in a corrupt prison--and given us one of the most beautiful, heart-rending, and riveting novels I have ever read.” Monologue topics: Melissa Broder, public bathrooms, darkened anterooms, tall strangers, misunderstandings, micro-paranoia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jacinda Townsend is the guest. Her new novel Saint Monkey is now available from W.W. Norton & Co. Roxane Gay says “Saint Monkey is an absolute marvel of a book. Jacinda Townsend is dazzling as she transports the reader to a different time and place—the 1950s, rural Kentucky, and Harlem at the height of the jazz era. Two young girls, Audrey and Caroline, fight for a place in the world and, though their paths at times diverge, their journeys and this writer will utterly captivate you.” And Booklist, in a starred review, raves “This is a breathtakingly insightful, suspenseful, and gorgeously realized novel of cruelty and sorrow, anger and forgiveness, improvisation and survival, and the transcendent beauty of nature and art.” Monologue topics: teaching my 3-year-old about death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

D. Foy is the guest. His debut novel, Made to Break, is now available from Two Dollar Radio. Anthony Swofford says "Reading D. Foy's prose is like watching Robert Stone and Wallace Stevens drag race across a frozen lake at midnight." And Matthew Specktor says “D. Foy’s writing is so rich, so saturated in both life and literature, that one is tempted to strain for comparison, to find whatever madcap equivalencies (“It’s X meets Y!”) might begin to describe it accurately. Yet its whorl and grain, the fantastical strangeness of Foy’s sentences and the astonishing accuracy of his perception, amounts to something I can only call new. Made To Break is that rare thing: a truly original, and ferociously necessary, book.” Monologue topics:  news, new written content, upcoming event.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices