The Dad Who Is George Saunders

Explicit content warning

05/01/23 • 73 min

It's the season finale of PODRE. Congrats to us! To help us go out in style, George Saunders is here. The MacArthur Genius, the Man Booker Award winner, the National Book Award Finalist, the author of LINCOLN IN THE BARDO and TENTH OF DECEMBER and countless other surreal literary bangers. We talk about teaching Russian literature, how to see the best in people, how to write your dream novel, the all-too-human fatherly grief of Abraham Lincoln, and of course, having and being dads.

George is not only very famous and popular, he is a master teacher, storyteller, and unforgettable presence. We hope you enjoy hanging out with him for this very special finale.

And stick around for one last symposium on good dad-ness with cohosts Julian (7) & Nico (3). The next time you hear from us, they'll be older. That's the way with kids.

All of George Saunders' books can be had at a song right here. His excellent substack on writing and the writing life is available here. The awesome audio production of Lincoln in the Bardo is available here and stars an ungodly amount of major actors, from Nick Offerman to Don Cheadle to Susan Sarandon to Ben Stiller to [panting] Bill Hader to Keegan Michael-Keye to Julianne Moore to the author and his family. (Why not just get Lincoln himself?)

An insanely creative 3-D interactive New York Times VR rendition of the book is here.

Then head over to podrepod.com for more information about the show and to sign up for email updates so you never miss an episode or that moment in the near future when we blast out the special patented PODRE secret instructions for how to be the perfect dad.

This is our season one finale, but more bonus episodes are on the way, so keep up with us on Twitter, FB, and Insta, and at PodrePod.com. And of course, PODRE SEASON TWO is right around the corner.

George is not only very famous and popular, he is a master teacher, storyteller, and unforgettable presence. We hope you enjoy hanging out with him for this very special finale.

And stick around for one last symposium on good dad-ness with cohosts Julian (7) & Nico (3). The next time you hear from us, they'll be older. That's the way with kids.

An insanely creative 3-D interactive New York Times VR rendition of the book is here.

This is our season one finale, but more bonus episodes are on the way, so keep up with us on Twitter, FB, and Insta, and at PodrePod.com. And of course, PODRE SEASON TWO is right around the corner.

Previous Episode

The Dad Who Came In From the Cold

What's it like to meet your father at twenty-eight years old? What's it like to find out you have a son at fifty-eight? For once, we have answers. Michael Frontain, biological father of your host, and beloved grandpa to your other host Julian, is here to tell the story of our meeting and the development of our relationship. It is... not... unmoving. We didn't not cry a little.

Then, an old friend-of-the-pod stops by to pick up his long overdue NATFITOIA. From now on, every NATFITOIA winner must perform a feat at least as daring and ludicrously heroic as this one.

Here's the Steve Earle TOWNES album Mike gave me the day we met on E. 86th St. (I already owned it. That's how spot on he was.)

And here is the website for Baron Vaughn, man of many extraordinary talents, from stand up comedy to acting to sketch show hosting to bringing babies into this world.

SEASON ONE FINALE next Monday! The guest? Is a big deal. Do not miss it.

Head over to podrepod.com for more information about the show and to sign up for email updates so you never miss an episode or that moment in the near future when we blast out the special patented PODRE secret instructions for how to be the perfect dad.

And follow us @podrepod on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to stay tuned in to the frequencies.

Next Episode

Bad Dads: God

PODRE is back with two new miniseries to get you through the summer. First up: Bad Dads, in which Chris Brunt & cohost Brad Franco discuss, argue, and occasionally agree on the worst dads in the history of humanity. We all need something to aspire to, and what we've brought you is the bare minimum--the bar we all must clear. Please, please, be better than these dads.

In this episode, we asked to speak to the manager and went right for the Alpha & Omega of bad dadness, the Big Guy, El Primo Papa, L'uomo Del Cielo, the Original Godfather, the Logan Roy of the Holy Bible... He Who Shall Not Be Named. Dios mio, man.

(Warning: So much blasphemy. Untold amounts of blasphemy. But it's constructive criticism! We just want to help.)

You can learn more about God in The Bible or in lots of other books, not to mention the music of Bach or Amy Winehouse or the scent of lilacs opening to the spring or the eyes of a small child or the sound of the ocean at night.

Bad Dads cohost Brad Franco is an associate professor of history at the University of Portland, where he teaches courses in ancient & medieval history. He has published several books, including The World of St. Francis of Assisi (Brill 2015) and most recently, The History of Siena: From Its Origins to the Present Day (Routledge 2019). He lives in North Portland with his wife, two children, and their puppy, Luna.

Be sure you're subscribing to PODRE wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss the next installment of Bad Dads or our second upcoming bonus miniseries THE PODRE REVIEW, a literary roundup of some of the great representations of parenting and childhood in modern fiction & poetry, where I'll be joined by some of the most exciting writers in the whole damn world.

PODRE - The Dad Who Is George Saunders

Transcript

Speaker A: Hello. We're PODRE. I think you know us.
Chris: Dads. They've been around since the beginning, but what do we really know about them? It's time to start asking questions. I'm Chris Brunt. This is PODRE.
Julian: Nico, you're here. You're here.
Nico: No.
Julian: You're here.
Nico: Putting on pants.
Julian: Nico, don't...
Nico: And my underwear and my pants and my shirt...
Julian: I know, Nico, but you're saying this. Listen, you know what's going to happe