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 LitSLAP
is a fast-paced, half hour live talk show which
focusses on a fresh literature-based topic each
week. The show is a celebration of our lust for
literature. It is a response to the manner in which
literature is treated on television today. Literature
is not meant to be solely burbled about over lattes
in a pastel coordinated, IKEA borne kitchen. Literature
is drunk, literature is wanton fucking, literature
is best discussed after drinking several carafes
of cheap French wine and loudly contested, and people
should disagree and become passionate and fistfight
about it. Literature is best discussed by two drunken
young poets, in a dark corner of some seedy pub
who sit and smoke and plead with their friends and
the discussion will end in yelling, with people
pounding the table and drinks being thrown. This
is the heart of LitSLAP.
Literature is not dead. It is alive. We keep it
alive and discuss it as it should be discussed.
On every one of our shows, we invite two guests
to join our hosts, Mingus Tourette
and Dr. Richard Castrati. One guest
is a member of the literary community, and in order
to remain true to the roots of the show, the other
guest has absolutely nothing to do with literature.
To ensure a fair level of input, hosts and guests
alike are encouraged to grab "The Conch"
up to three times a show, allowing them to speak
for a short period without interruption. Drinking,
smoking and swearing on the show is not required,
but is encouraged. Alcohol is free for guests. |
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 Dr.
Richard Castrati holds degrees in literature
from Stanford and Oxford universities, and has always
been keenly interested in books and ideas. He brings
a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm from his three
years as an associate professor of English at the
University of Toronto. His research interests included
postcritical literary criticism, contemporary gay
fiction, feminist her/story and Michael Ondaatje.
Dr. Castrati is pleased to be working with Mingus
Tourette on LitSLAP.
"I know we can work together to deconstruct
the contentious literary and intellectual concerns
of the day," says Castrati. "Mingus and
I will make an excellent team, and I look forward
to engaging discussions and esteemed guests."
Castrati has been published in several literary
journals. His first novel, Pacific, concerns
a young girl's sexual awakening in a small, Alberta
town.
 Mingus
Tourette holds no degree in anything from
any school of any repute, though he has been obsessed
with writing and literature from an early age. He
brings a sharp, street wise perspective, as well
as the fresh experience of writing in the new media
trenches during his two year post as the writer-in-residence
at the online zine, "breastfish". His
literary interests include Fyodor Dostoevsky, Henry
Miller, William Burroughs, Franz Kafka, Friedrich
Nietzsche and his own work.
Mingus Tourette is pleased to be working with Dr.
Castrati on LitSLAP. "Dick's good for this
shit. He's got my back on the literary front, cause
I had his back when he was down on the real front,"
says Tourette. "He's going to give up all the
facts that'll let me tear a new asshole through
all those shit eating grins running lit shows today.
Gonna set shit on fire."
Tourette has published several online works, and
is working on publishing his first book of poetry,
Nunt. His first novel, Divinity,
concerns a poet's descent into hell and the resultant
carnage of the abyss. |
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 LitSLAP
succeeds as a late night show because of its bizarre
combination of drinking, swearing and intellectual
depth. It succeeds because of the unique charisma
of the two hosts and their odd relationship. It
will succeed on a national level because it will
become notorious, because people are ready to talk
about literature as it should be talked about, because
people want to see an intellectual show with a real
edge, a show with the very real possibility of one
host melting down and punching the other in the
face. Buy it. It will be a cult classic.
Guaran fucking teed.
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