Podcast appearances and mentions of David Ebershoff

On the #amwriting podcast's Margin Notes, host Jennie Nash talks with Caroline Bicks, Stephen E. King Chair in Literature at the University of Maine and co-host of the Everyday Shakespeare podcast, about her book Monsters in the Archives: A Year of Fear with Stephen King. Bicks describes how she became the first invited into King's Bangor archives after King called to meet her, and how her sabbatical became a year of researching five formative works (including Carrie, Night Shift, The Shining, Salem's Lot, and Pet Sematary) to understand how horror language creates lasting fear. She explains choosing a first-person narrative that blends literary criticism, archival discovery, and her own anxiety, including eerie moments in the archive and insights into King's word-level edits, literary influences, and Shakespearean foundations, especially The Shining's ties to Hamlet.#AmWriting is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Read the Book* Monsters in the Archives by Caroline BicksTranscriptJennie: [00:00:00] Hi, I'm Jennie Nash, and you're listening to the #amwriting podcast, the place where we help writers of all kinds play big in your writing life, love the process, and stick with it long enough to finish what matters most. Welcome, everyone. This is Margin Notes, the part of the podcast where we're talking about the big decisions writers face in their work and creative lives.I'm here today with a super special guest. I'm so excited to speak with Caroline Bicks. She is the Stephen E. King Chair in Literature at the University of Maine, where she teaches courses in Shakespeare, early modern culture, and horror fiction. And she's the author of all kinds of very cool books ... about Shakespeare, including one on cocktails.Um, and, uh, is the co-host of the Everyday Shakespeare podcast, and we are here today to talk with her about her new book called [00:01:00] Monsters in the Archives: A Year of Fear with Stephen King. Welcome.Caroline: Thank you. Thanks for having me.Jennie: So this is gonna be the strangest interview you've probably ever done. ICaroline: don't know.Because- I've talked to a lot of people around the world about this Stephen King book.Jennie: I couldn't read your book. I, I couldn't read it. I can't read horror. Yeah. Which listeners of this podcast are gonna laugh about, ‘cause I'm actually coaching someone live and they're writing gothic horror, and they're probably like, “All you talk about is horror, Jennie.”But, um, it's actually the reason why I wanted to talk to you, because you made a decision in the writing of this book that I thought was super cool. Mm. Which was you put yourself in it.Caroline: Yeah.Jennie: And you're a scholar.Caroline: Yeah.Jennie: And you've written scholarly books, and you approach this with a scholarly perspective, but you, you really put yourself in it.And, and so [00:02:00] I was reading it for that part of the story and I had to skip over huge chunks of, of the, of the work. Because what you're doing in this book is you're getting at this question of- W- what, what is scary in writing? Like, how does it actually work? How does it act- what is the magic or the function that makes us feel this thing?And you actually feel it yourself while you're going through it, and I found it quite terrifying actually. So, um, that's kinda what I wanted to talk about is how did you make the decision? Well, first of all, you were the first person, I wanna make sure I get this right, ‘cause this is very cool. Yeah. You were the first person who was invited to the archives, the Stephen King archives.Caroline: Yeah. I mean, it's, it's a bit of a story, so I won't spend too much time on it, but just the mo- Oh, no, do. It's good ... when I ch- when I took this position... So I've been a Shakespeare professor my whole adult life, ba- as soon as I graduated from grad school in the late ‘90s, [00:03:00] and I was at Boston College for 15 years.I took this position at University of Maine nine years ago as a Shakespearean. Um, so it is an endowed chair in Stephen King's name because he's our most famous alum. So when I took the position, I, it was because I'm a Shakespearean, not because I'm a horror specialist. Um, I had always been a Stephen King fan since I read him when I was 12, and he scared the beje- Jesus out of me, um, with The Boogeyman story.Jennie: Right.Caroline: Um, so when I took this position though I was told, “You're never gonna meet Stephen King. Don't even make contact with him.” I'm like, “Fine, you know, this is still a great job. I'm excited.” Um- ThanksJennie: for the money. Yeah.Caroline: Thanks for... You know, no, it's a wonderful fund. It was funded by the Harold Alfond Foundation, and it's to support the public humanities, which is an incredible mission.So, um, I get to give money away to people. You know, it's a great, great position, but I was not a horror specialist. And particu- a- and as an adult, I actually wasn't reading horror because it scares me too much. You know? Yeah, yeah. Um, but it had grabbed me when I was a teenager. So it was about four years into the [00:04:00] job when I got a call at home from Stephen King, which just, uh, uh, my jaw hit the floor.And he said, “You know, I think it's time we meet.” I'm like, you know, I, I really fan-girled because I really, I have so much admiration for him and respect. Um, I invited him to come talk to our students. He was brilliant, generous, funny, kind, and I felt so at ease that I felt like I could ask... You know, and I got to know him professionally.We had a good professional relationship that developed from there. When I had a sabbatical year coming up the next year- I could have written another Shakespeare book. I had another one in my head. I've written a bunch of them but I knew that he and Tabitha had just collected all of his manuscripts and put them in a climate-controlled space attached to their home in Bangor, and I thought, “You know, this is an incredible opportunity.I would love to dig in there and be the first one in there, and just read those early drafts of the books that scared me so much when I was a teenager, and try to just explore why. Why were they sticking in my head still?” Um, again, I am not a specialist in... I'm not a cognitive scientist. I'm not a [00:05:00] specialist in horror literature, but I'm obviously highly trained in how to do literary analysis and how to do archival work, not Shakespeare, because we don't have any of his works, but, you know, I, I understand what that process is.So back to your question about why I wanted to bring myself into it, which was, you know, I had been experimenting with first-person storytelling after I got tenure. You know, ‘cause it's a long process, Kate. Right. And most of my writing had been academic writing, but I really had always loved storytelling And I got a piece into the Modern Love column.I started to have some success with publishing my first-person stories, and I was like, “You know, I love this.” So when I had this opportunity to go into his archives, they generously said yes, was amazing. I thought, “You know, I really wanna tell this story. I don't wanna write an academic book. I want this to be the story of a literature scholar, but really the story about a scared kid.”Jennie: Yeah.Caroline: You know, you, you never lose that scare, you know, I don't... This is the thing. Fear has stuck with me with those stories [00:06:00] for 40 years. So I was fascinated, and I just wanted to understand how he had crafted the language so that it was sticking in my head still. Because when I was talking to people around, you know, whenever you mention Stephen King to people, you know, if they've read him, they remember specific lines and specific words, and I was like, “That's an extraordinary, um, 50 years on to have that power.”So, um- Well- Anyway. Yeah. Go ahead. I, I could talk about this forever, so you tell me- Oh, no, it's- ... where you wanted to pick up from this.Jennie: It's so good. Well, I have to tell you this funny anecdote, which is that my college roommate was from Bangor, Maine, and babysat his kids in that house.Caroline: Oh, that's insane.Jennie: So when I went to visit her, she drove me by that house.There you go. And I was like, “Oh, hell no- Yeah ... would I ever babysit in that house.” Like, it's-Caroline: It's ‘cause it's like a gothic, it's like straight out of Haunting of Hill House ...Jennie: actually, and like these spiderweb gates that, and you describe that in the [00:07:00] book and, and the- Yeah ... archives are in that house. They'reCaroline: in the house.They're attached to the back. I know. And it, it was so, it was, it was insane. It was like a full-on 360 experience writing this book. Um, and I, I knew, like, so I did the research for a year. I didn't even know if this would be a book. I just knew I wanted to have the opportunity to be in there because it, I knew it was a great opportunity, and I was so curious, you know?Yeah. So I, I came out of the year with just tons of notes and observations, but I didn't have a book, you know? Yeah. And then I started experimenting with writing a chapter, and I just, the storytelling just came forward and then when I got an agent and she, you know, s- I, I, I was able to get a contract based on a proposal and that one chapter I had written and I was really fortunate to have a fabulous editor, David Ebershoff, at Hogarth, who is just such a wonderful writer himself, and he really encouraged me to bring my voice in and bring my story in even [00:08:00] more.Um, so that's- And- ... that's the story of that.Jennie: Was it hard for you as a scholar to do that?Caroline: You know what? It was so freeing and so fun that it actually wasn't, you know? Because I, I knew this wasn't going to be an academic book, so once I let go of that- Yeah ... um, I was like, wow, I have the, and yet I have this skill set I can bring forward, and I knew that's what would make this unique.Um, but I can combine my two favorite ways of writing, ‘cause I do actually love writing literary criticism. Like it's, I get a thrill out of it. I wouldn't be doing it this long if I didn't get a thrill out of it, but I also love telling my own stories and drawing a reader in. And so for me it was like just a circus carnival.Like it was so fun to be able to do it. Once I had the permission and I had a contract, I was like, fine, you know? I, I, who am I writing this book for? I'm writing it for me, you know? Like this is just something I wanna do because I'm so passionate [00:09:00] about it and I, and I love Stephen King. And, um, once I got into it that way and wasn't thinking about who's gonna criticize me for this, like how will academics view this, I was like, I don't care.I just don't care. I know I've got a great story to tell that people are gonna love to read because there's so many people that love not just Stephen King, but people who love reading about how great books get written, you know? Yeah. And so that was the audience I had in my mind when I, when I was crafting it.It was really, in my mind, anybody who cares about books and writing. It doesn't have to be... So when you say, you're not the first person who's said to me, “I can't read your book,” or, “I can't read-” Oh, I'm so glad. “... Stephen King books,” you know, and I'm like, “That's okay. You can skip, you know, the parts that really scare you,” because there's plenty about just like that first chapter I wrote about Pet Sematary, just his sticky notes back and forth with his copy editor, which is so fun I think.You know, it's just like, wow.Jennie: Totally. Yeah. But the thing that you do is you- Allow yourself to confront that fear-Caroline: Yeah ...Jennie: [00:10:00] that, that I feel that the people can't, that can't read horror feel. You know, anybody that even allows themselves to be scared feels. And-Caroline: Yeah ...Jennie: and you, you do some very specific things, um, which I, I found fascinating, including tracking down on eBay the original copy of that book you read as a- Yeah, I wanted-as a teenager.Caroline: Yeah, that was part of the process for me, was I wanted to make sure I was reading... So before I would go into the archives for each work, and I'd spent like two... I only picked five, because I wanted to... First of all, I knew I wanted to make this personal. Um, and those were the five that scared me the most when I was a teenager.So I grew up in the ‘70s and the ‘80s as a teenager, so for me, it was in real time when the books were coming out practically. So it was- Yeah ... Carrie, Night Shift, The Shining, Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary. Um, I'm forgetting one of course. Uh, but I went -Jennie: The other one.Caroline: The other one. Had a huge impact on me. [00:11:00] So it was those five, and I, I knew those were the ones I was gonna do a deep dive into, and that I wanted to really re-engage with, and bring my whole self to.So I wanted to find the copies that I had read in the ‘70s and the early ‘80s. And fortunately, it's pretty easy to find them. Uh, so yeah, but eBay sometimes I had to go on, or go into a used bookstore and, you know, find the like actual 1979 paperback, you know.Jennie: Um- I mean, that- Um ... I just, there's some, there's so much to say about that because-Caroline: YeahJennie: like, I just, um- We, we just had a new bookcase built, um, which is something I've wanted to do well for eight years in this house. But it's a thing I've always wanted to have, which is like a grand bookcase, and it just was finished last week, and we had all the books packed up in storage, and we brought all the books back.Then we went through this discernment process of what goes [00:12:00] on those shelves. And I, you know, I had all those books from when I was a kid, even when I was a kid-kid, and they're yellow, and moldy and falling apart, and the covers aren't on, and they're taped and-Caroline: Yeah ...Jennie: eh, but I cannot let them go-Caroline: Yeah ...Jennie: because those...that was the object.Caroline: That's the object. This is what I feel sad for kids now, because they're not gonna have those same memories, um, of books. Yes. You know? And I don't think they stick in your head the same way if you don't have the full sensory embodied experience with a book.Jennie: Right. You know? Even when you open...I read on Kindle, which I love for so many reasons. Yeah. But you don't even see the cover.Caroline: You don't see the cover, right. And for me, it's so much. Like, I remember going to the Scholastic Book Fair and being like- Yes ... “I'm getting Summer of My German S- Soldier because Christy McNichol's on the cover,” you know?Yes. Yes. So yeah, that was part of the journey for me was I did wanna just [00:13:00] reconnect with those books again, try to h- and as much as you can, you know, reexperience the feelings of f- like The Shining, I actually... the only one I still have from 1977 is the actual Shining that I read. Um, and that's, for me, that woman in room 217.Well, I know you haven't read it ‘cause you're probably... What? But, um, it, that particular one I still have from, from when I was growing up. Um, and I love that I still have it, and it still has the photo... You know, it's the version that has the photo inserts that includes the Kubrick film photos. Oh, okay.Jennie: Okay.Yeah, yeah.Caroline: And I read it before I saw the film, so I remember being- 15 reading it and then seeing the pictures and being like you know? And that's part of the experience, but it wasn't, it's different than seeing the film, you know? And I really, I wanted to write this book as a love letter to language and to books, and not to film.Like, there's, that's a whole other category I think that enters people's brains in totally different ways. It's a very different experience. For me it's about, like going back to your original question [00:14:00] about like why, why, why do stories cause fear, and like what's the value perhaps in that? Yeah. That was something I came to after this long journey really, and talking to people and thinking about why.And also by understanding and reading more about Stephen King's books and talking to him about them, and realizing for him how much these stories are rooted in personal experiences or fears of grief and loss. And- Yes ... that was really profound for me. And like The Night Shift, which is the ur-text that I start with, ‘cause that's the one I read when I was 12, and that's his first collection of short stories.It came out in 1978. It's 20 short stories. But he ends it with a story about his mother dying, and it's, I mean, it's thinly veiled autobiography. It's about a man who's watching his mother die in the hospital. Um, but it's clearly a mirror of his own experience losing his mother when he was 26. And I'm like, wow, what's that doing in a collection of horror stories?[00:15:00] And it's like, what? ‘Cause that is of course, at least for me and I think for a lot of people, that's the core fear we first have, is that where's mommy, right? Yeah. Right? You lose the person who's in charge of taking care of you, and if you're lucky, does it well and with care. Um, but even if it's not, like Carrie, you know, the more I was looking through the Carrie drafts, I was like, right, he's really homing in on Carrie calling out for her mother even though her mother's terrible and abusive to her, right?So it's, there's just this, I don't know. It's a long way around to say I think horror, and he writes about this really eloquently, is a way for us to metabolize our deepest fears. Um, and to look at trauma not head-on but sideways. Um, and he writes about that, um, a number of different places in a really powerful way.He's just such an extraordinary human. You know, he's been thinking about this and for so long.Jennie: Yeah. Yeah. So, so your willingness to [00:16:00] confront that, those particular fear, fears in your own self and on behalf of the reader, really puts you in it. I mean, like you, there's a really lovely moment where you are reading I think it's, I think it's Pet Sematary, reading the actual book, and you have to turn it over so you- Yeahdon't see, like on your nightstand so you don't see the cover. I'mCaroline: scared, I'm scared of the cover, right, still.Jennie: Yeah.Caroline: Yeah.Jennie: And then there's moments, se- several where you're driving And you're sort of holding your breath while you drive past a place that he writes about or, or- Mm-hmm ... you know, um, well you have to tell the story, I'm sure every interviewer asks you about the, um, the doorknob in the archive.You have to, like, I was-Caroline: Yeah, not too many people have asked me about that, but I'm like, that to me was the scary moment-Jennie: Wait, shut up ... the most, theCaroline: most sturdy. I'm like, wh- uh, why did that happen? But of course, I mean, there's a reason why it happened. It's, it's, it [00:17:00] automatically locks if, you know, the, if you- Okaydon't lock it So let's, let's play- So but it just happened that we were inside the archive room. It was me and, and Julie Ugli, who is their assistant, who was helping me through this whole process. And I know, and I was, like, literally holding the first page of the first draft of The Boogeyman, the story that had scared me so badly when I was 12, about a monster that comes out of closets, and we're like in this room.And the, the archive room, it actually, it almost feels like a closet. It's not huge at all. You know, it's just-Jennie: Yeah ...Caroline: top to bottom, ceiling to floor stacked shelving with, you know, boxes of materials. And yeah, and we were in there, and I'm holding the first page, and the lock closes on its own. It just goes...And I'm like, I'm looking at Julie, I'm like, “What is, what's happening?” We don't have our cell phones with us. I'm like, “Are we stuck in here? Like, what's gonna happen?”Jennie: In the scary archive- In this, I was terrified ... in the back of the scary house. Like-Caroline: I know, I know. It was like, you can't make this stuff up.That's why I was like, I [00:18:00] couldn't wait, when I finally got a chance to write the book and sit down and write, I was like, I can't wait to tell these stories, because they just... I, I'm not a fiction writer. Like, I, I have such mad respect for- I don't know about that ... well, I've m- We'll see I don't know. I have mad respect for people who can write fiction.For me, I only can write what I know and exper- So I'm like, ah. But these stories were just so amazing. Or like when I was reading The Shining, like the first draft of The Shining, which is crazy. I mean, it's so different from the published version. And like getting to the woman in room 217, and like reading th- and literally my head w- like I thought I was having a stroke.Like it was like, like... And it's like, and then I find an interview where Stephen King writes about how he was scared to go back to that scene when he was revising it, the book, because he was dreading it. And I was like, oh, my God, have I just like had some kind of telepathic experience with Stephen King?Like- Right ... across time, space, and yeah, it was amazing.Jennie: Well, yeah. I mean, [00:19:00] it's just, um, uh, I actually made myself go through the whole book skipping giant chunks.Caroline: I feel so badly I put you through this.Jennie: I know. I, I feel like why, I kept saying, “Why? Why did I think this was a good idea?” Um, and it- I mean, even just tangentially, I, I don't know.It's interesting. I have, I'm sure you have this too, anybody who reads a lot or spends a lot of time with words, you have a capacity to sort of pay half attention, if that makes sense.Caroline: Mm-hmm.Jennie: Um, like you c- could sort of look at it without letting it all the way in. Yeah. But I, I just was, I just was riveted by the thread of, of your story and your putting yourself through that as a scholar and a human.But, but then some really cool things happen, and I, and I have flagged, um... Do you, [00:20:00] w- would you mind reading a tiny piece? It's- No, not at all ... it's on page 82, and it's the p- the paragraph that starts, “These manuscripts.”Caroline: Yeah.Jennie: That would be amazing.Caroline: Absolutely. So this is actually the moment I just described to you, where my head was like, I got...Oh, actually, I had just discovered the last 150 pages of the original Shining manuscript in a random folder in the archives, and I was like, “What is this doing here?” And I was getting obsessive about the manuscripts at this point, clearly- Yeah. Yeah ... just like the main character in The Shining, Jack Torrance, who gets obsessed with the manu- with the papers in the basement of the Overlook Hotel.But here we go. “These manuscripts are definitely getting into my head, and not just its rational part. In his memoir, when King describes books as being a uniquely portable magic, he doesn't specify what kind of magic. What if manuscripts can absorb and store more than just ink and words? [00:21:00] What if their pages can pass on dark energy along with dark stories?Ghosts have more than one way of making sure their stories are heard, of ensuring that the past is not forgotten, but rather pressed into our minds, even if we wrench our heads off the pillow and refuse to listen.” And that last is a reference to my, I used to see a ghost when I was five, and I write about that in the book too.Jennie: I mean, when I read that, I was like, “That's, that's me.” Like, these ghosts and horrors are pressing themselves into my mind, and I'm refusing to listen, and they still, they still do. And, um, King's stories in particular are so iconic, you can't really escape them. Like, you, you know the scenarios, you know the characters, you know-Caroline: YeahJennie: you know. And, and so it was interesting for me reading this book that that described my [00:22:00] experience where I was both repelled and magnetized at the same time.Caroline: That's beautiful the way you just put that. I mean, I think that is exactly our relationship also, of course, to our own fears. You know, again, what makes these stories endure, and I didn't go into this book thinking like, “This is a book about promoting Stephen King,” and, you know- Rightlike, I don't work for Stephen King. I just want to put that out there. Right. He, you know, he graciously agreed to let me go into the archives. He's been very generous about answering all my questions I had about the manuscripts, but he never at any point was like, “You can't say this,” or, “This is how you're supposed to say this.”So, but what I came away with after this process was exactly what you're describing, why we need these stories, why they endure, actually, is because they tap into our very real human fears. It's not about the monsters. It's about the grief and loss that's coming for all of us if we live long enough, you know?So you, and you have to at some point confront that, you know? So if it's- Yeah ... you can [00:23:00] try to run away from it, but it's coming, and that's part of being human. That's the human experience, obviously. Not to be glib, but it's like-Jennie: Yeah ...Caroline: you will experience loss. You will experience grief. And if these stories help you metabolize that or have a cathartic experience with that feeling without having to actually experience your worst fear, right?Um, like Aristotle says, it's cathartic, right? It's you watch a play, a, a tragedy because you experience a catharsis.Jennie: And did you, did you get to that in your own process?Caroline: That's a really good question. Um- You know, I, I think I became more aware of it. You know, I am, you know, and I write about this very openly in the book, that I was an extremely anxious little kid, um, which is part of why I think the boogeyman triggered me in the particular way it did, you know.Um, and that I grew into a pretty [00:24:00] anxious adult, you know? Yeah. I think anxiety is one of those things that, you know, I... Again, I was born in the ‘60s, so we didn't have this language for this back then. Like, my parents wouldn't have known to call me an anxious child, you know? Right. They probably would've said, “Oh, she's shy,” or, “She's whatever.”Um, so I think I, you know, like, and I as an adult, I think I've, I've found ways to manage it pretty well, but I am definitely a control freak. Like, that's part of how I manage it. I shouldn't use that language, but you know, it's like I, I like to just control what I can control, and that makes me feel that I can put the anxiety at bay.So I will say I think it's been interesting for me, Nick, now when I have those moments that are my worst fear moments that sometimes still will creep up on me just even though when I think I've figured it out, like doom s- doom scenarios. I tend to go to doom scenarios. So, like, if I can't reach... Uh, I will say Life360 has been, like, the best invention on the planet for me-with my two kids [00:25:00] and my husband. I'm like, “I know exactly where everyone is.” Yeah. It has saved me a lot of worry. Sometimes Life360 doesn't work, or sometimes a person still doesn't answer the phone, and then I have to manage my anxie- And then it's like... So I will say it's been interesting going through this process and having to confront or revisit the core of what scares me and, like, why that impacts, you know, why certain moments come forward for me still.So I think, yeah, I think it has helped me to a degree. Like, I can recognize it more clearly now. I'm like, “Oh, right, that's why I'm scared of that,” you know? Um-Jennie: That's so cool.Caroline: Yeah.Jennie: And it feels like that's the, the, um, the transformation in the book is you're exploring how that actually works and the language and the stories.Mm-hmm. But you're, you're also exploring how it works in your own self, how it did when you were young, how it does now- Yeah ... these moments when you're scared. So it- Mm-hmm ... there's such [00:26:00] a depth to it and, I mean, I just, uh, even in my half reading of it, I just loved it. Thank you. And, um, there's something that happens That's kind of crazy, which is, so you're a Shakespeare scholarCaroline: Mm-hmmJennie: And I ha- I, I know from reading Steve, a- about Stephen King, from reading his book On Writing, of course, and, um, interviews and such that, uh, I'm, I'm probably gonna say this in a disrespectful way, and I don't mean it to be so, but the, the easiest way I can describe it is that he's always had sort of a chip on his shoulder that he's just a popular writer and not taken seriously in a literary way.Mm. I don't know if that's, if that is fair to say, but that's how I'm saying it. Uh,Caroline: yeah.Jennie: And, um, what, what I found incredible was that [00:27:00] here comes this Shakespeare scholar into his archives doing proper scholarly archiver, arch- archival work, and there's this moment when you begin to see Shakespearean themes in his, in his work, and you can't ignore it, and particularly in, in Carrie and- Yeahparticularly around exactly the thing you were wrestling with, which is like a young girl's- I don't know, sense of, of not being fitting in the world or, um-Caroline: Yeah ...Jennie: right? And so that, um, there's, on page, since you have the book in your hand, um, I think it's pageCaroline: 202. Mm-hmm.Jennie: And it refers back to that passage you just read about portable magic.It's the one that's I remembered.Caroline: [00:28:00] Right. Okay. So this is going back to when I first was, um, I was in the final round of the job for the Stephen E. King Chair in Literature, and I was working on a book about Shakespeare's, the girls in Shakespeare's plays and world and teenage girls and their cognition.Like, the how were people during Shakespeare's day thinking about girls' brains? Yeah. So I'd been working on this for 10 years. Um, and then I was getting ready to give my job talk. This was the first time Stephen King and Shakespeare came together for me, and it was getting ready, and this, again, this is an authentic story, like write what you know.So I was getting ready for the job talk. I remembered that King's 1974 novel, Carrie, featured a 16-year-old girl whose telekinetic powers are unleashed when she gets her first period in the school shower. I started rereading it, and within a few pages came across an uncanny phrase. When she's walking home after being dismissed early, Carrie feels her brain flexing in a new way, [00:29:00] as if her powers have been waiting below the surface for her to reach, quote, “mental puberty.”I couldn't have wordsmithed this dynamic cognitive change better myself. In the last part of my job talk, I used the phrase to connect the brain work of Juliet Capulet, who's described as being two weeks away from seeing the change of 14 years, to Carrie's newly activated adolescent mind. It felt like a moment of pure portable magic between Stephen King, Shakespeare, and me.Jennie: Ugh, so beautiful.Caroline: Oh, thank you. Yeah. I mean, that was just so gobsmacking. Like, when that happened, I was like, I ca- I can't believe it, but yeah.Jennie: And then, now I may be getting some of the things wrong here, but then you- You realize, is it Carrie that, that you realize he was, you thought he was emulating a play, a Shakespeare play?Caroline: I think you're thinking of Shining. I mean, definitely at the end of the Carrie [00:30:00] chapter I return to, I did notice echoes of Macbeth, and I was convinced that that must have been what he was thinking about. And, and what's funny is, so one of the conversations I got to have with him, I mean, he's so generous with his time, one of my last conversations with him was about the end of Carrie, and that's a book that he actually doesn't like very much.You know, it was his first published novel, he was 26, and he's like, “I think that was written by a young man who thought he knew more than he did.” So he's, it's not a book that he goes back to. He recognizes it's important, and it's important to him, but, ‘cause it started his whole career, his whole trajectory.Um, but he didn't particularly, he hasn't returned to it. Yeah. So that was a fun chance for me to sort of talk to him and say, “Hey, you know what? I think you should maybe go back,” ‘cause it's it's, there's a lot of Shakespeare in there. Anyway, but the Shining chapter, what was fascinating, so there's this first draft, which I, I write a lot about, called The Shine, that's in the archives, with a totally different ending.Um, and when I looked at it, [00:31:00] he'd also divided it into acts and scenes, like Roman numeral acts and little- Mm ... Roman numeral scenes. And I was like, “This, what is this? This is like a Shakespeare play.” Like, that's what it looked like. And then sure enough, I found out he was imagining, he was thinking of a Shakespeare tragedy when he wrote The Shining.And that was the first moment where I was like, “What? This is insane.” Like, this- Yeah ... like, ob- obviously that became, for me, the story I wanted to tell about that particular set of manuscripts, was sort of uncovering, like, what's the Shakespeare play? Like, what's the tragedy? And I didn't wanna ask him because I didn't want- I wanted to go in with my mind clear, like, of any outside influence.I just wanted to see what my Shakespeare brain, because I'm so embedded in Shakespeare. I also have a Shakespeare podcast I do with my best friend. Like, we're, I'm always thinking about Shakespeare and how it relates to everyday life. You know, and so I'm like, “Well, how does it relate to The Shining?” Which is, like, an ur-American text.Like, this, like, say what you want about horror, [00:32:00] like- I'd be shocked if people don't know what The Shining's about, even if they haven't read it even if they haven't seen the film. Like, you probably know something about The Shining, right? Right. So I was like, if there's a Shakespeare tragedy at the foundation of this, you know.And here's the thing about Stephen King that I came to learn, again, reading all of his notes and finding these edits, and I did find traces of Macbeth in the first draft of The Shine, um, that he ended up taking out. So I was like, “Oh, is it Macbeth? It feels like it could be Macbeth.” There's so many things it has in common with it, with hallucinations and with baby bashing.And, you know, all of these horrible things that are in Macbeth are certainly in that book. Um, but I really wanted to go in, like, just on an adventure, like, see what I saw. So I didn't ask him which chi- tragedy until I was fully done with all my research and I felt like I had it all done. And that's when he drops that he was thinking of Hamlet.And once he said that, of course, it became so ... I mean, I [00:33:00] had seen traces, there were references to Ophelia that also didn't make it into the final published draft. So you wouldn't know this. This is the beauty of archival work, like you're gonna see things that other people will never know about unless you tell the story.That's why I felt so passionate about this. Like, “I need to tell people-” Yeah ... “that Ophelia was in the first draft, that he was thinking of Ophelia.” ‘Cause of course, you know, again, even if you don't know The Shining, the woman in the tub, the woman in the bathtub, like a drowned woman in a tub, like ah, Ophelia.Yeah. Like Ophelia's another one of those ur, like she's so, she's such a part of our cultural air, right? I mean, like no matter what country you're in. Right. There's a reason Taylor Swift has a whole, you know, song The Fate of Ophelia. Like people know what that means. Um, so I was like, “Oh my gosh, this is, this is incredible.This is even deeper than I thought it was gonna be.” Um, but also it made me appreciate how much that book is about intergenerational trauma. Um, and it's not ... So he doesn't like the Kubrick film [00:34:00] for reasons that, you know, a couple different reasons. One is that it flattens out the character of Jack Torrance, and Jack Torrance is an abused child himself, and he passes on that abuse to his son, Danny, right?Um, but you wouldn't know that from Kubrick's film. While Hamlet, of course, is about a father's ghost coming forward. Like, “The past is a ghost,” King writes, which is so f- powerful, right? Um, here's this ghost saying, “You need to kill for me.”Jennie: Yeah.Caroline: Yeah. And that's what happens to Jack. Yeah, so anyway, that's a long way to say that wasEach chapter was my favorite in different ways, but that one I loved being able to do the deep Shakespeare dive.Jennie: And was that ... You know, so I started that question by saying I, I had heard or understood or maybe inferred that, um, you know, King himself had this sort of desire- Okay ... to be taken more seriously.Was that, that must have been, I don't know, powerful for both you and him, uh, to [00:35:00] come to that? Not like, “Oh, you're the only person that's ever made him feel that way” or-Caroline: Yeah,Jennie: no,Caroline: I agree ... or agree with that, but. Like I, yeah. And, um, I mean, I will say I think part of the reason he was always really ... I mean, first of all, he's just so generous, and any writer who's ever worked with him has the same experience.Like he just gives his time. He just loves writing and writers so much that he will just, he'll just t- like any email I would send him, he'd write back in like an hour with a response. The part about how he feels about academia, you know, and I never directly asked him that because I didn't wanna ... You know, if he wanted to bring it up, great.But I think- Yeah ... my, after going on this journey with him, he clearly loves talking about- literature. He's the most well-read person I've ever met. I'm just gonna say that hands down. Like, the guy reads- Really? ... cons- constantly and if you read his early works, like even when he was 17, he wrote The Long Walk, okay, which just came out as a film, [00:36:00] and in that, he's citing T.S.Eliot, he's cit- he's citing Poe at 17. Okay? So he's, he, he, this, he comes by this honestly. He's not just trying to seem smart. Like, he literally is constantly reading and it's clear when you read his manuscripts or when you read his published books, he's making references to all, whether it's Shirley Jackson or Wallace Stevens or, you know, uh, he's so capacious in his knowledge of literature.And, like, just a couple months ago, he sent me an email, I don't, I can't remember, we were talking about something about Salem's Lot, and he was like, “Yeah, when I was writing Salem's Lot,” which again, this is 1975 when he's writing Salem's Lot, so that's a long time ago. He's like, “I was really into James Dickey's poetry.”Jennie: Whoa.Caroline: You know, who was an American no, you know, poet laureate. Uh, he's like, “And I was reading everything I could read of, of his and then I read Deliverance, and then I went back to his poetry, and that really impacted how I wrote the chapters [00:37:00] about the Lot,” which if you've read Salem's Lot, has some very lyrical, poetic chapters about the town, like, “The town knew about darkness.The town had its secrets and knew how to kept it.” And then he, like, sends me the entire poem that he was thinking about that James Dickey wrote. So I mean, it's, he's, and it's not performative. He's not, like, he has nothing. He doesn't need to prove anything to me, you know?Jennie: Right, to anyone, yeah.Caroline: He just literally loves, he loves literature.Like, this guy, he loves poetry. I mean, he actually writes poetry. He wrote poetry as an undergraduate. Uh, it was actually the core start for him of The Stand, was a poem he wrote called The Dark Man one day when he was, like, hungover in the school, like, cafeteria. Like, so it's like he, he's been thinking about literature and living with literature and, uh, since he was a teenager, if not earlier.His mom brought him, uh, Bram Stoker out of the public library when he was nine, so I mean, the guy- Whoa ... ‘cause he asked for it. He asked for Dracula. [00:38:00] I wasn't reading Dracula when I was nine. Were you? I mean-Jennie: No,Caroline: no. I was reading Little House on the Prairie. I mean-Jennie: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Wow. Wow. So- I mean, this book, again, it's called Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Carolyn Bicks.It's just incredible, whether you're a King fan, whether you're a horror fan, um, but for sure for all writers, which are all our listeners. If you can, if you can bear it.It's very specific, um, a very specific- specific exploration of, of how good writing works really. Yeah. Right. And, and how you... You know, there's always that perennial question of how do you get emotion on the page? How do you make your reader feel something? And you, you show it very specifically, and I wanted so badly [00:39:00] to, to get into the details, and I, and I, I just, I just couldn't.Um, maybe someday, but, um, I just, I just can't recommend it enough for, for, um, this audience and, um, you know, anyone who's interested in any of these things we've talked about.Caroline: Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. And I will say, like, the Pet Sematary chapter, which is the first one, that was the first day I was in the archives.One of the things I discovered about him day one was how much attention he pays to word sounds. So I think for any writer interested in sort of doing a deep dive into, like, how one word change, right- Yeah ... can make a difference, you know? Yeah. And I didn't appreciate that about his writing until I went in there and saw his notes to the copy editor where he's like, “Nope, the word's clitter, not clatter.This is why.” You know? Like,Jennie: he's- There's a, um- Yeah ... yeah, there's a book I love, it's probably right behind me, um, called The Artful Edit by Susan Bell, in which she [00:40:00] shows examples of that kind of very careful change in, um, The Gre- The Great Gatsby and The English Patient and various works of, of literature, and your, your whole book is like that.It's, it's just amazing. Um- Thank you ... so is the next book gonna be the Shakespeare one you had thought of before? Or are you gonna- ... go in the, in the personal direction?Caroline: You know, it's such a good question. I think right now I'm just taking a break, you know, because I'm the kind... Like, I immerse myself in a project, and this has been so all-consuming.Um, and I'm back to doing my Everyday Shakespeare podcast, which I love and I missed. Um, so I'm doing that. And I, I really don't like to think too far ahead about what I'm going to write. I like to have it come organically.Jennie: Yeah.Caroline: Um, so I could go back into the archives. I could write another one of these kinds of books, but I don't know if that's the [00:41:00] right thing for me right now.Jennie: Yeah.Caroline: Um, I want to make sure whatever I write next- You know, I loved writing this book so much. It's my favorite... I mean, it's, it was such a powerful experience for me, um, because I could bring my personal experiences into it and my scholarly self into it. I don't... You know, it's gonna be hard to recreate that.Yeah. I think it can be done, but I don't wanna force it. Yeah. So I'm gonna wait and see what the next, what the next oneJennie: is. Don't you, don't you love the interviewer who's like, “Hey, congratulations. You wrote a book. What, what's your nextCaroline: one?” What are you working on now? What are you doing now? I know. And I get that.I'm like-Jennie: So mean ...Caroline: I'm just, I'm just reading books I wanna read. I'm doing my laundry. I'm getting to know my dog again. You know?Jennie: Oh, wow. Well, thankCaroline: you. But, you know, it's a fair question. Yeah.Jennie: Yeah, yeah. Thank you for coming and chatting about this, and for writing such a cool book. And- Thank you ... um, I'm looking forward to seeing what you do next.Caroline: Thank you, Jennie. It was a [00:42:00] pleasure.Jennie: Well, for our listeners, until next time, stop playing small and write like it matters.The #amwriting podcast is produced by Andrew Perilla. Our intro music, aptly titled Unemployed Monday, was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output because everyone deserves to be paid for their work This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Caroline, Cierra, and Dannelle are back for another installment of the TBR series! Join us as we cross more books off of our Goodreads "To Be Read" lists. Books read and discussed in this episode include Mirror, Mirror by Jen Calonita, A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Hope, Deception, and Survival at Jonestown by Julia Scheeres, The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, This is My America by Kim Johnson, The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex and Brett Harris, and The Boy Who Followed His Father Into Auschwitz by Jeremy Dronfield.

We have some spicy takes on this adaptation. We love the topic, we're not sure about the book and we don't even have enough words to describe this movie. Get into it with us as Jordan shares some deeply held theater loves, Emily goes on a rant about how there doesn't always need to be a defining reason for things, and we recognize our own failings halfway through. Episode Drink: The Fair Lady 1 oz sage-infused doblin blanc vermouth ¾ oz krogstad aquavit ¾ oz grapefruit juice 1 tsp cane sugar syrup Dry champagne Instructions: Shake all the ingredients (except the champagne) with ice, then strain into a flute. Top with champagne. Recipe From: Death & Co.'s The Cocktail Book Our Drinking Game for this Story Take a drink: When you see nudity (male or female) Whenever Lili gets a bloody nose Whenever Gerda is selfish Whenever Lili is selfish Whenever you cry. When you start to realize that the movie is on the cusp of not aging well. Take two drinks whenever you feel like you're supposed to cry… but you just can't muster it. Raise a glass to spotting Emerald Fennell in this movie and you squeal because in the past couple of years, you've jumped on the Emerald Fennell train and want to be her friend? No? Just Jordan? Okay. Indie Bookstore Recommendations Jordan: Commonwealth Books - Boston, MA Em: William James Bookseller - Port Townsend, WA A Novel Adaptation was created by Emily Eppley and Jordan Redwine. See more details at www.anoveladaptation.com and see what's coming up next to read along with us. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads to join the conversation. Our artwork is by Kit Bernal. Our music is “Harlequin” by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.

Amanda and Jenn discuss several geographically specific reads, COVID art, memories in sci-fi, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. Feedback This Is Paradise by Kristiana Kahakauwila (rec’d by Carol) Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody (rec’d by Laura) A Painted House by John Grisham, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (rec’d by Suzanne) Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings (rec’d by Rachel) Good Enough to Eat by Jae and Alison Gray, CW: it deals with real addiction and alcoholism (rec’d by Rose) The Library of Legends by Janie Chang (rec’d by Susan) Questions 1. My question is: can you suggest a mystery set in any of the remaining states? They are Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah. I’d like to accomplish this using unique authors for each state, so another Grisham, for example, would not work. Any kind of mystery will do, preferably somewhere in the broad middle between cloying cozy and gruesomely gory. I included my list so far for reference. Thank you! -Suzanne 2. What are your favorite books set in Mexico? I just read Gods of Jade and Shadow and I loved it…and then I read Mexican Gothic, which I also loved up until the point where it made me gag (so much squick). Anyway, reading Silvia Moreno-Garcia has really piqued my interest in Mexico as a setting, and I’d love some recommendations for further reading. Thank you!  -Sara 3. For me, COVID art has been a really helpful way to cope in the last year whether it be music, TV, or written works that deal with pandemic realities head on. Because I work in the restaurant industry, I experienced only a very short quarantine period before being back out in the world, and I think I appreciate the aspect of getting on with life in the face of the ongoing trauma and fear and still finding plenty of joy in small moments. The only book I’ve found dealing directly with COVID (aside from specifically scientific stuff, which I’m far less interested in) is Intimations by Zadie Smith. What else is out there?  Thanks! -Carol 4. I’m looking for a recommendation for two very different sub genres of thriller. I recently read City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong and it reminded me a little bit of The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh. I wondered if you know of any other books like this “remote town, cut off from the rest of the world, group of people living there who have to be self sufficient but all have lots of secrets and a murder happens.” I also recently read One by One by Ruth Ware and I wasn’t a fan, I’m not looking for stranded people, as much as a group that chose to go live remotely and cut off from the world. Second, I’m currently reading The Seven Doors by Agnes Ravatan and I really like the Scandinavian setting. I also love the “is there something supernatural or is this just a thriller element?” The other book I loved similar to this was I Remember You: A Ghost Story by Yrsa Siguroardottir. This also had the remote Scandinavian setting with the “maybe” supernatural something happening. Any help in these two areas would be awesome!   -Heather 5. I love the show. I would really love a recommendation on rotten food I am not talking about the Netflix show, I would love if it had a variety of foods that as human beings we eat that are disturbing to others but as a culture it is acceptable as well as the process of how this came to be. For instance, where did we get the idea of cheese and how it was safe to eat or how balut became delicacy to eating casu marzu or even monkey’s brains. I want to find a book on all these fascinating foods and how they came to be introducing into a culture as well as an acceptable food something from all cultures. -Grace 6. I recently finished reading Mem by Bethany C. Morrow and really loved it and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. What I loved about it is how it discusses the importance of memories regardless of how bad they may seem/ Mixed with the sc-fi, alternate history elements, and the amazing writing, this book is just everything I ever needed! Do you have any book recs with similar vibes/themes? Please, only fiction, and preferably under 350 pages. I also wanted to say that I really love this podcast and that I discovered many of my favorite books because of it. Keep it up! -Passant 7. I am looking for some book recommendations about marriages that are struggling in a fictional setting. Struggles that are not related to affairs or already at divorces door. I want to see the internal dialogue/conflict and how two people navigate a marriage that’s not full of love anymore and can hopefully come back from that. Thank you so much for all the hard work you guys do to help us readers find what we’re looking for! You are much appreciated and needed -Alexis Books Discussed Alabama: The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins Utah: The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff (cw: homophobia) Kingdom Cons by Yuri Herrera, transl Lisa Dillman The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea (tw: rape, child abuse) The Premonition by Michael Lewis Together, Apart, by Erin A. Craig, Jennifer Yen, et al The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon (tw: harm to children) The Blue Fox by Sjón, translated by Victoria Cribb Cheese and Culture by Paul Kindstedt Edible by Daniella Martin The Deep by Rivers Solomon, et al Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi The Chimes by Anna Smaill The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams Native Speaker by Chang-rae Lee (cw: death of a child) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[YouTube Direktlink] Regie führte Tom Hooper, nach einem, Drehbuch von Lucinda Coxon, die sich wiederum an der Romanvorlage von David Ebershoff bediente. In den Hauptrollen sind Alicia Vikander als Gerda und Eddie Redmayne als Lili dabei. Daneben spielen Ben Whishaw als Henrik, Amber Heard als Ulla, Matthias Schoenaerts als Hans Axgil und Sebastian Koch als Warnekros mit. Wir arbeiten uns bei der Diskussion an einem sehr guten Letterboxd-Review von Sally Jane Black ab. Dabei geht es vor allem um die problematischen und sogar gefährlichen Erzählungseben, die der Film einsetzt. Zum Ende hin versuchen wir uns an einigen Film- und Serien-Empfehlungen für trans Filme, inspiriert von Claras Twitter-Aufruf. Falls ihr Clara  und ihrer Arbeit folgen wollt, geht das auf Twitter, Letterboxd oder auf ihrer Webseite. Wir brauchen deine Unterstützung! Damit wir weiterhin regelmäßig, konzentriert und ausgiebig über Filme sprechen können, brauchen wir finanzielle Hilfe. Über Steady kannst du die Plus-Version dieses Podcasts abonnieren und erhältst Zugang zu Livestreams, bekommst den Podcast vor allen anderen und mit Kapitelmarken, Skripten und Notizen. Alle Infos dazu unter steadyhq.com/secondunit [podlove-episode-web-player] [podlove-episode-contributor-list] [Second Unit Plus: Livestream | Premium Podcast | Mitmachen | Produzent*in werden] [Unterstützen: Steady | PayPal | Überweisung | Shop] [Abonnieren: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | RSS-Feed] [Folgen: Twitter | Instagram | Letterboxd | Discord] [Teaser-Bild: “dresden” by Beat Ernst is licensed under CC BY 2.0] *Amazon-Partner-Links: Über diese Links gekaufte Artikel werfen einen kleinen Obolus für uns ab. Für euch ändert sich nichts, schon gar nicht der Kaufpreis. Wir bedanken uns im Namen unserer Kaffee-Kasse.

In this Roundtable we are joined by Director Karen Cinorre and Cinematographer Sam Levy. Karen is the writer and director of Mayday, which premiered this year at the virtual Sundance film festival.  Along with lensing Mayday, Sam has collaborated with Karen on a range of projects, including marriage. Sam’s career behind the lens took off when he was an apprentice to cinematographer Harris Savides and his talent has not gone unnoticed since. He has shot critically acclaimed films such as Lady Bird and Frances Ha. Leading the conversation is  David Ebershoff. David’s debut novel, The Danish Girl, was released in 2000 and was subsequently adapted into an Academy Award winning film. Along with a prolific writing career, David worked at Random House for twenty years, working his way up to executive editor and has also taught writing at NYU, Princeton, and Columbia. They cover a range of topics in this captivating chat, from the inspiration and evolution of Mayday, the casting process of the film, the influence of sound in Karen’s work, their upcoming joint project, and David leads them through a fun lightning round of questions. Sam and Karen turn the tables on David and ask him questions about his work and his experiences seeing it adapted to the screen.

Benjamin Dreyer is vice president, executive managing editor and copy chief of Random House US. He has overseen books by writers including Michael Chabon, Edmund Morris, Suzan-Lori Parks, Michael Pollan, Peter Straub, and Calvin Trillin. He has copyedited books by authors including EL Doctorow, David Ebershoff, Frank Rich and Elizabeth Strout. He has also recently written Dreyer's English, a brilliant and highly amusing grammar and style guide. He has also created the related card game Stet! in which players test their copyediting skills.We had great fun chatting to Benjamin as we find out how he stumbled into the publishing world, learn about the differences between a copy editor and "editor editor" (as he calls them) and hear about what happens when authors don't take kindly to copy editing suggestions! We also get a sneak preview of his next book, and, of course, find out whether he prefers real books or ebooks (hint: Tariq wasn't happy...!)Links:Buy Dreyer's English and Stet!Follow Benjamin on TwitterWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Benjamin Dreyer is vice president, executive managing editor and copy chief, of Random House. He has copyedited books by authors including E. L. Doctorow, David Ebershoff, Frank Rich, and Elizabeth Strout, as well as Let Me Tell You, a volume of previously uncollected work by Shirley Jackson. A graduate of Northwestern University, and fellow New Yorker, we talk language, LGBTQ, publishing, and more.Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/ReallyLegalPodcast)

SpeakEasy’s fifth episode highlights stories united by the theme “It’s Not You”: Pulitzer Prize–winning author and critic Margo Jefferson, memoirist George Hodgman, and novelist David Ebershoff share their journeys of negotiating issues of identity, memory, and what it means to be you.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lucia Lucas sweeps across a noisy diner in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at 9 a.m. on a Saturday wearing a calf-length, black brocade frock coat and a bright, lipsticked smile.Most opera singers in her position would be resting up the morning after a big debut. But not Lucas.“Last night was super weird,” she said, tucking into a plate of chicken fried steak and eggs. “There were so many things going on all at once.” When Lucia Lucas stepped into the role of Don Giovanni, she became the first transgender person to sing a lead part in a standard operatic work in the US. Credit: Emily Steward The 38-year-old, Germany-based baritone just made her debut as Don Giovanni with the Tulsa Opera, becoming the first transgender person to sing a lead role in a standard operatic work in the US.Related: A US transgender activist is stuck in Sweden. The UN wants to investigate.The New York Times sent a reporter. The Metropolitan Opera sent a casting representative. Lucas had a documentary crew following her around. And her dad, whom she hadn't seen for a decade, flew in specially for the occasion.“There was a lot of pressure to sing well,” Lucas said.Lucas says she'd been wrestling with questions about her gender identity since she was a kid growing up in Northern California.“My mom caught me with makeup,” she said of her formative years. “My dad found my stash of girl's clothes.”It was a difficult time.Related: 'Transgender women are women,' organizers say after controversy over women-only pond in LondonShe nearly came out at college. But her career was starting to blossom, and she fell in love with a fellow opera singer — a woman. They got married (and are still together today). So, Lucas put the decision off. Transgender opera singer Lucia Lucas moved to Germany in 2009. Her wife followed two years later. Lucas says they headed for Europe because there was more opportunity there. Credit: Josh New “I guess I just sort of thought maybe I can have this normal life,” Lucas said.Lucas moved to Germany in 2009. Her wife followed two years later. Lucas says they headed for Europe because there was more opportunity there.“It's really difficult to make a career in opera in the US,” she said. “But in Germany, there's 80-plus full-time theaters.”Lucas continued to present as a man publicly. But she says she kept a drawerful of “inside clothes” at home, and she and her wife sometimes talked about her gender identity.She was close to five years into a steady, salaried job as a singer with the highly regarded Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe when she finally decided she had to come out.“There's so many people that would love to be a working artist where they make at least enough money to live and continue doing their art full time. But it wasn't fulfilling for me.”Lucia Lucas“There's so many people that would love to be a working artist where they make at least enough money to live and continue doing their art full time,” Lucas said of her decision to come out. “But it wasn't fulfilling for me.”Lucas chose the Staatstheater's splashy 2014 opera ball for the occasion. She made quite an entrance.“We were startled,” said Jan Linders, the company's deputy general artistic director. “She came fully dressed as a woman, and made it clear that she wanted to be addressed as Lucia from that day on.”Linders says after getting over the initial shock, the company grappled with what to do about their first female baritone.“There were many questions arising,” Linders said. “Where should be her dressing room? Should it be in the ladies or the gentlemen floor? How should she be addressed in program books? How could we convey this private change to directors that would cast her?”Lucas says the opera company ultimately decided not to renew her contract. (The company isn't commenting on that.) So, she threw herself into finding other work. She landed opera gigs with companies across Europe, performed in clubs and bars, and settled on pursuing a freelance career.Opera has a long history of gender play. Female singers have been masquerading as young men and boys in so-called “trouser roles” or “pants roles” for hundreds of years, like Cherubino in Mozart's “The Marriage of Figaro” and Octavian in Strauss' “Der Rosenkavalier.”But professional opportunities for transgender performers have been slow to come about. There are only very few singers currently getting mainstage work at opera houses around the world. The most prominent example, other than Lucas, is the Norwegian mezzo-soprano, Adrian Angelico, who identifies as male.Lucas says the compliments she often gets at auditions don't necessarily translate into contracts. So, she often dons fake facial hair at auditions to prove she can play male characters onstage.“A lot of people are really confused because they have ‘Ms. Lucia Lucas' on their paperwork as a baritone. But I'm presenting with a beard in masculine attire.”Lucia Lucas“A lot of people are really confused because they have ‘Ms. Lucia Lucas' on their paperwork as a baritone,” she said. “But I'm presenting with a beard in masculine attire.” Lucia Lucas, a transgender opera singer, often performs alpha male roles. “A lot of people are really confused because they have ‘Ms. Lucia Lucas' on their paperwork as a baritone,” she said. “But I'm presenting with a beard in masculine attire.” Credit: Johannes Kaplan Taking female hormones doesn't raise your voice. And Lucas made a conscious decision not to retrain hers to sing higher parts.“I don't know how long I would have to take off from my day job, which is singing baritone,” she said. “And I have work through 2022.”She's also suspicious of the reasons companies give — if they give any — for failing to follow through on auditions she's been promised, or dropping her from their roster.“Nobody is fired for being trans,” Lucas said. “They're fired for being 90 seconds late, or not complying with the dress code regulations.”While trans opera singers are only just starting to make headway in an industry steeped in tradition and not known for its forward-thinking ways, opera administrators are beginning to show interest in the possibilities of casting them.“The potential doors that this is now opening for trans singers is a very exciting step forward,” said Matthew Shilvock, the director general of the San Francisco Opera. He says trans singers have not yet come forward to audition for roles at his organization, one of the largest in the US. “I don't see it any different from us looking at any other singer. If the voice is right for the role and right for the house, I would gladly hire that person.”Tobias Picker, the artistic director at Tulsa Opera — and a composer — says he cast Lucas as Don Giovanni because he simply fell in love with her voice.“Lucia has her own sound,” said Picker, who is currently writing an opera based on David Ebershoff's 2000 novel about a transgender painter, “The Danish Girl,” with Lucas in the starring role. “It sparkles. It has flecks of light like gold.” Lucia Lucas stars as Wotan in "Die Walküre" with Theater Magdeburg.  Credit: Andreas Lander Though she says the visibility she's been getting lately has been helpful for her career, Lucas hopes the hoopla around transgender opera singers will eventually go away.She wants to continue to play baritone roles like Wotan and Don Giovanni, without anyone making a big deal of the fact that she's a woman.“I had a theater director in Germany say, ‘Oh my gosh, this trans thing, it's hot right now,'” she said. “I don't want that. I want it to be not a thing.”

Lucia Lucas sweeps across a noisy diner in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at 9 a.m. on a Saturday wearing a calf-length, black brocade frock coat and a bright, lipsticked smile.Most opera singers in her position would be resting up the morning after a big debut. But not Lucas.“Last night was super weird,” she said, tucking into a plate of chicken fried steak and eggs. “There were so many things going on all at once.” When Lucia Lucas stepped into the role of Don Giovanni, she became the first transgender person to sing a lead part in a standard operatic work in the US. Credit: Emily Steward The 38-year-old, Germany-based baritone just made her debut as Don Giovanni with the Tulsa Opera, becoming the first transgender person to sing a lead role in a standard operatic work in the US.Related: A US transgender activist is stuck in Sweden. The UN wants to investigate.The New York Times sent a reporter. The Metropolitan Opera sent a casting representative. Lucas had a documentary crew following her around. And her dad, whom she hadn’t seen for a decade, flew in specially for the occasion.“There was a lot of pressure to sing well,” Lucas said.Lucas says she’d been wrestling with questions about her gender identity since she was a kid growing up in Northern California.“My mom caught me with makeup,” she said of her formative years. “My dad found my stash of girl’s clothes.”It was a difficult time.Related: 'Transgender women are women,' organizers say after controversy over women-only pond in LondonShe nearly came out at college. But her career was starting to blossom, and she fell in love with a fellow opera singer — a woman. They got married (and are still together today). So, Lucas put the decision off. Transgender opera singer Lucia Lucas moved to Germany in 2009. Her wife followed two years later. Lucas says they headed for Europe because there was more opportunity there. Credit: Josh New “I guess I just sort of thought maybe I can have this normal life,” Lucas said.Lucas moved to Germany in 2009. Her wife followed two years later. Lucas says they headed for Europe because there was more opportunity there.“It's really difficult to make a career in opera in the US,” she said. “But in Germany, there’s 80-plus full-time theaters.”Lucas continued to present as a man publicly. But she says she kept a drawerful of “inside clothes” at home, and she and her wife sometimes talked about her gender identity.She was close to five years into a steady, salaried job as a singer with the highly regarded Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe when she finally decided she had to come out.“There's so many people that would love to be a working artist where they make at least enough money to live and continue doing their art full time. But it wasn't fulfilling for me.”Lucia Lucas“There's so many people that would love to be a working artist where they make at least enough money to live and continue doing their art full time,” Lucas said of her decision to come out. “But it wasn't fulfilling for me.”Lucas chose the Staatstheater’s splashy 2014 opera ball for the occasion. She made quite an entrance.“We were startled,” said Jan Linders, the company’s deputy general artistic director. “She came fully dressed as a woman, and made it clear that she wanted to be addressed as Lucia from that day on.”Linders says after getting over the initial shock, the company grappled with what to do about their first female baritone.“There were many questions arising,” Linders said. “Where should be her dressing room? Should it be in the ladies or the gentlemen floor? How should she be addressed in program books? How could we convey this private change to directors that would cast her?”Lucas says the opera company ultimately decided not to renew her contract. (The company isn’t commenting on that.) So, she threw herself into finding other work. She landed opera gigs with companies across Europe, performed in clubs and bars, and settled on pursuing a freelance career.Opera has a long history of gender play. Female singers have been masquerading as young men and boys in so-called “trouser roles” or “pants roles” for hundreds of years, like Cherubino in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and Octavian in Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier.”But professional opportunities for transgender performers have been slow to come about. There are only very few singers currently getting mainstage work at opera houses around the world. The most prominent example, other than Lucas, is the Norwegian mezzo-soprano, Adrian Angelico, who identifies as male.Lucas says the compliments she often gets at auditions don’t necessarily translate into contracts. So, she often dons fake facial hair at auditions to prove she can play male characters onstage.“A lot of people are really confused because they have ‘Ms. Lucia Lucas’ on their paperwork as a baritone. But I'm presenting with a beard in masculine attire.”Lucia Lucas“A lot of people are really confused because they have ‘Ms. Lucia Lucas’ on their paperwork as a baritone,” she said. “But I'm presenting with a beard in masculine attire.” Lucia Lucas, a transgender opera singer, often performs alpha male roles. “A lot of people are really confused because they have ‘Ms. Lucia Lucas’ on their paperwork as a baritone,” she said. “But I'm presenting with a beard in masculine attire.” Credit: Johannes Kaplan Taking female hormones doesn’t raise your voice. And Lucas made a conscious decision not to retrain hers to sing higher parts.“I don’t know how long I would have to take off from my day job, which is singing baritone,” she said. “And I have work through 2022.”She’s also suspicious of the reasons companies give — if they give any — for failing to follow through on auditions she’s been promised, or dropping her from their roster.“Nobody is fired for being trans,” Lucas said. “They’re fired for being 90 seconds late, or not complying with the dress code regulations.”While trans opera singers are only just starting to make headway in an industry steeped in tradition and not known for its forward-thinking ways, opera administrators are beginning to show interest in the possibilities of casting them.“The potential doors that this is now opening for trans singers is a very exciting step forward,” said Matthew Shilvock, the director general of the San Francisco Opera. He says trans singers have not yet come forward to audition for roles at his organization, one of the largest in the US. “I don’t see it any different from us looking at any other singer. If the voice is right for the role and right for the house, I would gladly hire that person.”Tobias Picker, the artistic director at Tulsa Opera — and a composer — says he cast Lucas as Don Giovanni because he simply fell in love with her voice.“Lucia has her own sound,” said Picker, who is currently writing an opera based on David Ebershoff’s 2000 novel about a transgender painter, “The Danish Girl,” with Lucas in the starring role. “It sparkles. It has flecks of light like gold.” Lucia Lucas stars as Wotan in "Die Walküre" with Theater Magdeburg.  Credit: Andreas Lander Though she says the visibility she’s been getting lately has been helpful for her career, Lucas hopes the hoopla around transgender opera singers will eventually go away.She wants to continue to play baritone roles like Wotan and Don Giovanni, without anyone making a big deal of the fact that she’s a woman.“I had a theater director in Germany say, ‘Oh my gosh, this trans thing, it’s hot right now,’” she said. “I don't want that. I want it to be not a thing.”

Sam Barlow's "Telling Lies" is not a sequel to "Her Story." https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/what-is-telling-lies-her-story-creator-teases-latest-game-1197506 The latest project from 'Her Story' creator Sam Barlow stars Logan Marshall-Green, Alexandra Shipp, Kerry Bishe and Angela Sarafyan in a story the director describes as "'Sex, Lies and Videotape' meets 'The Conversation.'" * * Marvel & Stitcher Studios Production of Wolverine: The Lost Trail https://www.inverse.com/article/54409-marvel-wolverine-podcast-the-lost-trail-3d-recording-technology-is-like-making-a-movie It’s a recording day for Wolverine: The Lost Trail, the sequel to the award-winning 2018 serial podcast Wolverine: The Long Night starring one of the most popular characters in the Marvel Universe, Wolverine. * * DCN Podcast Talks 90s Batman, Jericho, and Ravager https://dccomicsnews.com/2019/03/28/dcn-podcast-17-doomsday-clock-10-pushed-back-ravager-jericho-join-titans-the-batman-may-be-set-in-the-90s/ On the latest episode of the DC Comics News Podcast, this week’s host, DCN Reviewer Seth Singleton, is joined by fellow DCN Review and DKN Editor-in-Chief Steve J Ray, as well as a new panelist, Owner of both DCN and DKN Damian Fasciani, as they discuss all the happenings in the world DC, including Doomsday Clock #10 being pushed back again, Ravager & Jericho joining Deathstroke on Titans, the possibility of The Batman being set in the 90’s, and lots more news * * DCN Spinner Rack #2 https://dccomicsnews.com/2019/03/29/the-spinner-rack-2-week-of-3-27-19/ The Spinner Rack has returned, and your host, Seth Singleton is back to spotlight his top 5 releases for the week of March 27th. So sit back, take a spin, and enjoy the ride! And while you’re at it, please let us know what your top choices are this week!! * * Messy Truth About Successful Writers https://www.news18.com/news/lifestyle/writing-process-messy-full-of-self-doubts-the-danish-girl-writer-david-ebershoff-2-1942635.html Two decades and three bestselling novels later, author David Ebershoff says the process of writing, for him, is still pretty much the same: messy, riddled with mistakes and full of uncertainties. * * Find me On Social Media Instagram https://www.instagram.com/seththewriter/ Twitter https://twitter.com/1MoreSingleton Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SethSingletonStoryteller/ #DetectiveComics #DCComicsNews #SpinnerRack #StorytellingwithSeth #Podcast #TellingLies #SamBarlow #Gaming #Story #Storytelling #Messy #Writers #Success #Wolverine --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/seth-the-storyteller/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/seth-the-storyteller/support

Episode 9: Into the Woods. In this episode, we speak to David Ebershoff, author of The Danish Girl. We also talk to Alli Jessing HCLS Events and Seminars Manger as we prepare to kick off Summer @ Your Library at BOOKS IN BLOOM the inaugural book festival. Finally, Ian Kennedy, Executive Director of the Downtown Columbia Arts and Culture Commission, tells us what to look forward to at Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods. David Ebershoff http://www.ebershoff.com/ Downtown Columbia Arts and Culture Commission http://www.dcacc.info/ Summer@your library http://hclibrary.org/hclssummer/

Wedding Bush Road (Counterpoint)  When he learns of his mother’s ailing health, Daniel Rawson must leave Los Angeles and travel half a world away to the family’s horse farm on Wedding Bush Road, one hundred miles outside of Melbourne. Estranged from his parents, Daniel is hesitant to revisit their history: long divorced, his mother still maintains the farm having put out her cheating, rakish husband, and even in these later years her anger burns brightly. Daniel arrives at the farm in the heat of his parents’ conflict with Sharen, an alluring tenant and ex-lover of his father now perched on family land. Sharen and her unstable son Reggie complicate an already difficult family dynamic while Daniel has to tend to his mother’s condition, his father’s contentious behavior, and the swell of memory that strikes whenever he visits the farm. As Daniel is increasingly drawn to Sharen, the various tensions across the farm will spark events that cannot help but change them all. With a keen eye for the rugged and beautiful Australian landscape, infused with aboriginal history, and set against the workings of a rural horse farm, Wedding Bush Road is a stunning novel about the choices we make, the regrets that linger, and the unquestionable, inevitable pull of home. "David Francis is a human rights lawyer in Los Angeles, and he somehow finds time to write terrific books every few years." – KPCC’s “Take Two” “Francis proves that this reckless landscape also has a darkly seductive pull . . . Domestic drama with an offbeat, rural flavor.” —Kirkus “Compelling and honest, Wedding Bush Road is a masterful feat.” —Mary Rakow, author of This Is Why I Came “David Francis writes with precision and sensitivity about that most complicated of subjects: Home. Amid unforgettable landscapes and characters that are both beautiful and violent, Wedding Bush Road grapples with discontent and restlessness. Francis turns a sharp but generous eye on those who won't leave and those who can't stay, reminding us that family can be the most dangerous place of all.” —Mark Sarvas, author of Harry, Revised “Here’s an Australia so tactile that the page itself begins to feel textured. Francis ably tells a story of a man’s internal struggle as expressed through conflicts as rooted and primal as the soil. A dynamic and inviting read.” —Aimee Bender, author of The Color Master “I have known David Francis and his work for a long time, and I think Wedding Bush Road is his best book yet!” —Jane Smiley “With an eye for the transcendent detail, and a pitch perfect ear, David Francis gorgeously summons a farm in rural Australia. The wonderfully complex relationships among its inhabitants reflect nothing less than the tensions wrought by the country’s fractious history of colonialism. Who belongs to the land and to whom does the land belong? These are the uneasy questions raised by this searching, lovely novel.” —Marisa Silver, author of Mary Coin “A psychologically acute tale of the decline of a patrician Australian family and the forces arrayed against them. Class, sex and land knit together in this compellingly modern take on a timeless struggle. Gorgeous, dangerous and utterly captivating.”—Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander and Paint It Black “Who hasn't packed a bag and headed home? Wedding Bush Road is a beautiful, intelligent book about love, loss, and the unforgettable landscapes that made us who we are.” —David Ebershoff, author of The Danish Girl and The 19th Wife David Francis, based in Los Angeles where he works for the Norton Rose Fulbright law firm, spends part of each year back on his family’s farm in Australia. He is the author of The Great Inland Sea, published to acclaim in seven countries, and Stray Dog Winter, Book of the Year in The Advocate, winner of the American Library Association Barbara Gittings Prize for Literature, and a LAMBDA Literary Award Finalist. He has taught creative writing at UCLA, Occidental College, and in the Masters of Professional Writing program at USC. His short fiction and articles have appeared in publications including Harvard Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Southern California Review, Best Australian Stories, Australian Love Stories, and The Rattling Wall. He is Vice President of PEN Center USA.  Dan Smetanka is a Vice President and Executive Editor at Counterpoint Press.

"You helped bring Lili to life, but she was always there." The Danish Girl certainly took a long time getting to the big screen. The script went through dozens of iterations after David Ebershoff's book was first was optioned. The cast changed numerous times. Directors passed it back and forth. Finally, after fifteen years of floating around, Tom Hooper's film was released. And while the lead performances were brilliant, the film itself felt a bit flat. And weirdly, this seems to be something we say far too often about films that take a long time to get to the silver screen. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our Transgender series with Hooper's 2015 film The Danish Girl. We talk about what works in the film, but we really try to dig and figure out what might be causing it to have its issues. We look at the journey the book took to get to the screen, and look at the age-old question of what responsibility do filmmakers/storytellers have to the original story and the original people when making biopics. We discuss Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander and what they bring to the table here, along with their fellow thespians. We chat about the incredible look this film has and how it fits in with the story. And we touch on how this series has opened our eyes to other great films that we would love to share down the line. This was a fun series, even if it ended on a bit of a downer note. It did give us perspective for the world of transgenders and what they go through to feel ‘right' in their own bodies. We have a great time talking about this movie, so check it out then tune in! Film Sundries Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon Script Original theatrical trailer Original poster artwork The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff Flickchart Letterboxd Lili: A Portrait of the First Sex Change (Man Into Woman) by Niels Hoyer Trailers of the Week Andy's Trailer: Lowriders — "This story is about several cultures I know nothing about – graffiti artists and fans of lowriders. On the premise alone, this doesn't look like my cup of tea but what I love about films is they're my chance to step into other people's shoes and experience things from their point of view. That's what I hope I get here. Plus, after being blown away by Demián Bichir's performance in A Better Life, I'm game to see anything he does. Count me in." Pete's Trailer: I Don't Feel At Home in this World Anymore — "It's the strange little film I can't stop thinking about. The driving motivator is simple, the comedy off-color, and the main character a charmer. Can't wait til this hits Netflick 2/24."

"You helped bring Lili to life, but she was always there." The Danish Girl certainly took a long time getting to the big screen. The script went through dozens of iterations after David Ebershoff’s book was first was optioned. The cast changed numerous times. Directors passed it back and forth. Finally, after fifteen years of floating around, Tom Hooper’s film was released. And while the lead performances were brilliant, the film itself felt a bit flat. And weirdly, this seems to be something we say far too often about films that take a long time to get to the silver screen. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our Transgender series with Hooper’s 2015 film The Danish Girl. We talk about what works in the film, but we really try to dig and figure out what might be causing it to have its issues. We look at the journey the book took to get to the screen, and look at the age-old question of what responsibility do filmmakers/storytellers have to the original story and the original people when making biopics. We discuss Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander and what they bring to the table here, along with their fellow thespians. We chat about the incredible look this film has and how it fits in with the story. And we touch on how this series has opened our eyes to other great films that we would love to share down the line. This was a fun series, even if it ended on a bit of a downer note. It did give us perspective for the world of transgenders and what they go through to feel ‘right’ in their own bodies. We have a great time talking about this movie, so check it out then tune in! Film Sundries Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon Script Original theatrical trailer Original poster artwork The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff Flickchart Letterboxd Lili: A Portrait of the First Sex Change (Man Into Woman) by Niels Hoyer Trailers of the Week Andy's Trailer: Lowriders — "This story is about several cultures I know nothing about – graffiti artists and fans of lowriders. On the premise alone, this doesn’t look like my cup of tea but what I love about films is they’re my chance to step into other people’s shoes and experience things from their point of view. That’s what I hope I get here. Plus, after being blown away by Demián Bichir’s performance in A Better Life, I’m game to see anything he does. Count me in." Pete's Trailer: I Don’t Feel At Home in this World Anymore — "It’s the strange little film I can’t stop thinking about. The driving motivator is simple, the comedy off-color, and the main character a charmer. Can’t wait til this hits Netflick 2/24."

Knitting Segments   This episode is brought to you by The Sock Ruler and Eucalan.  Show Ready Knits Solaris by Melanie Berg with my Pal Kal Mini Kit from One Twisted Tree.     Knits in Rehearsal       Zigzagular Socks by Susie White Triple Threat PalKal Project here with 3 podcasts represented: Prairie Girls Knit and Spin Podcast  Twist Fiber Studio and the Twisted Stitcher Podcast The Fat Squirrel Speaks   The Bag was a gift from Sarah Shoo of the Cultivate and Create podcast.     Vanilla Socks with Scrumptious Purl Self-Striping Yarn.   Not-so-baby Blanket in progress. It's a labor of love!   Ice Shanty by Amy Miller    Astonish Top by Katy Banks.    This episode of Actually Knitting is brought to you by The Sock Ruler.  "The Sock Ruler is an innovative measuring tool for sock knitters. Whether the sock is knit toe up or cuff down the ruler works equally well.  It is constructed of a heavy duty, yet flexible plastic and measures from the inside of the sock, allowing the sock to lie flat and ensure accurate measurements." Visit our website, www.sockruler.com, for more information and don’t forget to use coupon code “palkal2016” for 25% off of a regular sock ruler from now until September 15th. Knitting News, Notes and Events PalKal2016 is Underway!    Rules:  The basic idea is to support a podcaster you listen to or watch by knitting one of their patterns and/or using their yarns for your project. You can also use a project bag or stitch marker by a podcaster! The design, yarn/fiber and/or project bag must be from a knitting/crochet/fiber podcaster. (Not all 3, just one of those to qualify). Spinning also counts, just make sure it’s a finished product. Use the chatter thread for discussion. Make suggestions. There are TONS of podcasts out there and almost no one knows about all of them, so if you know of a podcaster designer/yarnie/bag maker, feel free to share with us! You are encouraged to take advantage of the coupon codes offered by our sponsors, but you are not limited to those podcasters for the KAL. Sponsors and coupon codes are listed in the appropriate threads and will be listed on the podcast as well. Please post finished objects in the non-chatter thread and include a link to the podcaster you are supporting. Enter as many projects as you like! There is no minimum yardage requirement or limit to the projects you can enter. If you use more than one podcaster product/design/bag/etc on one project, you may create multiple entries for that project. For example: Knit the Zigzagular Socks by prairiegirlsusie using yarn by Oh! Loops and use a project bag by thefatsquirrel, you can enter that project into the FO thread 3 separate times, just link to each podcaster seperately in each post. A note about project bags: a project bag may only be entered into the contest one time for an entry. (You can’t just keep using a podcaster project bag over and over and entering the contest that way). The same applies for stitch markers. Wips count! Just finish them between June 15 and September 15, 2016. You must be a member of the Actually Knitting Podcast Group to win. Have fun supporting a podcaster designer or yarnie! Please support as many different podcasts as you can! Please do not chatter in the non-chatter thread. It makes it more difficult to draw a winner! Use the tag PALKAL2016 here on Ravelry and #palkal2016 on Instagram. Feel free to double, triple, quadruple dip! Today I will highlight our Cameo Sponsors who are donating prizes for the KAL. For more information, check out the threads on Ravelry in the Actually Knitting Podcast Group.    Jenn Sheelan Designs and Podcast     Lilliput Yarn     One Twisted Tree/Prairie Girl Danie of the Prairie Girls Knit and Spin Podcast      The Relentless Knitting Podcast     The Twisted Stitches Podcast     Unwind Yarn Company/Dana from the Just One More Row Podcast     I am also highlighting the prizes being offered by these Top Billing Sponsors. These sponsors have donated prizes as well as coupon codes. More information about all of this can be found in the threads on the Ravelry group, but today we will focus on the prizes.    Ancient Threads Farm Etsy Shop and Website/Podcast        A skein of yarn, winner's choice.      Ann of the Carolina Fiber Girls         Copy of the Fletcher's Falling Leaves Sock Pattern       Brenda Castiel Designs        3 Patterns of winners' choice Daniela Richardson from A Coffee Fueled Life         5 Patterns from her Ravelry Store.      Janis Ficker of the Carolina Fiber Girls           Copy of her 10 Day Sweater Pattern     C.C. Almon from the Geeky Girls Knit Podcast         Copy of her ebook, Coffee with C.C.      Jennifer Lassonde of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast         Copy of one of her patterns from her Ravelry Store   Knitting Daddy Greg of the Unraveling Podcast          2 copies of his Scrappy Sock Yarn Preemie Hat   Mary of the Kino Knits Podcast          Copy of her Adrenaline Junkie Sock Pattern    Kristine Beeson of the Yarnings Podcast          Winner's Choice of pattern from her Ravelry Store     Paula of the Knitting Pipeline Podcast          5 patterns from her Ravelry store and one winner will receive a shawl quantity of yarn from Quince           and Co.    Sarah Shoo of Cultivate and Create Podcast          3 patterns from her Ravelry Shop   Susie White of the Prairie Girls Knit and Spin Podcast          Copy of one of her patterns from her Ravelry Shop   Ashley of Twist Fiber Studio and the Twisted Stitcher Podcast           Project bag of winner's choice from her Etsy Shop   Zombody Knits             A project bag from her Etsy Shop   Julia from the Whole Lotta Craft Podcast            Pattern from her Ravelry Shop for one lucky winner!       Angela from the Revelations of a Delusional Knitter Podcast             Winner's choice of a pattern from her Ravelry Store!   Steph from the Happy Buffalo Boutique           A skein of yarn, winner’s choice   Amy from the Stockinette Zombies Podcast           Winner’s choice of pattern from her Ravelry Store, some yarn from her own stash and a project bag     from the SilverShedUSA!   Anne from Wooly Wonka Fiber           As a prize, Anne is offering one lucky listener $30.00 in patterns from her Designer Store on    Ravelry. The winner will be able to pick any combination of individual patterns that suits!   Claire from New Hampshire Knits            2 balls of West Yorkshire Spinners yarn from their Country Bird collection in the Bullfinch and                             Cayenne Pepper color ways (so a patterned ball with a contrasting solid for heels etc).    Jan Hamby of the Twinset Designs Podcast           A Noste-Demi and Noste-Mini        Please check out the threads on Ravelry for photos and more information and remember that all of the Top Billing Sponsors have provided coupon codes as well, which you can also find in the Ravelry group.   Rhinebeck is October 15th and 16th, 2016. Let me know if you plan on attending!   Virtual Knit Night?  If you would like to do a virtual knit night via Google Hangouts?      This Episode of Actually Knitting is brought to you by Eucalan. For over 25 years Eucalan’s simple soak and spin delicate wash has been the preferred choice for your handmade creations. This extraordinary non-toxic solution is formulated without petro chemicals, bleach or optical brighteners making it safe and gentle for everything from baby’s knits and toys to quilts, and even lingerie! Infused with pure beneficial essential oils of either eucalyptus, lavender, grapefruit, jasmine or an unscented version, there’s an option for everyone. Eucalan is like a beauty treatment for natural fabrics and an aromatherapy treat for the user!     Non-Knitting Segments   Love it or Leave it!  Love it: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on Netflix   Leave it: Sizing Discrepancies in women's clothing.      Other News and Notes Running Updates   I ran my longest distance ever this week! 14 hot, hilly, humid miles!    Book Updates   Finished reading:    The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff   The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn   The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson   The Dinner by Herman Koch   Started Listening to:    Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson   Started Reading:    In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware   Other Updates My adventures in babysitting went really well! I didn't permanently damage my friend's kids and I also didn't wake them up even though I went in their rooms a million times to make sure they were still breathing.    I'm heading on vacation this week to Jackson Hole, Wyoming!   

Knitting Segments   This episode is brought to you by Bijou Basin Ranch.     Show-Ready Knits   Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig I added about 2 inches to the sleeve length and I love it so much!    This sweater surgery brings me to 3604 meters towards StashDash.    Knits in Rehearsal   Solaris by Melanie Berg with my Pal Kal Mini Kit from One Twisted Tree.     Zigzagular Socks by Susie White Triple Threat PalKal Project here with 3 podcasts represented: Prairie Girls Knit and Spin Podcast  Twist Fiber Studio and the Twisted Stitcher Podcast The Fat Squirrel Speaks   Here's the Ysolda Tutorial on cabling without a cable needle.   The Bag was a gift from Sarah Shoo of the Cultivate and Create podcast.     Vanilla Socks with Scrumptious Purl Self-Striping Yarn.   Not-so-baby Blanket in progress. It's a labor of love!   Next up for my Stash Dash goals, I am going to pick up my Astonish Top by Katy Banks.    Knitting News, Notes and Events Palkal 2016   Rules:  The basic idea is to support a podcaster you listen to or watch by knitting one of their patterns and/or using their yarns for your project. You can also use a project bag or stitch marker by a podcaster! The design, yarn/fiber and/or project bag must be from a knitting/crochet/fiber podcaster. (Not all 3, just one of those to qualify). Spinning also counts, just make sure it’s a finished product. Use the chatter thread for discussion. Make suggestions. There are TONS of podcasts out there and almost no one knows about all of them, so if you know of a podcaster designer/yarnie/bag maker, feel free to share with us! You are encouraged to take advantage of the coupon codes offered by our sponsors, but you are not limited to those podcasters for the KAL. Sponsors and coupon codes are listed in the appropriate threads and will be listed on the podcast as well. Please post finished objects in the non-chatter thread and include a link to the podcaster you are supporting. Enter as many projects as you like! There is no minimum yardage requirement or limit to the projects you can enter. If you use more than one podcaster product/design/bag/etc on one project, you may create multiple entries for that project. For example: Knit the Zigzagular Socks by prairiegirlsusie using yarn by Oh! Loops and use a project bag by thefatsquirrel, you can enter that project into the FO thread 3 separate times, just link to each podcaster seperately in each post. A note about project bags: a project bag may only be entered into the contest one time for an entry. (You can’t just keep using a podcaster project bag over and over and entering the contest that way). The same applies for stitch markers. Wips count! Just finish them between June 15 and September 15, 2016. You must be a member of the Actually Knitting Podcast Group to win. Have fun supporting a podcaster designer or yarnie! Please support as many different podcasts as you can! Please do not chatter in the non-chatter thread. It makes it more difficult to draw a winner! Use the tag PALKAL2016 here on Ravelry and #palkal2016 on Instagram. Feel free to double, triple, quadruple dip! This week I have highlighted our Featured Performers and Top Billing Sponsors. These are the folks who have offered coupon/discount codes for the PalKal 2016! Please check out the threads in the Actually Knitting Podcast group on Ravelry for more information!     Ashley of Twist Fiber Studio and the Twisted Stitcher Podcast             15% off in Etsy Shop   Brenda Castiel Designs         20% off in her Ravelry Shop          $5.00 off in her Etsy Shop      Daniela Richardson from the Coffee Fueled Life Podcast              50% off in Ravelry Store.      Knitting Daddy Greg of the Unraveling Podcast         1$ off Scrappy Sock Yarn Preemie Hat   Jennifer Lassonde of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast           40% off of 2 or more patterns in Ravelry Store   Mary of the Kino Knits Podcast         20% off in her Ravelry Shop    Lynda from Ancient Threads Farm and Podcast          20% off in her Etsy Shop     Sarah Shoo of Cultivate and Create Podcast          $1.50 off in Ravelry Shop   Susie White of the Prairie Girls Knit and Spin Podcast         25% off in her Ravelry Shop   Paula of the Knitting Pipeline Podcast          20% off of self-published patterns in her Ravelry store    Ann of the Carolina Fiber Girls           50% off her Fletcher's Falling Leaves Sock Pattern   Lisa of Zombody Knits           $1.00 off in Etsy Shop   Kristine Beeson of the Yarnings Podcast           30% off in her Ravelry Store     C.C. Almon from the Geeky Girls Knit Podcast            15% off in her Ravelry Store   Kristi from the In a Sknit Video Podcast         25% off of her In Transit Cap and Cowl pattern    Janis Ficker/ of the Carolina Fiber Girls          50% off of her 10 Day Sweater Pattern   Twinset Jan from the Twinset Designs Podcast          $2.00 off in her Ravelry Store   Julia from the Whole Lotta Craft Podcast           15% off in her Ravelry Store   Angela from Revelations of a Dellusional Knitter Podcast           50% off in her Ravelry Store   Stephanie from Happy Buffalo Boutique           Free Shipping in her Etsy Shop   Anne from Wooly Wonka Fiber and podcast             15% off of all orders, both in stock and custom dyed   Twinset Ellen from the Twinset Designs Podcast            50% off of one pattern in her Ravelry Shop   Claire of New Hampshire Knits             15% off in her Etsy Shop, The Wooly Thistle      Producing Sponsors offering Discounts:    Sock Ruler             25% off 1 regular sock ruler   Fiber to Fabric Magic              Buy 4 get one free Needle Keepers   Bijou Basin Ranch              15% discount on yarn, excluding Qiviut and Paco-Vicuna   Media Peruana Designs              25% off a pattern in her Ravelry Shop   Alana Dakos from Never Not Knitting               50% off a PDF pattern of your choice in her Ravery Shop         Infinite Twist              Free 50 gram mini skein with purchase     In addition to those mentioned above, the following are also producing sponsors of the PalKal 2016:   Knitter's Pride Fix a Stitch Eucalan Della Q Ancient Arts Fibre     Podcast Premiere   Very Pink Knits Podcast     Knitorious Video Podcast     Non-Knitting Segments   One Pot Wonders Chicken Parmesan Chicken Skillet   Love it or Leave it Love: The Americans on FX   Leave: The Air Conditioning in the bedroom has been out for 2 weeks! It's SO HOT!     StageCraft I've been sewing and I finished a dress! Butterick B6086           Other News and Notes   Running After struggling with running this season, I am finally starting to feel good!    I picked up Shut up and Run by Robin Arzón.    She coaches for Peloton and she's really motivational.    Books   Finished Reading... A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain   Currently Reading... The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff    Listening to... Embedded by NPR podcast   All Things Considered is also hosted by Kelly McEvers

Trans… Parlons genre ! Le 2 juillet, la Marche des Fiertés Parisienne défilera sous un ciel bleu et un soleil éclatant (espoir). Il y aura les chars, les costumes, la musique, la fête… Il y aura le massacre d’Orlando dans les esprits de chacun. Et tous défileront sous une bannière commune, le thème de cette année : “Le droit des personnes trans sont une urgence !” Les personnes trans… Elles sont le T de LGBT. Qui sont-elles ? Que vivent-elles ? Comment les nommer ? Transsexuelles ? Transgenre ? Transidentité ? Fto something ? Mto something ? Genre fluide ? Neutre ? Avec : Joe, Cécile Martin et Claire (#CCFSuper8). Invitées : Viktoria / Vincent, président de Bi’Cause Laurence, militante à Bi’Cause et au PASTT ECOUTER L’EMISSION L’interview « Ce qu’il/elle en pense » KAy Garnellen est artiste, performeur, acteur porno et activiste trans. Culture Q : Sexe sans complexe, de Bérangère Portalier, ill. Frédéric Rébéna, Acte Sud Junior, 2016. Chronique à lire ici. La lecture qui fait du bien : Danish Girl de David Ebershoff, qui raconte le parcours d’un couple hors du commun Greta Waud et Einar Wegener qui deviendra Lili Elbe, premier transsexuel à changer physiquement de sexe. Musiques : Zaza Fournier, Mademoiselle Luz Casal, Un ano de amor Entrons dans la trans … @CabdeCuriosites @Super8Radio les nouveaux centaures pic.twitter.com/dxSrVACHOF — erostick_deco (@erostick_deco) 15 juin 2016

David Ebershoff, author of THE DANISH GIRL, talks with Lisa Rosman from Wordandfilm.com to discuss his novel and the movie adaptation. About the book: http://bit.ly/1MASBiB