In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Suzanne Keen discuss John Cheever’s 1960 short story, “The Death of Justina.” Suzanne Keen is a Professor of English at Scripps College in Claremont, California. Keen wrote the book on narrative empathy, Empathy in the Novel, which came out in 2007 and opened up… Continue reading Episode 36: Jim Phelan & Suzanne Keen — John Cheever’s “The Death of Justina”
Episode 35: Jim Phelan & Christopher González — Junot Díaz’s “The Books of Losing You”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Christopher González discuss Junot Díaz’s 2024 flash fiction, “The Books of Losing You.” Christopher González is a graduate of The Ohio State University. He is Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Department of English at Southern Methodist University, and González has also… Continue reading Episode 35: Jim Phelan & Christopher González — Junot Díaz’s “The Books of Losing You”
Episode 34: Jim Phelan & Dorothee Birke — Ali Smith’s “Text for the Day”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Dorothee Birke discuss Ali Smith’s short story, “Text for the Day,” from her 1995 collection, Free Love and Other Stories. Dorothee Birke is professor for Anglophone Literatures at the University of Innsbruck, and her many areas of expertise include the history of the novel,… Continue reading Episode 34: Jim Phelan & Dorothee Birke — Ali Smith’s “Text for the Day”
Episode 33: Jim Phelan & Brian McAllister — Juliana Spahr’s “Gentle Now Don’t Add to Heartache”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Brian McAllister discuss Juliana Spahr’s 2005 poem, “Gentle Now Don’t Add to Heartache.” Brian McAllister is Assistant Professor of English at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. McAllister’s areas of expertise include modern and contemporary literature, poetry studies, environmental literature,… Continue reading Episode 33: Jim Phelan & Brian McAllister — Juliana Spahr’s “Gentle Now Don’t Add to Heartache”
Episode 32: Jim Phelan & Daphna Erdinast-Vulcan — Katherine Mansfield’s “The Fly”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Daphna Edrinast-Vulcan discuss Katherine Mansfield’s 1922 short story, “The Fly.” Daphna Erdinast-Vulcan is Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Haifa. Her main areas of scholarly interest are modernism and the modernist novel, Joseph Conrad, Mikhail Bakhtin, philosophy and literature, ethnography… Continue reading Episode 32: Jim Phelan & Daphna Erdinast-Vulcan — Katherine Mansfield’s “The Fly”
Episode 31: Jim Phelan & Jakob Lothe — Nadine Gordimer’s “Is There Nowhere Else We Can Meet?”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Jakob Lothe discuss Nadine Gordimer’s short story, “Is There Nowhere Else We Can Meet?” Jakob Lothe is Professor of English Emeritus at the University of Oslo, where he taught from 1993 to 2020. Some of Lothe’s publications include Conrad’s Narrative Method, Narrative in Fiction… Continue reading Episode 31: Jim Phelan & Jakob Lothe — Nadine Gordimer’s “Is There Nowhere Else We Can Meet?”
Episode 30: Jim Phelan & Brian Richardson — Ilse Aichinger’s “Mirror Story”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Brian Richardson discuss Ilse Aichinger’s short story, “Spiegelgeschichte,” translated to English as “Mirror Story,” originally published in German in Austria in 1949. Brian Richardson is Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Maryland. Richardson has long been a stalwart member of… Continue reading Episode 30: Jim Phelan & Brian Richardson — Ilse Aichinger’s “Mirror Story”
Episode 29: Jim Phelan & Dorothy Hale — Chapter I of Henry James’s The Ambassadors
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Dorothy Hale discuss the first chapter of Henry James’s The Ambassadors, which was published as a novel in September 1903 after its previous appearance as a serial narrative in the North American Review. Dorothy Hale is a professor in the graduate school at the… Continue reading Episode 29: Jim Phelan & Dorothy Hale — Chapter I of Henry James’s The Ambassadors
Episode 28: Jim Phelan & Matt Seybold — Chapter XVIII of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn
In this special crossover episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Matt Seybold, executive producer and host of The American Vandal Podcast, discuss chapter eighteen of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. Matt Seybold is Associate Professor of American Literature & Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College, as well as Resident Scholar at the Center For… Continue reading Episode 28: Jim Phelan & Matt Seybold — Chapter XVIII of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn
Episode 27: Jim Phelan & Sarah Copland — Bernardine Evaristo’s “ohtakemehomelord.com”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Sarah Copland discuss Bernardine Evaristo’s 2005 short story, “ohtakemehomelord.com.” Sarah Copland is Associate Professor of English at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Canada and a former Visiting Scholar at Project Narrative. Copland works on literary modernism and on narrative theory, with particular attention to rhetorical… Continue reading Episode 27: Jim Phelan & Sarah Copland — Bernardine Evaristo’s “ohtakemehomelord.com”
Episode 26: Jim Phelan & Lindsay Holmgren — Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Lindsay Holmgren discuss Ursula Le Guin’s 1973 short story, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.” Lindsay Holmgren is an Associate Professor in the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University, where she also directs the Laidley Centre for Business Ethics and Equity. Holmgren… Continue reading Episode 26: Jim Phelan & Lindsay Holmgren — Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”
Episode 25: Jim Phelan & Rita Charon — George Saunders’ “Puppy”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Rita Charon discuss George Saunders’ short story, “Puppy.” Rita Charon is Bernard Schoenberg Professor of Social Medicine and Professor and Founding Chair of the Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics at Columbia University. Charon also inaugurated and teaches in the Master of Science in… Continue reading Episode 25: Jim Phelan & Rita Charon — George Saunders’ “Puppy”
Episode 24: Jim Phelan & Henrik Zetterberg-Nielsen — Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Henrik Zetterberg-Nielsen discuss Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Henrik Zetterberg-Nielsen is Professor of Communication and Culture at Aarhus University in Denmark. Zetterberg-Nielsen has published widely in both Danish and English and has made his mark in numerous sub-fields of narrative theory,… Continue reading Episode 24: Jim Phelan & Henrik Zetterberg-Nielsen — Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Episode 23: Jim Phelan & Susan Lanser — Sayed Kashua’s “Herzl Disappears at Midnight”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Susan Lanser discuss Sayed Kashua’s 2005 short story, “Herzl Disappears at Midnight.” Susan Lanser is Professor Emerita in three departments at Brandeis University: English; Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; and Comparative Literature. Lanser has done groundbreaking and influential work in multiple fields: narrative theory… Continue reading Episode 23: Jim Phelan & Susan Lanser — Sayed Kashua’s “Herzl Disappears at Midnight”
Episode 22: Jim Phelan & Erin James — Rachel Carson’s “A Fable for Tomorrow” from Silent Spring
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Erin James discuss the opening chapter of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, “A Fable for Tomorrow.” Erin James is a Professor of English at the University of Idaho and is the current Past President of the International Society for the Study of Narrative. James has… Continue reading Episode 22: Jim Phelan & Erin James — Rachel Carson’s “A Fable for Tomorrow” from Silent Spring
Episode 21: Jim Phelan & Yoon Sun Lee — Excerpt from Maxine Hong Kingston’s “No Name Woman”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Yoon Sun Lee discuss the opening narrative from The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston. Yoon Sun Lee is the Anne Pierce Rogers Professor in American Literature and Chair of the English Department at Wellesley College. Lee is… Continue reading Episode 21: Jim Phelan & Yoon Sun Lee — Excerpt from Maxine Hong Kingston’s “No Name Woman”
Episode 20: Jim Phelan & Paul Dawson — The Proliferation of the Term Narrative in Public Discourse
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Paul Dawson discuss the proliferation of the term “narrative” in public discourse. Paul Dawson is an Associate Professor in the School of the Arts and Media at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Dawson currently serves as President of the International… Continue reading Episode 20: Jim Phelan & Paul Dawson — The Proliferation of the Term Narrative in Public Discourse
Episode 19: Jim Phelan & Marco Caracciolo — Charles Yu’s “Systems”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Marco Caracciolo discuss Charles Yu’s 2020 short story, “Systems,” which was commissioned by the New York Times for the collection, The Decameron Project: 29 New Stories from the Pandemic. Marco Caracciolo is an Associate Professor of English and Literary Theory at Ghent University in… Continue reading Episode 19: Jim Phelan & Marco Caracciolo — Charles Yu’s “Systems”
Episode 18: Amy Shuman & Mary Hufford — Tending Sensibility through Narrative
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Amy Shuman and Mary Hufford discuss an oral narrative Hufford collected at the Headwaters of Southern West Virginia’s Big Coal River Valley. Mary Hufford is Associate Director of the Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network. After twenty years as a folklife specialist at the American Folklife Center, Library of… Continue reading Episode 18: Amy Shuman & Mary Hufford — Tending Sensibility through Narrative
Episode 17: Jim Phelan & Faye Halpern — Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Faye Halpern discuss Edgar Allan Poe’s 1843 short story, “The Black Cat.” Faye Halpern is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Calgary and is the author of Sentimental Readers: The Rise, Fall, and Revival of a Disparaged Rhetoric as well as… Continue reading Episode 17: Jim Phelan & Faye Halpern — Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat”
Episode 16: Jim Phelan & Amanpal Garcha — Salman Rushdie’s “The Firebird’s Nest”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Amanpal Garcha discuss Salman Rushdie’s 1997 short story, “The Firebird’s Nest.” Amanpal Garcha is an Associate Professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Ohio State University’s English department, and he has recently become a member of the Core Faculty of Project Narrative.… Continue reading Episode 16: Jim Phelan & Amanpal Garcha — Salman Rushdie’s “The Firebird’s Nest”
Episode 15: Jim Phelan & Simone Drake — Scotia Brown’s Oral Narratives of Everyday Racism
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Simone Drake discuss two oral narratives by Scotia Brown, which were told as a part of an ongoing research project on African American women’s stories of everyday racism. Simone Drake is the Hazel C. Youngberg Trustees Distinguished Professor of English at Ohio State and… Continue reading Episode 15: Jim Phelan & Simone Drake — Scotia Brown’s Oral Narratives of Everyday Racism
Episode 14: Jim Phelan & Jared Gardner — Chris Gethard’s “Career Suicide”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Jared Gardner discuss Chris Gethard’s 2017 stand-up comedy special, Career Suicide, which is currently available on HBO. Jared Gardner is the Joseph V. Denney Designated Professor of English and Director of Popular Culture Studies at the Ohio State University, as well as a Core… Continue reading Episode 14: Jim Phelan & Jared Gardner — Chris Gethard’s “Career Suicide”
Episode 13: Jim Phelan & Sarah Iles Johnston — The Myth of Arachne and Athena
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim sits down with Sarah Iles Johnston to read and discuss her own retelling of the myth of Arachne and Athena from her new book to be published later this year by Princeton University Press, Gods and Mortals: Ancient Greek Myths for Modern Readers. In Gods and… Continue reading Episode 13: Jim Phelan & Sarah Iles Johnston — The Myth of Arachne and Athena
Episode 12: Jim Phelan & Leigh Gilmore — “Neck” by Maggie O’Farrell
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan and Leigh Gilmore read and discuss the first chapter from Maggie O’Farrell’s 2018 memoir, I am, I am, I am: Seventeen Brushes with Death, entitled, “Neck.” Leigh Gilmore is a Visiting Professor of English at the Ohio State University and a Core Faculty Member of… Continue reading Episode 12: Jim Phelan & Leigh Gilmore — “Neck” by Maggie O’Farrell
Episode 11: Jim Phelan & Frederick Aldama — “The Continuity of Parks” by Julio Cortázar
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Frederick Luis Aldama reads Julio Cortázar’s two-paragraph short story and discusses it with our host, Jim Phelan. Frederick Aldama, also known as @ProfessorLatinx, is the Jacob & Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas, Austin, where he is also founder and director… Continue reading Episode 11: Jim Phelan & Frederick Aldama — “The Continuity of Parks” by Julio Cortázar
Episode 10: Jim Phelan & Ashley Hope Pérez — “Report on Heaven and Hell” by Silvina Ocampo
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Ashley Hope Pérez sits down with Jim Phelan to read and discuss Silvina Ocampo’s four-paragraph short story, “Report on Heaven and Hell” first in its original Spanish and then in its English translation. “Report on Heaven and Hell” is included in Thus Were their Faces, a 1968… Continue reading Episode 10: Jim Phelan & Ashley Hope Pérez — “Report on Heaven and Hell” by Silvina Ocampo
Episode 9: Jim Phelan & Sean O’Sullivan — “Black Box” by Jennifer Egan
In this month’s episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan sits down with Sean O’Sullivan to read and discuss “Black Box,” a short story by Jennifer Egan that was originally published as a series of tweets before being published in the New Yorker in June of 2012. Sean O’Sullivan is Associate Professor of English… Continue reading Episode 9: Jim Phelan & Sean O’Sullivan — “Black Box” by Jennifer Egan
Episode 8: Jim Phelan & Brian McHale — “Chicxulub” by By T. C. Boyle
In this month’s episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, our faithful host, Jim Phelan, finally finds himself in the guest chair! Alongside today’s host, Brian McHale, Jim reads and discusses “Chicxulub” by prolific American author, T.C. Boyle. Jim is a Distinguished University Professor of English at the Ohio State University, Director of the Medical Humanities… Continue reading Episode 8: Jim Phelan & Brian McHale — “Chicxulub” by By T. C. Boyle
Episode 7: Julia Watson & Jim Phelan — Alice’s Walker’s “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Julia Watson and Jim Phelan read and discuss a particularly moving piece of life writing, Alice Walker’s “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self,” first published in Ms. Magazine and then in Walker’s collection of nonfiction, In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens in 1983. Julia Watson… Continue reading Episode 7: Julia Watson & Jim Phelan — Alice’s Walker’s “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self”
Episode 6: Karen Winstead & Jim Phelan — Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur
In this month’s episode, Karen Winstead and Jim Phelan read and discuss two excerpts from Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, “How Arthur was Born” and “The Knight with the Two Swords.” Karen Winstead is Professor of English and Core Faculty Member of Project Narrative at the Ohio State University. She is a Distinguished Teacher, repeat… Continue reading Episode 6: Karen Winstead & Jim Phelan — Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur
Episode 5: Amy Shuman & Jim Phelan — Narratives of Waiting
In this month’s episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Amy Shuman, Professor of English at the Ohio State University and Core Faculty Member of Project Narrative, joins Jim Phelan for a conversation about two stories of “waiting” from Charles Rutenesha’s memoir in progress about his experiences in Rwanda in the early 1990s and then later… Continue reading Episode 5: Amy Shuman & Jim Phelan — Narratives of Waiting
Episode 4: Angus Fletcher & Jim Phelan — Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”
In this episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Jim Phelan sits down with Angus Fletcher, Core Faculty Member of Project Narrative with joint appointments in the Department of English and the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts at the Ohio State University, to read and discuss Tim O’Brien’s 1990 short story, “The Things they… Continue reading Episode 4: Angus Fletcher & Jim Phelan — Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”
Episode 3: Robyn Warhol & Jim Phelan — Zadie Smith’s “The Waiter’s Wife”
In this month’s episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Robyn Warhol, Distinguished Professor of English at the Ohio State University and Core Faculty Member of Project Narrative, joins Jim Phelan to discuss Zadie Smith’s 1999 short story, “The Waiter’s Wife,” which Smith also incorporated into her award-winning novel, White Teeth, published the following year.
Episode 2: Brian McHale & Jim Phelan – Stories with Holes
In this month’s episode of the Project Narrative Podcast, Brian McHale, Distinguished Professor of English at the Ohio State University and one of the founders of Project Narrative, sits down with Jim Phelan to discuss a series of poems that contain significant narrative gaps. The poems discussed include a Hebrew nursery rhyme entitled, “Yonatan Hakatan,”… Continue reading Episode 2: Brian McHale & Jim Phelan – Stories with Holes
Episode 1: Katra Byram & Jim Phelan — A Conversation about “Hinter uns, mein Land”
In the first episode of the Project Narrative podcast, Katra Byram, Associate Professor of German Language and Literature and Core Faculty Member of Project Narrative, sits down with Jim Phelan to read and discuss a text from a slam poetry performance called, “Hinter uns, mein Land,” or, “Behind Us, My Country,” by Babak Ghassim and… Continue reading Episode 1: Katra Byram & Jim Phelan — A Conversation about “Hinter uns, mein Land”