Podcast
Concavity Show
Hosted by Matt Bucher & Dave Laird · EN
A podcast about literary fiction and the world of books, with hosts Matt Bucher and Dave Laird. [Logo by Chris Ayers]
15episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 90 - Stephen Starring Grant, author of Mailman
Apr 1301:06:13Tap to summarizeIn Episode 90, Matt talks to Steve about his 2025 memoir, Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home, which documents his becoming a rural mail carrier for the US Postal Service during the pandemic. The episode explores additional topics like Steve's time at the Iowa Writer's Workshop and the writing of David Foster Wallace, among many others. Visit Stephen's Website Visit Stephen's Instagram Order Mailman here Contact Concavity Show: Email us at concavityshow@gmail.com Patreon Instagram Threadless Merch Store YouTube
Transcribe →Episode 89 - 2025 Year in Review Part 2
Feb 2500:56:58Tap to summarizeIn Part 2 of our annual best-of-the-year show, Dave and Matt talk about their favorite reads of the year. As usual, it comes with a playlist: Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/best-of-2025/pl.u-55D6zM5h8VMBkG Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Tzs7v76kjU0IFjsOfVw4N?si=9BjOJdkTR9mXIZmAnKrD-A Stay tuned for our bonus episode in which we discuss some of the music featured above, along with movies, TV, podcasts, and other gems from the year. Contact Concavity Show: Email us at concavityshow@gmail.com Patreon Instagram Threadless Merch Store YouTube
Transcribe →Episode 89 - 2025 Year in Review Part 1, with Stefan Babcock of PUP
Jan 2701:35:54Tap to summarizeIn Episode 89, Dave and Matt have the insane privilege of talking to PUP's remarkably well-read frontman, Stefan Babcock, whose year-end reading list hit PUP's Substack on December 28th, and is full of great books. In addition to talking about Stefan's year in reading, we delve into the literary influences and qualities of PUP's discography, discuss skateboarding in mid-life, and manifest a Tim Robinson/PUP collaboration for 2026. Dave and Matt will be back soon with a Part 2, talking about their year in reading, and you can look forward to 30 more bonus minutes with Stefan through our Patreon, coming in about two weeks' time. N.B. this episode probably breaks our record for most swearing, as expected. 🤘 Show Notes: Stefan’s Substack post Stefan’s Instagram PUP's Instagram PUP's Substack PUP's website PUP's Tour Dates (go see them live, pronto) Contact Concavity Show: Email us at concavityshow@gmail.com Patreon Instagram Threadless Merch Store YouTube
Transcribe →Episode 88 - Brandon Hobson, author of The Devil Is a Southpaw
Jan 601:15:27Tap to summarizeIn Episode 88, we welcome Brandon back to the show to talk about his new novel, The Devil Is a Southpaw, out now from HarperCollins. We discuss things like metafiction, abjection, doppelgängers, alt-country, and much more. You can buy the novel here or here online, or ideally at your local independent bookstore. Brandon's website Brandon's Instagram Contact Dave & Matt: Email - concavityshow@gmail.com Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/ Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbt2QjzmrwakXQtH08WZ6-rSaeEVcSknI
Transcribe →Episode 87 - Jonathan Lethem, author of A Different Kind of Tension & The Fortress of Solitude
Sep 2301:15:11Tap to summarizeFor Episode 87, Matt and Dave are joined by the Jonathan Lethem, who has a new short story collection out on September 23rd, A Different Kind of Tension. We discuss it, many of his novels and his non-fiction writing, his committment to craft, teaching, bookselling, and much more. You can order his new book here, or at your friendly local bookseller. Visit Jonathan's website. Visit Jonathan's Instagram. Contact Dave & Matt: Email - concavityshow@gmail.com Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/ Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Transcribe →Episode 86 - Matt Bucher, author of The Summer Layoff
Jul 901:04:41Tap to summarizeIn Episode 86, Matt Bucher not only co-hosts, but guests as the author of interest, whose new novel, a follow-up to The Belan Deck, has just recently released. Matt's latest book is a Marksonian treatise on the marking, measuring, and allocation of time, and is sure to delight listeners of our show. You can purchase Matt's excellent sophomore release here: Bookshop.org Barnes & Noble Alienated Majesty Bookstore (Austin, TX) Book People (Austin, TX) Matt's Websites: mattbucher.com simpleranger.net buchrtumblr.com Contact Dave & Matt: Email - concavityshow@gmail.com Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/ Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Transcribe →Episode 85 - Camille Bordas, author of The Material & How to Behave in a Crowd
Apr 10, 202501:10:28Tap to summarizeIn Episode 85, we're joined by Camille Bordas, whose recent novel The Material explores what a fictionalized MFA program in stand-up comedy might look like. It's funny (as you might imagine) and philosophical, exploring some of the great cultural questions of our (and just about any other) time. You can find out more about Camille on her website, where eight of her New Yorker short stories are linked. Her English language novels are both available on bookshop.org. Camille's Chicago piece we mention on the 2024 Democratic National Convention is here. Camille is on Instagram a little bit here. Contact Dave & Matt: Email - concavityshow@gmail.com Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/ Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Transcribe →Episode 84 - Sergio De La Pava, author of Every Arc Bends Its Radian
Feb 27, 202501:05:07Tap to summarizeIn Episode 84, the incredible Sergio De La Pava joins Dave and Matt to talk about his latest novel, Every Arc Bends Its Radian, out now from Simon & Schuster. We also discuss David Lynch and his recent passing, deep sea life, and haunted hotels, among many other things. You can find Sergio's website here. Contact Dave & Matt: Email - concavityshow@gmail.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Transcribe →Episode 83 - 2024 Year in Review
Jan 22, 202501:21:18Tap to summarizeJoin Matt and Dave as they look back at the best of their year in reading during 2024, each with a list of ten(ish) books they found compelling and noteworthy. Dave's top 10: Dayspring by Anthony Oliveira Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar Prophet Song by Paul Lynch The Bee Sting by Paul Murray Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem Coexistence by Billy-Rae Belcourt What Remains of Elsie Jane by Chelsea Wakelyn Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park Assembly by Natasha Brown Matt's top 10: SUNDAY by Olivier Schrauwen Blood of the Virgin by Sammy Harkham The Horse by Willy Vlautin Caged by Brandon Lamson The Book of Losman by KE Semmel Avid Reader by Robert Gottlieb You'll Like it Here by Ashton Politanoff A Primer for Forgetting by Lewis Hyde The Notebook by Roland Allen Al rio / To the River by Zoe Leonard Stay tuned for the Patreon bonus episode in two weeks that covers all other things we liked this year in pop-culture. As always, this episode comes with a playlist of our favorite songs of 2024: Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/concavity-show-best-of-2024/pl.u-pMylAeRi4KoErM Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5fVLMtsQSVBCLQUbDxhUFM?si=FaHzQsz8ThCZLMtAWO81tg Contact Dave & Matt: Email - concavityshow@gmail.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
Transcribe →Episode 82 - Lauren Elkin, author of Scaffolding
Dec 30, 202400:48:30Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Matt speaks with Lauren Elkin about her new novel, Scaffolding. They discuss Lacan, marriage, and why Paris is so damn literary, among other things. Lauren Elkin is a French and American writer and translator, most recently the author of the novel Scaffolding (FSG), a New York Times Editor's Choice which the Observer called both "erudite" and "horny." Previous books include Art Monsters: Unruly Bodies in Feminist Art, No. 91/92: Notes on a Parisian Commute, and Flâneuse: Women Walk the City, which was a finalist for the 2018 PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay, a New York Times Editor’s Choice and a Notable Books of 2017, a Radio 4 Book of the Week, and a best book of 2016 by the Guardian, the Financial Times, the New Statesman, and the Observer. Her writings on books, art, and culture have appeared in a variety of publications including the London Review of Books, the New York Times, Granta, Harper’s, Le Monde, the Times Literary Supplement, Les Inrockuptibles, and Frieze, and her essay "This is the Beginning of Writing," published in the Sewanee Review, was awarded notable distinction in the Best American Essays of 2019, edited by Rebecca Solnit. Her website is: https://www.laurenelkin.com/ You can find her on BlueSky here: https://bsky.app/profile/laurenelkin.bsky.social The Spotify playlist she created for the novel is here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3saYDj2BSKyCFWGXsUhCTZ?si=f7a471a0e77e45bc Contact Dave & Matt: Email - concavityshow@gmail.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow Threadless Merch Store - https://concavityshow.threadless.com/
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