Good Librations - A Kiama Library Podcast

What might be achieved in a single day? Come with us as we stride across an investigation of pacing and character and breadth and in which we find out what connects Aristotle to a 16th century Italian humourist to Shakespeare to James Joyce to Ferris Bueller.

What's in a name? Quite a lot, it turns out. This month we take a deep dive through the history of pseudonyms - who has them, who dropped them and wherefore art thou?

Come on a literal - and literary! - journey with us across the continents as we visit the storied places and spaces of our favourite reads and beloved authors. From Shakespeare to Potters both Beatrix and Harry, pack your bags for a whirlwind trip! 

Come with us, if you will, for a wander around the uber-popular writer's festival. We discover what's behind the rise and rise of the literary festival; take a gander at their history and why they're still important today.

Shadow Daddies gather! This month we're falling into the realm of Romantasy, the hybrid love child of fantasy and romance. Come for the world-building, stay for the spice.

Do you read on a plane? Do you read in the rain? Do you read while others sleep, or in a hammock on a beach? Come along and find out the weird and wonderful habits of readers. We also wade into the murky world of AI and how it is already impacts what we read - and how.

From Socratic-era Greece to a freshly colonised Massachusetts Bay to Oprah Winfrey Studios in Chicago to loungerooms and cafes across the world, come along on a journey through the powerful history and modern eminence of book clubs.

Welcome to the final episode for season 2! Peek a little further behind the curtain at library life; what were the Kiama Library librarian's favourite reads of 2023? And we give you a great list of podcast recommendations. If you like us, you'll love them. And it would be an end of season episode without a few bloopers!

This month we're talking about writing! Come on a journey through different styles of writing styles, where we discuss short stories, creative non-fiction and scriptwriting. We also find out what the Lobelia Sackville-Baggins test is, and dive into the agony and the ecstasy - but mostly the agony - of James Joyce. And, oh look, its The Odyssey.  Again. Shocker.

Come along on a music adventure as we discover why story and song have long been in perfect harmony. What was the first ever song about? Who wrote a middle-ages musical version of the 1-star hotel yelp review? What do Tenacious D , the Little Mermaid and Stravinsky have in common? And, oh look. It's the Odyssey. Again. Join in, and sing along if you know the words.

Come along on a journey full of quests and monsters as we discover if there really are only seven great stories in the world. This month we ask what are the actual odds of going from rags to riches? What was the worst makeover in cinematic history? Why do we love stories about our darker halves? And, oh look, it's The Odyssey. Again. Listen along as we break down the world's favourite tales and why they endure.

Inscribed above the entrance library chamber belonging to King Ramses the II were the words 'The house for healing of the soul.' So described humanity's relationship with reading as a therapeutic practice, both in 1300BCE and today. Listen along as we discover how reading can heal more than just our souls, why we have such a connection to stories and words, and what books your hosts turn to for comfort and catharsis. 

Join us in discussion with The Mapmaker Chronicles and Maven and Reeve author, the wonderful A.L. Tait and our fabulous children's librarian Elizabeth Skorulis to  discuss all things middle grade! What is behind the rise and rise of stories for pre-teens? What goes in to making books for middle grade readers authentic and relatable? Learn this and more! 

We're back for another month with another journey behind the literary curtain! This episode we dip our toes into the sometimes muddy but always fascinating waters of Fan Fiction and LitRPGs. Come along with us as we discover which of Shakespeare's plays is fanfic, what Kirk and Spock have to answer for, and look at the increasing impact of gaming on literature.

Fellow word nerds unite! Join us as we dip into the sometimes tumultuous ocean of language, pronunciations and, ahem, swearing. Also, what did the Victorians find so unmentionable? What is a 'dord'? Find out if you have you ever had the 'Coochie-Proochles'. And will we ever really know what Piffy on a Rock Bun is all about? Find out all this and more in this month's episode.

This month we dive into a whizz-banging tricky one as we discuss the recent revising of language in children's books. From Roald Dahl to Enid Blyton to Dr Seuss, we take a look at what got cut and why, and what it might mean for the future of children's books.  

We love to love love, don't we? Let us take your hand and lead you on a romantic adventure through the agony and the ecstasy of love stories. From Greek tragedies to Shakespeare biting his thumb at love to the sumptuousness of Bridgerton and beyond, we explore just what it is about love stories that make  romance novels the biggest literary market in the world.

This episode we get up close and personal with the staff of Kiama and Gerringong Libraries. Hear our personal journeys toward librarianship, our favourite reads and why we love being librarians!Also, join us for some of our more...ahem, CHALLENGING moments with a blooper reel that we hope will make you laugh as hard as we did.

Shhh...This episode we check out (see what I did there?) some of the most recognisable libraries and librarians from history and popular culture. From The Great Library of Alexandria to an iconic 80s jump-scare, come into the stacks with us as we investigate why libraries are still so popular, and so important.

From the Sagas of Iceland to drunken Egyptian Gods and to the national heroes of  Great Britain, we take another look at the enduring popularity of both ancient and contemporary mythologies. Come with us as we seek to discover how big leprechauns really are, who was Audun the Uninspired and what connection King Arthur has to Bridgerton.

From giant wombats to the epic of Gilgamesh to Spongebob Squarepants, this episode we delve into the history and importance of mythology. Listen along to a story that began 500,000 years ago!

What book would YOU want with you on a desert island? We asked library and Kiama Community Radio staff what their desert island reads would be and got some surprising answers! In this episode we look at some of our all-times faves and why we love them so! 

This month, to honour the 2022 NSW Youth Week theme 'It's All About YOU(th)!',  we look at the wonderful world of YA: Young Adult literature. From the fantastical to the bleak, what is it about lit for young people that has such broad appeal and such enduring importance? We also chat to a local youth worker, Josh from SENTRAL Youth Services and a couple of very awesome young people tell us their favourite stories and what exactly BookTok is all about.

Come along as we take a deep dive into ‘happily ever after' – why don't traumatised fairytale characters have more therapy? Baba Yaga is winning at self-care… we want a chicken-legged hut in the woods! In this episode, we discuss the pervading popularity of fairytales, and why they really don't have to be about fairies at all. 

From the weird to the wild and everything in between, we look at some of the most popular - and the most outrageous - fiction genres. Join us as we discover the beauty of The Bangsian Afterlife, the True Grit of the American West and just how many food-pun murder mysteries you can pack into one series.

This episode we discuss some good, some bad and some very ugly book to screen adaptations. What makes an adaptation film worthy? And what's up with changing the endings to our favourite books? Listen in as we compare our faves, and also successfully turn the word 'Voldemort' into a verb.

Beauty, function and importanceFrom Shakespeare's sonnets to pithy limericks, historical epics and contemporary spoken word, what is it about poetry that just gets us every time? (And how does German poet Gottlob Burmann indulge his pathological aversion to the letter R - despite the spelling of his own name?)All this and more in the inaugural episode of Good Librations.

Welcome to Good Librations! Whether you're a long time listener or new to our podcast, this short episode is your guide to how it works. If you're into all things literary, you're in the right place. We hope you enjoy the ride as much as we do!