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
39 episodes
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
The Alchemy of Collections
What makes a good collection of short stories? If it's a connection, what is that connection and how does it bind the individual pieces? Should they even be connected at all though? Ben and Matthew take apart the great short story collection in...
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46:45
Martha Anne Toll Interview
Last fall, Martha Anne Toll published the novel Three Muses, which won the Petrichor Prize and was a finalist in the Gotham Book Prize; you can also read her reviews on NPR, The Washington Post and many other outlets....
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1:02:27
Writing Conferences, Language Gripes and Where You at, Kentucky?!!
Whether you think they're fun, supportive retreats perfect for honing your craft or just naked careerism, awkwardness and the commoditization of art , writing conferences are a fundament of modern writing. We discuss how to get in, why they hel...
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52:45
Character Draft
Ben and Matthew select 10 characters from stories covered on the podcast, then take turns picking them in a character draft. Whose team has more literary clout? Which one would win on a basketball court? Below are the characters, although not i...
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49:03
Surprise 2! What Are You Working On?
Writing's always about that next big project. This time Ben and Matthew ask each other about what they're working on next. In the process, they discuss what ties literary worlds together, encounter Trojan horses and ask if narrators are always ...
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51:26
Surprise! Favorite Travel Books
In this episode, Matthew comes with a surprise topic: favorite travel books. He and Ben then discuss their favorite travel books, what it's like coming home when living abroad and how valuable Orwell's rules of writing are.
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59:35
In Albuquerque
Matthew's back home in Albuquerque, so we talked about "Nemecia" by fellow New Mexican Kirstin Valdez Quade, and took a dive into the 505 (Albuquerque): what is it like returning home and does that affect what you write about?
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55:48
Pritha Bhattacharyya Interview
Our first interview, woo! We got to sit down with the fantastic writer Pritha Bhattacharyya. Pritha's been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and you can find her work in, among other place...
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1:38:19
Dantiel W. Moniz and Funky Blue Water
They back! After brief hibernation, Ben and Matthew emerge with some differing interpretations of Dantiel Moniz's "Necessary Bodies"; plus, they'll address some critiques of the show, tell you what they're reading, not understand why Pedro Pasc...
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1:00:03