A Drink With a Friend

In this last episode of the season, Tsh talks with Zack Kibodeaux of the band Blue Water Highway. They talk about the objective beauty of art, what it means to make a living as a working artist, and how to navigate secular art spaces as a Catholic Christian. Plus, the episode ends with a sampling of his band's delightful work! It's a great conversation to tie up this season — as always, more episodes will be coming this fall.* Host: Tsh Oxenreider / X* Guest: Zack Kibodeaux of the band Blue Water Highway* Blue Water Highway on Patreon* Create Your Rule of Life* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads* CS Lewis' An Experiment in Criticism* Masters of the Air This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

In this one I'm chatting with artist Chris Lewis, who runs his business, Baritus Catholic, as both a ministry and an independent (mom-and-)pop shop. We talk about what is it that makes art objectively good, why beauty is also objective, and how AI is such an insult to bonafide human artists. I also ask him what we, as appreciators of good art, can do in our ordinary, modern lives, to support more artists like him.* Host: Tsh Oxenreider / X* Guest: Chris Lewis / X / his store, Baritus Catholic* Create Your Rule of Life* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Yes, it's good for us to work with our hands, and we all should in some capacity. But what about making things with our mind, and even via (gasp!) our screens, too? Yep, that can be done well. Tsh chats with Faith Moore, novelist and (new) podcaster, about making things: she unpacks what it was like to write her first novel from her home as a busy mom, as well as launching a very successful podcast in a crowded niche.* Host: Tsh Oxenreider / X* Guest: Faith Moore / X / her podcast, Storytime for Grownups* Create Your Rule of Life* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Why do we humans, as embodied creatures, need to make things? And more specifically, why do we need to make things with our hands? What's the benefit on both a personal and societal level? Nate Marshall and I chat about trade work (and the culture's side-eye of it), what we learn about our souls when we work with our bodies, and what to do about this if we tend to live up in our heads.* Host: Tsh Oxenreider / X* Guest: Nate Marshall / X* Create Your Rule of Life* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Why do we need to make things? Because we need to be people who make things (more than we need things that are made by us). Why? The reason is simple: because making things makes us more into who we're meant to be. We're made to make.* Host: Tsh Oxenreider* Create Your Rule of Life* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads* Ira Glass' The Gap Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

Why does localism matter? What does a need to know our local farmers have to do with our souls? Why are our neighborhoods better when we buy and invest as locally as possible (even when it's a small amount)? Tsh and Seth talk to Hadden Turner, a 20-something British agrarian writer, who has a few things to say about living locally.* Hosts: Tsh Oxenreider and Seth Haines* Guest: Hadden Turner* Where You Are Is Where You Are* Refuge of Authenticity* And the Fields Fall Silent* Tir: The Story of the Welsh Landscape, by Carwyn Graves* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

Living within your 100-mile radius means living small and local—choosing to, as best possible, participate, buy, and invest our time in only that which is immediately around us, within roughly a hundred miles. There's no way to do this perfectly, and that's okay. But is it worth the effort? Probably.* Host: Tsh Oxenreider* Create Your Rule of Life* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

Acedia is our modern-day dragon — the desert fathers and mothers named it “the Noonday Devil.” What is it, really? And how do we fight it? Tsh talks with Harrison Garlick, a Deacon with the Diocese of Tulsa, to unpack the ladder of love we have to climb to slay our dragon.* Host: Tsh Oxenreider* Guest: Dcn. Harrison Garlick* Harrison's podcast, Ascend: The Great Books Podcast* The Intellectual Life, by AG Sertillanges* The previous episode: Flourishing & Acedia* Create Your Rule of Life* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

We've talked about rootedness; now we're moving up the plant stalk to flourishing: thriving, growing well, and generally being who we're supposed to require good roots in good soil. But what's possibly the biggest threat to said flourishing? The ol' noonday devil acedia. What is it? How does it affect us so much? And how do we fight it so we can get back to flourishing? Let's talk about that.* Host: Tsh Oxenreider* Bitter & Sweet: A Journey Into Easter* First Light & Eventide: A Gratitude Journal* Create Your Rule of Life* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

You are a tree. You are also not a tree. You are on a journey. You are also not on a journey. We use metaphors all the time to describe life, and funnily enough, so does the Bible. Joy Clarkson unpacks why we use metaphors, and she and Tsh also get into why we need to be rooted — and open to change.* Host: Tsh Oxenreider* Guest: Joy Clarkson* Joy's new book, You Are a Tree* Create Your Rule of Life* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads* Comment on this episode (for Commonplace subscribers)* LAMY Fountain Pens* Michael & Michelle* p.s. Here's the previous episode, which bypassed quite a few podcast feeds! Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

We're starting a new season with a few changes — Tsh Oxenreider unpacks what you can expect this spring by way of the season's theme: rootedness. What does it mean to know who you are, whose you are, and where you belong? How do we become more rooted in an ever-digitized world?* Host: Tsh Oxenreider* Create Your Rule of Life* Ascend: The Great Books Podcast* Young Heretics (another good but unmentioned resource for unpacking old texts)* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads* Come to Greece this summer! (just a few spots left)* Comment on this episode (for Commonplace subscribers)* Send an email: adrinkwithafriend@gmail.com Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

In this final chat of the year, Seth and Tsh work through a few of her end-of-the-year questions—and you're invited to do the same. They're tougher than they initially seem!* Hosts: authors Seth Haines and Tsh Oxenreider* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads* Tsh's end-of-the-year reflection questions Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

‘Tis the season to have more options than possible to read, watch, and listen to. Authors Seth Haines and Tsh Oxenreider share what they're currently imbibing in this department, along with what's in their queue for the holidays.* Hosts: authors Seth Haines and Tsh Oxenreider* Buy a round of drinks* Tsh's 2023 Holiday Gift Guide* Six Reads for Advent on Tsh's Substack newsletter* Winter Fire, by Ryan Whitaker Smith* Christmas Karol, by Faith Moore* Perelandra, by C.S. Lewis* This Hideous Strength, by C.S. Lewis* Ben Rector's holiday playlist* Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald* Pray with C.S. Lewis on Advent* It's a Wonderful Life* All Creatures Great and Small on PBS* Vikings on Hulu Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

Whether you're a seasoned Advent adherent or a barely-even-heard-of-it curious onlooker, Advent really is for everybody. Writer Tsh Oxenreider shares why Advent, as well as the rest of the liturgical calendar, really is a gift to us, even in (especially in?) our insanely busy and information-packed world. She also shares a brief introduction to the season, as well as a few ideas on how to get started (sharing an excerpt from her Advent book!).* Host: author Tsh Oxenreider* Tsh's Advent book, Shadow & Light* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads* Tsh's 2023 Gift Guide Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

Why hope? Because we have no other choice. A few years ago, Amber Haines entered a season of pain and despair when she resigned from her role as church curate and walked out those doors for the last time. Since then, she and Seth have been learning that hope requires a recognition of the deep-down things. Writers Seth, Amber, & Tsh Oxenreider talk about why we HAVE to hope, even when (especially when?) things are bleak.* Guest: Amber Haines* Hosts: authors Seth Haines and Tsh Oxenreider* Seth & Amber's new book, The Deep Down Things: Practices for Growing Hope in Times of Despair* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads* Merch* Go to Greece with Tsh* Why We're Required to Find Beauty* Orthodox Farmhouse Brewery* Patty Griffin: her self-titled 2019 album* God of the Garden, by Andrew Peterson* Ask a question! Email adrinkwithafriend@gmail.com Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

Social media isn't great for us, neither individually nor collectively. Know what's better? Substack. Not just for writers or creators — for readers and listeners, too! That means you. Writers Seth Haines and Tsh Oxenreider share why they dig this bright spot on the internet, and why you should, too. It's not perfect, but it's doing a good thing.* Hosts: authors Seth Haines and Tsh Oxenreider* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads* Merch* Go to Greece with Tsh!* Buy Seth's new book!* Over the Field, by Hadden Turner* La Beef, by Anonymous* The Blue Scholar, Nate Marshall* Flak Photo, by Andy Adams* School of the Unconformed, by Ruth Gaskovski* A Pilgrim in Metropolis, by B. Christof Wachtel* Hearthstone Fables, by Kristin Haakenson Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

We officially live in a world with AI, like it or not. It's been around quite awhile, but its ubiquitous presence is escalating, and quickly. How shall we then live? Is there ethical space for AI? Writers Tsh Oxenreider and Seth Haines have thoughts.* Hosts: authors Seth Haines and Tsh Oxenreider* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads* Merch!* Come see Tsh next Thursday, October 5 at Fabled Bookstore* Tsh's latest: First Light & Eventide* Seth's upcoming: The Deep-Down Things* Ask Tsh & Seth a question! Email adrinkwithafriend@gmail.com* Anna Tivel's Outsiders: Live in a Living Room* Joan Chittester's The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the 21st Century Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

Why is adding beauty to our everyday lives worth the time and effort? Tsh Oxenreider talks with fellow writer Katy Carl about why the ongoing, noble pursuit of beauty (in its truest form) is essential for ALL of us. They also chat about grad school while raising kids, AI (of course), and other such sundry.* Guest: Katy Carl* Host: Tsh Oxenreider* Katy's new book, Fragile Objects* Tsh's latest: First Light & Eventide* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads* Merch!* Mariane Moore's poem, “I too dislike it”* Katy's essay on AI* Middlemarch, by George Eliot* Reading Adventure playlist* Ask a question! Email adrinkwithafriend@gmail.com Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

We're back for a new season of chatting over drinks! Writers Tsh Oxenreider and Seth Haines discuss the old idea of Ignatian examen and how it applies to us moderns. Also, why morning and evening bookends are a great idea.* Hosts: authors Seth Haines and Tsh Oxenreider* Buy a round of drinks* Recommended reads* Merch!* Tsh's latest: First Light & Eventide* Seth's upcoming: The Deep-Down Things* How to pray the examen  * Scientifically proven benefits of gratitude* “The Want of Peace” by Wendell Berry* Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

No need to panic; the podcast isn't ending! It's simply time for a summer break. In this episode, Seth and Tsh chat about some of their favorite finales: the last lines of books, the final songs on an album, the ultimate episodes in a TV series. What makes a good ending? And what helps us forgive a story's less-than-ideal finale? Drink episodes will take a brief hiatus for some offline summer revelry, but never fear—episodes will pick back up again soon!* Seth's Newsletter & Website* Tsh's Newsletter & Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Our recommended reads* The Observationalist, by Seth* Pre-order Seth & Amber's new book, The Deep Down Things* Pre-order Tsh's journal, First Light & Eventide* Summer 2024: Go to Greece with Tsh!* Damien Rice's album, My Favorite Faded Fantasy  * A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles * Typhoon, Offerings * A River Runs Through It, by Norman Maclean* Chuck (on Max and Amazon Prime)* Battlestar Galactica (on Peacock)* The Common Place, Vol. 5 Playlist  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Stories (the good ones, anyway) tell us more than an entertaining tale—they tell us why the world is the way it is, as well as the way it should be. In this way, fiction is often more real than non-fiction. Everyone should read fiction, especially folks who want to know how the world works and how we're called to make it better. Seth & Tsh unpack why good stories do just that.* Seth's Newsletter & Website* Tsh's Newsletter & Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Our recommended reads* The Observationalist, by Seth* Pre-order Seth & Amber's new book, The Deep Down Things* Pre-order Tsh's journal, First Light & Eventide* The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway* Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë* Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr* The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett* It Can't Happen Here, by Lewis Sinclair* The Awakening of Miss Prim, by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera* Free class: The Rise & Fall of the Roman Republic* Tsh's essay on leaving Instagram, one year later This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Is reading good books, watching good movies, and preferring good art a matter of subjective taste or objective reasoning? And if it's objective, does that mean there's a wrong preference for these things? Even a …moral wrong? Tsh talks with one of her favorite current thinkers and writers, Joshua Gibbs, about what it means to wisely know the difference between mediocre, common, and uncommon things, and why it matters beyond mere taste that we love that which lasts.* Love What Lasts, by Joshua Gibbs* Joshua's annual summer conference* Joshua's podcast, Proverbial* Joshua's blog for CiRCE, The Cedar Room* Joshua's articles on ChatGPT and terrible family films* Tsh's Newsletter & Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Recommended reads* The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri (plus Dorothy Sayers' notes)* The Once and Future King, by T.H. White This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Both Seth and Tsh's oldest children are graduating high school this month, and just like the cliché, they can't believe how fast time has flown. Here are a few things they'd tell themselves when they were younger and in the early, exhausting stage of parenting younger children.* Seth: Newsletter | Website* Tsh: Newsletter | Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Our recommended reads* There's ONE spot left for Ireland — will you claim it?* Ted Lasso* The Lord of the Rings trilogy (1, 2, 3) audiobook, narrated by Andy Serkis This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Continuing with (what the numbers say is) this show's most popular series, in this episode, Seth shares more of why he became Catholic. If he could sum up a major reason why he and Amber led their whole family into the Church, it's this: matter matters. (…And again, don't worry, it's not to pressure you — Tsh and Seth and just telling their stories.)* Seth: Newsletter | Website* Tsh: Newsletter | Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Our recommended reads* Why is Seth Catholic? Part 1* Why is Tsh Catholic? Parts 1 & 2* Seth's essay in America Magazine* The Songlines, by Bruce Chatwin* Learning the Good Life, ed. by Jessica Hooten Wilson & Jacob Stratman This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

We've reached a fever pitch with smartphones, and more and more people aren't sure what to do anymore with these computers in our pockets. Is it time to throw them in a river and "downgrade" to older school flip phones? Some folks are. Autumn Kern is one such person, and in this episode, she chats with Tsh about why she'll never go back. She makes the case that smartphones are turning us into gnostics, they're depleting us of our virtue, and they're depriving us of true community, instead giving us dopamine hits of a faux version of connection. The trade-off? A more beautiful life!* Common House* Autumn Kern's podcast and YouTube channel * Tsh: Newsletter | Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Recommended reads* Come to Ireland with Tsh!* Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport* The Machine Stops, by E.M. Forster* Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman* Marc Barnes on smartphones* The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis* Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy* When the Church Was Young, by Marcellino d'Ambrosio This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

It's still the question Tsh and Seth get more than just about any other... They each began answering this question in earlier chats, but it involves an answer that may take a lifetime to share... In this episode, Tsh shares more of her journey to the Catholic Church, why it wasn't just switching a “denomination,” and why the telos of the idea of a global church led her to recognize that Jesus established it in a particular way for a particular purpose. All Christians were Catholic for most of Church history, and this communion of saints is for all of us. …It's a fitting story to continue telling during Holy Week. * Seth: Newsletter | Website* Tsh: Newsletter | Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Our recommended reads* Come to Ireland with Tsh!* Why is Tsh Catholic? Part 1* Why is Seth Catholic? Part 1* Resources that answered Tsh's Catholic questions* Christy Nockels' Come Magnify and Benediction * Tsh's Bitter & Sweet Lent playlist* Andrew Peterson's Resurrection Letters Anthology This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

On the trails, in silence of an adoration chapel, in the practice of shrugging our shoulders, in the dirt of the earth, in art, bread, a feast with our friends. In other words: practice. This is where Seth and his wife Amber have learned to search for signs of hope, even during a season of recovery, pandemic chaos, political turmoil. Tsh talks with Seth about this idea — looking for hope in the midst of a world that tips toward despair — and why doing so changes everything. Seth and Amber recorded their experience in a book, and they didn't hold back. * Seth: Newsletter | Website* Tsh: Newsletter | Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Our recommended reads* Come to Ireland with Tsh!* Pre-order The Deep Down Things here, here, or here!* Seth's announcement* Amber's announcement* Olga Karlovac on Instagram* East of Eden, by John Steinbeck This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

C.S. Lewis wrote a newspaper column as a series of letters from a demon writing to his nephew training for his role as …well, a demon. Screwtape advises Wormwood how to best attack his “patient” — an unassuming young man — and his tactics aren't what we'd expect. Tsh shares with Seth why she loves this book so much, why it's still relevant (perhaps more?) today than it was when it was first published during the height of World War II, and why all of us need to read it. In fact, if you're new to Lewis and want to give him a whirl, The Screwtape Letters is a great place to start.* Seth: Newsletter | Website* Tsh: Newsletter | Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Our recommended reads* Come to Ireland with Tsh!* Sing Hat Co. * Wilson Knives* Catechism in a Year podcast This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Isn't it weird to travel with people you've never met? Tsh thought so, too, until she started leading pilgrimages. Now it's one of her favorite things she does. She chats with her friend Bond Strong, who went on Tsh's 2022 pilgrimage to Italy. They talk about why travel makes them love their home even more, how their love for travel only grew once they became parents, what they loved most about their time in Italy, and why you — yes, YOU — should go on Tsh's 2023 pilgrimage to Ireland. There's still time, but there are only a few spots left!* Join Tsh in Ireland!* Tsh's Newsletter & Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Recommended reads* Saint Stories for Kids podcast* The Awakening of Miss Prim, by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Aren't old books too hard for kids to understand? Maybe. Or maybe not. Tsh chats with her new friend Noah Tyler about his challenge of reading aloud from the original Harvard Classics set (also known as “Dr. Eliot's Five-Foot Shelf of Books”). They talk about how books have the proclivity to form our minds and hearts, what it looks like to homeschool in an urban setting, and how any parent can shape their home environment in small ways to help the family better order their loves. (Seth will be back in the next episode!)* CLT Exam: get 25% off any registration with the code COMMONPLACE* CLT's Author Bank* Anchored Podcast* The original Harvard Classics* CLT's Great Ideas series (based on the Syntopicon)* Gillian Cross' Iliad & Odyssey* Philosophy for Kids, by David White* The Way of Perfection, by St. Teresa of Avila* Bitter & Sweet playlist for Lent* Tsh's Newsletter & Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Our recommended reads* Join Tsh in Ireland! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

You always remember your first. ...Get your mind out of the gutter, we're talking about first BOOK loves — you know, the stories that captured us and wouldn't let us go. In this episode, Seth and Tsh talk about the books that first drew them to the magic of good storytelling and word-weaving — beyond childish trinket stories, these were the books that first taught them the sacramental beauty of telling a story well. What about you? What were your first story loves? They go beyond books — these stories tell us more about ourselves as co-creators, made by God to bring beauty into the world.* Seth: Newsletter | Website* Tsh: Newsletter | Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Our recommended reads* Join Tsh in Ireland!* A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle* The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway* The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding* The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald* Catholic Lofi on Spotify This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Lex orandi lex credendi lex vivendi. What does this old Latin phrase mean? And what does it have to do with actual life? Lots, actually. These words represent an idea that's not only time-tested, but it affects more of your life than you think. Seth and Tsh unpack why this concept matters, and what it has to do with topics like faith, education, work, and more. (In fact, you'll hear more about this idea in upcoming episodes this season!)* Seth: Newsletter | Website* Tsh: Newsletter | Website* Pick up a round of drinks* Our recommended reads* Join Tsh in Ireland!* At Home in the World, by Tsh* You Are What You Love, by James K.A. Smith* Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, read by Luke Thompson* Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, read by Ethan Hawke* Future Home of the Living God, by Louise Erdrich This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

The new year kicks off with Seth in bed with the flu, so even though he musters up the strength to chat, in this episode it's mostly Tsh. Last year they each gave themselves a six-month challenge, so she shares her plan for this year: ten challenges in ten months! Why? How? And what are they? Tsh gets into all that with Seth.  Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Our recommended reads Join Tsh in Ireland! Big Thief's new album, Dragon New Mountain I Believe in You Season 3 of All Creatures Great and Small

Seth and Tsh are offline for the next couple of weeks, but the show will pick back up in January. In the meantime, they've got a few thoughts for you — by way of other people's thoughts. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Seth's newsletter + website Tsh's newsletter + website Pick up a round of drinks!

Bonus! Tsh recently talked with Sam Smith and his teenage son, Josiah, about the fine art of writing a book together. Sam, often known as S.D., is the author of the beloved Green Ember series, and his son came up with an idea for his own story. So, he took him under his wing and together they published the first in a new book series! Sam and Josiah share with Tsh what it's like to write together and how to cultivate a home life that loves good stories. S.D. and J.C. Smith's new book, Jack Zulu S.D. Smith Tsh's newsletter + website Listen to all the episodes  

With Advent in full force and Christmas on its way, Seth and Tsh keep it lighter-hearted in this episode. They share what's adding more joy to their days in the categories of movies/TV series, music, books, and habits. Bookmark this episode's show notes for your upcoming holiday downtime! Seth's newsletter + website Tsh's newsletter + website Tsh's 2022 Gift Guide Pick up a round of drinks! Our recommended reads Onyx Coffee Spirited Naughty or Nice Every Hallmark Christmas Movie The Man Who Invented Christmas All Creatures Great & Small, Seasons 1 & 2 In the Bleak Midwinter, by John Van Deusen Hark! A podcast about Christmas carols from America Media If On a Winter's Night, by Sting The Gospel of Luke The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, & A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz

We all have a liturgy to our lives, even if we don't call it that. So why bother with one that's old and global, too? Since Advent is the start of a new liturgical year, Seth and Tsh unpack what the calendar is and why it matters. Not so much a deep dive, this chat is more of a high-level perspective on why it's good to lean into a rhythm for marking time outside of ourselves. Seth's newsletter + website Tsh's newsletter + website Tsh's 2022 Gift Guide Pick up a round of drinks! Our recommended reads A 101 on Advent Tsh's Advent book, Shadow & Light The Liturgical Year, by Joan Chittister Living the Christian Year, by Bobby Gross Sounding the Seasons, by Malcolm Guite The Comfort Crisis, by Michael Easter Madison Cunningham

Seth is joined by Myles Werntz, a professor of theology, and in this chat they unpack what's meant by community, a word we toss around a lot in our culture. What's the real difference between in-person and virtual communities? What do screens provide a community when they're needed, and what do they rob us of when they're not? And what's the takeaway for our day-to-day lives? p.s. - Seth & Tsh will be back together next episode! Seth's newsletter + website Pick up a round of drinks! Our recommended reads Myles' Substack Myles on Twitter Myles' book, From Isolation to Community The Brothers K, by David James Duncan The Candy House, by Jennifer Egan

Tsh is joined by a good friend — her husband, Kyle! A late-night conversation, they reflect on how travel has affected their 20-year marriage and why you (yes, you!) should join them next summer in Ireland. ☘️ Tsh's newsletter + website Pick up a round of drinks! Our recommended reads Create your Rule of Life Come to Ireland! Somebody Feed Phil in Ireland

Both adult Catholic converts from a lifetime of Protestantism, Seth and Tsh each could do a 12-part series on why they swam the Tiber. In this chat, Seth unpacks with Tsh just a few items in his backpack worn on his journey to the Church. If you're curious about what compelled him to walk this path, this episode's for you. Seth's Newsletter + Website Tsh's newsletter + website Pick up a round of drinks! Our recommended reads Create your Rule of Life Part 1 of Tsh's journey to the Church ​ Seth's books: Coming Clean and The Book of Waking Up  Hipbillies, by Jared Phillips Tsh's Cozy Autumn playlist

More and more folks are talking about the ills of social media, but the platforms remain hugely popular (and addictive). Seth asks Tsh about her recent decision to leave Instagram even though "they" say writers should be there if they want to sell books. She was willing to leave her large-ish following and decade-plus feed for something better — and she has zero regrets. Seth's Newsletter + Website Tsh's newsletter + website Pick up a round of drinks! Our recommended reads Tsh's micro.blog Confessions, by St. Augustine (Sarah Ruden's translation)

What does it mean to be a man or a woman? And just as important in today's culture, how do we have civil, truthful, loving conversations about that topic? Seth and Tsh are joined by author and professor Abigail Favale to talk about those things. She's written a book that's taking off like wildfire about one of the most pressing questions of the day — who are we as men and women? Seth's Newsletter + Website Tsh's newsletter + website Pick up a round of drinks! Our recommended reads The Genesis of Gender, by Abigail Favale Abigail on Twitter Abigail's free video series, Cultivating Catholic Feminism Endeavour Father Elijah: An Apocalypse, by Michael D. O'Brien  

We're back! Seth and Tsh recap Italy, but don't worry, it's not done in a way that bores you if you weren't there... They reflect on why it's always true that ordinary conversations with new friends over gelato are more meaningful than touring even the most jaw-dropping cathedrals and monasteries (though that's great, too). They also share recorded thoughts from some of the folks who joined them in Italy. We're all made for in-person connection, and this is why having a drink with a friend at your neighborhood cafe matters so much. Seth's Newsletter + Website Tsh's newsletter + website Pick up a round of drinks! Our recommended reads The Genesis of Gender, by Abigail Favale CS Lewis' space/Ransom trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength

It's good to remember the good things in life, especially when the news is heavy (when is ever not anymore, right?). And since art has a season, Seth and Tsh share their summery music, movies, TV shows, and books they're into right now. Because good art tells good stories, even when they're lighthearted. Also: it's time for their annual summer break! Seth and Tsh will return in mid-August — in the meantime, enjoy the treasure trove of Drink archives, listen to other good shows, or just take a break and go outside. Seth's Newsletter + Website Tsh's newsletter + website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us — next month! Our recommended reads Magnolia Workshops The Collection's Entropy album Michael & Michelle Tsh's Summer 2022 playlist Sean Hayes Thor: Love and Thunder 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything The Hood Internet — top songs from each year The Genesis of Gender, by Abigail Favale A Curious Faith, by Lore Ferguson Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel Leisure: the Basis of Culture, by Josef Pieper In Other Words, by Jhumpa Lahiri

Tsh talks to her good friend, Sarah Mackenzie, about what makes good stories (especially for our kids). She's got a HUGE new project in the works: not only a new children's book, but a new publishing house! When it's hard to publish new classics that tell timeless truths, you gotta start the company yourself. Why do we need more stories that tell us things that were as true a thousand years ago as they are today? Listen in. Tsh's newsletter + website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us — next month! Our recommended reads Sarah Mackenzie's work: Read-Aloud Revival & Waxwing Books A Little More Beautiful, Sarah's forthcoming picture book Julia Cameron's morning pages Ira Glass' The Gap Tomie DePaola Breaking Bread With The Dead, by Alan Jacobs Breezy Brookshire on Instagram Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney You Can Draw in 30 Days, by Mark Kistler I Miss My Cafe + The Hole & Corner playlist

It's now Tsh's turn to update us on her six-month challenge: what she's learned living as best she can in a 100-mile radius. She and Seth talk about the importance of subsidiarity, reorienting our priorities, finding community IN an actual community (vs. online), and doing it all imperfectly. Is living locally worth the effort? Tsh has thoughts. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us Our recommended reads Seth's challenge: 6 months away from social media The Life We're Looking For, by Andy Crouch Free online classes from Hillsdale College — Tsh is taking Aristotle's Ethics Man and His Symbols, by Carl Jung

It's June, which means Seth and Tsh are at the end of their first of the year challenges. Seth updates us on what he's learned being away from social media for six months, what he'll do differently, and what he misses. Tsh chimes in on her reflections about using our phones as instruments instead of devices so that the internet returns to how it works best: as a bicycle for the mind.  Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us Our recommended reads The Life We're Looking For, by Andy Crouch Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport Mohamed El-Erian on Twitter Stephanie Duncan Smith on Instagram Man and His Symbols, by Carl Jung The Liturgy of the Hours, from Word on Fire

Hobbies aren't just the things we do whenever we have spare time — they're actually important to our health. The things we do just because we enjoy them, staying at amateur status for the love of the craft, starting at the beginning and learning from zero, make us more of who we're made to be. Seth and Tsh each share some of their favorite hobbies and why they're so important to them. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us Our recommended reads Leisure: The Basis of Culture, by Josef Pieper Band of Brothers Vivian Maier

Seth moseys by a river and sits among the birds to explain what's up this week. He and Tsh be back next week with a new episode! Stay tuned.

Both Seth and Tsh became Catholic just a few years ago, as adults after a lifetime of being Protestant. Why? ...That's the question they get asked by many of you ALL the time. In this episode, they dip their toes in the water of answering this massive question that doesn't have just one answer, focusing first more on Tsh's journey. (This will likely be an ongoing series, peppered throughout other chats...)  Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us — $250 off when you register by May 31, 2022! Our recommended reads Pink House Alchemy  Tsh's Catholic research  Fr. Mike on ‘why be Catholic and not just Christian' How to Read (and Write) Like a Catholic, by Joshua Hren Henri Cartier-Bresson

It's the end of the school year, and May is always nuts. When life feels flustered, it's grounding to remember the ordinary things adding beauty to our days. Seth and Tsh each share what they're currently reading, watching, and listening to that are bringing them more joy and insight. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us — $250 off when you register by May 31, 2022! Our recommended reads Tsh's Summer 2022 playlist ​​  The Black Keys, Typhoon, Jason Isbell, & S. Carey's Paralyzed Learning the Good Life, edited by Jessica Hooten Wilson & Jacob Stratman   The Wall Street Journal Principles for Dealing With The Changing World Order, by Ray Dalio Cultivating Catholic Feminism video series Inventing Anna on Netflix  Under the Banner of Heaven on Hulu  Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer