Episode Archives

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

The Dog of Tetval | Saadat Hasan Manto | Literary Roadhouse Ep 70

July 28, 2016 Anais Concepcion Weekly Short Stories 00:30:26 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: The Dog of Tetval

Find this week’s story here: The Dog of Tetval by Saadat Hasan Manto.

Next week’s story: Escape from New York by Zadie Smith.

Rated: Clean

This week Maya, Rammy, and Anais discussed The Dog of Tetval. Meanwhile, Gerald is still on vacation living his best life.

Anais liked the story’s political activism and wondered if the message changes depending on the reader’s culture. Meanwhile, Maya struggled to connect to the characters. Nonetheless she enjoyed the pacifist message, especially because it aligned with her personal beliefs. Rammy liked Manto’s portrayal of war as futile, but felt the story’s translation was confusing. By contrast, Maya loved the poetic language. As for Anais, she got a kick out of looking up the pop culture references.

Despite mixed opinions during discussion, the story earned top marks. Why so? Tune in to find out.

Also, don’t forget to rate the story! For the history of our goofy system, see Anais’ post “Read Short Stories or Ray Bradbury Cries.” On a scale of 1-6 Bradberries, how do you this story? Tell us in the comments below or via voicemail.

Also your reviews on iTunes help us grow. Please search Literary Roadhouse in iTunes and leave reviews for all of our shows.

The Bradbury Challenge

About Bad Sex Scenes – Bradbury Challenge Ep 17

July 28, 2016 Maya Goode The Bradbury Challenge 00:40:51 0 Comments

Rated: Explicit

So these episodes are coming out very late and in quick succession. Due to stress and organizational difficulties I had to make a choice. Either be even more late, or use subpar audio. The next 5 episodes are not up to our audio standard so please bare with us until we are back to our normal standard.

This week Gerald wrote two stories, Crissy has post project depression and Maya realizes that the short story challenge is re-invigorating the poetry part of her brain.
Crissy was challenged by time management and we here how she overcame. Gerald was also challenged by time management as he prepares for his road trip. Maya was challenged by her anxiety and just so much happening all at one as she ditches her belongings and moves to… where.
We also talk writers conferences, fight scenes and sex scenes.

Literary Roadhouse Discussions

This Weeks Writing Prompt:

You’ve just moved house and in a cupboard you find a bloody knife.

Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila |Literary Roadhouse Bookclub Ep 7

July 1, 2016 Anais Concepcion Monthly Bookclub 00:57:00 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: Tram 83

Next month’s novel: God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

Rated: Explicit

John McCoyThis month we discuss Tram 83 with John McCoy, host of Sophomore Lit, a podcast about your tenth grade reading list. Follow John on twitter @tracemcjoy

Join John and Anais as they discuss Fiston Mwanza Mujila’s debut novel Tram 83. Set in a fictional city-state in Western Africa, the novel shares a name with a frenetic jazz club where alcohol and sex transact like currency.

The hosts analyze Fiston’s unique prose and shifting tone. While, the narrator and point of view confound, they charm. Anais struggled to find the protagonist’s goal. Meanwhile John debated whether or not the characters represents individuals, or archetypes. To what extent does the novel echo the real world’s West African history? Does a setting like Tram 83 exist? How much of the story should be interpreted as allegory to the real world, and how much of it should be enjoyed as hyperbolic fiction?

If you have any comments, please share your thoughts in the comment section below. Or, if you prefer, leave a voicemail by clicking on the feature to the left. By the way, we may play your voicemail on our next show, so tell us if you would prefer we did not.

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

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

Harrison Bergeron | Kurt Vonnegut | Literary Roadhouse Ep 69

June 28, 2016 Anais Concepcion Weekly Short Stories 00:46:33 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: Harrison Bergeron

Find this week’s story here: Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Next week’s story: The Dog of Tetval by Saadat Hasan Manto.

Rated: Clean

Gerald is still on vacation. This week Gabriel Jarboe, aspiring author and friend of the show, joins the discussion.

This week’s discussion of Harrison Bergeron led the hosts to debate the choices authors make in designing their characters. Gabriel thought the over-the-top, comedic quality of the title character, Harrison, was a stroke of genius and meant to be taken with levity. While Anais believed the choice to make Harrison an egomaniac undermined the satire’s larger lesson that warns against the perils of egalitarianism. Maya felt the story to be emotionally flat, but an enjoyable thought experiment. Rammy surprisingly liked the science fiction story, and admitted he normally does not like sci-fi. The discussion also veered into how innate competition is to the human condition. Maya noted that the handicaps made the subjects stronger, and Anais realized that even with the handicaps, the characters in the story could tell who was gifted and who was not.

Gabriel makes a valiant effort to convince Maya of the story’s pathos. Is he successful?

Also, don’t forget to rate the story! For the history of our goofy system, see Anais’ post “Read Short Stories or Ray Bradbury Cries.” On a scale of 1-6 Bradberries, how do you this story? Tell us in the comments below or via voicemail.

Also your reviews on iTunes help us grow. Please search Literary Roadhouse in iTunes and leave reviews for all of our shows.

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

What Splits Us | Mark Farrington | Literary Roadhouse Ep 68

June 20, 2016 Anais Concepcion Weekly Short Stories 00:38:57 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: What Splits Us

Find this weeks story here: What Splits Us by Mark Farrington.

Next weeks story: Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Rated: Explicit

Gerald couldn’t join us this week, because he is on his annual caravan road trip in France. This week’s story was chosen by Gerald, and he left us with one heck of a story!

What Splits Us by Mark Farrington left Maya, Anais, and Rammy feeling emotionally flat, but with a lot to analyze and dig into. Despite the explicit content, neither the story’s kink nor characters moved the three hosts. Maya and Anais agreed that the characterization of Sara felt unreal, while Bob resonated with Anais. Maya wished Bob would have taken more risks and thought more on his new role as spanker.

Anais enjoyed the story intellectually, but agreed that the story stirred no emotions, while Rammy railed against the explicit nature of the story and once again made a plea to pre-read stories before submitting them. The three hosts agreed that the prose was clean, but discussed the extent to which clean language robs a story of emotion. Maya makes an admirable attempt to convince Rammy that explicit stories can still have literary merit. Was Rammy finally convinced?

Also, don’t forget to rate the story! For the history of our goofy system, see Anais’ post “Read Short Stories or Ray Bradbury Cries.” On a scale of 1-6 Bradberries, how do you this story? Tell us in the comments below or via voicemail.

Also your reviews on iTunes help us grow. Please search Literary Roadhouse in iTunes and leave reviews for all of our shows.

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

La Cuesta Encantada | Colette Sartor | Literary Roadhouse Ep 67

June 10, 2016 Anais Concepcion Weekly Short Stories 00:46:22 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: La Cuesta Encantada

Find this weeks story here: La Cuesta Encantada by Colette Sartore

Next weeks story is What Splits Us by Mark Farrington.

Rated: Clean

Due to unexpected audio issues, today’s episode has some background noise in places. We apologize for the inconvenience and did our best to bring you the best listening experience possible.

This week’s discussion of Colette Sartor’s La Cuesta Encantada divided the four hosts along gender lines. Maya and Anais loved the story, while Rammy didn’t find it emotionally appealing. Meanwhile, Gerald outright disliked it. Maya questions whether the women-focused theme turns off male readers, and loved the portrayal of older female friendships. Anais found the prose to be masterful and was moved to tears. Rammy thought the story was fine, but a bit long. No surprise there! Gerald agreed that the story could have been enriched by focusing on the main relationship and developing the male characters. When it came time to rate the story, Gerald and Anais debated the merits of writing a story to appeal to both men and women. The discussion gets very heated! Tune in to listen to the hosts really tear into this week’s short fiction.

Also, don’t forget to rate the story! For the history of our goofy system, see Anais’ post “Read Short Stories or Ray Bradbury Cries.” On a scale of 1-6 Bradberries, how do you this story? Tell us in the comments below or via voicemail.

Also your reviews on iTunes help us grow. Please search Literary Roadhouse in iTunes and leave reviews for all of our shows.

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

The Snows of Kilimanjaro | Ernest Hemingway | Literary Roadhouse Ep 66

May 26, 2016 Anais Concepcion Weekly Short Stories 00:42:39 2 Comments

Discussion Notes: The Snows of Kilimanjaro

Find this weeks story here: The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway

Next weeks story is La Cuesta Encantada by Colette Sartore

Rated: Clean

This week we discussed Gerald’s favorite author, Hemingway. Gerald wasn’t shy about his fanboy love for Hemingway and this story, particularly the sections that flash back to wars and living among the common people. Maya enjoyed the story over all, but was troubled by the poorly drawn female character. The hosts debate how Hemingway could have shown a more human female character which staying in the male narrator’s point of view. When it came to descriptions and theme, Anais liked the theme of fraud and imposter syndrome. Rammy liked the scenes between the couple on safari, but took some issue with some “explicit” content in the narrator’s past, which utterly confused the other hosts who didn’t find the story explicit at all! So what was (or was not) explicit? Tune in to find out.

Also, don’t forget to rate the story! For the history of our goofy system, see Anais’ post “Read Short Stories or Ray Bradbury Cries.” On a scale of 1-6 Bradberries, how do you this story? Tell us in the comments below or via voicemail.

Also your reviews on iTunes help us grow. Please search Literary Roadhouse in iTunes and leave reviews for all of our shows.

The Bradbury Challenge

Why we write – Bradbury Challenge Ep 16

May 23, 2016 Maya Goode The Bradbury Challenge 0:42:17 0 Comments

Rated: Mildly Explicit

This week Gerald finished his archetype series and Maya used the writing prompt from the last episode. Crissy also did well and prepared a story for publication. For much of this slightly off topic episode, we discuss Hue Howey and Stephen King, then Gerald get’s us back on topic and we talk about why we write.

This Weeks Writing Prompt:

You are cleaning your files on your computers and you find one that you don’t remember putting there and all it says is, “Remember.”

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

Attitude Adjustment | Tim Gautreaux |Literary Roadhouse Ep 65

May 17, 2016 Anais Concepcion Weekly Short Stories 0:57:04 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: Attitude Adjustment

Find this weeks story here: Attitude Adjustment by Tim Gautreaux

Next weeks story is The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway

Rated: Clean

This week’s story had religious themes that left Gerald as the odd man out. Rammy enjoyed the story’s message of surrendering to a greater plan, while Maya believed that story’s message was about finding the good in pain and suffering. Anais enjoyed the prose and the political subplots. The hosts analyze the morality of the story, and debate whether or not it is religious in nature, and Gerald asks if the politics of immigration in the United States was handled too bluntly in broad strokes of wrong or right. But did everyone read the stories political and religious messages the same way? Tune in to find out.

Also, don’t forget to rate the story! We rated it a 6-6-6-4 (5.5 average). For the history of our goofy system, see Anais’ post “Read Short Stories or Ray Bradbury Cries.” On a scale of 1-6 Bradberries, how do you rate Attitude Adjustment? Tell us in the comments below or via voicemail, and we will give the final tally on the next episode. We are also in desperate need of iTunes reviews. Please search Literary Roadhouse in iTunes and leave reviews for all of our shows.

Literary Roadhouse

Discussing The Sellout | Literary Roadhouse Bookclub Ep 5

May 15, 2016 Maya Goode Monthly Bookclub 00:56:54 0 Comments

Discussion Notes: The Sellout

Next Month’s novel is Sleeping on Jupiter by Anuradha Roy

Rated: Explicit for Adult Themes and Language

Our guest this month couldn’t make it, but Anais, Maya, and Gerald dove in to this dark satire by Paul Beatty.

The Sellout follows a black, urban farmer who, in an effort to restore the black community in his hometown of Dickens, decides to segregate his community. The novel touches on other dark moments in American black history such as slavery, minstrel entertainment, and the civil rights movement. Gerald enjoyed the novel for its fresh prose, humor, and sheer entertainment value, but, as an outsider to both the black experience and United States history, struggled to connect with the references and message on a personal level. Anais was delighted by the courage in the social commentary and the stream-of-consciousness narrative. Maya loved the slam poetry roots evident in the language, and the use of black culture’s ‘inside voice’, and related several points in the novel to her own experience as a black woman in the United States.

If you have any recommendations for the bookclub, please let us know in the comments. We also have a voicemail system on the website. If you would like to leave a voicemail please click the green bar that says voicemail on the left. We may play your comment live on the show, unless you tell us not to. We air the first Friday of every month and discuss the books on twitter using #LRHBC

Support us on Patreon

Become a Patron!

Join the Discussion

Reading along with us and have comments of your own? You are welcome to leave them on this website, our join our closed Facebook group for story discussion, The Literary Roadhouse Readers.

About Literary Roadhouse

Literary Roadhouse is a literary podcast where avid readers and aspiring writers read and discuss short and long fiction.
Read deeply.