Send us a text

Australian crime writer Iain Ryan joins me live from a bar in Brunswick East to talk about his new book of Gold Coast noir, The Strip, as well as his major inspiration, James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential.

We talk about the crime novel genre, hardboiled style, the difficulties in reading Ellroy, Australian culture and literature and more, until we got kicked out of the bar.

This is a free preview of the episode. The full version, including our discussion after we found another bar, can be found at patreon.com/gettinglit.

Follow Iain on Twitter: https://twitter.com/iainkryan
Iain Substack: https://iainryan.substack.com/subscribe
Buy The Strip:
US: https://www.amazon.com/Strip-Iain-Ryan-ebook/dp/B0CPYQJ6Y4?ref_=ast_author_mpb
Australia: https://ultimopress.com.au/collections/frontpage/products/the-strip

Support the show

Send us a text

On this episode, writer and podcaster J David Osborne returns to talk about several short stories by the late science fiction grandmaster, Ursula K Le Guin.

We talk about cultural relativism, anthropology, how Ursula's father's work with a lost Indian influenced her, influences in general, whether we would have sex with our clones, writers folding stuff they read into their work instead of not reading, the many different answers to Omelas, girlboss adventures done right, and much more.

Stories discussed:

Semley's Necklace
Nine Lives
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas
Sur

And on Back Matter over at Patreon, JDO talks about the Australian he hates the most, we both complain about Covidians, self-publishing vs traditional publishing, lots of other writing and literature talk. Subscribe and listen at https://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

Follow JDO on
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brbjdo/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brbjdo

Listen to JDO's podcasts:
Agitator: https://www.patreon.com/agitator
Lost Xplorers: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lost-xplorers/id1540514505

JDO's books:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/J.-David-Osborne/author/B004G4S8KU?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Support the show

Send us a text

Three-time guest of the pod and "Australia's Ottessa Moshfegh" Paul Dalla Rosa joins me at my house for bento takeout while we discuss Natsuo Kirino's crime novel, Out.

In this book, a woman murders her husband and her workmates at a bento factory become implicated in disposing of the body. From there, an incredibly disturbing story unfurls. It was a great read, suggested by Paul.

We talk the drudgery of factory work, precarity, always thinking about money, the gruesome realities of disposing of a human body, erotics and death, violence, and much more.

And over on the Patreon exclusive aftershow, Back Matter: we watch an episode of Iron Chef, eat mochi, and talk about our favourite culinary show while it's playing. Listen here:  https://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

Buy Paul's book here: https://pauldallarosa.com/an-exciting-and-vivid-inner-life

Support the show

Send us a text

Recording on location from the smoke-wreathed vista at Siglo in Melbourne, I am joined by writer and researcher Nicolas Hausdorf to discuss German writer Ernst Jünger's post-apocalyptic novel, Eumeswil. 

We talk about the novel as a metaphor for Europe in the 70s, parapolitics, Jünger's politically awkward position, his aristocratic outlook, his concept of "The Anarch," libertarianism, Victoria's Covid response, and much more.

Support the show

Send us a text

Hoodrat noir/cyberpunk writer, Agitator podcast host, and former guest on the show, Kelby Losack, joins me to talk about his collection God is Wearing Black.

A lot of writing talk, Texas, writing places, class and the publishing industry, honesty and truth in writing and more in this wide ranging discussion on Kelby's short fiction.

And over on the Getting Lit Podcast's new aftershow, Back Matter, I force Kelby to undergo the 'game of connection and vulnerability' known as We're Not Really Strangers. We also shoot the shit about a whole range of things literary and otherwise. To hear more, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

Buy God is Wearing Black here: https://kelbylosack.bigcartel.com/product/god-is-wearing-black
Listen to Kelby's podcast, Agitator: https://www.patreon.com/agitator/posts

Support the show

Send us a text

Surrounded by vinyl records and cassette tapes, I joined editor of the Rango Tango zine, and former GLP guest Matthew Fresta (in his lounge room!) to talk about the very literary songwriting of British band, The Kinks.

With some selections from their discography playing in the background, we talk about the way lead singer Ray Davies writes songs like short stories, the influences on the band, whether rock will ever come back, and more.

This was a fun one. Matt also made up a playlist of some of the edgy songs The Kinks recorded if you're interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6R5Vcpt7qjvy0FnDRBFyS8?si=hbciIS2wS7mGY1OWxHnPNw&pi=a-gO8PfY-QSwyl

Follow Matt on...
X/FKA Twitter: https://twitter.com/newfacenhell
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowardpunchrecords/
His record label/publishing company: https://cowardpunchrecords.com.au/

Support the show

Send us a text

Poet Stephen Zerance joins me to talk about Greek poet C.P. Cavafy and four greco-roman films (Sebastiane, Caligula, Alexander, and 300).

We talk about homoeroticism in these kinds of films as well as in Cavafy's verse.
Follow Stephen on
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/stephnz
Substack: https://stephenzerance.substack.com/
Buy his poetry: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07HS2YXW2/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=fcbef3af-3838-432b-8206-fa7de7875958&ref_=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1

We also have previous guests of the pod reading some of Cavafy's poems that we have paired with the films.

Zach Langley Chi Chi reads "In Despair"
Young Dean reads "The City"
Kelby Losack reads "Waiting for the Barbarians"
Steff reads "Thermopylae"

Support the show

Send us a text

Jayson Young, writer and co-host of the Mangaroos podcast, joins me to talk about David Mitchell's novel about stories, life, death, perception, rebirth, and reincarnation: Cloud Atlas.
We also talk about the 2012 film version by Tom Twyker and the Wachowskis.

Jayson's substack: https://jaysonyoung.substack.com/
Listen to Mangaroos:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mangaroos/id1669595294?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=lt_p

Support the show

Send us a text

On this episode, Steff joins me to talk about R.F. Kuang's Yellowface, which we've decided is YA posing as literary fiction (probably the marketers fault).

Follow Steff on Twitter/X:  https://twitter.com/moonandmouth
Follow Steff on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonandmouth/

Support the show

Send us a text

To round out the Sally Rooney trilogy, I am joined by Sydney-based writer, editor, producer Sheila Ngoc Pham to discuss Sal pal's latest novel, Beautiful World Where Are You?

The theme for this episode is "generations" where we will be talking about Rooney as a "millennial" novelist, how she has or will mature, onlineness and the internet in fiction, internet dating, the place of autobiographical elements in these books, and much more.

Follow Sheila on X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/birdpham

Support the show