Literary Friction - Short Stories with Arinze Ifeakandu

Literary Friction

#LiteraryFriction #Literary Friction #Arts #Books #Storytelling #Books and Writing

28:24

In our second installment of the Small Business Starter Kit series - we’re tackling a topic that’s sometimes tricky, sometimes confusing, but ever-present: taxes. Hosts Austin and Jannese have an insightful conversation with entrepreneur Isabella Rosal who started 7th Sky Ventures , an exporter and distributor of craft spirits, beer, and wine. Having lived and worked in two different countries and started a company in a heavily-regulated field, Isabella is no stranger to navigating the paperwork-laden and jargon-infused maze of properly understanding taxes for a newly formed small business. Join us as she shares her story and provides valuable insight into how to tackle your business’ taxes - so they don’t tackle you. Learn more about how QuickBooks can help you grow your business: QuickBooks.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

2 years ago 1:02:08

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What makes a brilliant short story? Are they better read as part of a collection or as a sharp shot on their own? How do you render fully formed characters in very few words? We're thrilled that this month, Arinze Ifeakandu joined us to talk about his short story collection Gods Children Are Little Broken Things, a beautiful, artful collection of nine short stories about queer lives and love in Nigeria. One of the great pleasures of reading this book is savouring the art of the short story, but also seeing how they can be built into a cohesive collection, so it felt like the perfect opportunity to revisit the form. Tune in for our interview with Arinze, our thoughts on the short story (including some favourites), plus all the usual recommendations. Recommendations on the theme, Short Stories: Octavia: Colorín Colorado by Camille Bordas Carrie: Blue 4Eva by Saba Sams General Recommendations: Octavia: Valentino by Natalia Ginzburg Arinze: The Sorrows of Others by Ada Zhang, and Oppositions by Mary Gaitskill Carrie: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/september-2023-short-stories-with-arinze-ifeakandu Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction Email us: litfriction@gmail.com Tweet us & find us on Instagram: @litfriction

165 episodes

Literary Friction - Short Stories with Arinze Ifeakandu

Literary Friction

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published 2 years ago

MP3•Episode home

165 episodes

#LiteraryFriction #Literary Friction #Arts #Books #Storytelling #Books and Writing

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1
Literary Friction - Year (and Decade) in Review 2023 1:21:07

1 year ago1:21:07

1:21:07

It's time for our usual Year in Review show, but seeing as this is also our last EVER episode (sob!), we're shaking things up a little to bring you a bit of a decade in review as well, so we can look back over our highlights from ten wonderful years of Literary Friction. This show is stuffed full of recommendations, including our favourite reads from this year and books we're looking forward to reading in 2024, but also the books we're happiest to have found through the show. So, if you need inspiration for what to get your friends and loved ones this holiday season then listen closely! You can find a list of all the books mentioned at the link below. Thank you to everyone who has helped us make the show over the years, to all the brilliant authors who have chatted with us, and most of all, thank you all so much for listening. Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/december-2023-year-and-decade-in-review Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction Email us: litfriction@gmail.com…

1
Literary Friction - A Life of One's Own with Xialou Guo 59:17

1 year ago59:17

59:17

What does it mean, to pursue a life of your own? And what is art and literature's role in figuring out what that might look like? This month we're delighted to be talking to writer and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo, whose latest book Radical: A Life of My Own is both a personal lexicon and a memoir, which thinks deeply about what it would mean to truly forge a life of one’s own. As we announced on our last minisode, we’re wrapping up Literary Friction at the end of this year, so this is our last author interview. Xiaolu is a really fitting last guest, because of how she thinks about things like language, translation, freedom and radicality through literature, which are many of the themes we’ve returned to again and again over the last decade of shows. Don’t worry though - this isn’t our final episode! We’ll be bringing you a bumper edition of our year in review in a couple of weeks’ time. Recommendations on the theme, A Life of One's Own: Octavia: The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner Carrie: The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright General Recommendations: Octavia: Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon Xiaolu: Art Monsters by Lauren Elkin, and Humanly Possible by Sarah Bakewell Carrie: Trust by Hernan Diaz Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/december-2023-a-life-of-one-s-own-with-xiaolu-guo Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction Email us: litfriction@gmail.com…

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Minisode Forty-Five: Friendship 47:04

1 year ago47:04

47:04

Our theme this month was suggested by our patron Maral, who asked us to do an episode about our friendship, because she’s interested in how our (very!) different personalities align. We thought it might be a little self-indulgent to spend a whole episode talking about us specifically, so we’re also going to return to the theme of friendship more broadly, and talk about some of our favourite books about friends. We also make a pretty big announcement on this episode: after ten wonderful years of Literary Friction, our Year in Review show this December will be our last. It feels like the natural end, for reasons we get into, but we are really going to miss you all! And don't worry, there's also a final full show coming between now and our final goodbye.…

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Literary Friction - Desire with K Patrick 59:38

1 year ago59:38

59:38

How do the people and things we desire shape our identities? And how do you render the physical intensity of desire on the page? Author K Patrick joins us in thinking about desire this month - we spoke to K about their debut novel Mrs. S, which tells the story of a young Australian who arrives at an elite English all-girls boarding school for a job and ends up having a life-changing affair with the headmaster's wife. It's a sensual portrait of queer desire, and the transformative power of lust and longing, which is why we wanted to revisit the theme of desire in this show. So, listen in for all the usual recommendations, our favourite writing about desire, and why desire is crucial to the act of reading itself. Recommendations on the theme, Desire: Octavia: A Lover's Discourse by Roland Barthes Carrie: Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux General Recommendations: Octavia: Intimacies by Katie Kitamura K: Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson Carrie: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/november-2023-desire-with-k-patrick Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction Email us: litfriction@gmail.com Tweet us & find us on Instagram: @litfriction…

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Minisode Forty-four: Parenthood 47:14

1 year ago47:14

47:14

Last year we made a minisode about mothers, and one about fathers, both of which began an ongoing conversation about parenthood and literature that we wanted to pick up this month. Is fiction a good form for exploring the experience of parenthood? And beyond the ubiquitous parenting manuals, what does non-fiction about parenthood have to offer? Adulthood lasts far longer than childhood, so what about books that look at parent-child relationships in later life? Tune in for this and more, plus all the usual recommendations.…

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Literary Friction - Doppelgangers with Naomi Klein 59:23

1 year ago59:23

59:23

What is it about doppelgangers that's so endlessly compelling? Who better to answer this question than the one and only Naomi Klein, who joined us to talk about her latest book, Doppelganger. This riveting and intellectually rigorous journey begins with a mix-up: people kept confusing Naomi Klein with another Naomi, author Naomi Wolf (known for The Beauty Myth), who got lost in the world of right wing conspiracies during the pandemic. Klein uses the trajectory of the other Naomi to examine the reflection of this 'mirror world' on the right, where vaccine passports are tools for control and climate change is a hoax. Tune in to listen to our conversation with Naomi, and to a consideration of our own distorted reflections, dark doubles, and what mirror worlds can tell us about ourselves. Recommendations on the theme, Mirror Worlds: Octavia: August Blue by Deborah Levy Carrie: The Likeness by Tana French General Recommendations: Octavia: Alone by Daniel Schreiber Naomi and Carrie : Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/october-2023-mirror-worlds-with-naomi-klein Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction Email us: litfriction@gmail.com Tweet us & find us on Instagram: @litfriction…

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Minisode Forty-Three: Sad Girl Novels 46:13

2 years ago46:13

46:13

Our theme this month was suggested by our patron Mary, who asked us to talk about so-called 'sad girl novels', and it turns out we have some strong opinions! So, listen in as we get to grips with what the term 'sad girl' really means - is it just reductive and misogynistic, or is it getting at something? Was Madame Bovary the original literary sad girl? Is it simply a marketing term or has it become problematic trope in publishing? Have we moved on from book covers with women face down in cakes on them? Plus all the usual recommendations.…

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Literary Friction - Short Stories with Arinze Ifeakandu 1:02:08

2 years ago1:02:08

1:02:08

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RE-RUN: Author Special with Ocean Vuong 56:52

2 years ago56:52

56:52

We first aired this episode back in July 2019, and it was recorded in the studio when Ocean was on the international tour for his novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. It’s a really rich and beautiful conversation, full of the kind of thoughtful insights Ocean is known for, but also a lightness and optimism that feels right for summer. And we also thought it would coincide nicely with the publication of Ocean’s latest book, a poetry collection called Time is a Mother, which is out now. But we didn't want you to miss out on our summer reading recs, so we've recorded a new intro with lots of inspiration for your holiday reads too. Enjoy! Favourite recent reads: Octavia: Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hoffman Carrie: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt Looking forward to reading: Octavia: Intimacies by Katie Kitamura; Death Valley by Melissa Broder Carrie: The Summer Book by Tove Jansson Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/august-2023-ocean-vuong-re-run Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction Email us: litfriction@gmail.com Tweet us & find us on Instagram: @litfriction…

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Minisode Forty-Two: Artificial Intelligence 47:36

2 years ago47:36

47:36

Are you a techno-optimist or a techno-pessimist? Or even a total Luddite? Does Chat GPT excite you or completely freak you out? Our theme this month was suggested by our patron Elisse, who asked us to talk about Chat GPT in particular. We thought this was a great jumping off point for a bigger conversation about the relationship between art and technology, the moral panic that always accompanies developments in Artificial Intelligence, and our relationship to new technologies in general. Listen for this plus our own dream AI innovations, and all the usual recommendations.…

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Literary Friction - Dark Comedy with Lorrie Moore 59:07

2 years ago59:07

59:07

Dark humour - do you love it or hate it? Do you find it cathartic or macho? Can humour ever be too dark, and is it a useful political tool? This month our guest is the one and only Lorrie Moore, who joined us to talk about her latest novel, I Am Homeless if This is Not My Home, a story about grief and ghosts and history that is equally funny as it is philosophical. It follows Finn, who in 2016 is visiting his dying brother in a hospice in New York. Finn's stay is interrupted by the news that his ex-girlfriend Lily, who worked as a therapy clown, has killed herself, which sets off a road trip with her talking corpse. All this is punctuated by letters from a boarding house proprietor in the post-Civil War American South, about a mysterious lodger that has come to stay… Tune in for all of this, plus the usual recommendations. Recommendations on the theme, Dark Comedy: Octavia: Hot Milk by Deborah Levy Carrie: My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh General Recommendations: Octavia: Open Throat by Henry Hoake Lorrie: Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck Carrie: The Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/july-dark-comedy-with-lorrie-moore Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction Email us: litfriction@gmail.com Tweet us & find us on Instagram: @litfriction…

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RE-RUN - Minisode Three: Red Flags 28:54

2 years ago28:54

28:54

Octavia has been away on her book tour, so today we’re bringing you a re-run of one of our earliest minisodes from April 2019. It was a fun one, inspired by a viral tweet about literary red flags, in which we got into books as cultural capital, literary snobbery, and whether it’s ever ok to judge a person by there reading habits. Plus, the usual cultural recommendations, which are all still accessible to you in some fom even though it's four years later. Enjoy, and we'll be back soon with a brand new full show!…

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Literary Friction - Romantic Comedy with Curtis Sittenfeld 59:18

2 years ago59:18

59:18

From Pride and Prejudice to Detransition, Baby, the romcom can be an enduring source of great pleasure, fun and comfort. This month we’re thrilled to welcome the American writer Curtis Sittenfeld to talk about her latest novel Romantic Comedy, a smart and funny story about how love can upend all kinds of preconceptions and expectations. It also gave us the perfect opportunity to think about the possibilities of the genre more generally, and whether it can ever escape the imprint of the patriarchal and heteronormative structures that underpin so many classic love stories. Recommendations on the theme, Romantic Comedy: Octavia: A Room With A View by E.M. Forster Carrie: Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny General Recommendations: Octavia: August Blue by Deborah Levy Curtis: Everything's Fine by Cecilia Rabess Carrie: Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/june-2023-romantic-comedy-with-curtis-sittenfeld Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction Email us: litfriction@gmail.com Tweet us & find us on Instagram: @litfriction…

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Minisode Forty: Author Special with Octavia Bright 45:36

2 years ago45:36

45:36

Today’s show is an author special, and in the hot seat is our very own Octavia Bright. You probably know by now that Octavia’s first book This Ragged Grace is coming out - and is published today in fact! So Carrie couldn’t resist the chance to grill her about it. This Ragged Grace tells the story of Octavia's journey through recovery from alcohol addiction, and the parallel story of her father's descent into Alzheimer's. Looking back over this time, each of the seven chapters explores the feelings and experiences of the corresponding year of her recovery, tracing the shift in emotion and understanding that comes with the deepening connection to this new way of life. But it’s about so much more than that, and in the interview we’ll be getting into things like the form of the memoir, structure, the writing process, voice, and writing about life. We hope you enjoy listening!…

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Literary Friction - Writing about Writers with Tan Twan Eng 57:56

2 years ago57:56