Three Percent Podcast

Three Percent #169: Year Two of the NBA for Translated Literature

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

After an update from Chad about his trip to London and Amsterdam, he and Tom break down the National Book Award for Translated Literature longlist, e...

TMR: Monsterhuman by Kjersti Skomsvold (pgs 360-406)

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Translator Becky Crook comes on this week's podcast to talk about the process of working on Monsterhuman, all the things that she couldn't quite get ...

TMR: Monsterhuman by Kjersti Skomsvold (pgs 316-360)

13 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Brian is AWOL BUT Patrick Smith brings his A-game. He and Chad talk about the self-conscious humor in Monsterhuman, awkward interactions, ...

TMR: Monsterhuman by Kjersti Skomsvold (pgs 275-316)

09 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Although this episode isn't as funny as last week's discussion of "lay-down Sally," it does get into some of Brian's neuroses about his forthcoming b...

Three Percent #168: The 6% Improvement

04 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode, Chad shares some interesting data about the number of books by women in translation before and after the creation of Women in Transla...

TMR: Monsterhuman by Kjersti Skomsvold (pgs 226-274)

30 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Caitlin Baker from Island Books joins Chad and Brian this week to talk about "The Herring Factory" from Kjersti Skomsvold's Monsterhuman. After a str...

TMR: Monsterhuman by Kjersti Skomsvold (pgs 180-225)

26 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Flynn from Volumes opens up today's episode with a reading from Brian's first book, Joytime Killbox. Then, along with Chad, they break down the re...

Three Percent #167: We Could All Do Better

22 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Meytal Radzinski (@biblibio, founder of Women in Translation Month) joins Chad and Tom to talk about Women in Translation Month, depressing statistics...

TMR: Monsterhuman by Kjersti Skomsvold (pgs 144-180)

16 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Even though the first few seconds ("On today's Two Month Review we'll be talking about . . . ") got cut off, Chad gives his most professional podcast ...

TMR: Monsterhuman by Kjersti Skomsvold (pgs 92-143)

15 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Chad and Brian applaud Kjersti for not getting back together with her ex-boyfriend, talk about circular structures, about the evoluti...

TMR: Monsterhuman by Kjersti Skomsvold (pgs 46-92)

14 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

One of the funniest TMR episodes in weeks, Chad and Brian crack each other up over writerly anxieties, the sharp wit Kjersti displays in this section,...

Three Percent #166: Women in Translation Month 2019

06 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chad and Tom drop a number of recommendations for Women in Translation month, some that they've read, some that they're planning on reading. They also...

BONUS EPISODE: Annette Orre

30 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We finish up Norwegian Month at Three Percent by talking to Annette Orre of the Oslo Literary Agency. We talk trends, 1,000-page books, The History o...

TMR: Monsterhuman by Kjersti Skomsvold (pgs 1-45)

29 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The new season of the Two Month Review starts here! Through the end of September we'll be discussing Kjersti Skomsvold's Monsterhuman, translated fro...

BONUS EPISODE: John Erik Riley

25 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate Norwegian Month at Three Percent, Chad talked with John Erik Riley, author, photographer, editor of Norwegian literature for Cappelen Dam...

Three Percent #165: Disorder in the Book Shelves

23 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of the Three Percent Podcast never gets to its actual topic, but includes minor disagreements about ebooks in libraries and its impact on...

TMR: CoDex 1962: "I'm a Sleeping Door" (Part III)

15 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We did it! Chad and Rachel Cardasco (with an assist from Tom Flynn of Volumes) talk about the last sections of Sjón's CoDex 1962. It's been quite t...

Three Percent #164: Rapid Expansion

10 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chad shares his stupid dreams, Tom questions translators who work for AmazonCrossing and then want indie bookstores to help them out, and they both ma...

TMR: CoDex 1962: "I'm a Sleeping Door" (Part II)

05 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Things start to come clear in this penultimate episode of this season of the Two Month Review. We get a new story about Joséf's birth, along with som...

BONUS EPISODE: Becky Crook

03 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As part of "Norwegian Month" here at Three Percent, translator Becky Crook (The Black Signs, Monsterhuman, Silence: In the Age of Noise, and many more...

TMR: CoDex 1962: "I'm a Sleeping Door" (Part I)

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're into the homestretch! Today episode, featuring special guest Katie Whittemore, kicks off the discussion of the third and final volume of Sjón's...

Three Percent #163: What Do You Want

26 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chad and Tom talk about a number of interrelated issues related to the costs of bookstore ownership and being a bookseller. They talk about the recent...

BONUS EPISODE: Ben Lindbergh on "The MVP Machine"

25 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this special bonus episode, Ben Lindbergh of The Ringer and Effectively Wild talks with Chad about his new book, The MVP Machine. They talk about...

TMR: CoDex 1962 (Pgs 303-343)

21 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Tobias Carroll joined Chad and Brian to talk about werewolves, puns that don't exactly work in translation, evil baseball card shop owners,...

TMR: CoDex 1962 (Pgs 257-302)

19 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week's episode covers a lot of ground, from disturbing American racism circa 1917 to codswallop; from werewolves to parliamentary fights, from gh...

Three Percent #162: I Am a Wild Rose

12 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chad and Tom are joined by Mark Haber from Brazos Bookstore and author of the forthcoming Reinhardt's Garden (October 1, Coffee House Press). They ta...

Three Percent #161: Will a French Book Win the BTBA?

28 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chad and Tom took some time off on Memorial Day to bring you this little podcast about the Best Translated Book Award finalists (winner will be announ...

Three Percent #160: Double Controversy

15 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

One of the calmest podcasts to date featuring two controversial topics: the new Open Letter cover design, and the side-effects of suddenly doubling (o...

TMR: CoDex 1962 (Pgs 58-109)

10 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chad's just back from a 7 hour train ride. Brian is inebriated. Tom Flynn is . . . Tom Flynn? It's a classic episode of the Two Month Review about hor...

Three Percent #159: Publishing in 2025?

01 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chad and Tom are back to talk about Independent Bookstore Day (and Free Comic Book Day and Record Store Day), the Indie Playlist Initiative, fascists...

TMR: CoDex 1962 (Introduction)

26 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The new season of the Two Month Review kicks off with a pretty wide-ranging discussion. Sure, there is a bit about Sjón (pronounced SYOHN, which is ...

Three Percent #158: 2019 Best Translated Book Award Longlists

17 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Best Translated Book Award fiction judge Kasia Bartoszynska joins Chad and Tom to talk about the recently released longlists. After providing some in...

BONUS EPISODE: Antonia Lloyd-Jones and Sean Bye on Polish Reportage

11 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

  As part of Nonfiction in Translation Month at Three Percent, Polish translators Antonia Lloyd-Jones and Sean Bye came on the podcast to explain Pol...

Three Percent #157: Post-Portland AWP

03 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this atypically subdued episode, Chad recounts some of his adventures in Portland at the AWP conference, and speculates about why this was his favo...

2MR: Radiant Terminus (Chapters 39-END)

22 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chad and Brian finish off Radiant Terminus and talk about possible interpretation of the ending, whether anyone came out of this book OK, the balance...

Three Percent #156: The Netflix of Titles

19 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's podcast, Chad and Tom talk laugh about how HarperVia conceives of itself, praise this year's National Book Award for Translation judge...

2MR: Radiant Terminus (Chapters 27-38)

15 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This is a jam-packed episode as Rachel Crawford joins Brian and Chad to talk about Kronauer's "trial," Hannko and Samiya in the Taiga, the lasting imp...

BONUS EPISODE: Interview with Edwin Frank of NYRB

14 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Following a trip to India to speak at the Seagull School of Publishing, Edwin Frank sat down to talk about Uwe Johnson's Anniversaries and NYRB's ov...

2MR: Radiant Terminus (Chapters 20-26)

13 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chad and Brian go it alone through Kronauer's "night of amok" as he attempt to murder Solovyei for his myriad crimes. Then they enter into part four o...

BONUS EPISODE: Interview with Nick During of NYRB

07 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

To supplement NYRB month on Three Percent, Chad and Anthony talked to Nick During, publicist for New York Review Books, about the marketing of Annive...

Three Percent #155: All Statistics Are Baseball Statistics

06 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

After a brief foray into Baseball Prospectus 2019 and Power Ball by Rob Neyer, Chad and Tom get down to business, analyzing Chad's statistically-b...

2MR: Radiant Terminus (Chapters 17-19)

01 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

With just Chad and Brian on this week's episode, the show turns almost full superhero. We get Chad's weirdly specific—and unnerving—Volodine-influ...

2MR: Radiant Terminus (Chapters 14-16)

22 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tobias Carroll (Transitory, Reel) joins Chad and Brian to talk about the latest installment of Radiant Terminus. These three chapters get wild, as ...

Three Percent #154: Celebrity Translators

19 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

After an update about Chad's computer files and subscriptions, Tom talks about Amazon leaving NYC and they both get into a long discussion about trans...

2MR: Radiant Terminus (Chapters 9-13)

15 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Rhett McNeil joins Chad Post and pinch-hitter Kaija Straumanis to talk about the first half of part two of Radiant Terminus, "Ode to the Camps." From...

Three Percent #153: Winter Beats and Breaks

05 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

At the top of this episode, Tom explains why he and Chad fell off the biweekly schedule for a bit, but then they come back strong, talking about Winte...

2MR: Radiant Terminus (Chapters 1-3)

01 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

From Tarkovsky to Jessica Jones, this week's episode covers a lot of ground. Anthony and Chad are joined by Hailey Dezort to walk through the first t...

2MR: Radiant Terminus (Introduction)

29 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We’re back! . . . And a few days late. Chad explains why on the podcast itself, but suffice it to say that last week was a bit, um, stressful. But B...

BONUS EPISODE: Interview with Jonathan Dunne

23 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As part of this month's ongoing series of posts about literature from Spain, I talked to author, translator, and publisher Jonathan Dunne, whose Small...

Three Percent #152: Seven (Or So) Insights

16 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Getting back on schedule for the new year, Chad and Tom convene to talk about two articles: "7 Publishing Insights Revealed by Last Year's Top 100 Bes...

2MR: THE BOOK OF DISQUIET Sections 394-END

21 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It's all over! After eleven weeks of Pessoa, Chad and Brian have finished The Book of Disquiet. And to celebrate, they each wrote some jacket copy an...

Three Percent #151: A Time for Gifting

19 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

After a long conversation about a rather strange Rochester gathering of arts organizations, Chad and Tom get down to business: recommending their favo...

2MR: THE BOOK OF DISQUIET Sections 359-393

13 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Probably the most controversial Two Month Review to date, so buckle up! Are there unhinged rants? You bet! Questions regarding the marketing and "comp...

2MR: THE BOOK OF DISQUIET Sections 316--358 with David Smith

06 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week David Smith—former Open Letter intern and current grad student at the University of Iowa—joins Chad and Brian to debate poetry vs. prose...

Three Percent #150: Canadian Publishing

05 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Kevin Williams of Talonbooks out of Vancouver, British Columbia joins Tom and Chad to talk about the state of publishing in Canada. He reca...

2MR: THE BOOK OF DISQUIET Sections 274-315

24 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Chad and Brian fly solo this week, filling in dozens of TMR Bingo squares, and trying to come up with "rules for writers" based on this particular se...

Three Percent #149: I Have Some Advice

20 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

LIVE PODCAST! Well, sort of. Tom was in Rochester, so he and Chad recorded a spontaneous podcast while being in the same room as one another. (And wit...

2MR: THE BOOK OF DISQUIET Sections 222-273 with João Reis

20 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week's special guest is Portuguese author and translator João Reis who knows a lot about Pessoa and the writings of his various heteronyms. He...

Three Percent #148: The Hottest Trend

14 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Sticking more or less to their biweekly schedule, Chad and Tom reconvene to talk about a couple recent articles, the challenges of being a literary no...

2MR: THE BOOK OF DISQUIET Sections 174-221 with Anastasia Nikolis

08 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week's podcast goes off the rails pretty quickly, and includes a hungover dismissal of this version of The Book of Disquiet, the phrase "reclaim...

2MR: THE BOOK OF DISQUIET Sections 131-173

07 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week Chad and Brian come to some conclusions about the Vicente Guedes part of The Book of Disquiet and get very excited about the more "mature,...

Three Percent #147: Helping Listeners One Translation Heuristic at a Time

30 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week's episode is mostly inspired by an email from a listener about evaluating translations, and although Tom and Chad don't provide the hardest ...

2MR: THE BOOK OF DISQUIET Sections 82-130 with Anthony Blake

26 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

BINGO! That's the theme of today's episode, which includes a Twin Peaks reference, awkward introduction, LitHub reference, and many other squares on ...

2MR: THE BOOK OF DISQUIET Sections 40-81 with Jerónimo Pizzaro

19 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jerónimo Pizzaro—editor of the "complete edition" of The Book of Disquiet published by New Directions—is the special guest on this week's Two M...

Three Percent #146: The Conspiracy Theory Episode

16 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

An all-banter episode that touches on an array of topics, from ranking ideas on how to save indie bookstores, to The Great American Read's (embarrassi...

2MR: THE BOOK OF DISQUIET Sections 1-39 with Thomas Flynn

11 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of the most Two Month Review podcasts yet. Chad, Brian, and Tom Flynn (Volumes Books in Chicago) come together to discuss the first forty-...

2MR: THE BOOK OF DISQUIET Introduction with Declan Spring of New Directions

08 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Two Month Review is back! This season we'll be reading the New Directions publication of The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa, translated fro...

Three Percent #145: Lobbying for No Celebrities

03 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In response to a listener email, Tom expands on his comments from last podcast about the American Booksellers Association. Chad shares some data about...

2MR: FOX Bonus Episode with Dubravka Ugresic!

21 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Dubravka Ugresic is in Rochester for Open Letter's tenth anniversary celebration, so she got together with Chad and Brian to talk about how she wrote ...

Three Percent #144: The Perfect Publishing Award

19 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Were the National Book Award longlists announced last week? Do Chad and Tom have opinions? YES AND YES. That conversation leads into talking about Pen...

2MR: FOX by Ugresic ("The Fox's Widow") with Ryan Chapman!

07 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Chapman (Conversation Sparks, Riots I Have Known) came on this week to talk about the final section of Dubravka Ugresic's Fox. They discuss "b...

Three Percent #143: The Cocky Pod

05 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Chad and Tom return to basics--more book talk than industry talk, a promise to release a new episode every other Wednesday--but start off w...

2MR: FOX by Ugresic ("Little Miss Footnote") with Caitlin Luce Baker!

30 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Caitlin Luce Baker from University Bookstore in Seattle joined Chad and Brian to talk about the "Little Miss Footnote" section of Dubravka Ugresic's ...

2MR: FOX by Ugresic ("The Theocritus Adventure") with Anthony Blake!

16 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode, Chad and Brian are joined by the newest Open Letter employee--Anthony Blake! He joins in on a really fun episode about Russian avant-gar...

Three Percent #142: The Great American Podcast

10 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Back from their respective vacations, Chad and Tom talk about PBS's "Great American Read," the NEA's "Big Read," building a sustainable publishing mod...

2MR: FOX by Ugresic ("The Devil's Garden") with Pete Mitchell!

09 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pete Mitchell—who wrote this great review of Fox for Asymptote—joined Chad and Brian this week to talk about the heartbreaking (and semi-profan...

2MR: FOX by Ugresic ("The Devil's Garden") with George Carroll!

02 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's Two Month Review, Brian drops some excellent knowledge about why this chapter is called "The Devil's Garden," opening a window into Ug...

2MR: FOX by Ugresic ("A Balancing Art") with Ellen Elias-Bursać!

19 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

After a two week hiatus due to technical difficulties trying to record from Dublin, the Two Month Review is back! Chad and Brian are joined by transla...

2MR: FOX by Ugresic ("A Balancing Art")

28 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Flynn from Volumes is back, surprising Brian, who mostly prepared for the podcast by Googling Croatian Fun Facts. World Cup banter and good nature...

2MR: Fox ("A Story about How Stories Come To Be Written")

21 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week's podcast is pretty fast and loose, with Fortnite disruptions, embarrassing pronunciations, lots of ribbing, and a deep dive into the variou...

Three Percent #141: Reimagining the Podcast (AKA Everything Stays the Same)

19 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Chad and Tom talk about the "newly reimagined" BookExpo, the New York Rights Fair, the Albertine Prize (congrats to Emma Ramadan, Anne Garr...

2MR: Fox (An Introduction to Dubravka Ugresic)

14 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The new season is here! For the next two months, Chad and Brian will be talking about Dubravka Ugresic's Fox with a wide range of guests. To kick th...

Three Percent #140: Save All the Nobels

16 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Chad and Tom reunite after a few weeks of travel and hot takes to talk about the Best Translated Book Award shortlists, the Nobel Prize controversy, ...

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (Part VIII: "An Elementary Physics of Sorrow")

12 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Chad and Brian are joined by Stiliana Milkova from Oberlin College to talk about the final sections of The Physics of Sorrow: "An Elementar...

Three Percent #139: The Local Scene

11 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Chad and Tom reconvene to talk about self-published titles that stay local, the Best Translated Book Award longlists, the elitism of the industry, an...

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (Part VII: "Global Autumn")

05 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Rachel Cordasco from Speculative Fiction in Translation and the Wisconsin Historical Society Press joined Chad and Brian for a fun conversa...

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (Part VI: "The Story Buyer")

29 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week, translator Angela Rodel joins Chad and Brian to talk about The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov, the recent surge in Bulgarian litera...

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (Part V: "The Green House")

22 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In addition to ripping on Chad and the poor showing by the Michigan State Spartans in the NCAA Tournament, Brian Wood and Tom Flynn (from Volumes Book...

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (pgs. 119-150)

15 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Patrick Smith joined Chad and Brian to talk about time capsules and their potential danger, nostalgia and the urge to collect, aliens, Cher...

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (pgs. 73-118)

08 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

To up the Bay Area sports content, we invited Nick Buzanski of Book Culture to come on and talk about one of his favorite sections of Georgi Gospodin...

TMR: Physics of Sorrow (pgs. 59-72)

01 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Caitlin Baker of the University Book Store in Seattle joined Chad and Brian to talk about this very short section of Georgi Gospodinov's The Physics o...

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (pgs. 1-58)

22 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Chad and Brian are joined by Tom Roberge of Riffraff (and the Three Percent Podcast to discuss the first section of Georgi Gospodinov's The Physics o...

2MR: The Physics of Sorrow (Introduction)

15 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The new season of the Two Month Review kicks off now with a general overview Georgi Gospodinov's The Physics of Sorrow, one of the most beloved book...

#138: This Is the Most This Podcast Ever

13 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Alex Shepard from The New Republic joins Chad and Tom to discuss the state of book journalism, the new National Book Award for Translation, Chad's ann...

#137: The Fire & the Fury Over No Amazon in Rochester

07 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

After a few weeks away from podcast, Chad and Tom reunite to talk about sales of Fire and Fury and its lasting impact, Milo's edits, the TA First Tran...

2MR: Death in Spring (pgs. 119-150)

28 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Here it is, the infamous live recording at McNally Jackson! There was a great turnout to hear Brian, María Christina, and I work our way through our ...

2MR: Death in Spring (pgs. 69-118)

21 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Mara Faye Lethem joins us this week to talk about Catalonia's scatological obsession, the challenges of the current political situation, Max Besora's ...

#136: The Riffraff Is Upon Us

19 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Back at last! Chad and Tom reunite after a month in which Tom finished building an entire bookstore and bar, which is now open! In addition to talking...

2MR: Death in Spring (pgs. 28-68)

14 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This week, fresh off a publication in the Boston Review, Jess Fenn (JR Fenn) joins Chad, Brian, and Best Translated Book Award judge Patrick Smith (P....

2MR: Death in Spring (pgs. 1-27)

07 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to one of the strangest villages in all of fiction! Now that Chad and Brian have gone through the stories, they turn their attention to Rodore...