Raymond Carver Podcast

Carol Sklenicka is the author of the biography Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life. In this episode we discuss her exhaustive biography of Carver before diving into one of his most beloved stories "So Much Water so Close to Home". 

In this episode we explore a very rare piece of work by Raymond Carver, his one-act play "Carnations". Our special guest was a fellow student, friend, and actor involved with the writing and production of this "forgotten" play in Arcata, California in 1962. 

In this special episode we explore Carver's documents, notebooks, and original manuscript drafts in his official archives at the Ohio State University's Thompson Library in Columbus. Join me as I consider both microsopic and big picture questions regarding Carver's writing, life, drafting, editing habits, and unpublished work.  

We are very excited to publish details about the first annual Raymond Carver and Tess Gallagher Creative Writing Festival to be held in Port Angeles, Washington: April 25-27, 2024. Listen here to learn more. 

Here you will find background information and anecdotes related to Season 2 Episode 2 with Susan Cheever, including: the ghost of John Cheever, a Carver interview about Cheever, a relevant bible verse explained, and more. 

In this episode I interview Guggenheim Fellow and Pulitzer Prize winning writer, Susan Cheever. We begin by discussing what might be Raymond Carver's most unusual story, "The Train". "The Train" is a sequel to "The Five-Forty-Eight", a beloved short story by her father, John Cheever. We met at the OSU archives in Columbus, Ohio (where Carver’s papers are kept) to discuss "The Train", Raymond Carver and John Cheever's friendship, and Susan Cheever’s many fine books of fiction and nonfiction. 

Archival recordings of Raymond Carver reading his poems "Grief" and "Happiness" at Peninsula College in 1987. Bonus material for Season Two Episdoe One with Billy Collins, who discusses these and other poems by Carver. 

Poet Billy Collins discusses five poems by Raymond Carver. Collins then gives a brief interview and reads his own work, including several pieces from his new book of short poems: Musical Tables. 

This teaser episode inlcudes clips from Episode One of Season Two of the Raymond Carver Podcast with special guest, poet Billy Collins. Episode One will officially launch in the Fall of 2022. 

Novelist, short story writer, and Carver translator, Haruki Murakami answers three questions for the Raymond Carver Podcast.

An interview with academy award winning director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu about his film Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virture of Ignorance) in which protagonist Riggan Thompson adapts Carver's "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" for broadway. 

In this special episode we visit Raymond Carver's birthplace, where a new Carver mural is underway on the former hospital where he was born. We interview a journalist and newspaper owner, local artists, and more about Carver's past...and his future, in Clatskanie, Oregon. 

Rena Priest, Washington State Poet Laureate, discusses Raymond Carver's poem "Your Dog Dies" and speaks to us about her poetry and Lummi culture.

For the premiere episode of the Raymond Carver Podcast, we interview the writer, Tess Gallagher, Raymond Carver's widow. We discuss parallel stories they wrote about an overnight guest: Carver's "Cathedral" and Gallagher's "Rain Flooding Your Campfire". Gallagher also talks about her life with Carver and her work as his literary executor. 

Announcement of the launch of the Raymond Carver Podcast. The first guest will be the poet, Tess Gallagher, Ray's widow, who will talk about his short story "Cathedral". This podcast honors the work of one of America's most influential writers. Special guests are invited to choose one story or two poems to discuss with the host. Along with these deep dives into the individual works of the writer, we will bring listeners along to Carver related sites and events, and share rare recordings.