Bookworm

Pledge of Allegiance; Like ChinaTwo first novelists, currently living in California, discuss their books: Lapin's, about the McCarthy era and O'Connor's, about domestic violence.

When One Has Lived A Long Time Alone The poet discusses the solitude necessary for poetry and the ways in which the imagination keeps us from suicide.

The Book of Embraces The South American surrealist turns from the terror of American history to dreams and visionary prose.

One of the great writers of contemporary short stories in the Flannery O'Connor tradition, Joy Williams writes about salvation, damnation and the rot of modern culture

Quincunx; The Sensationist The author of an enormous modern Victorian novel (Quincunx) speaks about his new work, The Sensationist, a brief, mysterious book about lust and disappearance

Writer-director John Sayles discusses the creative process and the politics shaping his novel about the Cubano exile in Florida.

Motion Sickness The brilliant combination of the post-modern and the mundane animates the tone of this theoretical New Narrative.

The House Tibet This book about runaways, romance and incest is the first American publication of a breakthrough Australian novelist

Alan Gurganus talks about his friendship with John Cheever and the use of autobiography in fiction--and life.

Dinosaur Bob; A Day With Wilbur Robinson William Joyce's picture books combine art nouveau and dinosaurs, 30's jazz and Dashiell Hammett.

Bones of the Moon; Sleeping in Flame Carroll blends post-modernism, children's literature and science fiction to create wholly-original novels.

Dark, passionate realist Oates' new novel explores inter-racial obsession.

Authors Susan Compo and Susan Straight discuss their novels: Life after Death and Aquaboogie. A special show contrasting two California writers Compo details Melrose punk; Straight describes the multi-racial Riverside community in which she lives.

Don Juan In The Village International philosophical and sexual escapades of a fiction- writing lesbian.

Road Fever Mad-dog adventurer travels from the tip of South America to the Arctic, breaking the Guinness World Record

Traffic and Laughter; Easy Travel To Other Planets A novelist of futuristic dislocations.

Crow And Weasel The naturalist has written a children's book based on American Indian and ecological themes.

Ann Sexton; Clamor   Diane Wood Middlebrook discusses Ann Sexton's life as revealed in her biography. Ann Lauterbach answers the Bookworm's questions about how to understand her poetry.

The Ice Shirt and Big Bad Love   William T. Vollmann and Larry Brown discuss their novels: Vollmann's The Ice Shirt is a vast historical fantasy inspired by Icelandic sagas. Widely admired Southern short-story writer Brown is the author of Big Bad Love.

A Home At The End Of The World