Episode 16: Michael Crews and McCarthy's Literary Influences

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Our guest for Episode 16 is Michael Crews, author of Books are Made out of Books: A guide to Cormac McCarthy’s Literary Influences, published by the University of Texas Press in 2017.  Dr. Crews is an Associate Professor of English and chair of English and Communication Studies at Regents University.  He explains his work delving into the McCarthy archives of the Wittliff Collection in his quest for the writers and texts who have influenced the works of Cormac McCarthy.  

Thanks to Thomas Frye, who composed, performed, and produced the music for READING MCCARTHY.  Included are (as Intro): “The World to Come”;  “Toadvine” (8:02); “Running with Wolves” (12:24); “Much Like Yourself” (31:51); and as the Outro: “Blues for Blevins.”

The views of the host and his guests do not necessarily reflect the views of their home institutions or the Cormac McCarthy Society.

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New! A book adaptation of many of the episodes focusing on McCarthy's Southern novels is forthcoming in October 2026.  Click the link for details on Reading Cormac McCarthy: Scholars Discuss the Southern Novels.

Starting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast.  This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships.   But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...

As always, the views of the host and his guests do not constitute the views of the Cormac McCarthy society, or their employers or institutions, or their pets or favorite sporting teams.