Anais Concepcion, Author at Literary Roadhouse

Discussing The Skylight Room by O. Henry | Literary Roadhouse Ep 153

The Skylight Room | O. Henry | Literary Roadhouse Ep 153

March 20, 2019 Anais Concepcion 00:35:23 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: The Skylight Room

This week’s story: The Skylight Room by O. Henry

Next week’s story: The Second Bakery Attack by Haruki Murakami

Rated: Clean

Gerald, Anais and Andy discuss “The Skylight Room” by O. Henry and did not like it, but had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs in the process. This was Rammy’s departing gift, and the theme and lessons seem buried deep and twisted. The story’s main source of humor did not age well. The discussion is illustrative of how themes could be sowed.

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Psst: Full list of short stories discussed on the podcast >>

Discussing Exit West by Mohsin Hamid | Literary Roadhouse Bookclub Ep 25

Exit West | Mohsin Hamid | Literary Roadhouse Bookclub Ep 25

March 15, 2019 Anais Concepcion 1:01:34 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: Exit West

In January we read Exit West by Mohsin Hamid.

Next month we will read Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James.

Rated: Clean

Gerald, Anais, and Colette discuss Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, which was short listed for the 2017 Booker prize. At the heart of this book is a romance, tested by a civil war, the painful life of a migrant on the run in foreign countries, and the labyrinthine system of fictitious doors that lead them on their difficult trip across the globe. All three hosts loved the book, it’s tone, and light element of magical realism that tied the story together.

Sorry we’re late with this one! Gerald and Anais run the editing behind the scenes in whatever free time they can find in busy lives. Gerald’s moved house and had no internet for 2 weeks, and Anais couldn’t keep up with all the shows without him! April should be back on track.

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We air the first Friday of every month, and discuss the books on Twitter between shows using #LRHBookclub.

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Psst: Full list of books discussed on the podcast >>

Discussing Us and Them by David Sedaris | Literary Roadhouse Ep 152

Us and Them | David Sedaris | Literary Roadhouse Ep 152

March 6, 2019 Anais Concepcion 0:39:26 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: Us and Them

This week’s story: Us and Them by David Sedaris

Next week’s story: The Skylight Room by O. Henry

Rated: Clean

This is Rammy’s last episode! He’s off to pursue psychology in grad school. Andy will be filling in as a regular host. Today, Gerald, Anais, Andy and Rammy discuss “Us and Them” by David Sedaris. All four hosts loved the humor and the insightful comments on consumerism and television culture. Come for the literary discussion, stay for the hot debate about the psychology of buying and enjoying candy.

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Psst: Full list of short stories discussed on the podcast >>

A podcast for literary fiction discussions of short stories and novels.

(REWIND) Christmas Party | Russell Banks | Literary Roadhouse Ep 131

February 27, 2019 Anais Concepcion 0:40:34 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: Christmas Party

This week we’re replaying an episode from our archive! We picked this story because it’s one of our favorite discussions to date.

Find this week’s rewind story here: Christmas Party by Russell Banks

Next week’s story: Us and Them by David Sedaris

Rated: Clean

Baylee Annis, Assistant to the Director at the Adirondack Center for Writing

This week Gerald, Rammy, and Anais are joined by Baylee Annis, Assistant to the Director of the Adirondack Center for Writing. She is poet, essayist, journalist, and loves talking about words so much she made it her job to pass on her passion to others. She studied at Norwich University in Vermont and was one of a whopping two students who studied english, education, and sociology. An Adirondack native, she hasn’t had electricity or running water for three years in her adorable 128 sq ft house, and would have it no other way.

You can learn more about the Adirondack Center for Writing at adirondackcenterforwriting.org

The show quickly became a love fest! All four hosts gushed over the brilliant characters, prose, and plot of this classic Russell Banks short story. Baylee brought her Adirondack native experience to the conversation, commenting on how the community was one more character in the story. Meanwhile, Rammy and Anais debate why the protagonist briefly contemplated kidnapping a baby.

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Psst: Full list of short stories discussed on the podcast >>

Discussing Omakase by Weike Wang | Literary Roadhouse Ep 151

Omakase | Weike Wang | Literary Roadhouse Ep 151

February 13, 2019 Anais Concepcion 0:47:49 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: Omakase

This week’s story: Omakase by Weike Wang

Next week’s story: Us and Them by David Sedaris

Rated: Clean

Alli Hoff Kosik

This week we welcomed Alli Hoff Kosik as a guest to discuss “Omakase” by Weike Wang. She is a full-time freelance writer. Her work has been published in outlets like Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Brit + Co, Medium, The Kitchn, Real Simple, and more. She’s also the host of The SSR Podcast, on which each week she invites a guest to revisit a book from their middle or high school days. Alli lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and her golden retriever pup, Irv.

Twitter: @ahoffkosik // @ssrpod

Instagram: @ahoffkosik // @ssrpod

www.allihoffkosik.com

www.ssrpodcast.com

Gerald, Anais and Alli discuss this brilliant story and explore themes of class, race, romance, and even coin a new phrase “aggressive confidence,” aka swagger.

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Psst: Full list of short stories discussed on the podcast >>

Discussing Chaunt by Joy Williams | Literary Roadhouse Ep 150

Chaunt | Joy Williams | Literary Roadhouse Ep 150

February 6, 2019 Anais Concepcion 00:40:21 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: Chaunt

This week’s story: Chaunt by Joy Williams

Next week’s story: Omakase by Weike Wang

Rated: Clean

We’re a week late! We took off last week to catch up with some back log and work over flow. As our regular listeners know, the hosts you hear on each episode are the entire crew. Gerald and Anais spli the sound editing, and Anais does all the we upkeep, publishing, social media, guest sourcing, etc, etc. We could really use your support us in bringing us great content. At the very least, buy as a cup of coffee every month by subscribing on Patreon and pledging just $3 a month – enough for a coffee! It really adds up and goes a long way.

This week Gerald, Andy and Anais discuss “Chaunt” by Joy Williams, an eccentric story about grief, extinctions of various kinds, religion, and despair. Despite the heavy theme, the story is funny, hitting the gallows humor right on every note. We loved this story, giving it perfect marks across the board, and highly recommend you read the story too.

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Psst: Full list of short stories discussed on the podcast >>

Milkman | Anna Burns | Literary Roadhouse Bookclub Ep 24

February 1, 2019 Anais Concepcion 00:57:45 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: Milkman

In January we read Milkman by Anna Burns.

Next month we will read Exit West by Mohsin Hamid.

Rated: Adult Themes, Clean-ish Language

Gerald, Anais, and Colette discuss the 2018 Booker prize winner Milkman by Anna Burns. This challenging book examines gender, tribalism, the power of rumor, shame, and violence during The Troubles of the 1970s in what is presumably Belfast. As many reviewers before us have said, the prose can be difficult to read in long sittings. So we start there, get the complaints out of the way, then dive into all the rich storytelling, insights, and plot tendrils embedded in this breathtaking novel.

We apologize for audio issues. Colette’s professional microphone had to be sent to the manufacturer to be replaced, and in the meantime we rolled the dice on a gaming headset, and the bet didn’t quite pan out, but it’s worth it for her invaluable insights and comments.

Please leave an iTunes review! It helps us attract a wider audience and keep growing.

We air the first Friday of every month, and discuss the books on Twitter between shows using #LRHBookclub.

We’d love to hear from you

Did we miss something? Tell us below! Or on Twitter @litroadhouse or in our FB group.

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We’re still a self-funded podcast. We work hard every week to bring you the best content possible.


Psst: Full list of books discussed on the podcast >>

Discussing House Taken Over by Julio Cortazar | Literary Roadhouse Ep 149

House Taken Over | Julio Cortazar | Literary Roadhouse Ep 149

January 23, 2019 Anais Concepcion 0:42:56 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: House Taken Over

This week’s story: House Taken Over by Julio Cortázar

Next week’s story: Chaunt by Joy Williams

Rated: Clean

This week we are joined by a guest! Andy Kopczynski, a long time friend of Anais, a hater of literary fiction, and a lover and avid reader of pulpy fantasy and sci-fi. Can we make Andy love literary fiction too?

Find out as Andy, Gerald, Rammy, and Anais discuss the melancholic ¨House Taken Over¨by Julio Cortázar. A story open to multiple interpretations, and in which the conflict never quite spills over into a proper climax, leaves our regular hosts divided. But what about our reluctant guest?

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Psst: Full list of short stories discussed on the podcast >>

Discussing The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry | Literary Roadhouse Ep 148

The Gift of the Magi | O. Henry | Literary Roadhouse Ep 148

January 16, 2019 Anais Concepcion 0:27:13 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: The Gift of the Magi

This week’s story: The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

Next week’s story: House Taken Over by Julio Cortázar

Rated: Clean

Gerald, Rammy, and Anais discuss the classic parable ¨The Gift of the Magi¨by O. Henry. Our podcast typically doesn’t love parables, which Rammy insists on submitting. However, Gerald appreciated the twist and Anais was won over by a quirky narrative style. Truth be told, it was refreshing to read a wholesome story.

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Psst: Full list of short stories discussed on the podcast >>

Discussing The Adulterous Woman by Albert Camus | Literary Roadhouse Ep 147

The Adulterous Woman | Albert Camus | Literary Roadhouse Ep 147

January 9, 2019 Anais Concepcion 0:42:30 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: The Adulterous Woman

This week’s story: The Adulterous Woman by Albert Camus

Next week’s story: The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

Rated: Adult Themes, Clean Language

Gerald, Rammy, and Anais discuss “The Adulterous Woman” by Albert Camus, a stirring story about a woman’s mid-life yearning for freedom from the trappings of a comfortable, unfulfilling life. The story takes place in Algeria before the war of independence from France, and features a French couple moving through the Arab interior. The stark imagery and deep internal musings make the story a satisfying read.

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Psst: Full list of short stories discussed on the podcast >>

Anais Concepcion

Discussion Notes: The Skylight Room

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Discussion Notes: Exit West

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Discussion Notes: Us and Them

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Discussion Notes: Christmas Party

This week we’re replaying an episode from our archive! We picked this story because it’s one of our favorite discussions to date.

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Discussion Notes: Omakase

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Discussion Notes: Chaunt

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Discussion Notes: Milkman

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Discussion Notes: House Taken Over

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Discussion Notes: The Gift of the Magi

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Discussion Notes: The Adulterous Woman

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