S8 Ep. 26: Alex Higley on True Failure and Shark Tank
fiction/non/fiction27 Maalis 2025

S8 Ep. 26: Alex Higley on True Failure and Shark Tank

Novelist Alex Higley joins host V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about his new novel, True Failure, in which a man fired from his job decides not to tell his wife what happened and attempts to change his fortunes by applying to join the cast of a Shark Tank-like show. Higley discusses how he experiences the news in Trump 2.0; lying as avoidance and as emotional refuge; and two big American lies (that an individual can succeed on his own and that we can’t collectively organize to make change). He also talks about Shark Tank as a curated and tidy presentation of entrepreneurship and capitalism, and his choice to have his protagonist focus not on what he will sell or invent, but on how he can bluff his way to what he wants. Higley reads from True Failure.


To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/.


This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.


Selected Readings:


Alex Higley


Others:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jaksot(338)

S9 Ep. 28: Liam Callanan on Trump Vs. the Pope

S9 Ep. 28: Liam Callanan on Trump Vs. the Pope

Acclaimed novelist Liam Callanan joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss American-born Pope Leo XIV’s recent conflicts with the Trump administration. Callanan, who is Catholi...

30 Huhti 43min

S9 Ep. 27: Caroline Bicks on Stephen King’s Archives of Horror

S9 Ep. 27: Caroline Bicks on Stephen King’s Archives of Horror

Writer and scholar Caroline Bicks, the Stephen E. King Chair in Literature at the University of Maine, joins co-hosts Jennifer Maritza McCauley and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss her time in King’s ar...

23 Huhti 47min

S9 Ep. 26 Chris Hadfield on Final Orbit, Artemis II, and the Future of Space

S9 Ep. 26 Chris Hadfield on Final Orbit, Artemis II, and the Future of Space

Retired astronaut and novelist Chris Hadfield joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss space exploration, geopolitics, and his new book, Final Orbit. Hadfield recalls watching...

16 Huhti 36min

S9 Ep. 25 Kathryn Paige Harden on Behavior, Genetics, and Blame

S9 Ep. 25 Kathryn Paige Harden on Behavior, Genetics, and Blame

Psychologist, behavioral geneticist and writer Kathryn Paige Harden joins co-hosts Jennifer Maritza McCauley and Whitney Terrell to discuss her new book, Original Sin: On the Genetics of Vice, the Pro...

9 Huhti 45min

S9 Ep. 24 Ana Gavrilovska on Pynchon’s Prescient Technofascism

S9 Ep. 24 Ana Gavrilovska on Pynchon’s Prescient Technofascism

Writer Ana Gavrilovska joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about her recent article for Current Affairs, "Thomas Pynchon Saw American Fascism Coming." Gavrilovska reflects o...

2 Huhti 49min

S9 Ep. 23 Ellie Roscher on Fair Game and the Future for Trans Athletes

S9 Ep. 23 Ellie Roscher on Fair Game and the Future for Trans Athletes

Author Ellie Roscher joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Jennifer Maritza McCauley to talk about her recent book, Fair Game: Trans Athletes and the Future of Sports, which explores the roadblocks t...

26 Maalis 46min

S9 Ep. 22 Jeff Boyd on Cops, Teachers, and Chicago

S9 Ep. 22 Jeff Boyd on Cops, Teachers, and Chicago

Novelist Jeff Boyd joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about his new work of literary crime fiction, Hard Times, which is set in Chicago, where he lived previously. The host...

19 Maalis 42min

S9 Ep. 21 Daisy Hernandez on the Myth of Citizenship

S9 Ep. 21 Daisy Hernandez on the Myth of Citizenship

Award-winning author Daisy Hernández joins co-hosts Jennifer Maritza McCauley and Whitney Terrell to talk about her new book, Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth. Hernández explains the history of ...

12 Maalis 35min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
politiikan-puskaradio
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
tervo-halme
rss-podme-livebox
aihe
rss-ulkopoditiikkaa
viisupodi
rss-pinnalla
the-ulkopolitist
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
rss-asiastudio
radio-antro
rss-tasta-on-kyse-ivan-puopolo-verkkouutiset
otetaan-yhdet
rss-mina-ukkola
rss-polikulaari-pitka-kiekko-ja-muut-ts-podcastit