Podcasts about Literature

The public domain comes for us all and today it's come for Miss Marple, the elderly busybody and amateur sleuth that Agatha Christie created in the 1920s. In her first proper novel, Marple assists a vicar in uncovering the truth behind a murder that occurred in his own home (also known as a vicarage). How does Marple do it? With a keen understanding of Human Nature.This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com/overdue.Head to MarleySpoon.com/offer/overdue for 45% off your first order and free delivery!Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on OverdueSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Part 1 of our discussion on Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji, we welcome editor Dennis Washburn to discuss the life and times of Murasaki Shikibu, the process of abridging The Tale of Genji for the Norton Library edition, and the novel's celebration and satire of courtly life. Dennis Washburn is the Burlington northern Foundation professor of Asian studies at Dartmouth College. He holds a Ph.D. in Japanese Language and Literature from Yale University and has authored and edited studies on a range of literary and cultural topics. These include: The Dilemma of the Modern in Japanese Fiction; Translating Mount Fuji: Modern Japanese Fiction and the Ethics of Identity; and The Affect of Difference: Representations of Race in East Asian Empire. In addition to his scholarly publications, he has translated several works of Japanese fiction, including Yokomitsu Riichi's Shanghai, Tsushima Tsushima Tuko's Laughing Wolf, and Mizukami Tsutomu's The Temple of the Wild Geese, for which he was awarded the US-Japan Friendship Commission Prize. In 2004 he was awarded the Japan Foreign Minister's citation for promoting cross-cultural understanding.To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of The Tale of Genji, go to https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393427912. Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter at @TNL_WWN and Bluesky at @nortonlibrary.bsky.social. 

Guest: Ronald White. This segment introduces Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's early life and intellectual formation. In 1848, Chamberlain passed a rigorous entrance exam for Bowdoin College by reciting classical Greek and Romanliterature from memory. Raised in Brewer, Maine, by "hardy congregationalist" parents, he balanced his father's love for physical pursuits like sailing and riding with his mother's religious devotion. Although his father desired a military career for him at West Point, Chamberlain attended Bangor Theological Seminary, mastering nine languages. He also met his future wife, Fanny Adams, a talented organist with a troubled, "shadowed" childhood, while leading a church choir.1861 UNION GENERAL OFFICERS

660. Today we're joined by writer and cultural historian Brian Fairbanks, author of “Wizards: David Duke, America's Wildest Election, and the Rise of the Far Right.” In this book, Fairbanks delivers a vivid account of David Duke's 1991 run for governor of Louisiana — a campaign that shocked the country and revealed how extremist politics could slip into the mainstream. Through sharp reporting and a storyteller's eye, he reconstructs the chaos, the media frenzy, and the deeper social tensions that made that election a turning point in modern American politics. Fairbanks brings that same clarity to a very different American saga in “Willie, Waylon, and the Boys: How Nashville Outsiders Changed Country Music.” Here he traces the rise of the outlaw movement, showing how Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and their circle pushed back against Nashville's rigid studio system and reshaped the sound and soul of country music. He explores the rebellion, the artistry, and the cultural moment that allowed these musicians to redefine authenticity and leave a lasting imprint on American music. Beyond these two major works, Brian Fairbanks has built a reputation as a writer who connects individual stories to the larger forces shaping American life. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 222 years. Order your copy today! This week in the Louisiana Anthology. Heloise Hulse Cruzat wrote an article on the history of the Ursuline Nuns in New Orleans.      You have been told in eloquent periods of the founding of New Orleans, of its subsequent development, and I am to be the humble interpreter of another intimate chapter of its history: THE SHARE WOMEN TOOK IN ITS ESTABLISHMENT.      Can we mention the French colonial days without recalling the URSULINES, who by their unfaltering courage and their steady and efficient work, incorporated their history into that of our fair city.      Bienville realized that New Orleans would never attain his dream of greatness without education, and especially such an education of the female youth as would give worthy wives and mothers to the colonists. With this end in view, he intrusted to the Jesuit, Father de Beaubois, the care of choosing these educators. How successfully this mission was accomplished by his selection of the Ursulines of Rouen, the two past centuries have demonstrated.       A contract was signed by the Company of the Indies and the Ursulines, approved by brevet signed by Louis XV, and on February 22nd, 1727, Mother St. Augustin, Tranchepain, with eight professed nuns, a novice and two postulants sailed on the Gironde from L'Orient. This week in Louisiana history. January 9, 1877 Both Democrat Francis T. Nicholls and Republican Stephen B. Packard claim victory in election for governor; both take oath of office. This week in New Orleans history. Andrew Jackson arrived on board the steamer “Vicksburg” on January 8, 1840 at ten o'clock in the morning, landing at the Carrollton wharf, where an immense throng had assembled to welcome “the most distinguished citizen of the country.”  The specific reason for his presence was that a cornerstone was to be laid, commemorating his victories in the Battle of New Orleans, a quarter of a century before. General Jackson laid the cornerstone in the Place d'Armes, on January 9, 1840. It was not until some years later that the monument decided upon was the one of Jackson, designed by Clark Mills, which stands in the center of the ancient parade grounds for the troops. This statue has been called the “center piece of one of the finest architectural sittings in the world.” (NOPL) This week in Louisiana. January 10, 2026. Fools of Misrule Parade Historic St. John District Covington Marchers will follow the “Lord of Misrule” in a medieval-themed procession. The January 10, 2026 Route & Key Stops The parade follows a traditional path through downtown Covington with key festivities: Start: Seiler Bar (434 N. Columbia St.) following the members-only “Feast of Fools.” Stop 1 (The Crowning): The procession marches to the Covington Trailhead (419 N. New Hampshire St.) to crown the “Lord of Misrule.” Stop 2 (The Carouse): Revelers, flambeaux, and brass bands march along New Hampshire Street to Boston Street. Stop 3 (The Watering Holes): The krewe heads north along Columbia Street, stopping at local restaurants and pubs. End: The march concludes back at the Columbia Street Tap Room & Grill. Website: foolsofmisrule.org Email: membership@foolsofmisrule.org Phone: (985) 893-8187 St. John Fools of Misrule 434 N. Columbia St. Suite H20 Covington, LA 70433 Note for Listeners: While public, this march has a rowdy “pub crawl” atmosphere. Families should aim for the Trailhead crowning for the best experience with kids. Postcards from Louisiana. Crescent City Brewhouse. Listen on Apple Podcasts. Listen on audible. Listen on Spotify. Listen on TuneIn. Listen on iHeartRadio. The Louisiana Anthology Home Page. Like us on Facebook. 

Archive 238 BigfootJoin my Supporters Club for $4.99 per month for exclusive stories:https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/what-if-it-s-true-podcast--5445587/support

The Worst Kind of DemonA 41-year-old man, previously indifferent to religion despite a vague belief in God, shares a chilling personal experience that led to his Christian faith. In July of the previous year, his family moved from Calgary to his elderly parents' rural property near Edmonton to help care for his terminally ill father, who was dying of lung cancer after decades of smoking. Shortly after arriving, his mother confided that she had seen a tall, hunched black figure with long fingers and deep black eye pits in her bedroom. Terrified, she began sleeping with the lights on and avoided the room without a dog. The man initially dismissed it as a hallucination related to her health. Weeks later, he began experiencing strange phenomena himself: sensations of bugs crawling all over his body at night (only relieved by sleeping on the couch), followed by nightmares, light poking that escalated to aggressive jabbing, grabbing, squeezing, and pulling. No one else in the family was affected. The encounters intensified. One night on the couch, an invisible large, cold, rough hand with long fingers grabbed his face and forced his head into the pillow, causing pain. When he fought back, he felt something walk along the couch and then grab his ankles; he saw his sweatpants move as if squeezed. Another time in the garage, he felt overwhelming malevolence, a sudden cold, and physical grabs on his thigh and neck. In desperation during the neck grab, he began reciting the Lord's Prayer aloud. The pressure immediately released, warmth returned, and the malevolent feeling vanished. The next day, deeply shaken and sleep-deprived, he contacted his pastor aunt and uncle. They guided him to pray out loud, surrendering his life and soul to Jesus Christ. He did so sincerely. That night, for the first time in months, he slept peacefully with no disturbances. Three weeks later, a final attack occurred: a presence grabbed his head. Though initially paralyzed with fear and unable to speak, he eventually commanded the entity to leave in Jesus' name (as his relatives had instructed). The grip released instantly, though it briefly caused sharp pain in his knee before departing permanently. He describes this as the moment he truly felt God's presence. His father passed away a week later. Afterward, his young son reported feeling watched and getting “bad feelings” at night. The man led his son in the same prayer of surrender to Jesus, and all disturbances in the house ceased completely. Since then, the man reads the Bible daily (sometimes twice), prays multiple times a day, and the family studies scripture together. His son, now ten, reminds him to pray at bedtime. Previously having never opened a Bible and feeling unworthy of redemption due to past mistakes, he now believes both demonic forces and God's protective power are real. He credits prayer and faith in Jesus for his deliverance and ongoing peace.Join my Supporters Club for $4.99 per month for exclusive stories:https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/what-if-it-s-true-podcast--5445587/support

Narrator: Thomas Jones

Today on The Stacks, we are joined by Emmy-nominated TV writer, former co-host of What Now? with Trevor Noah, and creator of the Pop Syllabus newsletter and podcast, Christiana Mbakwe Medina. We talk about how Christiana became a comedy writer and culture critic, the intersections of wealth and access in celebrity culture, and what we can get out of taking pop culture seriously.The Stacks Book Club pick for January is Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Girls Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, January 28th, with Christiana Mbakwe Medina returning as our guest.You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/1/7/ep-406-christiana-mbakwe-medinaConnect with Christiana: Instagram | Pop Syllabus Instagram | Substack | ThreadsConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | SubscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bigfoot Observed on the Mississippi RiverIn the summer of 2017, while fishing alone on the lower Mississippi River near Osceola, Arkansas, a man encountered an approaching storm. He moved his boat upriver to shelter behind a small island with trees and overhanging willows, tied off, and covered himself with a tarp as the rain began. From his position, he noticed a large, dark, hairy figure—approximately 8 feet tall—about 200 yards away on the opposite bank. The creature waded waist-deep into the water and deliberately moved to startle invasive Asian carp, causing them to leap out of the water. It then swatted the jumping fish onto the bank, successfully catching several.As the rain intensified and visibility dropped, the narrator last saw the creature gathering the fish in its large hands and retreating into the trees. The narrator concluded that the creature had secured a good meal that afternoon.Join my Supporters Club for $4.99 per month for exclusive stories:https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/what-if-it-s-true-podcast--5445587/support

In this episode, Adam Biles welcomes Jonathan Coe to Shakespeare and Company in Paris for a rich, funny, and wide-ranging conversation about Coe's genre-bending novel The Proof of My Innocence. What begins as a playful pastiche of a cozy crime mystery evolves into three interlocking novellas—a whodunnit, a piece of dark academia, and a fragment of autofiction—that push at the limits of storytelling itself. Coe discusses why crime fiction offers comfort in anxious times, how the destabilising politics of late 2022 (from Liz Truss to the Queen's death) seeped into the book, and why he's increasingly drawn to overtly fictional narratives in an age suspicious of facts. He reflects on class, Cambridge, generational politics, and the powerful role fiction plays in preserving memory. Filled with humour and insight, the conversation offers both a defence of storytelling and a portrait of Britain in flux.Buy The Proof of My Innocence: https://www.shakespeareandcompany.com/books/the-proof-of-my-innocence-3Jonathan Coe was born in Birmingham in 1961. He is the award-winning, bestselling author of fifteen novels, including What a Carve Up!, The Rotters' Club, Middle England and, most recently, The Proof of My Innocence. He has won the Costa Novel Award, the Prix du Livre Européen, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, the Prix Médicis Étranger and the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize, among many others. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His work has been translated into twenty-two languages. Jonathan Coe lives in London.Adam Biles is Literary Director at Shakespeare and Company.Listen to Alex Freiman's latest EP, In The Beginning: https://open.spotify.com/album/5iZYPMCUnG7xiCtsFCBlVa?si=h5x3FK1URq6SwH9Kb_SO3w Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gen 16:1-18:15, Matt 6:1-24, Ps 7:1-17, Pr 2:1-5

A first Thanksgiving in the midcentury masterpiece has come and gone and, with it, a cozy familial gathering. Some brief fireplace talk leads to a quick discussion of your host's imminent demise (imminent in geologic time, that is). Meanwhile, over in Bridgeburg, a sad and lonely Clyde sits alone in a jail cell. Will his new counsel provide some hope?Support Obscure!Read Michael's substackFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Missing Person Case - Bigfoot Cover UpThe day after Christmas, two experienced college student duck hunters launched their jon boat into an oxbow of the Mississippi River to hunt during the final week of their holiday break. They were cautious, well-equipped, and familiar with the dangers of the cold, flooded winter waters, yet they never returned. Their vehicle and trailer remained at the ramp, and by nightfall a search began. The narrator, a second-year Federal Game Warden patrolling a nearby wildlife refuge in the Mississippi Delta, joined the effort that night and continued searching the next day. Deep in a remote, flooded timber area of the refuge, he discovered the boys' boat—severely damaged, folded nearly in half as if crushed by enormous weight. Decoys were still out, but no hunters were present. Large, barefoot tracks surrounded the wreck, leading away into the woods. No drag marks or bodies were visible, suggesting something had carried the men off. The warden photographed the scene, then followed the tracks inland while armed. As a helicopter approached overhead, his memory abruptly ends. He next found himself the following day, December 28, in clean clothes at the sheriff's office, with no recollection of the previous 24 hours. A report bearing his signature described only accidental boat damage—no mention of tracks, crushing, or animal signs. When he returned to the site, the boat had been recovered and appeared merely damaged, not folded. The giant tracks were gone, replaced by ordinary human boot prints. The disposable camera photos he had taken were all blank or blurred. The official search continued for another week but found no trace of the young men—no bodies, no gear beyond a couple of old shotguns unrelated to the case. The boys remain missing decades later. The warden never amended his report or publicly shared what he initially witnessed, confiding only years later in a trusted colleague. He notes that he has never again experienced missing time, but that he and other longtime officers in the lowland delta refuges have accumulated similar unexplained stories that never reach mainstream missing-persons investigators. The narrative strongly implies a cryptid encounter—likely Sasquatch—responsible for both the disappearance and the subsequent alteration of evidence and memory.Join my Supporters Club for $4.99 per month for exclusive stories:https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/what-if-it-s-true-podcast--5445587/support

Original Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au35mD-Czk4 Dr. E. Michael Jones is a prolific Catholic writer, lecturer, journalist, and Editor of Culture Wars Magazine who seeks to defend traditional Catholic teachings and values from those seeking to undermine them. ——— Dr. Jones Books: fidelitypress.org/ Subscribe to Culture Wars Magazine: culturewars.com Donate: culturewars.com/donate Follow: https://culturewars.com/links CW Magazine: culturewars.com NOW AVAILABLE!: Walking with a Bible and a Gun: The Rise, Fall and Return of American Identity: https://www.fidelitypress.org/book-products/walking-with-a-bible-and-a-gun

As migration carried Yiddish to several continents during the long twentieth century, an increasingly global community of speakers and readers clung to Jewish heritage while striving to help their children make sense of their lives as Jews in the modern world. In her book, Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children's Literature (Princeton University Press, 2025), Miriam Udel traces how the stories and poems written for these Yiddish-speaking children underpinned new formulations of secular Jewishness. Udel provides the most comprehensive study to date of this corpus of nearly a thousand picture books, chapter books, story and poetry collections, and anthologies. Moving geographically from Europe to the Americas and chronologically through the twentieth century, she considers this emerging canon in relation to the deep Jewish past and imagined Jewish futures before reckoning with the tragedy of the Holocaust. Udel discusses how Yiddish children's literature espoused political ideologies ranging from socialism to Zionism and constituted a project of Jewish cultural nationalism, one shaped equally by the utopianism of the Jewish left and important shifts in the Western understanding of children, childhood, and family life. Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children's Literature shows how Yiddish authors, educators, and cultural leaders, confronting practical limits on their ability to forge a fully realized nation of their own, focused instead on making a symbolic and conceptual world for Jewish children to inhabit with dignity, justice, and joy. Interviewee: Miriam Udel is associate professor of German Studies and Jewish Studies at Emory University. Host: Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. 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

Poems about small hopes, from Kathleen Hellen, Becky Sakellariou, Paula Sergi, and Martin Steyer.Support the show

Gen 13:5-15:21, Matt 5:27-48, Ps 6:1-10, Pr 1:29-33

As migration carried Yiddish to several continents during the long twentieth century, an increasingly global community of speakers and readers clung to Jewish heritage while striving to help their children make sense of their lives as Jews in the modern world. In her book, Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children's Literature (Princeton University Press, 2025), Miriam Udel traces how the stories and poems written for these Yiddish-speaking children underpinned new formulations of secular Jewishness. Udel provides the most comprehensive study to date of this corpus of nearly a thousand picture books, chapter books, story and poetry collections, and anthologies. Moving geographically from Europe to the Americas and chronologically through the twentieth century, she considers this emerging canon in relation to the deep Jewish past and imagined Jewish futures before reckoning with the tragedy of the Holocaust. Udel discusses how Yiddish children's literature espoused political ideologies ranging from socialism to Zionism and constituted a project of Jewish cultural nationalism, one shaped equally by the utopianism of the Jewish left and important shifts in the Western understanding of children, childhood, and family life. Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children's Literature shows how Yiddish authors, educators, and cultural leaders, confronting practical limits on their ability to forge a fully realized nation of their own, focused instead on making a symbolic and conceptual world for Jewish children to inhabit with dignity, justice, and joy. Interviewee: Miriam Udel is associate professor of German Studies and Jewish Studies at Emory University. Host: Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Ron Koertge first appeared in episode #47. A prolific writer, Ron began publishing in the '60s, including many novels for young adults, and is a two-time winner of the PEN Literary Award for Children's Literature. Author of over 20 books of poetry, his most recent is Pandora's Kitchen, just out from Red Hen Press. Find more on Ron here: http://www.ronkoertge.com/ As always, we'll also include the live Prompt Lines for responses to our weekly prompt. A Zoom link will be provided in the chat window during the show before that segment begins. For links to all the past episodes, visit: https://www.rattle.com/page/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: Write a villanelle that involves a trip. Next Week's Prompt: Write a poem that explores something left behind. Include as many tactile details as possible. The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, then becomes an audio podcast. Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts.

We've been known to choose an adventure for ourselves every now and again, but rarely have we delved into the history of the “gamebook” genre. Until now! Join us for an abbreviated run through Consider the Consequences, in which players can quickly ruin the lives of three young adults who All Have Their Own Stuff Going On. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Head to MarleySpoon.com/offer/overdue for 45% off your first order and free delivery!Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on OverdueSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Blamo! I'm joined by one returning guest and one first-timer — Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris.Mac is the current — and ninth ever — National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a New York Times bestselling author of more than 60 children's books, and a two-time Caldecott Honor recipient. He's also a past Blamo! guest, which made this feel less like an interview and more like picking up a conversation we never really finished.Shawn is an award-winning illustrator and author whose book Have You Ever Seen a Flower? received a Caldecott Honor and is a personal favorite of mine — one of those books that quietly rewires the way you see the world.Mac and Shawn are close friends, serious book people, and — somewhat under-the-radar — real fit gods. We talked about good books, good stories, and good clothes!The First Cat in Space Series*Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Watch all of our Dan Welch interviews here    • Venezuela invaded for oil! Maduro Snatched...  Dan on YT:    / @danielpatrickwelch  Daniel Patrick Welch is a writer of political commentary and analysis. He lives and writes in Salem, Massachusetts with his wife. Together they run The Greenhouse School. He has traveled widely, speaks five languages and studied Russian History and Literature at Harvard University. Welch has also appeared as a guest on several TV and radio channels to speak on topics of foreign affairs and political analysis. He can be available as his work schedule permits. Links for Daniel Patrick Welch Daniel Patrick Welch  https://www.danielpwelch.com/ VK: https://www.vk.com/id722525337 X https://www.x.com/dpwelch0718 buy Dan a coffee https://buymeacoffee.com/danielpatric... PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_d... #war #ukraine #russia #unitedstates #israel #palestine #ww3 #news #usa #uk #venezuela #maduro

Gen 11:1-13:4, Matt 5:1-26, Ps 5:1-12, Pr 1:24-28

This episode of the Baltic Ways podcast welcomes Dr. Liina-Ly Roos, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the German, Nordic, Slavic+ department. The discussion centers on Liina-Ly's recent book: The Not-Quite Child: Colonial Histories, Racialization, and Swedish Exceptionalism (University of Washington Press, 2025), in which she analyzes films and literature that portray Indigenous Sámi, Tornedalian, and Finnish-speaking children and how these figures disrupt the normative understanding of growing up in Sweden. These cultural texts are filled with tensions of assimilation, invisibility, and the struggle to grow in a society that demands conformity to a specific “Swedishness.” The discussion also considers parallels to the Baltic context. Dr. Roos is a graduate of the University of Washington and a grant recipient from the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies.Baltic Ways is a podcast from the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies, produced in partnership with the Baltic Initiative at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of AABS or FPRI.Image: Adobe Stock This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fpribalticinitiative.substack.com

Too Much Plastic, Too Little (Actual) RecyclingHow often do you buy an item from the store that's packaged in a plastic container or wrapped in plastic? Daily decisions like these add up and are feeding into the global plastic crisis. Scientists estimate that there's anywhere between 9 to 16 million tons of plastic on the sea floor, polluting the environment, harming species and releasing harmful microplastics into every corner of the planet and into our bodies. Two experts on plastic join us this week to shed some light on the problem and how we can each make a difference by changing our consumption habits and demanding improved policies that crack down on single-use plastics.Relearning How To Be Friends As An AdultMaking friends as an adult is harder than it looks, with so many of us trying to juggle busy, demanding schedules, living in new places and dealing with a culture that discourages vulnerability. We unpack why so many people feel disconnected and how you can put yourself out there and foster new and genuine friendships.Viewpoints Explained: The Dessert Trend That Refuses To FadeOnce a sweet treat mainly found at grocery stores, this dessert has quietly moved into the mainstream, showing as stand-alone chains across the country. We look at why it's stuck around longer than past food fads.Culture Crash: Why We Can't Let Go Of The '90SA look at why the 1990s still loom so large in our collective memory and what our fixation on that decade reveals about the draw of nostalgia.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gen 8:1-10:32, Matt 4:12-25, Ps 4:1-8, Pr 1:20-23

659. John C. Rodrigue joins us to discuss his research on the Civil War and Reconstruction. John is a prominent historian specializing in the U.S. Civil War and Reconstruction, known for his deep focus on slavery, emancipation, and the Lower Mississippi Valley, with key books like Reconstruction in the Cane Fields and Freedom's Crescent, exploring how the war transformed Southern society and Lincoln's evolving views on Reconstruction. He's recognized for meticulous research and contributions to understanding the complex transition from slavery to free labor, earning awards like the 2024 John Nau Book Prize for his 2023 work. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 222 years. Order your copy today! This week in the Louisiana Anthology. Richard Emmons wrote an "Epick Poem" about the Battle of New Orleans: "Now when the States with soul-abhorrence saw Britain's design to wage a Vandal war — That spoils and rapine fill'd her heart with joy — That all her thoughts were loosen'd to destroy, — One voice from Florida to Maine was heard, To rise in panoply and draw the sword — Grace, Hampton, Norfolk, Baltimore — of late, Urg'd their uniting with unbroken weight, To guard their cities smiling on the sea, From the rude grasp of spoiling Royalty. This week in Louisiana history. January 2, 1860 Seminary of Learning of the State of Louisiana near Pineville, Louisiana opened with Col. William Tecumseh Sherman as superintendent, would later become LSU, Seminary opens with five professors and 19 cadets This week in New Orleans history. Troy Andrews (born January 2, 1986), also known by the stage name Trombone Shorty has worked in jazz, funk and rap music. Andrews is the younger brother of trumpeter and bandleader James Andrews as well as the grandson of singer and songwriter Jessie Hill. Andrews began playing trombone at age six, and since 2009 has toured with his own band, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. This week in Louisiana. Carnival season begins in Louisiana on 12th Night of Christmas, January 6, 2025 Joan of Arc Parade French Quarter New Orleans Floats will focus on Joan of Arc's life. The 2026 Route & Key Stops The parade follows a specific path through the French Quarter with three traditional “stops” for pageantry: Start: Corner of Bienville and Front Streets. Stop 1 (The Toast): A toast to the royalty from the balcony of the Historic New Orleans Collection (416 Chartres St). Stop 2 (The Blessing): The blessing of Joan's sword. Due to ongoing construction, this may take place at St. Mary's Church at the Old Ursuline Convent rather than the Cathedral. Stop 3 (The Birthday Song): A pause at the golden Joan of Arc statue (Place de France) on Decatur Street to sing “Happy Birthday.” End: The crowning of the King and a public King Cake ceremony at Oscar Dunn Park. Website: joanofarcparade.org Email: joanofarcparade@gmail.com Phone: (504) 251-5046 The Joan of Arc Project 7330 Sycamore St. New Orleans, LA 70118 This event is family friendly. Postcard from Louisiana. Delfeayo Marsalis & Doreen at Snug Harbor.  Listen on Apple Podcasts. Listen on audible. Listen on Spotify. Listen on TuneIn. Listen on iHeartRadio. The Louisiana Anthology Home Page. Like us on Facebook. 

Gen 5:1-7:24, Matt 3:7-4:11, Ps 3:1-8, Pr 1:10-19

Universities have been trying to curb dangerous binge drinking for years. Today's students are glued to their phones, and Abby Braitman (Old Dominion University) and her colleagues are meeting them where they are for interventions. And: Meagan Brem (Virginia Tech) says that drinking is intertwined with a lot of the intimate partner violence that happens on college campuses. Later in the show: There's a psychedelic renaissance going on in Javier González-Maeso's (Virginia Commonwealth University) biochemistry lab. He's hoping to develop a new drug using psilocybin, the component found in magic mushrooms, to help people battling alcohol abuse disorder. Plus: How Jasmohan Bajaj (Virginia Commonwealth University) discovered that addiction lives in the gut, not the mind.

Welcome to the Circle of the World Podcast! Join Harrison, George, and Jeffrey as we continue our coverage of Joe Abercrombie's First Law series! For this episode, all of the funny or interesting bits that we normally cut out!Meme of the week: https://www.reddit.com/r/Armor/comments/1pv7jl8/why_did_the_celtic_brits_natives_fought_bare/Leave us a commentSupport the show

Gen 3:1-4:26, Matt 2:13-3:6, Ps 2:1-12, Pr 1:7-9

Happy New Year from One True Podcast! We look forward to a rich, exciting 2026 by looking back to 1926.In our first show of the year, we ask an esteemed guest to take us back exactly one hundred years to see what was happening in Hemingway's life, work, and world. So, to guide us through Hemingway's 1926 -- his travels, his relationships, his publishing, and his writing – we welcome the great Hemingway scholar Ross K. Tangedal. For Hemingway, 1926 was a colossally important year that saw his transition from Hadley to his second wife, Pauline; the transition from Boni & Liveright to Scribner's; and the publication of The Torrents of Spring and The Sun Also Rises, both crucially important for different reasons. Tangedal guides us through this remarkable year in Hemingway's life and his writing. We have previously begun calendar years with flashback episodes featuring: Mary Dearborn on 1922; James M. Hutchisson on 1923; Verna Kale on 1924; and J. Gerald Kennedy on 1925. We encourage you to check out those past shows to get up to date!

Gen 1:1-2:25, Matt 1:1-2:12, Ps 1:1-6, Pr 1:1-6

Poem: Rhapsody of A Grateful HeartPoet: TJ EsubiyiGuest Poet: Dîba TuncerPoem: I WonderDîba Tuncer (she/her) is a trauma-informed somatic and systemic coach, educator, and researcher based in Germany. Her work bridges embodied healing with decolonial and critical pedagogies, offering a unique approach to personal and collective transformation. She specializes in individual and team coaching, supervision, and training—particularly supporting women in leadership roles—and facilitates safer spaces for learning, growth, and reflection.Dîba holds a BA in English Language and Literature and has experience teaching in both Turkey and Germany. She earned her MA in Anglophone Modernities in Literature and Culture at the University of Potsdam. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in Education at the University of Bremen and Alice Salomon University, focusing on decolonial pedagogy, epistemic justice, and embodied learning.As the host of the podcast Pedagogy of Integrity, she continues to create relational, reflective spaces that nurture inner and collective wisdom.

For the last Stacks Book Club episode of the year, we're diving into Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger with Joel Anderson, senior staff writer at The Ringer and co-host of sports & media podcast The Press Box. This book follows the 1988 season of the Permian Panthers, one of the best high-school football teams in Texas history. We discuss whether this book could exist as is today, how we feel about high school athletes getting special academic treatment, and why Joel wants to untether grades from extracurricular activities.There are spoilers in this episode.Be sure to listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our January book club pick will be.You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/12/31/ep-405-friday-night-lightsConnect with Joel: Instagram | Twitter | BlueskyConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | SubscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Happy New Year from the OSPod crew! We recap a year in OSP and celebrate all we're looking forward to in 2026 in this yearly bonus OSPod special! Our podcast, like our videos, sometimes touches on the violence, assaults, and murders your English required reading list loves (also we curse sometimes). Treat us like a TV-14 show.OSP has new videos every Friday:https://www.youtube.com/c/OverlySarcasticProductionsChannelQuestion for the Podcast? Head to the #ask-ospod discord channel:https://discord.gg/OSPMerch:https://overlysarcastic.shopFollow Us:Patreon.com/OSPBlueSky: @overlysarcastic.bsky.socialIndigo: @sophiekay.bsky.socialMusic By OSP Magenta ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis w/Christen Blair Horne & Jesan Sorrells---00:00 Welcome and Introduction - Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.00:10 Belief, Theology, and Worldview.08:32 "Confused Reading Journey"10:44 "Fear of Critiquing Islam"20:01 "Somme: 60,000 British Lost"21:40 "Reflections on War and Legacy"29:44 "Chesterton vs. Lewis: Class & Wit"36:48 "Enlightenment's Law of Human Nature"42:05 "Secular Shift in Christian Education"44:49 "Exploring the Hebrew Roots Movement"49:42 "Revelations, Robots, and Survivalists"58:09 "Towards a Unique American Theology"01:01:26 Critique of Billy Graham's Approach01:07:21 Controversial Reformed Christian Leader01:10:31 "Church vs. State Authority"01:17:04 "Faith, Debate, and Dismissal"01:25:45 "Paul Johnson on Christianity"01:29:41 "Modern Beliefs and Ancient Heresies"01:34:53 "Questioning Moral Relativism"01:41:13 "Parable of the Sower"01:44:22 Rooted Faith or Shallow Ground01:49:03 "Seeking Understanding and Context"01:55:50 "Disagreement Isn't Sinful"---Opening and closing themes composed by Brian Sanyshyn of Brian Sanyshyn Music.---Pick up your copy of 12 Rules for Leaders: The Foundation of Intentional Leadership NOW on AMAZON!Check out the 2022 Leadership Lessons From the Great Books podcast reading list!--- ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ Subscribe to the Leadership Lessons From The Great Books Podcast: https://bit.ly/LLFTGBSubscribeCheck out HSCT Publishing at: https://www.hsctpublishing.com/.Check out LeadingKeys at: https://www.leadingkeys.com/Check out Leadership ToolBox at: https://leadershiptoolbox.us/Contact HSCT for more information at 1-833-216-8296 to schedule a full DEMO of LeadingKeys with one of our team members.---Leadership ToolBox website: https://leadershiptoolbox.us/.Leadership ToolBox LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ldrshptlbx/.Leadership ToolBox YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@leadershiptoolbox/videosLeadership ToolBox Twitter: https://twitter.com/ldrshptlbx.Leadership ToolBox IG: https://www.instagram.com/leadershiptoolboxus/.Leadership ToolBox FB: https://www.facebook.com/

As the year winds down and the calendar flips over, we're ringing in the New Year with a special bonus episode dedicated to one of our favorite—and most elusive—writers: Thomas Pynchon. In this New Year's Eve edition of Ticket Stubs, we gather to talk about what Pynchon's work has meant to us over the years, why his voice remains so singular in modern literature, and how his obsessions with paranoia, the past, and slapstick continue to resonate. From there, we dive into One Battle After Another, the recent adaptation of Vineland from director Paul Thomas Anderson, another favorite of ours. Then, we share our thoughts on Pynchon's long-awaited new novel, Shadow Ticket, before closing things out by putting our cards on the table with our own personal rankings of his novels. Whether you're a longtime Pynchon devotee, a curious newcomer, or just looking to close out the year with a little chaos and conspiratorial joy, we hope you'll spend what's left of 2025, or perhaps even the earliest part of 2026...or actually anytime in the foreseeable (or not?) future...with us. Any and all digressions are welcome when it comes to discussing this artist and his work. And believe me, we take digressions aplenty! As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen. Got thoughts or questions? Email us at huffmanbrothersproductions@gmail.com.

Alle Thyng Hath Tyme: Time and Medieval Life (Reaktion, 2023) recreates medieval people's experience of time: as continuous and discontinuous, linear and cyclical, embracing Creation and Judgement, shrinking to ‘atoms' or ‘droplets' and extending to the silent spaces of eternity. They might measure time by natural phenomena such as sunrise and sunset, the motion of the stars or the progress of the seasons, even as the late medieval invention of the mechanical clock was making time-reckoning more precise. Negotiating these mixed and competing systems, medieval people gained a nuanced and expansive sense of time that rewards attention today. Gillian Adler is Associate Professor of Literature and Esther Raushenbush Chair in Humanities at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She is the author of Chaucer and the Ethics of Time (2022) Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here 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

Narrator: Nadine Brown

It's time to meet Samantha and Addy, two American Girls from the toy brand of the same name. Their time periods and journeys are rather different, but they are united by one thing: American Girl founder Pleasant Rowland's quest to inspire girls to learn AND to accessorize.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on OverdueSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

 “A sonnet,” said the poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “is a moment's monument.” But who invented the sonnet? Who brought it to prominence? How has it changed over the years? And why does this form continue to be so compelling? In this episode of the History of Literature, we take a brief look at one of literature's most enduring forms, from its invention in a Sicilian court to the wordless sonnet and other innovative uses. Note: A version of this episode first ran in August 2018. It has been missing from our archives for many years. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England! Join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠John Shors Travel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ in May 2026! Scheduled stops include The Charles Dickens Museum, Dr. Johnson's house, Jane Austen's Bath, Tolkien's Oxford, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and more. Learn more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. December update: Act soon - there are only two spots left! The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the end of the year, we're doing a countdown of the most listened-to episodes of the orthoPAc podcast! Madeline McHugh, PA-S, (now PA-C) was one of the Susan Lindahl Memorial Scholarship winners for 2021. She shares her case study on bilateral lateral femoral condyle OCD lesions.

Find the grave of Annabel Lee and you find the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe!   In this episode, a hand-drawn map pulls us through a locked iron gate into Charleston's most overgrown churchyard, where legends gather like mist and names disappear into leaves. A lady in white wanders the paths. Sixty-four people have collapsed before this very gate.   We follow the trail of Annabel Lee—the girl Poe loved, or invented, or summoned—and uncover the stranger story beneath the legend: a visiting scholar who survived war and exile, stood before Juliet's Tomb in Verona, and quietly planted a grave that may never have existed.   The map points toward a burial—but the real treasure may be hidden elsewhere. What if the grave was a lie but the lie was true?   Sources:   The Ghosts of Charleston by Julian Buxton Edgar Allan Poe's Charleston by  Christopher Byrd Downey   A History Lover's Guide to Charleston by Christopher Byrd Downey   Unburied Treasure: Edgar Allan Poe in the South Carolina Lowcountry Scott Peeples, Michelle Van Parys Southern Cultures, Vol. 22, No. 2   Haunted Charleston by Sarah Pitzer   Nevermore! Edgar Allan Poe- The Final Mystery by Julian Wiles Source for Alexander Lenard: Primary Sources by Alexander Lenard   Die Kuh auf dem Bast (Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1963) The Valley of the Latin Bear (New York, 1965) - English translation Am Ende der Via Condotti: Römische Jahre (München: DTV Verlag, 2017) - translated by Ernö Zeltner Stories of Rome (Budapest: Corvina, 2013) - translated by Mark Baczoni O Vale Do Fim Do Mundo (São Paulo: Cosac Naify, 2013) - translated by Paulo Schiller Die römische Küche (München, 1963) Sieben Tage Babylonisch (Stuttgart, 1964) A római konyha (1986) Winnie Ille Pu (Latin translation of Winnie-the-Pooh) Völgy a világ végén s más történetek (Budapest: Magvető, 1973)   Secondary Sources - Books and Academic Articles   Siklós, Péter. "Von Budapest bis zum Tal am Ende der Welt: Sándor Lénárds romanhafter Lebensweg" (online) Siklós, Péter. "The Klára Szerb – Alexander Lenard Correspondence." The Hungarian Quarterly 189 (2008): 42-61 Sachs, Lynne. "Alexander Lenard: A Life in Letters." The Hungarian Quarterly 199 (Autumn 2010): 93-104 Lénárt-Cheng, Helga. "A Multilingual Monologue: Alexander Lenard's Self-Translated Autobiography in Three Languages." Hungarian Cultural Studies 7 (January 2015) Vajdovics, Zsuzsanna. "Gli anni romani di Sándor Lénárd." Annuario: Studi e Documenti Italo-Ungheresi (Roma-Szeged, 2005) Vajdovics, Zsuzsanna. "Alexander Lenard: Portrait d'un traducteur émigrant." Atelier de Traduction 9 (2008): 185-191 Rapcsányi, László & Szerb, Klára. "Who Was Alexander Lenard? An Interview with Klára Szerb." The Hungarian Quarterly 189 (2008): 26-30 Lenard, Alexander. "A Few Words About Winnie Ille Pu." The Hungarian Quarterly 199 (2010): 87-92 Humblé, Philippe & Sepp, Arvi. "'Die Kriege haben mein Leben bestimmt': Alexander Lenard's Narratives of Brazilian Exile." In Hermann Gätje / Sikander Singh (Eds.), Grenze als Erfahrung und Diskurs (Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto, 2018) Badel, Keuly Dariana. "Writing oneself and the other: A biography of Alexander Lenard (1951-1972)." Proceedings of the XXVI National History Symposium – ANPUH (São Paulo, July 2011) Nascimento, Gabriela Goulart. "Erich Erdstein and the hunt for Nazis: A study on the book 'The Rebirth of the Swastika in Brazil.'" Federal University of Santa Catarina (Florianópolis, 2021) Mosimann, João Carlos. Catarinenses: Gênese E História (Florianópolis/SC, 2010) Kroener, Sebastian (Ed.). Das Hospital auf dem Palmenhof (Norderstedt, 2016) Ilg, Karl. Pioniere in Brasilien (Innsbruck/Wien/München, 1972) Lützeler, Paul Michael. "Migration und Exil in Geschichte, Mythos, und Literatur." In Bettina Bannasch / Gerhild Rochus (Eds.), Handbuch der deutschsprachigen Exilliteratur (Berlin/Boston, 2013): 3-25 Said, Edward. Culture and Imperialism (New York, 1993) Said, Edward. Representations of the Intellectual: The 1993 Reith Lectures (New York, 1994) Herz-Kestranek, Miguel; Kaiser, Konstantin & Strigl, Daniela (Eds.). In welcher Sprache träumen Sie? Österreichische Lyrik des Exils und des Widerstands (Wien, 2007) Lomb, Kató. Harmony of Babel: Profiles of Famous Polyglots of Europe (Berkeley/Kyoto, 2013)   Hungarian Periodical Obituaries and Commemorations   Egri, Viktor. "A day in the invisible house." In Confession of Quiet Evenings (Bratislava: Madách, 1973): 162-166 Antalné Serb [Mrs. Antal Szerb]. "About Sándor Lénárd." Nagyvilág 1972/8: 1241-43 Kardos, György G. "Man at the end of the world: On the death of Sándor Lénárd." Élet és Irodalom (Life and Literature), May 6, 1972: 6 Bélley, Pál. "Tomb at the end of the world." Magyar Hírlap, April 29, 1972: 13 Kardos, Tibor. "Farewell to the doctor of the valley: The memory of Sándor Lénárd." Magyar Nemzet (Hungarian Nation), May 14, 1972: 12 (also in Az emberiség műhelyei, Budapest: Szépirodalmi Könyvkiadó, 1973) Bodnár, Györgyi. Radio broadcast, Petőfi Rádió "Two to Six," June 21, 1972   Newspaper and Magazine Sources (Hungarian)   Magyar Napló, 2005 (17. évfolyam, 11. szám) Kurír, 1990 (1. évfolyam, 124. szám) Magyarország, 1969 (6. évfolyam, 9. szám) Élet és Irodalom, 2010 (54. évfolyam, 11. szám) Siklós, Péter. Budapesttől a világ végi völgyig – Lénárd Sándor regényes életútja Berta, Gyula. "Egy magyar orvos, aki megtanította latinul Micimackót"   Other Sources   Lenard, Andrietta. "In Memory of Alexander." O Estado, May 11, 1980 (Florianópolis) Rosenmann, Peter. "Lénárd Sándor." Web-lapozgató, November 30, 2004 Wittmann, Angelina. "Alexander Lenard – Sándor Lénárd – Chose Dona Emma SC" (blog, June 24, 2022) Spiró, György & Kallen, Eve Maria. "No politics, no ideology, just human relations." Hungarian Lettre 92 (2014): 4-7 FCC – Fundação Catarinense de Cultura Cultural Heritage Inventory (2006) AMAVI (Association of Municipalities of Alto Vale do Itajaí) Registry (2006) FamilySearch genealogical records Lenard Seminar Group website (mek.oszk.hu) Scherman, David E. "Roman Holiday for a Bashful Bear Named Winnie" (article on Winnie Ille Pu)   Film   Sachs, Lynne. The Last Happy Day (experimental documentary film, 2009) - premiered at New York Film Festival

Imagine for a second that Eckhart Tolle wasn't a spiritual teacher, but a deep cover operative with a gun to his head. And just for a second, pretend that Tolle’s Power of Now wasn't a way to find peace, but a survival mechanism used to slow down time when your reality is collapsing. And your memory has been utterly destroyed by forces beyond your control. Until a good friend helps you rebuild it from the ground up. These are the exact feelings and sense of positive transformation I tried to capture in a project I believe is critical for future autodidacts, polymaths and traditional learners: Vitamin X, a novel in which the world’s only blind memory champion helps a detective use memory techniques and eventually achieve enlightenment. It’s also a story about accomplishing big goals, even in a fast-paced and incredibly challenging world. In the Magnetic Memory Method community at large, we talk a lot about the habits of geniuses like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. We obsess over their reading lists and their daily routines because we want that same level of clarity and intellectual power. But there's a trap in studying genius that too many people fall into: Passivity. And helping people escape passive learning is one of several reasons I’ve studied the science behind a variety of fictional learning projects where stories have been tested as agents of change. Ready to learn more about Vitamin X and the various scientific findings I’ve uncovered in order to better help you learn? Let’s dive in! Defeating the Many Traps of Passive Learning We can read about how Lincoln sharpened his axe for hours before trying to cut down a single tree. And that's great. But something's still not quite right. To this day, tons of people nod their heads at that famous old story about Lincoln. Yet, they still never sharpen their own axes, let alone swing them. Likewise, people email me every day regarding something I've taught about focus, concentration or a particular mnemonic device. They know the techniques work, including under extreme pressure. But their minds still fracture the instant they're faced with distraction. As a result, they never wind up getting the memory improvement results I know they can achieve. So, as happy as I am with all the help my books like The Victorious Mind and SMARTER have helped create in this world, I’m fairly confident that those titles will be my final memory improvement textbooks. Instead, I am now focused on creating what you might call learning simulations. Enter Vitamin X, the Memory Detective Series & Teaching Through Immersion Because here's the thing: If I really want to teach you how to become a polymath, I can't just carry on producing yet another list of tips. I have to drop you into scenarios where you actually feel what it's like to use memory techniques. That's why I started the Memory Detective initiative. It began with a novel called Flyboy. It’s been well-received and now part two is out. And it’s as close to Eckhart Tolle meeting a Spy Thriller on LSD as I could possibly make it. Why? To teach through immersion. Except, it's not really about LSD. No, the second Memory Detective novel centers around a substance called Vitamin X. On the surface, it's a thriller about a detective named David Williams going deep undercover. In actuality, it's a cognitive training protocol disguised as a novel. But one built on a body of research that shows stories can change what people remember, believe, and do. And that's both the opportunity and the danger. To give you the memory science and learning research in one sentence: Stories are a delivery system. We see this delivery system at work in the massive success of Olly Richards’ StoryLearning books for language learners. Richards built his empire on the same mechanism Pimsleur utilized to great effect long before their famous audio recordings became the industry standard: using narrative to make raw data stick. However, a quick distinction is necessary. In the memory world, we often talk about the Story Method. This approach involves linking disparate pieces of information together in a chain using a simple narrative vignette (e.g., a giant cat eating a toaster to remember a grocery list). That is a powerful mnemonic tool, and you will see Detective Williams use short vignettes in the Memory Detective series. But Vitamin X is what I call ‘Magnetic Fiction.’ It's not a vignette. It's a macro-narrative designed to carry the weight of many memory techniques itself. It simulates the pressure required to forge the skill, showing you how and why to use the story method within a larger, immersive context. So with that in mind, let's unpack the topic of fiction and teaching a bit further. That way, you'll know more of what I have in mind for my readers. And perhaps you'll become interested in some memory science experiments I plan to run in the near future. Illustration of “Cafe Mnemonic,” a fun memory training location the Memory Detective David Williams wants to establish once he has enough funds. Fiction as a Teaching Technology: What the Research Says This intersection of story and memory isn't new territory for me. Long before I gave my popular TEDx Talk on memory or helped thousands of people through the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass, live workshops and my books, I served as a Mercator award-winning Film Studies professor. In this role, I often analyzed and published material regarding how narratives shape our cognition. Actually, my research into the persuasion of memory goes back to my scholarly contribution to the anthology The Theme of Cultural Adaptation in American History, Literature and Film. In my chapter, “Cryptomnesia or Cryptomancy? Subconscious Adaptations of 9/11,” I examined specifically how cultural narratives influence memory formation, forgetting, and the subconscious acceptance of information. That academic background drives the thinking and the learning protocols baked into Vitamin X. As does the work of researchers who have studied narrative influence for decades. Throughout their scientific findings, one idea keeps reappearing in different forms: When a story pulls you in, you experience some kind of “transportation.” It can be that you find yourself deeply immersed in the life of a character. Or you find your palms sweating as your brain tricks you into believing you're undergoing some kind of existential threat. When such experiences happen, you stop processing information like you would an argument through critical thinking. Instead, you start processing the information in the story almost as if they were really happening. As a result, these kinds of transportation can change beliefs and intentions, sometimes without the reader noticing the change happening. That's why fiction has been used for: teaching therapy religion civic formation advertising propaganda Even many national anthems contain stories that create change, something I experienced recently when I became an Australian citizen. As I was telling John Michael Greer during our latest podcast recording, I impulsively took both the atheist and the religious oath and sang the anthem at the ceremony. All of these pieces contain stories and those stories changed how I think, feel and process the world. Another way of looking at story is summed up in this simple statement: All stories have the same basic mechanism. But many stories have wildly different ethics. My ethics: Teach memory improvement methods robustly. Protect the tradition. And help people think for themselves using the best available critical thinking tools. And story is one of them. 6 Key Research Insights on Educational Fiction Now, when it comes to the research that shows just how powerful story is, we can break it down into buckets. Some of the main categories of research on fiction for pedagogy include: 1) Narrative transportation and persuasion As these researchers explain in The Role of Transportation in the Persuasiveness of Public Narratives, transportation describes how absorbed a reader becomes in a story. Psychologists use transportation models to show how story immersion drives belief change. It works because vivid imagery paired with emotion and focused attention make story-consistent ideas easier to accept. This study of how narratives were used in helping people improve their health support the basic point: Narratives produce average shifts in attitudes, beliefs, intentions, and sometimes behavior. Of course, the exact effects vary by topic and the design of the scientific study in question. But the point remains that fiction doesn't merely entertain. It can also train and persuade. 2) Entertainment-Education (EE) EE involves deliberately embedding education into popular media, often with pro-social aims. In another health-based study, researchers found that EE can influence knowledge, attitudes, intentions, behavior, and self-efficacy. Researchers in Brazil have also used large-scale observational work on soap operas and social outcomes (like fertility). As this study demonstrates, mass narrative exposure can shape real-world behavior at scale within a population. Stories can alter norms, not just transfer facts from one mind to another. You’ll encounter this theme throughout Vitamin X, especially when Detective Williams tangles with protestors who hold beliefs he does not share, but seem to be taking over the world. 3) Narrative vs expository learning (a key warning) Here's the part most “educational fiction” ignores: Informative narratives often increase interest, but they don't automatically improve comprehension. As this study found, entertainment can actually cause readers to overestimate how well they understood the material. This is why “edutainment” often produces big problems: You can wind up feeling smarter because you enjoyed an experience. But just because you feel that way doesn't mean you gain a skill you can reliably use. That’s why I have some suggestions for you below about how to make sure Vitamin X actually helps you learn to use memory techniques better. 4) Seductive details (another warning) There's also the problem of effects created by what scientists call seductive details. Unlike the “luminous details” I discussed with Brad Kelly on his Madness and Method podcast, seductive details are interesting but irrelevant material. They typically distract attention and reduce learning of what actually matters. As a result, these details divert attention through interference and by adding working memory demands. The research I’ve read suggests that when story authors don't engineer their work with learning targets in mind, their efforts backfire. What was intended to help learners actually becomes a sabotage device. I've done my best to avoid sabotaging my own pedagogical efforts in the Memory Detective stories so far. That's why they include study guides and simulations of using the Memory Palace technique, linking and number mnemonics like the Major System. In the series finale, which is just entering the third draft now, the 00-99 PAO and Giordano Bruno's Statue technique are the learning targets I’ve set up for you. They are much harder, and that’s why even though there are inevitable seductive details throughout the Memory Detective series, the focus on memory techniques gets increasingly more advanced. My hope is that your focus and attention will be sharpened as a result. 5) Learning misinformation from fiction (the dark side) People don't just learn from fiction. They learn false facts from fiction too. In this study, researchers found that participants often treated story-embedded misinformation as if it were true knowledge. This is one reason using narrative as a teaching tool is so ethically loaded. It can bypass the mental posture we use for skepticism. 6) Narrative “correctives” (using story against misinformation) The good news is that narratives can also reduce misbelief. This study on “narrative correctives” found that stories can sometimes decrease false beliefs and misinformed intentions, though results are mixed. The key point is that story itself is neither “good” or “bad.” It's a tool for leverage, and this is one of the major themes I built into Vitamin X. My key concern is that people would confuse me with any of my characters. Rather, I was trying to create a portrait of our perilous world where many conflicts unfold every day. Some people use tools for bad, others for good, and even that binary can be difficult for people to agree upon. Pros & Cons of Teaching with Fiction Let’s start with the pros. Attention and completion: A good story can keep people engaged, which is a prerequisite for any learning to occur. The transportation model I cited above helps explain why. The Positive Side of Escapism Entering a simulation also creates escapism that is actually valuable. This is because fiction gives you “experience” without real-world consequences when it comes to facing judgment, ethics, identity, and pressure-handling. This is one reason why story has always been used for moral education, not just entertainment. However, I’ve also used story in my Memory Detective games, such as “The Velo Gang Murders.” Just because story was involved did not mean people did not face judgement. But it was lower than my experiments with “Magnetic Variety,” a non-narrative game I’ll be releasing in the future. Lower Reactance Stories can reduce counterarguing compared with overt persuasion, which can be useful for resistant audiences. In other words, you’re on your own in the narrative world. Worst case scenario, you’ll have a bone to pick with the author. This happened to me the other day when someone emailed to “complain” about how I sometimes discuss Sherlock Holmes. Fortunately, the exchange turned into a good-hearted debate, something I attribute to having story as the core foundation of our exchange. Compare this to Reddit discussions like this one, where discussing aspects of the techniques in a mostly abstract way leads to ad hominem attacks. Now for the cons: Propaganda Risk The same reduction in counterarguing and squabbling with groups that you experience when reading stories is exactly what makes narratives useful for manipulation. When you’re not discussing what you’re reading with others, you can wind up ruminating on certain ideas. This can lead to negative outcomes where people not only believe incorrect things. They sometimes act out negatively in the world. The Illusion of Understanding Informative narratives can produce high interest but weaker comprehension and inflated metacomprehension. I’ve certainly had this myself, thinking I understand various points in logic after reading Alice in Wonderland. In reality, I still needed to do a lot more study. And still need more. In fact, “understanding” is not a destination so much as it is a process. Misinformation Uptake People sometimes acquire false beliefs from stories and struggle to discount fiction as a source. We see this often in religion due to implicit memory. Darrel Ray has shown how this happens extensively in his book, The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture. His book helped explain something that happened to me after I first started memorizing Sanskrit phrases and feeling the benefits of long-form meditation. For a brief period, implicit memory and the primacy effect made me start to consider that the religion I’d grown up with was in fact true and real. Luckily, I shook that temporary effect. But many others aren’t quite so lucky. And in case it isn’t obvious, I’ll point out that the Bible is not only packed with stories. Some of those stories contain mnemonic properties, something Eran Katz pointed out in his excellent book, Where Did Noah Park the Ark? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhQlcMHhF3w The “Reefer Madness” Problem While working on Vitamin X, I thought often about Reefer Madness. In case you haven’t seen it, Reefer Madness began as an “educational” morality tale about cannabis. It's now famous largely because it's an over-the-top artifact of moral panic, an example of how fear-based fiction can be used to shape public belief under the guise of protection. I don’t want to make that mistake in my Memory Detective series. But there is a relationship because Vitamin X does tackle nootropics, a realm of substances for memory I am asked to comment on frequently. In this case, I'm not trying to protect people from nootropics, per se. But as I have regularly talked about over the years, tackling issues like brain fog by taking memory supplements or vitamins for memory is fraught with danger. And since fiction is one of the most efficient way to smuggle ideas past the mind's filters, I am trying to raise some critical thinking around supplementation for memory. But to do it in a way that's educational without trying to exploit anyone. I did my best to create the story so that you wind up thinking for yourself. What I'm doing differently with Vitamin X & the Memory Detective Series I'm not pretending fiction automatically teaches. I'm treating fiction as a delivery system for how various mnemonic methods work and as a kind of cheerleading mechanism that encourages you to engage in proper, deliberate practice. Practice of what? 1) Concentration meditation. Throughout the story, Detective Williams struggles to learn and embrace the memory-based meditation methods of his mentor, Jerome. You get to learn more about these as you read the story. 2) Memory Palaces as anchors for sanity, not party tricks. In the library sequence, Williams tries to launch a mnemonic “boomerang” into a Memory Palace while hallucinatory imagery floods the environment. Taking influence from the ancient mnemonist, Hugh of St. Victor, Noah's Ark becomes a mnemonic structure. Mnemonic images surge and help Detective Williams combat his PTSD. To make this concrete, I've utilized the illustrations within the book itself. Just as the ancients used paintings and architectural drawings to encode knowledge, the artwork in Vitamin X isn’t just decoration. During the live bootcamp I’m running to celebrate the launch, I show you how to treat the illustrations as ‘Painting Memory Palaces.’ This effectively turns the book in your hands into a functioning mnemonic device, allowing you to practice the method of loci on the page before you even step out into the real world. Then there’s the self-help element, which takes the form of how memory work can help restore sanity. A PTSD theme runs throughout the Memory Detective series for two deliberate reasons. First, Detective Williams is partly based on Nic Castle. He's a former police officer who found symptom relief for his PTSD from using memory techniques. He shared his story on this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast years ago. Second, Nic's anecdotal experience is backed up by research. And even if you don't have PTSD, the modern world is attacking many of us in ways that clearly create similar symptom-like issues far worse than the digital amnesia I've been warning about for years. We get mentally hijacked by feeds, anxiety loops, and synthetic urgency. We lose our grip on reality and wonder why we can't remember what we read five minutes ago. That's just one more reason I made memory techniques function as reality-tests inside Vitamin X. 3) The critical safeguard: I explicitly separate fiction from technique. In Flyboy's afterword, I put it plainly: The plot is fictional, but the memory techniques are real. And because they're real, they require study and practice. I believe this boundary matters because research shows how easily readers absorb false “facts” from fiction. 4) To help you practice, I included a study guide. At the end of both Flyboy and Vitamin X, there are study guides. In Vitamin X, you'll find a concrete method for creating a Mnemonic Calendar. This is not the world's most perfect memory technique. But it's helpful and a bit more advanced than a technique I learned from Jim Samuels many years ago. In his version, he had his clients divide the days of the week into a Memory Palace. For his senior citizens in particular, he had them divide the kitchen. So if they had to take a particular pill on Monday, they would imagine the pill as a giant moon in the sink. Using the method of loci, this location would always serve as their mnemonic station for Monday. In Vitamin X, the detective uses a number-shape system. Either way, these kinds of techniques for remembering schedules are the antidote to the “illusion of understanding” problem, provided that you put them to use. They can be very difficult to understand if you don't. Why My Magnetic Fiction Solves the “Hobbyist” Problem A lot of memory training fails for one reason: People treat it as a hobby. They “learn” techniques the way people “learn” guitar: By watching a few videos and buying a book. While the study material sits on a shelf or lost in a hard drive, the consumer winds up never rehearsing. Never putting any skill to the test. And as a result, never enjoying integration with the techniques. What fiction can do is create: emotional stakes situational context identity consistency (“this is what I do now”) and enough momentum to carry you into real practice That's the point of the simulation. You're not just reading about a detective and his mentor using Memory Palaces and other memory techniques. You're watching what happens when a mind uses a Memory Palace to stay oriented. And you can feel that urgency in your own nervous system while you read. That's the “cognitive gym” effect, I'm going for. It's also why I love this note from Andy, because it highlights the exact design target I'm going for: “I finished Flyboy last night. Great book! I thought it was eminently creative, working the memory lessons into a surprisingly intricate and entertaining crime mystery. Well done!” Or as the real-life Sherlock Holmes Ben Cardall put it the Memory Detective stories are: …rare pieces of fiction that encourages reflection in the reader. You don’t just get the drama, the tension and the excitement from the exploits of its characters. You also get a look at your own capabilities as though Anthony is able to make you hold a mirror up to yourself and think ‘what else am I capable of’? A Practical Way to Read These Novels for Memory Training If you want the benefits without the traps we've discussed today: Read Vitamin X for immersion first (let transportation do its job). Then read it again with a simple study goal. This re-reading strategy is important because study-goal framing will improve comprehension and reduce overconfidence. During this second read-through, actually use the Mnemonic Calendar. Then, test yourself by writing out what you remember from the story. If you make a mistake, don't judge yourself. Simply use analytical thinking to determine what went wrong and work out how you can improve. The Future: Learning Through Story is About to Intensify Here's the uncomfortable forecast: Even though I’m generally pro-AI for all kinds of outcomes and grateful for my discussions with Andrew Mayne about it (host of the OpenAI Podcast), AI could make the generation of personalized narratives that target your fears, identity, and desires trivial. That means there’s the risk that AI will also easily transform your beliefs. The same machinery that can create “education you can't stop reading” can also create persuasion you barely notice. Or, as Michael Connelly described in his novel, The Proving Ground, we might notice the effects of this persuasion far more than we’d like. My research on narrative persuasion and misinformation underscores why this potential outcome is not hypothetical. So the real question isn't “Should we teach with fiction?” The question is: Will we build fiction that creates personal agency… or engineer stories that steal it? My aim with Flyboy, Vitamin X and the series finale is simple and focused on optimizing your ability: to use story as a motivation engine to convert that motivation into deliberate practice to make a wide range of memory techniques feel as exciting for you as they are for me and to give your attention interesting tests in a world engineered to fragment it. If you want better memory, this is your challenge: Don't read Vitamin X for entertainment alone. Read it to see if you can hold on to reality while the world spins out of control. When you do, you'll be doing something far rarer than collecting tips. You'll be swinging the axe. A very sharp axe indeed. And best of all, your axe for learning and remembering more information at greater speed will be Magnetic.

We jump forward in the series a bit this month, not too deep into the series (and not into the era where the series was primarily ghostwritten), but past the “we're still setting up each of the core club-members” phase.This book is all about Mallory, a younger aspiring BSC member whose membership is jeopardized by a run of bad luck and some mildly unreasonable expectations from the other Club members. We also meet Jessi, one of the only Black residents in the extremely white town of Stoneybrook, and we discuss the dawn of the series' Perpetual Eighth Grade.This episodes posted first for Patreon supporters in February 2025! If you want to hear the rest of our longreads ahead of time (and a bunch of other stuff besides), visit Patreon.com/overduepod.Here's the full Sit Me Baby One More Time reading list:Kristy's Great IdeaClaudia and the Phantom Phone CallsThe Truth about StaceyMary Anne Saves the DayDawn and the Impossible ThreeHello, MalloryJessi's Secret LanguageWelcome to the BSC, AbbyOur theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on OverdueSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's finally the episode we've all been waiting for: The Stacks' Best Books of 2025! Traci talks with two longtime friends of the show, Greta Johnsen, host of Happy to Be Here, and MJ Franklin, an editor at The New York Times Book Review, to share our top 10 books of the year. We discuss the overall year in books, why we struggled to create this list, and all the books we're looking forward to reading in 2026.The Stacks Book Club pick for December is Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, December 31st, with Joel Anderson.You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/12/24/ep-404-best-books-of-2025Connect with Greta: Instagram | SubstackConnect with MJ: Instagram | TikTok | ThreadsConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | SubscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Happy holidays from the Overly Sarcastic Podcast! While we discuss Leaders and the philosophy of Boethius, we also spend much of our time thinking about the best sequence of the Sesame Street Christmas Special, "Start the Whip!" Our podcast, like our videos, sometimes touches on the violence, assaults, and murders your English required reading list loves (also we curse sometimes). Treat us like a TV-14 show.OSP has new videos every Friday:https://www.youtube.com/c/OverlySarcasticProductionsChannelQuestion for the Podcast? Head to the #ask-ospod discord channel:https://discord.gg/OSPMerch:https://overlysarcastic.shopFollow Us:Patreon.com/OSPTwitter.com/OSPyoutubeTwitter.com/sophie_kay_Music By OSP Magenta ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★