* Here is Eli in a half-trench coat Sheila Heti gave him :) Hi Everyone, Well, the world might be a s%$# show, but at least we still have our stories. Today, I’m featuring the work of the brilliant Eli Sparkman , one of the member-owners of Book Suey in Hamtramck, Michigan. We had so much fun discussing his stories. I hope you enjoy this deep dive as much as I did. This is FLASH, so Eli was able to read three in their entirety before we discuss them; however, I still recommend reading and annota...
Jun 24, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Hi Everyone! In this episode of the podcast, Caitlin Horrocks and I interview Erika Krouse about “Jude” from her new collection, Save Me, Stranger . AND THEN…Erika and I interview Caitlin about her story “Better Not Tell You Now.” We had so much fun! And I learned so much about the craft of writing. You will too. Links to both stories are below. Please read before you listen, because we will spoil the endings :) “Jude” is available here at The Colorado Review, Summer 2024 . “Better Not Tell You ...
Jun 15, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Before listening to my interview with Christie Hodgen, please read her story, “Rich Strike,” because the interview is full of spoilers! The story is available for free here on the Story website, thanks to Michael Nye. Please consider subscribing to Story and supporting great literature here . Congratulations to Christie for winning a Pushcart Prize for this story as well. If you would like to read my annotation of the story and some background on the books discussed during our interview, please ...
Jun 01, 2025•33 min
My guest today is Desiree Cooper, the 2015 Kresge Artist Fellow. Cooper is a former attorney. She is also a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist and much-beloved community activist. Originally from Virginia, she currently lives in Virginia. BUT she lived in Detroit for decades and will always be an honorary Detroiter! She is much beloved here, and I am honored to call her my friend. Today’s podcast includes four stories from her award-winning flash fiction collection, Know the Mother . Cooper’s f...
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 10 min
Hi Everyone, I had so much fun discussing “Monitor World” with Cleo Qian. In case you missed my earlier posts, “Monitor World” was first published in Shenandoah in 2021, and is available here . Please read the story before listening to our discussion! Here’s a link to Lucia Berlin , another writer discussed during our interview. Next up on Let’s Deconstruct a Story, paid subscribers will be talking about Ethan Canin’s story, “The Palace Thief,” on Thursday, February 27th at 3 pm. Cleo Qian is...
Feb 15, 2025•44 min
Hi Everyone, “The Depletion Prompts” was first published in The New Yorker on October 25, 2021, and is available here. Here’s a link to two other stories discussed during our interview: Vladimir Nabokov's “ Signs and Symbols .” Virginia Woolf’s “ The Mark on the Wall .” Next month, I’ll be talking to Cleo Qian about her story, “ Monitor World ” first published in Shenandoah. Check out our discussion here on Substack! Cheers! Kelly PS: All of the podcasts are free, but if you would like to supp...
Jan 22, 2025•33 min
Kelly Fordon talks to Brad Felver about his story "Orphans" which was first published in Subtropics and later chosen for The Best Short Stories 2024: The O. Henry Prize Winners by Amor Towles. For more information, and to access a PDF of the story, please visit Let's Deconstruct a Story on Substack. Brad Felver is a fiction writer, essayist, and teacher of writing. His honors include two O. Henry Prizes, the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, the Zone ...
Nov 15, 2024•36 min
Hi Everyone, This post is a video recording of my preparation for the interview with Brad next Wednesday. If you enjoy deconstructing stories, please feel free to join me for one of these prep sessions. I’ll be recording again on November 8th as I deconstruct David Means' story, “The Depletion Prompts.” Paid subscribers will have access to the Zoom link for David Means. Paid subscriptions also include the annotations and transcript from this recording today. My interview with Brad Felver about “...
Oct 25, 2024•33 min
Hi Everyone, We're a little late with this episode and it's all my fault! As I mentioned in my May 1st blog post ( sign up here for updates ), for the first time in four years, I conducted an amazing interview with Sheila Kohler and forgot to hit record on Zoom. Sheila--the most gracious person on Earth--forgave me for wasting 45 minutes of her time and agreed to re-record the episode. Thank you to Sheila for sitting down with me twice! After I recovered from the shame, I realized this might be ...
May 15, 2024•40 min
Hi Everyone, I'm thrilled to host Cara Blue Adams today on the podcast. We talked about her stellar short story, "Vision," available from Joyland Magazine . I met Cara years ago at the Kenyon Writers Workshop (which I highly recommend by the way...) so it was great fun to reconnect on the podcast. Cara's work was recommended by Vincent Perrone, who is a part owner of the co-op bookstore, Book Suey , in Hamtramck, MI, so he joined us for the podcast as well. See his bio below, and please consider...
Mar 01, 2024•44 min
Hi Everyone, We had so much fun discussing Leigh Newman's short story, "An Extravaganza in Two Acts," available here from Electric Literature. You are going to learn so much about writing historical fiction. Leigh is a hoot! The conversation moved at a clip, so I have some discussion notes for you below. Also, check out the bonus question one of my earlier guests, award-winning author and Pulitzer-prize nominated journalist Desiree Cooper , sent to Leigh after we recorded the podcast. We have a ...
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Hi Everyone! Welcome to Let's Deconstruct a Story! This month I'm talking to Jai Chakrabarti about his wonderful story, "A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness." Please find the link to the story at www.kellyfordon.com , It's best to read it before tuning into the podcast. Next month, I'll be talking to Leigh Newman about her story, "An Extravaganza in Two Acts," also available via a link on my website. If you have any questions for Leigh, feel free to contact me, and I will pass them along...
Jan 01, 2024•36 min
Hi Everyone! Welcome to Let's Deconstruct a Story! This month I'm talking to Katherine Vaz about her wonderful story, "Our Lady of the Artichokes." Please read the story (available at www.kellyfordon.com/blog ) before tuning into the podcast. Also, please check out the link to her fantastic new novel Above the Salt which I read and adored. Sometimes I wish this was also a podcast about novels, but we do offer a brief preview of the book during our discussion. Purchase options are available below...
Dec 01, 2023•48 min
Hi Everyone, I had the best conversation with Bonnie Jo Campbell. Can't wait to share it with you! Please read " Boar Taint " in The Kenyon Review before you listen, or our discussion won't make a lick of sense. This episode is available on Apple, Spotify, Audible or anywhere you get your podcasts. If you would like a transcript, please get in touch with me via the contact form on my website, www.kellyfordon.com . Next month, I will be talking to Katherine Vaz. See you then! Kelly PS: Looking fo...
Oct 31, 2023•56 min
Hi! I am so happy to share my podcast interview with the esteemed Southern writer George Singleton. We delved into some serious subjects: the legacy of racism in the South, gun control, and substance abuse, but despite all of that, we managed to laugh every now and then because he is hilarious! (And I said the word "interesting" about a gazillion times--Why? Why did I keep saying the same word over and over again as if I was malfunctioning?) Anyway, George taught me a lot about persevering despi...
Oct 01, 2023•27 min
Chad B. Anderson's story "The Kelley Street Disappearances" has been lodged in my brain for almost a decade, so I decided to track him down, and I was so grateful when he agreed to be on the podcast. I'm sure if you are an avid reader like me, you know how rare it is to have a story resonate for that long. I hope you feel the same way I do about this one! Thanks also to LDAS-featured writer, Robin Martin , for sending me the story many years ago. For the first time with this podcast, in the inte...
Sep 15, 2023•47 min
Hi Everyone, I'm happy to welcome Jason Ockert to show! We discussed his story, "The Peoplemachines" in StorySouth Spring 2023. It blew me away! Who reminds me of a modern-day Agathocles ??...hmmmm....I can't imagine. Please read the story (available below) before listening to our discussion. Thank you SO MUCH to storySouth for publishing this thought-provoking dystopian story. It will stay with me. Thanks also to Dan Wickett of Dzanc Books for recommending Jason's work. The Peoplemachin...
Sep 01, 2023•44 min
Hi Everyone! I'm thrilled to welcome Caroline Kim on the podcast today! We will be reviewing her story "Motherhood" which is available for free from August 1st-31st on the Story Magazine website. Thank you, Michael Nye! Please see my website to access the story: https://kellyfordon.com/lets-deconstruct-a-story/ CAROLINE KIM is the author of a collection of short stories about the Korean diaspora, The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories, which won the 2020 Drue Heinz Prize in Literature...
Aug 01, 2023•38 min
Hi Everyone, I'm thrilled to host fiction writer, Anna Caritj this month on "Let's Deconstruct a Story." The Sewanee Review has graciously taken down the paywall for Anna's story for the month of June so you can read the story all month for free! They have also offered readers/listeners of LDAS 10% off a subscription to The Sewanee Review with the code: SISTER. I am definitely going to take advantage of the offer, and hope you will too. We are so grateful to them! Before listening to our discuss...
Jun 01, 2023•35 min
Hi Everyone, Robin and I have been good friends and writing buddies since we met at a writer's conference in 2008. Since then, she has won numerous awards for her work and I am so thrilled to feature her brilliant writing here. We did something a little different for this episode. We are taking a look at two of Robin's stories: 1969 is available at The New Orleans Review and Through the Hole is available at PenDust Radio. To get the most out of this podcast you should read or listen to the story...
Apr 01, 2023•33 min
Hi Everyone, This month I'm thrilled to welcome Meghan Louise Wagner to the podcast! First, because I love the story. Secondly, because I am from NE Ohio and she lives there! Yay! So happy to be promoting fellow Midwesterners. Her story, "Elephant Seals" is available in these two places: Agni Online here or in Best American Short Stories 2022. Please read the story first before listening to our discussion. Enjoy! Kelly Bio/Contributor Notes: Meghan Louise Wagner lives in Northeast Ohio. Her work...
Mar 01, 2023•33 min
Hi Everyone, So glad to be back after a short hiatus! I’m grateful to the Grosse Pointe Public Library for allowing me to use their recording studio for these next few episodes. It was fantastic; however, there was a little learning curve…I apologize for a couple of staticky moments during this podcast. Luckily, it only happened when I was talking! Julie sounds fantastic–and that’s all that matters…but I will add that I am producing this podcast with no money for editing, unfortunately. Please f...
Feb 01, 2023•37 min
Hi Everyone! I'm really looking forward to sharing this discussion with Toni Ann Johnson. I loved this collection! We will be talking about the story "Time Travel" winner of the 2021 Miller Audio Prize. Please listen to the story at the link below before you tune in to our podcast discussion. This is the last post of 2022. Thanks so much to the Grosse Pointe Public Library in Michigan and Pages Bookshop in Detroit for supporting us throughout the year. We will be on hiatus until February 2023. P...
Dec 01, 2022•47 min
Well, I'm not going to lie. It was one of the top ten thrills of my life speaking with George Saunders. I was so excited, I thought I might pass out partway through the interview. But he could not have been more unpretentious, kind, and engaging. I learned so much from him, and hope you do too! Every story he writes reminds me that we are all multifaceted and precious, despite our flaws--what a gift. More thanks are in order: I am so grateful to George Saunders because he agreed to this podcast ...
Nov 01, 2022•39 min
Hi Everyone, "Let's Deconstruct a Story" is a podcast where we read and discuss one short story with the author. Today I'll be talking about the short story "Chance" with the author, Peter Ho Davies. ***Content warning: This episode deals with pregnancy/childbirth, miscarriages/abortion*** Please read the story first and then listen to the podcast, available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, Anchor, as well as several other platforms. "Chance" was first published in Glimmer Train and then later i...
Sep 30, 2022•41 min
"Let's Deconstruct a Story" is a podcast where we read and discuss one short story with the author. This week I am talking to Jacob M. Appel about his story "The Frying Finn" first published in Agni and available here. Please read the story first before listening to our discussion. Learn more about Jacob M. Appel on my blog here . This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsdeconstructastory.substack.com/subscribe...
Aug 31, 2022•27 min
"Let's Deconstruct a Story" is a podcast where we read and discuss one short story with the author. This week I am talking to Selena Anderson about her Oxford American and later, Best American Short Story , "Godmother Tea!" Please read the story on my website and then enjoy the podcast! All best, Kelly Bio: Selena Anderson is a writer from Texas. Her stories have appeared in Fence, BOMB, Conjunctions, The Baffler, Oxford American, and The Best American Short Stories 2020. She is the recipient of...
Aug 15, 2022•38 min
"Let's Deconstruct a Story" is a podcast where we read and discuss one short story with the author. In this episode, Lydia Conklin and Lillian Li will be discussing the story "Sunny Talks" first published in One Story in January 2022. This conversation was recorded live at Pages Bookshop in Detroit on June 24, 2022. This episode is part of a series of "Let's Deconstruct a Story" podcasts offered in collaboration with the Grosse Pointe Public Library in Michigan. The GPPL has committed to purchas...
Jul 31, 2022•44 min
"Let's Deconstruct a Story" is a podcast where we read and discuss one short story with the author. For this episode, please read "Goodbye" by Maurine Ogbaa, first published in Agni. **Please note we will be talking about suicide on this episode.** This summer I am posting two episodes with writers who have not yet published their first short story collections. This podcast is dedicated to the work of Maurine Ogbaa and on August 15th I will be posting a conversation with Selena Anderson about he...
Jul 14, 2022•44 min
"Let's Deconstruct a Story" is a podcast where we read and discuss one short story with the author. For this episode please read or listen to the audio recording of "Shape-Ups at Delilah's" in The New Yorker before listening to our discussion. This is part of a series of "Let's Deconstruct a Story" podcasts offered in collaboration with the Grosse Pointe Public Library in Michigan. The GPPL has committed to purchasing ten books by each author this season to give to their patrons! If you are a sh...
Jul 01, 2022•31 min
