In addition to writing this column, I host my own show “Bookmarked” (Tuesdays 4-5 p.m.) on KZSM.org. In keeping with the eclectic spirit of our true community radio station, we discuss any book that’s of interest to and available for general readers--selfhelp books, poetry, biography, and more.
Guests might be scholars, experts on the subject of the book, interested readers, or the authors themselves. Jennifer Kabay, the admin of the San Marcos Public Library’s Virtual Book Club, joins me regularly, as do Dr. Brandon Beck, “poet, monk, and river oracle,” and artist and poet Garrie Borden.
“Bookmarked” is generously underwritten by The Wittliff Collections at Texas State. Literary Curator Steve Davis has been a guest on the broadcast to talk about his own work “The Most Dangerous Man in America,” written with Bill Minutaglio, and about the works of writers featured in the collection. And he has provided introductions to authors who have appeared as guests. Most memorably, Paulette Giles, author of “News of the World” and “Simon the Fiddler,” called in for a rare live phone interview.
Each broadcast focuses on only one book, which allows for an in-depth discussion about background, language, and, above all, the effect on the reader. Authors interviewed on “Bookmarked” appreciate careful reading of their work and (I hope) thoughtful questions.
Some of the books we’ve explored have taken us to places as distant as South Korea or Siberia, but, like all our programming on KZSM. org, “Bookmarked” draws upon and reflects the local community. We’ve interviewed San Marcos native Elizabeth Crook, author of “The Which Way Tree,” and local authors Gregg Andrews, Victoria Bynum, and Diana Findlay Hendricks, among others. At the beginning of the pandemic, in March of 2020, seven local poets read from work they wrote in response to the crisis in a two-hour special broadcast created to help listeners process anxiety and stress through language.
Most recently “Bookmarked” has partnered with the San Marcos Public Library to extend the outreach of “When the River Speaks,” a community published poetry and art anthology, by inviting writers and editors from the journal to read from and talk about their work. And every December, we’ve celebrated the holidays by inviting other KZSM Program Hosts to read poems, stories, and memoirs inspired by the season on another twohour special, making the perfect ending to a year of reading adventures.
