Way back in Episode 13, we discussed a short story collection by John Barth, On With the Story, which Mike enjoyed but Tom most definitely did not. So this week Mike is making Tom read one of Barth’s most well-known, and well-loved stories, “Lost in the Funhouse.” Will Tom come around on Barth? Or will he dig in his heels?

Listeners, how could anyone not like this guy?

We also talk about John Gardner’s long-running feud with Barth, which includes some dismissive stuff in his book On Moral Fiction as well as a visit to one of Barth’s classes, during which he explained to Barth’s students why their teacher was a second-rate author.

We also discuss a couple listener-supplied examples of second chances. If there’s a writer (or other artist) to whom you’ve given a second chance, please weigh in over on our Facebook page, and we might discuss your story on a future episode.

As always, you can stream the episode below, by clicking on the embedded player. Or download the mp3 file. Or visit us in the iTunes store, or wherever you get your podcasts, to catch up on back episodes and subscribe (for free!) so you never miss another installment.

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Download Episode 137 (right-click, save-as)

Thanks for listening! Come on back next week!