"Let's Deconstruct a Story" featuring Jason Ockert

Hi Everyone,I'm happy to welcome Jason Ockert to show! We discussed his story, "The Peoplemachines" in StorySouth Spring 2023. It blew me away! Who reminds me of a modern-day ⁠Agathocles⁠??...hmmmm....I can't imagine.Please read the story (available below) before listening to our discussion. Thank you SO MUCH to storySouth for publishing this thought-provoking dystopian story. It will stay with me.Thanks also to Dan Wickett of ⁠Dzanc Books⁠ for recommending Jason's work.⁠The Peoplemachines by Jason Ockert ⁠Afterward, look for the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Audible, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks to ⁠Elliot Bancel⁠, audio engineer extraordinaire for his meticulous work.***In other news...Coming up in the near future: Interviews with Chad B. Anderson and George Singleton.Also, I was thrilled to visit the podcast ⁠Homespun Haints⁠, where I tried hard but didn't even make it through half of my Irish ghost stories. Saving a few for a later date! Becky and Diana are so fun--if you have any ghost stories, you should definitely contact them ⁠here⁠.One last thing I wanted to mention, Susan Perabo (a past guest and extraordinary writer) is featured on Symphony Space here. This story is not to be missed.Cheers,KellyPSS: Looking for ways to support LDAS? Send us a one-time or recurring donation. We (meaning me...it's just me) would ⁠really appreciate it! ⁠Bio: Jason Ockert is the author of the novel Wasp Box and three collections of short stories: Shadowselves, Neighbors of Nothing, and Rabbit Punches. His fiction has appeared in Best American Mystery Stories, Granta, Oxford American, One Story, and McSweeney's. He teaches at Coastal Carolina University.You can purchase Jason's books here on my ⁠Bookshop⁠.Your Host: Kelly Fordon's latest short story collection I Have the Answer (Wayne State University Press, 2020) was chosen as a Midwest Book Award Finalist and an Eric Hoffer Finalist. Her 2016 Michigan Notable Book, Garden for the Blind, (WSUP), was an INDIEFAB Finalist, a Midwest Book Award Finalist, Eric Hoffer Finalist, and an IPPY Awards Bronze Medalist. Her first full-length poetry collection, Goodbye Toothless House, (Kattywompus Press, 2019) was an Eyelands International Prize Finalist and an Eric Hoffer Finalist and was adapted into a play, written by Robin Martin, which was published in The Kenyon Review Online. www.kellyfordon.com Find her books here on Bookshop, Amazon, or Audible. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsdeconstructastory.substack.com/subscribe