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03-31-11: A 2011 Interview with Joe Mathews and Mark Paul


"...signature companies are beginning to hire much more aggressive people.."
—Joe Mathews

"We allow people to write policies into the Constitution, to make them even harder to change..."
—Mark Paul

It's easy to get caught up in the details. The details have damned and condemned California to a financial underworld in which the richest and potentially most powerful state is reduced to being a debt-ridden pauper. There's a virtue in understanding them, which is why a book like 'California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It' is so important. But when you have access to the authors, you have more than the details; you have their source.

When I got Joe Mathews and Mark Paul to come to KUSP and talk to me, I wanted to make sure my listeners got the gist of what they explained in the book, while still preserving the reading experience. This is a book that deserves to be both bought and read; both actions are essential to getting the most out of it. If you buy it, you have literally invested in understanding how government works. Once you make that investment, reading the book, actually inputting those words into your mind, one after another, really helps cement what the authors are talking about. It's a complicated picture.

In my conversation with them, I tried to get the overview from the writers, so that readers could know what they're in for, which is a rich a rewarding read. But I also wanted to talk about the process of creating such work. Though this is a work of political theory and advice, it is also a literary artifact. As such, it earns and deserves respect. Putting together a work like this in a collaborative effort requires a creative approach. You can hear how Joe Mathews and Mark Paul understand California's problems and how they wrote the book by following this link to the MP3 audio file.



03-30-11: Anne Harris Reads at SF in SF on February 12, 2011


"This is a transgender class-warfare romance."

—"Anne Harris"

Sometimes you get more than you'd expect from a single writer. In these days when YA fiction seems de rigeur, especially in the world of genre fiction, writers try to keep the channels clear, the visions straight. And thus, when Anne Harris appeared at SF in SF on February 12, 2011, those fortunate enough to attend, got not one writer, but three.

As Anne Harris, her novel 'Accidental Creatures' won the first Spectrum Award for a science fiction novel dealing with LGBT characters, themes and issues. Anne Harris subsequently published 'The Nature of Smoke,' 'Inventing Memory.' Not a bad resume for any author.

But there's more. As Pearl North, she wrote the YA novel 'Libyrinth,' a novel that is absolutely designed to appeal to readers by virtue of its premise; the main character is Haly, who hears the voices of books, and is drawn into a conflict with the Singers as a result. The newest book in the series, 'The Boy from Ilysies' is now out and a third book completing the trilogy is in the works.

Then, because two names are apparently not enough, as Jessica Freely she writes Friskbisket Blog she writes erotic romance ebooks. Clearly a very busy writer!

For this entry into the SF in SF series, Anne Harris reads as Pearl North from 'The Boy From Ilysies.' Then Anne Harris reads a couple of scenes as Jessica Freely from 'Amaranth and Ash,' which she describes as a "transgender class-warfare romance." Are you hearing the voices in your head yet? Better still, are you listening to them? You can hear voices from books by following this link to the MP3 audio file.



03-29-11: Terry Bisson, Ann Harris (aka Pearl North) and Lucy Jane Bledsoe at SF in SF on February 12, 2011


"...the people who go there, pretty much to a person, are passionate about their lives..."

—Lucy Jane Bledsoe

What do you get when you put an Antarctic explorer / reporter, a wildly outrageous blogger and a respected science fiction writer in front of three microphones? The short answer is, listen and find out.

And having given a long answer to a question nobody asked, I'm inclined to the short answer, but I'll give a bit of detail anyway. Bisson and Bledsoe and Harris jumped into a three-point conversation with lots more than three points. For all the guaranteed goodness at such a reading, the real magic happens when you put three writer together with a smart audience and let one question lead to another.

Terry Bisson opened up the panel to audience questions pretty much right off the bat when he had Ann Harris and Lucy Jane Bledsoe to speak at SF in SF, and the gender questions were not surprisingly in the forefront. But there's a lot more than gender and trans-gender equality to talk about with Harris and Bledsoe. The whole idea of openness and acceptance quickly steps up to the table. You can step up and listen to the long questions, short answers and everything in-between by following this link to the MP3 audio file.



03-28-11: Jasper Fforde Live at the Capitola Book Café on March 12, 2011

You can always click on the image to reach the audio link

Ten Rules for Writing

When I first told Capitola Book Café that I had snagged Jasper Fforde as a guest for the March version of The Agony Column Live, they were concerned. "Are you sure you can keep up with him, Rick?" I was asked. "He's kind of like a stand-up comedian." "Kind of?" I replied. "He's smarter and faster than most comedians — and funnier." Left unsaid was, "That just makes my job all the easier."

And, as those who were there can attest, my job, as it were, was incredibly easy. It was really a joy to see Jasper again, and the standing-room-only crowd at the Capitola Book Café seemed to agree. I have to say that it was kind of like a peculiar version of a homecoming. And not least, because Jasper and I once again found ourselves talking about a Thursday Next novel.

For me the homecoming aspect is that Jasper Fforde's 'The Eyre Affair' was one of the incept points for this column ten years ago. In honor of the first place I found the book mentioned, I called up Michael over at Legends Books and ordered some Fforde limiteds. The joy of discovering a book like 'The Eyre Affair' was one of the drivers that has kept me writing, interviewing and podcasting for nearly ten years. I remember hesitantly approaching him at this first appearance in the US, and our many conversations since.

This time around, we talked first about his newest book, and the Thursday Next series. Even though he's been writing the series for ten years, he still manages to have a fresh approach. His comment on why he revised, as it were, Bookworld, is priceless.

Now, our conversation might not have run its course in a reasonable amount of time, so I did eventually turn it over to the audience and insisting, for the most part, on a decorous approach that asked them to queue up and approach the microphone. That yielded some of the best material, including a wonderful ten rules for writers, which you'll hear if you follow this link to the MP3 audio file.



New to the Agony Column

09-05-15: Commentary : Susan Casey Listens to 'Voices in the Ocean' : Science, Empathy and Self

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Susan Casey : "...the reporting for this book was emotionally difficult at times..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 213: Susan Casey : Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins

08-24-15: Commentary : Felicia Day Knows 'You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)' : Transformative Technology

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Felicia Day : "I think you have to be attention curators for audience in every way."

08-22-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 212: Felicia Day : You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

08-21-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report : Senator Claire McCaskill is 'Plenty Ladylike' : Internalizing Determination to Overcome Sexism [Incudes Time to Read EP 211: Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike, plus A 2015 Interview with Senator Claire McCaskill]

Agony Column Podcast News Report : Emily Schultz Unleashes 'The Blondes' : A Cure by Color [Incudes Time to Read EP 210: Emily Schultz, The Blondes, plus A 2015 Interview with Emily Schultz]

08-10-15:Agony Column Podcast News Report : In Memory of Alan Cheuse : Thank you Alan, and Your Family, for Everything

07-11-15: Commentary : Robert Repino Morphs 'Mort(e)' : Housecat to Harbinger of the Apocalypse

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Robert Repino : "...an even bigger threat. which is us, the humans..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 208: Robert Repino : Mort(e)

07-05-15: Commentary : Dr. Michael Gazzaniga Tells Tales from Both Sides of the Brain : A Life in Neuroscience Reveals the Life of Science

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Michael Gazzaniga : "We made the first observation and BAM there was the disconnection effect..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 208: Michael Gazzaniga : Tales from Both Sides of the Brain: A Life in Neuroscience

06-26-15: Commentary : Neal Stephenson Crafts an Eden for 'Seveneves' : Blow It Up and Start All Over Again

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Neal Stephenson : "...and know that you're never going to se a tree again..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 207: Neal Stephenson : Seveneves

06-03-15: Commentary : Dan Simmons Opens 'The Fifth Heart' : Having it Every Way

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Dan Simmons : "...yes, they really did bring those bombs..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 206: Dan Simmons : The Fifth Heart

05-23-15: Commentary : John Waters Gets 'Carsick' : Going His Way

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with John Waters : "...you change how you would be in real life...”

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 205: John Waters : Carsick

05-09-15: Commentary : Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD and 'Shrinks' : A Most Fashionable Take on the Human Mind

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD : "..its influence to be as hegemonic as it was..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 204: Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD : Shrinks: The Untold Story of Psychiatry

04-29-15: Commentary : Barney Frank is 'Frank' : Interpersonally Ours

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Barney Frank : "...while you're trying to change it, don't ignore it..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 203: Barney Frank : Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage

04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro : ".... by the time I was writing this novel, the lines between what was fantasy and what was real had blurred for me..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 202: Kazuo Ishiguro : The Buried Giant

04-17-15: Commentary : Erik Larson Follows a 'Dead Wake' : Countdown to Destiny

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Erik Larson : "...said to have been found in the arms of a dead German sailor..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 201: Erik Larson : Dead Wake

04-15-15: Commentary : Peter Bell Reflects 'A Certain Slant of Light' : Strange Stories of Modern Scholars

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Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 200: Peter Bell : Strange Epiphanies and A Certain Slant of Light

03-14-15: Commentary : Marc Goodman Foresees 'Future Crimes' : Exponential Potential

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Marc Goodman : "...every physical object around us is being transformed, one way or another, into an information technology..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 199: Marc Goodman : Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It

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