Hello and welcome to Episode #12! For the first time on our podcast, we are discussing fiction! Today, we will talk about a short story, “Prufrock” by Terry Dubow. We were nervous about discussing this longer format, but super excited to try it out.
Hello and welcome to Episode #12 of PBQ’s Slush Pile! For the first time on our podcast, we are discussing fiction! Today, we will talk about a short story, “Prufrock” by Terry Dubow. We were nervous about discussing this longer format, but super excited to try it out.
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Dubow has been writing fiction for twenty years or so—it’s his secret identity without exciting parts. No super powers. No spy stories. No second family in Idaho.
In addition to writing 250 words a day, he works at an independent school in Cleveland and does his best to help his two daughters and his one lovely wife stay happy, healthy and fed. A story collection was a finalist for the Autumn House Fiction Prize in 2011. Currently, he’s working on his third novel. We want more, and after reading this story, we have a feeling you will, too. Read another story, “Wyoming” in Witness.
We advised our listeners to go read Prufrock first, but of course, we can’t know that they did--it’s all an experiment, right? We dove right in: raccoons and a cat and teenagers and mother-in-laws, oh my!!!
This story packs so much into thirteen pages; we laughed at moments, and while we may not have cried, we winced at all the right parts. This story made us think about fatherhood, T.S. Eliot, incapacitation, indecision, and whether we should be paid by the hour. Once again, Tim schooled us on the real habits of the wildlife of North America, and we could have discussed the story for another hour.
We had some dissension about how the piece ends and even more about what happened to Prufrock; please read, listen to this show, and cast your vote!
Marion suggested that we might provide a synopsis of the story at the beginning of episodes that discuss fiction, which sparked a discussion of recap podcasts and the ways we consume longform media. With such an overwhelming amount of media coming at us in so many ways---how do you consume? You can let us know on our Facebook event page and our twitter @PaintedBrideQ. Don't forget to subscribe and rate us on our iTunes page!
As always, thank you for listening, and read on!
Present at the Editorial Table:
Kathleen Volk Miller
Marion Wrenn
Tim Fitts
Denise Guerin
Alexa Josaphouitch
Caitlin McLaughlin
Production Engineer:
Joe Zang
PBQ Box Score: 1:1
Episode 87: “The Speaker is Clearly a French Fry”
Episode 86: Sonograms, Vanity & Truman Capote
Caitlyn Jenner and Baked Alaska (or When Thumbs Cry)
Episode 84: Hot Pants & Sneeze Ghosts
Episode 83: Goodnight, Mary Magdalene
Episode 82: "1-4-3"
Episode 81: Dad Jokes & Happiness
Episode 80: In Flux
Episode 79: Do it again! Do it again!
Episode 78: It’s Brusque!
Episode 77: Belly-up!
Episode 76: A Toilet in Denver or Florida is for the Fraught
Episode 75: Gate Opening and Other Sweaty Festivities
Episode 74: Drugs, Love and Cagelights
Episode 73: Hornery Is as Hornery Does
Episode 72: Just the Tip
Episode 71: The Lost Episode (with bonus Anatomy Lessons!)
Episode 70: Scalloped Potatoes (with apologies to Ohio)
Episode 69: Memories in Connecticut
Episode 68: Rooftops and Buttered Popcorn
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