“But if nobody uses tarot cards, can they maintain any utility as a literary symbol and metaphorical stand-in for seeking answers from unseen forces?” Mason Stockstill of @thirdpersonlimited.bsky.social on the meaning of tarot cards. @stockstill.bsky.social pghrev.com/what-tarot-c...

Because it's the season of giving, here's a Bonus Episode, "We Hate 'Best Books' Lists! Plus: Our 2025 'Best Books' List". www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/bon...

Here's Episode 13: "Short Stories We Love, part 2". Short stories aren’t just for The New Yorker! www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/epi...

In Episode 12, we talk narrative gaps and Mona Awad's 'We Love You, Bunny'.

In Episode 12, @ambersparks.bsky.social talks about her chaotic first drafts.

This was such a fun conversation - give it a listen this week if you need an excuse to get away from your family!

Here's Episode 12: "Amber Sparks and 'We Love You, Bunny'". (@ambersparks.bsky.social y.social) www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/epi...

In Episode 11, "Jason Diamond and Blurbs" Mason (@stockstill.bsky.social) tells the story of a writer who got a book deal after getting a blurb from Dan Brown. www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/epi...

Here is the latest Third Person Limited column on the Pittsburgh Review of Books (@pghreviewofbooks.bsky.social), a review of Ian McEwan's excellent new novel, 'What We Can Know'. pghrev.com/the-beautifu...

Third Person Limited will now be hosted both on our website, and on the Pittsburgh Review of Books (@pghreviewofbooks.bsky.social). PRoB will be posting our podcasts every Tuesday! pghrev.com/third-person...

Third Person Limited is a literary podcast about books and culture with hosts Nathan Pensky and Mason Stockstill. As a recurring feature on our site, an episode of their podcast will be released every Tuesday. Check out Episode 1! @thirdpersonlimited.bsky.social pghrev.com/third-person...

Jason Diamond (@jasondiamond.bsky.social) from Episode 11: www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/epi...

Here's Episode 11: "Jason Diamond and Book Blurbs". @jasondiamond.bsky.social www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/epi...

@bleakhousing.bsky.social is not wrong here...

In Episode 10, we discuss how much 'Hamlet' is too much? www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/epi...

Here's Mason's first column for the Pittsburgh Review of Books, 'Fluid Narratives and Culture Wars'. pghrev.com/fluid-narrat...

Here's Episode 10: "Spooky Season with Kyle Winkler and Faust". (@bleakhousing.bsky.social) www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/epi...

“A slippery narrative POV reminds us that storytelling — and hence life, the world, and everything in it — is a muddle of competing and conflicting interpretations.” A new piece by @stockstill.bsky.social of @thirdpersonlimited.bsky.social. pghrev.com/fluid-narrat...

Here's a clip of Kit McGuire reading from their short story, "Pink in the Morning," which you can find here: www.olitmag.com/kit-mcguire-...

Here's a clip of Kelly Magee reading from her short story, "Caring For Your Local Woman," which you can find here: waxwingmag.org/items/issue3...

Here's a clip of Billy Irving reading from his short story, "Little Arlo," which you can find here: xraylitmag.com/little-arlo-...

Here's Kit McGuire's "Pink in the Morning" featured in Episode 9: "Short Stories We Love": www.olitmag.com/kit-mcguire-...

Here's Kelly Magee's "Caring For Your Local Woman" featured in Episode 9: "Short Stories We Love": waxwingmag.org/items/issue3...

Here's Billy Irving's "Little Arlo" featured in Episode 9: "Short Stories We Love": xraylitmag.com/little-arlo-...

Here's Episode 9: "Short Stories We Love". www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/epi...

@stockstill.bsky.social read Silvia Park's 'Luminous' and concluded, if there's something ineffable about humanity, we're going to find that out pretty soon.

Mason really liked Silvia Park's 'Luminous'...

Nathan talks about the effect of Chat GPT on higher education, specifically writing classes.

Here's Episode 8, "Meta Stole Our Writing To Feed Its AI". www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/epi...

There were a lot of highlights in our chat with Erin, but learning about Saddam Hussein's novels was probably our favorite moment.

Paul is so quotable, we had a hard time narrowing down the highlights of his episodes. Here's one them.

Here's Episode 7, "Erin Lyndal Martin". www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/eri...

“The likeability of fictional characters is a well-worn critical trope...a character can be unlikeable while offering profound insights into the human condition.” Read a review of Ivy Pochoda by @nathanpensky.bsky.social of @thirdpersonlimited.bsky.social. pghrev.com/the-limits-o...

The new Third Person Limited column got a nice mention in this story at WESA, our local NPR affiliate, about the launch of the Pittsburgh Review of Books. www.wesa.fm/arts-culture...

Here's Ep. 6 of Third Person Limited, "Paul Bradley Carr, Part 2". www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/epi...

Here's our first column for The Pittsburgh Review of Books, wherein we review Ivy Pochoda's new novel 'Ecstasy' and discuss the limits of fictional "likeability". pghrev.com/the-limits-o...

We have an exciting announcement! Third Person Limited will be partnering with the newly launched Pittsburgh Review of Books. We will provide a monthly column at PRoB along with our regular interviews, book reviews, and books and culture reporting on the podcast. pghrev.com

An interdisciplinary humanities periodical housed in Carnegie Mellon University’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and published by @cmuenglish.bsky.social, PRoB will feature essays, reviews, interviews, and excerpts engaging with salient and pressing issues. Launching Sept. 3!

Here's Ep. 5 of Third Person Limited, 'Kyle winkler pt. 1 and BLOB'. www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/ep-...

Paul Carr on tech's descent into fascism: "The tech industry has always had a fatal flaw, which is that it follows the herd. And we see this in investment [where] everyone is into crypto, everyone is into NFTs, whatever. And now, it's everyone into fascism... www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes

ICYMI: Here's Ep. 4 of Third Person Limited: "Paul Bradley Carr, part I". We invited former tech journalist and bestselling author Paul Bradley Carr for a rollicking discussion about his new novel, 'The Confessions'. www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/pau...

Here's Ep. 4: "Paul Bradley Carr, part I". We invited former tech journalist and bestselling author Paul Bradley Carr for a rollicking discussion about his new novel, 'The Confessions'. www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/pau...

Thomas Pynchon has a book coming out in October. Shouldn't be a problem to get him on the podcast, right?

Oh boy. I feel like I’m a different person since we recorded this just a few months ago.

Here's Episode 3: "Dan Eastman" where we talk to Dan about his book 'Watertown', second person POV, Thanksgiving, and memes. www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/ep-... (cc: @danieleastman.bsky.social)

Here's Episode 2: "MFA Authors" wherein we discuss MFAs and whether they actually teach one to write. www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/epi...

Hello BlueSky! Here's Episode 1: "Is Reading Good?" wherein we grapple with the idea of whether reading is inherently or instrumentally good. www.thirdpersonlimited.com/episodes/epi...