Podcast appearances and mentions of Kurt Vonnegut

How do you identify your writing weaknesses? And, even more importantly, how can you tell if something really is a weakness? In this episode, I share five ways writers can recognize recurring craft problems, strengthen weak areas, and distinguish poor execution from intentional writing style. Every story presents its own challenges. Struggling with one beginning doesn't necessarily mean you're bad at beginnings. But when the same problem keeps cropping up across multiple stories, that's information worth paying attention to. We'll look at how to identify writing weaknesses by listening to your story sense, noticing what you consistently avoid, comparing patterns across multiple stories, and learning from beta readers, critique partners, editors, and reader reviews. We'll also talk about the important difference between the inner critic's generalized judgments and the specific diagnostic nudges that can actually help you improve your writing. But identifying a recurring pattern raises another question: Is it actually a weakness? Writing craft is largely the study of patterns that work. But not every departure from those patterns is a mistake. Writers such as Kurt Vonnegut, William Faulkner, and Cormac McCarthy made unconventional choices that became part of their distinctive styles. The real question is whether your choices effectively communicate what you intend. In this episode, we'll talk about: • What writing weaknesses actually are • 5 ways to identify recurring weaknesses in your writing • How to distinguish your inner critic from your story sense • Why patterns across multiple stories matter • How to use feedback without surrendering your own judgment • When breaking writing "rules" becomes a stylistic strength • How to turn weak areas into stronger writing skills Read the transcript: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/identify-writing-weaknesses/ LINKS & RESOURCES Want More? WRITING MASTERCLASS: Flat Character Arcs: From Transformation to Integration https://kmweilandstore.com/b/flat-character-arc-class  If character arcs are one of the areas you'd like to understand more deeply, my new masterclass Flat Character Arcs: From Transformation to Integration explores not just how Flat Character Arcs work, but why. The more deeply we understand the patterns underneath story (i.e., the reasons certain choices create meaning and resonance), the less we have to rely on memorized "rules." Instead, we can begin internalizing the principles themselves and using them instinctively in our own stories. You can also save 15% by purchasing the class as part of my Writing Steadfast and Tragic Character Arcs bundle, together with Negative Character Arcs: Hidden Patterns of Self-Deception.

Welcome to another episode of the Bowie Book Club, where wild speculation and grasping for straws about Bowie's favorite books has reigned supreme since 2016. This time, we read Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, a book that has launched a thousand dorm room conversations.

Greetings, Slushies! In this, our final encore episode for the summer, we revisit two poems from Glenn Shaheen. We hope you enjoy the conversation. We'll be back in your feeds with a brand new episode on September 9. Thanks, as always for listening. Our first order of business was debating lifestyle choices in NY vs. Philly, after which we dug into two wonderfully different poems by Glenn Shaheen. “Imago” plunged us into an elegaic interrogation of modern life, identity, and poetics framed by both the real world and open world gaming. With Glenn's poem as our guide we roamed wide, touching on gaming terminology, Bey's “Single Ladies” and 2008 as the last year of optimism, Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, Shakespeare's “filthy” Sonnet 135, and the ageless concern over the shelf life of language in poems and artistic works. The circular format of short, interlinked stanzas in the second poem, “Power and Punish”, introduced a real change in tone in the discussion. Frankly, we wondered if the poem's format and approach would allow us to discuss it. We were delighted to discover it was possible, if different – but hey, you be the judge! Some links we think you'll like: NPC (Non Player Character) on WikiHow Beyoncé - Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) Michel Foucault on the Panopticon Effect, Farnham Street blog   At the table: Marion Wrenn, Kathleen Volk Miller, Jason Schneiderman, Dagne Forrest, Isabel Petry   Glenn Shaheen received his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston and his PhD in English Literature & Creative Writing from Western Michigan University. He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and currently lives in Houston, Texas where he is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Prairie View A&M University. His book of poems, Predatory, won the Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize and was the finalist for the Norma Farber First Book Award. It is available from the University of Pittsburgh Press. He is also the author of the chapbook of flash fiction, Unchecked Savagery, available from Ricochet Editions. His second collection of poetry, Energy Corridor, is available from the University of Pittsburgh Press, and was published in 2016. Carnivalia, his full-length collection of flash fiction, was published by Gold Wake Press in February of 2018.   Website: https://glennshaheen.com/ IMAGO DROSOPHILA MUTANTE

Seeing your life clearly doesn't mean seeing it harshly.In this episode of Mindful Mondays, we explore how mindset and reframing shape not just how we think - but how our nervous system experiences the world.Many neurodivergent and highly sensitive people live with a loud inner commentary. Thoughts can feel convincing, critical, and fixed - yet thoughts are not facts.Together, we explore:* Growth mindset through a neurodivergent lens* Why reframing supports nervous system safety (not toxic positivity)* How meaning - not circumstances - shapes our experience* Why challenges often deepen, rather than diminish, a meaningful lifeDrawing on wisdom from thinkers and creatives including William James, Hugh Mackay, Tina Turner, Joan Rivers, Kurt Vonnegut, and Michael Jordan, this episode invites a gentler, truer way of seeing yourself.You'll also be guided through a reflective visualisation - The Gallery of Your Life - offering a new relationship with past moments, old judgments, and the stories you live inside.This is not about fixing yourself.It's about learning to see yourself in a way that supports you.Our Sponsors:

Seeing your life clearly doesn't mean seeing it harshly.In this episode of Mindful Mondays, we explore how mindset and reframing shape not just how we think - but how our nervous system experiences the world.Many neurodivergent and highly sensitive people live with a loud inner commentary. Thoughts can feel convincing, critical, and fixed - yet thoughts are not facts.Together, we explore:* Growth mindset through a neurodivergent lens* Why reframing supports nervous system safety (not toxic positivity)* How meaning - not circumstances - shapes our experience* Why challenges often deepen, rather than diminish, a meaningful lifeDrawing on wisdom from thinkers and creatives including William James, Hugh Mackay, Tina Turner, Joan Rivers, Kurt Vonnegut, and Michael Jordan, this episode invites a gentler, truer way of seeing yourself.You'll also be guided through a reflective visualisation - The Gallery of Your Life - offering a new relationship with past moments, old judgments, and the stories you live inside.This is not about fixing yourself.It's about learning to see yourself in a way that supports you.Our Sponsors:

In this solo teaching episode, Joe Stopulos tackles a topic many Catholic men avoid discussing openly: money. Drawing on two books by finance writer Morgan Housel — The Psychology of Money (2020) and The Art of Spending Money (2025) — Joe walks through the core lessons of both and reframes them through a Catholic lens of stewardship, humility, and contentment. Highlights from this episode: Why doing well with money is about behavior, not intelligence — and how habits shape financial peace The "benchwarmer on a Major League team" analogy that reframes comparison and contentment Why real wealth is what you don't spend, not what you show How money's highest dividend is control over your time — spending it on the people you love Why finances are one of the top three pillars of a healthy marriage, and how Joe addresses this in the marriage prep he leads A nod to Dave Ramsey's budgeting framework — where Joe agrees, and where he doesn't The story of Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, and the billionaire who had everything except "enough" The quiet millionaire janitor who left $8 million to charity — and what it says about humility A closing quote from St. John Chrysostom on wealth, stewardship, and caring for the poor This episode is a call for Catholic men to examine their relationship with money — not as an end in itself, but as a tool for building a life centered on faith, family, and generosity. This episode is brought to you by: Construction Professionals — CPCustomHomes.com https://cpcustomhomes.com/ #CatholicMen #ManUpPodcast #IowaCatholicRadio #CatholicFatherhood #CatholicDadLife #CatholicStewardship #FaithAndFinance #PsychologyOfMoney #MorganHousel #CatholicMarriage #CatholicPodcast #DesMoinesIowa #IowaCatholic #HeroicVirtue Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our StationsLINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What if you could go back in time and kill baby Hitler? Michael Tomasky's new satirical novel Killing Baby Hitler explores nature vs. nurture, time travel gone wrong, and whether one monster really explains the world's evil. In this conversation with Matt and Tomasky (editor of The New Republic) discuss:• Why democratic socialism is rising (and what popular policies like child care and data-center limits have to do with it)• Rooting for a young Adolf Hitler in fiction• How tragedy can create monsters• The hilarious botched kidnapping scene • Alternate history where there's no Holocaust… but human nature still produces plenty of darkness• Literary influences (Milan Kundera, Kurt Vonnegut) and writing a political novel in today's publishing world Get the book: Killing Baby Hitler by Michael Tomasky https://www.amazon.com/dp/1682194752?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback Subscribe to Matt Lewis on Substack: https://mattklewis.substack.com/Support Matt Lewis at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattlewisFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattLewisDCTwitter: https://twitter.com/mattklewisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlewisreels/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhSMpjOzydlnxm5TDcYn0A– Who is Matt Lewis? –Matt K. Lewis is a political commentator and the author of Filthy Rich Politicians.Buy Matt's books: FILTHY RICH POLITICIANS: https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Rich-Politicians-Creatures-Ruling-Class/dp/1546004416TOO DUMB TO FAIL: https://www.amazon.com/Too-Dumb-Fail-Revolution-Conservative/dp/0316383937Copyright © 2026, BBL & BWL, LLC

Sigrid Nunez – author of novels like The Friend and What Are You Going Through – is out with a new collection of short stories. It Will Come Back to You features characters like a middle-age daughter coping with her mother's memory loss, a Brad Pitt lookalike and a housekeeper working at a luxury hotel in Manhattan. In today's episode, Nunez joins Here & Now's Tiziana Dearing for a conversation about the familial relationships in the collection. The author also shares writing advice from Elizabeth Hardwick and Kurt Vonnegut.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedaySee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Philippa opens with a brief history lesson — the word "blurb" was invented in 1907 by a writer mocking self-congratulatory publishers, and his fictional creation Miss Belinda Blurb gave us the word we still use today. Then it's three book reviews and a wide-ranging, genuinely fascinating conversation with David Baldacci — over 200 million books sold — about his latest novel Hope Rises.

This week we follow up our episode 150. We dig into story crafting and campaign building using Kurt Vonnegut's rules for storytelling. Check it out! https://www.patreon.com/BlankBodies http://blankbodies.com our theme is: Millions of Dead Cyborgs - Paralyze https://paralyzeevm.bandcamp.com/track/millions-of-dead-cyborgs Portions of the materials are the copyrights and trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved. For more information please visit worldofdarkness.com.

Why is comparison so hard to escape?In this reflection on Psalm 37, John Ortberg explores the hidden power of envy and why it quietly robs us of joy, gratitude, and peace.Drawing on insights from Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, John explains the difference between jealousy and envy, why comparison always leaves us feeling deficient, and how God's care frees us from measuring our lives against everyone else's.This episode explores:- Psalm 37 and overcoming envy- Why comparison is so destructive- The difference between jealousy and envy- Biblical stories of envy- Social media and the comparison trap- Living each day under God's loving careScriptures:- Psalm 37- Genesis 4- Genesis 25–30- Genesis 37- Matthew 5:5#Psalm37 #JohnOrtberg #Envy #Comparison #Prayer #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #Contentment #Faith

IT'S HERE! Pre-Order the 4th installment of the Ashtown Burial Series at ashtownburials.com.In this episode, Douglas Wilson considers the Supreme Court's birthright-citizenship decision and possible paths forward, examines the sin of making and worshiping the golden calf, and reviews Kurt Vonnegut's practical writing advice in Pity the Reader. For more from Doug, subscribe to Canon+: https://canonplus.com/  

Dillon Osleger is a geologist, professional mountain biker, and longtime trail steward whose debut book, Trail Work: Restoring the Paths and Stories of America's Public Lands, uncovers the buried history beneath the trails we run, ride, and take for granted. In this conversation, Zoe and Brendan get into why nobody wants to do the unglamorous work of maintenance (and the Kurt Vonnegut line that nails it) and how to read a trail like a layered history book. Dillon decodes what is hiding in plain sight, from barbed wire patents that date a fence to within two years, to the segregated CCC camps you can spot in the stonework, to the Indigenous place names that outlast every map. Along the way: what is quietly erasing two-thirds of America's historic trails, an extremely unhinged riff on trailmaxing as the next men's wellness trend, and a genuinely useful answer to the question most of us are too sheepish to ask, which is how do you actually start doing trail work. This episode is brought to you by Running Warehouse, your one-stop shop for trail shoes, vests, poles, and the anti-chafe stuff you forget until mile 40. Join the UltraSignup Club: https://www.runningwarehouse.com/?from=ultra The Trailhead is part of the UltraSignup Podcast Network.

Mary Colussi says her debut novel Touch Grass, winner of the 2025 Penguin Literary Prize, is a 'Noah's ark of her weird interests.' Penguin Literary Prize judge Jack Harkin puts it a little differently: 'part warning, part screwball comedy - and a riot of brilliant, incisive writing about social media, body politics and the effects of worshiping false gods.' In episode 131, Mary shares with James how she went from writing Buzzfeed listicles to finishing the first draft of Touch Grass in under 90 days, and how she used her writing to 'metabolise her anxieties about the future'. She describes how illness has turned her into a 'diplomat for her own physical form' and how she took inspiration from Kurt Vonnegut to juxtapose the absurd with the deeply philosophical.  Mary Colussi is an Australian American writer currently based in Sydney. A graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and the National Institute of Dramatic Art, she was shortlisted for the 2025 Katie Lees Fellowship and received a 2025 Residential Fellowship at Varuna, the National Writers' House. As well as fiction, she writes satire, plays and screenplays. Touch Grass, her first novel, won the 2025 Penguin Literary Prize. Find Touch Grass through Booktopia or from your local bookshop or library. Books & authors discussed in this episode:  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut  Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth, translated by Charlotte Barslund   Shark Heart by Emily Habeck Upcoming events  Adelaide – Ashley is teaching Crafting Narrative Drive for Writers SA, Saturday 27 June 10.30am   Sydney – Ashley is reading at Twisted Fiction, a free event at the Shakespeare Hotel in Surry Hills, Tuesday 7 July, 6pm Sydney - James is in conversation with Nicholas Timms about his debut crime novel, The Lineup, at  The Rose Red Bookshop in Summer Hill on Friday July 10, 7pm Penrith – Ashley is in conversation with Petronella McGovern about her latest thriller, Every Time She Wakes, at Penrith Library, Friday 27 July, 6pm Geelong – join Ashley for her first-ever Geelong event with Dymocks Books in Bars, Wednesday 22 July, 6.30pm  Sydney – Ashley is launching Dinuka McKenzie's latest thriller, She Lied First, at Gleebooks Glebe on Monday 27 July, 6.30pm Sydney – Ashley is in conversation with Petronella McGovern about her latest thriller, Every Time She Wakes, at Berkelouw Paddington, Thursday 30 July, 6pm Central Coast – join Ashley for an in-conversation at Umina Book Nook on Friday 21 August, 6pm Learn more about Ashley's thrillers, Dark Mode, Cold Truth, and Like, Follow, Die and get your copies from your local bookshop or library.  Learn more about James's award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy from your local bookshop or library. Get in touch! ashleykalagianblunt.com jamesmckenziewatson.com Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson

As citizens of the world with a mission to promote equality and international cooperation, we're here to consume very expensive yet narratively hollow overseas products AND the most dirt cheap homegrown entertainment available even if it's just a very locally popular bird. But ICE NINE weren't locally popular - they were so well know that our local hero Kurt Vonnegut wrote about them!

What does it mean to be inspired? In this opening sermon of our summer series, Inspiration, Rev. Dr. Daniel Kanter reflects on creativity, soul growth, and the lifelong process of becoming. Through the stories of Kurt Vonnegut, ancient understandings of inspiration as breath, and a Unitarian Universalist vision of spiritual growth, this sermon invites us to pay attention to what gives our lives meaning and what calls us forward. What inspires you, and how might it help you become more fully yourself?

And so it pods   The Becks conclude the season on Books We Didn't Get In High School with Kurt Vonnegut's classic novel Slaughter-House Five and its 1972 film adaptation. In this episode: Billy talks about bombs, Codie attempts to get the pod a copyright strike, and Toby bites a toe. Enjoy!   www.ko-fi.com/soonmajorpod   www.linktr.ee/soonmajorpod   Next episode homework: She's the Man      

Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “2BR02B” by Kurt Vonnegut. What can we learn from this piece of speculative fiction? How can we build an alternate, speculative world so quickly? How do characters who live in a world help reveal that world? How does choosing just the right set of characters help develop a story’s dynamics to their full potential? How can exaggeration help depict characters?

I went through my Kurt Vonnegut phase in my late teens. I read Player Piano, Cat's Cradle, I think, Deadeye Dick, and of course, Slaughterhouse Five. I can't say I remember much from those novels. Nor can I recall why Vonnegut connected with me. Perhaps now is a good time to revisit them. Little did I know that Vonnegut had a large readership in the Soviet Union. His books were translated by Rita Rait-Kovaleva and published in hundreds of thousands of copies. And in late Soviet fashion they were also passed around by hand to those who couldn't secure copies. What did Soviet readers see in Kurt Vonnegut? How did the authorities regard this so-called “Anti-American American”? And what did Vonnegut think about his Soviet fans? Sarah Phillips wondered too after she participated in a project on Vonnegut. The result is her book, Kurt Vonnegut in the USSR. Sarah reached out to us, so we booked an interview. It turns out that Vonnegut has transcultural appeal. There's even a revival in Ukraine. But what does Vonnegut's popularity among Soviet youth say about really existing state socialism? Tune in to find out.Guest:Sarah Phillips is professor of anthropology at Indiana University-Bloomington. She's the author of Women's Social Activism in the New Ukraine and Disability and Mobile Citizenship in Postsocialist Ukraine, both published by Indiana University Press. Her new book is Kurt Vonnegut in the USSR published by Bloomsbury. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The novelist, essayist, and short-story writer George Saunders—widely celebrated for his novel Lincoln in the Bardo (2017), which won the Man Booker Prize, and book of short stories Tenth of December (2013)—has made it his mission to “de-dullify” the world through his clear-eyed, empathic, often-puckish prose. There's an unwavering spirit of generosity embedded in the way Saunders tells stories and teaches his craft that ensures his readers and students alike stay along for the ride. Saunders's curiosity about the afterlife, a recurring motif in his writing, rises to the fore in his latest novel, Vigil, which follows a pair of ghostly figures as they visit the deathbed of a prideful, climate-change-denying Texas oil tycoon. On this episode, he shares how practicing meditation has shifted his approach to writing and his outlook on life, the underlying importance of humor in his work, and why to be a good storyteller is akin to being a good host.  Special thanks to our Season 13 presenting partner, Van Cleef & Arpels. Show notes: George Saunders [04:34] Vigil (2026) [04:34] Lincoln in the Bardo (2018) [19:18] Master and Man and Other Stories (1895) [19:18] Tolstoy [27:41] CivilWarLand in Bad Decline (1996) [30:22] Esther Forbes [30:22] Johnny Tremain (1943) [35:03] John Steinbeck [35:03] The Grapes of Wrath (1939) [36:58] Kurt Vonnegut [36:58] Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) [42:13] Terry Eagleton [42:30] Mary Karr [42:43] Jack Handey [47:19] Jimi Hendrix [53:13] Aldous Huxley [56:11] Tobias Wolff [59:22] A Swim in a Pond in the Rain (2021)

Coming in the thick of the second Trump term, What Does the American Presidency Mean? The Need for Interpretation in Presidency Studies is a timely and provocative new title for the Routledge Series on Interpretive Methods. In it, Richard Holtzman sets an agenda for interpretivist presidency research. Using Tulis's The Rhetorical Presidency as a bridge between presidency studies and interpretive political science, the book succinctly outlines how by interpreting presidential words and symbols our understanding of the presidency is enriched, and causal-inferential studies of presidential behaviour, complemented. Though the book directly addresses researchers of the American presidency, as we discuss in this episode of New Books in Interpretive Political and Social Science, it holds lessons for researchers of executive power everywhere.  Presidency studies your thing? Other episodes on the New Books Network that might interest you include Coe and Scacco on The Ubiquitous Presidency, and Hennessey and Wittes talking about their Unmaking the Presidency. Looking for something to read? To start the day Rich suggests Thich Nhat Han's Peace is Every Step, and perhaps to conclude it, Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut.  This interview summary was not synthesised by a machine. Unlike the makers and owners of those machines, the author accepts responsibility for its contents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Coming in the thick of the second Trump term, What Does the American Presidency Mean? The Need for Interpretation in Presidency Studies is a timely and provocative new title for the Routledge Series on Interpretive Methods. In it, Richard Holtzman sets an agenda for interpretivist presidency research. Using Tulis's The Rhetorical Presidency as a bridge between presidency studies and interpretive political science, the book succinctly outlines how by interpreting presidential words and symbols our understanding of the presidency is enriched, and causal-inferential studies of presidential behaviour, complemented. Though the book directly addresses researchers of the American presidency, as we discuss in this episode of New Books in Interpretive Political and Social Science, it holds lessons for researchers of executive power everywhere.  Presidency studies your thing? Other episodes on the New Books Network that might interest you include Coe and Scacco on The Ubiquitous Presidency, and Hennessey and Wittes talking about their Unmaking the Presidency. Looking for something to read? To start the day Rich suggests Thich Nhat Han's Peace is Every Step, and perhaps to conclude it, Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut.  This interview summary was not synthesised by a machine. Unlike the makers and owners of those machines, the author accepts responsibility for its contents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Coming in the thick of the second Trump term, What Does the American Presidency Mean? The Need for Interpretation in Presidency Studies is a timely and provocative new title for the Routledge Series on Interpretive Methods. In it, Richard Holtzman sets an agenda for interpretivist presidency research. Using Tulis's The Rhetorical Presidency as a bridge between presidency studies and interpretive political science, the book succinctly outlines how by interpreting presidential words and symbols our understanding of the presidency is enriched, and causal-inferential studies of presidential behaviour, complemented. Though the book directly addresses researchers of the American presidency, as we discuss in this episode of New Books in Interpretive Political and Social Science, it holds lessons for researchers of executive power everywhere.  Presidency studies your thing? Other episodes on the New Books Network that might interest you include Coe and Scacco on The Ubiquitous Presidency, and Hennessey and Wittes talking about their Unmaking the Presidency. Looking for something to read? To start the day Rich suggests Thich Nhat Han's Peace is Every Step, and perhaps to conclude it, Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut.  This interview summary was not synthesised by a machine. Unlike the makers and owners of those machines, the author accepts responsibility for its contents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Coming in the thick of the second Trump term, What Does the American Presidency Mean? The Need for Interpretation in Presidency Studies is a timely and provocative new title for the Routledge Series on Interpretive Methods. In it, Richard Holtzman sets an agenda for interpretivist presidency research. Using Tulis's The Rhetorical Presidency as a bridge between presidency studies and interpretive political science, the book succinctly outlines how by interpreting presidential words and symbols our understanding of the presidency is enriched, and causal-inferential studies of presidential behaviour, complemented. Though the book directly addresses researchers of the American presidency, as we discuss in this episode of New Books in Interpretive Political and Social Science, it holds lessons for researchers of executive power everywhere.  Presidency studies your thing? Other episodes on the New Books Network that might interest you include Coe and Scacco on The Ubiquitous Presidency, and Hennessey and Wittes talking about their Unmaking the Presidency. Looking for something to read? To start the day Rich suggests Thich Nhat Han's Peace is Every Step, and perhaps to conclude it, Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut.  This interview summary was not synthesised by a machine. Unlike the makers and owners of those machines, the author accepts responsibility for its contents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

Coming in the thick of the second Trump term, What Does the American Presidency Mean? The Need for Interpretation in Presidency Studies is a timely and provocative new title for the Routledge Series on Interpretive Methods. In it, Richard Holtzman sets an agenda for interpretivist presidency research. Using Tulis's The Rhetorical Presidency as a bridge between presidency studies and interpretive political science, the book succinctly outlines how by interpreting presidential words and symbols our understanding of the presidency is enriched, and causal-inferential studies of presidential behaviour, complemented. Though the book directly addresses researchers of the American presidency, as we discuss in this episode of New Books in Interpretive Political and Social Science, it holds lessons for researchers of executive power everywhere.  Presidency studies your thing? Other episodes on the New Books Network that might interest you include Coe and Scacco on The Ubiquitous Presidency, and Hennessey and Wittes talking about their Unmaking the Presidency. Looking for something to read? To start the day Rich suggests Thich Nhat Han's Peace is Every Step, and perhaps to conclude it, Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut.  This interview summary was not synthesised by a machine. Unlike the makers and owners of those machines, the author accepts responsibility for its contents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stop explaining and start exploring: critic & reviewer Molly Templeton walks us through this gem of 1980s mass market fantasy, with many asides and theories on shifting patterns of publishing and reading patterns. Plus, we spill the beans on the most fun book club, also known as the most fun cult. Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Guest: Molly Templeton Title: Moongather by Jo Clayton Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References: ARB’s Fundraiser! Donations & shares greatly appreciated! Kurt Vonnegut's asterisk John Darnielle's This Year "Cold Milk Bottle" "First Few Desperate Hours" Claire North's Slow Gods Hebe Stanton’s review at ARB Molly’s discussion of Slow Gods and being stuck on a book Gary Wolfe & Jonathan Strahan's Coode Street Podcast Arkady Martine & Ann Leckie The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Violet Allen's Prism, Plastic, Void Little Puss Press Casey Plett Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone’s This Is How You Lose The Time War Vajra Chandrasekera’s Rakesfall A.V. Marraccini’s We The Parasites Clayton’s Diadem from the Stars Brandon Sanderson Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea Forgotten Realms J.R.R. Tolkien's “On Fairy Stories” & Lord of the Rings Ged & the otak from Earthsea "Fridging" & "Bury Your Gays" The Arrowverse TV shows Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Film "Explaining vs Exploring" Bora Chung's Midnight Timetable The Toyota Tercel The soot-sprites from Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner Bethany Jacobs’ This Brutal Moon, conclusion to The Kindom Trilogy Jacobs’ website Philip Pullman's The Rose Field The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey David Eddings’ The Belgariad Parallel Worlds Bookshop Cherryh's Rusalka & The Paladin The Ursula K. Le Guin Foundation & Prize Molly's writing at Reactor & Bluesky & Website

On this week's episode of The Catered Quiz, comedian Allen Strickland Williams joins the show to answer questions about Newsradio and Kurt Vonnegut. We also talk about Dr. Demento, Tom Lehrer and Franz Kafka. Allen's album Ran Through is available to stream or purchase on vinyl. Watch Allen's Comedy Central special The Intellectual Shocker. Listen to Allen's podcast Finding My Audience.

We begin our 5th series look at Librivox's Short Science Fiction Collection! This week: "2 B R 0 2 B" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We begin our 5th series look at Librivox's Short Science Fiction Collection! This week: "2 B R 0 2 B" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matadero cinco, una de las novelas más famosas de Kurt Vonnegut, destaca por su estilo fragmentario. Billy, el personaje principal, aprende que el tiempo no es lineal; es en cambio una serie de acontecimientos que ocurren en presente y que podemos visitar de forma aleatoria por toda la eternidad, revisitarlos. Es con esa mirada como cada escena narrada es una pequeña parte de la vida de Billy. Ya nos habla de su matrimonio, de su participación como soldado en la guerra o de cuando fue secuestrado por extraterrestres que lo expusieron como en un zoológico. Una literatura experimental que propone formas diversas de entender, a partir de la inducción, un panorama que recorre los hitos más importantes de una vida excepcional.

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes back New York Times bestselling author Andy Griffiths and, for the very first time on the podcast, illustrator Bill Hope, to talk about their wildly fun, reader-inside-the-story series, You and Me.Andy shares how fan mail from kids asking to be put inside the Treehouse books planted the seed for an entirely new kind of adventure—one where the reader is always the co-star. Bill reveals what it felt like to get the secretive call from the publisher, how he solved the puzzle of illustrating characters with no visible identity, and why he still considers his work a long, joyful attempt to scratch the same itch sparked by a Quentin Blake how-to-draw book at age ten. Together, they pull back the curtain on a creative partnership built on high-pressure play, a very low boredom threshold, and Bill's ongoing mission to sneak a human being into at least one illustration.Whether you're a parent looking for books that work at bedtime for every age in the room, a teacher wanting highly illustrated adventures that do the heavy lifting so young readers can focus on the fun, or a kid who has ever wondered what it would be like to jump into a story yourself — this episode is a joyful celebration of two books that prove the silliest ideas are worth working very, very hard on.Read the transcript on The Children's Book Review (coming soon).Highlights:The Fan Mail That Started It All: How letters from kids asking to be put inside the Treehouse books gave Andy the idea for an entirely new seriesHigh-Pressure Play: What it felt like for Bill to audition for the biggest job of his career — and why Andy and Jill's secret weapon is a very low boredom thresholdThe Cardboard Box Solution: How Bill solved the puzzle of illustrating two characters with no visible identity—and why first-person perspective alone was never going to workJohnny Knucklehead Was Supposed to Be a Side Character: How a fifth sketch became the series' most beloved agent of chaos—and why he keeps getting bigger with every bookThemes That Emerge from the Fun: Why the quiet life lessons in both books weren't planted there, they grewPity the Reader: Andy on Kurt Vonnegut's guiding principle and why every creative decision comes back to making reading as pleasurable as possibleNotable Quote:"There's no wrong answers, no jokes that are too silly. You sort of put a lot of stuff out there — it's a long period of me just pitching dumb stuff at Andy and seeing what sticks." — Bill HopeBooks Mentioned:You and Me and the Land of Lost Things by Andy Griffiths and Bill Hope: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠You and Me and the Peanut Butter Beast by Andy Griffiths and Bill Hope: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up (Revised Edition) by Bianca Schulze: Amazon⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠⁠About Andy Griffiths: New York Times bestselling author of The Day My Butt Went Psycho!, the Treehouse series, and many more. Named the Australian Children's Book Laureate. Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Project. Visit: andygriffiths.com.auAbout Bill Hope: Artist and illustrator living in the Blue Mountains, Sydney. His graphic novel An Interior Life won the Golden Ledger award for Australian Comics. Visit: billhope.com.auCredits: Host: Bianca Schulze | Guests: Andy Griffiths and Bill Hope | Audio Editor: Kelly Rink | Producer: Bianca Schulze

This Lightning Round segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, closes out the show with rapid-fire questions for guest host Laura Kennedy. Chris Walton and Laura Kennedy cover everything from Indianapolis fun facts and Kurt Vonnegut to the most rewatchable movies like The Sting and Jaws. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here: https://youtu.be/uHrdbq2r8HQ #LightningRound, #Indianapolis, #KurtVonnegut, #TheSting, #Jaws, #MovieClassics, #RetailFastFive, #OmniTalk, #PopCulture, #Rewatchables

In this week's Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso and Veloq, Chris and guest host Laura Kennedy discussed: Bed Bath & Beyond acquiring the Container Store for $150 million (Source) Aerie teaming up with Pamela Anderson to take a very public stand against AI-generated content (Source) Carrefour becoming the first European retailer to offer grocery shopping directly through ChatGPT (Source) QVC Group issuing a going concern warning amid $6.6 billion in debt (Source) Carrefour Israel announcing one of the largest smart cart deployments in retail history (Source) And A&M's Jeremy Levine also dropped by for 5 Insightful Minutes on how grocers can win in the next decade by mastering their fresh departments. There's all that, plus Kurt Vonnegut's unexpected influence on Indianapolis, whether Chris would ever go to space, and why Jaws might just be the most rewatchable movie ever made. Music by hooksounds.com

Enjoy a playlist featuring music inspired by Abbey Lincoln, New Orleans, Kurt Vonnegut, loss and hope. Enjoy another Mondo Jazz dispatch, and an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and discover music that doesn't chase trends, because it doesn't need to... The playlist features John Ellis; Marion Rampal; Willy Rodriguez; Daan Kluwer; Jasper Høiby [pictured], Xavi Torres, Naíma Acuña; and John Taylor. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22140685/Mondo-Jazz [from "Fireball" to "Fifteen"]. Happy listening!

What if the skill that made us human is the same one that will keep us relevant in the age of AI? Joe Lazauskas — CMO of Pepper, co-founder of Contently, and author of Super Skill: Why Storytelling Is the Superpower of the AI Age — spent five years inside AI companies researching exactly that question. His answer: storytelling isn't just surviving the AI revolution. It's the one skill the machines can't replicate. In this conversation with host Park Howell, Joe reveals why AI slop is flooding the web and driving up the value of authentic human voices, the four story elements — relatability, ease, novelty, and tension — that make any audience stop and listen, and how to use AI as a creative amplifier without ever letting it replace your voice. You'll also hear the science behind the vulnerability loop, why Kurt Vonnegut's rejected thesis turned out to be right all along, and how the Neanderthals — despite having bigger brains — lost to homo sapiens because they had no Wi-Fi. Joe also shares a special 20% discount offer exclusively for Business of Story listeners — including a signed copy of Super Skill, access to his Storytelling in the AI Age course, live office hours, and yes, dope socks. Guest: Joe Lazauskas | CMO, Pepper | Author, Super Skill Subscribe: storytellingedge.substack.com Connect: Joe Lazauskas on LinkedIn Podcast: The Art of the Zag with Shane Snow Test your brand story free: businessofstory.com

On this episode of The Karen Kenney Show, I talk about the power of enough - the radical, life-changing shift that happens when we stop chasing the elusive “more-more-more” and start recognizing and appreciating what we already have.I share one of my favorite stories from Kurt Vonnegut about Joseph Heller, and how Heller's one line, “I've got something he can never have… the knowledge that I've got enough,” has stayed with me for years!We dive into a little wisdom from the Stoics, the yogic​ principle of ​Santosha (contentment), and discuss how our endless comparisons and cravings can leave us feeling spiritually and emotionally impoverished, even if we've got a bunch of buckaroonies $$$ in our bank account.I also invite you to find your own “Goldilocks” level of enough-ess and to notice if a lack of gratitude might be keeping you unsatiated and unsatisfied.I also share a simple 5-minute Gratitude Visualization practice to start shifting how you see yourself and your life. It's amazing what a few “Thank you's” can do!If you've ever felt like who you are, what you have, or where you're at is never quite enough…This episode is an invitation to pause, to take ​some personal inventory, and to remember that you're already way more “enough” than you've been led to believe. ❤️KAREN KENNEY BIO:Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, podcaster, certified spiritual mentor, and coach.She's known for her dynamic storytelling, her sense of humor, her Boston accent, and her no-bullshit approach to spirituality, self​-development, and transformational work.Karen helps people to navigate this whole “being human” experience using practical tools, universal principles and stories, and a variety of resources.KK has been a yoga teacher for 25+ years, has been giving Thai Yoga Massage since 2008, and began teaching it in 2015.She's also a Gateless Writing Instructor, and host of The Karen Kenney Show podcast.She coaches clients individually in her 1:1 program THE QUEST and via her HEART-TO-HEART DAYS using Voxer. She also leads a group program and community called THE NEST.CONNECT WITH KAREN:Website: http://karenkenney.com/Podcast: https://www.karenkenney.com/podcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenkenneylive/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenkenneylive/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KarenKenney

Send us Fan MailThanks to Ben Robertson for Kurt Vonnegut illustration

La historia de la Unión Soviética puede explicarse a través de sus grandes maestros del ajedrez. Analizar las partidas del siglo XX es una pequeña clase de geopolítica, desde la de Spassky contra Fischer en Reikiavik en plena Guerra Fría hasta la de Kasparov contra Karpov en Moscú, ya en los últimos años de ese totalitario régimen. Hubo campeones que fueron la viva imagen de los valores deseados en el pueblo, como el disciplinado Botvinnik, y otros que mostraron su desacuerdo con el brutal sistema, como el disidente Korchnoi. Desde las sanguinarias purgas de Stalin hasta la Perestroika de Gorbachev, todas las etapas de ese fallido experimento político tendrían a su particular campeón. Está todo allí representado. El podcast de hoy, con el siempre genial Rami, es la clase de historia que me hubiera gustado recibir en el instituto.Antiguos episodios:K54. Ramiro Castillo. Economía en viñetas.Corralito #4 ft. Ramiro Castillo. Planes docentes.Corralito #12 ft. Ramiro Castillo. El hombre tranquilo.Corralito #14 ft. Ramiro Castillo. Adictos a El crack.Corralito #22 ft. Ramiro Castillo. La vida es como una caja de bombones.Me gustaría compartir el guión que preparó Rami para el podcast. Siempre que le invito, Rami ofrece espectáculo. El episodio 54 de Astérix sigue siendo uno de mis favoritos de Kapital. Añadimos ahora esta joya sobre el ajedrez en la Unión Soviética. Archivo disponible en el Substack de Kapital.Kapital es posible gracias a sus colaboradores:⁠Thenomba⁠. La escuela que te hará encontrar tu propósito.Thenomba es la escuela que te prepara para encontrar un propósito, no un trabajo.Me han hecho embajador del máster y puedo ofrecerte un descuento especial en el precio. Si quieres matricularte, utiliza el código KAPITAL20 para llevarte una rebaja del 20%. 42 oyentes de este podcast ya utilizaron el código en la exitosa edición de diciembre. Si te preguntas si esto encaja contigo, te recomiendo simplemente escuchar los episodios de hace unas semanas con Higinio Marín y Ricardo Piñero. Higinio y Ricardo son dos de los profesores del máster y esas dos entrevistas reflejan la vocación humanista de su programa. Si resuenan en tu cabeza algunas de las ideas de esas conversaciones, entonces Thenomba es para ti.Patrocina Kapital. Toda la información en este link.Índice:0:32 El mejor manual de introducción a la economía.4:29 Resquicios de libertad en las cocinas soviéticas.13:28 Museo Stalin en Gori.18:18 La ética del trabajo de Botvinnik.27:52 El Ronaldinho del ajedrez.42:06 Intuición musical en el tablero.49:08 La persecución comunista del pueblo judío.54:50 Tigre de acero.1:02:25 Guerra Fría en Reikiavik.1:11:24 Fischer sintió el miedo a perder.1:19:19 Irrumpe un chico de los Urales.1:25.25 Los ojos de Kasparov.1:37:45 ¿Hasta dónde habría llegado Arturo Pomar?1:42:50 Experimento con las hermanas Polgár.1:45:40 El inexplicable movimiento de DeepBlue.1:49:26 Karpov trae la cena a un viejo amigo.Apuntes:El fin del homo sovieticus. Svetlana Aleksiévich.La muerte de Stalin. Armando Iannucci.Su último saludo. Arthur Conan Doyle.Matadero cinco. Kurt Vonnegut.El ejército rojo. Gabe Polsky.Obélix y compañía. René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo.El principio de Dilbert. Scott Adams.Calvin & Hobbes. Bill Watterson.

Speaking Up, Speaking Out 3/19/26: Dr. Jonathan Bayuk on Covid, flu, allergies, & vaccinations. DHG & Gfld Recorder Ex Ed Dan Crowley: ICE grabs local men, Citizen of the Year Patricia Thayer, & school funding. Nanny Vonnegut: censorship of her father Kurt Vonnegut's books. Ruth Griggs w/ the extraordinary Giacomo Gates, coming to the Drake.

Speaking Up, Speaking Out 3/19/26: Dr. Jonathan Bayuk on Covid, flu, allergies, & vaccinations. DHG & Gfld Recorder Ex Ed Dan Crowley: ICE grabs local men, Citizen of the Year Patricia Thayer, & school funding. Nanny Vonnegut: censorship of her father Kurt Vonnegut's books. Ruth Griggs w/ the extraordinary Giacomo Gates, coming to the Drake.

Speaking Up, Speaking Out 3/19/26: Dr. Jonathan Bayuk on Covid, flu, allergies, & vaccinations. DHG & Gfld Recorder Ex Ed Dan Crowley: ICE grabs local men, Citizen of the Year Patricia Thayer, & school funding. Nanny Vonnegut: censorship of her father Kurt Vonnegut's books. Ruth Griggs w/ the extraordinary Giacomo Gates, coming to the Drake.

Speaking Up, Speaking Out 3/19/26: Dr. Jonathan Bayuk on Covid, flu, allergies, & vaccinations. DHG & Gfld Recorder Ex Ed Dan Crowley: ICE grabs local men, Citizen of the Year Patricia Thayer, & school funding. Nanny Vonnegut: censorship of her father Kurt Vonnegut's books. Ruth Griggs w/ the extraordinary Giacomo Gates, coming to the Drake.

Professor Charles Knowles is a very smart man. He is a surgeon and clinical researcher. He is able to apply logic and reason to find solutions to most things. But logic and reason made no sense when it came to his own drinking.On Free State today Charles Knowles explains why we drink and why we drink too much.He talks to Dion about his own struggles and why there is a genetic reason for many people drinking.They discuss the line of Kurt Vonnegut that ‘Alcoholics Anonymous is America's greatest contribution to the 20th century' and Charles explains why modern science agrees with Vonnegut. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seeing your life clearly doesn't mean seeing it harshly.In this episode of Mindful Mondays, we explore how mindset and reframing shape not just how we think - but how our nervous system experiences the world.Many neurodivergent and highly sensitive people live with a loud inner commentary. Thoughts can feel convincing, critical, and fixed - yet thoughts are not facts.Together, we explore:* Growth mindset through a neurodivergent lens* Why reframing supports nervous system safety (not toxic positivity)* How meaning - not circumstances - shapes our experience* Why challenges often deepen, rather than diminish, a meaningful lifeDrawing on wisdom from thinkers and creatives including William James, Hugh Mackay, Tina Turner, Joan Rivers, Kurt Vonnegut, and Michael Jordan, this episode invites a gentler, truer way of seeing yourself.You'll also be guided through a reflective visualisation - The Gallery of Your Life - offering a new relationship with past moments, old judgments, and the stories you live inside.This is not about fixing yourself.It's about learning to see yourself in a way that supports you.Our Sponsors:

This was a strenuous Saturday workout, no doubt, with more misdirection then you'd see at a Penn & Teller performance. Consider 15D, "Science is ___ that works": Kurt Vonnegut, MAGIC (what a fabulous quip!); 31A, Dice rolls from Jail to Free Parking, in Monopoly, TENS (easy if you'd memorized the board!);  and 8D, Part of a great deal?, ACE (what an ACE clue!

The storytelling season is here, this winter we combine The Manitous by Basil Johnston, Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, and Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes, as we measure snow and appreciate the quiet darkness.  Playlist  Subscribe: Patreon Spotify iTunes YouTube Stitcher Google Play Soundcloud  

Nearly 16.4 million Americans served in the U.S. Armed Forces in World War II, and for millions of survivors, the fighting left many of them physically and mentally broken for life. There was a 25% death rate in Japanese POW camps like Bataan, where starvation and torture were rampant, and fierce battles against suicidal Imperial Japanese forces, like at Iwo Jima, where 6,800 Americans died. Additionally, the psychological toll of witnessing Holocaust atrocities and enduring up to three years away from home intensified the war’s brutality. This is why when they returned home, they had physical and psychological wounds that festered, sometimes for years, sometimes for decades, and sometimes for the rest of their lives. Veterans suffering from recurring nightmares, uncontrollable rages, and social isolation were treated by doctors who had little understanding of PTSD, a term that didn’t enter the DSM until 1984. Returning veterans and their families were forced to double up with their parents or squeeze into overcrowded, substandard shelters as the country wrestled with a housing crisis. Divorce rates doubled, with more than 1 million GIs leaving or being left by their wives by 1950. Alcoholism was rampant, and an entire generation became addicted to smoking. To explore this dark shadow that hung over the WW2 generation, we’re joined by David Nasaw, author of The Wounded Generation: Coming Home After World War II. Those affected include the period’s most influential political and cultural leaders, including John F. Kennedy, Robert Dole, and Henry Kissinger; J. D. Salinger and Kurt Vonnegut; Harry Belafonte and Jimmy Stewart. We look at the ways the horrors of World War 2 shaped their lives, but we also see incredible resilience and those who found ways to move past the horrors of their wartime experiences, and what we can learn from that today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A clip of our new bonus episode on Kurt Vonnegut's great anti-fascist absurdist tragicomic novel Mother Night and the 90s film version. Full episode exclusive for Patreon subscribers. Please consider donating to help us make the show and stay independent.  Patrons get exclusive access to at least one full extra episode a month. Daniel's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/danielharper/posts Jack's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4196618&fan_landing=true IDSG Twitter: https://twitter.com/idsgpod Daniel's Twitter: @danieleharper Jack's (Locked) Twitter: @_Jack_Graham_ Jack's Bluesky: @timescarcass.bsky.social Daniel's Bluesky: @danielharper.bsky.social IDSG on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-dont-speak-german/id1449848509?ls=1

Gratitude is a key to happiness, and while gratitude journals work for some, alternative practices also work—such as one simple approach suggested by author Kurt Vonnegut's uncle. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month marks 50 years of Terry Gross as the host of Fresh Air. What began in 1975 as a local experiment at WHYY in Philadelphia has since grown into a national institution—one that not only transformed public radio, but laid the groundwork for the world of podcasting.To commemorate a half-century on the air, Terry Gross joins us for a rare appearance in the interview seat. At the top, we discuss her Brooklyn upbringing (11:39), early memories of writing (14:13), and her improbable road to public radio (30:51). Then, Terry walks us through the formative years of Fresh Air (34:50) and its seminal conversations with Kurt Vonnegut (41:34), John Updike (47:43), Monica Lewinsky (50:43), Joan Didion (1:02:08), and more.On the back-half, Gross reflects on forty-seven years of partnership with her late husband, jazz writer Francis Davis (1:04:37), their shared affinity for reading and music (1:07:10), the future of public media (1:20:29), and why she continues to have faith in (and love for) the long-form interview (1:32:48).Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy