98. Rodrigo Fresán, "Melvill"

A Doestoevsky short story goes viral on Tik-Tok, and we talk to A Case of Matricide author Graeme Macrae Burnet about proxies, accomplices, and doppelgangers in the not-so-quiet French town of Saint Louis. Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina

We celebrate this, our 100th episode!  Thank you for listening!  And we chat with publisher and book store owner, Dan Wells, to mark the occassion of the 20th anniversary of his wonderful literary press, Biblioasis. Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina

The dying art of the honest book review; and Rita Bullwinkel is our guest to talk about her novel Headshot, which takes us into the lives and minds of eight young women competing at a boxing tournament in Reno, Nevada. Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina

The Cure's Robert Smith continues legacy of writing songs rich with literary references; and we talk to author Rodrigo Fresán about his new novel Melvill, imagining the interior lives of Herman Melville and his father Allan, who had a significant influnece on his son's work.Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina

The release of "Patriot,," Alexei Navalny's collected prison diaries; do book festivals still have value? And we are joined by Mark Haber, whose latest novel, Lesser Ruins, is a wonderfully funny and heartfelt story about a middle-aged college professor who spends a lot of time thinking about yet never writing, what is supposed to be his life's work.Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina

Our recent guest, Mark Bowles, makes the Goldsmiths Prize shortlist; reading, or not, at elite US colleges; and Sam Mills is our guest to talk about her very meta literary adventure novel.Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina

Publishers' costs: printing vs  AI; even more love for libraries; we chat with Mark Bowles about the erudite, grumpy narrator of his captivating new novel, All My Precious Madness.   Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina

National Novel Writing Month takes a hit for its position on AI; the 20th anniversary of a novel we love: Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell; and we visit with writer Jamie Quatro on her novel Two-Step Devil about an outsider artist in Appalachia who professes to be a prophet of God.  Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina

A home robbery is thwarted when the thief gets distracted by a book; what's the latest trend in book cover art?; and we talk to writer Noémi Kiss-Deáki on her novel Mary and the Rabbit Dream, based on the true story of Mary Toft, a woman believed to have given birth to rabbits. Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina

Liverpool library defies riots and fire; the inaugural Inside Literary Prize; and writer Claire Kilroy joins us to talk about Soldier Sailor, her striking novel on the precarity and joy of early motherhood.Inside Literary Prizehttps://www.innovatingjustice.org/publications/inside-prize-podcasthttps://www.innovatingjustice.org/publications/inside-prize-2024-winnerThank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina