Podcasts about Charles Dickens

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 61Support the show

Send us Fan MailHistorical nuggets about two people you know from over the years come alive again with stories you will long remember.

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 60Support the show

Join Scoots as he reads a new old novel and tries to wrap his head around what it means to say a word in the Pickwickian sense.This is a reading / adaptation of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. I'm making it extra boring and meandering, but it may tangentially touch on subjects that some viewers may not find sleepy.This episode originally aired on Sleep With Me Plus. If you'd like to hear more bonus episodes (and get episodes without ads), you can start a free trial at sleepwithmepodcast.com/plusGet your Sleep With Me SleepPhones. Use "sleepwithme" for $5 off!!Are you looking for Story Only versions or two more nights of Sleep With Me a week? Then check out Bedtime Stories from Sleep With MeThis episode is produced by Rusty Biscuit aka Russell Sperberg.Show Artwork by Emily TatGoing through a hard time? You can find support at the Crisis Textline and see more global helplines here.HELIX SLEEP - Take the 2-minute sleep quiz and they'll match you to a customized mattress that'll give you the best sleep of your life. Visit helixsleep.com/sleep and get a special deal exclusive for SWM listeners!ZOCDOC - With Zocdoc, you can search for local doctors who take your insurance, read verified patient reviews and book an appointment, in-person or video chat. Download the Zocdoc app to sign-up for FREE at zocdoc.com/sleepAQUATRU - AquaTru is a countertop water purifier tested & certified to remove 84 contaminants, including chlorine, lead, forever chemicals, and microplastics! Get 20% off your water purifier by going to AquaTru.com and using promo code SLEEPPROGRESSIVE - With the Name Your Price tool, you tell Progressive how much you want to pay for car insurance, and they'll show you coverage options that fit your budget. Get your quote today at progressive.comTALKIATRY - Talkiatry gives you access to real psychiatric care with licensed clinicians who can diagnose and prescribe medication if it's right for you. It's a simple way to get effective treatment right from home. Head to Talkiatry.com/SLEEP to complete the short assessment and get matched with an in‑network psychiatrist in just a few minutes.QUINCE - Quince Superfood Greens cuts through all the nutrition noise with one simple, daily scoop that helps fill in your nutrient gaps and support your overall health. Head to quince.com/sleepwithme for free shipping and 365-day returns.DRIPDROP - DripDrop is doctor-developed, proven fast hydration that helps your body and mind work better. To get 20% off your first order, go to dripdrop.com and use promo code "sleep".COZY EARTH - Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets are guaranteed to give you a good night's sleep. The wick away heat and moisture to keep you cool in the summer nights. Head to cozyearth.com and use code SLEEP for 20% off! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It's the 19th century, and a village in northern Michigan is the setting for Adam Bolton's strange, decrepit house, called Haggard House by the community. He's eleven, and his strictly religious mother only allows him to attend the village school after he promises not to be friendly with the other children. They're heathens, she tells him. Adam builds an imaginary house in his mind, so when he meets a little girl who likes him, he can imagine her there. His father is a respected carpenter who leads a sad life because of Adam's over-pious, angry and bitter mother. As a young man Adam escapes for a few years and doesn't learn of his father's murder until he returns. And when he goes against his mother's wishes to marry the woman he loves, everyone pays a price in this well-written tale of madness and piety. Elisabeth Rhoads is the Vice-President of the second largest branch of the California Writers Club—Orange County. Since 2021, she has been a volunteer juror for the Scholastic Writing Awards. She holds her BA in Theatre and has recently been accepted into Chapman University's Creative Writing MFA program, starting in Fall of 2026. Originally from Michigan, she spent two summers working on Mackinac Island, which only allows transport by horse and carriage, foot, or bicycle. Her time on this history-soaked island deeply influenced her, and has inspired many stories, including, in part, Haggard House (Bodger Books, 2025)—and is featured briefly in the novel. She is the author of one novel and has begun a short story series on her Substack, in which she writes a new story each month, based on subscriber prompts. Now living in California with her husband, she enjoys learning Japanese, fermenting foods of all types—although mainly kombucha—and pretends to enjoy exercise-related activities, such as kayaking and running. As someone who grew up within a strict, religious home, her writing reflects the Victorian influences that made up a large part of her family's reading habits, such as Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, and Edgar Allen Poe. She hopes that modern readers will find much to connect with, as these old-world literary influences combine with her now much broader view of the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

It's the 19th century, and a village in northern Michigan is the setting for Adam Bolton's strange, decrepit house, called Haggard House by the community. He's eleven, and his strictly religious mother only allows him to attend the village school after he promises not to be friendly with the other children. They're heathens, she tells him. Adam builds an imaginary house in his mind, so when he meets a little girl who likes him, he can imagine her there. His father is a respected carpenter who leads a sad life because of Adam's over-pious, angry and bitter mother. As a young man Adam escapes for a few years and doesn't learn of his father's murder until he returns. And when he goes against his mother's wishes to marry the woman he loves, everyone pays a price in this well-written tale of madness and piety. Elisabeth Rhoads is the Vice-President of the second largest branch of the California Writers Club—Orange County. Since 2021, she has been a volunteer juror for the Scholastic Writing Awards. She holds her BA in Theatre and has recently been accepted into Chapman University's Creative Writing MFA program, starting in Fall of 2026. Originally from Michigan, she spent two summers working on Mackinac Island, which only allows transport by horse and carriage, foot, or bicycle. Her time on this history-soaked island deeply influenced her, and has inspired many stories, including, in part, Haggard House (Bodger Books, 2025)—and is featured briefly in the novel. She is the author of one novel and has begun a short story series on her Substack, in which she writes a new story each month, based on subscriber prompts. Now living in California with her husband, she enjoys learning Japanese, fermenting foods of all types—although mainly kombucha—and pretends to enjoy exercise-related activities, such as kayaking and running. As someone who grew up within a strict, religious home, her writing reflects the Victorian influences that made up a large part of her family's reading habits, such as Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, and Edgar Allen Poe. She hopes that modern readers will find much to connect with, as these old-world literary influences combine with her now much broader view of the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

It's Christmas in July here on the podcast, and we're back discussing that most eternal of all holiday classics: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. More specifically, we're taking a look at the 1979 made-for-TV movie An American Christmas Carol. This adaptation transposes the story into 1930s New England, where the town miser is Benedict Slade, played by Henry Winkler. The film first aired in December of 1979, in the middle of Happy Days' seventh season, which explains why roughly half of the film takes place during the "Christmas Past" sequence. Winkler was not about to put on the old man makeup any longer than he had to! ALSO! Have they ever done a "Christmas Carol" adaptation starring Dracula? Let's talk about that. Questions/Comments? Email us at XmasCreeps@gmail.comTweet us @ChristmasCreepsVisit us on the web at ChristmasCreeps.com! Join our Discord channel!

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 59Support the show

In this episode of The Autistic Culture Podcast, hosts Dr. Angela Kingdon and Matt Lowry, LPP reframe Hans Christian Andersen—not as the “awkward, difficult” writer he's often portrayed to be, but as a figure whose life and work reflect Autistic culture.

Grab a cold one and settle in, because this week the Tall Boy studio is absolutely packed to the rafters. Hosts Beans, Gaz, and Andy are back together, but they've brought some serious southern hospitality along for the ride. Joining the crew all the way from the Lone Star State are Beans' cousin Beau and his legendary pals Kevin and Ron.The boys are fresh off an epic, whirlwind road trip that saw Beans playing tour guide to three Texans on a historic, beer-soaked journey starting in the heart of London and winding all the way up to the historic streets of Edinburgh.The episode kicks off with the guys landing in London and immediately hitting the bricks. Beau, Kevin, and Ron give their unfiltered first impressions of the UK, before Beans recounts leading them into the dark history of the East End on a chilling Jack the Ripper tour. From there, things took a more musical turn with a mandatory pilgrimage to the iconic Abbey Road crossing (yes, shoes stayed on).But you can't have a Tall Boy road trip without proper pubs, and London delivered. The guys break down their favorite historic watering holes:Finding the hidden gem that is Ye Olde Mitre.Sipping pints at The George, walking the exact same floorboards where Charles Dickens used to drink.Paying respects at The Dolphin, a pub that literally survived being bombed in World War I.Indulging in some candlelit atmosphere and plenty of wine at Gordon's Wine Bar.Next, the crew heads out of the capital. In Windsor, they skipped the usual royal fanfare to hunt down excellent craft beer, hitting up the local independent scene including the fantastic Indie Rabble brewery.Moving on to Oxford, the boys drank in the historic shadows of the university at the legendary Lamb & Flag and tucked themselves away in the hidden courtyard of the Turf Tavern.Then... things got weird in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Expecting a quaint, peaceful afternoon exploring Shakespeare's Birthplace, the boys instead walked straight into what looked like an action movie. Beans and the Texans recount the absolute chaos of witnessing a full-on gang fight and a literal car fire right in the middle of town. Luckily, they found sanctuary in the historic Old Thatched Inn and The Garrick Inn, before settling their nerves with what they collectively agree were world-class, mind-blowing steaks at Loxley's.The road trip officially hits maximum capacity in York, where resident co-host Andy links up with the traveling circus. Andy takes the lead to talk about walking the spectacular medieval York City Walls and marveling at the towering York Minster.Of course, the history lessons quickly returned to true crime and rebellion. The guys share a pint at the very pub where Guy Fawkes was born, before heading over to The Blue Boar Inn to drink a beer right next to the spot where the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin's body lay after his execution. To balance out the history, they also made time for a liquid tribute to indie royalty at the local Stone Roses Bar.The epic journey wraps up across the border in Scotland's capital. The boys tackle the steep cobblestones of the Royal Mile and experience the spooky, theatrical vibes of Frankenstein's monster-themed pub.Beau, Kevin, and Ron give their official, brutally honest verdicts on trying haggis for the very first time at the historic Greyfriars Bobby's Bar, before the group stops for a dramatic pint at the infamous World's End pub. Finally, to cleanse the palate after weeks of traditional ales, the trip concludes on a modern high note: puckering up for some incredible, fruit-forward sour beers at Vault City's cozy taproom, the Wee Vault.It's an episode full of historical deep dives, culture shocks, near-death experiences, and a truly staggering amount of beer.tallboyradio.com

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Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 58Support the show

Check out this link to buy DB's Books[link] Season 22 bonus episodes 90-112   Title and Author Brief description 90 “The Empty House” — Algernon Blackwood A classic haunted-house story: two curious visitors enter a long-abandoned house and slowly realize the old violence inside it has not gone away. 91 “The Judge's House” — Bram Stoker A student rents a gloomy old house once owned by a cruel judge, then finds the place still ruled by rats, dread, and a hanging shadow. 92a “Laura” — Saki / H. H. Munro A sharp, darkly funny reincarnation story about a mischievous woman who may return after death in a very inconvenient form. 92b “Man-Size in Marble” — E. Nesbit A newly married couple dismisses a local legend about marble knight effigies that walk at night; this proves unwise. 93 “Phantasmagoria” — Lewis Carroll A comic ghost poem, more playful than frightening, about ghostly rules, manners, and the absurd bureaucracy of haunting. 94 “Schalken the Painter” — Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu A Gothic tale of art, money, and damnation, centered on a young painter, a lost love, and a sinister suitor who may not be alive. 95A “The Shadows on the Wall” — Mary E. Wilkins Freeman After a family death, strange shadows appear on the wall, turning grief, guilt, and suspicion into a supernatural judgment. 95B “Tales of Treasure” — Anonymous A very short treasure-haunting piece; more of a compact eerie anecdote than a full plotted ghost story. 96 “The Trial for Murder” — Charles Dickens A murder victim's ghost appears around the trial of the accused killer, pushing the living world toward justice. 97A “Uncle Abraham's Romance” — E. Nesbit A gentle, melancholy ghost-romance about an old man, a beautiful portrait, and a love story touched by death. 97B “The Beast in the Cave” — H. P. Lovecraft An early Lovecraft story: a man lost in a cave hears something coming through the dark, and the final reveal is grim and human. 98 “The Ebony Frame” — E. Nesbit A haunted-portrait romance in which a woman in an old picture seems able to step out of the frame, but at a terrible cost. 99 “The Red Room” — H. G. Wells A skeptic spends the night in a supposedly haunted room and discovers that the true ghost may be fear itself. 100 “The Bell in the Fog” — Gertrude Atherton A Henry James-flavored Gothic story about an inherited English estate, old portraits, reincarnation, and family tragedy. 101 “The Ghost Club” — John Kendrick Bangs A comic supernatural story about crime, ghosts, and absurd afterlife logic; lighter and more satirical than scary. 102A “A Ghost Story” — Mark Twain Twain turns the haunted-room setup into a comic ghost story, playing with superstition and mistaken identity. 102B “A Psychical Prank” — John Kendrick Bangs Corrected from “Physical Prank.” A humorous Bangs ghost tale built around spiritualism, trickery, and supernatural mischief. 103 “A Midnight Visitor” — John Kendrick Bangs A comic supernatural visit in the night, with Bangs's usual mix of ghosts, manners, and absurd afterlife complications. 104A “A Quicksilver Cassandra” — John Kendrick Bangs Corrected author/title. A satirical ghostly fantasy about prophecy, warning, and not being believed. 104B “The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall” — John Kendrick Bangs A funny Christmas ghost story about a soggy apparition who floods the ancestral house every year. 105 “The Chromatic Ghosts of Thomas” — Ellis Parker Butler A comic “ghost cat” story involving Thomas the cat and a colorful supernatural problem. 106 “Phantom” — Arnold Bennet       107A “An Astral Onion” — Elia Wilkinson Peattie A strange little supernatural story with Peattie's mix of humor, domestic life, and odd spiritual machinery. 107B “The Haunted Orchard” — Richard Le Gallienne A lyrical ghost story about an orchard haunted by memory, beauty, and possibly the spirit of a young girl. 108 “Glamis Castle” — Elliott O'Donnell A haunted-castle account built around the legends of Glamis, full of old-family dread and spectral atmosphere. 109 “The Return of Imray” — Rudyard Kipling Corrected spelling: Kipling. A colonial ghost/mystery story about a vanished man whose return is not what anyone expects. 110A “Since I Died” — Elizabeth Stuart Phelps A sentimental supernatural piece told from beyond death, focused on grief, love, and the living left behind. 110B “On the Northern Ice” — Elia Wilkinson Peattie A short icy ghost story, also known in some listings as “The Spectre Bride.” 111 “The Withered Arm” — Thomas Hardy A dark rural tale of jealousy, folk belief, class, and bodily curse, with the bleak fatalism Hardy does so well. 112 “The Yellow Wallpaper” — Charlotte Perkins Gilman A woman confined for a “rest cure” becomes obsessed with the room's wallpaper; psychological horror and feminist classic.

Check out this link to buy DB's Books[link] Season 22 bonus episodes 90-112   Title and Author Brief description 90 “The Empty House” — Algernon Blackwood A classic haunted-house story: two curious visitors enter a long-abandoned house and slowly realize the old violence inside it has not gone away. 91 “The Judge's House” — Bram Stoker A student rents a gloomy old house once owned by a cruel judge, then finds the place still ruled by rats, dread, and a hanging shadow. 92a “Laura” — Saki / H. H. Munro A sharp, darkly funny reincarnation story about a mischievous woman who may return after death in a very inconvenient form. 92b “Man-Size in Marble” — E. Nesbit A newly married couple dismisses a local legend about marble knight effigies that walk at night; this proves unwise. 93 “Phantasmagoria” — Lewis Carroll A comic ghost poem, more playful than frightening, about ghostly rules, manners, and the absurd bureaucracy of haunting. 94 “Schalken the Painter” — Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu A Gothic tale of art, money, and damnation, centered on a young painter, a lost love, and a sinister suitor who may not be alive. 95A “The Shadows on the Wall” — Mary E. Wilkins Freeman After a family death, strange shadows appear on the wall, turning grief, guilt, and suspicion into a supernatural judgment. 95B “Tales of Treasure” — Anonymous A very short treasure-haunting piece; more of a compact eerie anecdote than a full plotted ghost story. 96 “The Trial for Murder” — Charles Dickens A murder victim's ghost appears around the trial of the accused killer, pushing the living world toward justice. 97A “Uncle Abraham's Romance” — E. Nesbit A gentle, melancholy ghost-romance about an old man, a beautiful portrait, and a love story touched by death. 97B “The Beast in the Cave” — H. P. Lovecraft An early Lovecraft story: a man lost in a cave hears something coming through the dark, and the final reveal is grim and human. 98 “The Ebony Frame” — E. Nesbit A haunted-portrait romance in which a woman in an old picture seems able to step out of the frame, but at a terrible cost. 99 “The Red Room” — H. G. Wells A skeptic spends the night in a supposedly haunted room and discovers that the true ghost may be fear itself. 100 “The Bell in the Fog” — Gertrude Atherton A Henry James-flavored Gothic story about an inherited English estate, old portraits, reincarnation, and family tragedy. 101 “The Ghost Club” — John Kendrick Bangs A comic supernatural story about crime, ghosts, and absurd afterlife logic; lighter and more satirical than scary. 102A “A Ghost Story” — Mark Twain Twain turns the haunted-room setup into a comic ghost story, playing with superstition and mistaken identity. 102B “A Psychical Prank” — John Kendrick Bangs Corrected from “Physical Prank.” A humorous Bangs ghost tale built around spiritualism, trickery, and supernatural mischief. 103 “A Midnight Visitor” — John Kendrick Bangs A comic supernatural visit in the night, with Bangs's usual mix of ghosts, manners, and absurd afterlife complications. 104A “A Quicksilver Cassandra” — John Kendrick Bangs Corrected author/title. A satirical ghostly fantasy about prophecy, warning, and not being believed. 104B “The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall” — John Kendrick Bangs A funny Christmas ghost story about a soggy apparition who floods the ancestral house every year. 105 “The Chromatic Ghosts of Thomas” — Ellis Parker Butler A comic “ghost cat” story involving Thomas the cat and a colorful supernatural problem. 106 “Phantom” — Arnold Bennet       107A “An Astral Onion” — Elia Wilkinson Peattie A strange little supernatural story with Peattie's mix of humor, domestic life, and odd spiritual machinery. 107B “The Haunted Orchard” — Richard Le Gallienne A lyrical ghost story about an orchard haunted by memory, beauty, and possibly the spirit of a young girl. 108 “Glamis Castle” — Elliott O'Donnell A haunted-castle account built around the legends of Glamis, full of old-family dread and spectral atmosphere. 109 “The Return of Imray” — Rudyard Kipling Corrected spelling: Kipling. A colonial ghost/mystery story about a vanished man whose return is not what anyone expects. 110A “Since I Died” — Elizabeth Stuart Phelps A sentimental supernatural piece told from beyond death, focused on grief, love, and the living left behind. 110B “On the Northern Ice” — Elia Wilkinson Peattie A short icy ghost story, also known in some listings as “The Spectre Bride.” 111 “The Withered Arm” — Thomas Hardy A dark rural tale of jealousy, folk belief, class, and bodily curse, with the bleak fatalism Hardy does so well. 112 “The Yellow Wallpaper” — Charlotte Perkins Gilman A woman confined for a “rest cure” becomes obsessed with the room's wallpaper; psychological horror and feminist classic.

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 57Support the show

Il était le plus grand écrivain de son époque. Charles Dickens, auteur d'Oliver Twist et de David Copperfield a longtemps été considéré comme un modèle de décence et de morale. Pourtant, pendant 13 ans, il a connu un amour passionné avec une actrice de près de 30 ans sa cadette. Ellen Ternan, femme de l'ombre, mystérieuse, qui a vécu sa vie dans le secret. Un podcast Bababam Originals Ecriture et voix : Alice Deroide Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 56Support the show

Well guess who's back on Rick Flynn Presents again this week? PAM LEWIS returns to show us a different side of herself as she speaks on re-inventing herself.She was honored in 2023 by becoming a distinguished fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Celebration year. Founded in 1754, The Royal Society of Arts fellows include Stephen Hawking, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Dickens, Helen Keller, and Margaret Thatcher. Lewis is also a U.S. Ambassador for The Unity of Faiths Foundation (TUFF) as well as a member of the Churchill Society. In June of the same year, she was the guest keynote speaker with TUFF co-founder Dr. Shamender Talwar at the annual Professional Learning Conference held at MTSU.Lewis' charitable board work is extensive and has included The Tennessee State Museum, Tennessee First Lady Andrea Conte's “You Have The Power,” BRIDGES Domestic Violence Center, Franklin's Charge, Sister Cities of Franklin, Friend of Franklin Parks, Belmont Mansion, Nashville City Cemetery Board, Franklin's Historic Battlefield Commission, the ARC Board, the Tennessee Preservation Trust, the mayor-appointed Franklin Housing Commission, and the Franklin Civil War Historical Commission.Her other community outreach efforts include historic preservation and global green space causes, women and children's advocacy, educational scholarships, fair housing and environmental, and animal rights protection. Her foundation has given away hundreds of thousands of dollars to numerous charities over the last 10 years.Contact: www.plamedia.com

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo check out Fancy Little Corner, mentioned in this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 55Support the show

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo check out Fancy Little Corner, mentioned in this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 54Support the show

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 53Support the show

SCHEDULE JBS, 7-3-2026.1880 LIMERICKFitzhugh Brundage, author of A Fate Worse Than Hell, discusses the capture of three black sailors from the Isaac Smithin 1863, which forced the Confederacy to decide if black men in uniform were POWs or runaway slaves. While white sailors were quickly exchanged, the Confederacy refused to trade black captives, viewing them as participants in a servile insurrection. A smuggled letter from the sailors eventually reached Washington, contributing to the halt of systematic prisoner exchanges by the spring of 1863. This shift compelled both sides to become long-term custodians of captives. (1)Fitzhugh Brundage, author of A Fate Worse Than Hell, explains that prisoner exchanges were based on 18th-century European customs that sought to prevent the execution or enslavement of captured enemies. Armies used a calculus to trade soldiers, such as equating one colonel to twenty privates to ensure equity. When capture numbers were uneven, the parole system allowed surplus soldiers to return home on the condition they not fight until formally exchanged. This formalized process aimed to keep warfare humane and efficient for both sides until political tensions arose. (2)Fitzhugh Brundage, author of A Fate Worse Than Hell, details how Confederate official John Winder, a West Pointerfrom Maryland, supervised the detention of Union prisoners in Richmond. He oversaw the conversion of industrial structures, like the Libby Prison tobacco warehouse, into overcrowded holding pens for Union officers. These facilities lacked basic amenities, including latrines and protection from the elements, leading to rapid physical deterioration for thousands. Winder, often viewed as a military martinet, prioritized bureaucracy over prisoner welfare as the captive population ballooned beyond Richmond's capacity. (3)Fitzhugh Brundage, author of A Fate Worse Than Hell, describes how Union administrator William Hoffman managed Northern prisons with a focus on extreme cost-savings, even diverting ration funds into camp improvements. Meanwhile, the Lieber Code (General Order 100) was drafted to codify humane treatment for POWs and civilians. However, it included a "military necessity" loophole that allowed commanders to bypass these protections in dire situations. The Confederacy denounced this code as illegal window dressing for the Union's conduct during the ongoing conflict. (4)Fitzhugh Brundage, author of A Fate Worse Than Hell, explains that following the Battle of Gettysburg, the breakdown of exchanges necessitated large-scale prisoner concentration. Andersonville was established in remote Georgia to alleviate the burden on Richmond's food supply and reduce guard requirements. Prisoners like N. Burch endured grueling train transports without hygiene or food to reach the stockade. Conversely, the Union created Point Lookout in Maryland as a retaliatory concentration camp, forcing thousands of Confederates to live in inadequate tents on a sand spit. (5)Fitzhugh Brundage, author of A Fate Worse Than Hell, recounts how, following the Battle of the Crater, black Unionsoldiers like Isaac Gaskins faced extreme humiliation and the threat of enslavement. The Confederacy often refused to recognize black men in uniform as soldiers, instead treating them as rebellious property to be returned to owners or used for forced labor. By late 1864, the Confederate military became the South's largest enslaver. Gaskins survived his ordeal in Danville by being used as a laborer, a fate shared by many black captives. (6)Fitzhugh Brundage, author of A Fate Worse Than Hell, describes how Andersonville became a death camp where 35,000 men were crammed into a space with no shelter and polluted water. Commander Henry Wirz oversaw a site where over 100 men died daily from starvation and disease. After the war, Wirz was prosecuted for war crimes, arguing unsuccessfully that he was only following orders from superiors like Winder. His execution set an international precedent for military accountability and helped shape the future Geneva Conventions. (7)Fitzhugh Brundage, author of A Fate Worse Than Hell, reflects on how the remains of prisoners became symbols of uneasy national memory, with many sites like Camp Douglas in Chicago resulting in unmarked mass graves. At Andersonville, nearly 14,000 Union soldiers perished, a death toll exceeding the Union losses at Gettysburg. Thanks to a secret list kept by a prisoner, Clara Barton and others were able to identify 13,000 of the dead. Today, the site is a national cemetery marked by rows of numbered stones, serving as a poignant pilgrimage site. (8)Daniel Rood, author of In the Shadow of the Great House, recounts how, in 1933, agronomist Wofford Camp led the Associated Farmers of California to violently suppress cotton worker strikes in the Central Valley. This conflict represented the "cutting edge" of plantation capitalism, which Rood traces back to 17th-century Barbados. Figures like John Yeamans established the model of using manufacturing technology and enslaved labor to produce high-profit export crops like sugar. This system viewed labor as disposable and sought modern, lower-cost production for global markets. (9)Daniel Rood, author of In the Shadow of the Great House, argues that the modern link between race and slavery was a conscious creation by planters to secure a lifelong, reproductive workforce. Philosopher John Locke codified this in Carolina's founding documents, granting freemen absolute authority over black slaves regardless of their religion. This prevented enslaved people from using Christian conversion as a path to freedom. This "fictional" racial category was reinforced by early slave codes in Virginia to ensure the perpetual growth of plantation profits. (10)Daniel Rood, author of In the Shadow of the Great House, explains that American founders like Thomas Jefferson lived in a state of "incoherence," advocating for liberty while fearing a genocide of white people if slaves were freed. Early Virginia history shows a decline in freedom, as African-born men like Anthony Johnson initially owned land before legal opportunities were narrowed. Nathaniel Bacon's 1676 rebellion further entrenched racial hierarchy by demanding the expulsion of Native Americans to secure more land for an unending supply of enslaved labor. (11)Daniel Rood, author of In the Shadow of the Great House, describes how, during the Siege of Yorktown, Cornwallisprioritized British sugar profits in Jamaica over the lives of thousands of black refugees, pushing them out to starve or face recapture. In contrast, the American "patriots" used human property as a military recruitment tool, offering poor white soldiers land and "one healthy sound negro" for their service. This strategy hardened the link between slavery and freedom for white Americans, ensuring the plantation system's survival long after the Revolution concluded. (12)Daniel Rood, author of In the Shadow of the Great House, explains that enslaved people like Suki provided the essential "intellectual labor" and agricultural expertise required for successful plantations. Despite this, the domestic slave trade treated two million people as speculative property between 1820 and 1860. Charles Dickens famously witnessed the heartbreak of families being separated on trains for the sake of "short-term profits." This human trafficking machine was fueled by planters chasing high-margin crops like cotton while maintaining a delusion of lifelong stability. (13)Daniel Rood, author of In the Shadow of the Great House, recounts how, during the Civil War, General Shermantargeted "great houses" like that of Confederate politician Howell Cobb for destruction to cripple the planter class. Field Order 15 initially provided a path for land reform by settling refugees on abandoned plantations, but the policy was reversed by Andrew Johnson after Lincoln's assassination. Planters regained their property, and formerly enslaved families were evicted and forced into exploitative labor contracts, representing a tragic "lost opportunity" for reconstruction. (14)Daniel Rood, author of In the Shadow of the Great House, traces how the plantation system evolved globally, with Cubabecoming a sugar powerhouse using industrial steam technology after the Haitian Revolution. In modern Brazil, multinational corporations like BP and Cargill run "mammoth sugar farms" using unfree contract labor for ethanol production. Similarly, California's agricultural boom relied on the Bracero program and guest workers who lacked political rights. This modern planter class continues to prioritize investor profits over the stability and rights of their laborers. (15)Daniel Rood, author of In the Shadow of the Great House, reveals that the University of Georgia's Baldwin Hall was built over an unacknowledged burial ground for enslaved people. Although the university initially claimed the remains were European, DNA analysis and archival research proved they were of African descent. This attempt to "re-bury the history" illustrates the ongoing need to escape the shadow of the great house by embracing the truth of the past. Roodargues for an anti-plantation counterculture that values human relationships over "breakneck exploitation." (16)All 16 formatted, John — Fitzhugh Brundage throughout (added to the standing correction log alongside the earlier "Fitz" flag), book titles italicized, single paragraphs, numbered at the tail.

Daniel Rood, author of In the Shadow of the Great House, explains that enslaved people like Suki provided the essential "intellectual labor" and agricultural expertise required for successful plantations. Despite this, the domestic slave trade treated two million people as speculative property between 1820 and 1860. Charles Dickens famously witnessed the heartbreak of families being separated on trains for the sake of "short-term profits." This human trafficking machine was fueled by planters chasing high-margin crops like cotton while maintaining a delusion of lifelong stability. (13)1806

Preview: Professor Daniel Rood discusses Charles Dickens' historical American tour and his observations of the brutal overland slave trade. Rood describes Dickens' harrowing account of witnessing a mother and children separated from their family by sale. This poignant encounter illustrates the profound human suffering inherent within the expanding southern plantation economy.1850 LOWELL MASS

Clare joins Alistair MacNichol for part of his long‑distance walk from Holborn in London to Tong in Shropshire as he recreates the journey made by Little Nell and her grandfather from Charles Dickens's novel The Old Curiosity Shop. The 166‑mile route has been meticulously researched by Alistair, who for many years has questioned whether this fictional adventure could ever be mapped onto real English landscapes.Preparing for the walk has taken him deep into Dickens's world: re‑examining the novel, studying nineteenth‑century maps, and delving into many decades of Dickensian research. He has even carefully traced Dickens's own travels through the Midlands using the author's diary entries and letters.Alistair hopes to complete the walk in eleven days. As a veteran of long‑distance trail walking, including a 1,514‑mile hike from Cape Cornwall to Cape Wrath, the challenge is well within his reach, although averaging a little under fifteen miles per day represents a considerable test.Clare joins him for part of day six, walking from Wroxton in Oxfordshire to Warmington in Warwickshire, and asks how his twin passions for walking and the works of Charles Dickens have come together in this, his latest adventure.Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Karen Gregor

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 52Support the show

When the supernatural seeps into our world, it doesn't just leave behind fear—it can also leave sickness. From shadowy visitors to ominous dreams, some eerie paranormal encounters suggest that the price of witnessing the unknown may be paid in flesh and blood.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/SupernaturalSicknessREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/hp3ua63cFEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: When the supernatural intrudes into our lives, it's not just our minds that are affected. We'll delve into a few bizarre cases where individuals fell gravely ill after brushes with the paranormal. Is it coincidence? Or something more sinister? And could these illnesses be due to the paranormal literally draining us of life? (Supernaturally Sick, Paranormally Poisoned) *** Helen Duncan made a living from conducting séances—until her uncanny knowledge of classified World War II tragedies spooked British authorities. (Britain's Last Witch) *** Jeremy Bentham was a philosopher whose ideas about mortality and utility extended beyond death. Bentham's wish for his body to be preserved and displayed as an "auto-icon" – so it could be seen publicly by all. And while his wishes were granted, it came with a few hiccups along the way… mostly with his poor head. (The Strange Story of Mr. Bentham's Corpse) *** Annie Dorman was discovered lifeless with a gunshot wound, sending shockwaves through her tight-knit community. Suicide seemed improbable, leaving detectives baffled and family perplexed. Was it a crime of passion, an accident, murder… or truly suicide? In a similar case, just a few years later, in the serene countryside of Greenwich, New York, the lifeless form of Maggie Hourigan is found, floating in a tranquil pool, speculation runs rampant. Were these cases suicide, as hastily concluded, horrible accidents… or sinister murders? (The Mysterious Deaths of Annie Dorman and Maggie Hourigan) *** AND MORE!CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding00:02:11.442 = Show Open00:04:40.830 = Supernaturally Sick, Paranormally Poisoned00:21:39.741 = The Mysterious Deaths of Annie Dorman and Maggie Hourigan ***00:34:55.265 = Britain's Last Witch ***00:43:19.651 = The Strange Story of Mr. Bentham's Corpse00:54:21.727 = Eccentric Habits of History's Elite ***01:04:25.454 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“Supernaturally Sick, Paranormally Poisoned” by Nick Redfern for Mysterious Universe:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/6bu93dju“The Mysterious Deaths of Annie Dorman and Maggie Hourigan” by Robert Wilhelm for Murder By Gaslight:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/meu37k4m; https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4y9mn9a4“The Strange Story of Mr. Bentham's Corpse” by Melissa Sartore for Weird History: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yt6uetju“Britain's Last Witch” by Parissa Djangi for National Geographic: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8by87t“Eccentric Habits of History's Elite” by John Munoz for ListVerse: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/bdh2dw3x(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: April 17, 2024Weird Darkness gathers five accounts in this episode: people who fell gravely ill within days of a paranormal encounter, two unsolved deaths of young women in the late nineteenth century, a wartime medium jailed for witchcraft, a philosopher who arranged to have his own corpse put on permanent display, and the private oddities of history's most famous figures.It opens with the argument that anemia and anorexia-like wasting can follow a paranormal encounter within hours or days. The Franciscan monk Joseph McCabe, who died in 1955, catalogued dozens of people who developed anemia soon after nighttime visits he blamed on the Mesopotamian demons Lilu and Lilitu. Albert Bender, the Bridgeport, Connecticut man who launched the Men in Black mystery in the early 1950s, endured migraines, stomach pain, memory lapses, and sharp weight loss after three phantom figures ordered him to drop his UFO research, then recovered, married, and lived to 94. In 1982, a fourteen-year-old named Robbie watched a flat black shadow crawl across his bedroom ceiling in Beckenham, Kent, was hospitalized with meningitis, and months later collapsed from acute anemia. Jim Harpur opened his door to two black-eyed children outside Orlando, Florida in March 2008 and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes three weeks afterward. In Nova Scotia, Michelle came down with severe ulcerative colitis two days after a vivid Slenderman dream in January 2017. The longest case belongs to Alison, a seventeen-year-old in Texas who shed roughly twenty pounds in six weeks in 1998 while a tall, pale Woman in Black appeared at her bedside each night, starting days after she and two friends used a Ouija board; sea salt and sage spread through the house ended the visits, and she recovered.From there, the episode turns to two deaths that juries could not explain. Maggie Hourigan, a 19-year-old servant in Greenwich, New York, was found floating face-down in a roadside pool on October 20, 1889; a first autopsy by Dr. S. Walter Scott ruled drowning and suicide, but a second team found a head wound inflicted before she entered the water, and Dr. Scott later sued the New York Sun for libel over its coverage and won a $6,000 settlement. Eight years later and a state away, 18-year-old Annie Dorman was found shot dead in her half-brother John Dorman's farmhouse near Cobb's Creek, Philadelphia, on September 1, 1897; the rusty pistol that killed her sat unused on a high shelf the five-foot-tall victim could not reach without standing on furniture that had not been moved, it had been fired five times, and the coroner ruled she was shot by a person unknown.Next comes Helen Duncan, the Scottish medium nicknamed Hellish Nell, who produced ectoplasm and channeled spirit guides named Peggy and Albert at séances across wartime Britain. In May 1941 she announced the loss of the H.M.S. Hood before the public knew, and that November she described the sinking of the H.M.S. Barham, which the government withheld until January 1942. Authorities arrested her at a Portsmouth sitting and tried her at London's Old Bailey beginning March 23, 1944 under the 1735 Witchcraft Act; a jury convicted her on April 3, and she became the last person imprisoned under that law, serving her sentence at Holloway Prison while Winston Churchill dismissed the case as obsolete tomfoolery.After that, the episode examines Jeremy Bentham, the English philosopher born in 1748 who asked that his body be dissected, preserved, and displayed as what he called an auto-icon. Dr. Thomas Southwood Smith carried out the dissection three days after Bentham died on June 6, 1832, but his attempt to preserve the head with sulfuric acid and an air pump left it leathery and discolored, so a wax replacement by the French artist Jacques Talrich was fitted to the seated skeleton. The figure went on display at University College London, where students stole the real, shriveled head in 1975 and returned it after the university paid £10 against their £100 charity demand; the head later served as a soccer ball before being moved to a climate-controlled storeroom in 2002.The episode closes with ten eccentric routines of the wealthy and famous. Howard Hughes wore tissue boxes over his feet and wrote a manual instructing employees how to prepare and serve a can of peaches; Nikola Tesla fed pigeons in New York parks and called one white pigeon his muse; Salvador Dalí napped in a chair holding a key over a metal plate so its clatter would wake him; Marlon Brando dropped ice into hot coffee to drink it at once; Queen Elizabeth I whitened her skin with a mix of white lead and vinegar; Andy Warhol ate McDonald's nearly every day for two decades; Benjamin Franklin sat naked by open windows for what he called air baths; Michael Jackson traveled with a pet elephant named Gypsy on his Bad tour; Charles Dickens walked miles through London at night to feed his writing; and Albert Einstein gave up socks because his shoes already covered his feet.

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 51Support the show

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 50Support the show

This week we present "A Terribly Strange Bed" by Wilkie Collins, first published in 1852 in Household Words, the celebrated literary magazine edited by Charles Dickens. A young Englishman in Paris visits a disreputable gambling house, breaks the bank at Rouge et Noir, and makes the mistake of accepting a bed for the night. What follows is one of the most gripping sequences in Victorian fiction—methodical, claustrophobic, and chilling in the way only the best suspense can be. Wilkie Collins is best remembered for The Woman in White and The Moonstone, but this early story reveals the master at work long before those landmarks. He thought enough of it to adapt it for live readings later in his career. Once you've heard it, you'll understand why. No ghosts. No monsters. Just a room, a bed, and the slow, silent certainty of something descending. Narrated in the Fearsome Fiction tradition—atmospheric, unhurried, faithful to the original text. Story: "A Terribly Strange Bed" by Wilkie Collins (1852) — Public DomainSubscribe for new episodes every week. #FeasomeFiction #WilkieCollins #ClassicHorror #VictorianFiction #MysteryPodcast #PublicDomain #Audiobook #Suspense #Podcast

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 49Support the show

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 48Support the show

The latest public version of ChatGPT can be made to generate sexualised images or depict scenes of graphic violence with a simple prompt, researchers have told the BBC. British AI security startup Mindgard figured out how to make ChatGPT create graphic pictures by slightly altering a widely-shared instruction, or prompt, which was originally designed to produce humorous results. To find out more, Anita Rani speaks to Technology correspondent Chris Vallance and Mindgard's Peter Garraghan. A spokesperson for Open AI said: "We take these reports seriously. After investigating this trend, we've introduced additional safeguards against this type of prompt. Our safety systems are designed to block potentially harmful images that are uploaded to ChatGPT and we analyse whether the AI generated image violates our policies before we show the image to the user. We also combine automated systems and human review to identify and block harmful material.”Jon Snow, the lead presenter of Channel 4 News for 32 years, has revealed he has Alzheimer's disease. During his career, he reported on stories including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the release of Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama's inauguration, receiving numerous awards including the BAFTA Fellowship in 2015. In a new Channel 4 documentary, made in conjunction with the Alzheimer's Society, Jon Snow: A Last Big Story, he is seen uncovering an environmental disaster in Zambia. In her first broadcast interview since the diagnosis was announced, Jon's wife, Dr Precious Lunga, joins Anita to talk about how they are navigating life now. Testing the microbiome of your vagina is increasing in popularity, with direct-to-consumer companies offering at-home tests and claiming that this information is critical to women's health. Anita speaks with Dame Lesley Regan, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Imperial College London, and Dr Caroline Mitchell, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School, to discuss what we know about the vaginal microbiome and the recent surge in private testing. New novel Mrs Dickens by Emily Howes, tells the imagined story of Kate Hogarth, wife of the writer and journalist Charles Dickens. She is much loved at first, but as Charles finds fame and the family rise through the ranks of Victorian society, Charles's attitude towards Kate changes and she is devastated. Emily talks to Anita about how she pieced together and embellished the invisible life of Kate, a woman who bore Charles 10 children during a 22-year marriage and had an unparalleled view of one of the world's greatest writers.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones

In this week's episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Prof. Albert Cheng of Ohio State University and Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools speak with Dr. Suzanne Marrs, Professor Emerita of English at Millsaps College and acclaimed biographer of Eudora Welty, about the life, works, and enduring legacy of one of America's greatest Southern writers. Prof. Marrs explores how Welty's upbringing in Jackson, Mississippi, her family's love of literature, and her mother's devotion to Charles Dickens helped shape her imagination and literary voice. She discusses Welty's travels throughout the South and her work as a Works Progress Administration photographer during the Great Depression, explaining how these experiences informed both her photography and fiction. She highlights celebrated short stories such as Death of a Traveling Salesman, A Worn Path, and Where Is the Voice Coming From?, as well as the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Optimist's Daughter, examining their themes of memory, race, family, resilience, and love. Prof. Marrs concludes by reflecting on Welty's National Historic site home in Jackson, Mississippi, and the timeless significance of her literary legacy in 21st-century America. She closes with a reading from Eudora Welty: A Biography.

durée : 00:31:54 - Les Nuits de France Culture - par : Albane Penaranda - Pip, Joe Gargery, Magwitch, Estella, Miss Havisham et bien d'autres personnages tissent l'histoire racontée par Charles Dickens dans "Les Grandes espérances", une lecture proposée par "Plaisir de la lecture" (1ère diffusion : 21/06/1956 Chaîne Nationale). - équipe : Mathias Le Gargasson, Antoine Dhulster, Rafik Zénine, Vincent Abouchar, Emily Vallat, Hassane M'Béchour, INA Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 47Support the show

Our Summer in the Cities tour rolls into Toronto, where streetcars hum past glass towers, lake breezes slip between neighborhoods, and the music feels as cosmopolitan as it is stubbornly local. From jazz‑brushed confessions to molten metal anthems, Don and Dude drop the needle on two records that channel Toronto's coffeehouse introspection, blue‑collar grit, and noisy club‑scene swagger into city‑sized sound.The AlbumsJoni Mitchell – Court and Spark (1974)Court and Spark finds Joni Mitchell parlaying her Yorkville folk‑club roots into an elegant, jazz‑tinged song cycle about love, freedom, and the emotional static of city life. Short stories set in parties, hotel rooms, and Hollywood offices unfold over sophisticated chords and glassy arrangements, turning a Toronto‑born songwriter's gaze on fame, romance, and the uneasy balance between independence and connection.Anvil – Metal on Metal (1982)Metal on Metal captures Toronto's early‑80s metal underground in all its sweaty, denim‑and‑leather glory, as Anvil welds booming riffs, proto‑thrash speed, and monster‑movie mayhem into a raw, no‑nonsense statement of heavy‑metal faith. Recorded in their hometown just as traditional metal was mutating into something faster and meaner, the album plays like a beer‑soaked club set where double‑kick drums, shout‑along hooks, and cult‑movie nerdery collide.Diggin' AlbumsPaul McCartney – The Boys of Dungeon Lane (2026)Late‑career pop from a songwriting legend, revisiting post‑war Liverpool memories with warm, Beatles‑y melodies and polished, nostalgic storytelling.Neil Young – After the Gold Rush (1970)Classic Laurel Canyon‑era folk rock that marries fragile ballads and ragged guitar workouts in a reflective set about love, conscience, and a changing world.Brigitte Calls Me Baby – Irreversible (2026)Modern guitar pop where crooner vocals, retro romance, and road‑tested indie rock tunes meet in a sleek, heartfelt package.Old Crow Medicine Show – Union Made (2026)Lively string‑band Americana that salutes work, community, and country‑wide stories with fiddle‑powered sing‑alongs and a loaded guest list.Follow & Support Follow the show on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and Bluesky @albumnerds, and support the podcast by subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing it with another music obsessive who still loves hearing whole albums front to back."...Full of life and motion, bustle, business and improvement. The streets are well paved and lighted with gas the houses are large and good the shops excellent.” - Charles Dickens

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To listen to the discussion of chapter 44 on Wisdom in the Best Books and Films mentioned in this episode, click hereTo submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 46Support the show

It is a privilege to welcome Rebecca Roberts and Kurt Szarka to The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast.  Rebecca began her career as a singer and a dancer for Katherine Jenkins' Believe: Live from the O2 concert. She started in shorts such as Always at Home and Altered Memories before moving on to films such as Pompeii and Life. Rebecca also lent her voice as various characters in the Assassin's Creed video game franchise and appeared on The CW's The Flash (January Gilmore) and Legends of Tomorrow (Queen Anne of Austria), and the popular web series, Evolve: Year Zero (Rawny).  Kurt spent his younger years playing sports and always had a passion for the creative arts. Szarka discovered his love for acting at an early age when he played Scrooge in his grade six school production of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol.” After studying Economics and Finance at University, he went to work on the trading floor, but his passion for acting never left and he continued to study acting in his free time.Finally, he took the leap, moved out to the West Coast, and quickly began working full-time in film and television. Kurt appeared in the CW's Batwoman, where he portrayed the famed DC comics character, Slam Bradley. He then worked for the CW again in their hit series Riverdale.  Kurt also appears in the Netflix series Maid and the Netflix Christmas Feature “Love Hard.” In addition, he appeared in Syfy's Wynonna Earp, V.C. Andrews' Heaven mini-series for Lifetime, and the movies Sweet as Pie and Fishing for Love. For Hallmark, Kurt has appeared in Picture Perfect Mysteries: Newlywed and Dead and Falling for You.Rebecca Roberts and Kurt Szarka are also the co-founders of ReadyMade Productions. The production company focuses on independent films made right and created for creatives by creatives.  ReadyMade Productions was also built to protect the crew, elevate the work, and connect with audiences in a way that lasts.On this edition of The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, Rebecca Roberts and Kurt Szarka spoke about their iconic roles, shared ReadyMade Productions' origin story, and their latest project, BROTHER. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jake-s-take-with-jacob-elyachar--4112003/support.

Franck Ferrand nous plonge dans l'univers fascinant de Charles Dickens, l'un des plus grands écrivains de l'époque victorienne. De sa difficile enfance à sa consécration en tant que dramaturge hors pair, ce passionnant épisode retrace le parcours exceptionnel de cet homme qui a marqué la littérature de son empreinte indélébile.Fils d'un père endetté, Dickens connaît une enfance difficile, entre l'incarcération paternelle et le travail d'étiquetage dans un entrepôt. Mais c'est de ces épreuves qu'il tirera l'inspiration pour ses œuvres les plus célèbres, dénonçant avec force les injustices de la société de son époque. Porté par un talent d'acteur hors du commun, Dickens devient rapidement une figure incontournable, captivant les foules lors de lectures publiques où il incarne avec une maestria époustouflante les personnages de ses romans.Véritable phénomène de son temps, l'auteur de David Copperfield et d'Oliver Twist s'impose comme le porte-parole d'une classe sociale en pleine mutation, celle des ouvriers confrontés aux bouleversements de la révolution industrielle. Avec son style vif et imagé, Dickens sait toucher les cœurs et les esprits, offrant à ses lecteurs des récits haletants qui conjuguent habilement réalisme social et émotions.Franck Ferrand nous entraîne dans cette épopée littéraire, nous faisant découvrir les multiples facettes d'un écrivain hors norme, passé maître dans l'art de la scène comme de la plume. Un épisode passionnant qui rend hommage à l'un des plus brillants conteurs de l'ère victorienne

Let's continue our sojourn to sleep through a month of travel readings with more from Charles Dickens and his tour through Italy. This time, we conclude our visit to Genoa, have a strange experience with puppets, an even stranger visit to Marseilles, and consider that things are often more beautiful seen from a distance. Truth indeed.   Help us stay ad-free and 100% listener-supported! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW   Read "Pictures from Italy" by Charles Dickens at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/650   Music: "Peace," by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC BY, https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com   If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, https://www.boringbookspod.com.

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 45Support the show

Clare Balding quizzes book lovers on topics ranging from Richard Osman to Sue Townsend, and Delia Smith to Charles Dickens.

Martha Wells is back, and we are taking a deep spoilery dive into Platform Decay.I want to be clear here: if you haven't read Platform Decay, we are about to spoil the dickens out of it. Yes, Charles Dickens is in Platform Decay, you heard it here first. We're going to discuss infrastructure fury, trains in Japan, Honor Princess Detective, and more – and when I say we are spoiling, we are spoiling.In other words, if you haven't read Platform Decay, and you don't want to know much about the story, skip this episode until after you've read it. This is a very book club kind of conversation.You can find Martha Wells on her website, MarthaWells.com, and she's on Bluesky, Goodreads, and Instagram.Please note: Martha Wells is NOT on Threads or Facebook. If someone contacts you on there, it is not really her! We also mentioned:Legend of Zeng HaiUnveil: Jadewind Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Martha Wells is back, and we are taking a deep spoilery dive into Platform Decay.I want to be clear here: if you haven't read Platform Decay, we are about to spoil the dickens out of it. Yes, Charles Dickens is in Platform Decay, you heard it here first. We're going to discuss infrastructure fury, trains in Japan, Honor Princess Detective, and more – and when I say we are spoiling, we are spoiling.In other words, if you haven't read Platform Decay, and you don't want to know much about the story, skip this episode until after you've read it. This is a very book club kind of conversation.You can find Martha Wells on her website, MarthaWells.com, and she's on Bluesky, Goodreads, and Instagram.Please note: Martha Wells is NOT on Threads or Facebook. If someone contacts you on there, it is not really her! We also mentioned:Legend of Zeng HaiUnveil: Jadewind Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 44Support the show

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 43Support the show

Welcome to Season 5 of Storytime for Grownups! This season we are reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens a few chapters at a time, with a few notes along the way. It's like an audio book with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's storytime!To submit a question or comment about this episode, click hereTo visit the merch store, click hereTo become a Storytime for Grownups member and gain access to our online community and monthly voice chats, click hereTo visit the Storytime for Grownups webpage, click hereTo learn more about your host, Faith Moore, click hereTo pick up a copy of Faith's novel, Christmas Karol, click hereTo join Faith's mailing list, click hereFollow Faith on X hereTo support the show financially, click hereNext time we'll be reading: Chapter 42Support the show

Dane Laffrey is a Tony Award-winning designer, creative and producer based in New York City. He studied at Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art and resided in Sydney from 2002 - 2006. On Broadway he's designed the set for The Lost Boys (Palace) Maybe Happy Ending (Belasco) which won the 2025 Tony Award for Best Musical and for which Dane won Tony, Drama Desk Awards and Henry Hewes Awards, Parade (Jacobs) which won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical; set and costumes for Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (Nederlander), which he co-conceived with director Michael Arden and for which he is nominated for Hewes and Tony Awards; the 2018 Tony-winning revival of Lynn Ahren's and Stephen Flaherty's Once On This Island (Circle in the Square) for which he received Henry Hewes, Drama Desk and Tony Award nominations; set and costumes for the acclaimed Deaf West revival of Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater's Spring Awakening (Brooks Atkinson); set for the Broadway premiere of Sam Shepard's Fool For Love (Friedman). In New York, around the US, and internationally Dane has designed world premiere plays and musicals by writers including Todd Almond, Will Aronson and Hue Park, Nell Benjamin, Rachel Bonds, Nilo Cruz, Lindsey Ferrentino, David Greenspan, Noah Haidle, Lucas Hnath, Sam Hunter, Sarah Jones, Tom Kitt, Michael John LaChiusa, Dan LeFranc, Matthew Lopez, Craig Lucas, Charles L. Mee, Alan Menken, Kim Rosenstock, Martin Sherman, Jenny Schwartz, Stephen Schwartz and Jen Silverman. Dane's work in New York has been seen at theatres including Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center Theatre, The Public Theatre, Second Stage Theatre, Atlantic Theatre Company, Transport Group, MCC, Playwrights Horizons, B.A.M. Harvey, Vineyard Theatre, The Joyce, SoHo Rep., Labyrinth, The New Group and Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, among others. His work has been seen at major theaters around the US including Center Theatre Group, The Geffen Playhouse, The Goodman, The Humana Festival, The Hollywood Bowl, The Old Globe, Huntington Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Dallas Theatre Center, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Baltimore Center Stage, Deaf West / Wallis Annenberg Center, Shakespeare Theatre D.C., Denver Center Theatre Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, South Coast Rep., Baltimore Center Stage, Seattle Rep., Woolly Mammoth, Two River Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, The Studio Theatre D.C, Yale Opera, Long Wharf Theatre, Chautauqua Theatre Company, Signature Theatre Company, and others. Internationally, Dane has worked in Hamburg, Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Oslo and throughout Australia. Dane has served on the advisory committee for Lincoln Center Theatre's LCT3 and as a guest artist / guest designer at Yale School of Music, The Juilliard School, NYU, Carnegie-Mellon University,  Interlochen Arts Academy, The University of Western Sydney and NIDA. He has served on the faculty of Purchase College. Dane won a 2017 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Set and Costume design and has been nominated for 3 Tony Awards, 3 Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, 9 American Theatre Wing Henry Hewes Design Awards, 5 Ovation Awards (winning 2), and a Sydney Theatre Award, as well as numerous regional accolades.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tonight's classic sleep story is a short story by Charles Dickens from his collection Sketches by Boz. Support the podcast and enjoy ad-free and bonus episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts. For other podcast platforms go to https://justsleeppodcast.com/supportOr, you can support with a one time donation at buymeacoffee.com/justsleeppodOrder your copy of the Just Sleep book! https://www.justsleeppodcast.com/book/If you like this episode, please remember to follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. Also, share with any family or friends that might have trouble drifting off.Goodnight! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.