American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 17: Martians Come in Clouds

In "Martians Come in Clouds", Philip K. Dick takes on lynching and race relations in the suburbs. Or maybe he is just writing science fiction.

Episode 39: Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, Part 2

In this episode we continue reading The Crisis and see as Paine begins to think about what kind of nation will come out of the armed conflict with Britain.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 16: Colony

What happens when your toaster is plotting against you? Find out in the episode of the Philip K. Dick Book Club as we look at "Colony."

Episode 38: Thomas Paine: The Crisis, Part One

In this episode, Thomas Paine goes to the front and provides reportage, and trolls the British. Learn what is wrote in The American Crisis.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 15: Paycheck

In this episode of the Philip K. Dick Book Club, we examine "Paycheck," a story of corporate games that remind us of later cyberpunk works.

Episode 37: Thomas Paine: Common Sense

In this episode, we begin a new series on Thomas Paine with his 1776 pamphlet "Common Sense".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 14: The Preserving Machine

In this episode we see how cultures could be preserved in DNA, and corrupted. We also witness another example of how Dick misunderstood evolution.

Episode 36: Arna Bontemps: Black Thunder (2)

In this final episode on the Harlem Renaissance, I explore the impact of Gabriel's Revolt of 1800 as told by Arna Bontemps in his historical fiction novel Black Thunder. (See Episode 35 for my introduction to this book)

Episode 13: Philip K. Dick Book Club: Second Variety

In "Second Variety", Philip K. Dick explores the future of war at its most brutal.

Episode 35: Arna Bontemps: Black Thunder (1)

In this episode, I examine the first half of Arna Bontemp's novel on Gabriel's Revolt, Black Thunder.

Episode 12: Philip K. Dick Book Club: The Infinities

Energy beings, hamsters, evolution, and unexplored asteroids...it's Philip K. Dick's story "The Infinites".

Episode 34: Rudolph Fisher: The Conjure Man Dies (2)

Part 2 of 2 on Rudolph Fisher's The Conjure Man Dies, a wonderful Harlem Renaissance novel exploring magic and society in Harlem.

Episode 11: Philip K. Dick Book Club: The World She Wanted

In this episode of the Philip K. Dick Book Club we find out how to make the world--and the people in it--our plaything.

Episode 33: Rudolph Fisher: The Conjure Man Dies (1)

Rudolph Fisher's wonderful mystery novel of the Harlem Renaissance, The Conjure Man Dies, examines the people and culture of black Harlem.