American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)

Episode 238: Willa Cather: The Song of the Lark (3)

Part three of "The Song of the Lark" by Willa Cather explores Thea's soul searching as she comes to a crisi in her musical education in Chicago.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 100.1: The Simulacra (1)

Part one of my review of Philip K. Dick's 1964 novel "The Simulacra". It's a good one.

Episode 237: Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark (2)

In the second part of Willa Cather's "The Song of the Lark", Thea arrives in the barren wasteland of Chicago in order to contuine her musical education only to discover her talent as a singer.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 99.5: Martian Time-Slip (5)

The conclusion to my thoughts on Philip K. Dick's brilliant novel "Martian Time-Slip".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 99.4: Martian Time-Slip (4)

We are nearing the end of "Martian Time-Slip". In this part of the novel, things get a little bit weird.

Episode 236: Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark (1)

First part of my review of "The Song of the Lark", a heafty novel by Willa Cather about becoming an artist, the rapidly changing frontier, and the costs of being a career woman.

Episode 235: Willia Cather, O Pioneers, Part 2

The second half of my review of Willa Cather's "O Pioneers". Next up, "The Song of the Lark."

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 99.3: Martian Time-Slip (3)

More of my thoughts on Philip K. Dick's novel "Martian Time-Slip".

Episode 234: Willia Cather, O Pioneers, Part 1

The first episode of a two part series on Willa Cather's novel "O Pioneers".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 99.2: Martian Time-Slip (2)

Part two of my series on Philip K. Dick's 1964 novel "Martian Time-Slip".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 99.1: Martian Time-Slip

The first part of my thoughts on Dick's 1964 novel "Martian Time-Slip". Oh, it is so good!

Episode 233: Willa Cather, The Troll Garden

The first episode in my series on the early novels of Willa Cather. We begin with her collection of short stories on art and artists, "The Troll Gardens".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 98: If There Was No Benny Cemoli

A bit more on the media and the mythology of history in "If There Was No Benny Cemoli", another a Philip K. Dick's 1963 short stories.

Episode 232: James Weldon Johnson: Essays (2) and Poems

I close out my series on turn on early 20th century Afircan-American writers with a look at some more essays by James Weldon Johnson and some of his poems.

Next up, Willa Cather's early works.

Episode 231: James Weldon Johnson: Essays (1)

In this episode, I look at some of James Weldon Johnson's early essays and the introductions to some of his edited work.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 97: Stand-by and What'll We Do With Ragland Park

In this episode I will look at two Philip K. Dick tales that make up a single story. "Stand-by" and "What'll We Do WIth Ragland Park" together make a short novel about the media, automated political power, folk music, and posthumanism.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 96: Days of Perky Pat

Back to some Philip K. Dick short stories. The first we will look at is "The Days of Perky Pat" a tale about war, the future, and Barbie dolls.

Episode 230: James Weldon Johnson: Along This Way (4)

The finale of my review of James Weldon's Johnson autobigraphy, "Along This Way" Thsi part focuses on his civil rights work with the NAACP.

Episode 229: James Weldon Johnson: Along This Way (3)

In this part of "Along This Way" James Weldon Johnson discusses his career in the State Department and his participation in U.S. imperialism in Latin America.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 95.4: The Game-players of Titan (4)

The finale of my review and commentary on Philip K. Dick's novel "The Gameplayers of Titan".

 

 

Episode 228: James Weldon Johnson: Along This Way (2)

 Part 2 of James Weldon Johnson's autobiography "Along This Way" looks at his time in New York with with his brother and his time as a school principal.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 95.3: The Game-players of Titan (3)

Part 3 of my review and comments of Philip K. Dick's "The Game-Players of Titan". Thanos has yet to show up.

Episode 227: James Weldon Johnson: Along this Way (1)

"Along This Way" is James Weldon Johnson's autobiography. The first part of it explores his family and his education.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 95.2: The Game-players of Titan (2)

Part two of my comments on Philp K. Dick's "The Game-players of Titan".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 95.1: The Gameplayers of Titan (1)

And now for a strange one, "The Game-players of Titan" by Philp K. Dick. What is this one about? Marriage? Gambling? Fertility? Drugs? Mental Illness? Colonialism? Psychotherapy? Classical Music? In a Philip K. Dick novel of the 1960s, it can be about all those things.

James Weldon Johnson: Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

A one-off episode on James Weldon Johnson's novel "Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man", a story on passing, cigar rolling, and black Manhattan.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 94.6: The Man in the High Castle (6)

We have made it to the end of "The Man in the High Castle" by Philip K. Dick. Let you know what you think of my finale episode on this Hugo Award-winning novel.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 94.5: The Man in the High Castle (5)

Part five of my review of "The Man in the High Castle".

Episode 225: W. E. B. Du Bois, Articles from "The Crisis"

Oh..the feels. Time to say goodbye to W. E. B. Du Bois. Maybe we will meet again if The Library of America publishes another volume of your works.

Articles from the "Crisis"--lots of them.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 94.4: The Man in the High Castle (4)

Part four of my comments and review of Philip K. Dick's Hugo Award-winning novel "The Man in the High Castle".

 

Episode 224: W. E. B. Du Bois, Essays 3

The essays I look at in this episode are from the end of Du Bois' career, including a chapter from his masterpiece "Black Reconstruction in America."

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 94.3: The Man in the High Castle (3)

More of "The Man in the High Castle" by Philip K. Dick.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 94.2: The Man in the High Castle (2)

Part 2 of my comments on Philip K. Dick's "The Man in the Hight Castle".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 94.1: The Man in the High Castle (1)

Season 2 of the Philip K. Dick Book Club kicks off with part 1 of my comments on Dick's Hugo Award winning "The Man in the High Castle".

Episode 224: W. E. B. Du Bois, Essays, Part 2

In this episode, I take a look at Du Bois' essays from the post World War I period to the 1920s. Topics include the betrayed promise of natonal self-determination after the war and the Marcus Garvey movement.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 93.3: Vulcan's Hammer (3)

My final episode on "Vulcan's Hammer" by Philip K. Dick.

This also brings to an end "Season 1" of this series on Dick's works, covering the stories and novels of the 1950s. (Vulcan's Hammer and Dr. Futurity, published in 1960, were written much earlier).
I will be back soon with the novels and stories of the 1960s, beginning with "The Man in the High Castle".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 93.2: Vulcan's Hammer (2)

Part two of my comments on Dick's 1960 novel "Vulcan's Hammer." A little murder mystery (murder of a computer anyway) thickens the plot.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 93.1: Vulcan's Hammer (1)

The first part of my comments on Philip K. Dick's 1960 novel "Vulcan's Hammer". Not one of his best, to be sure, but one of the more contemporary thematically.

Episode 222: W. E. B. Du Bois: Essays, Part 1

The first of a series on episodes on the essays of W. E. B. Du Bois. These cover the period from his college days to the First World War. with themes such as the founding of "The Crisis" and education.

Episode 221: W. E. B. Du Bois: Dusk of Dawn (2)

Part two of my comments on W. E. B. Du Bois's autobiography and statement on global race relations, "Dusk of Dawn." In this part, we explore Du Bois' thoughts on Africa, empire, and the chaotic early 20th century.