Tod Goldberg is a busy man. When he’s not running UC Riverside’s Palm Desert MFA program, he’s recording one of two podcasts, KCOD Coachella FM’s Open Book with author Maggie Downs and Literary Disco with writer Julia Pistell and actor Rider Strong; or he’s writing essays and fiction; or he’s making audiences laugh and gasp at literary festivals. Goldberg is genuinely curious about what makes people tick, whether that be what makes them commit crimes, what makes them post inane things on Twitter, or what makes their lives meaningful. Watch Alta Asks Live: Tod Goldberg Goldberg’s Gangsterland series (Gangsterland, Gangster Nation, and the forthcoming short story collection The Low…

NPR’s Ari Shapiro talks with Stephen Graham Jones, an American author and a member of the Blackfeet tribe, about his new book, The Only Good Indians. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Stephen Graham Jones writes horror novels, and his latest starts with a provocative reworking of an old saying. The title is “The Only Good Indians.” STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES: The only good Indians are dead Indians from – you know, as ascribed to Teddy Roosevelt back in the 19th century. But it was kind of the bumper sticker that would have been on horses if horses had bumper stickers back then. SHAPIRO:…

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA) is pleased to announce that Nalo Hopkinson (born December 20, 1960) has been named the 37th Damon Knight Grand Master for her contributions to the literature of science fiction and fantasy. The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award recognizes “lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy.” Hopkinson joins the Grand Master ranks alongside such legends as C. J. Cherryh, Peter S. Beagle, Ursula K. Le Guin, Anne McCaffrey, Ray Bradbury, and Joe Haldeman. The award will be presented at the 56th Annual Nebula Conference and Awards Ceremony, held online the…