Some Amazing Podcasts & Video

Patrick McClean tells a true 30 minute audio story about getting shot. Hilarious, sardonic and profound.  I had blogged about Patrick McClean in 2006 . Here’s some of his best storytelling pieces.  By the way, it’s not really a story, but the Hans Solo Theory is intriguing. McClean now is blogging more regularly (not just podcasting). He used to keep all his stories on the TheSeachachai website but has decided to put more recent content on a different web domain.

From Miette’s Story Podcast, there is an outstanding story by Lydia Millett, Sir Duke about the life of a dogwalker. Every moment of the story is beautiful, and Miette does as great job reading it. Also good: a reading of Raymond Carver’s Feathers and Kelly Link’s A Specialist’s Hat.

I haven’t listened to Miette’s version of it yet, but I noticed that she did a reading of Jean Stafford’s Interior Castle. This is an intense and appalling and unforgettable  story about a woman getting reconstructive surgery and how she is alone with her thoughts. I heard another recorded version of it, and it moved me deeply.

Also, here’s a 37 minute video of recently deceased author  David Markson reading at 92Y.

From the Key West Literary Seminar are 3 interesting readings/lectures: Gore Vidal wings it, Joy Williams tells a story about a childhood crush. I generally recommend anything by William Kennedy, but I am hesitant to recommend this reading by William Kennedy because it’s only an excerpt of a story.Richard Wilbur does some great poetry readings here and here and here.  In that last one (I think) he does a reading of a hilarious and great poem The Disappearing Alphabet:

Without the letter I, there’d be
No word for your IDENTITY,
And so you’d find it very tough
To tell yourself from other stuff.
Sometimes, perhaps, you’d think yourself
A jam jar on the pantry shelf.
Sometimes you’d make a ticking sound
And slowly move your hands around.
Sometimes you’d lie down like a rug,
Expecting to be vacuumed. Ugh!
Surely, my friends, you now see why
We need to keep the letter I.


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