Monica Byrne is a writer living in Durham, NC. I talked to her about traveling around the world to research her upcoming novel, why she’s not an astronaut, and there was an awkward moment when I assumed she’d opt not to menstruate if given the option.

I screwed up two quotes during this conversation: “They should have sent a poet” is from Jodie Foster’s character in the film Contact, not from an actual astronaut. And the Mamet quote I was reaching for: “Those with something to fall back on invariably fall back on it.”

Oh, Greg Brainos. Where to begin? We’ve known each other for the better part of a decade, and it’s been my privilege to witness his transformation from choir boy to total fucking degenerate. No one does “total fucking degenerate” like Greg Brainos, and I’m proud to call him a friend.

We sat in the stands at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, scene of a couple of our more youthful misadventures, and chatted about his gambling problem, his stand-up comedy, how he’d rather be alone, and how all those things sort of tie together. I really put this guy on the couch. Also, I discover that play-by-play of a baseball game is not as easy as it looks.

(The Bulls defeated the hated Norfolk Tides by a final tally of 11-3.)

Bill Henderson is a writer living in Chapel Hill, NC. He has written books involving Elvis Presley and Ernest Hemmingway, so we talked a bit about each of them — what the research process was like, what it was like getting into their heads, and what it was like talking smack about Hemmingway while sitting on a panel with six lookalikes.

Also, Bill’s phone rang, which required me to stop the recording and do some awkward editing. Thanks, Bill.