Concavity Show

In Episode 91, we're joined by Kevin Moffett, author of Only Son, a 2025 McSweeney's release which was longlisted for the National Book Award . Rush out and get this book; it's fantastic.  Buy it from the McSweeney's store. Jonathan Lethem's review of Only Son.   Contact Concavity Show:  Email us at  concavityshow@gmail.com Patreon Instagram Threadless Merch Store YouTube

In 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...

In 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 abov...

In 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 R...

In 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 -  concavity...

For 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...

In 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 Aliena...

In 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 l...

In 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://twitte...

Join 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 W...

In 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 Mo...

We're delighted to present our conversation with the remarkable Benjamín Labatut for Episode 81, in which we primarily discuss his 2023 non-fiction novel The MANIAC, its primary figure John von Neumann, the madness and magic of fiction, and the limits and future of science and the human mind.    Run, don't walk to buy Benjamín's two English-language books:  When We Cease to Understand the World  T...

For episode 80, we welcome Jessica Anthony back to the show. She has long been one of our favorite writers and she returns this month with a new novel titled The Most (out July 30 from Little Brown).   Jessica Anthony is the author of three books of fiction, most recently the novel Enter the Aardvark, a finalist for the New England Book Award in Fiction. Her debut, The Convalescent, won the inaugu...

In this episode, Matt Bucher interviews Matt Lowell of the band Lo Moon.  They discuss the genesis of Lo Moon's new hit song, "Water." Lowell shares how he discovered David Foster Wallace's writing and he also breaks down his collaborative writing process. Later, he digs into some of his literary influences and the two Matts discuss Salinger, Fitzgerald, Knausgaard, and more. You can order the new...

In this episode, Matt interviews Don Hough. Don is the author of a collection of short stories titled The Funeral Girl, a collection of essays called The Exact Right Word, and a new correspondence collection called All the Best. They discuss how The Funeral Girl is influenced by David Foster Wallace’s work, how Don discovered DFW, James Cameron’s Titanic, Labute’s In the Company of Men, Alexander...

In this episode, Dave and Matt sit down with Adam Levin to discuss the publication of the Bar Mitzvah edition of that great novel, The Instructions. They discuss growing up in the land of Bar Mitzvahs, the writing process, and what happens to Gurion, among other things. Adam Levin's website is: https://www.adamlevinadamlevin.com/ You can order the new edition of the book direct from McSweeney's he...

It's our favorite annual episode on the show, when we get to look back at the best of our year in reading with someone else who has read cool stuff. This time it's with Ben Diamond, a very keen listener and patron from London, who for three years running has sent us an annual best of his year recording, always full of interesting books, shows, music, and films. We had an awesome conversation with...

In Episode 75 we welcome poet Diego Báez back onto the show, to discuss his fantastic forthcoming book of poetry, Yaguareté White, which releases from University of Arizona Press on February 20, 2024.  You can pre-order it directly from the publisher or from Bookshop.org   Follow Diego on Twitter   Contact Dave & Matt:  Email - concavityshow@gmail.com Twitter -  https://twitter.com/ConcavitySh...

In this episode with speak with bestselling writer and journalist David Lipsky. To David Foster Wallace fans, Lipsky is, of course, familiar as the author of Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself which was the basis of the 2015 film The End of the Tour. David Lipsky is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, The Best A...

In this bonus episode, we have a special audio production from British literary scholar Saul Leslie and American writer Wendy Liu.  What do you think David Foster Wallace was really like in a tennis match? You are invited to listen to a tennis commentary of a fictional match played between David Foster Wallace and Martin Amis. This audio piece was part of DFW2023, held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania....

In Episode 73, Dave welcomes special guest Matt Bucher on the show to discuss his debut novel, The Belan Deck.  Buy Matt's book here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-belan-deck-matt-bucher/19943822?ean=9798888623428 Biblioklept review: https://biblioklept.org/2023/06/02/matt-buchers-the-belan-deck-is-an-unexpectedly-moving-argument-for-humanity-and-serious-triviality/ The Belan Deck on Goodreads...

In Episode 72, we welcome friend of the show, Edith Wharton scholar, accordion/bagpiper extraordinaire, and prolific writer, Sheila Liming on to talk about her new book Hanging Out, delving into the myriad ways that unstructured hang time is a radical, life-affirming act that resists capitalist commodification.  The New York Times article on Sheila and the book: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/...

In this episode, we talk with prolific reader and accomplished musician Evan Stephens Hall from the band Pinegrove. We discuss his top books of the year and go through a few of our own favorite reading experiences from 2022.   Here is the David Foster Wallace & Richard Powers Q&A we mention .    And here is the reading poriton of that event that begins with DFW talking about the “brick” in his poc...

In episode 70, we talk to our friend Peyton Thomas, a DFW, Louisa May Alcott, and American Girl doll enthusiast. His recent YA novel, Both Sides Now, was published in 2021, and his writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, Pitchfork, and Billboard, and many other places. Peyton is currently at work on his second novel, a contemporary interpretation of Little Women. You can read more about this forthcom...

In Episode 69, we talk to our friend Mike O'Connell about his recent collection from University of Mississippi Press, Conversations with George Saunders, and discuss Mike's background, the origins of the collection, particulars of the interviews in the book, the trajectory and flavor of Saunders' literary career, and where it all might go.    Buy the Conversations book here - https://www.upress.st...