If You're Just Joining Us with Jon Armstrong

The Burger Lab Podcast with Chef James Kenji Lopez-Alt

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:20:55 +0000

This week I took my microphone and headed to the Brooklyn apartment of chef and food-blogger James Kenji Lopez-Alt. He is a contributing editor to Cook’s Illustrated and on-screen test cook for America’s Test Kitchen. For SeriousEats.com he has produced a number of Food Lab and Burger Lab pieces that feature his scientific approach to cooking.

James decided to test the old adage: only flip a burger once. Is it true or a myth? Join us as good cooking meets the spread sheet!

We talked about his years cooking in Boston, his name, food and science, grilled pizza, and of course, burgers.

James has a catering and food consulting company, called KACuisine, he has a food blog GoodEater.org. His Food Lab and Burger Lab Posts can be found on SeriousEats.com and their sister site, A Hamburger Today. Read Kenji’s article:
How Often Should You Flip a Burger?

Author Trevor Corson Talks Lobster Sex, MSG, Japan, Sushi, and More

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:14:08 +0000

I met Trevor Corson’s Literary Agent a few years ago. She had the first iPhone I ever saw. And what did she have on it to listen to? The podcast of my novel! When I ran into her last last year, we talked and I asked if she had any clients who would be good for my podcast. She said: Trevor Corson would be great. She was right.

Trevor is the bestselling author of The Secret Life of Lobsters and The Story of Sushi.

Trevor and I talked about lobsters and their odd sex lives, wrong lobster wisdom from Phoebe of “Friends”, Mono Sodium Glutamate, Sushi, and stand-up comedy.

You can find Trevor’s website at trevorcorson.com and follow him on twitter at twitter.com/trevorcorson

Please note: I had a technical difficulty with the first upload of the show. Sorry. You can delete it in iTunes and then right click and select “Show All Available Shows” and try again. Did I mention I’m sorry?

Cities: Real and Unreal a discussion of Architecture and Fiction with Jeff Vandermeer, Jeffrey Ford, Geoff Manaugh

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:30:49 +0000

This is a special edition of If You’re Just Joining Us. I had the pleasure of attending a reading and discussion at a Borders in New York a few weeks ago and recorded the event. This is the discussion part of the program, which was hosted by Ron Hogan. The three members of the discussion panel were: Jeff Vandermeer, Jeffrey Ford, and Geoff Manaugh.

Jeff Vandermeer, who was recently on IFYJJU, had graciously invited me. His website is http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/.

Jeffrey Ford’s is http://users.rcn.com/delicate/ Geoff Manaugh’s is BLDG BLOG

The host was Ron Hogan and his site is Beatrice.

Richard Wax discusses the Mindy Blake Golf Swing, or what I like to call The Golf Swing of the Future

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:00:33 +0000

Richard Wax is a land surveyor who has been helping to design golf courses for decades. We talk about a relatively obscure, yet fascinating golf swing invented in the 70’s by a man named Mindy Blake. Richard met Mindy, became one of his protégés, learned the swing, and has been golfing to great success since.

A forum about Mindy’s Swing can be found at Network54.com. (Richard mention’s a website maintained by Jim in the podcast.) Follow this link to a page of golf videos, including Richard Wax swinging.

An Amazon link to Mindy Blake’s Golf Swing Book ( Golf:The Technique Barrier) where a used copy can be found.

Author Cherie Priest talks Steampunk, Seattle Underground, her new novel, Boneshaker, and the ritual of dressing up.

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:54:12 +0000

Cherie Priest is a novelist based in Seattle, Washington. Her novels include: Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Not Flesh Nor Feathers, Fathom, and her newest, Boneshaker. (All Amazon links.) Boneshaker is something of a departure from her Southern Gothic and horror roots. The setting is post Civil War Seattle and combines pulp and steampunk elements.
Cherie and I talked about that novel, the Seattle Underground, the ritual of dressing up, and her writing methods and schedule.

Visit Cherie’s site at CheriePriest.com and follow her on twitter at twitter.com/cmpriest.

Campbell Award Winning Author, David Anthony, Durham Talks Books and Writing

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:25:05 +0000

David Antony Durham is the author of Gabriel’s Story: A Novel, Walk Through Darkness, Pride of Carthage, Acacia: The War with the Mein (Acacia, Book 1), and his latest, The Other Lands (Acacia, Book 2). (All Amazon links.) David won the Campbell Award for Best New Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer in 2009. We talk about that experience, writing, telling anecdotes, and his new book, Acacia, The Other Lands. If You’re Just Joining Us fans will remember that David has been on before and is the first repeat guest on the podcast. It couldn’t have happened to a better guy! If you’d like to visit David’s website, it’s http://www.davidanthonydurham.com/

Fantasy and SciFi Literary Agent, Ginger Clark, Talks Agents, Publishing, and the Future

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:01:17 +0000

Ginger Clark has been in publishing for eleven years. She has been a literary agent with Curtis Brown since 2005, and has been my agent since 2004.

We talked about how to get an agent, how not to approach an agent, several agent myths, the future of publishing, and a little about how we met.

If you’re an aspiring writer, this podcast is for you. Follow Ginger Clark on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/Ginger_Clark

Author Jeff VanderMeer talks fantasy, noir, writing, book covers, and a wild boar charge.

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:17:26 +0000

Jeff VanderMeer is an award-winning writer, editor, and publisher. His books include: City of Saints and Madmen, Veniss Underground, and Shriek: An Afterword. In this podcast, we talk about his upcoming novel, the fantasy noir, Finch. (All links to Amazon)

Jeff reviews and essays have appeared in The Washington Post Book World, Publishers Weekly, and many others. He is also a regular columnist for the Amazon book-culture blog and has a great blog under his own name: jeffvandermeer.com.

Jeff and I talked about his childhood in Fiji, hiking and animals in Florida, writing, book covers, his new novel Finch, and so much more!

The show’s intro was recorded by blogger and fan, Charles Tan.

Lastly, a word of warning: I believe there is one swear word that may not be appropriate for all listeners.

Building a Toaster From Scratch Might Sound Fairly Easy. It wasn’t. Just ask Thomas Thwaites.

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:41:50 +0000

When I first I saw Thomas’s project on-line, it seemed funny maybe even frivolous — and there are humorous moments in his telling, like when he calls British Petroleum and tries to get a barrel of oil from them to try and make plastic — but below his near-futile exercise, is a thought provoking experiment about design, sustainability, consumerism, technology, and the environment.

Thomas Thwaites is a design student from The Royal College of Art in London. There is more information about this project at his site: The Toaster Project.

He and I talk about smelting iron in a microwave oven, trying to make plastic, and rubber, and the moment when he presented his toaster and first plugged the thing in …

A few more photos:
The toaster in the foreground and the equipment that Thomas used to build it. Photo by Nick Ballon.

I think this is a later version of the toaster. Photo by Daniel Alexander.

The toaster and the equipment used to make it with Thomas in the background. Photo by Nick Ballon

TV Writer and Producer Rob Long Talks about Hollywood, Cheers, Humor, and Writing on a Container Ship

admin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:00:34 +0000

Rob Long is a TV writer and producer who wore and produced the hit show Cheers among others. He hosts a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood life radio commentary: Martini Shot. (It’s also a podcast. - iTunes link). He is also a contributing editor for the National Review and Newsweek International and others.

Rob and I talked about writing, how to book yourself onto a container ship to get some actual work done in this modern world, the TV show Cheers, humor, drinking, and how he got his start in Hollywood.

Amazon links to Rob’s books: Conversations with My Agent and Set up, Joke, Set Up, Joke. And a link to his Twitter feed.

Author Richard Kadrey Talks about Fantasy, George Bush, and Heavy Drinking

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:04:13 +0000

Richard Kadrey is a novelist, freelance writer, and photographer based in San Francisco. Starting over 20 years ago as one of the first major writers of cyberpunk, with the classic Metrophage, his other novels include Kamikaze L’Amour, Butcher Bird and his latest, Sandman Slim.

Richard and I talk about his transition from cyberpunk to fantasy, George Bush, heavy drinking, and writing.

Sandman Slim: A Novel (Amazon)

The Youtube video that is quoted in the piece.

Download Richard’s Butcher Bird for free (scroll down just above the download for my novel!) at Nigh Shade Books.

Download Metrophage, Richard’s first novel.

“My T-Shirt Says It All” A Documentary about Life Death and T-Shirts

admin — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:46:37 +0000

My guest this show is Jacob Fenston. He’s a freelance journalist in Oakland, California, whose work has appeared on NPR, KQED, and Public Radio Stations across America.

I heard Jacob’s excellent (and often hilarious) piece “My T-Shirt Says It All” and wanted to talk to him about it. This show features many cuts from that work, but if you’d like to hear the whole piece, please do so at Jacob Fenston’s website. This links to Jacob’s homepage.

Author Paul Witcover talks writing, publishing, golf, and more.

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:02:01 +0000

Paul Witcover is the author of three novels, several non-fiction books, many short stories and is the co-creator, with Elizabeth Hand, of the cult comic book series Anima. He has served as the curator of the New York Review of Science Fiction reading series. His new collection is titled Everland and Other Stories.

We talk about his writing, his writing career, publishing, an odd job writing about golf, and more.

Menswear designer Jhane Barnes talks Star Trek, Secret Japanese Technology, and Fashion

admin — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:37:06 +0000

Jhane Barnes designs men’s sportswear, casual, and tailored clothes. Besides menswear, she also designs eyewear, textiles, furniture, carpets, and more. She was recently on NOVA to talk about how she uses fractals in her designs.

I recently visited Jhane’s design offices in New York, and we talked about being a fashionable nerd, fractals, secret Japanese factories, and Star Trek.

Show notes:
In the second half of the podcast, she shows me her top-of-the-line shirt, titled Dentrite. See it here.

Jhane’s website is JhaneBarnes.com. I also mentioned her slightly hidden outlet store, which is called JBXtras.com, where you can pick up extras and last-season’s items at a discount.

Fantasy Author, James Enge, talks about writing, unicorns, talking squids and more…

admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:55:59 +0000

James Enge’s fiction has appeared in Black Gate, Flashing Swords, and everydayfiction.com. He is an instructor of classical languages at a Midwestern university. His first novel, Blood of Ambrose, was just released by Pyr Books.

James and I talked about his pseudonym, sci-fi and fantasy, writing, unicorns, and talking squids.

His website is www.jamesenge.com. Pyr Book’s page for James Enge’s book has free sample chapters. Blood of Ambrose at Amazon.
(Author photo: ©J. M. Pfundstein)