WHY?
Why host a podcast about masculine identity in 2023? Because the world needs it now more than ever.
Literary Guise is a podcast / book club where we (those who identify as men and those who want to understand men better) review great literary works and discuss what they have to say about masculine archetypes.
We’re here to take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly. We plan to address toxic masculinity head-on and perhaps learn where we’ve gotten some of our more misguided notions from the characters and stories that have shaped our culture. But we’re also here to celebrate the things that make those who identify as men great!
WHO?
We’re two guys (“guise,” get it?) who love literature. We’re life-long friends, one of us is gay, the other straight, and we have very different ideas as to what defines a man in this modern age. We’re here to hash it out over drinks and book analysis.
Gordon McCallan (PhD)
A leading executive in the tech industry, you probably are reading this on something he’s worked on.
Favorite writer: Bret Easton Ellis.
Favorite novel: Microserfs by Douglas Coupland.
Literary character with whom he most identifies:
Tom Ripley from Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley series (minus the murder and most of the paranoia).
Zachary Kellian (an Autodidact)
A highly-published author of short fiction and an upcoming novel. He is also the co-founder and editor of Orca: A Literary Journal.
Favorite writer: Dylan Thomas
Favorite novel: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Literary character with whom he most identifies:
Ben Sanderson from Leaving Las Vegas (minus the solicitation of sex workers and some of the alcoholism.)
WHAT?
Plan ahead on your reading for our international book club with the
Literary Guise 2023 Season
Here’s what we’ll be reading and discussing in our third season. New episodes for the book club debut the first Monday of the month. Every third Monday of the month will feature surprise readings, field trips to literary locales, and general discussions of pop culture.
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March: Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney
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April: Less by Andrew Sean Greer
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May: Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn
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June: Predator by Ander Monson
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July: Two graphic novels: Road to Perdition and Heartstopper
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August: Memories of my Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez
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September: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
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October: The Complete Works of Dashiell Hammet
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November: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
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December: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
WHEN?
Episodes available wherever you listen to your podcasts.
WHERE?
We record live from The Stardust Lounge in Seattle, Washington. They supply the drinks and the ambiance and have promised to kick us out if we’re over-served or make too many bad jokes, whichever comes first.
