Be warned. We love the writers who submit to PBQ, slushies. We love doing this podcast. And we love you; we love that you listen to us discuss and deliberate. In short, slushies, as Mister Rogers would say: “1-4-3.” One. Four. Three. (I. L-o-v-e. Y-o-u). (Get it?!). We do. It’s hopeless. We’re hooked. We discuss […]
Kathleen Volk Miller
Episode 77: Belly-up!
If you are like us, Slushies, then you love a good duality. We’re hooked on the way “belly-up” can mean to be a flop and to roll in closer. So, belly-up to this episode where we discuss two poems by Judith Roney– “Belly-up” and “Relictual Taxon.” After some laughs about how it’s easy to mistake […]
Kathleen Volk Miller on Pamela Erens “Virgins,” by Tin House Books
As an editor, I can say this is one of the most finely crafted books I’ve read. The fresh approach of a narrator who is imagining our scenes adds a compelling filter who still feels trustworthy. The mix of longer and shorter chapters truly worked for these characters and this story—we live our lives in […]
Kathleen Volk Miller on Matthew Specktor’s “American Dream Machine,” from Tin House Books
I just finished Matthew Spector’s “American Dream Machine,” from Tin House Books. I have to admit that even as I admired Specktor’s ability to flip POV’s between Beau Rosenwald and the narrator, Nate, I had a hard time getting engaged in the book. I felt flipped out of one narrative and into another before I […]