Suzanne Conklin Akbari and Chris Piuma

The Spouter-Inn

Arts EN ↓ 126 episodes

Chris (a poet) and Suzanne (a professor) spent six years talking about “great books” (whatever that means), and are now talking about reading (and all the things that means).

Author

Suzanne Conklin Akbari and Chris Piuma

Episodes

93. The Adversary / Moby-Dick. 18.06.2026 1:14:20

Michael Crummey’s novel The Adversary and rereading Herman Melville’s novel Moby-Dick alongside Natalie Diaz’s Postcolonial Love Poem.

92. The Year of Magical Thinking / Red X. 05.05.2026 1:11:26

Joan Didion’s essay The Year of Magical Thinking and David Demchuk’s novel Red X.

91. On the Natural History of Destruction / Dhalgren. 01.04.2026 1:06:42

W.G. Sebald’s essay collection On the Natural History of Destruction and Samuel R. Delany’s novel Dhalgren.

90. Peter Hujar’s Day / On Elizabeth Bishop. 25.02.2026 57:18

Linda Rosenkrantz’s Peter Hujar’s Day and Colm Tóibín’s On Elizabeth Bishop.

89. The Travels of Sir John Mandeville / Voyage Around My Room. 14.02.2026 1:14:14

We look at some old travel literature, with The Travels of Sir John Mandeville and Xavier de Maistre’s Voyage Around My Room.

88. The Gospel According to Mark / On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity. 30.12.2025 1:27:03

The Gospel According to Mark (and some recent queer retellings of Jesus’ life story), and John Milton’s poem On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity.

87. Waiting for Godot / Theory of Water. 01.12.2025 1:00:51

Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s new book Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead.

86b. Bonus: John Nicholas on Cry of the Ancients. 28.11.2025 49:10

Suzanne talks with John Nicholas, whose parents Grey Owl and Little Pigeon wrote Cry of the Ancients (1974).

86. Pride and Prejudice / Northanger Abbey. 01.11.2025 1:26:01

For Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, we’re rereading Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey.

85. Wuthering Heights / Home Cooking. 24.09.2025 1:15:57

Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights and Laurie Colwin’s essay collection Home Cooking.

84. The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens / Finnegans Wake. 15.08.2025 1:25:27

The poetry of Wallace Stevens and James Joyce’s experimental novel Finnegans Wake.

83. The Tale of Peter Rabbit / Forgetting Elena. 14.07.2025 1:16:26

Beatrix Potter’s charming children’s book The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Edmund White’s novel Forgetting Elena.

82. The Great Gatsby / Solaris. 24.06.2025 1:15:10

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby on its 100th birthday, and Stanisław Lem’s science fiction classic Solaris.

81. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz / Working Through Colonial Collections. 26.05.2025 1:12:26

L. Frank Baum's beloved The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Margareta von Oswald’s insightful Working Through Colonial Collections: An Ethnography of the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, and other explorations.

80. Paterson / The Door. 25.04.2025 1:12:13

William Carlos William's book-length poem Paterson, Magda Szabó’s novel The Door, and oddly enticing book covers.

79. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn / The Nine Tailors. 18.03.2025 1:12:19

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers, and keeping up with the latest books.

78. Memory Serves / A Study in Scarlet. 14.02.2025 1:05:31

Lee Maracle’s collection of essay-like pieces, Arthur Conan Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes novel, and reading your friends’ books (or not).

77. The Iliad / The Name of the Rose. 18.01.2025 1:03:23

The Spouter-Inn enters a new era! This month: Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s Iliad, Umberto Eco’s medieval mystery novel The Name of the Rose, and books as holiday gifts.

76b. Ned Raggett on The Return of the King. 23.12.2024 53:09

Ned Raggett from By-The-Bywater joins us to discuss The Return of the King.

75. My Life. 08.11.2024 37:25

Lyn Hejinian’s book of poetry (a curiously constructed autobiography of sorts) anchors a reflection on this cluster on Essays, Essaying, Stories, Storying.

74. Shapes of Native Nonfiction. 01.11.2024 42:34

On a collection of contemporary nonfiction essays by Indigenous writers.

73. Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back. 25.10.2024 45:19

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s 2011 book Dancing On Our Turtle's Back explores story and resurgence.

72. The Essays of Michel de Montaigne. 18.10.2024 44:15

On Michel de Montaigne’s original collection of essays from the sixteenth century.

71. Troilus and Criseyde. 10.10.2023 53:56

Geoffrey Chaucer's narrative poem Troilus and Criseyde.

70b. Bonus: Dick Davis on Translating Persian Poetry. 19.09.2023 40:16

Dick Davis, translator of Layli and Majnun, The Conference of the Birds, and other Persian poetry.