Episode 9: Seven Blocks North, Two Miles East

Episode 9: Seven Blocks North, Two Miles East. It's Steven J. McDermott coming to you from the Panic Room with the Winter of Different Directions podcast. This week's story is "Seven Blocks North, Two Miles East."



"I spent my first three weeks at Thoreau trying to punch everyone who teased me about my speech impediments. Bostick, the vice-principal and disciplinarian, weary from seeing me in his office, attempted to solve my problems by sentencing me to three months of speech therapy with Miss Edwards. But first I had to get out of Miss Jenkins class. She was our fifth grade teacher. Everyone called her the Bowling Ball because she was so short and fat. My speech sessions were on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during morning recess. The sessions lasted a half-hour. Recess only lasted fifteen minutes. That meant Miss Jenkins had to interrupt her history lesson to dismiss me. . . . "

Listen to the episode: download the mp3 (50:15 mins 34.6 mb)
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In addition to the podcast, I've posted commentary on the story over in the Storyglossia litblog. In a feature I'm calling "The Story Behind the Story" I give you some history on where the story came from, why I wrote it, how it changed in its various revisions, as well as discuss—in true Storyglossia fashion—some of the craft issues I was working on in the story. So check it out after you listen to "Seven Blocks North, Two Miles East."

Next up, in Episode 10, I'll be reading Oxygen."

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