The Velvet

Episode 007: INTERVIEW with Blake Butler

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:46:50 +0000

“If I made it I might as well destroy it by eating it” – Blake Butler

In this interview episode of The Velvet Podcast, Caleb J Ross interviews Blake Butler, author of Ever (Calamari Press), Scorch Atlas (Featherproof Books) and the forthcoming There is no Year (Harper Perennial). Blake and Caleb discuss the impact of eReaders on visual-dependent literature, the novels vs. movies fallacy, and the importance of humility in a predominantly stuffy industry.

We welcome comments. We love them. We need them. You are free to leave comments here, but to really join the conversation, we invite you to post at this episode’s dedicated thread over at The Velvet Boards.

	Show Notes:
00:00:52	Why has there been a sudden Blake Awareness with these last two books, Ever and Scorch Atlas?
00:02:25	Tell me about your style. Is there a connection between your interest in computers and your seemingly scientific style of writing?
00:04:10	The visual format of Ever
00:06:37	Is there a disconnect between the implied “edginess” of eReaders and their current inability to translate literature with visuals?
00:14:12	All about HTML Giant
00:17:16	Blake Butler eats Page 1 of Scorch Atlas from blake butler on Vimeo.
00:17:43	Is there a necessary distinction between gimmick and traditional promotion?
00:19:49	Scorch Atlas (destroyed) by Blake Butler from featherproof books on Vimeo.
00:20:11	How successful was the destroyed copies of Scorch Atlas promotion?
00:23:50	Was Baby Leg‘s blood really Brian Evenson’s?
00:24:20	Tell me about your deal with Harper Perennial.
00:30:47	Does knowing that you have an editor whose paycheck depends on your book put pressure on you?
00:33:45	Instead of charging books to compete against movies, why not write books that do something that movies cannot?
00:37:50	Tell me all about your forthcoming Harper Perennial books, your novel There is No Year and your non-fiction book about insomnia.
	Whoring
	Ever, Calamari Press
	Scorch Atlas, Featherproof Books
	There is No Year, Harper Perennial (forthcoming April, 2011)

Episode 006: Jennifer’s Lost Overboard Body: Cinemuck Boogaloo

flash — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:00:27 +0000

Discussion of other mediums like film and television has always been an important aspect of The Velvet, because we find that our shared tastes in books translates well to art and entertainment in general. Inspired by one of our most popular forums, this episode features three Velvet staffers and author Stephen Graham Jones waxing about the big and small screens, both as consumers and creators, cinners and cineastes wading through the Cinemuck.

	Episode Panelists: Gordon/Flash (Moderator) Stephen/StephenG.Jones Logan/Logan_Frost Jesse/JesseLawrence
	Episode Topic: Film/TV Criticism & Creation
00:01:17	“Best” vs. “favorites” tastemaking: No Country for Old Men, Apocalypse Now, Suspiria, Nosferatu, Amelie Can’t Hardly Wait, Jennifer’s Body, Overboard, This is Spinal Tap, The ‘burbs
00:08:05	Guilty pleasures: a misnomer? The Last Boy Scout, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane Ruthless People, Serendipity, Up, Breakin’ The Notebook, Showgirls, Rock Star, Kevin Smith
00:13:15	Moviegoing as a social experience
00:16:05	Underrated films: [REC], A Very Long Engagement, Spartan Psycho Beach Party, New Waterford Girl All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Cry Wolf, Henry Fool, Jack the Bear
00:19:55	Why the hell did/am I watch(ing): Nip/Tuck, Saving Grace, Ugly Americans 24, Burn Notice, White Collar Magnum PI, Star Trek: The Next Generation
00:21:56	A case for studying/writing genre films as well as classics
00:28:51	New delivery technologies’ impact on content creation
00:34:55	How do you watch most of your content?
00:36:19	The emergence of web series: advantages and limitations
00:39:02	A comprehensive debate about 3D home entertainment
00:39:13	Why is TV so fucking awesome right now? Breaking Bad, Dexter, Lost, The Wire, Mad Men Archer, The Mighty Boosh, Futurama, Outer Limits
00:43:56	Writing teleplays vs. screenplays: structure, research, characterization, formatting
00:52:11	Pros/cons of formal English or journalism backgrounds when writing for visual media
00:56:28	Adapting content for the big screen: The Last Airbender, Holes, Marathon Man Justified, Adaptation, Jesus’ Son, American Psycho The Rules of Attraction, No Country for Old Men
01:03:40	The Lastlies
	The Ones That Got Away by Stephen Graham Jones Tubefilter.tv web series reviews by Logan Rapp Major Inversions by Gordon Highland

Episode 005: INTERVIEW with Matt Bell

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 02:43:04 +0000

In this interview episode of The Velvet Podcast, Caleb J Ross interviews Matt Bell, author of The Collectors (Caketrain Press), Wolf Parts and the forthcoming How They Were Found, both from Keyhole Press. Matt’s short fiction has been published and anthologized just about everywhere and is forthcoming to Ninth Letter, the ML Press chapbook series, and Kill Author.

We talk about live-writing with an audience over at Everyday Genius, editing for The Collagist, teaching writing to fourth graders, and mucho more.

	Show Notes:
00:01:04	Why did it take me so long to find Matt Bell?
00:02:04	Involvement with Dzanc Teaching 4th grade writing Emerging Writers Network Best of the Web
00:05:46	All about Wolf Parts? Fairy Tale Review Is Wolf Parts still available?
00:07:52	Chosen by Brian Evenson
00:09:42	Live-writing at Everyday Genius
00:18:31	What is Matt Bell’s writing process?
00:23:22	About the AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) experience
00:25:36	Whoring
	Best of the Web 2010 (Dzanc Books)
	The Collagist celebrates its one year anniversary
	How They Were Found (Keyhole Press)

Episode 004: “Why can’t I write,” I write OR Inventing Trans Fat

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 27 May 2010 04:21:34 +0000

Most writers, whether hobbyists or professionals, would defend that writing is a compulsion. Yet despite this apparent need, writers find a lot a lot of ways to procrastinate (creating this podcast being one). In this episode, three Velvet members discuss why writing is so necessary, what keeps us from writing when we know we should, what keeps us writing once we start, and how helpful are writing exercises (Writers Digest would say “very;” their bottom line depends on it).

(WARNING: We like tangents. Be weary)

	Episode Panelists:
	Caleb/thirstygerbil (Moderator) Mark/PocketFives Rob/MuttersomeTaxicab
00:01:39	Episode Topic: Why aren’t you writing?!
	Is getting a book on a shelf still a reasonable goal? Writing allows us to deal with people. William S. Burroughs could only truly communicate through writing. Writing keeps us from doing worse things to ourselves Writing/reading offers a window to other people dealing with situations that may be similar to our own In the same way folktales engage us, modern fiction, especially crime writing, engages us by passing on morality lessons
	What inspires or motivates? Knowing other people do it (and knowing about people like Stephen Graham Jones who writes a novel in 3 days AND has the time to keep a journal about the experience) University writing workshops (with credit given to Tamas Dobozy and his story “The Encirclement” and Padgett Powell of The University of Florida) Constant rejection
	What are your writing goals? Session-based word count goals Truly writing for yourself (not for academics or any other specific audience). Academics are still skittish about an author like Paul Auster, and he’s relatively not threatening. Rob wants to gain eligibility to apply for a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts
	Have you tried writing Exercises? Max Berry’s 500 word maximum Shotgun writing – just sit down and go; turn off the internal editor Binge writing – hole up in a motel for a few weeks, just you and the laptop. Create your own prison. Blogging as a character Gilbert Sorrentino and art as the shattered mirror
	Recommendations for books on writing Pat Walsh’s 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Reasons Why it Just Might Read interviews with authors
00:33:16	Other Voices, Other Rooms
	Tracks by Louise Erdrich The Comintern: A History of the Third International by Duncan Hallas Ulysses by James Joyce My White Planet by Mark Anthony Jarman 2666 by Roberto Bolano “The Encirclement” (short story) by Tamas Dobozy Queer by William S. Burroughs The Broken World by Tim Etchells Tell-All by Chuck Palahniuk
00:39:51	What are you currently jamming to?
	Deftones, Diamond Eyes The Dead Weather, Sea of Cowards Burning Love Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record Dillinger Escape Plan, Option Paralysis Murder By Death, Good Morning, Magpie Ha Ha Tonka Elliot Smith Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska
00:45:26	The Lastlies:
	Buy Caleb J Ross’s Charactered Pieces: stories Rob is awaiting a response from subTerrain Magazine. Good luck!

The Velvet LIVE – DeLeon DeMicoli reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:16:58 +0000

DeLeon DeMicoli (Lick Me, White Belts) reads an excerpt of his novel, White Belts, at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Colin McKay Miller reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:07:47 +0000

Colin McKay Miller reads “All The Pathos and Pain” at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Mark Jaskowski reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:06:34 +0000

Mark Jaskowski reads an excerpt of his novel, South City Blues, at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Mark Grover reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:05:41 +0000

Mark Grover reads “Stolen Promise” at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Axel Taiari reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:04:49 +0000

Axel Taiari reads “Grandma” at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Christopher J Dwyer reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:03:49 +0000

Christopher J Dwyer reads at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Rayo Casablanca reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:01:12 +0000

Rayo Casablanca (6 Sick Hipsters, Very Mercenary) reads an excerpt from his novel, Future Imperfect, at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Bradley Sands reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:56:24 +0000

Bradley Sands (My Heart Said No, But The Camera Crew Said Yes!, It Came From Below The Belt) reads an excerpt from his upcoming novel, TV Snorted My Brain, at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Paul Eckert reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:52:55 +0000

Paul Eckert reads “Mystery Box” at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Gavin Pate reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:51:18 +0000

Gavin Pate (The Way to Get Here) reads at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Nik Korpon reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:49:43 +0000

Nik Korpon reads excerpts from his novel, Stay God, at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Gordon Highland reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:47:42 +0000

Gordon Highland (Major Inversions) reads an excerpt from his in-progress novel, Flashover, at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Caleb J Ross reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:46:51 +0000

Caleb J Ross reads a non-fiction piece called “The Author Who Gets Free Drinks: A (Hopefully) True Story,” at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

The Velvet LIVE – Richard Thomas reads at Leela European Café

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:10:29 +0000

Richard Thomas reads excerpts from his novel, Transubstantiate, at Leela European Café, Denver CO, 4/9/10

Episode 003: INTERVIEW with Brian Evenson

Caleb J Ross — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 07:42:19 +0000

This is a very special episode of The Velvet Podcast. Caleb J Ross interviews author Brian Evenson about his upcoming AWP Conference panel, Crime, Horror, Sci‐Fi, and Fantasy… Seriously. Extract below:

(Anthony Smith, Brian Evenson, Stephen Graham Jones, Tod Goldberg, Mark Smith, Seth Harwood) Six writers of genre fiction who also teach and/or have graduated from university creative writing programs discuss how they approach genre fiction as a serious literary pursuit rather than as a lesser form of fiction. In addition, they discuss attitudes towards genre fiction in the university and how those attitudes have changed over the years.

Though this podcast doesn’t deal directly with The Velvet community, Evenson is a highly respected author around those parts, and there is a plug or two about The Velvet Podcast.

I want to personally thank Mr. Brian Evenson for taking time out of his day to chat with me. He has made this fanboy quite happy.

Be sure to visit his website for details about this amazing author.

Episode 002: Hey, is that a copy of Kiss Me Judas on your desk, Professor Meriweather?

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 03:30:56 +0000

Why the disparity between genre fiction and literary fiction? Why are these two modes so often thought of as mutually exclusive? Though genre fiction (the big ones: mystery, sci-fi, horror) are taught at the university level, there is a palatable disinterest among much of academia. In this episode, four The Velvet members discuss these questions and more.

	Episode Panelists:
00:00:41	Caleb/thirstygerbil (Moderator) Bob/vandamage Boden/Mycroft Holmes Chris/enjoi
00:04:49	Episode Topic: Literary vs. Commercial OR Genre vs. Literary
	Is literary the converse of genre How literary fiction uses genre Why genre fiction works so well as commercial fiction Where are the intersections? Where are the divergences?
00:39:43	Other Voices, Other Rooms
	Tours of the Black Clock by Steve Erickson (Bob/vandamage) Elmord Leonard’s complete collection of Westerns (Bob/vandamage) East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Bob/vandamage) Bloodroot by Amy Greene (Chris/enjoi) Empty Frames by D.B Cox (Chris/enjoi) Cienfuegos by Chris Deal (Boden/Mycroft Holmes) Identity by Milan Kundera (Boden/Mycroft Holmes) i poisoned you by Pablo D’Stair (Caleb/thirstygerbil) The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (Boden/Mycroft Holmes)
00:45:43	Think Tank
	What is the role of an outline? How detailed should one be?
00:56:37	Cinemuck
	Is the director of Repomen is working on The Contortionist’s Handbook? Cormac McCarthy distances himself from adaptations of his books Philip K. Dick is proud of Bladerunner Could Demon Theory be made into a movie? (Feel the Noise) Evelyn Evelyn story album (Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley) Did The Decemberists have a tough time with their “story album”?
	The Lastlies:
	Caleb will be reading at Leela’s Cafe in Denver, Colorado on April 6th Buy Chris Deal’s Cienfuegos Buy Caleb J Ross’s Charactered Pieces: stories

Episode 001: Of Members and Horse Nostrils

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:06:55 +0000

Online writing communities can seem, to outsiders, as a self-felicitating, collection of self-proclaimed capital-W “Writers,” appearing more cliquish than communal. To insiders, the writing community is a necessity. In this episode, three The Velvet members who have been on both the inside and the outside discuss the benefits and unfortunate hindrances of the writing community.

	Episode Panelists:
	Caleb/thirstygerbil (Moderator) Gordon/Flash (Talkerator) Rob/MuttersomeTaxicab (Dominator)
00:08:23	The origin of the name “The Velvet”
00:09:09	Episode Topic: Why writing/reading communities?
	What are they? Why are/aren’t they important? What makes them work? What brings them to a grinding halt?
00:09:53	Rob doesn’t like Writers; “writers write!”
00:10:58	Passion is important
00:12:20	The importance of moderating
00:13:04	When a pissing contest overshadows the content
00:16:22	Rob still doesn’t like Writers
00:16:45	A bit of tongue-in-cheek whoring (ewwww…)
00:17:35	The community as a trusted taste-maker
00:18:25	Why don’t publishers create author forums? Should publishers model themselves like independent record labels?
00:20:45	How important is it for a writing community to have a workshopping arm?
00:22:02	Is a gatekeeper important?
00:25:50	Online vs. University critique groups
00:29:26	GOATSE!
00:30:08	Mount Olympus
	From a Huffington Post article titled Dudes Don’t Read: The Book Biz’s Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? The Velvet discusses all aspects of the topic So many books are written for women Men would read if publishers gave them a chance Book clubs are primarily made of up women (fist bump to the Lit Bitches) Chicken vs. Egg, where did the disparity start? Creating a market vs. riding trends
00:38:14	Publishers don’t know how to deal with the increasingly visual media landscape
00:39:14	Praise to Palahniuk for bringing men back
00:40:03	Novel in the age of cinema
00:41:41	Will publishers mistake technological advances as an evolution in reading?
00:43:56	Other Voices, Other Rooms
	Angel Falls by Michael Paul Gonzalez (Gordon/Flash) Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon (Rob/MuttersomTaxicab) Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things by Gilbert Sorrentino (Rob/MuttersomTaxicab) Optical Media by Friedrich Kittler (Rob/MuttersomTaxicab) Fugue State by Brian Evenson (Caleb/thirstygerbil)
00:50:07	Think Tank
	How should Rob approach a 2nd person perspective flash story?
00:58:22	Feel the Noise
	Brand New‘s new album Matthew Good Band \| Beautiful Midnight (Canadian version) At The Drive In Tegan & Sara Sarah Slean (specifically her cover of “Climbing up the Walls” by Radiohead) Hide Your Daughters
01:01:44	The problem with moose head
	The Lastlies:
	Gordon and Caleb will be reading at Leela’s Cafe in Denver, Colorado on April 6th. National Novel Writing Month Buy Gordon Highland’s Major Inversions Buy Caleb J Ross’s Charactered Pieces: stories Rob recommends Fred Wah’s Waiting for Saskatchewan

The Velvet

Episode 007: INTERVIEW with Blake Butler

Show Notes:

Whoring

Episode 006: Jennifer’s Lost Overboard Body: Cinemuck Boogaloo

Episode Panelists:

Episode Topic: Film/TV Criticism & Creation

The Lastlies

Episode 005: INTERVIEW with Matt Bell

Show Notes:

Whoring

Episode 004: “Why can’t I write,” I write OR Inventing Trans Fat

Episode Panelists:

Episode Topic: Why aren’t you writing?!

Other Voices, Other Rooms

What are you currently jamming to?

The Lastlies:

The Velvet LIVE – DeLeon DeMicoli reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Colin McKay Miller reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Mark Jaskowski reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Mark Grover reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Axel Taiari reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Christopher J Dwyer reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Rayo Casablanca reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Bradley Sands reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Paul Eckert reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Gavin Pate reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Nik Korpon reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Gordon Highland reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Caleb J Ross reads at Leela European Café

The Velvet LIVE – Richard Thomas reads at Leela European Café

Episode 003: INTERVIEW with Brian Evenson

Episode 002: Hey, is that a copy of Kiss Me Judas on your desk, Professor Meriweather?

Episode Panelists:

Episode Topic: Literary vs. Commercial OR Genre vs. Literary

Other Voices, Other Rooms

Think Tank

Cinemuck

The Lastlies:

Episode 001: Of Members and Horse Nostrils

Episode Panelists:

Episode Topic: Why writing/reading communities?

Mount Olympus

Other Voices, Other Rooms

Think Tank

Feel the Noise

The Lastlies: