Rick DeMarinis Reading
Rick DeMarinis reads the title story from his collection of short stories entitled Apocalypse Then. During a question and answer session, DeMarinis discusses his time spent as an engineer at Boeing and Lockheed Martin during the 1960’s. He explains how his experiences at the company contributed to the majority of the short stories in Apocalypse Then; specifically, the corruption related to government contracts given to the company during that period.
DeMarinis goes on to discuss his writing process, claiming that he first and foremost writes to entertain himself. He points out that writing is more difficult now than in the past, since he is constantly working to improve upon his previous work. He details his over 25 years of experience with teaching college writing, and reflects on the difficulty of the short story form. DeMarinis explains the meaning behind the title Apocalypse Then, citing specifically the anxious feeling felt during the Cuban Missle Crisis.
In: "Live from Prairie Lights" Audio Archive | Fiction
Authors: Rick DeMarinis
Date Recorded: October 18, 2004
Works Read: "Apocalypse Then" from Apocalypse Then: Stories by Rick DeMarinis
Program: Live From Prairie Lights
Format: reading
Contributors: Introductions by host Julie Englander as well as Douglass Midget of the University of Iowa Department of Anthropology.
Topics: Boeing and Lockheed Martin, 1960's, short story writing