Three Percent Podcast

Latest Episodes:

TMR 10.8: "Real Life Is Sad" [DUCKS, NEWBURYPORT] Nov 28, 2019

Show notes

Another late night conversation about Ducks, Newburyport! This week, P.T. Smith joins to discuss illness, the verbal virtuosity in this novel, sadness, relationships between parents and kids, and much more. Lots of quotes are read throughout this episode, and in honor of Lucy Ellmann's stated like of whisky, some of that takes place as well.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. Next week's episode (up to page 621) will be broadcast live here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And follow Patrick Smith for lots of hot takes on books, cheating in sports, and more.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast.

BONUS EPISODE: Charco Press Nov 21, 2019

Show notes

Founded in 2016 with their first releases coming in late 2017, Charco Press is one of the most recent additions to the growing number of publishing houses focused on literature in translation. And although they've established a solid reputation in the UK, they just started distributing their books Stateside in October 2019. Chad talked to co-founders Carolina Orloff and Sam McDowell about their vision for the press, what it's been like launching a press in Edinburgh, entering the U.S. market, their covers, how they work with authors and translators, and much more.

If you're a U.S. listener, there are five Charco titles coming out this fall/winter that will be available at better bookstores everywhere:

Die, My Love by Ariana Harwicz, translated from the Spanish by Sarah Moses and Carolina Orloff;

Resistance by Julián Fuks, translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn;

The President's Room by Ricardo Romero, translated from the Spanish by Charlotte Coombe;

Fish Soup by Margarita García Robayo, translated from the Spanish by Charlotte Coombe; and,

Fireflies by Luis Sagasti, translated from the Spanish by Fionn Petch.

If you're based in the UK, visit their website and buy all the books.

This episode's music is "You're in Love with Me" by Car Seat Headrest.

If you don’t already subscribe to the Three Percent Podcast you can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, and other places. Or you can always subscribe by adding our feed directly into your favorite podcast app: http://threepercent.libsyn.com/rss

Three Percent #173: The Poetry in Translation Episode Nov 19, 2019

Show notes

Anastasia Nikolis (poetry editor for Open Letter Books) and Emma Ramadan (translator, co-owner of Riffraaff) join Chad and Tom to breakdown ALTA 42, talk about poetry in translation, and go on a handful of minor rants—and one major one. (Thanks, Emma!) The Sarah Dessen controversy pops up, as does this article about AmazonCrossing, and LitHub's Best Translated Novels of the Decade.

As always, feel free to send any and all comments or questions to: threepercentpodcast@gmail.com. Also, if there are articles you’d like us to read and analyze (or just make fun of), send those along as well.

And if you like the podcast, tell a friend and rate us or leave a review on iTunes!

You can also follow Open Letter, Riffraff, Chad, Emma, and Anastasia and on Twitter and Instagram (OL, Riffraff, Chad) for book and baseball talk.

TMR 10.7: "Blossom, Stasis, Spiral, Whoa" [DUCKS, NEWBURYPORT] Nov 15, 2019

Show notes

This week's Two Month Review was recorded pretty late (on the east coast), so things are a bit loopy. Nevertheless, James Crossley from Madison Books joins Chad and Brian to talk about pages 429-487 of Ducks, Newburyport. They talk a bit about the cultural references in this section—the old movies, Blossom—flip ahead to connect the mountain lion's path to the mental landscape of the narrator, and, of course, praise moms.

This is the most produced episode to date, and we hope you enjoy the little audio touches AND the Blossom theme song "My Opinionation"

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. Next week's episode (up to page 562) will be broadcast live here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And be sure to support Madison Books in person, through their website, and on Instagram.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast.

TMR 10.6: "The Simple Things" [DUCKS, NEWBURYPORT] Nov 08, 2019

Show notes

Chad and Brian break format a bit and discuss a number of the concerns, anxieties, and social issues that the narrator of Duck, Newburyport thinks about. From spiders to Morning Routine videos, active shooter situations to Trump feeling up Kurt Suzuki, this episode is a deep, yet funny, dive into our neuroses and fears.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. Next week's episode (up to page 487) will be broadcast live here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group.

This week's music is "Good Scare" by Torres.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester. (Or by attending our gala.)

You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast.

Three Percent #172: ALTA 42 Preview Nov 04, 2019

Show notes

A bit of a disorienting podcast for anyone not attending ALTA, but in this episode, Chad addresses the recent ALTA book fair controversy, and then they go over the general schedule, highlighting a number of interesting-sounding panels, previewing some off-site events, and recommending non-ALTA bars for attendees to hang out at.

This week's music is "I've Got Reason" by Mikal Cronin.

And if you like the podcast, tell a friend and rate us or leave a review on iTunes!

You can also follow Open Letter, Riffraff, and Chad and on Twitter and Instagram (OL, Riffraff, Chad) for book and baseball talk.

TMR 10.5: "The Buzz Must Go On" [DUCKS, NEWBURYPORT] Nov 01, 2019

Show notes

Lori Feathers of Interabang Books in Dallas joined Chad and Brian for this special episode to talk about the destruction of her bookstore, what's next for Interabang, and information about how you can help. (Answer: Order Joytime Killbox and The Dreamed Part from their website.) Then they talk about Lori's interview with Lucy Ellmann, the Serpent Mound (and some conspiracy theory nonsense). There's also more talk of Joyce, of the lists of rivers in Ducks, Newburyport and in Finnegans Wake, and Chad goes on a diatribe again notorious "anti-Mom," Dr. Phil.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. Next week's episode (up to page 429) will be broadcast live here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group.

This week's music is "Ohio" by Cherry Glazerr.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available from BOA Editions. And help out Interabang by ordering something (an Open Letter title?) from their online store.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester. (Or by attending our gala.)

You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast.

TMR 10.4: "Is it Translatable" [Ducks, Newburyport] Oct 25, 2019

Show notes

Rhett McNeil (translator of Machado de Assis, Gonçalo Tavares, Antonio Lobo Antunes, and more) joins Chad and Brian to talk about the way in which Ducks, Newburyport is less of a single-sentence and more of a never-ending list, about how it is and isn't like Ulysses, about time in the novel, about Ellmann's playfulness, about entropy vs. eternal recurrence, and giving the middle finger to Strunk & White. They also play a short round of "Did this Happen in Florida or Ohio?"

f you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. Next week's episode (up to page 360) will be broadcast live here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group.

This week's music is "Comeback Kid" by Sharon Van Etten.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And follow Patrick on Twitter and Instagram for hot takes and pictures of Vermont bookstores.

Be sure to preorder Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available from BOA Editions. And get Rhett's latest translation, Reading Is Walking by Gonçalo Tavares.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester. (Or by attending our gala.)

You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast.

Three Percent #171: Can We Go a Week Without an Award Controversy? Oct 22, 2019

Show notes

This week's podcast is about two kerfuffles: the Booker Prize one and the one between King County Library and Macmillan. There's also some discussion as to why UK book culture allows for critique and small voices to be heard (vs. the American way in which everything is fine), Chad goes on and on about On Becoming a God in Central Florida, Tom inadvertently recommends The Invented Part, and everyone sounds tired and beatdown. Enjoy!

This week's music is "Stars Are the Light" by Moon Duo from the album of the same name.

And if you like the podcast, tell a friend and rate us or leave a review on iTunes!

You can also follow Open Letter, Riffraff, and Chad and on Twitter and Instagram (OL, Riffraff, Chad) for book and baseball talk.

TMR 10.3: "How Do I Promote This?" [Ducks, Newburyport] Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

Vanessa Stauffer from Biblioasis came on this episode to talk about the Booker Prize, about the jacket copy she wrote for the Ducks galley, about types of moms, about things in the book that pay off and mysteries that remain mysteries, about the ways in which Ellmann is breaking form and the strong feminist perspective underlying this narrative, and much more. It's a fun, free-wheeling conversation sprinkled with tons of amazing quotes from the book, talk about mom.com, and much much more.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. Next week's episode (up to page 297) will be broadcast live here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group.

This week's music is "Can You Help Me?" by Olivia Jean.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And follow Patrick on Twitter and Instagram for hot takes and pictures of Vermont bookstores.

And be sure to preorder Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available from BOA Editions.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected