Listen "#8: High Art and Low Chairs"
Episode Synopsis
Take a crash course in Indie Publishing 101 with the founders of Restless Books; hear Scholar senior editor Bruce Falconer explain how John le Carré burned the bridge between genre and literary fiction; and learn from Witold Rybczynski how an iconic modern chair was inspired by an ant.Mentioned in this episode:• Bruce Falconer’s review of The Pigeon Tunnel• Our list of 13 “Spooktacular” Books and Michael Dirda’s attempt to out-scare us with a list of his own• An excerpt from How to Travel Without Seeing by Andrés Neuman, published by Restless Books, which offers a glimpse inside the surreal operations of Venezuela’s book industry• An NPR segment on Witold Rybczynski’s new book about chairs, Now I Sit Me Down, including illustrations of the medieval backstoolTune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.Subscribe: iTunes • Feedburner • Stitcher • Google Play • AcastHave suggestions for projects you’d like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast [at] theamericanscholar [dot] org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More episodes of the podcast Smarty Pants
For the Love of Foraging
17/10/2025
From Sofia to Chicago
03/10/2025
Why the Bronx Burned
12/09/2025
What Lies Beneath the Levee Camp Holler
29/08/2025
The Art of *Doing* Politics
15/08/2025
The Linguistics of Brain Rot
25/07/2025
Michael Douglas Explains It All
11/07/2025
Once in a Lifetime
27/06/2025
Family Values
13/06/2025
Lingua Obscura
23/05/2025