The Fast and the Fictitious

Bonus Episode! A few of the more memorable moments from the series this year gathered in one place. Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.com

In this episode, Jamira, Jena, and Cheyenne talk about “A Worn Path,” by Eudora Welty. The story chronicles the journey of an old woman going to town to get medicine for her sick grandson. It sounds simple enough, but not for a black woman who is not that far removed from the life of a slave. The trio talk about the story and how they see the issues surrounding racism in modern times.  Cheyenne had some audio issues in this episode, so my apologies to the listeners and to Cheyenne for having to cut some of what she said. Even still, it is a great conversation to hear because of the points of view of these students. We hope you enjoy. Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode, Brayleigh, Abby, and Karlee talk about “What I Have Been Doing Lately,” by Jamaica Kincaid. The main character in the story finds herself trapped in a looping dream, but in each version, something is slightly different. In addition to the story, the girls talk about the nature of dreams, and Brayleigh shares that she's not even sure if her life is real. We hope you enjoy.Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode, Jaydon, Brock, and Rhys talk about “Evaline,” by James Joyce. The story revolves around a woman who is forced into taking care of her alcoholic father and her younger siblings but is eventually presented with an opportunity to escape to a new life. The fellas talk about the nature of free will and to what degree our choices are manipulated by others. We hope you enjoy. Email the show! carlilelcba@cpsb.orgMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode, Nolan, Christian, and Matthew discuss “A Horseman in the Sky,” by Ambrose Bierce. The story presents the picture of a family divided during the American Civil War. The son of a Confederate officer tells his father of his decision to fight for the Union, which ultimately leads to a horrific confrontation. The guys have an open and honest discussion about how they would have handled the situation and the reality that they were lucky not to be on the wrong side of history. We hope you enjoy.Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode, Ava and Jamira talk about “A Jury of Her Peers,” by Susan Glaspell. In the story, a man is found murdered in his home. While the men investigate, the women tend to the home and, as a result, solve the crime. But what do they do with the truth? When is it ok to circumvent the normal channels of justice in order to deliver justice more swiftly? We hope you enjoy. Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode, Luke, Brock, and Rhys talk about “Shiloh,” by Bobbie Ann Mason. In the story, a man who is home and unable to work starts to notice his wife's new interests and hobbies, which were sides of her that he never saw as a truck driver who was always on the road. In addition to the story, the guys talk about whether staying overly engaged with hobbies yields the same result as being purposefully slothful. We hope you enjoy.  Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode, Mika, Lillie, and Tayla talk about Tillie Olsen's “I Stand Here Ironing.” The story revolves around a mother thinking back on her relationship with her oldest daughter, who she surrendered to an orphanage when she was very young. The girls talk about their own relationships with their parents and what they hope to do better than the mother in the story. Also, Tayla explains how to properly gig a frog.  We hope you enjoy. Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0 

Welcome to The Fast and the Fictitious. In each episode, students in English 2410, a Dual Enrollment Fiction course, will deep dive a story, highlight key takeaways, and relate the themes of the story to their lives. In this episode, Ayla, Jaydon, and Sean talk about “EPICAC,” by Kurt Vonnegut. In the story, a man uses a supercomputer to help win the affections of a woman, but as a result, the computer itself falls in love with the woman. Vonnegut wrote the story decades ahead of current innovations in artificial intelligence, yet the story remarkably sheds light onto how we use and rely upon machines to do what should be very human activities. We hope you enjoy. Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode, Addison, Gracie, and Syrin talk about “A Temporary Matter,” by Jhumpa Lahiri. The story focuses on a couple who have grown apart but who are forced back together by rolling blackouts every evening. With no electricity to distract them from each other, the couple spends time reconnecting by sharing secrets about themselves. As you might imagine, it does not end well.  We hope you enjoy. Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.com Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode, Emma, Kynleigh, and Ashlynn talk about Aimee Bender's "Tiger Mending." In the story, a promising surgeon trades in her future career to work as a seamstress and is soon hired for a special job in Asia. Her sister, who is along for the ride, can't at first understand why she would leave everything for this strange new position. What is the nature of co-dependency? Do we ever hurt ourselves just so that others can put us back together again? We hope you enjoy.Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode, Brayleigh, Kelsey, and Matthew talk about “Tenacious,” a story written by former English 2410 student, Kahlia Clark. A link to Kahlia's story is included below. The story deals with a young woman baring the weight of being the primary caregiver for her younger siblings. The trio come to the realization that forgiveness is a two-way street, something the main character in the story took a while to realize. We hope you enjoy. Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.com Tenacious_Kahlia_edited1.docx All Rights ReservedMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode, Cheyenne, Ashlynn, and Ali G talk about Ray Bradbury's “All Summer in a Day.” In the story, an outsider to a colony on Venus is shunned because of her unique life experience on Earth. Why do we flock to groups? What does a group get out of having an “outsider” as a target? And Ali G makes her feelings quite clear about William. We hope you enjoy. Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode, Alli, Abby, and Mika talk about “Two Kinds,” by Amy Tan. As seniors, each of them understand the feeling of being pulled in multiple directions at once and can relate to the protagonist in the story. How can we handle the weight of expectations when those expectations may not be what we want for ourselves? We hope you enjoy.Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode, Emma, Karleee, and Ethan talk about “Araby,” by James Joyce. This story deals with a young boy's infatuation with an older girl and how his worldview shifts after attending a local bazaar. The trio speculate on the fine balance between romanticism and realism and connect the situation in the story to their own futures when considering what draws them toward certain colleges. We hope you enjoy. Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

Welcome to The Fast and the Fictitious. In each episode, students in English 2410, a Dual Enrollment Fiction course, will deep dive a story, highlight key takeaways, and relate the themes of the story to their lives. In this episode, Clare and Ben are joined by a former English 2410 student, Kahlia Clark. The trio talk about Anton Chekhov's, “The Bet,” a story about a young lawyer who bets that he can stay locked in a cell for 15 years for a two million dollar prize. In addition to the big questions raised by the story, the trio talk about the relationship between writer and reader and what their death row meals would be. We hope you enjoy. Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

Welcome to The Fast and the Fictitious. In each episode, students in English 2410, a Dual Enrollment Fiction course, will deep dive a story, highlight key takeaways, and relate the themes of the story to their lives. In this episode, Aiden, Oliver, and Ali G talk about “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas,” by Ursula LeGuin.  The story asks how far a society is willing to go to sacrifice the rights of the individual for the good of the many. Reception is mixed from the students, but one thing they all agree on is McDonald's Sprite. We hope you enjoy.Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

In this episode Jude, Christian, and JWalk talk about a story that seemed as if it were written just for them, John Updike's “A&P.” The story is about a young man who quits his job after witnessing his boss give three girls a hard time for being in his grocery store. How would these three guys handle such a situation? And what is it about the young male brain that causes them to make irrational decisions? We hope you enjoy.Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

Welcome to The Fast and the Fictitious. In each episode, students in English 2410, a Dual Enrollment Fiction course, will deep dive a story, highlight key takeaways, and relate the themes of the story to their lives. In this episode, Addison, Syrin, and Ben talk about the story “Who Glows in the Dark, Who Fades Away,” by Katelyn Johnson, a former student in this course. In addition to discussing the story, the group talks about periods of loss and mourning in their own lives, how they cope through tough times, and what it means to truly move on. Katelyn story is included in the show notes for those interested in reading it. We hope you enjoy.Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comWho Fades Away_Katelyn_Johnson.docx All Rights ReservedMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

Welcome to The Fast and the Fictitious. In each episode, students in English 2410, a Dual Enrollment Fiction course, will deep dive a story, highlight key takeaways, and relate the themes of the story to their lives. In this episode, Emma, Sadie, and Aiden talk about “The Enormous Radio,” by John Cheever. The couple in the story get a new radio, which they soon discover picks up the private conversations of others living in their apartment building. Emma, Sadie, and Aiden connect this to social media. How much sharing is too much? And what amount of internet stalking is ok? We hope you enjoy.Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

Welcome to The Fast and the Fictitious. In each episode, students in English 2410, a Dual Enrollment Fiction course, will deep dive a story, highlight key takeaways, and relate the themes of the story to their lives. In this episode, Ayla, Jena, and Sarah talk about “The Scarlet Ibis,” by James Hurst. All three were touched by the way Hurst infused emotion into the story as shown in the relationship of the main character and his special needs brother. They also talk sibling rivalry, delaying facing the things that make us uncomfortable, and set a modern day world record for the number of times the word ‘like' is spoken aloud. We hope you enjoy. Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

Welcome to The Fast and the Fictitious. In each episode, students in English 2410, a Dual Enrollment Fiction course, will deep dive a story, highlight key takeaways, and relate the themes of the story to their lives. In this episode, Alli, Ethan, and Lillie talk about “The Storm”, by Kate Chopin. The trio do their best to rationalize the main character's actions, discuss what keeps the spark of a relationship alive, and get serious about condiments. We hope you enjoy. Email the show! carlilelcba@gmail.comMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

Welcome to The Fast and the Fictitious. In each episode, students in English 2410, a Dual Enrollment Fiction course, will deep dive a story, highlight key takeaways, and relate the themes of the story to real life. In this episode, Karlee, Emma, and Oliver kick off season 2 by talking about the story “The Comedian,” written by Scotti Christerson, one of last year's 2410 students. In addition to connecting the theme of the story to their lives, I think each had some eye opening moments when considering what Scotti did with her story and how they can do those same things in their own fiction writing. I'm very proud of these three. We hope you enjoy. Email the show! fastandfictitious@gmail.comRead "The Comedian" by Scotti Christerson, All Rights ReservedThe Comedian_Scotti_Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/bosnow/party-rock License code: 77JKG6ITA09KQZX0

Jaycie and Audrey talk about "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver. In addition tot he story, they discuss topics such as why we judge books by their cover, how we are naturallyu attracted to empathetic people, how often we are unaware how we treat people, where empathy comes from, how we appreciate things more when they are taken away, how we can learn to be more grateful, whether or not people are put into our lives to show us what we need, the importance of sticking out from teh average, the importance of verbal communication in relationships, and how we look for things we don't like in other people in order to give ourselves power over them.

I join Trent for this episode about "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl. In addition to the story, we talk about why we are so attracted to anti-heros, what makes a person capable of horrific acts of violence, what it feels like to be wronged, the usefulness of the "bad guy" in literature and art to allow us to acknowledge the darker parts of our psyche, the insanity of Bat-Man, the humor of Deadpool, the appeal of Darth Vader and Boba Fett, the unacknowleged cultural appropriation committed by Indiana Jones, and more.

In this episode, Scotti and Violet talk about Ernest Hemingway's "Cat in the Rain." The pair discuss topics such as the role of fate in our lives, whether we are predestined to have the things we have, whether people always know what they need, what is the best way to communicate what we need, how much unhapiness in life is normal, whether or not the little things really make us happ, why people settle, how we can better handle things we cannot change, where is the line to codependency, the nature of change, change as a process, how we cripple ourselves with indecisiveness, how our worst lessons are our best lessons, and whether or not we cut people from our lives because we are afraid of the truth.

In this episode, Christian and I discuss “The Life You save May Be Your Own” by Flannry O'Connor. Among the topics we discuss are why we repeatedly do things even if we know they are the wrong things to do, what is the source of guilt, to what degree does potential guilt play into our decision making, hypocracy, why we are quick to judge others, why we expect others to behave a certain way when we don't hold ourselves to those standards, the nature of guilt, and being attacked by a chicken.

Jaycie and Trent discuss "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" by Joyce Carol Oates. In addition to the story, they talk about topics such as the good and bad of parental control, how we can become more appreciative of people in our lives, the dangers of social media, why we compare ourselves to others, false internet idols and the effects on our mental health, lucid reaming, the amount of rebellion that is normal in a teenager, being self-aware, the trap of seeking negative attention, sibling rivalry, and more.

In this epsidoe, Khyler and Shine discuss Chinua Achebe's short story “The Sacrificial Egg." In addition to the story, they talk about tradition vs change, tradition as community, cultural identity, being torn between two cultures, how we lose tradition over time, the importance of family in maintaining cultural identity, how material goods replaced abstract ideas as something significantly cultural, how superstition impacts a person's ability to change, forced conformity,  how much of ourselves is ok to lose in order to assimilate into a dominant culture, how people feel obliged to accommodate “up”, sweet spaghetti, and more. 

Kahlia and Jordan discuss David Foster Wallace's “Good People,” a short story about a young couple facing a huge decision. Along with some insightful analysis of the story, the pair also hit on topics such as how can we tell if others... or ourselves... are good people, how much guilt factors into our decision making, how to define selflesness, is guilt a necessary evil, the utility of considering other peoples' thoughts into our decision making, what is entitlement and when is it unhealthy, how far do good intentions go, finding the good in someone vs bringing out the good in someone, is morality objective or subjective, do we need religion to have morality, effort behind intentions, and so much more.

Scotti and Katelyn talk about Raymond Carver's What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.  The story raises questions about the nature of love and whether or not it can truly be defined. In addition to the story itself, Scotti and Katelyn discuss topics such as... What is love, Is there a wrong way to love, Toxicity masquerading as love, How the media puts pressure on people to find love, Obsession vs adoration, Why people put up with abuse, Is it possible to learn how to not feel in love, Feelings vs Logic, Recognizing patterns of behavior, Being self aware, Defining what love looks like for others, Loving yourself first, How much baggage we carry into new relationbships, Giving love in the same way we want to receive it, and much more

High school seniors Katelyn and Daylin have a chat about Hemingway's "A Clean Well Lighted Place." They discuss topics such as the conflict between generations, the dangers of becoming too comfortable with a routine, how we gain empathy for others, the nature of Happiness, how the low points of life shine a new light on the high points, why we emotionally or socially shut down, whether an individual determines meaning, or if meaning is derived from the external, social anxiety, the value of introspection, recognizing unhealthy patterns, writing as a coping mechanism, Hemingway's style, and the meaning of life.

High School Seniors Daylin and Luke chat about Kate Chopin, irony within her stories "Story of an Hour" and "Desiree's Baby" and the comparison of the demise of the heroine in each. The guys also delve into other topics such as why we like stories in the first place, how much a person take before reaching their limit, when it's ok to laugh at tragedy, real life coping mechanisms, how we tend to internalize problems and more.

High school seniors Bryce and Jordan discuss Charlotte Perkins Gilman's icononc short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" and talk about topics such as gaslighting in the 1890s vs modern times, the negativity of the internet, how a person's internal struggles might not be manifested outwardly, how people often create a false reality to hide from what's really going on,why people don't ask for help when they need it, a person's struggle being perceived as weakness, writing as an outlet, the value of face to face communication, the fear of failure, how we are often too concerned with what others think of us, setting achieveable goals, how, like the main character in the story, we all have walls that we must push through to become our best selves, and end with a powerful appeal to us all to remember that we are never alone.

High school students Kahlia and Kyler discuss Franz Kafka's story "A Hunger Artist" by questioning why we put so much stock in the value of social media. They also address falling prey to trends, the importance of perspective when it comes to social media, feeding our brains on background noise, the epidemic of low attention spans, how trends influence our perceptions and cheapen the value of things, what defines "Good Art," how we form group connections via mindless art, abstract art,  intention vs perception, and how the "intention of getting attention" factors in to the art people produce. Maybe a little Whip and NeNe, too.