Writers Read Their Early Sh*t

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Jason welcomes writer & traveler Caroline Topperman for a ramble-chat about Poland, Paris, having a lot of houses in your brain, the glory of Judy Blume, high school prose things full of meaning, & how stories connect us. Also: Caroline tells Jason what to do. Join the early sh*t chat at https://www.facebook.com/WRTESpodcast & on Instagram @writersreadtheirearlyshit. Thanks to Wayne Emde for the artwork, Joe Emde for help with the intro, DJ Max in Tokyo for the kick-ass music, Bryn Scott-Grimes for the outro music, and you, wherever & whoever & however you are, for listening. 

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Jason welcomes pilgrim & author Kelly Watt for a ramble about the secret intelligence of chickens, the power of pilgrimage, fighting the enemy Rick, learning story arcs, Alice Munro, and waitress laments. Crank up the disco & tear down all the schedules! Join the early sh*t chat at https://www.facebook.com/WRTESpodcast & on Instagram @writersreadtheirearlyshit. Thanks to Wayne Emde for the artwork, Joe Emde for help with the intro, DJ Max in Tokyo for the wizard music, and you, wherever & whoever & however you are, for listening. 

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Jason welcomes hunky singer-songwriter Lee Shedden for a vast ramble about getting drunk in Calgary, how books are bullshit, Martin Amis, listening to KISS on the Gravitron, the glory of Gillian Welch, & how Jason was the worst influence on wee young Lee. There isn't much old literary shit, but the episode is studded—in every way—with some of Lee's early musical shit, some mid-period shit, & some of his most recent shit, which is totally ace & which you should buy when it comes out. Join the early sh*t chat at https://www.facebook.com/WRTESpodcast & on Instagram @writersreadtheirearlyshit. Thanks to Wayne Emde for the artwork, Joe Emde for help with the intro, DJ Max in Tokyo for the intro music, and you, wherever & whoever & however you are, for listening. 

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Jason welcomes himself for a reading of an Okanagan University College-era essay, circa 1994, on Lawrence Sterne's 'Tristram Shandy.' Should he have been allowed to pass the course?  Should he have been allowed to graduate? Choose your own adventure! He now knows how to pronounce 'historiographer,' so there's that. Thanks, as always, to Wayne Emde for the artwork, Joe Emde for help with the intro, & DJ Max in Tokyo for the cosmic beats. Join the early sh*t chat at https://www.facebook.com/WRTESpodcast, on Instagram @writersreadtheirearlyshit, & on Bluesky at [email protected]. Most of all: thank you, wherever & whoever & however you are, for listening.

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All differences are sorted & congratulations exchanged as Jason is joined by author & rocker & colleague Iain Maloney for an interface about Iain's Scottish-themed KISS character, the geeks & the posh, selling out, sticking by your decisions, having no stories to tell, and dying in Japan. Merry Christmas, everyone! Join the early sh*t chat at https://www.facebook.com/WRTESpodcast & on Instagram @writersreadtheirearlyshit. Thanks to Wayne Emde for the artwork, Joe Emde for help with the intro, and you, wherever & whoever & however you are, for listening. 

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Little Brain or Great Brain? Choose your own adventure! Jason welcomes writer & host of The History of Literature podcast Jacke Wilson for a jaw about getting addicted to travel, the glory of John Fitzgerald's Great Brain series, punching up & punching down, not recommending books, Jacke's early days as a podcaster, some important initial influences, and what's it been like to go back & revisit some of his earliest podcasting work. The History of Literature is a fab show & highly recommended. Thanks, as always, to Wayne Emde for the artwork, Joe Emde for help with the intro, & DJ Max in Tokyo for the slinky beats. Join the early sh*t chat at https://www.facebook.com/WRTESpodcast, on Instagram @writersreadtheirearlyshit, & on Bluesky at [email protected]. Most of all: thank you, wherever & whoever & however you are, for listening. 

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Welcome to WRTES Season 4, in all the alleys & under all the streetlamps, & join Jason and author Susan Wadds for a salubrious & contagious confab about sacred images, why we read, Yugoslavian dwarves, the different ways of telling the same story, & drinking baijiu with Leonard Cohen in Berlin. As an added attraction, Jason, in the spirit of fairness, shares some very shit of his own. A splendid, cringe-inducing time is guaranteed for all. Join the early sh*t chat at https://www.facebook.com/WRTESpodcast & on Instagram @writersreadtheirearlyshit. Thanks to Wayne Emde for the artwork, Joe Emde for help with the intro, and you, wherever & whoever & however you are, for listening. 

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Jason welcomes back DJ Max in Tokyo for the spectacular Season Three finale: negative influences, funky but not too funky drumbeats, Gifu vs Tokyo, Max's lurid romantic past, and what might be the very hardest kind of early shit to write. Also, as a special treat for WRTES's loyal listeners, Max unearths one of his early songs: the philosophical 'Everything Is Bullshit.' Unmissable! Join the early sh*t chat at https://www.facebook.com/WRTESpodcast & on Instagram @writersreadtheirearlyshit. Thanks to Wayne Emde for the artwork, Joe Emde for help with the intro, and you, wherever & whoever & however you are, for listening. 

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The tables are comprehensively turned as Jason reads some of his early, Lawrence Durrell-infused early prose to Tom. Will Tom denounce it for the pretentious bunk it is, or will he tenderly offer up his own spine to be blessed? Tune in to find out! Also: a special appearance from Maho. Big wizard beats by the incomparable DJ Max in Tokyo. Join the early sh*t chat at https://www.facebook.com/WRTESpodcast & on Instagram @writersreadtheirearlyshit. Thanks to Wayne Emde for the artwork, Joe Emde for help with the intro, and you, wherever & whoever & however you are, for listening. 

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Jason welcomes writer & Kill Scenes front-woman Meghan Lamb for a gabfest about love smacks & hate smacks, posthumous dead girls, being stuck inside cows, suggestions of obsession, cheating meat monkeys, bloody mermaids, corpse rats scurrying through the gore, writing to learn about the world, & the macabre shock of it all. Jason also shares some truly shit early shit. Only two wizard beats from DJ Max in Tokyo: this episode features music by Meghan's band Kill Scenes, from their album Masque. Thanks to Wayne Emde for the artwork & Joe Emde for help with the intro. Join the early sh*t chat at https://www.facebook.com/WRTESpodcast, on Instagram @writersreadtheirearlyshit, & on Bluesky at [email protected]. Most of all: thank you, wherever & whoever & however you are, for listening. 

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