Podcast: Literary Disco

Writers talk about reading. Hosted by Tod Goldberg, Julia Pistell, and Rider Strong.

Episode 44: Robert Frost’s New Hampshire

For the first time ever, the Disco takes on a dead poet. And not just any one, but perhaps the most celebrated and popular of American poets, Robert Frost. Julia selected his fourth book, New Hampshire, which includes famous Frost poems such as […]

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Episode 43: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

Football and the Iraq war come together in Ben Fountain’s novel, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, a portrait of fictional war heroes during a “victory tour” in 2004. The disco trio discusses the books insights on war, class, […]

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Episode 42: When Animals Attack

On this “animal rage” episode, the trio reads articles about animal attacks.
From Slate, A Death in Yellowstone by Jessica Grose
From Outside Magazine, The Killer in the Pool by Tim Zimmerman
And from Esquire, The Worst Story I Ever Hear[…]

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Episode 41: Dr. Sleep

In this Halloween spooktacular, we talk about Stephen King’s latest novel, Dr. Sleep. It’s a sequel to his genre-defining classic, The Shining.
Does Dr. Sleep hold up to its predecessor? Or is it something different entirely?
But first[…]

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Episode 40: Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe’s classic novel of a Nigerian colonial encounter gets the Disco treatment. An in-depth look at Things Fall Apart leads to discussion of Achebe’s legacy and African literature in general.
But first, songs. Lots of songs, as[…]

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Episode 39: The Penis Play

This week the trio takes on a dirtily-titled play that’s…actually not that dirty. “Cock” by Mike Bartlett is a strange combination of minimalist writing, incredibly specific characters, and Big Important Issues. For the secon[…]

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Episode 38: Summer Vacation Essays

This week, the Disco trio reflects on the end of summer with two classic essays Julia selected.
First up, E.B. White’s short and moving trip back to his childhood vacation spot, Once More to the Lake (which can be found in its entirety, here).[…]

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Episode 37: Hot for Teacher, LIVE!

Our first live episode, recorded in front of an amazing audience on August 22nd at the Barnes & Noble at the Grove in Los Angeles, California.
We’re joined by guest author Ivy Pochoda, who just that day was wrapping up the book tour for h[…]

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Episode 36: The Woman Chaser

Guest author Jim Gavin joins us for the strange journey that is Charles Willeford’s novel, The Woman Chaser, a book that confounds as much as it entertains. LA noir, postmodern pulp, and somehow, existential ennui are all squeezed into one lit[…]

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Episode 35: A River Runs Through It

This week, we catch a big fish: the classic novella “A River Runs Through It,” and — movie bonus — we rant and rave about how it translated. Also discussed: a roulette brings us to Wuthering Heights, Dickensian England, and t[…]

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