Literary Roadhouse: A Literary Podcast Community.

Every week we have a rowdy old time discussing diverse literary fiction

Literary Roadhouse

Literary Roadhouse

A Literary Podcast Community

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge | Ambrose Bierce | Literary Roadhouse Ep 140

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Discussion Notes: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

This week’s story:  An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce

Next week’s story: Enough for Me by Becca Krock

Rated: Clean

We’re sorry this episode is two days late! If you want to prevent an episode from ever releasing late ever again, consider supporting us on Patreon.

This week Gerald, Rammy, and Anais discuss “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce. Gerald loved the prose, but not the plot. In the reverse, Anais loved the plot the anticipates an entire genre, but prefers different prose. Rammy struggled to find meaning in the story, while Anais found plenty to chew on, albeit a rather depressing chew.

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

The Crowd | Ray Bradbury | Literary Roadhouse Ep 139

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Discussion Notes: The Crowd

Find this week’s story, a Halloween Special: Listen to an audio version of The Crowd by Ray Bradbury

Next week’s story: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce

Rated: Clean

Happy Halloween! Listener Nick Huard recommended a spooky Ray Bradbury story for Halloween, and we couldn’t resist! Gerald, Rammy, and Anais discuss “The Crowd” by Ray Bradbury. Our hosts discuss the supernatural elements and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it plot twist at the very end. Anais compares the original story discussed on this podcast to the made-for-TV version that aired in a 1985 episode of The Ray Bradbury Theater. We highly recommend you watch the TV episode of the crowd on Youtube.

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

The Five-Forty-Eight | John Cheever | Literary Roadhouse Ep 138

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Discussion Notes: The Five-Forty-Eight

Find this week’s story here:  The Five-Forty-Eight by John Cheever

Next week’s story, a Halloween Special: Listen to an audio version of The Crowd by Ray Bradbury

Rated: Clean

Gerald, Rammy, and Anais discuss “The Five-Forty-Eight” by John Cheever. All three hosts loved this story, which was remarkably similar in theme and protagonist to last week’s story, but very different in terms of style, mood, prose, and tension. Cheever’s story is full of symbols that allude to the monotony of mediocre, suburban life, and the men who feel entitled within it. If you enjoyed this discussion, be sure to listen to last week’s discussion on “A Rich Man” by Edward P. Jones.

Note: Although Anais wins the game at the end, our discussion of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek” by Ambrose Bierce will not post until the first week of November. Next week it’s Halloween and we’re enjoying a spooky Ray Bradbury treat!

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

A Rich Man | Edward P Jones | Literary Roadhouse Ep 137

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Discussion Notes: A Rich Man

Find this week’s story here:  A Rich Man by Edward P. Jones

Next week’s story:  The Five-Forty-Eight by John Cheever

Rated: Explicit

Gerald, Rammy, and Anais discuss “A Rich Man” by Edward P. Jones. Anais valiantly tries to convince Gerald and Rammy that there’s more to the story than meets the eye. Though the men on the podcast agree with Anais’s points, they struggle to connect with the overall narrative and characters. However, Gerald enjoyed the prose and reads his favorite lines.

This story pairs nicely with next week’s story, “The Five-Forty-Eight” by John Cheever. Both stories focus on philandering men whose dalliances lead them down dangerous paths.

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

The Mark on the Wall | Virginia Woolf | Literary Roadhouse Ep 136

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Discussion Notes: The Mark on the Wall

Find this week’s story here:  The Mark on the Wall by Virginia Woolf

Next week’s story:  A Rich Man by Edward P. Jones

Rated: Clean

Gerald, Rammy, and Anais discuss “The Mark on the Wall” by Virginia Woolf, and struggle to separate thesis from plot. Rammy’s need for a story outweighed Anais’s appreciation of Woolf’s philosophical points. Gerald notices a motif across Woolf’s short stories: snails.

For those wondering where Maya has been, she’s been taking the summer off to get her adventurous life as an artistic digital nomad in order. She’ll be back!

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

Passage | Kevin Jared Hosein | Literary Roadhouse Ep 135

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Discussion Notes: Passage

Find this week’s story here:  Passage by Kevin Jared Hosein

Next week’s story:  The Mark on the Wall by Virginia Woolf

Rated: Clean

This week Anais and Gerald are joined by Josh Caporale of Literary Gladiators, a booktube channel where a panel of four discuss and debate works of literature. They’re quite similar to Literary Roadhouse, except they’re video-based and record episodes together. Check out Literary Gladiators’ Youtube channel!

Josh is also contributing author to Speculations From New Jersey, an anthology of fantastic stories published by Thrift Books in 2014.

Together, Josh, Anais, and Gerald discussed the Commonwealth Short Story Prize’s Caribbean regional winner, “Passage” by Kevin Jared Hosein.

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

(REWIND) The Yellow Wallpaper | Charlotte Perkins Gilman | Literary Roadhouse Ep 49

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Discussion Notes: The Yellow Wallpaper

This week we’re replaying an episode from our archive! We picked this story because it’s one of our favorite discussions to date. (Boy has our sound editing improved in the years since this episode aired!)

Find this week’s rewind story here:  The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Next episode:  Passage by Kevin Jared Hosein

Rated: Clean

We really enjoyed this in depth discussion of The Yellow Wallpaper, an important part of the American short story cannon about mental illness and the treatment of women. Written in the late 1800’s this story seems to bridge an old-fashioned writing style, and more modern tension and tones. It is full of symbolism that allowed us to delve deep into the many aspects of this masterpiece. In addition, listening to Rammy figure out the story on air is both fascinating and educational about the process of understanding fiction. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below, or leave a comment using the voicemail function to the right. We may read your voicemail on air, so if you don’t want us to do so, tell us.

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

The Diamond as Big as the Ritz | F. Scott Fitzgerald | Literary Roadhouse Ep 134

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Discussion Notes: The Diamond as Big as the Ritz

Find this week’s story here:  The Diamond as Big as the Ritz by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Next week’s story:  Passage by Kevin Jared Hosein

Rated: Clean

And then there were two… Rammy’s got married recently and was on his honeymoon during the recording of this episode. Hooray, Rammy! Maya’s been dealing with some computer trouble. And so Gerald and Anais bravely soldier on, tackling a 15k+ word story on their own. Thankfully they both loved the colorful, decadent, and twisted plot of “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. They analyze the prose, characters, and themes, and reflect on how the use of absurdity played right into Fitzgerald’s greater commentary on wealth.

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

The Dinner Party | Joshua Ferris | Literary Roadhouse Ep 133

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Discussion Notes: The Dinner Party

Find this week’s story here:  The Dinner Party by Joshua Ferris

Next week’s story:  The Diamond as Big as the Ritz by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Rated: Clean

Rammy, Gerald and Anais rave about  “The Dinner Party” by Joshua Ferris,which was suggested by former guest Colette Sartor. The three hosts discuss the story’s sharply drawn characters, clever and entertaining dialogue, and plot twist. Rammy and Anais debate the line between a vividly drawn character and melodrama, and Gerald surprises himself by enjoying a story with an ambiguous ending.

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

Stone Mattress | Margaret Atwood | Literary Roadhouse Ep 132

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Discussion Notes: Stone Mattress

Find this week’s story here: Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood

Next week’s story:  The Dinner Party by Joshua Ferris

Rated: Clean

This week all four Literary Roadhouse hosts gushed about this superbly sharp and entertaining short story by Margaret Atwood. “Stone Mattress” inspired an in-depth discussion of excellent prose, characterizations and symbolism. The conversation turns contentious as the hosts debate the moral character of the protagonist’s former husbands.

Come for the discussion, stay for a blooper reel at the very end.

Have thoughts on this story?

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