This week we’re checking out something a little different, an Instagram “essay” created by the journalist Jeff Sharlet. After joining the social media site, Sharlet started taking portraits of people and writing brief narratives about their lives. Several of these profiles were later collected and reprinted in two parts by Longreads.
In the second half of the show, we discuss Tom’s penchant for arguing with idiots on the internet, and offer some advice to a listener who keeps getting encouraging rejections on a story, Also, in preparation for National Novel Writing Month (which starts November 1), we visit the NaNoWriMo forums to see what we should be doing to get ready for the competition.
As always, we’re happy to hear what you think about the stuff we talked about this week. You can email us directly, hit us up on Twitter, or just leave a comment here on the site. Also: we’re on Facebook, and gradually getting better about posting studio pics and links and such. So come visit us over there, like our page, etc. etc.
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Book Fight! 
October 12, 2015 at 2:36 pm
Nice episode.
What are some of the upcoming books? (I saw the James Tate Hill book on the Twitter.)
Now for my opinions on children and clocks…
October 12, 2015 at 8:55 pm
Thanks, Tony! The next two are Karl Ove Knausgaard’s “A time for Everything,” which donors selected in the poll earlier this year. Then there’s the James Tate Hill book. And then maybe this book, which I found in the library and am enjoying so far? http://www.amazon.com/Night-Funny-Hats-Elspeth-Davie/dp/0241103770
That’s not a guarantee, though. I have to figure that out.
October 12, 2015 at 9:19 pm
I’m pretty interested in hearing that Knausgaard episode. I’ve read the first four parts of My Struggle, but I think you guys might be the only people to read one his other books in English.
October 13, 2015 at 12:56 pm
It was interesting; it’s the only thing of his I’ve read, but I think Mike has read parts 1 and 2 of My Struggle now too. I’m still not exactly sure how I feel about it (though I guess I have to figure it out soon).