Podcast appearances and mentions of Diana Wynne Jones

In this episode, I'm joined by Irish writer Sarah Maria Griffin to talk about the four books that have most shaped her creative journey – from early influences to enduring literary obsessions. It's a fantastic conversation, ending with her newest work, Eat The Ones You Love, a bold and visceral work of feminist horror. In the episode we talk about writing as transformation, the power and joy of horror, and what it means to create with teeth.Sarah Maria Griffin's four books were:Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (1986)Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy (1990)Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (2015)House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski (2000)Lit with Charles loves reviews. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd be so grateful if you could leave a review of your own, and follow me on Instagram at @litwithcharles. Let's get more people listening – and reading!

Faith and Una Meredith, Mary Vance, Sara Stanley, Felicity and Cecily King – all of these girls have different relationships with housekeeping and cooking, and PhD candidate Ariel Little is here to tell us all about it! We speculate about how the characters might show up on social media, the way that housekeeping reflects power and authority in Montgomery's work, and why cleanliness was so important to the Victorians.  If you want to read some of Ariel Little's writing, she's published this article, Under the Moon's Healing Influence: George MacDonald's Literary Re-envisioning of Women's Health  and also has a chapter in this new book, Beyond Little Women, edited by Lauren Hehmeyer.   Inspired by: Ragon is inspired by: Fourteen Talks By Age Fourteen by Michelle Icard and Finding The Magic In Middle School by Chris Balme. Kelly is inspired by: Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. Ariel is inspired by:  The Sanitary Arts:  Aesthetic Culture and the Victorian Cleanliness Campaign by Eileen Cleere and Architecture in the Family Way by Annmarie Adams, as well as The House Of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones. If you want to get a free logo sticker from us, either leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or share your love for the pod on social media!  Send us a photo of your share or review at either our email: kindredspirits.bookclub@gmail.com or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

The Shakespeare Book Club meets tonight to talk about A Midsummer Night's Dream. Zoom link here for paid subscribers. Paid subscribers can also join this chat thread and ask me (or other subscribers) whatever they want. Tell us what you are reading, what you disagreed with me about this month. Ask niche questions someone here might be able to answer. Ask me anything you like (I might not answer!) This is an experiment... let's see where it goes... Join the chat.Katherine Dee InterviewWhen we have strong feelings about literary characters, isn't that somewhat the same as ficto-romantics—people who fall in love with fictional people and create part of the identity around that relationship? This is the sort of question you can talk about with Katherine Dee. I am a long-time fan so I was delighted to be able to ask her about the way AI is changing writing, fandom in culture, role play writing, fan fiction, ficto-romance, internet culture, and the way technology is changing what we read, how AI is changing Katherine's writing, and how she uses ChatGPT to discuss her emotional life (she says it is pretty good!). Katherine is one of the most interesting Substackers, writing at default.blog, as well as writing for other publications. You might remember her piece called “No. Culture isn't stuck”. I find her case-studies especially interesting (this is the one we talked about in the interview). Katherine is not judgemental: she simply tires to understand. Here is her Twitter. Here's what Katherine told me about fandom in modern culture.Henry: Why is there so much fandom in modern culture? We've got LARPing, people having AI boyfriends and girlfriends, fictoromance. You're writing about all these things all the time. Why is this such a big part of culture?Katherine: That's a great question. I think that the foundational reason is our culture is oriented around consuming media. And this is, you know, like, the subculture of media consumption is always going to be a fandom. But also, like, other things have eroded, right? Like, you know, it almost feels cliche to bring up, but everything from, like, third places to organized religion, you know, to national identity, you know, all of these things, right? What remains in its status is fandom. And so, you know, the marriage of the erosion of these other sort of cultural cornerstones, plus the importance of consuming media and the way we communicate, it creates this perfect storm. And I've even argued that, like, fandom is, in a way, like, you know, the main way that we know how to organize at this point. It's the chief way we express ourselves. You know, politics tend to, like, devolve into fandom. But the question is, like, well, what else do we have, really?And here's part of our discussion about ficto-romance.Henry: Now, about ficto romance. I find this, like, really fascinating and I've been reading your case studies avidly. But I also am confused, like, people have always had strong feelings for characters in novels, right? So I read an essay, a 19th century essay about Pride and Prejudice recently. And I mean, this made me laugh. Some people don't like it. But the critic was like, these are the five most attractive heroines in 19th century English fiction and had, like, robust views about what made these fictional women attractive. What is different or what feels different about ficto romance today?Katherine: You know, I don't think it is that different is the thing. I think a lot of stuff maybe feels different because it's somehow like more lowbrow or we don't respect the expression as much. I also think the role of art has changed. Like, we don't see, you know, like I talk to a lot of I actually posted an interview today with a guy who identifies as fictoromantic and his fictive other, which is the term they use instead of like significant other, is from Homestuck, which is a web comic that was really popular on Tumblr and is still very popular on Tumblr. And I think, like, ordinary people don't consider that art. Right. And so, like, it's difficult. Like, you see someone who maybe has this, like, devotion to, you know, someone in a great novel or maybe to, like, you know, Aphrodite or Venus or something like that. And they're producing what we're already primed to think of as great art in service of this love. And because the media properties that many of these people are emotionally attached to feel lowbrow, we take it less seriously and we think they're crazy. But if you actually talk to them, they're not crazy at all. I mean, it's a spectrum of expression. But I've never spoken to someone who feels like they're in active psychosis or something. It feels very familiar. Like I brought up in this interview that I posted today, you know, the way this young man was talking about this Homestuck character. And this is going to sound, I mean, this is going to sound crazy, maybe, but it reminded me of Mirabai, who I don't know if I'm pronouncing her name correctly, but she is this Hindu poet who had this great devotion for Krishna. And it was it felt very similar to me. It's just that it's reskinned in this way that is there's some dissonance.There's a complete transcript of the interview below. Transcript (AI generated so there may be errors)[00:00:00] Henry Today, I'm talking with Katherine Dee, the internet culture writer and the author of the default friend, Substack. Katherine, welcome.[00:00:11] Katherine: Hey, thanks for having me.[00:00:15] Henry: So how is AI changing writing right now and how is it going to change it in the next, say, couple of years?[00:00:22] Katherine: In the next couple of years, I'm not sure. But right now, I've noticed a lot of people who write news are using AI. AI is interesting because it's like, you know, if you read a lot of fan fiction, for example, there's like a fan fiction register. And so if you then go and read like a mass market paperback, you know, a lot of these people start off in fan fiction, you can kind of tell like who's who, right, because there's certain phrases that are common, certain slang. And the same is similar with AI, right? And so I can, I've, I use AI so much as like a chat companion, that there's like certain phrases that I know, are very specific to AI. So I've picked up from like, talking to it and, you know, it being sort of like a friend of mine, for lack of a better word, that people who write news and write digests, use AI a lot. And I've also noticed that people do like, polish on their writing, like they will fix the grammar, or what have you, which I think is less, less scandalous. But I do think that there's also a backlash, right? There is this, people want to sound human. And it's, it's opening up like, more space somehow, right, somehow, more, even more space for like, messy confessional writing. And maybe just, you know, validating that our, our, our long love for it, is never, is never going away.[00:02:03] Henry: Yeah, just when you thought there couldn't be any more personal essays, right, here they come.[00:02:07] Katherine: There's even, Substack really like, created an explosion of them. I thought, I thought it was over, but it absolutely is not.[00:02:17] Henry: I was amazed the other day, because I've been writing like, I would say quite a balanced view of AI, but people take it to be highly positive. And someone who was writing against it, actually said in their piece, oh, that last sentence was written by AI, by the way. And I was like, it's insane to me that that would happen. If you're so against it, but also that people don't realize that if he hadn't mentioned that, you wouldn't have said, oh, that was an AI sentence.[00:02:46] Katherine: Well, you don't know that it, I do think, and I went, I can't quite figure out what, what is the tell for AI writing when there's certain words that I could list, but there is a register, right? So if you're using it a lot, like, I use, I use like deep research all the time to find like, contact information for people. If I have a problem in my life, it's like, I asked chat GPT first, right? So there's like words like, you know, people have pointed out that it uses an em dash a lot. It uses the word crucial a lot. The word realm, weirdly, I've noticed, right? So you kind of internalize it, right? But there's also a register that is very like, AI specific. And I think, all this to say, I think people can tell.[00:03:38] Henry: You said you're talking to it a lot, like every day. What are you talking to it about?[00:03:45] Katherine: Like, you know, if I get anxiety about something that feels silly, or like, if I get upset about something, sometimes, like, I can't, because I'm online so much, like, very susceptible to getting this sort of, like, internet tunnel vision, where I don't know if I'm like, if my reaction is really to scale, I try not to get into, like, fights on the timeline or anything. But it doesn't mean I don't have the reaction, right? So I'll ask AI, like, I had, you know, this back and forth with someone on Twitter, and I feel like, pretty upset about it, am I overreacting? And it's not always actually, like, a good tool for that. But even just the process of me, like slowing down to ask, has made me, I think, a little bit more rational.[00:04:35] Henry: Do you think you're better at seeing when something's written with AI, because you've got this background in fan fiction and online writing, so you're, like, in a way, very highly trained on different internet registers? Whereas to some of us, it's like, people are just doing internet speak, and we don't have that kind of discrimination between the types?[00:04:55] Katherine: No, I think that if you read a lot of anything, you sort of, you pick up, you become fluent in the tone. People who, you know, there's an academic register, right? Like people who are in STEM speak in a particular way and write in a particular way. And it's not necessarily that the topics that they're talking about, it's certain phrases. People who are the humanities, there's similar things. And I think we're not conscious of being able to detect these different tones or registers, but everyone is capable of doing this.[00:05:34] Henry: How many people, how many, like, prominent people or people who are known for their voice do you think are using AI without telling us?[00:05:43] Katherine: I can only think of one who I would bet money that they're doing it. They mostly send out, like, a news digest. So it might be, you know, I haven't noticed it in their, like, opinion pieces. But in, like, their news digests, definitely, right? There's all sorts of tells. But there's, I mean, there has to be more, right? Because there's so many people who have interesting ideas, but aren't necessarily articulate. And there's probably a lot of people who collaborate with AI, right? So it's, they will have the, you know, Chachapiti or Claude or whatever, structure their piece. And then they will go in and edit it and put it in their voice. Or even the reverse, like, they'll structure it, and then they'll have it be polished or fix the grammar or put it in the tone that they want, and then they'll do minor tweaks. I think that is probably super common. But, like, wholesale, yeah, I've only picked up on this one person.[00:06:48] Henry: How close are we to a time when writers are going to feel obliged to put a little disclaimer saying this is what I do and don't use AI for in my writing? Or will that not come?[00:06:59] Katherine: Some people already do that. I don't want to skip ahead to mention our conversation, but I know we're going to be talking a little bit about fan fiction. And on fan fiction sites, there is, like, an AI-generated tag. And then in some digital magazines, they'll be like, this piece was generated with AI or, you know, was edited with AI or something like that. But I think there's probably a lot of shame around it. And people don't want to feel like they're not a real writer. We don't really know where to place or how to conceive of these tools. And it's complicated, right? And you see these conversations playing out in fandom quite a bit. And you see just how complex it is. I don't think there are easy answers.[00:07:53] Henry: Why is there so much fandom in modern culture? We've got LARPing, people having AI boyfriends and girlfriends, fictoromance. You're writing about all these things all the time. Why is this such a big part of culture?[00:08:06] Katherine: That's a great question. I think that the foundational reason is our culture is oriented around consuming media. And this is, you know, like, the subculture of media consumption is always going to be a fandom. But also, like, other things have eroded, right? Like, you know, it almost feels cliche to bring up, but everything from, like, third places to organized religion, you know, to national identity, you know, all of these things, right? What remains in its status is fandom. And so, you know, the marriage of the erosion of these other sort of cultural cornerstones, plus the importance of consuming media and the way we communicate, it creates this perfect storm. And I've even argued that, like, fandom is, in a way, like, you know, the main way that we know how to organize at this point. It's the chief way we express ourselves. You know, politics tend to, like, devolve into fandom. But the question is, like, well, what else do we have, really?[00:09:22] Henry: Right. Fandom, but also anti-fandom, right? I think that's a big part of culture.[00:09:25] Speaker 3: It's like. Yeah, absolutely.[00:09:28] Henry: Now, about ficto romance. I find this, like, really fascinating and I've been reading your case studies avidly. But I also am confused, like, people have always had strong feelings for characters in novels, right? So I read an essay, a 19th century essay about Pride and Prejudice recently. And I mean, this made me laugh. Some people don't like it. But the critic was like, these are the five most attractive heroines in 19th century English fiction and had, like, robust views about what made these fictional women attractive. What is different or what feels different about ficto romance today?[00:10:14] Katherine: You know, I don't think it is that different is the thing. I think a lot of stuff maybe feels different because it's somehow like more lowbrow or we don't respect the expression as much. I also think the role of art has changed. Like, we don't see, you know, like I talk to a lot of I actually posted an interview today with a guy who identifies as fictoromantic and his fictive other, which is the term they use instead of like significant other, is from Homestuck, which is a web comic that was really popular on Tumblr and is still very popular on Tumblr. And I think, like, ordinary people don't consider that art. Right. And so, like, it's difficult. Like, you see someone who maybe has this, like, devotion to, you know, someone in a great novel or maybe to, like, you know, Aphrodite or Venus or something like that. And they're producing what we're already primed to think of as great art in service of this love. And because the media properties that many of these people are emotionally attached to feel lowbrow, we take it less seriously and we think they're crazy. But if you actually talk to them, they're not crazy at all. I mean, it's a spectrum of expression. But I've never spoken to someone who feels like they're in active psychosis or something. It feels very familiar. Like I brought up in this interview that I posted today, you know, the way this young man was talking about this Homestuck character. And this is going to sound, I mean, this is going to sound crazy, maybe, but it reminded me of Mirabai, who I don't know if I'm pronouncing her name correctly, but she is this Hindu poet who had this great devotion for Krishna. And it was it felt very similar to me. It's just that it's reskinned in this way that is there's some dissonance.[00:12:35] Henry: So you don't think, because I read that interview and I thought it was great. Do you don't think like the behavior that the person you interviewed, like it's actively living with this fictoromantic partner and there's lots of like daily behavior involved. Right. And it's part of the structure of this person's life. Whereas, you know, in the past, like Diana Wynne-Jones used to say that she got a lot of letters about Hal's moving castle from, I think, basically teenage girls who fell in love with Hal. But that would be like. Almost entirely in their imagination, maybe if they wouldn't structure their life around it, is there some kind of difference there?[00:13:18] Katherine: What is different is I feel like because everything's commercialized, there's maybe more of an opportunity to buy products associated with the character that they're attached to. But if you look at the way people, most people, not all of them are expressing these relationships, like I ask these people, what does your relationship look like? It looks like creating art. And, you know, in another time, maybe they wouldn't have become a famous artist or whatever. But like I think it would have been more socially acceptable somehow. The student we used was Puppet, which is sort of maybe a little silly. But Puppet, who's the young man I interviewed, when I asked him, what does your relationship with Ro Strider look like? He said that he writes, he draws, he fantasizes. There is also, you know, there was also like a commercial component, like buying the body pillow. And that's maybe a little different. But to me, it reminds me of just any sort of creative expression. It's just phrased in a slightly different way.[00:14:36] Henry: Right, right. And one thing I liked about that interview was that I don't do the creative activities that this person does, but I was like, well, I speak pretty intensely about fictional characters. It made me sort of I was sort of forced to think, like, how different am I from this guy? Like I'm I have very strong feelings about people in books.[00:14:59] Katherine: I think a lot of us do.[00:15:02] Henry: Or movies, right? For a lot of people, it's movie characters, right?[00:15:04] Katherine: Yeah. I mean, that's that's the beauty of like dramatic structure, right? Like it you it allows us to suspend our disbelief and we feel like we're within the world of the narrative. And if you really like it, you want to take that feeling with you after the show has ended or the book has ended.[00:15:23] Henry: So I guess you're saying that this what it looks very weird to a lot of people, but it's not really so different from the way people grieve about like when Matthew Perry died and people were just completely distraught. It's kind of a similar thing because they had this strong identification with his character.[00:15:42] Katherine: Yeah, I mean, it's more intense, but like there were probably people who felt a really strong connection to Matthew Perry or to any celebrity. And again, it applies also to fictional characters, of course.[00:16:03] Henry: So what are people getting from fan fiction that they're not getting from other sorts of art? Like why is fan fiction so big now?[00:16:13] Katherine: It's playing in the space of a media property and an established world that you already have an attachment to. You know, people bring up a lot like there's, you know, there's certain stories that are like retold over and over and over again. Right. There's certain characters that reappear throughout novels through centuries. Right. And it's a similar idea. Right. It's like you enjoy the world of the story and you want to make it your own. Fan fiction is incredibly diverse. Right. There's some fan fiction that is that moves away from the canon so much you almost wonder, like, why, you know, why aren't you just creating an original work? But there's something that lies in there. And I also think part of it is the types of media that people are consuming are they already have these fandoms set up. Right. So it's it's it's it almost invites that form of expression.[00:17:21] Henry: Do you mean like you read Harry Potter and then you realize that there's already a massive Harry Potter fan fiction ecosystem so you can… it is to us what a theme park was to the 80s or whatever.[00:17:35] Katherine: Yeah, there's there's already this there's already somewhere to go and to meet people.[00:17:41] Henry: I was researching it earlier because I like I know nothing about it. And obviously I was asking deep research. And as I was reading all the stuff it gave me, I was like, people are trying to create almost like folktales based on this, you know, whatever the the original sources in this collectivizing impulse, whereas you say like it diverges, it has these repetitive tropes that they almost want to turn it into these kind of fairy tales or a collection of stories like that. So it seemed it seemed quite interesting to me. Now, you personally, you wrote on your sub stack, you said my lineage isn't literature, it's text based online role playing. Yes. Tell me what that what is that?[00:18:28] Katherine: So I so I always wanted to be a writer, but I wanted to be a writer because I would role play and role play, role playing the way I did it is is like playing, you know, it's like imaginative play that children do, like with Barbies or, you know, even just themselves. But it's it's translated to text because it's it's mediated. And so I would do, you know, I would role play all the time. And it wasn't like I was a voracious reader. I never was. And I don't think I am now. And I think it's it's actually reflected in my writing, actually, but it was because I was like role playing all the time. And I think a lot of people are like this, right? Like I didn't even really write fan fiction. I preferred role playing, which is a little bit more dramatic than than just than just writing. But I but at the time I thought, oh, because I'm I am literally writing something down that I am a writer. But really, it's more like theater, if anything.[00:19:28] Henry: So tell me what's happening, like you would be logging on to some kind of forum and you would be writing as if you were a particular person or character in this in the scenario and other people would be responding.[00:19:43] Katherine: Yeah, it's it's like acting, but through text, so you could do when I started, you could either do it in a chat room, there is text based role playing games, which I didn't actually participate in, like mod some multi user dungeons. I didn't I didn't even know those existed at the time. And then there was forums where and so there would be a theme and the theme could either be from a fandom like Harry Potter, for example, or it could just be a setting. So like high school or the beach or, you know, like an apartment complex and you would design a character and then you would it was it sort of looked like a collaborative story. But really, it was like you were you were just you could only control your own character. So you would just write a description of like, you know, someone says the setting is the beach and then character one comes in and describes what character one is doing and then character two comes in. And, you know, sometimes you would be ignored. Sometimes people would start a fight with you. All sorts of things could happen. And I it's I spent most of my time doing this for like over a decade.[00:20:53] Henry: So are there certain areas where this doesn't does not happen? Like, is there Jane Austen role playing or is it is that not the sort of premise?[00:21:02] Katherine: No, there's role playing for everything. There's like historical role plays. There's, you know, any novel under the sun. You could probably find someone, you know, more like Jane Austen. There's like a there's a rich role playing tradition. People love Jane Austen novels. Something I would do very often is if I was learning about a particular historical period in school, I would get like I would have I would develop these sort of like parasocial attachments with certain historical figures or even settings very similar to the way people feel about fandom. And then I would go home and role play the historical setting and I would read a lot about, you know, whatever it was, ancient Rome or whatever. And it would help me in school because I would be like acting it out online.[00:21:49] Henry: Yeah. You're working on fan fiction and A.I. at the moment. And I'm interested in this because I have this feeling everyone's like A.I. is only going to produce slop. It's not going to do anything new. But I've seen people. I've saw an interesting essay on Substack about someone writing their own fan fiction with A.I. And I sort of I wonder if the confluence of these two things is going to start leading to lots of very new types of fiction and potentially even I don't I mean, this is like a long term speculation, but even some kind of new type of literature. Tell us what you're working on with that.[00:22:32] Katherine: So I was curious the way I was curious, like how people were using A.I. in fandom spaces. And right now it looks it looks like there's this prohibition against using A.I. like people do you do create A.I. generated fan fics, but there's something about like the process and the love that you put into writing your fan fiction that people are very precious about. And they feel that A.I. infringes on this. And part of it is they're very concerned about like, where is the data coming from? Right. Is it somehow unethical because of the data that these LLMs are trained on? But where you see a real difference is people who use A.I. to role play. And that's where it's it seems like people are more open to it. It the feeling the feelings and reactions are a bit more mixed, but there does seem to be like a debate in different fandom spaces. Like some people argue like A.I. is an accessibility issue, like some people aren't good at writing. Maybe English isn't their first language. And this opens up a lot of space for them. And they feel like they're they're collaborating with this tool. Other people say that it's it's unethical and that since they're taking away the process, it is it's harming the work.[00:24:04] Henry: If they could be convinced or, you know, to their own satisfaction that it's not unethical, the data, the data sets and everything like it would be fine. Would they still just not want to do it? It would be fine. Would they still just not want to do it? Because this is the wrong phrase, but like it ruins the game. It's not the point.[00:24:25] Katherine: I think for some people. Yeah, I think the the ethical dimension is is extremely significant for a lot of people. But but for some, it's like, you know, they're not doing it to produce work for its own sake. Right. To go back to the example I gave about the writer who I suspect is using AI to create these news digests, like that person has committed to producing these digests, you know, X number of times a month as part of their livelihood. And so you can sort of see like, well, them using AI is a little bit more sympathetic. But if it's something you're doing for free, for fun, as an expression of love, I can I can see where people are like, well, you're farming it out. But I also am very sympathetic to the other side of that, where it's like maybe, you know, your writing skills aren't as strong and it does open doors and they are your ideas. And it's helping you speak more clearly in a situation where you couldn't otherwise.[00:25:32] Henry: Is it because the way people do this online together, it's a form of communicating, like it's all very oblique and indirect, but it's really just a form of people socializing and they feel like if the AI is there, then they're not getting what they need from it in that sense.[00:25:49] Katherine: Um, it is a form of communication. But I also think there is really a value placed on the like the personal dimension of it. Like, um, like bad fan art, right? Like if you know someone, someone's really trying their best, they really are committed to a fandom. They really love it. But their drawing isn't great and they share it. Of course, there will be people who are mean and who shame them. And there's all sorts of weird, like, you know, labyrinthine dramas that occur in these spaces. But there will also be people who are like, this is beautiful because you tried, because it was coming from a real place of love. And that that that devotion is a very important piece of the puzzle. Again, there there are gatekeepers, there is shaming that occurs. And you know, there's a lot of people who feel like they're not good enough. Like you constantly see this in forums on Reddit, on Wattpad, on AO3, like on all these spaces, people who are like self deprecating, they feel like their work isn't good enough. But there's again, like this, this sense of like, I did it because I love the property. I love the character. Which I guess sort of ties back to the thing about ficto romance, where it's just this extreme expression of, you know, a pulse that's already moving through the space.[00:27:12] Henry: The piece I read on Substack, it wasn't written by the person writing the book. It was written by her roommate. And she was saying, you know, to begin with, like, oh my God, I thought this was dreadful. But actually, the more I saw what was going on, she was like, I can see my roommate has written like 20,000 words in a week. And she's working really hard at it. And she's, you know, prompting and reprompting. And she knows what she likes. She really knows what she's doing and what she wants and how to get it to change its output. And she kind of, she didn't come around to saying, oh, this is a good thing. But I think she mellowed on the idea. And she could see that there was a certain amount of, there's something new happening, right? Some new kind of fiction is coming out of it.[00:27:55] Katherine: I totally agree too, that like, prompting and reprompting is in itself a creative expression. And this is something I tried to argue about AI art, where there is like, you know, not everyone is going to be able to produce the same thing. Like the writing the prompt is in it of itself a skill. And also there's your own taste, which informs the prompt and informs what you include. Like, I'm very proud of the images that I've produced with Mid Journey. Not, you know, not the same way I would be if I had, you know, painted it myself. But like, I do feel like it's informed by my unique experience and taste. And this particular combination of things is unique to me. And that's a type of art, even if it's involves different things than, you know, again, if I were myself painting it. And I think that applies to fan fiction as well. What I have been worried about, I mean, this is a tangent, is like, what happens to the generation that is like, all they know is prompting and AI, and they don't have that space to develop their own taste and their own perception. Like, I think that like, if you start out too fresh, if you started too green, and you haven't had time to develop taste, and that's where I see these platforms being a little bit more dangerous.[00:29:23] Henry: But couldn't we say that about you in the role-playing forums? Like, when they develop taste through like, deep immersive experiences with the AI?[00:29:36] Katherine: Well, no, because with the role-playing, it has to come from myself and from other people, right? And there's nothing like limiting it, right? Like, it's purely through my eyes. Like, maybe there's an issue here where like, the actual writing product would have been better if I was, you know, if I read more, right? Or if I watched different films, but it's only filtered through myself and through other people. Whereas, you don't know how you're gonna get walled in with the AI, especially if you go in too fresh, and you don't know how to prompt it.[00:30:17] Henry: Weren't those people more likely to be, aren't they more likely to get bored?[00:30:24] Katherine: I don't know. I don't know if they're more likely to get bored. I think they might get stuck. I mean, the flip side is maybe they'll innovate more because they're coming from a completely different perspective.[00:30:37] Henry: Right, that's true. I had this interesting experience recently where I saw a whole load of young people that I'm related to. They range from like eight to 16 or something. And some of them just could, they could not not be holding their phone. And some of them, they're like, they don't like the phone. They're reading Jane Austen. So there's a diversity in that sense. But they were all just against AI. Like it's a bad thing. People use it to cheat, all the usual stuff. And I was fascinated. I was like, guys, you should all be using AI. Let me tell you what the good models are. So I wonder if we'll see this bigger diversity within that generation where some of them, a bit like in our generation, right? Some people were online a lot. Some people weren't. And some people are still.[00:31:24] Katherine: I've noticed that there's a very strong anti-tech sentiment among younger generation. And it seems like bifurcated. In the same way you described, people who are so online that they're just like these internet creatures, right? Like if the internet is a forest, like they're like natives of it. And then the other side of it is people who feel like it stole a lot from them. It took a lot from their childhoods. And they're moving away from it. And as a statement, they're either getting like dumb phones or they don't have social media. Or if they do have social media, it's like very sparse. And they tend to have like two very different outlooks. The ones who are more online seem to be more chaotic, a little more nihilistic. And the ones who are more offline, like they seem to be like looking for something more. Like they're more obviously searching for meaning.[00:32:24] Henry: Are we gonna see more like book reading among the offline people?[00:32:30] Katherine: I mean, I would hope so. Who knows, right? Like who knows how much of it is a performance and how much of it is really happening. But I mean, I would imagine so. It does seem also that like a lot of digital outlets feel like something is changing. And I've noticed a lot more like physical media seems to be coming back. I'm interested in seeing how this develops in fan spaces. Early in fandom, like in the... And I guess like early is like right when it was like really starting to grow. So not at the origins, but it's sort of this like... Fandom exponentially grew in the late 70s. And the way people communicated with each other and like a very important mode of expression was a physical fanzine. And this was because first there was no internet and then the internet was confined to certain populations and not everyone had it. And I wonder if fanzines will come back or like handwritten letters. Even I have a couple of books that are collections of letters that these sisters wrote to a particular fandom. And it was just like, it was just a huge part of that particular world. And I thought that was really interesting as a way to keep in touch with people and to keep the community together.[00:34:01] Henry: Yeah, that sounds like a fascinating book.[00:34:05] Katherine: Yeah, it's a collection of... It's called like elf magic letters or something. It's really interesting. And it's also interesting because it's like not something that you can easily read because it's so specific to the time and the place. Like it really was for the people it was for, right? It's not, it doesn't stand the test of time in the same way.[00:34:28] Henry: So is there not much sense of tradition in fandom? Like are people going back to read the fanzines and stuff?[00:34:37] Katherine: There is a sense of tradition for sure. Some of these fanzines are hard to find. It depends on which fandom you're in. Fans love whatever property it is they're fans of. So there's always archivists and people who are curating these things and making these things available. I just wonder if it'll become more popular to return to physical media. And it probably is in certain spaces. I'm just not personally aware of them. Okay.[00:35:09] Henry: Do you think, like, how do you think fan fiction is going to change significantly with AI? Beyond questions of like register and stuff that you were talking about before. Are we going to see, is this going to be like a significant step change in the evolution of the form? Or is it just going to be what people are saying? Like lots of slots in the form of slot content, nothing new as it were.[00:35:33] Katherine: I'm not sure. There's a lot of fan art that's generated with AI that I feel like at first people were really skeptical of. And now they really like it. And it's sort of proven itself. I mean, there's still people who are fiercely against it. But with writing, it's a little bit trickier. And again, the reactions are like very mixed, mostly negative. Again, where I think you will see the most change is with role-playing. You know, AI is always on. You can say whatever you like without feeling embarrassed. Something that I've noticed in reading transcripts of people who, like, on some of these sites where people role-play with bots, you could publish the role-play. You could publish the transcript. And there's just completely disinhibited. Like, they're just really just saying whatever, right? Not in a way that they're trolling or trying to break the bot. But it's like, you know, there's a certain etiquette when you role-play. And they're really just going for it. And I'll just be honest. This is particularly obvious with sexual role-plays, right? They'll just get straight to it. If the person is there to role-play sex, they'll just jump straight to the point. And you don't have to worry about that. You don't have to worry about being embarrassed. If it doesn't work out or, you know, you don't get the response you want, you start it over, you reprompt it, or you go to another bot. So I think it might take away from that social aspect. Not everybody likes role-playing with bots, but I think a lot of people do.[00:37:21] Henry: To me, this is like prime material for people to write novels about. But I don't see, I don't yet see a lot of people taking that up. Do you think, like, how likely is it, do you think, that some people from within this space will end up, in whatever way this looks like in the future, writing and publishing something like, you know, a straightforward literary, whatever the word is, novel, about this subculture and about these ways of existing? Do you think some people will, like, prompt themselves into being novelists, as it were?[00:38:00] Katherine: I mean, I definitely think that people will write about AI companions and chat bots. I think we're already seeing that to some degree. I think, you know, it seems that everyone is fascinated by emotional attachment to chat bots. And there's, like, just explosions of big pieces about this, because it's so new. And what's surprising to me is, like, there's very little judgment. You know, there's very few people who are like, this is dystopian, right? You see some of that, but most of it is like, well, it is real love, you know? That's been very surprising to me. Something that I could foresee is, and I think would be very ethically tricky and might cause some controversies, people trying to publish their role-playing transcripts. Which, you know, some fan fiction is, like, downstream of role-playing transcripts, and it'll be, like, a collaborative work, right? But it would be, like, very controversial if, you know, like, you and I had a Pride and Prejudice roleplay. And, you know, so we were sending emails back and forth or something, and then I collated all of that and published it as my own story, like, you know, with some edits or whatever. Like, that would be stealing your work. What I could see happening is someone having, like, a really good roleplay and wanting to save the transcript and then, you know, cleaning it up, maybe running it through AI, and the prompt is, you know, turn this into a story and, like, remove redundancies or, you know, whatever. And then it'd be, like, is that their work, right? Like, how much of that belongs to them?[00:39:38] Henry: But I can see something happening where it's, like, you know, in the 19th century, things that were supposed to be cheap and lowbrow, like crime stories and things like that, became a whole new genre of literature, right? And by the end of the 19th century, you've got detective fiction, science fiction, fantasy fiction. They're all flourishing. They've all had decades of really interesting work, and it becomes, like, maybe even the dominant form of fiction in the 20th century. Do you think there's scope for, like, you know, a weird novelist like Muriel Spark, a new one of her to come along and, like, turn this, whatever this is happening with these role plays and everything, turn that into some kind of new kind of fiction, whether it's created with the AI or not with the AI, like, you'll get both, right? Is this, like, everyone thinks the literary novel is exhausted, is this the way out? I don't know.[00:40:37] Katherine: I think that they, like, maybe, maybe, like, a new type of, like, pulp novel or something, you know, something that's, like, considered, like, something that's considered lowbrow, right, and maybe isn't always treated that way. But I'm curious, like, how, like, I'm imagining, you know, people printing, like, paper books or creating EPUBs, but do you mean, like, an interactive form of a novel, maybe, or, like, are you talking about people, like, I mean, what are you imagining, I guess, is my question? I think, so I think it could be, I think in terms of format, it could be all of those.[00:41:25] Henry: What I really want to see is how this interacts with audiobooks, because I think audiobooks have become, like, quietly very dominant in the reading habits of people who are typically reading, like, highbrow nonfiction, literary fiction, whatever. And I can sort of imagine a scenario where, I don't know how long this takes, but, like, a new kind of pulp fiction has been created, it's drawing on fandom, roleplay, AI, so we've got this new kind of sub-genre, and then that gets morphed, a bit like genre fiction in the 19th century, into something much more, quote-unquote, literary, and that could be, like, a boring, typical old book, or it could be some kind of audio thing where, like, you're interacting with it, and you're picking the route and whatever, or you could interact with it through your LLM. You see what I mean?There's all these different ways, right?[00:42:26] Katherine: So I think this stuff already exists. Oh, okay. Oh, so that, I think that maybe what I was confusing was, you know, like, imagining, like, a new style, or, you know?[00:42:37] Katherine: But all of these, so all of these things, so I don't know if they're books, I mean, that's actually a good question, like, is it a form of literature? Like, are these bots that people are roleplaying with, is that literature, right? Because there's set parameters, and when you create these characters, you can, you have a lot of control over designing them, what their world is, what the person talking to them will receive back, right? And there's audio versions of that. So it is, like, stepping into a pre-created world where there's, like, some kind of collaboration. And then on the other hand, there's been lots of novels that started off as fan fiction, and this is actually pretty common, a lot of these, you know, like, teen romances or whatever that get popular on TikTok, a lot of those come from people who had been writing fan fiction smut, right? And turned it into original work. And you can see the traces of whatever fandom they were operating in, in the work, whether it's, like, an allusion to a pre-existing character in another property, or it's just the style of writing, or, like, the way they express romantic intimacy. So both things exist in different forms. I wish I had asked a clarified question earlier, because I feel like we were talking in circles a little bit, so I wasn't quite sure what you were envisioning. But yeah, there's a lot of, I wondered also, like, how will reading change as these bots become more sophisticated? Right now, it's a lot of, like, it's a lot of, like, just, you know, like, teenagers messing around in their fandoms, or people doing erotic role-playing, right? But what is the literary version of that? And that's a very exciting question, and, like, interesting realm of inquiry.[00:44:38] Henry: It's a good, it's currently a very good, like, footnotes-on-demand service, right?[00:44:44] Katherine: Yeah.[00:44:45] Henry: Yeah, like, what the hell is this kind of carriage that they're talking about, or whatever? Do you think it'll, you think it's going to develop beyond that kind of thing?[00:44:53] Katherine: Um, yeah, I do. I mean, something really interesting, I don't know if you've heard about this, it's not literature, but the website Every, so they have, like, several different tech newsletters, and they have a service where they'll take all the research for a given article, and you can talk to an LLM about the stuff they didn't include in the piece. But, so, here's even another idea, like, let's say, you know, you take, like, Harry Potter or something, and then there's, like, a Harry Potter LLM, and you can ask questions about the book, or, like, you know, what's in the store that didn't, you know, that we didn't open, right? Metaphorically, you know, what's behind the scenes and all this stuff we don't see in the actual text? And ordinarily, that's where fandom steps in, and fans will fill in that white space for themselves with their headcanon, so the decisions they make about the whatever narrative universe they're choosing to step into. But maybe in AI, you know, the author can say, all right, these are all my notes, and this is all the, this is the whole world that I couldn't fit into the actual story.[00:46:07] Henry: How is AI changing the way you write?[00:46:12] Katherine: All right, so I correct my grammar a lot. My grammar is, like, atrocious, or at least it is in my own opinion. Maybe it's actually not, but so I'll check for grammatical errors, and then I use it all the time as, like, a search engine. So I love, like, the deep research function on chat GPT. It's, like, I never use Google anymore. So if I have, like, questions about something, or if I'm not sure that an argument makes sense, either I'll, like, run it by, you're like, all right, I'm arguing, you know, like, this, this, and this. Like, does this make sense in my own head, or does this actually make sense? So that's a common DF question to chat GPT.[00:47:05] Henry: But, like, are you thinking about, you know, are you going to be a different sort of writer? Are you going to write more or less of certain things? Are you thinking about how people will be reading less? You know, you're competing with the AIs, you've got to write for the AIs. Is it affecting you like that, or do you feel like what you do is reasonably immune?[00:47:26] Katherine: Um, no, you know, I don't feel like I'm competing with AI. I feel like I'm competing with other people, but I'm not competing with AI. And I'm not, I'm not writing for it. I, you know, I remember that, that Tyler Cowen quote, and I wasn't totally sure what he meant by that. I mean, like, I don't know. I'm definitely not writing, writing for it. I mean, does he mean, like, as the AI, like, learns about each person and learns that, you know, each, each writer is contributing to the conversation, you want to make sure it's easily parsable. So you could, you could be included in history or something as AI starts to write our history. Actually, I guess that's a good point, if that doesn't end up happening. But no, I don't, I don't consider either of those things.[00:48:17] Henry: Um, you wrote about, you wrote a short response to the Machine in the Garden essay that was famous on Substack a few months ago. You said, if you don't have copycats, then you're doing something wrong. Just make sure people don't forget you're the original article. How, how do you do that? How do you, how does that affect the way you organize your writing?[00:48:43] Katherine: Oh, man, I publish a lot. If I feel like something is my unique idea, I repeat it over and over and over again. Yeah, I mean, that's, I guess it also, I mean, a question I don't have the answer to is like, you know, people worry about being plagiarized from or copycats, but what happens, you know, what happens with AI, right? Like, how does AI change that equation? I don't know. But, you know, you just hope for the best, you know, that humanity, you know, just the fact of being human is enough.[00:49:26] Henry: Do you think that the internet and social media are making things worse in the culture generally, the way that people like Ted Gioia argue, or are you more optimistic?[00:49:39] Katherine: Um, I'm slightly more optimistic. I think Ted Gioia is as much too dismissive of technology to the extent that I feel like I've, I've almost like taken a contrarian position, you know, and I, I've been a little bit I've been a little bit more techno-optimist than I would have been normally, because I just like, can't all be bad, right? There's a lot of really good things about the internet and about social media. I think that we really undervalue the friendships people make. And then people will say, well, like, well, look at, you know, how so-and-so got screwed over, you know, whatever famous drama. It's like, those people will f**k you over in real life, you know, in the physical world, right? That's a human problem. That's not a technology problem. I think we also, I, particularly people like Ted Gioia and John Height and Freya India, I mean, and I like all these people. I'm not, you know, but I think they also are, like, I don't know where Ted Gioia lives, but John Height's in New York and Freya is in London, as far as I know. When they talk about going like phone-free or like using the internet less or screen-based childhoods, you know, I, like, I agree. Like, look, like, I don't want my son attached to a phone or something. But I also live in Chicago. There's like a ton of stuff going on. And every single day, no matter what the weather is, he can go, one, see other children and two, go do something really fun. And so can I, right? And that's because I live in Chicago. But if I lived in a small town in Texas, like I did, you know, 10 years ago, like I need the, I, like the internet was my lifeline. Then it's how I made friends. It's how I entertain myself. And it sucks that it was like that. But like, not everyone has the privilege of a rich culture in their immediate environment. You don't have, you know, like, it doesn't mean you have to be online 24 seven, but for social media is like very important for people in those situations. And it's, I think there's this weird binary in the discourse where it's like, you're either online all the time, you know, rotting your brain with just like, you know, nonstop live leak videos, right? Or you have no phone at all, right? But I think there's even like high volume usage that isn't, you know, what I just described, that it's beneficial for certain people in certain situations.[00:52:12] Henry: What is it that you like about Mirabi's poetry? You mentioned this earlier, but I wanted to ask you specifically.[00:52:18] Katherine: Yeah, so I discovered her in my senior year of college. And I didn't know what ecstatic love was. Like I had never, I was completely unfamiliar with that concept. So even on the conceptual level, I was like, so struck by this ability to feel love for a deity, feel love for something non-physical.[00:52:54] Henry: Do you admire other poets in that tradition like Rumi?[00:52:59] Katherine: I'm not as familiar with other poets in that tradition.[00:53:02] Henry: Okay. After fan fiction and AI, what will you do next?[00:53:08] Katherine: I'm working on a whole bunch of stuff. Another piece I'm working on is about techno-animism. So this idea of like, I don't believe that technology is literally insoled, but I think that it's maybe not a bad thing to treat it as if it was. And if we're going to be in such like a technologically rich environment, like maybe if we did see a little bit of life in it, it would be better for us psychologically, which is like kind of a hard thing to argue because I think it turns people off like immediately. And I think there's like a lot of fear around it, but it's a very sad and sterile world, right? If we think that we're around all this lifelessness. And I think that's why I'm so attracted to writing about ficto-sexuals and ficto-romance because I love this idea of being able to see life in something where other people don't see it.[00:54:15] Henry: Katherine Dee, thank you very much.[00:54:18] Katherine: Thank you for having me. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.commonreader.co.uk/subscribe

Welcome to our monthly book discussion series hosted by Marisa Serafini (@serafinitv) and me, Phil Svitek! This month, we dive into Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, a whimsical and subversive fantasy novel that blends fairy tale magic with witty character dynamics.Follow Sophie Hatter's journey as she's transformed into an old woman by the Witch of the Waste and seeks refuge in the mysterious moving castle of the infamous wizard Howl. Along the way, she encounters a fire demon, uncovers hidden truths, and discovers her own unexpected magical abilities.Join us as we explore the novel's themes of fate vs. free will, identity, transformation, and the power of words. We'll discuss Diana Wynne Jones' unique writing style, her influence on fantasy literature, and the impact of Howl's Moving Castle on both readers and pop culture—including its renowned Studio Ghibli adaptation.We'd love to hear your thoughts! Share your favorite moments, insights, and interpretations in the comments.Upcoming Reads:• Confessions of a Forty-Something F** Up* by Alexandra Potter (March 2025)• Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (April 2025)• (May 2025 TBD)• Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Reckoning of Roku by Randy Ribay (June 2025)Be sure to like, share, and subscribe! Connect with us on social media and check out Marisa's podcast, Friends & Favorites w/ Marisa Serafini, available at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/friends-and-favorites-w-marisa-serafini/id1693327509.Yours truly,Phil SvitekFilmmaker, author, podcaster & 360 Creative Coach⁠http://philsvitek.com⁠

John is incoherent, Alison is excited, and Liz is romantic. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: None Letters of comment Abigail Nussbaum Ali Baker Brooks Andy Openshaw Chris Garcia Claire Brialey David Salter Ed Morland Farah Mendlesohn Irwin Hirsh Jonny Baddeley Neil Ottenstein Roseanna Pendlebury We also heard from: Fiona Moore, Ivan Sinha Readers' recommendations Best Novel Private Rites by Julia Armfield I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S Beagle Metal from Heaven by August Clarke In Universes by Emet North The West Passage by Jared Pechaček Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley Someone You Can Build a Nest in By John Wiswell Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form) Deadpool and Wolverine Tim Travers & the Time Travelers Paradox Best Game or Interactive Work: Tactical Breach Wizards Best Fancast Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones by Emily Tesh and Rebecca Fraimow Lady Eve's Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow Astounding Award The End of Nobility by Michael Green Briardene Books Preorders for Colourfields by Paul Kincaid are now open! Eastercon 2025: Reconnect in Belfast Picks John: Sliding Doors Alison: Three Men in Orbit by Sandra Bond Liz: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean Credits Cover art: “Availability Flowchart” by Alison Scott Alt text: A flowchart entitled “How to meet John, Alison and/or Liz at Eastercon”. The boxes culminate in “console yourself with Octothorpe 127”, and the various options are listed below, but the original file is here in case that's more helpful to the partially sighted. How to meet John, Alison and/or Liz at Eastercon Are you going to Reconnect? Of course!/Not sure Oh go on it will be a laugh Oh all right then/No… Are they in the bar? Yes! I can't see them Are you quite sure? Check again Oh wait… there they are No sign Is there another bar? Yes! Nope Are they on programme? Yes! No Wait till the moderator asks for questions But it's Octothorpe Live! Is your joke very funny? Obviously! Excellent! Good to know. COME AND SAY HELLO until then… Are they asleep or on the loo? No, they look chill Er, yes? Oh, that's a shame Console yourself with Octothorpe 127 Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

Host Jason Blitman talks to acclaimed author Nnedi Okorafor (Death of the Author) about her inspiration for the book, the personal tragedy that shaped its narrative, and her thoughts on the intersection of human artistry and AI. Then Jason talks to Guest Gay Reader, UK drag queen Holly Stars, who shares her recommendations for light-hearted reading and gives us a sneak peek into her own new release, Murder in the Dressing Room. Nnedi Okorafor is an international award-winning New York Times Bestselling novelist of science fiction and fantasy for children, young adults and adults. Born in the United States to Nigerian immigrant parents, Nnedi is known for drawing from African cultures to create captivating stories with unforgettable characters and evocative settings. Nnedi has received the World Fantasy, Nebula, Eisner and Lodestar Awards and multiple Hugo Awards, amongst others, for her books. Champions of her work include Neil Gaiman, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, George RR Martin, and Rick Riordan. Literary ancestors Diana Wynne Jones, Ursula K. Le Guin and Nawal El Saadawi also loved her work. Nnedi holds a PhD in Literature, two Master's Degrees (Journalism and Literature) and lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her daughter Anyaugo. Learn more at nnedi.com. You can also follow her on Twitter (@nnedi) and Instagram (@nnediokorafor).Holly Stars is a drag stand-up comedian and writer. She is the writer of the smash-hit drag murder mystery, Death Drop, a play that has had three runs on the West End and a UK and Ireland tour. Holly has two seasons of her own television series, Holly Stars: Inspirational, on Froot TV and OutTV, and regularly performs in London and around the UK. Her solo shows include: Justice For Holly, Nightmare Neighbour and Birthday.BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.comWATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreadingBOOKS!Check out the list of books discussed on each episode on our Bookshop page: https://bookshop.org/shop/gaysreading MERCH!Purchase your Gays Reading podcast merchandise HERE! https://gaysreading.myspreadshop.com/ FOLLOW!@gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

"There you are sweetheart."Come on readers, Christian Bale as the voice of our beloved rakish wizard Howl? This movie is up there with Pride and Prejudice in the comfort film rotation, but this week, we're reading, listening, and watching this story. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6294.Howl_s_Moving_Castle

"There you are sweetheart."Come on readers, Christian Bale as the voice of our beloved rakish wizard Howl? This movie is up there with Pride and Prejudice in the comfort film rotation, but this week, we're reading, listening, and watching this story. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6294.Howl_s_Moving_Castle

In case you haven't noticed, there's a lot going on *gestures everywhere*, so rather than get into anything too tragic, as we're wont to do, we've instead gathered some Comfort Media for Interesting Times (™)–that is, the pop culture we turn to when things are rough and we're in need of a boost to help us make it through. This episode, in the style of our Pop-Culture Round Ups, we trade off sharing cozy books, music, and TV shows that bolster our spirits and help us feel warm inside. Lit "rounded up" this Episode: Howl's Moving Castle (1986) by Diana Wynne Jones On a Sunbeam (2018) by Tillie Walden Eva Ibbotson's 5 romance book set in the early 1900's, but especially The Reluctant Heiress (1982)  A Countess Below Stairs  (1981) The Discographies of Maaya Sakamoto (Shounen Alice and Single Collection: Nikopachi (2003)) and Hikaru Utada (Bad Mode (2022) and Ultra Blue (2006) Show Notes: What's Sparking Joy: Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, Blue Box (aka Aoi no Hako) on Netflix Other lit discussed this episode: Spinning by Tillie Walden, My Happy Marriage, The Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones, First Love (J-Drama) Correction: Tessa from The Reluctant Heiress is a staunch "republican," not "communist." Check out SLL Live in 2025: April 2025 - Romance in CNY: ⁠⁠⁠https://romanceincny.com/⁠⁠⁠ July 2025 - RomantiConn: ⁠⁠https://www.romanticonn.com/⁠⁠ On Future SLL Episodes: A Court of Thorns and Roses/A Court of Mist and Fury, Strangers Again, Let's Get Divorced, and Trope Spotlight: Forced Proximity. Don't forget to subscribe to Sex. Love. Literature! You can find us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SexLoveLitPodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠; on Instagram , Tumblr, and BlueSky @SexLoveLitPodcast. Our cover art is by Charcooll (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/charcooll/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). TheSLL Theme music is “Pluck It Up” by Dan Henig. What's Sparking Joy BGM is "Candy-Coloured Sky" by Catmosphere | https://soundcloud.com/ctmsphr;Released by Paper Crane Collective; Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com; Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Sex. Love. Literature. is a pop culture podcast that relishes the romantic, the sexy, and the scandalous in media. Join pop culture scholars (and besties) Ayanni and Corinne as they deep dive into why the “sex-stuff” in media matters. Main episodes drop the last Friday of the month.

Chow down on chicken tikka masala with Gareth L. Powell as we discuss the way a Diana Wynne Jones critique of his teenaged writing was a complete revelation in how to write fiction, how an adversarial relationship with a university professor who didn't want him writing science fiction actually ended up helping him, the New Year's resolution which led to him to both kick smoking and write a novel, how reading William Gibson's short story collection Burning Chrome shook him up and made him realize what kind of short stories he really wanted to write, the message he most wants to convey to beginning writers in his workshops, the importance of stepping outside your comfort zone, how to make a good impression when approaching an editor in a convention bar, the way he developed his propulsive writing style, why he's so receptive to editorial suggestions, what it was like collaborating with Peter F. Hamilton and Aliette de Bodard, his techniques for deciding which of many story ideas you should write, the reason his mother refuses to read his books, why writing novels can be like telling a joke and waiting two years for somebody to laugh, and much more.

Send us a textWelcome to Season 5 Episode 12 of That Pretentious Book Club! In this episode Wheezy and Gino fill their glasses and dive into the sweet, slightly nostalgic young adult fantasy Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones--the inspiration for Studio Ghibli's 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film of the same name. From comparisons between the relative "thirst-worthiness" of Howl in the book versus the movie, to life lessons we can all learn from Sophie Hatter, the hosts had their work cut out for them fitting this episode into a remotely acceptable length of time.Skippers jump to 23:35Pour yourself a cup of tea, raise a pinky, and join the club for this discussion of Howl's Moving Castle!Support the showFind this episode's book and more by shopping at https://bookshop.org/shop/storysirensstudio to support the club AND local bookstores!Visit us at storysirensstudio.com or find us on social media @thatpretentiousbookclub.Check out sister podcast The Scripturient Society for writers and join our writing group and chat hub on Discord! (https://discord.gg/YAzqwsHH)Find Space Aliens, Southerners, and Saving the World by Ash Leigh O'Rourke on Amazon.

"It's not easy being old." - Sophie With our latest Studio Ghibli movie directed by Hayao Miyazaki, we're talking about the 2004 anime, "Howl's Moving Castle" - based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones... Podcasters Featured: Erik and Meghan Slader from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nerdeagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Elyse from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Super Switch Club⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Douglas Gale from ⁠⁠What's Your Damage?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kaslo 25⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Twitch Zack Derby from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The NeatCast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Effin Cultured⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Tracy T from the Discord! (Edited by Erik Slader / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Vigo ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@DeftStrokeSound!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)  *Note: Bill is still editing "Porco Rosso"... Next Time: "The Boy and the Heron"! 2024 is the Year of Ghibli... If you would like to be featured on an upcoming episode head over to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://probablywork.com/podcasters-assemble/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can also join the discussion in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord server⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Our Merch!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Network Info This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network. Follow us below to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts! The place for those with questionable taste! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: @probablywork⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.probablywork.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ProbablyWorkPod@gmail.com

Welcome back to Mythmakers for our sixth season!   Megan Whalen Turner began her career in 1996 and is still going strong as her series The Queen's Thief becomes available in the UK and the Commonwealth for the first time. US readers have been enjoying the series for years and she won the Newbury Award and Mythopoeia Award in recognition of her achievements. Take a listen as she tells our host Julia Golding about her career, the books that inspired her, and her link to Oxford fantasy through Dianne Wynne Jones. Megan also shares with us her fascinating insights into her unique process for plotting!    You can catch up with Megan if you are near Bath, England, for the literary festival. Visit the link for more information: https://bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature/   For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit: Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok   0:00 Introduction to Mythmakers Podcast 8:54 The Influence of Diana Wynne-Jones 13:01 Audiobooks and Storytelling 17:55 American Fantasy Influences 23:46 Cultural Storytelling in Fantasy 29:30 The Storytelling Process 35:44 The Mediterranean Influence 44:22 Advice for Aspiring Writers 44:36 Living in a Fantasy World

Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County presents What Are You Reading? In this episode Christie, Katie and special guest Steve discuss "Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones. Interested in being in our Podcast? Contact us at library@knox.net

Send us a Text Message.Everyone who's read a blog post on the Hero's Journey can spot the Hero and Mentor archetypes, but what about a Threshold Guardian, or Herald, or elusive Shapeshifter? Are these actual story archetypes or just personifications of the early stages in the Hero's Journey? Do they play a significant role in modern narratives? And just how sexist is Christopher Vogler, in his book The Writer's Journey, going to get in his descriptions of the femme fatal/temptress Shapeshifter? Find out what we have to say about these three archetypes in this episode---and boy, does Renee have things to say.As a bonus, we draw upon Diana Wynne Jones's book, Howl's Moving Castle, for examples.Remember, we have a Writers Process/Writing Sprint meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

Originally released May 25, 2020. Veronica Roth, bestselling author of the Divergent series and the brand-new, adult-oriented fantasy Chosen Ones, joins Craig and Ryan to discuss her pick for the Author's Shelf podcast series. Veronica had the guys read Dark Lord of Derkholm, a 1998 fantasy parody by Diana Wynne Jones. The trio has a good time picking apart a few of the key characters and themes of the book, and Veronica enlightens the group on the personal connection between Jones and Tolkien. Visit Veronica's website and check out Chosen Ones Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

We're continuing Diana Wynne Jones' beloved Chestomanci with The Lives of Christopher Chant! We follow Christopher as he journeys through the Anywheres, chafes under the controlling adults in his life, and dedicates himself to cricket and cricket alone. A romp, a revelation, the best time we've had in quite a while - you owe it to yourself to revisit Throgmorten's charms. This episode has laughs and tears AND some very triggering salmon sandwiches. We'll leave you with a resounding: “WONG!”EPISODE MEDIAOur other Chrestomanci episodes:Charmed LifeWitch WeekWe somehow haven't covered The Magicians of Caprona although I swore we had??? Guess we gotta! Also I'm losing my mind!Plus our million other DWJ episodes, which we will continue producing indefinitely in our quest to become the Preeminent Diana Wynne Jones Podcast™️MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Today's book discussion centers around the favorite of not one, but two members of the Semi-Bookish crew. In this episode we discuss Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, our favorite characters, and how we compare it to the movie.

QuestBoundReader joins the podcast for a free for all discussion covering all of The Wandering Inn through Book 7, The Rains of Liscor.   QuestBoundReader's Youtube Channel QuestBoundReader's Review of The Rains of Liscor   Books Mentioned: Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher; The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding; Malazan by Steven Erikson; Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan; Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones; Tortall Universe (various) by Tamora Pierce; Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones; The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede; Tanya Huff; Louis McMaster Bujold (various including Vorkosigan saga); A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik; Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi; The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez; Kraken Rider Z by David Estes; Practical Guide to Evil by ErraticErrata; Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson; He Who Fights With Monsters by Shirtaloon; The Iron Prince by Bryce O'Connor and Luke Chmilenko; The Will of the Many by James Islington; Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman; The Bound and the Broken by Ryan Cahill; Dresden Files by Jim Butcher Book Recommendations: Dragonus - Temeraire by Naomi Novik; Beware of Chicken by CasualFarmer Oshi - The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner; Vorkosigan Saga by Louis McMaster Bujold; Hidden Legacy and the Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews

Hi. It's us. Same podcast releases across this feed and The Bookening and Sanity at the Movies. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Beck's Moving Podcast   Step through the magic door to the world of podcasts, and listen in as the Becks discuss Diana Wynne Jones' novel and Hayao Miyazaki's film Howl's Moving Castle! Alongside the story, the Becks dive into Codie's growing appreciation of baseball, Billy's growing appreciation of capitalism, and the cartoons that shaped their childhoods.   linktr.ee/soonmajorpod

Una historia divertida y llena de aventuras, fantasías e intriga, un clásico de la literatura fantástica. #elcastilloambulante por #DianaWynneJones --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/libroclaroscuro/message

Hello hello hello! See, it wasn't entirely a fluke! We really are back! We're really here! Listen along for an adventure through the magical door as Mad and Cass discuss some of the numerous differences between the book Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones and the movie directed by Hayao Miyazaki. As Movie Sophie would say, "Take care, Turnip Head!" Make sure to follow and subscribe so you never miss an update, and don't forget to rate and review, especially if you loved listening! xoxo Mad & Cass Follow us on Instagram: @TheReadCarpetPod @readingwraynbow @fictionalcass Send us an email with questions or episode suggestions!  thereadcarpetpod@gmail.com

In which Devin and Paola talk about stuff.Support Film Literate on Patreon!Guest: Paola Zavala (Instagram, Letterboxd)

In part two of three of their 3rd Annual Mysterious Galaxy Summer Bingo Showdown Throwdown, Smack and Gabi settle in with some wine to continue playing two games.  One is the typical showdown throwdown which we all know and love.  The other is Rock, Paper, Scissors for what should be an impartial tie-breaker but which is somehow…not.  This month's match-up features hard horror limits (mushrooms!), sci-fi portal fantasy time shenanigan takes on Arthurian legend, sassy magical cats, voyeuristic houses, and a fun, definitely 100% accurate history sidebar with Smack about Elizabethan England.  Come back in January for part three to see who wins! The titles showdowned throwdowned in this episode include: Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson vs. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones vs. Hunting Kat by Piper J. Drake The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai v. An Impractical Guide to Satyr Charming by Cynthia Diamond The Great Troll War (The Last Dragonslayer #4) by Jasper Fforde v. A Crown of Ivy and Glass (The Middlemast Trilogy #1) by Claire Legrand Unmasked by the Marquess (Regency Imposters #1) v. Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

Strum your cwidder and make the mountains walk

Unlike some DJs, Liz and Ben do take requests - like this month's short story! They're joined by comedian and DJ Andrew McClelland to spin discs with the soul collector, as they discuss Terry Pratchett's 1989 short story “Turntables of the Night”. John, one half of the “Hellfire Disco” mobile DJ business, is helping the police with their enquiries. His latest gig, a fairly sedate Halloween party, did not go smoothly - and it all revolves around a mysterious visitor to the dancefloor, who had an unusual request for DJ Wayne... Written for Diana Wynne Jones' 1989 collection of original fiction Hidden Turnings, “Turntables of the Night” came to Pratchett title first. It's a spooky tale of obsession, records, music and death - or rather Death, appearing outside the Discworld for perhaps the first time in Pratchett's writing. Is this fantasy or horror? Did Pratchett really know who Ian Curtis was? Who did he call up to get insight into the DJ trade? What would Death ask you to curate for him? Who would be the crown jewel in his collection now? And which of Pratchett's other short stories do you want us to devote an entire episode to? Join in the conversation using the hashtag #Pratchat72 on social media. Guest Andrew McClelland (he/him) is a writer, comedian and DJ who has often mixed in his other loves, like history, music, DJing and Gilbert & Sullivan, to create the “niche” nerdy and gentlemanly comedy for which he's known. Andy has also frequently collaborated with #Pratchat38 guest Lawrence Leung. As a DJ, Andy works constantly in Melbourne and did indeed open for Cher during her 2018 Australia and New Zealand tour. His club night Andrew McClelland's Finishing School doesn't run as regularly as it used to, but as of this episode it has a 15th anniversary night on 10 November, and an annual 90s night on 24 November. Find Andy on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter (if you must) or at his website djandrewmcclelland.com. Finishing School is on Facebook. As usual, you can find notes and errata for this episode on our website. Next episode we get into the Hogswatch spirit by opening an entire book of season stories, as we discuss the 2017 collection of Pratchett's children's fiction, Father Christmas's Fake Beard. You can send us questions about any of the stories (which we'll list on our website for reference), or about the book in general, using the hashtag #Pratchat72 on social media. Or send them in via email to chat@pratchatpodcast.com.

A great book, a great author, a great discussion. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This is the ninth episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts. It's summer in Moominvalley and this book truly hits the ground running. There's a volcano casually going off in the background, and another flood, and the Moomin family has to relocate to a strange floating house. Also, Snufkin is nowhere to be found and Moomintroll is pining away. We've got a bunch of cool new characters, some magical midsummer traditions, and a lot of theatrical superstitions. Dave is taking a new occasional rubrik out for a spin: it's the Clothes Corner!... Nina's usual Botany Corner is also here, and it's all about mosses and lichens. Our Spirits this week are Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio, The Spellcoats by Diana Wynne Jones, and So I Got To Thinking, a Sex and the City podcast by Juno Dawson and Dylan B Jones.

In Episode 2, host Robin Allender continues his chat with Alasdair MacLean and James Hornsey as they give him a track-by-track guide to The Clientele's new album I Am Not There Anymore. The discussion touches on production, equipment, recurring lyrics, and the album as an 'emotional autobiography'. Along the way, Alasdair talks about the influence of the writers Alan Garner and Susan Cooper.Interview with Alasdair on Our Culture by Konstantinos Pappis:https://ourculturemag.com/2023/07/28/the-clientele-i-am-not-there-anymore-interview/Louder Than War interview with Alasdair by upcoming guest Audrey Golden:https://louderthanwar.com/the-clientele-interview-with-alasdair-maclean/Recommended Backlisted episodes:Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones: https://www.backlisted.fm/episodes/55-diana-wynne-jones-fire-and-hemlockRed Shift by Alan Garner: https://www.backlisted.fm/episodes/31-alan-garner-red-shiftThe Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper: https://www.backlisted.fm/episodes/127-susan-cooper-the-dark-is-rising Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gareth L. Powell is a British author known for using fast-paced, character-driven science fiction to explore big ideas and themes of identity, loss, and the human condition.He has twice won the coveted British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novel, and has become one of the most-shortlisted authors in the award's 50-year history. He has also been a finalist for the Locus, British Fantasy, Seiun, and Canopus awards.Gareth started writing seriously as a teenager and was lucky to be able to count Diana Wynne Jones and Helen Dunmore as early mentors.His novels have regularly appeared on the Locus Bestseller lists, and have been Amazon bestsellers in the UK, USA and Japan. About Writing, his field guide for aspiring authors, also topped the Amazon charts and continues to inspire a new generation of upcoming authors.Gareth's Embers of War trilogy is being adapted for television, and he has co-written groundbreaking stories with bestselling authors Aliette de Bodard and Peter F. Hamilton.He is a popular guest at conventions and literary festivals and his work has been translated into German, Spanish, Catalan, Russian, Polish, Hebrew, Greek, French, Italian, Japanese, and Croatian.Gareth maintains a popular newsletter at Substack, where he posts about writing, future tech, and science fiction, and he offers monthly Zoom classes to aspiring authors.He is talking about his road to writing and his latest novel, Descendant Machine.Descendant Machine:When Nicola Mafalda's scout ship comes under attack, she's left deeply traumatised by the drastic action it takes to keep her alive. Months later, when an old flame comes to her for help, she realises she has to find a way to forgive both the ship and her former lover. Reckless elements are attempting to reactivate a giant machine that has lain dormant for thousands of years. To stop them, Nicola and her crew will have to put aside their differences, sneak aboard a vast alien megaship, and try to stay alive long enough to prevent galactic devastation.#GarethPowell #GarethPowellAuthor #Scifihorror #WritingProcess #Interview #BookLovers #CreativeWriting #InspiringConversations #SuccessStory ______________________________________Find out more: www.TheWritingCommunityChatShow.ComTHE WCCS – TOGETHER AS ONE WE GET IT DONE!If you would like to advertise your #book on the show, to enroll in a book launch interview, or to have a WCCS social media shout out, visit here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheWCCSFOLLOW US► Our website – https://www.thewritingcommunitychatshow.com► Universal link – https://linktr.ee/TheWCCS► Buy the show a coffee – https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheWCCS► Use hashtag TheWritingCommunityChatShow or TheWCCS on social media to keep us current. This show will only succeed with your support!► Support us through Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/WCCS► For our FIVERR affiliate link click here (we will earn a little from you signing up through our link and more if you use the service. We back this service and have used it with great results! – https://fvrr.co/32SB6cs► For our PRO #WRITING AID affiliate link click here – https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=15286Hey! We have spent 3 years using StreamYard. You can see how much we love its features, and how we can make it look great for live streaming. We are huge fans and they are constantly improving their service. Check it out with our link and we could earn from referrals!https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4835638006775808This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5445493/advertisement

Howl likes to move it, move it. Audrey Lazaro and Dan McCoy are on to discuss Diana Wynne Jones’s book Howl’s Moving Castle (1986). John McCoy with Dan McCoy and Audrey Lazaro.

Howl likes to move it, move it. Audrey Lazaro and Dan McCoy are on to discuss Diana Wynne Jones’s book Howl’s Moving Castle (1986). John McCoy with Dan McCoy and Audrey Lazaro.

Cressida Cowell joins me to talk about The Ogre Downstairs by Diana Wynne Jones, the 1974 fantasy standalone. Cressida is the author of the multi-million selling How To Train Your Dragon series as well as brand new series Which Way to Anywhere. She was also the Children's Laureate from 2019 - 2022. We talk about coming back to the ideas your found intoxicating as a child, the importance of school libraries and why Diana Wynnes Jones made both of us the writers we are. You can find the books we discussed here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcastAnd you can find out more about Cressida's Life-Changing Libraries campaign here: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/childrens-laureate/lifechanginglibraries/This is the final episode of series one of Bookwandering, but we'll be back later in the year with series two. The podcast is produced by Adam Collier with artwork by Hester Kitchen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode I talk to academic and children's author Katherine Rundell about Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones, the 1977 beginning of the Chrestmanci series, and why we both rate it as one of the all time greats of children's literature. We also discuss Katherine's 2019 essay, Why You Should Read Children's Books Even Though You Are So Old and Wise, which does an excellent job of pitching the entire purpose of the podcast. All books mentioned can be found here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bookwandering-the-podcastAnna is @acaseforbooks across social platforms and Katherine is @katherine.rundell on Instagram.New episodes on Wednesdays. Music by Adam Collier, artwork by Hester Kitchen. Produced by Adam Collier. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Buh buh baaah DUN DON bah boohhhhaaahh, that's the dramatic orchestral theme to our end-of-year analytical tournament. Did you listen to the last year of our podcast and want our half-remembered perspectives on each book? Listen up. Did you not listen to any of this podcast and want a quick recap of the books we read and some analysis months after the fact? Listen up. Do you not care about this podcast? Why not listen to this episode first, it won't mean anything anyway. Who cares? Listen up. Coming in Year 3 of On Air Book Fair, we'll start reading Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, inspiration to the much more well-known Studio Ghibli movie but I swear to Ellimist you should read the book. Jay's projects can be found at MimicsMarket.com Miles streams over at Twitch.tv/avatarkiora Dan's writing is featured in archiveoftheodd.wordpress.com WARP SPEED DON'T RAINBOW READ ME N----------------- --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/onairbookfair/message

In this episode we discuss the novel Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Listen to the episode to find out what we thought, and more importantly what our cat thought of the book!Book blurb: Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fortune. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.If you enjoyed the episode remember to like/review!Notes: The Discworld Audio books Lottie mentions are by Penguin not Puffin Content WarningsNASupport the showSocial MediaWebsite: https://teachingmycattoread.wordpress.com/Email: teachingmycattoread@gmail.comGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/130760733-teachmycat2read-podcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachmycat2read/Twitter: https://twitter.com/teachmycat2read?s=09Tumblr: https://teachingmycattoread.tumblr.comYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFXi9LNQv8SBQt8ilgTZXtQ

In this episode, we are learning about how the stories we love can impact the way we build our outdoor spaces! This is a collaboration with the Best Book Ever Podcast hosted by Julie Strauss. She interviews me, Maci Nelson, on my favorite book, Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. The book was adapted into a Studio Ghibli animated film- which inspired the way Maci approaches landscape architecture. Enjoy! Best Book Ever: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/best-book-ever-podcast/id1514465335 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thelandscapenerd/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thelandscapenerd/support

Welcome to Steam Powered Movies! The movie podcast hosted by Dana & Mike Fraedrich where we watch steampunk movies and then talk about them. For this episode we watched the wonderful 2004 Hayao Miyazaki creation "Howl's Moving Castle". Based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones, what artistic liberties were taken during the film adaptation process? Just how incredible is the visual storytelling of Miyazaki? For answers to these and other wonderings, tune in to a conversation full of heart, spark, and so much more! Video about steampunk history mentioned in this episode: https://youtu.be/6Dj54Uag08E Book Dana was doing research for mentioned in this episode: https://books2read.com/u/bPgG7l If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review! Also, follow us on Twitter @SteamPoweredPod for up-to-date news & release notifications. For more info on Dana's books & events visit www.WordsByDana.com Theme music by Mike Fraedrich (c) 2022

Join us for a delightful discussion on this charming modern fairy tale! We discuss the characters and the setting, how it's like and unlike ancient fairy tales, the funniest parts, and what we can learn from it. If you love magic or mystery, humor or human characters, this one's for you! #fairytales #childrensbooks

Katherine Rundell is, in a word, enthusiastic. She's enthusiastic about John Donne. She's enthusiastic about walking along rooftops. She's enthusiastic about words, and stories, and food. She has often started her morning with a cartwheel and is currently learning to fly a small plane. A prolific writer, her many children's books aim to instill the sense of discovery she still remembers from her own unruly childhood adventures—and remind adults of the astonishment that still awaits them.  She joined Tyler to discuss how she became obsessed with John Donne, the power of memorizing poetry, the political implications of suicide in the 17th century, the new evidence of Donne's faith, the contagious intensity of thought in 17th century British life, the effect of the plague on national consciousness, the brutality of boys' schooling, the thrills and dangers of rooftop walking, why children should be more mischievous, why she'd like to lower the voting age to 16, her favorite UK bookshop, the wonderful weirdness of Diana Wynne Jones, why she has at least one joke about Belgium in every book, what T.S. Eliot missed about John Donne, what it's like to eat tarantula, the Kafka book she gives to toddlers, why The Book of Common Prayer is underrated, and more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded September 2nd, 2022 Other ways to connect Follow us on Twitter and Instagram Follow Tyler on Twitter Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Subscribe at our newsletter page to have the latest Conversations with Tyler news sent straight to your inbox. 

Harry has some rage and does a little rebellion and has a crush on Cho idk Email us at restrictedsectionpod@gmail.com to tell us what you thought of Dumbledore's Army or even what you think of us! We'd love to read your email on the show. Be sure to subscribe to know right away about new episodes, and rate and review! SUPPORT US ON OUR PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/therestrictedsection THANK YOU LOVE YOU BUY OUR MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/user/restricted-section-podcast THANK YOU LOVE YOU IG: https://www.instagram.com/restrictedsectionpod/ TW: https://twitter.com/restrictedpod FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rspoddetentioncrew/   Check out our other amazing Deus Ex Media podcasts! www.deusexmedia.org   This episode featured: Christina Kann https://linktr.ee/christinakann Christina plugged Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones https://bookshop.org/a/65495/9780061478789 Also the Studio Ghibli movie adaptation https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347149/ Haley Simpkiss TW @TheWrit_toWit https://twitter.com/TheWrit_toWit Haley plugged Ask a Mortician https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5iiEyLwSLvlqnMi02u5gQ Alex from My Cabbages! https://www.deusexmedia.org/mycabbages Alex plugged Hades https://www.supergiantgames.com/games/hades/

In which gods become dogs and get stuck in their bods! We're discussing Dogsbody, by Diana Wynne Jones in all its celestial, dog-brained glory. Sirius the dog star is punished for a mysterious murder by being trapped in an earthly pup form - and his only way back to his galaxy is to find the enigmatic Zoi that he threw down to Earth. Leave it to DWJ to make this conceit at turns heartbreaking, hilarious and ultimately bittersweet. Madeleine maintains that for those similarly traumatized by The Tigger Movie, this is a tough read. Grace is too consumed by big dumb dog thoughts to ponder anything other than dumpster leftovers and the lure of the Wild Hunt. Join us!This episode was a listener request - thank you, quemmegalaxy! If you'd like to make a request, leave a comment or email us at dragonbabiespodcast@gmail.com.EPISODE MEDIAMondragon Books in Lewisburg, PAThe Green Ribbon

Today we're re-releasing one of our most popular podcasts! Why is Oxford, England, such a fantasy hotspot? From Lewis Carroll to Philip Pullman, Diana Wynne-Jones to Deborah Harkness, it has inspired writers and is even the location for many fantasy stories. It is famously home of the Inklings whose leading figures, Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, established two of the biggest fantasy worlds yet invented. So what's the secret? Is it the university with its exchange of ideas, the beautiful built environment and countryside, or a combination of factors that make it a place where fantasy seems possible? Step through the wardrobe to find out. Stay listening to find out the pick for the best library in a fantasy series. Let us know yours if you want to suggest another top fantasy destination for bookworms. Visit https://oxfordcentreforfantasy.org/mythmakers

Kaley and Taylor discuss "Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones and compare it to its Studio Ghibli movie adaptation. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tbwbpodcast/support

This week we look at different transformation tales. This troupe has been in fiction for a long time, with many stories being direct adaptations of the Beauty and the Beast story. So this week we look at three such tales: By The Book by Jasmine Guillory, Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, and the 2006 film Penelope. How do these stories stack up to the classic fairy tale they take inspiration from, and will Disney+ listen to Mary's pitch for their own rom com universe? Listen to this week's episode and find out. New episodes of Casing the Cover are released each month. New and current episodes available at Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Qg83iCryEXcwoTIJ6aqOA Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/mary-harrington/casing-the-cover Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/casing-the-cover/id1470176150 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5qOQUYz-qEJZ0JGgFsmnQQ To get regular updates about Casing the Cover, or to suggest an upcoming episode topic or book for review you can find us at: https://www.facebook.com/CasingTheCover @casingthecover on Twitter or email us at Casingthecoverpod@gmail.com Special thanks to Mic Leone for our logo design: https://www.facebook.com/MicLeoneDesigner Disclaimer: Copyrighted images and text excerpts used in Casing The Cover's video or audio belong to their respective owners. Casing the Cover does not claim any ownership of these copyrighted materials. The use of cover images and text excerpts in our podcast is for the purposes of review and critique and is protected under the Copyright Act of 1976 which allows fair use of copyrighted works for the purposes of criticism, news reporting, teaching and parody.

Maci Nelson is a landscape designer, educator, and podcaster. She launched the Landscape Nerd Podcast in 2020, and has collaborated with leaders in landscape architecture, ecology, and art. She is also an avid reader, and she joined me today to talk about “Howl's Moving Castle,” a book she loves because the landscapes in the animated movie deeply inspired her.   Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website   Do you have a book you want to tell me about? Go HERE to apply to be a guest on the Best Book Ever Podcast.   Host: Julie Strauss Website/Instagram     Guest: Maci Nelson Website/Instagram/Podcast   Discussed in this episode: Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Howl's Moving Castle Film Comic by Hayao Miyazaki (this is the graphic novel based on the art of the 2004 animated film from Studio Ghibli) There is also this beautiful companion book of the sketches and concept art from the movie: The Art of Howl's Moving Castle Howl's Moving Castle Movie Spirited Away Movie Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes Best Book Ever Episode 098 – Sivan Hong on “The Sense of an Ending” by Julian Barnes (Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links, meaning I get a few bucks off your purchase at no extra expense to you. Anytime you shop for books, you can use my affiliate link on Bookshop, which also supports Indie Bookstores around the country. If you're shopping for everything else – clothes, office supplies, gluten-free pasta, couches – you can use my affiliate link for Amazon. Thank you for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)

The book of the moment for today's episode is The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab. Just a forewarning for those of you listening, this is NOT a spoiler-free zone. We will be discussing this book in all of its glory, which of course includes revealing the ending. Victoria “V.E.” Schwab is the #1 NYT, USA, and Indie bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and This Savage Song. Her work has received critical acclaim, been featured by EW and The New York Times, been translated into more than a dozen languages, and been optioned for TV and Film. The Independent calls her the “natural successor to Diana Wynne Jones” and touts her “enviable, almost Gaimanesque ability to switch between styles, genres, and tones.” If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to leave a review on whichever platform you are listening on, if applicable. If you have any further questions regarding topics discussed throughout the episode feel free to join our Hardcover Hoes Discord Server via the link in the show notes, or send us an email at hardcoverhoespod@gmail.com. Feel free to recommend books to cover in future episodes as well! Discord Server: https://discord.gg/zpvW4FyuPF TikTok, IG, Twitter: @HardcoverHoes Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/993967071461813/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Today on the podcast, Joe is joined by Christine Lynn Herman to discuss their new book, The Drowning Summer (coming April 19). Christine and Joe hit it off and dive into supernatural experiences, Dungeons & Dragons, Christine's history with writing, Diana Wynne Jones, and what she's likely to order for delivery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Doc & Shadon for a discussion on Studio Ghibli's 2004 film adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones' 1986 fantasy novel, Howl's Moving Castle. After talking a bit about some creatives behind the film as well as its production, the hosts analyze the movie's aesthetics, anti-war themes, metaphorical interpretations of the castle, differences from the novel, and, of course, its very abrupt ending. Enjoying this podcast? Tip us a coffee on Ko-fi! | https://ko-fi.com/waruideshou Music: "The Wizard of Oz Main Theme" by Herbert Stothart & The MGM Studio Orchestra "CALICOMP 1.1 Shutdown" by Michael Kelly --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/waruideshou/message