Concavity Show

In Episode 48, we're joined by Yonina Hoffman. Yonina is PhD student at the Ohio State University. Her work centers around, you guessed it, David Foster Wallace.

In this discussion, we cover a range of topics around DFW's work and Yonina's dissertation. We discuss voice, narrative, voice, humor and other issues that track across Wallace's career. Yonina has also presented on Updike and New Sincerity so we ask her about that.

You can find Yonina on Twitter: @yonina. She also has this nifty website: http://www.yoninahoffman.com/

Contact Dave and Matt:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/

Email - [email protected]

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/

In Episode 47, we're joined by Jim Gauer, author of the excellent Novel Explosives, a book you've no doubt heard us mention in recent conversations. Jim is a mathematician, published poet, and self-described as the world's only Marxist venture capitalist. 

In this discussion, we cover a range of topics around Jim's book, it's relation to Wallace's sensibilities and Infinite Jest, the dangers of hyper-capitalism, the anxiety of influence, lethality enhancement, and a host of others. 

Jim's book can be purchased through your local bookstore (which he most encourages), with the backup plan of online sales (though he implores you to avoid giving Jeff Bezos more money to fuel his space colony dystopia, if possible) - http://zerogrampress.com/2016/10/08/novel-explosives/

Links discussed:

Jim's interview with Michael Silverblatt on Bookworm: https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/bookworm/jim-gauer-novel-explosives

Jim's interview on Eye 94: https://www.mixcloud.com/lumpenradio/eye-94-4-15-2018-jim-gauer/

Jim's Paris Review poetry: https://www.theparisreview.org/poetry/2778/will-this-thought-do-jim-gauer

Contact Dave and Matt:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/

Email - [email protected]

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/

In Episode 46 we talk to Rhodes College professor and O.G. Wallace scholar Marshall Boswell about his new book The Wallace Effect: David Foster Wallace and the Contemporary Literary Imagination, out now from Bloomsbury Press!

As usual, we bash Franzen a bit, get some overview of the central novels addressed in Marshall's book, and discuss the recent trend of "Wallace Snark" online. 

Contact Dave and Matt:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/

Email - [email protected]

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/

In Episode 45, we get to talk to Kyle Beachy, Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Roosevelt U in Chicago, and author of the novel The Slide. In it, we discuss his extensive teaching of Wallace's work to creative writing students, his novel and writing on skateboarding, and get some great book recommendations from him (Kyle being one of the most well-read people Matt knows, which is saying a lot). 

Things we said we'd link to: 

Growing Sentences with David Foster Wallace - https://kottke.org/09/03/growing-sentences-with-david-foster-wallace

Kyle's "The Deep Seams: A Search for Fun in David Foster Wallace's Peoria" - http://theclassical.org/articles/the-deep-seams

Dave's skate video part (from around 2002) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-4BV-tbwMk

Kyle Beachy's (apparently outdated) website - http://kylebeachy.com/

Kyle Beachy Twitter - https://twitter.com/kylebeachy

Kyle Beachy Tumblr - http://themostfunthing.tumblr.com/

James Dahl Memorial Harry Ransom Donation - https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/utgiving/online/nlogon/?menu1=HR**

Contact us:

The Great Concavity on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow

The Great Concavity on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/

Email us - [email protected]

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow

In this episode, Dave and Matt talk about their favorite literary and pop-cultural artifacts from the past year. This episode offers a contest as well, associated with the following music playlist. Good luck!

TGC's Favorite Music of 2018 (iTunes) - https://itunes.apple.com/ca/playlist/the-great-concavitys-favorite-songs-of-2018/pl.u-pMyll2jh4KoErM

TGC's Favorite Music of 2018 (Spotify) - https://open.spotify.com/user/concavityshow/playlist/6Gkdv29x9bpXIIzmmlWolO?si=V2aBBNKASm-70W12xwfn0g

Show Notes:

*Correctional note* - When Matt was talking about Robert Coover in Marfa, he meant Robert Creeley.

Dante Society - https://www.dantesociety.org/

The Great Concavity on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow

The Great Concavity on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/?hl=en

Email us - [email protected]

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow

In Episode 43 we meet our nemesis Bo Butler of Pynchon in Public for the inevitable postmodern fiction podcast throwdown. Join us as we discuss the history of our beefing over literary turf and all related topics!

In Episode 42 we talk to Chicago-based journalist and teacher Esther J. Cepeda about her love of Wallace, annual Infinite Jest reads, and other related literature and pop culture. A huge thank you to our Patrons as well on #ThankYouPatrons day today! 

Show notes: 

Esther's favourite cards - Art of Play - https://www.artofplay.com/collections/playing-cards 

Esther's Twitter - https://twitter.com/estherjcepeda

Great Concavity on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow

Great Concavity on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/?hl=en

Email us - [email protected]

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow

In Episode 41, we talk to Dr. Tim Personn (in person!) from the University of Victoria about his recently-defended dissertation, "Fictions of Proximity: The Wallace Nexus in Contemporary Literature." Buckle up for a philosophical discussion, as Tim takes us on a ride through the work of Wittgenstein, Derrida, and other thinkers whose work informed Wallace's fiction and influence on the modern literary landscape. Other topics include tacos, seeing Parquet Courts live, and potential future podcast beefs!

Show Notes:

Shazia Hafiz Ramji's book Port of Being - https://invisiblepublishing.com/product/port-of-being/

Kieran Setiya's Midlife - http://www.ksetiya.net/midlife.html

Tim's website - timpersonn.com

Post 45 "The Dave Show" - http://post45.research.yale.edu/2011/11/the-dave-show/

Medium/Just Words "How David Lipsky Captures the Spirit of David Foster Wallace" - https://medium.com/just-words/the-dave-show-5f07c1f83a86

Tim's Twitter - https://twitter.com/timpersonn

Contact The Great Concavity:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow

In Episode 40, we welcome Greg Carlisle, author of the Infinite Jest commentary, Elegant Complexity, and Nature's Nightmare, an analysis of Wallace's Oblivion collection. 

Greg's books here: http://www.sideshowmediagroup.com/books/

Contact Greg: [email protected]

We're joined by repeat guest Matt Luter to talk about all the fun Dave missed out on at the recent Illinois State University Wallace conference, held June 7-9, 2018. Topics covered include panel recaps, anagram alter egos, karaoke highlights, and all other manner of conference scoops. Almost as good as having been there!