Why Is This Good?

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” by ZZ Packer. What can we learn from such a strongly character-driven story? How does story relate to character? How can we create engaging and […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we are joined by our friend and author, Karl Luntta.  Karl is the author of the novel Know it By Heart (Northwestern University Press/Curbstone) and short story collection Swimming (SUNY […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we are joined by our friend and author, Karl Luntta.  Karl is the author of the novel Know it By Heart (Northwestern University Press/Curbstone) and short story collection Swimming (SUNY […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Girl Alone” by Sallie Bingham. What can we learn from this tightly packed feminist story? How can quickly drawn and distinct characters help a story? How can character […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin. What can we learn from a non-traditional story that is not driven by character or scene? […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode we’re joined once again by our friend, author James Zwerneman. We discuss “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain.  What can we learn from Twain’s famous story? […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode we invited our friend James Zwerneman to join our conversation, and James suggested we discuss a chapter from The Lost World by Michael Crichton. What can we learn from a […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode we discuss “Gator Butchering for Beginners” by Kristen Arnett. Can Kristine and JC handle the podcast without Rob during a pandemic? What can we learn from a piece of flash […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Woodland” by Lydia Millet. What can we learn from the new genre of Climate-Change Fiction, Cli-fi? How does setting help define character? Can setting overwhelm character? How can […]

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The School” by Donald Barthelme. Can fiction just be fun? How do voice and rhythm help build humor? How deep into the weeds can we get talking about […]