Doggerel Diaries: Ben & Matthew's Literature Program
Ben and Matthew are American writers from Sharkey, KY and Albuquerque, NM, respectively, who live in Germany and talk about fiction, the writing and publishing process, and art and culture in general. Sometimes they get overly excited (in a positive sense), sometimes they are on the attack. Though, hopefully, they are more often than not insightful.
Episodes
48 episodes
Five for Fall Revisited: How Are Those Fall Book Picks Coming?
In this episode, Ben and Matthew check in on the books they picked for fall reading on the September 19 episode. Each recommended five and this is the winter update, plus they'll give you a few more to read now that the weather's full-on-cold.
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47:18
Sharon Wahl's "Friends"
In this episode, Ben and Matthew discuss Sharon Wahl's "Friends,” which was published in Action, Spectacle's summer 2025 edition, then share some small literary magazines they've discovered lately as well as music and book recommendati...
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55:20
Riddhi Dastidar’s “Darling, Darling”
In this episode, Ben and Matthew discuss Riddhi Dastidar’s “Darling, Darling,” which was published in Electric Literature. Then, they share some small lit...
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49:35
Five for Fall: Reading Recommendations
In this episode, Ben and Matthew recommend five books apiece for the fall that they will be reading and debut a new feature called Things I've Been Noticing in the Zone. If you'd like to see the recommendations, check out
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58:36
Feral Transformation in Lauren Groff's "Dogs Go Wolf
In this episode, Ben and Matthew discuss Lauren Groff's "Dogs Go Wolf," which appeared in the New Yorker in 2017, as well as sharing recommendations for reading and listen...
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1:06:04
Strange Magic and Metamodernism in Noah Milligan's "Abyss"
In this episode, Ben and Matthew read and analyze "Abyss" by Noah Milligan, which appeared in the metamodern-themed May issue of Jokes Review, doing their best to explain it ...
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1:03:44
Poetry! Two poems by Vincent Antonio Rendoni
In this installment, Ben and Matthew read and analyze two poems by Vincent Antonio Rendoni, which appear in his collection A Grito Contest in the Afterlife, then provide some music and reading recommendations and talk about summer writ...
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52:33
Fending off the Venom of the Soul: Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"
Ben and Matthew analyze Ernest Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" in this installment of the program, as well as sharing music and literature recommendations.
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52:18
Troy James Weaver's "Hooks"
In this installment, Matthew and Ben examine Troy James Weaver's "Hooks," which first appeared X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine in 2018, and give you some music and literature re...
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47:57
Paul Yoon's "Valley of the Moon"
In this episode, Ben and Matthew look at Paul Yoon's "Valley of the Moon," then give you music and reading recommendations.
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1:00:21
Maeve Barry's "Girabella"
In this installment of the program, Ben and Matthew discuss Maeve Barry's "Girabella," winner of Sewanee Review's 2024 fiction prize, and conclude with music and reading recommendations.
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55:10
Gothataone Moeng's "Small Wonders"
In this episode, Ben and Matthew analyze Gothataone Moeng's "Small Wonders," an "aftermath" short story that takes up the themes of mourning, ceremony and banality following a tragic death, and in the second segment provide you with some readin...
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Episode 37
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47:33
Garth Greenwell's "Harbor"
On the latest episode of the program, Ben and Matthew unpack Garth Greenwell's "Harbor," looking into that pregnant moment when things are about to happen but we're not quite there yet, and provide some reading and music recommendations for rig...
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49:29
Last Year, This One, Robot Censors and Our First-Ever Awards
In this episode, Ben and Matthew take a look back at 2024, presenting an inaugural group of winners with the prestigious Lawrence-Patrick award, while looking ahead to what 2025 has in store and getting robot-censored.
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47:41
Kafka's "Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk"
Franz Kafka's "Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk" is a concentrated story that explores capitalism, Marxism, an artist's role in society and more. On this episode, Ben and Matthew jump into that heady mix with both feet, mix up dates (sor...
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55:43
Morgan Talty's "Burn"
Morgan Talty's "Burn," which you can read for free right here, packs a lot of punch into just over 1,200 words. Ben and Matthew try to em...
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46:02
Writing Conferences, Summer Writing and Getting Back to our Steez
In this episode, Matthew explains what it was like attending two writing conferences this summer, Community of Writers and ...
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56:20
Speculative Summer and Geetha Iyer's "Continental Drift"
In this episode, Ben and Matthew get into Geetha Iyer's short story "Continental Drift," speculative fiction, getting the reader "to question the [allegorical] element [brought] into question" and what the summer has in store.
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55:33
MM De Voe Interview
This time Ben and Matthew speak with MM De Voe. Among other things, she is a writer of fiction and nonfiction and the founder of Pen Parentis, a nonprofit devoted to keeping the creative flame burning for writer parents. She and the guys discus...
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1:05:17
Surprise 3: Top 3 Short Stories
After a long time off, Matthew surprises Ben with the topic of top-three short stories. Each then list their favorite three short stories, and are taken adrift to other places, like pocket universes.
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1:05:48
Shannon Sanders Interview
Ben and Matthew speak with writer Shannon Sanders. Shannon is the author of Company, a short story collection that came out in October of last year. Apart from her new book, the conversation hits on the writing process, character conne...
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1:09:03
Winter Reading and Resolutions
After hibernating all January and most of February, Ben and Matthew return with winter reading recommendations and writing resolutions for the new year.
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56:23
Top Five Little Lit Mags
In this episode, Ben and Matthew each list five small literary magazines that they're reading right now.
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59:32