On this episode of "The Lonely Voice," Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides discuss the story “Love” by William Maxwell. A man recalls his fifth-grade teacher—a young woman who was kind and thoughtful. She becomes the center of a very hard lesson the protagonist learns in childhood about the impermanence of things.
Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides discuss two stories by Lucia Berlin— "Panteón de Dolores" and "Emergency Room Notebook, 1977." In these stories we find family dysfunction and tragedy set against the backdrop of another country and its culture and rituals — or in a hospital, another place with its protocols and routines. Except within all that is expected in these settings there is something totally new to make us pay attention to situations and people to whom we might never have given a second thought.
Nicholas Regiacorte joins Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides to discuss two poems by Zbigniew Herbert.
Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides discuss two stories by the German author, Heinrich Böll who is known as a master of the short story. He wrote about World War II and postwar concerns, centered social and political issues, and endowed his characters with decency and hope.
Rwandan-born Namibian author Rémy Ngamije discusses two stories from his book, Only Stars Know the Meaning of Space: A Literary Mixtape with Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides.
Wright Morris' characters can be odd, and they do unusual things. But there is something real and recognizable about these people and their situations. Yvette Benavides and Peter Orner discuss two stories from Collected Stories: 1948-1986 by Wright Morris.
In the story “Clara” by Roberto Bolaño, a man tells the story of a woman he knew in his youth. Over three decades later, he hasn’t forgotten her. The story is riddled with tells that reveal that he’s carried the memory of her around with him for all that time. What is the hold she has on him all about?
Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides discuss “Oh, Joseph, I’m So Tired" by Richard Yates. It’s a story narrated by a man looking back on his childhood during the Depression. He recalls difficult moments that are brutally honest but told with a tender acceptance of what was.
Acclaimed writer ZZ Packer joins Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides to discuss “Gold Coast” by James Alan McPherson.
Yvette Benavides and Peter Orner welcome internationally renowned cartoonist, Ricardo Siri— known professionally as Liniers—to discuss “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” by Herman Melville.
The two lovers in this story are a very attractive man and the homeliest woman he has ever known. It might be surprising to some of our listeners out there that the relationship depicted here in this very strange story can be relatable. Can it? Yes. That’s the way it is with stories.
Breece D'J Pancake died young in 1979 at age 26 but since then he has continued to be considered a great American story writer. Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides discuss two stories by this native of West Virginia.
Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides discuss "New Year's Eve," a short story by Mavis Gallant.
Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides discuss a sad story that makes them happy—"Stolen Pleasures" by Gina Berriault.
Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides discuss Franz Kafka's "The Judgment."
On this episode of The Lonely Voice, Yvette Benavides and Peter Orner offer a brief tribute to Alice Munro and discuss her story "Illinois" from The View from Castle Rock.
On this episode of The Lonely Voice, Yvette Benavides and Peter Orner discuss Sherwood Anderson’s story “Death in the Woods.”
The Lonely Voice: Yvette Benavides and Peter Orner discuss one of Mavis Gallant's most beloved stories, 'The Ice Wagon Going Down the Street.'
Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides welcome special guest, internationally acclaimed cartoonist Liniers (Ricardo Siri) to discuss two stories by Jorge Luis Borges.
Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides discuss two stories by Luica Berlin—"Strays" and "Step."