First up this week, Tom checks out several apps promising to provide writing prompts and creative inspiration. In our second segment we're joined by Lucas Mann, author of Class A: Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere, to discuss "unlikeable" narrators in nonfiction, and how to turn yourself into a character.

Well, it's the end of March, and finally Mike gets a pick: Ben Lerner's much-celebrated 2011 novel about a poet on a Fullbright in Spain struggling with a series of major and minor existential crises. We talk about poetry and "poetry," people having "profound experiences of art," and what makes writers' identity crises interesting or not. Mike's also got a new installment of Fan Fiction Corner, much to Tom's chagrin. This week we're checking out fan fiction about characters from the literary canon. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com. And check out Barrelhouse's various offerings at barrelhousemag.com.  Also, there's still time to register for our D.C. writers' conference, Conversations and Connections, happening this weekend (April 5th).

This week we're answering questions about how to best make use of your limited writing time, and how to jolt yourself into action when you're between projects. How do you pick your next project? How do you generate material when you're not sure what you want to write? How do you choose between a bunch of potential writing projects when you've only got so many hours in the day? We also revisit the 2010 dust-up over the (apparent) increase of present-tense narration in novels, and whether there's a cultural significance to the rise of the present tense. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com

We're joined by musician and novelist Wesley Stace (who you may also know as John Wesley Harding) to discuss the first book in Anthony Powell's 12-novel cycle A Dance to the Music of Time. Mike geeks out over meeting one of his favorite musicians, then we talk about Powell's book, Stace's career, and people's general distrust of actors and musicians who write novels. Plus a lightning round featuring cricket, apple pie beds, and Mr. Bean.

Lots of websites and conferences claim they'll help you hone your "elevator pitch," but is this a useful skill for a writer? This week we're taking writing conferences, the agent querying process, and potential scams writers should look out for. We also answer a listener question about how to create confident protagonists who don't come off as parodies of confidence. For more--including links to the story of Melanie Mills--visit us at bookfightpod.com.

This modernist classic was a listener pick, and also kind of gross. We talk about unlikeable narrators, depravity, stabbing women with forks, and the Spanish Revolution. In our second segment we consider how a writing instructor should respond to unsettling student work, and how to give students creative freedom while respecting the sensitivities of others in the workshop. 

Tom talks to fan favorite Katherine Hill, author of The Violet Hour, about AWP burnout, getting old, kissing, dogs, creepy dudes, and confrontational panels.

Mike gives updates from Philly on what he's doing while not attending AWP, and talks to Lee Klein, author of Thanks and Sorry and Good Luck, about Austrian authors and The Silver Linings Playbook. 

Tom talks with writer (and longtime friend of Barrelhouse) Erin Fitzgerald about flash fiction, fanfic, and unlikeable characters. 

Tom talks with Hobart editor Aaron Burch, for some reason.

Tom reports from the floor of the AWP conference in Seattle. He talks to Tom Williams, author of Don't Start Me Talkin', about conference-goers' book buying habits, and his favorite parts of AWP. Also, Barrelhouse editor Dave Housley joins in to talk slam poetry vs. spoken word, and attending panels vs not attending panels. 

Welcome to the first of our AWP 2014 special reports. Well, not "our," since Mike is still in Philly. Tom chats with Barrelhouse editor Joe Killiany about the best and worst parts of AWP, travel woes, Sherman Alexie, William Faulkner, and beard maintenance. 

On this week's episode we discuss a recent essay in the Chronicle of Higher Education--"How Iowa Flattened Literature," by Workshop grad Eric Bennet--and whether we agree with the various charges it levels against Iowa specifically and the project of teaching creative writing more generally. We also answer a listener question about how to select the journals to which you submit your work, and whether there are special considerations for as-yet-unpublished writers.

Another listener pick: the 1958 novel that would become the first James Bond movie only four years later. We discuss the book's imperialist politics, Fleming's choice to employ dialect for the Jamaican characters, and "the mound of Venus." In the second half of the show we debut a new feature, Fan Fiction Corner, in which we delve deeply into the world of James Bond slash-fic and Tom gets kinda grossed out.

This week we're tackling another question about copyright, piracy, and digital publishing. Specifically: How do libraries fit into the mix? We also talk about the effects both self-publishing and indie publishing are having on the major publishers, we read a couple more Lee Klein rejections, and Mike is asked to explain his love of the movie Pitch Perfect. 

Ward's memoir recounts the deaths of five young black men in her hometown of DeLisle, Mississippi, including the car accident that killed her younger brother. We talk about de facto segregation in the American South, writing about family members, and amateur sociology. We also bring back our Sticks and Stones segment, read a couple more donor rejections, and try to figure out what happens in the 4th dimension.

At the suggestion of a listener, in this special bonus episode we're discussing self-publishing, copyright, and how evolving digital technologies might influence both writers and publishers. Should writers and publishers embrace Creative Commons licenses and post their work online for free? Is copyright an outmoded idea? How can writers balance the desire to make a living with the desire to reach a wide reading audience? 

This week we've got questions about getting an MA, submitting to magazines that already published you, and finding a writing group. Also: Chubby Checker's less popular dance crazes, Tom's brief theater career, and Philadelphia's cheesiest pervert. 

This week's book is a story collection from Foxhead Books, and features small-town characters whose lives have fallen short of their dreams. We talk about the difference between generous and stereotypical portrayals of small-town Southern characters, how to put together a story collection, and why Americans keep shooting each other. For more, visit bookfightpod.com.

We're joined by Joshua Isard (author of Conquistador of the Useless, and director of Arcadia University's low-residency MFA program), who answers questions about reading your own reviews, and what to do with an MFA in creative writing. Josh shares some details about Arcadia's program, we talk a little smack about Jennifer Weiner, and we speculate about Babe Ruth's junk. 

We welcome guest Joshua Isard (author of the novel Conquistador of the Useless) to discuss Roth's 2004 novel, which imagines a midcentury America in which Charles Lindbergh is elected president on an "America First" platform of non-interventionism. We talk about the believability of the book's conceit, the idea of a "false memoir," and the continued presence of anti-semitism in the United States. We also bring back our Sticks and Stones segment, now with a special theme song.  This episode is sponsored by Five Chapters, an online journal and press, which has recently begun publishing story collections, including Everyone's Irish by friend-of-the-show Ian Stansel. Check out everything they have to offer at fivechapters.com.

Kind of a tease this week: a free preview of a special episode you can get by being a donor to our show's annual fund drive. If you'd like to get the full episode, just visit us at bookfightpod.com and click on the piggy bank. We'll be back next week with a regular episode to kick off the new year.

What's that under the tree? Is it a very special episode of your favorite literature-adjacent podcast? (Spoiler: it is.) Since last year's Christmas episode was such a fan favorite, this year we're back with another supersized, end-of-the-year holiday blowout. We've read two books--one a steamy, Christmas-themed romance, the other ... some dumb thing by James Patterson. Both of which we'll dissect for your entertainment. So throw another yule log on the fire, add an extra shot of brandy to your eggnog, and tune out your loved ones by listening to the dulcet tones of your two favorite podcasters as they get increasingly angry about crimes against both Christmas and literature.

We welcome back special guest Jaime Fountaine for this week's Writers Ask episode, during which we pepper her with questions about how to run a successful reading series. We also talk about using real names in nonfiction, and subject Jaime to the patented Book Fight Lightning Round.  You've got until the end of the month to donate to our fund drive, if you want your donation to count toward our goal (and toward us reading whatever ridiculous book our listeners force on us). Visit us online at bookfightpod.com/support to make your tax-deductible donation today. Thanks!

We welcome special guest Jaime Fountaine to discuss the 1976 novel The Easter Parade, a beautifully sad story about two sisters whose lives are ... well, pretty sad. Talking points include: sweatpant jeans, New Yorker fiction, South Philly style, art school, and erectile dysfunction. Plus we debut a new segment: What's In The Bag? 

Another super-sized Writers Ask this week, not so much because we're answering lots of questions but because we've got lots of opinions. Do you want to know what Tom thinks about the television show The View? Do you want to hear about the time in college when Mike was on a Dating Game-style game show in his dorm? Would you like some literary blind items about bad readings? If so, this is the episode for you. Also, we (nominally) answer some listener questions about, like, writing and junk.

Tom introduces Mike to the Sherlock Holmes universe, which up till now he's known only through various parodies. And Mike wants to know: Is Sherlock Holmes supposed to be a giant dick? We also workshop some new segment ideas for the show, including Q-Tips and Speaking Truth to Power. And Tom mansplains his opinion on mansplaining. 

A super-sized episode this week. We answer a couple questions about MFA programs, then we dive headfirst into National Novel Writing Month. Mike reads an excerpt of his novel-in-progress, and we field questions from the official NaNoWriMo message boards: how to name characters, how to manhandle a dinosaur, what to do with time-travel skills, and many many more.  We're knee-deep in our annual fundraising efforts, and with your help we can become head-deep. Head-deep? Is that how that metaphor works? Either way, please give us some money! You can do so online, at bookfightpod.com/support. Thanks!

A jam-packed episode this week. We talk about the first of Updike's Rabbit books, Mike gives an update on his NaNoWriMo adventure, we consider whether quality television dramas are putting the heat on novelists, and we've also got our first-ever Rating Reconsidered. Buckle up! For more, and to donate to our fund drive, visit us online at bookfightpod.com. 

Last year we made fun of National Novel Writing Month, but this year Mike is actually thinking about participating, and he's got until the end of the episode to make a decision. Will trying to write a "novel" in 30 days get him out of his funk, or drive him deeper into despair? We also answer--okay, mostly make fun of--actual questions being asked by Nanowrimo participants. Strap yourselves in, listeners, this one gets a little nuts. For more, check us out online at bookfightpod.com.

Well, it finally happened: we had to re-record an episode because the usually trusty Book Fight laptop ate our first effort. Technological woes aside, this week we're talking about Cat's Cradle, a book we both read as teenagers and are revisiting now as adults. We also discuss the behavioral proclivities of haters, beer can design, and why you should give us some of your hard-earned money. 

We're answering questions this week about building an author platform, what to do (and not do) at author events, and whether editors care about all those fantastic writing contests you've won. Also, fair warning, we're kicking off our annual fund drive, so you'll have to hear about that for the next few weeks, but we promise to not be super-annoying about it.

Our friend Katherine Hill is back, and making us read this seminal 1962 Doris Lessing novel ("seminal" means super-long, right?). We talk about communism, novels of ideas, novels about writing novels, cancer awareness, and milkshakes. For more--including a link to buy Katherine's novel, The Violet Hour--check out bookfightpod.com

Katherine Hill, author of The Violet Hour, joins us this week to answer questions about low-residency MFA programs (she went to Bennington) and working a writing-related job while trying to write a novel. Also: lightning strikes on trains, offensive mascots, and why won't more ladies come to Tom's basement? For more, visit us at bookfightpod.com.

We welcome back guest Justin St. Germain, author of the memoir Son of a Gun and picker of this week's book, a novel largely about the process of writing a novel. We talk about metafiction, audience, writerly paralysis, and Tom's love of shoplifting. For more, including a link to buy Justin's book, check out bookfightpod.com.

Justin St. Germain, author of the memoir Son of a Gun, joins us to answer questions from listeners, plus a special Book Fight lightning round. Topics include: college admissions essays, reading for literary journals, scorpions vs spiders, whipahol, and Tobias Wolff's mustache.

Lots of people on the internet had opinions about this 2010 essay collection by former Gawker editor Emily Gould. The book is essentially a memoir of her early 20s in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Mike kinda liked it, but Tom seemed irritated that he had to read it. Talking points include: expectations for insight in nonfiction, white privilege, haters, the phrase "slice of life," underage sex, and working in shitty bars. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com 

Summer's over, listeners, and this week shit's getting real. We talk about writers in academia, specifically adjunct instructors. How long should you do it? Do the benefits of teaching outweigh the costs, financial and otherwise? Also, we answer a question about the distinctions between fiction and nonfiction, and defend our ratings system against a past guest who thinks we're lousy at math. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com. 

Tom picked this one because he was interested in reading some sci fi, and Atwood's novel, the first in her MaddAddam trilogy, came highly recommended. We talk about novels rooted in character versus novels rooted in premise, and whether science fiction can ever be capital-L Literature. Plus: children behaving badly, and the inevitable day when the robots rise up and rule us all. For more, visit our site at bookfightpod.com 

A question from a teenager about her novel project, and one about the difference between comedy and humor. Plus we dip into the ol' mailbag to talk about a brand-new service being offered to writers who hate to type. For more, visit us at bookfightpod.com 

Just a little light summer reading: Joan Didion's 2005 memoir about grief and illness and loss. We talk about what distinguishes good nonfiction from bad, whether rich people are allowed to have problems, and gendered expectations for memoirs. For more, visit us at bookfightpod.com.

We're back from vacation to answer questions about agents (how to get one, and whether you need one). We also respond to a listener who accused us of not paying enough attention to YA literature. For more, check us out online at bookfightpod.com

We're finally tackling our first graphic novel, a book lots of our friends have recommended to us. Talking points include: duality, form and function, Ziggy, harsh workshop criticism, novels of ideas, Buzz Bissinger, and vacations. For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com.

On this week's episode we're answering questions about personal statements for MFA applications, books about religious characters, and why it annoys Tom (but not Mike) when writers retweet people's praise and positive reviews. Talking points include: Book Fight fan fiction, Bobby Bowden, Tom the Grouch, Texas, dogs eating chocolate, and pork bullets.

A book that's less a conventional novel than a working-through of a delightfully absurd premise, plus some satire of American offices and their human resources departments. We're even more full of digressions this week than usual, so, you know, forewarned is forearmed and all. Talking points include: Soup viscosity, proper workshop behavior, sexual politics, glory holes, the ideal material for toilet seats, and sticks. Lots and lots of sticks. For more, check out bookfightpod.com.

We talk with author Matthew Salesses about flash fiction, in response to complaints we lodged a while back about that genre. Also we answer listener questions about books we hate, and writing advice we dole out but don't follow. Plus, Mike's still mad about losing the 6th-grade science fair, and Tom still carries a grudge against The Decameron, because of a teacher who gave him the finger. For more, visit us at bookfightpod.com.

Our first listener-recommended book, this 1989 novel about a family of traveling carnival freaks was a finalist for the National Book Award. But will it withstand the scrutiny of your persnickity Book Fight hosts? Talking points include: the importance of clarity, Mike's lack of Star Trek knowledge, italics, and Itchy v. Scratchy. For more, visit our site at bookfightpod.com.

What role does academic criticism play for a writer of fiction? Should you outline a novel before starting to write? And how and when should you ask for book blurbs? Bonus knowledge: Mike tells you how to invite the writerly muse into your soul, and Tom finally learns what the word "potluck" means. To ask a question, or for more episodes, visit bookfightpod.com