On this episode, the final episode of the ark audiobooks club, for now, the gang talk about “Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl”, by Andrea Lawlor. The novel follows the story of Paul/Polly Polydoris, a queer film student in Iowa in the early 1990s, who just so happens to be able to entirely change his physical gender expression by force of will alone. The story follows Paul through his sexual escapade, through a romance in a lesbian collective in Provincetown and trying to work out what exactly his deal is in San Francisco. All the while, the rolling tragedy of the AIDS crisis looms, alt-rock on the radio and Gender Trouble on the syllabus. Here to about the book this time are Jimmy Guariento, Cecilie Louise Kjølholt and one final time Macon Holt and your host Giovanna Alesandro. Thanks for listening to us chat about books for the last four and a half years!

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Ark Audio Book Club #43 Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl, by Andrea Lawlor

On this podcast, you will a recording of an event we held back in August to celebrate the release of the English translation of Johanna Bille’s Novel, Elastic, from Lolli Editions. You will hear readings from both the Danish and English versions of the novel and a conversation between the author her translator Sheri Hellberg. Enjoy!

Ark Live — Translation Series: Johanne Bille's Elastic with Sheri Hellberg

On this podcast, you will hear a reading/performance by New York-based writer and performer J. P. Slote of extracts from three plays from the recently published collection "Loretta Auditorium Presents The Body of Loretta" from Fly by night press The performance contains graphic depictions and descriptions of sexual violence throughout. For a full discussion of the themes explored in this work, you can find an interview with J. P. Slote at arkbooks.dk

Ark Live — Loretta Auditorium Presents The Body of Loretta with J. P. Slote

On this podcast, you will hear a recording of an event to celebrate the release of Danish literary critic and cultural theorist Mikkel Krase Frantzen’s first book in English, "Going Nowhere, Slow: The Aesthetics and Politics of Depression", from Zero Books. Joining Frantzen for the discussion were the Artist and activist Jakob Jakobsen and Ida Bencke from the curatorial collective, The Laboratory for Aesthetics and Ecology. Hosted by Macon Holt

Ark Live — Going Nowhere, Slow with Mikkel Krause Frantzen

This month on the ark audio book club, we are revisiting an old flame with the new novel "The Topeka School" by Ben Lerner. Lerner’s first novel, "Leaving the Atocha Station", was the book started this crazy show so in many ways this is something of special occasion. In The Topeka School, Adam Gordan of the Atocha stations is back and this time we are learning about his upbringing with his Psychologist parents at the eponymous research and treatment facility in the small Kansas city. Told from the perspectives of Adam, his father Jonathan and his Mother Jane, the novel is exploration both of the formation of this character and the complex historical entanglements that an upbring entails, from youthful hijinks to developmental psychology, from New york subversives to midwestern values, from the fringes of the Westboro Baptist church to the exclusive debating clubs for future politicians. The novel explores the complexities of living in our world in classic Lerner style by excavating the disjunctions of language and action the stories we produce to square the circles. Talking about the book are long-time friend of the pod, Franek Korbanski, returning champ and Lerner scholar, Charlie Cassarino and of course, the people started the podcast all those years ago, Giovanna Alessandro and Macon Holt. From Granta Books.

Ark Audio Book Club #42 The Topeka School by Ben Lerner

This month on the ark audio book club, the gang talk about A. M. Homes controversial novel, The End of Alice. The novel is a character study of a convicted pedophile and child murderer as he reflects over his life in prison. When he starts receiving letters from a bored college student who dreams of seducing the young boy who lives next door to her parent's house, he seizes the opportunity to bring some else into his world. However, all may not be as it seems. Not a great book. This episode features Macon Holt, Frida Hammershøy, Charlie Cassarino and your host Giovanna Alesandro.

Ark Audio Book Club #41 The End of Alice by A. M. Homes

This month on the ark audio book club, we discussed the mid-20th Century, Japanese surreal folk horror novel, "The Woman in the Dunes" by Kobo Abe. It is the story of an amateur entomologist, who is tricked by some villagers into becoming their prisoner in a giant sandpit where he must shovel sand with the eponymous woman. On the podcast this month are Macon Holt, Josephine Leviné, Emma Aggersbo, and your host is Carlie Cassarino.

Ark Audio Book Club #40 The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe

This month on the ark audio book club, we discussed the debut novel from Vietnamese-American poet Ocean Vuong, “On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous”. The novel is narrated by Little Dog, a Vietnamese refugee who grew up in the United States as a letter to his mother, who’s English comprehension is pretty limited. In the letter, he excavates his childhood, adolescent and emerging sexuality while exploring the communicative limitations of formal experimentation and beautiful writing. Discussing the novel this month are Charlie Cassarino, Sheri Helberg and Emilie Bang-Jensen with host, Macon Holt.

Ark Audio Book Club #39 On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

This month on the ark audio book club, we discuss the unhappy lives of the Grimes sisters in Richard Yates modern classic of American aspirational despair, "The Easter Parade". Featuring Emma Aggersbo Tomel Chwałek, Macon Holt and your host, Giovanna Alesandro.

Ark Audio Book Club #38 The Easter Parade by Richard Yates

In this Podcast, you will hear a wonderfully concise talk from philosopher, Todd May, the former philosophical advisor to the sitcom The Good Place, on the tricky and alluring topic of the ontology of Gillies Deleuze in his work Difference and repetition. And the illuminating Q&A that followed I screwed up pressing the record button so it kind of starts in media res but all you really missed is some biting political satire from me and Professor May outlining just how tricky Deleuze can be to understand. The rest is intact. If you like the podcast, please consider leaving us a rating or review on iTunes and subscribing so other people can find us more easily.

Ark Live: Todd May—On the Ontology of Gilles Deleuze

In this podcast, you will hear a presentation from the plant philosopher, Michael Marder on what plants can teach us about political organization and resistance. And a presentation from the Danish art/philosophy and activist group, Mycelium on how they use similar but different principles in their work and the lively Q&A that followed If you like the podcast, please consider leaving us a rating or review on iTunes and subscribing so other people can find us more easily.

Ark Live: Plant Organizing—Michael Marder & Mycelium

This month on the ark audio book club, we dive into a work experimental affect theory fictocriticism with "The Hundreds" by the literary scholar, Lauren Berlant, and anthropologist, Kathleen Stewart. Talking about the book this month are Tomel Chwałek, Sheri Helberg and Giovanna Alesandro and your host is Macon Holt.

Ark Audio Book Club #37 The Hundreds by Lauren Berlant and Kathleen Stewart

This month we have read “Convenience Store Woman” by Sayaka Murata, her 10th book and her first novel to be translated into English and now Danish too. The Novel to the story of Keiko, a woman out of sorts from the world who has learned not to trust her instincts. Thus she has found sanctuary from the adult world by working in a convenience story store, a place in which your every utterance come from a rule book. For 18 years this has gone fine but its starting to wear thin with the rest of her network, which she only really has to keep up appearances and pass the time while not at work. To fix this she resolves to get together with another social misfit, Shiraha, to appear more normal to the outside world. But this threatens to take her away from her beloved convenience store. Talking about the book this month are Jiri Chabera, Frida Hammershøy and of course Giovanna Alesandro. Hosted by Macon Holt.

Ark Audio Book Club #36 Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

This month on the ark audio book club the gang discuss the debut short story collection by the author of the viral hit story "Cat Person", Kristen Roupenian, "You Know You Want This". The collection is an exploration of the miscommunicated, frustrated and perverse desires the American middle class. It's funny and uncomfortable reading but does it have something new to say about this well-trodden ground? On the panel this month are Macon Holt, Charlie Cassarino, Frida Hammershøy and host Giovanna Alesandro.

Ark Audio Book Club #35 You Know You Want This by Kristen Roupenian

This Month, the Ark Audio Book Club discuss Ottessa Moshfegh's second novel, "My Year of Rest and Relaxation". The novel is the story of an attractive, wealthy young woman whose feelings of disaffection, alienation and nihilism, not to mention old fashioned familial trauma, are so overwhelming she decides she needs to sleep for a year. It's the end of the year 2000 in New York and unbeknownst to everyone, the world in which this makes sense is coming to an end. This month on the panel are Ebba Wester and Giovanna Alesandro with your host Macon Holt. They are spoiling from the start.

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