Cordelivres Criticism Club

Lingering in the Chambers of the Sea: Alex, Brian, and PRUFROCK

In this episode of the Free and Direct Podcast, we are joined by repeat guest Brian Heston and our very own Associate Poetry Editor Alexandra Romero, to break down T. S. Eliot’s The Love Song of [https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/44212/the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/44212/the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrockJ. Alfred Prufrock [https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/44212/the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock]. Alex and Brian lead us through a close reading of Prufrock, among the most significant poems of the 20th century, and a cornerstone of Modernist literature. We also get into Eliot’s life and times, along with a consideration of his legacy—and that of Prufrock—into contemporary poetry. At Indirect Books we’ve recently opened our first poetry contest, the 2026 J. Alfred Prufrock Prize [https://indirectbooks.org/j-alfred-prufrock-prize-in-poetry/], which occasioned this episode. Alex talks about what she finds in Eliot’s work that inspires this contest, and what we’re looking for in submissions. At one point Brian discusses the myth of “the existential peasant.” It’s a great episode. Get full access to Indirect Books at 1882literary.substack.com/subscribe [https://1882literary.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Diane Josefowicz on GUARDIANS AND SAINTS

Welcome to this week’s episode of Cordelivres club! Today, we are joined by recurring guest Diane Josefowicz [https://www.dianejosefowicz.com] and Indirect Books’ new Publicist, Millie Oliver! We discuss Diane’s new book, Guardians and Saints, and the way she explores character, time, and place. We had Diane on an early episode [https://rss.com/podcasts/free-and-direct/2151520] to talk about her novel L’Air du Temps (1985), and in today’s show we get into the ways she has traced her protagonist across multiple books. We also hit on how childhood connections influence storytelling and arrangements evolve into short stories and the vagaries of language. Millie will be reviewing Diane’s novel for L’Esprit, and that made for a great discussion on the show. I hope you enjoy this conversation, and in the meantime—stay critical. Merci ! Get full access to Indirect Books at 1882literary.substack.com/subscribe [https://1882literary.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

A Poisonous Little Tale: Eliza Marley and THE TURN OF THE SCREW

Nothing was more natural than that these things should be the other things they absolutely were not. I hope you enjoy this conversation, and in the meantime—stay critical. Merci ! Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. Get full access to Indirect Books at 1882literary.substack.com/subscribe [https://1882literary.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Sensitized To Linguistic Difference: Rebecca Ruth Gould on Translation and STRANGERS

I hope you enjoy this conversation, and in the meantime—stay critical. Merci ! Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. Get full access to Indirect Books at 1882literary.substack.com/subscribe [https://1882literary.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Fear No More The Heat O' The Sun: The Linguistic Surface of MRS DALLOWAY [Part Two]

Fear no more the heat o’ the sun, Nor the furious winter’s rages; Our Mrs Dalloway series rolls on into 2026 with critic extraordinaire Nicole Gantz joining the show to bring her expertise and lens to the novel. This is Part Two of our discussion with Nicole, looking at the book’s linguistic surface and the various ways in which Woolf structures her architecture to offer an insightful look at what’s happening compositionally. Check out Part One from a couple of weeks ago, and we have Part Three planned, featuring another special guest, in the coming weeks. I hope you enjoy this conversation, and in the meantime—stay critical. Merci ! Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. Get full access to Indirect Books at 1882literary.substack.com/subscribe [https://1882literary.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]