The Short Fuse Podcast The Short Fuse

In this Short Fuse episode Elizabeth Howard is in conversation with Jay Watson, a Faulkner scholar and chair of the Faulkner Yoknapatawpha Conference at the University of Mississippi. This year is the 50th Anniversary of the Conference at the University of Mississippi. Jay and Elizabeth explore the life and work of William Faulkner, with a focus on his home, Rowan Oak, his impact on Southern literature, Faulkner's early life and the historical context of his work. Jay discusses Faulkner's technique in representing marginalized lives, his influence on global literature, and the accessibility of his works through translation.

As we slide down into the final hours of 2023, Elizabeth Howard, host and producer of the Short Fuse, and Alex Waters, technical editor of the Short Fuse, reflect on the year in an informal conversation at the Dell'Aria Cafe in East Harlem. They share a few of the moments from the conversations that seem particularly meaningful and "authentic" - the Merriam-Webster word of the year, in a year filled with "disruptions" - Elizabeth's word of the year. And the color of 2023: Pantone Viva Magenta.

In this episode of the Short Fuse, host Elizabeth Howard and Editor-in-Chief and founder of the Arts Fuse, Bill Marx discuss the vital role arts commentary and criticism play in nurturing an open and democratic society. Bill Marx founded the Arts Fuse in 2007 as a reaction to the precipitous decline of commentary on the arts in newspapers, However the continual whittling down of independent arts coverage over the past three decades has been passed over in silence. The goal of the Arts Fuse is to treat the arts seriously, to write about them in the same way that other publications cover politics, sports, and business — with professionalism, thoughtfulness, and considerable attitude. The journal's motto, from Jonathan Swift, sums up our editorial stance: “Use the point of your pen … not the feather.”

On Monday, 23 October, Elizabeth Howard was in conversation with Justice Malala, author of The Plot to Save South Africa, The Week Mandela Averted Civil war and Forged a New Nation, and Jonny Steinberg, author of Winne and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage. The event was held at Cafe Lafayette in New York City and this is a live, unedited recording. There is noise in the background.

In this episode of the Short Fuse, Elizabeth Howard is in conversation with Ann Kjellberg around reading and the importance of literary criticism and commentary. Ann is the founder of Book Post, a newsletter-based book review that publishes short book reviews by distinguished figures in literature, history, science, social sciences, and the arts. "To me the importance of literary criticism is to have magnitude of thought, sustained reflection and a kind of demonstrable argument. This is why I'm interested in book reviews, because commentary is a way of connecting written culture with something that is enduring." Ann Kjellberg

Jasmine Rice LaBeija the International Godmother of the Royal House of LaBeija, is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she majored in opera, before becoming a Drag Queen. In this conversation she talks with Elizabeth Howard about what it means to perform in drag and why she is not on the opera stage. And, as drag has become emeshed in American culture, she questions why many lawmakers want to pass legislation to prohibit it. A conversation that is provocative and amusing.