Podcast appearances and mentions of Mary Crawford

The Karmic Trail is seen as any action you perform or thought you pursue, and these actions and thoughts leave an imprint on the mind.Karma is also viewed as three types:PhysicalVerbalMentalToday on the show, Mary and I will be discussing these karmic imprints because each of these actions leaves behind an imprint. This imprint has a lasting impact on your consciousness and if it's of a destructive nature, it can have an everlasting negative effect.Mary Crawford can be reached for further consultation on how to Jumpstart Lasting Change via her website at TheJoyOfBeingWell.com.Listen to this week's program below or on your podcast platform of choice by clicking Here.

Research is showing us that using quantum healing is a “journey into the depths of consciousness. By accessing the subconscious mind, quantum healing allows individuals to explore past events, and, for some, past lives”. When this method is utilized, people can gain insight into unresolved issues, and, as a result, facilitate healing.Quantum energy is based on the principles of quantum physics which teach us that everything is made of energy. How a person interacts with this energy plays a major role in the reality they live.Join us on the show today where Mary Crawford explains how to use this force to heal your life on multiple levels.Mary Crawford can be reached for further consultation on how to Jumpstart Lasting Change via her website at TheJoyOfBeingWell.com.Listen to this week's program below or on your podcast platform of choice by clicking Here.

Who else in literature today could be more interesting to interview than Brandon Taylor, the author of Real Life, Filthy Animals, and The Late Americans, as well as the author of popular reviews and the sweater weather Substack? We talked about so much, including: Chopin and who plays him best; why there isn't more tennis in fiction; writing fiction on a lab bench; being a scientific critic; what he has learned working as a publisher; negative reviews; boring novels; Jane Austen. You'll also get Brandon's quick takes on Iris Murdoch, Jonathan Franzen, Lionel Trilling, György Lukács, and a few others; the modern critics he likes reading; and the dead critics he likes reading.Brandon also talked about how his new novel is going to be different from his previous novels. He told me:I no longer really want to be starting my books, quote unquote, in media res. I want my books to feel like books. I don't want my books to feel like movies. And I don't want them to feel like treatments for film. And so I want to sort of bring back all of what a novel can do in terms of its structure and in terms of its form and stuff like that. And so it means starting books, you know, with this sort of Dickensian voice of God speaking from on high, sort of summing up an era. And I think also sort of allowing the narrators in my work to dare to sum up, allowing characters in my work to have ideologies and to argue about those ideologies. I feel like that is a thing that was sort of denuded from the American novel for a lot of millennials and just sort of like trying to put back some of that old fashioned machinery that was like stripped out of the novel. And seeing what of it can still function, seeing, trying to figure out if there's any juice left in these modes of representation.I have enjoyed Brandon's fiction (several people I recommend him to have loved Real Life) and I think he's one of the best critics working today. I was delighted to interview him.Oh, and he's a Dickens fan!Transcript (AI produced, lightly formatted by me)Henry: Today I am talking to Brandon Taylor, the author of Real Life, Filthy Animals, and The Late Americans. Brandon is also a notable book reviewer and of course he writes a sub stack called Sweater Weather. Brandon, welcome.Brandon: Yeah, thanks for having me.Henry: What did you think of the newly discovered Chopin waltz?Brandon: Um, I thought, I mean, I remember very vividly waking up that day and there being a new waltz, but it was played by Lang Lang, which I did not. I don't know that, like, he's my go-to Chopin interpreter. But I don't know, I was, I was excited by it. Um, I don't know, it was in a world sort of dominated by this ethos of like nothing new under the sun. It felt wonderfully novel. I don't know that it's like one of Chopin's like major, I don't know that it's like major. Um, it's sort of definitively like middle of the road, middle tier Chopin, I think. But I enjoyed it. I played it like 20 times in a row.Henry: I like those moments because I like, I like it when people get surprised into realizing that like, it's not fixed what we know about the world and you can even actually get new Chopin, right?Brandon: I mean, it felt a little bit like when Beyonce did her first big surprise drop. It was like new Chopin just dropped. Oh my God. All my sort of classical music nerd group texts were buzzing. It felt like a real moment, actually.Henry: And I think it gives people a sense of what art was like in the past. You can go, oh my God, new Chopin. Like, yes, those feelings are not just about modern culture, right? That used to happen with like, oh my God, a new Jane Austen book is here.Brandon: Oh, I know. Well, I mean, I was like reading a lot of Emile Zola up until I guess late last year. And at some point I discovered that he was like an avid amateur photographer. And in like the French Ministry of Culture is like digitized a lot of his glass plate negatives. And one of them is like a picture that Zola has taken of Manet's portrait of him. And it's just like on a floor somewhere. Like he's like sort of taken this like very rickety early camera machinery to this place where this portrait is and like taken a picture of it. It's like, wow. Like you can imagine that like Manet's like, here's this painting I did of you. And Zola's like, ah, yes, I'm going to take a picture to commemorate it. And so I sort of love that.Henry: What other of his photos do you like?Brandon: Well, there's one of him on a bike riding toward the camera. That's really delightful to me because it like that impulse is so recognizable to me. There are all these photos that he took of his mistress that were also just like, you can like, there are also photographs of his children and of his family. And again, those feel so like recognizable to me. He's not even like a very good photographer. It's just that he was taking pictures of his like daily life, except for his kind of stunt photos where he's riding the bike. And it's like, ah, yes, Zola, he would have been great with an iPhone camera.Henry: Which pianists do you like for Chopin?Brandon: Which pianists do I love for Chopin? I like Pollini a lot. Pollini is amazing. Pollini the elder, not Pollini the younger. The younger is not my favorite. And he died recently, Maurizio Pollini. He died very recently. Maybe he's my favorite. I love, I love Horowitz. Horowitz is wonderful at Chopin. But it's obviously it's like not his, you know, you don't sort of go to Horowitz for Chopin, I guess. But I love his Chopin. And sometimes Trifonov. Trifonov has a couple Chopin recordings that I really, really like. I tend not to love Trifonov as much.Henry: Really?Brandon: I know it's controversial. It's very controversial. I know. Tell me why. I, I don't know. He's just a bit of a banger to me. Like, like he's sort of, I don't know, his playing is so flashy. And he feels a bit like a, like a, like a keyboard basher to me sometimes.Henry: But like, do you like his Bach?Brandon: You know, I haven't done a deep dive. Maybe I should do a sort of more rigorous engagement with Trifonov. But yeah, I don't, he's just not, he doesn't make my heart sing. I think he's very good at Bach.Henry: What about a Martha Argerich?Brandon: Oh, I mean, she's incredible. She's incredible. I bought that sort of big orange box out of like all of her, her sort of like masterwork recordings. And she's incredible. She has such feel for Chopin. But she doesn't, I think sometimes people can make Chopin feel a little like, like treacly, like, like a little too sweet. And she has this perfect understanding of his like rhythm and his like inner nuances and like the crispness in his compositions. Like she really pulls all of that out. And I love her. She has such, obviously great dexterity, but like a real sort of exquisite sensitivity to the rhythmic structures of Chopin.Henry: You listen on CD?Brandon: No, I listen on vinyl and I listen on streaming, but mostly vinyl. Mostly vinyl? Yeah, mostly vinyl. I know it's very annoying. No, no, no, no, no.Henry: Which, what are the good speakers?Brandon: I forget where I bought these speakers from, but I sort of did some Googling during the pandemic of like best speakers to use. I have a U-Turn Audio, U-Turn Orbital record player. And so I was just looking for good speakers that were compatible and like wouldn't take up a ton of space in my apartment because I was moving to New York and had a very tiny, tiny apartment. So they're just from sort of standard, I forget the brand, but they've served me well these past few years.Henry: And do you like Ólafsson? He's done some Chopin.Brandon: Who?Henry: Víkingur Ólafsson. He did the Goldbergs this year, but he's done some Chopin before. I think he's quite good.Brandon: Oh, that Icelandic guy?Henry: Yeah, yeah, yeah. With the glasses? That's right. And the very neat hair.Brandon: Yes. Oh, he's so chic. He's so chic. I don't know his Chopin. I know his, there's another series that he did somewhat recently that I'm more familiar with. But he is really good. He has good Beethoven, Víkingur.Henry: Yeah.Brandon: And normally I don't love Beethoven, but like—Henry: Really? Why? Why? What's wrong with Beethoven? All these controversial opinions about music.Brandon: I'm not trying to have controversial opinions. I think I'm, well, I'm such a, I'm such, I mean, I'm just like a dumb person. And so like, I don't, I don't have a really, I feel like I don't have the robust understanding to like fully appreciate Beethoven and all of his sort of like majesty. And so maybe I've just not heard good Beethoven and I need to sort of go back and sort of get a real understanding of it. But I just tend not to like it. It feels like, I don't know, like grandma's living room music to me sometimes.Henry: What other composers do you enjoy?Brandon: Oh, of course.Henry: Or other music generally, right?Brandon: Rachmaninoff is so amazing to me. There was, of course, Bach. Brahms. Oh, I love Brahms, but like specifically the intermezzi. I love the intermezzi. I recently fell in love with, oh, his name is escaping me now, but he, I went to a concert and they sort of did a Brahms intermezzi. And they also played this, I think he was an Austrian composer. And his music was like, it wasn't experimental, but it was like quite, I had a lot of dissonance in it. And I found it like really interesting and like really moving actually. And so I did a sort of listening to that constantly. Oh, I forget his name. But Brahms, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, love Rachmaninoff. I have a friend who says that Rachmaninoff writes Negro spirituals. And I love that theory that Rachmaninoff's music is like the music of the slaves. It just, I don't know. I really, that really resonates with me spiritually. Which pieces, which Rachmaninoff symphonies, concertos? Yeah, the concertos. But like specifically, like I have a friend who said that Rach II sounded to her like the sort of spiritual cry of like the slaves. And we were at like a hangout with like mostly Black people. And she like stopped playing like Juvenile, like the rapper. And she put on Rach II. And we just like sat there and listened. And it did feel like something powerful had entered the room. Yeah, but he's my guy. I secretly really, really love him. I like Liszt, but like it really depends on the day and the time for him. He makes good folk music, Liszt. I love his folky, his folk era.Henry: What is it that you enjoy about tennis?Brandon: What do I enjoy about tennis? I love the, I love not thinking. I love being able to hit the ball for hours on end and like not think. And like, it's the one part of my life. It's the one time in my life where my experience is like totally unstructured. And so like this morning, I went to a 7am drill and play class where you do drills for an hour. Then you play doubles for an hour. And during that first hour of drills, I was just like hitting the ball. I was at the mercy of the guy feeding us the ball. And I didn't have a single thought about books or literature or like the status of my soul or like the nature of American democracy. It was just like, did I hit that ball? Well, did I hit it kind of off center? Were there tingles in my wrist? Yes or no. Like it was just very, very grounding in the moment. And I think that is what I love about it. Do you like to watch tennis? Oh, yeah, constantly. Sometimes when I'm in a work meeting, the Zoom is here and the tennis is like playing in the background. Love tennis, love to watch, love to play, love to think about, to ponder. Who are the best players for you? Oh, well, the best players, my favorite players are Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Stanislas Wawrinka, love Wawrinka. And I was a really big Davydenko head back in the day. Nikolai Davydenko was this Russian player who had, he was like a metronome. He just like would not miss. Yeah, those are my favorites. Right now, the guy I'm sort of rooting for who's still active is Kasper Rud, who's this Norwegian guy. And I love him because he just looks like some guy. Like he just looks like he should be in a seminary somewhere. I love it. I love, I love his normalness. He just looks like an NPC. And I'm drawn to that in a tennis player.Henry: It's hard to think of tennis in novels. Why is that?Brandon: Well, I think a lot of people don't, well, I think part of it is a lot of novelists. Part of it is a lot of novelists don't play sports. I think that they, at least Americans, I can't speak for other parts of the world, but in America, a lot of novelists are not doing sports. So that's one. And I think two, like, you know, like with anything, I think that tennis has not been subjected to the same schemes of narrativization that like other things are. And so like it's, a lot of novelists just like don't see a sort of readily dramatizable thing in tennis. Even though if you like watch tennis and like listen to tennis commentary, they are always erecting narratives. They're like, oh yeah, she's been on a 19 match losing streak. Is this where she turns it around? And to me, tennis is like a very literary sport because tennis is one of those sports where it's all about the matchup. It's like your forehand to my backhand, like no matter how well I play against everyone else, like it's you and me locked in the struggle. And like that to me feels incredibly literary. And it is so tied to your individual psychology as well. Like, I don't know, I endlessly am fascinated by it. And indeed, I got an idea for a tennis novel the other day that I'm hopefully going to write in three to five years. We'll see.Henry: Very good. How did working in a lab influence your writing?Brandon: Well, somewhat directly and materially in the case of my first book, because I wrote it while I was working in the lab and it gave me weirdly like time and structure to do that work where I would be pipetting. And then while I was waiting for an assay or a experiment to run or finish, I would have 30 minutes to sit down and write.Henry: So you were writing like at the lab bench?Brandon: Oh, yeah, absolutely. One thousand percent. I would like put on Philip Glass's score for the hours and then just like type while my while the centrifuge was running or whatever. And and so like there's that impression sort of baked into the first couple books. And then I think more, I guess, like spiritually or broadly, it influenced my work because it taught me how to think and how to organize time and how to organize thoughts and how to sort of pursue long term, open ended projects whose results may or may not, you know, fail because of something that you did or maybe you didn't do. And that's just the nature of things. Who knows? But yeah, I think also just like discipline, the discipline to sort of clock in every day. And to sort of go to the coalface and do the work. And that's not a thing that is, you know. That you just get by working in a lab, but it's certainly something that I acquired working in a lab.Henry: Do you think it's affected your interest in criticism? Because there's there are certain types of critic who seem to come from a scientific background like Helen Vendler. And there's something something about the sort of the precision and, you know, that certain critics will refuse to use critical waffle, like the human condition. And they won't make these big, vague gestures to like how this can change the way we view society. They're like, give me real details. Give me real like empirical criticism. Do you think this is — are you one of these people?Brandon: Yeah, yeah, I think I'm, you know, I'm all about what's on the page. I'm all about the I'm not gonna go rooting in your biography for not gonna go. I'm not I'm not doing that. It's like what you brought to me on the page is what you've brought to me. And that is what I will be sort of coming over. I mean, I think so. I mean, very often when critics write about my work, or when people respond to my work, they sort of describe it as being put under a microscope. And I do think like, that is how I approach literature. It's how I approach life. If there's ever a problem or a question put to me, I just sort of dissect it and try to get down to its core bits and its core parts. And and so yeah, I mean, if that is a scientific way of doing things, that's certainly how I but also I don't know any other way to think like that's sort of that's sort of how I was trained to think about stuff. You've been to London. I have. What did you think of it? The first time I didn't love it. The second and third times I had a good time, but I felt like London didn't love me back. London is the only place on earth I've ever been where people have had a hard time understanding me like I like it's the only place where I've like attempted to order food or a drink or something in a store or a cafe or a restaurant. And the waiters like turned to my like British hosts and asked them to translate. And that is an entirely foreign experience for me. And so London and I have like a very contentious relationship, I would say.Henry: Now, you've just published four classic novels.Brandon: Yes.Henry: George Gissing, Edith Wharton, Victor Hugo and Sarah Orne Jewett. Why did you choose those four writers, those four titles?Brandon: Oh, well, once we decided that we were going to do a classics imprint, you know, then it's like, well, what are we going to do? And I'm a big Edith Wharton fan. And there are all of these Edith Wharton novels that Americans don't really know about. They know Edith Wharton for The Age of Innocence. And if they are an English major, they maybe know her for The House of Mirth. Or like maybe they know her for The Custom of the Country if they're like really into reading. But then they sort of think of her as a novelist of the 19th century. And she's writing all of these books set in the 1920s and about the 1920s. And so it felt important to show people like, oh, this is a writer who died a lot later than you think that she did. And whose creative output was, you know, pretty, who was like a contemporary of F. Scott Fitzgerald in a lot of ways. Like, these books are being published around the same time as The Great Gatsby. And to sort of, you know, bring attention to a part of her over that, like, people don't know about. And like, that's really exciting to me. And Sarah Orne Jewett, I mean, I just really love The Country of the Pointed Furs. I love that book. And I found it in like in a 10 cents bin at a flea market one time. And it's a book that people have tried to bring back. And there have been editions of it. But it just felt like if we could get two people who are really cool to talk about why they love that book, we could sort of have like a real moment. And Sarah Orne Jewett was like a pretty big American writer. Like she was a pretty significant writer. And she was like really plugged in and she's not really read or thought about now. And so that felt like a cool opportunity as well to sort of create a very handsome edition of this book and to sort of talk about a bit why she matters. And the guessing of it all is we were going to do New Grub Street. And then my co-editor thought, well, The Odd Women, I think, is perhaps more relevant to our current moment than New Grub Street necessarily. And it would sort of differentiate us from the people, from the presses that are doing reissues of New Grub Street, because there's just been a new edition of that book. And nobody in America really knows The Odd Women. And it's a really wonderful novel. It's both funny and also like really biting in its satire and commentary. So we thought, oh, it'll be fun to bring this writer to Americans who they've never heard of in a way that will speak to them in a lot of ways. And the Victor Hugo, I mean, you know, there are Hugos that people know all about. And then there are Hugos that no one knows about. And Toilers of the Sea was a passion project for my co-editor. She'd read it in Guernsey. That's where she first discovered that book. And it really meant a lot to her. And I read it and really loved it. I mean, it was like Hugo at his most Hugo. Like, it's a very, it's a very, like, it's a very abundant book. And it's so wild and strange and changeful. And so I was like, oh, that seems cool. Let's do it. Let's put out Toilers of the Sea. So that's a bit of why we picked each one.Henry: And what have you learned from being on the other side of things now that you're the publisher?Brandon: So much. I've learned so much. And indeed, I just, I was just asked by my editor to do the author questionnaire for the novel that I have coming out next. And I thought, yes, I will do this. And I will do it immediately. Because now I know, I know how important these are. And I know how early and how far in advance these things need to be locked in to make everyone's life easier. I think I've learned a bit about the sometimes panicked scramble that happens to get a book published. I've learned about how hard it is to wrangle blurbs. And so I think I'm a little more forgiving of my publishers. But they've always been really great to me. But now I'm like, oh, my gosh, what can I do for you? How can I help you make this publication more of a success?Henry: Do you think that among literary people generally, there's a lack of appreciation of what business really involves in some of the senses you're talking about? I feel like I see a lot of either indifferent or hostile attitudes towards business or commerce or capitalism, late stage capitalism or whatever. And I sometimes look at it and I'm like, I don't think you guys really know what it takes to just like get stuff done. You know what I mean? Like, it's a lot of grind. I don't think it's a big nasty thing. It's just a lot of hard work, right?Brandon: Yeah, I mean, 1000%. Or if it's not a sort of misunderstanding, but a sort of like disinterest in like, right, like a sort of high minded, like, oh, that's just the sort of petty grimy commerce of it all. I care about the beauty and the art. And it's just like, friend, we need booksellers to like, sell this. I mean, to me, the part of it that is most to me, like the most illustrative example of this in my own life is that when I first heard how my editor was going to be describing my book, I was like, that's disgusting. That's horrible. Why are you talking about my race? Why are you talking about like my sexuality? Like, this is horrible. Why can't you just like talk about the plot of the book? Like, what is the matter with you? And then I had, you know, I acquired and edited this book called Henry Henry, which is a queer contemporary retelling of the Henry ad. And it's a wonderful novel. It's so delightful. And I had to go into our sales conference where we are talking to the people whose job it is to sell that book into bookstores to get bookstores to take that book up. And I had to write this incredibly craven description of this novel. And as I was writing it, I was like, I hope Alan, the author, I hope Alan never sees this. He never needs to hear how I'm talking about this book. And as I was doing it, I was like, I will never hold it against my editor again for writing this like, cheesy, cringy copy. Because it's like you, like, you so believe in the art of that book, so much that you want it to give it every fighting chance in the marketplace. And you need to arm your sales team with every weapon of commerce they need to get that book to succeed so that when readers pick it up, they can appreciate all of the beautiful and glorious art of it. And I do think that people, you know, like, people don't really kind of, people don't really understand that. And I do think that part of that is publishing's fault, because they are, they've been rather quick to elide the distinctions between art and commerce. And so like publishing has done a not great job of sort of giving people a lot of faith in its understanding that there's a difference between art and commerce. But yeah, I think, I think there's a lot of misapprehension out there about like, what goes into getting bookstores to acquire that book.Henry: What are the virtues of negative book reviews?Brandon: I was just on a panel about this. I mean, I mean, hopefully a negative book review, like a positive review, or like any review, will allow a reader or the audience to understand the book in a new way, or to create a desire in the reader to pick up the book and see if they agree or disagree or that they, that they have something to argue with or push against as they're reading. You know, when I'm writing a negative review, when I'm writing a review that I feel is trending toward negative, I should say, I always try to like, I don't know, I try to always remember that like, this is just me presenting my experience of the book and my take of the book. And hopefully that will be productive or useful for whoever reads the review. And hopefully that my review won't be the only thing that they read and that they will in fact, go pick up the book and see if they agree or disagree. It's hopefully it creates interesting and potentially divergent dialogues or discourses around the text. And fundamentally, I think not every critic feels this way. Not every piece of criticism is like this. But the criticism I write, I'm trying to create the conditions that will refer the reader always back to the text, be it through quotation, be it through, they're so incensed by my argument that they're going to go read the book themselves and then like, yell at me. Like, I think that that's wonderful, but like, always keeping the book at the center. But I think a negative review can, you know, it can start a conversation. It can get people talking about books, which in this culture, this phase of history feels like a win. And hopefully it can sort of be a corrective sometimes to less genuine or perceived less genuine discourses that are existing around the book.Henry: I think even whether or not it's a question of genuine, it's for me, it's just a question of if you tell people this book is good and they give up their time and money and they discover that it's trash, you've done a really bad thing to that person. And like, there might be dozens of them compared to this one author who you've been impolite to or whatever. And it's just a question of don't lie in book, right?Brandon: Well, yeah. I mean, hopefully people are honest, but I do feel sometimes that there is, there's like a lack of honesty. And look, I think that being like, well, I mean, maybe you'll love this. I don't love it, you know, but at least present your opinion in that way. At least be like, you know, there are many interpretations of this thing. Here's my interpretation. Maybe you'll feel differently or something like that. But I do think that people feel that there have been a great number of dishonest book reviews. Maybe there have been, maybe there have not been. I certainly have read some reviews I felt were dishonest about books that I have read. And I think that the negative book review does feel a bit like a corrective in a lot of ways, both, you know, justified or unjustified. People are like, finally, someone's being honest about this thing. But yeah, I think it's interesting. I think it's all really, I think it's all fascinating. I do think that there are some reviews though, that are negative and that are trying to be about the book, but are really about the author. There are some reviews that I have read that have been ostensibly about reviewing a text, but which have really been about, you don't like that person and you have decided to sort of like take an axe to them. And that to me feels not super productive. I wouldn't do it, but other people find it useful.Henry: As in, you can tell that from the review or you know that from background information?Brandon: I mean, this is all projection, of course, but like there have been some reviews where I've read, like, for example, some of the Lauren Oyler reviews, I think some of the Lauren Oyler reviews were negative and were exclusively about the text. And they sort of took the text apart and sort of dissected it and came to conclusions, some of which I agreed with, some of which I didn't agree with, but they were fundamentally about the text. And like all the criticisms referred back to the text. And then there were some that were like projecting attitudes onto the author that were more about creating this sort of vaporous shape of Lauren Oyler and then sort of poking holes in her literary celebrity or her stature as a critic or what have you. And that to me felt less productive as like a book review.Henry: Yes. Who are your favorite reviewers?Brandon: Ooh, my favorite reviewers. I really love Christian Lawrence. And he does my, of the critics who try to do the sort of like mini historiography of like a thing. He's my favorite because he teaches me a lot. He sort of is so good at summing up an era or summing up a phase of literary production without being like so cringe or so socialist about it. I really love, I love it when he sort of distills and dissects an era. I really like Hermione Hobie. I think she's really interesting. And she writes about books with a lot of feeling and a lot of energy. And I really love her mind. And of course, like Patricia Lockwood, of course, everyone, perhaps not everyone, but I enjoy Patricia Lockwood's criticism. You don't?Henry: Not really.Brandon: Oh, is it because it's too chatty? Is it too, is it too selfie?Henry: A little bit. I think, I think that kind of criticism can work really well. But I think, I think it's too much. I think basically she's very, she's a very stylized writer and a lot of her judgments get, it gets to the point where it's like, this is the logical conclusion of what you're trying to do stylistically. And there are some zingers in here and some great lines and whatever, but we're no longer, this is no longer really a book review.Brandon: Yeah.Henry: Like by the, by the end of the paragraph, this, like, we didn't want to let the style go. We didn't want to lose the opportunity to cap that off. And it leads her into, I think, glibness a lot of the time.Brandon: Yeah. I could see that. I mean, I mean, I enjoy reading her pieces, but do I understand like what's important to her at a sort of literary level? I don't know. I don't, and in that sense, like, are they, is it criticism or is it closer to like personal essay, humorous essay? I don't know. Maybe that's true. I enjoy reading them, but I get why people are like, this is a very, very strong flavor for sure.Henry: Now you've been reading a lot of literary criticism.Brandon: Oh yeah.Henry: Not of the LRB variety, but of the, the old books in libraries variety. Yes. How did that start? How did, how did you come to this?Brandon: Somewhat like ham-fistedly. I, in 2021, I had a really bad case of writer's block and I thought maybe part of the reason I had writer's block was that I didn't know anything about writing or I didn't know anything about like literature or like writing. I'd been writing, I'd published a novel. I was working on another novel. I'd published a book of stories, but like, I just like truly didn't know anything about literature really. And I thought I need some big boy ideas. I need, I need to find out what adults think about literature. And so I went to my buddy, Christian Lorenzen, and I was like, you write criticism. What is it? And what should I read? And he gave me a sort of starter list of criticism. And it was like the liberal imagination by Lionel Trilling and Guy Davenport and Alfred Kazin who wrote On Native Grounds, which is this great book on the American literary tradition and Leslie Fiedler's Love and Death in the American Novel. And I, and then Edmund Wilson's Axel's Castle. And I read all of those. And then as each one would sort of refer to a different text or person, I sort of like followed the footnotes down into this rabbit hole of like literary criticism. And now it's been a sort of ongoing project of the last few years of like reading. I always try to have a book of criticism on the go. And then earlier this year, I read Jameson's The Antimonies of Realism. And he kept talking about this Georg Lukács guy. And I was like, I guess I should go read Lukács. And so then I started reading Lukács so that I could get back to Jameson. And I've been reading Lukács ever since. I am like deep down the Lukács rabbit hole. But I'm not reading any of the socialism stuff. I told myself that I wouldn't read any of the socialism stuff and I would only read the literary criticism stuff, which makes me very different from a lot of the socialist literary critics I really enjoy because they're like Lukács, don't read in that literary criticism stuff, just read his socialism stuff. So I'm reading all the wrong stuff from Lukács, but I really, I really love it. But yeah, it sort of started because I thought I needed grown up ideas about literature. And it's been, I don't know, I've really enjoyed it. I really, really enjoy it. It's given me perhaps terrible ideas about what novels should be or do. But, you know, that's one of the side effects to reading.Henry: Has it made, like, what specific ways has it changed how you've written since you've acquired a set of critical principles or ideas?Brandon: Yeah, I mean, I think part of it is, part of it has to do with Lukács' idea of the totality. And, you know, I think that the sort of most direct way that it shows up in a sort of really practical way in my novel writing is that I no longer really want to be starting my books, quote unquote, in media res. Like, I don't want, I want my books to feel like books. I don't want my books to feel like movies. And I don't want them to feel like treatments for film. And so I want to sort of bring back all of what a novel can do in terms of its structure and in terms of its form and stuff like that. And so it means starting books, you know, with this sort of Dickensian voice of God speaking from on high, sort of summing up an era. And I think also sort of allowing the narrators in my work to dare to sum up, allowing characters in my work to have ideologies and to argue about those ideologies. I feel like that is a thing that was sort of denuded from the American novel for a lot of millennials and just sort of like trying to put back some of that old fashioned machinery that was like stripped out of the novel. And seeing what of it can still function, seeing, trying to figure out if there's any juice left in these modes of representation and stuff like that. And so like that, that's sort of, that's sort of abstract, but like in a concrete way, like what I'm kind of trying to resolve in my novel writing these days.Henry: You mentioned Dickens.Brandon: Oh, yes.Henry: Which Dickens novels do you like?Brandon: Now I'm afraid I'm going to say something else controversial. We love controversial. Which Dickens? I love Bleak House. I love Bleak House. I love Tale of Two Cities. It is one of the best openings ever, ever, ever, ever in the sweep of that book at once personal and universal anyway. Bleak House, Tale of Two Cities. And I also, I read Great Expectations as like a high school student and didn't like it, hated it. It was so boring. But now coming back to it, I think it, honestly, it might be the novel of our time. I think it might accidentally be a novel. I mean, it's a novel of scammers, a novel of like, interpersonal beef taken to the level of like, spiritual conflict, like it's about thieves and class, like it just feels like like that novel could have been written today about people today, like that book just feels so alive to today's concerns, which perhaps, I don't know, says something really evil about this cultural stagnation under capitalism, perhaps, but I don't know, love, love Great Expectations now.Henry: Why are so many modern novels boring?Brandon: Well, depends on what you mean by boring, Henry, what do you mean? Why?Henry: I mean, you said this.Brandon: Oh.Henry: I mean, I happen to agree, but this is, I'm quoting you.Brandon: Oh, yes. I remember that. I remember that review.Henry: I mean, I can tell you why I think they're boring.Brandon: Oh, yes, please.Henry: So I think, I think what you said before is true. They all read like movies. And I think I very often I go in, I pick up six or seven books on the new book table. And I'm like, these openings are all just the same. You're all thinking you can all see Netflix in your head. This is not really a novel. And so the dialogue is really boring, because you kind of you can hear some actor or actress saying it. But I can't hear that because I'm the idiot stuck in the bookshop reading your Netflix script. Whereas, you know, I think you're right that a lot of those traditional forms of storytelling, they like pull you in to the to the novel. And they and they like by the end of the first few pages, you sort of feel like I'm in this funny place now. And to do in media res, like, someone needs to get shot, or something, something weird needs to be said, like, you can't just do another, another standard opening. So I think that's a big, that's a big point.Brandon: Well, as Lukasz tells us, bourgeois realism has a, an unholy fondness for the, the average, the merely average, as opposed to the typical. And I think, yeah, a lot of it, a lot of why I think it's boring echoes you, I think that for me, what I find boring, and a lot of them is that it feels like novelists have abandoned any desire to, to have their characters or the novels themselves integrate the sort of disparate experiences within the novel into any kind of meaningful hole. And so there isn't this like sense of like things advancing toward a grander understanding. And I think a lot of it is because they've, they are writing under the assumption that like the question of why can never be answered. There can never be like a why, there can never be a sort of significance to anything. And so everything is sort of like evacuated of significance or meaning. And so you have what I've taken to calling like reality TV fiction, where the characters are just like going places and doing things, and there are no thoughts, there are no thoughts about their lives, or no thoughts about the things that they are doing, there are no thoughts about their experiences. And it's just a lot of like, like lowercase e events in their lives, but like no attempt to organize those events into any sort of meaningful hole. And I think also just like, what leads to a lot of dead writing is writers who are deeply aware that they're writing about themes, they're writing about themes instead of people. And they're working from generalities instead of particularities and specificities. And they have no understanding of the relationship between the universal and the particular. And so like, everything is just like, like beans in a can that they're shaking around. And I think that that's really boring. I think it's really tedious. Like, like, sure, we can we can find something really profound in the mundane, but like, you have to be really smart to do that. So like the average novelist is like better off like, starting with a gunshot or something like do something big.Henry: If you're not Virginia Woolf, it is in fact just mundane.Brandon: Indeed. Yeah.Henry: Is there too much emphasis on craft? In the way, in the way, in like what's valued among writers, in the way writers are taught, I feel like everything I see is about craft. And I'm like, craft is good, but that can just be like how you make a table rather than like how you make a house. Craft is not the guarantor of anything. And I see a lot of books where I think this person knows some craft. But as you say, they don't really have an application for it. And they don't. No one actually said to them, all style has a moral purpose, whether you're aware of it or not. And so they default to this like pointless use of the craft. And someone should say to them, like, you need to know history. You need to know tennis. You need to know business. You need to know like whatever, you know. And I feel like the novels I don't like are reflections of the discourse bubble that the novelist lives in. And I feel like it's often the continuation of Twitter by other means. So in the Rachel Kong novel that I think it came out this year, there's a character, a billionaire character who comes in near the end. And everything that he says or that is said about him is literally just meme. It's online billionaire meme because billionaires are bad because of all the things we all know from being on Twitter. And I was like, so you just we literally have him a character as meme. And this is the most representative thing to me, because that's maybe there's craft in that. Right. But what you've chosen to craft is like 28 tweets. That's pointless.Brandon: 28 tweets be a great title for a book, though, you have to admit, I would buy that book off the new book table. 28 tweets. I would. I would buy that. Yeah, I do think. Well, I think it goes both ways. I think it goes both ways. I somewhat famously said this about Sally Rooney that like she her books have no craft. The craft is bad. And I do think like there are writers who only have craft, who are able to sort of create these wonderfully structured books and to sort of deploy these beautiful techniques. And those books are absolutely dead. There's just like nothing in them because they have nothing to say. There's just like nothing to be said about any of that. And on the other hand, you have these books that are full of feelings that like would be better had someone taught that person about structure or form or had they sort of had like a rigorous thing. And I would say that like both of those are probably bad, like depending on who you are, you find one more like, like easier to deal with than the other. I do think that like part of why there's such an emphasis on craft is because not to sort of bring capitalism back in but you can monetize craft, you know what I mean? Like, craft is one of those things that is like readily monetizable. Like, if I'm a writer, and I would like to make money, and I can't sell a novel, I can tell people like, oh, how to craft a perfect opening, how to create a novel opening that will make agents pick it up and that will make editors say yes, but like what the sort of promise of craft is that you can finish a thing, but not that it is good, as you say, there's no guarantor. Whereas you know, like it's harder to monetize someone's soul, or like, it's harder to monetize like the sort of random happenstance of just like a writer's voice sort of emerging from from whatever, like you can't turn that into profit. But you can turn into profit, let me help you craft your voice. So it's very grind set, I think craft has a tendency to sort of skew toward the grind set and toward people trying to make money from, from writing when they can't sell a book, you know. Henry: Let's play a game. Brandon: Oh dear.Henry: I say the name of a writer. You give us like the 30 second Brandon Taylor opinion of that writer.Brandon: Okay. Yeah.Henry: Jonathan Franzen.Brandon: Thomas Mann, but like, slightly more boring, I think.Henry: Iris Murdoch.Brandon: A friend of mine calls her a modern calls her the sort of pre Sally Rooney, Sally Rooney. And I agree with that.Henry: When I'm at parties, I try and sell her to people where I say she's post-war Sally Rooney.Brandon: Yes, yes. And like, and like all that that entails, and so many delightful, I read all these like incredible sort of mid century reviews of her novels, and like the men, the male critics, like the Bernard Breganzis of the world being like, why is there so much sex in this book? It's amazing. Please go look up those like mid-century reviews of Iris Murdoch. They were losing their minds. Henry: Chekhov.Brandon: Perfect, iconic, baby girl, angel, legend. Can't get enough. 10 out of 10.Henry: Evelyn Waugh.Brandon: So Catholic, real Catholic vibes. But like, scabrously funny. And like, perhaps the last writer to write about life as though it had meaning. Hot take, but I'll, I stand by it.Henry: Yeah, well, him and Murdoch. But yeah, no, I think I think there's a lot in that. C.V. Wedgwood.Brandon: Oh, my gosh. The best, a titan, a master of history. Like, oh, my God. I would not be the same without Wedgwood.Henry: Tell us which one we should read.Brandon: Oh, the 30 Years War. What are you talking about?Henry: Well, I think her books on the English Civil War… I'm a parochial Brit.Brandon: Oh, see, I don't, not that I don't, I will go read those. But her book on the 30 Years War is so incredible. It's, it's amazing. It's second to like, Froissart's Chronicles for like, sort of history, history books for me.Henry: Northrop Frye.Brandon: My father. I, Northrop Frye taught me so much about how to see and how to think. Just amazing, a true thinker in a mind. Henry: Which book? Brandon: Oh, Anatomy of Criticism is fantastic. But Fearful Symmetry is just, it will blow your head off. Just amazing. But if you're looking for like, to have your, your mind gently remapped, then Anatomy of Criticism.Henry: Emma Cline.Brandon: A throwback. I think she's, I think she's Anne Beattie meets John Cheever for a new era. And I think she's amazing. She's perfect. Don't love her first novel. I think her stories are better. She's a short story writer. And she should stay that way.Henry: Okay, now I want you to rank Jane Austen's novels.Brandon: Wait, okay. So like, by my preference, or by like, what I think is the best?Henry: You can do both.Brandon: Okay. So in terms, my favorite, Persuasion. Then Mansfield Park. Sense and Sensibility. Pride and Prejudice. And then Emma, then Northanger Abbey. Okay.Henry: Now, how about for which ones are the best?Brandon: Persuasion. Pride and Prejudice. Mansfield Park. Emma,.Sense and Sensibility. Northanger Abbey.Henry: Why do people not like Fanny Price? And what is wrong with them?Brandon: Fanny Price is perfect. Fanny Price, I was just talking to someone about this last night at dinner. Fanny Price, she's perfect. First of all, she is, I don't know why people don't like her. She's like a chronically ill girl who's hot for her cousin and like, has deep thoughts. It seems like she would be the icon of literary Twitter for like a certain kind of person, you know? And I don't know why they don't like her. I think I'm, I am becoming the loudest Mansfield Park apologist on the internet. I think that people don't like Fanny because she's less vivacious than Mary Crawford. And I think that people are afraid to see themselves in Fanny because she seems like she's unfun or whatever. But what they don't realize is that like Fanny Price, Fanny Price has like a moral intelligence and like a moral consciousness. And like Fanny Price is one of the few Austen characters who actually argues directly and literally about the way the world is. Like with multiple people, like the whole, the whole novel is her sort of arguing about, well, cities are this and the country is this. And like, we need Parsons as much as we need party boys. Like, like she's arguing not just about, not just about these things like through the lens of like marriage or like the sort of marriage economy, but like in literal terms, I mean, she is so, she's like a moral philosopher. I love Fanny Price and she's so smart and so sensitive and so, and I guess like maybe it's just that people don't like a character who's kind of at the mercy of others and they view her as passive. When in fact, like a young woman arguing about the way the world should be, like Mary Crawford's, Mary Crawford's like kind of doing the above, not really, not like Fanny. But yeah, I love her. She's amazing. I love Fanny Price. And I also think that people love Margaret Hale from North and South. And I think that when people are saying they hate Fanny Price, what they're picturing is actually how Margaret Hale is. Margaret Hale is one of the worst heroines of a novel. She's so insufferable. She's so rude. She's so condescending. And like, she does get her comeuppance and like Gaskell does sort of bring about a transformation where she's actually able to sort of like see poor people as people first and not like subjects of sympathy. But Margaret is what people imagine Fanny is, I think. And we should, we should start a Fanny Price, like booster club. Henry, should we? Let's do it. It begins here. I just feel so strongly about her. I feel, I love, I love Fanny.Henry: She's my favorite of Austen's characters. And I think she is the most representative Austen character. She's the most Austen of all of them, right?Brandon: Yeah, I mean, that makes great deal of sense to me. She's just so wonderful. Like she's so funny and so observant. And she's like this quiet little girl who's like kind of sickly and people don't really like her. And she's kind of maybe I'm just like, maybe I just like see myself in her. And I don't mind being a sort of annoying little person who's going around the world.Henry: What are some good principles for naming literary characters?Brandon: Ooh, I have a lot of strong feelings about this. I think that names should be memorable. They should have like, like an aura of sort of literariness about them. I don't mean, I mean, taken to like hilarious extremes. It's like Henry James. Catherine Goodwood, Isabelle Archer, Ralph Touchett, like, you know, Henry had a stack pole. So like, not like that. But I mean, that could be fun in a modern way. But I think there's like an aura of like, it's a name that you might hear in real life, but it sort of add or remove, it's sort of charged and elevated, sort of like with dialogue. And that it's like a memorable thing that sort of like, you know, it's like, you know, memorable thing that sort of sticks in the reader's mind. It is both a name, a literary, a good literary name is both a part of this world and not of this world, I think. And, yeah, and I love that. I think like, don't give your character a name like you hear all the time. Like, Tyler is a terrible literary name. Like, no novel has ever, no good novel has ever had a really important character named Tyler in it. It just hasn't. Ryan? What makes a good sentence? Well, my sort of like, live and let live answer is that a good sentence is a sentence that is perfectly suited to the purpose it has. But I don't know, I like a clear sentence, regardless of length or lyric intensity, but just like a clear sentence that articulates something. I like a sentence with motion, a sense of rhythm, a sense of feel without any bad words in it. And I don't mean like curse words, I mean like words that shouldn't be in literature. Like, there's some words that just like don't belong in novels.Henry: Like what?Brandon: Squelch. Like, I don't think the word squelch should be in a novel. That's a gross word and it doesn't sound literary to me. I don't want to see it.Henry: I wouldn't be surprised if it was in Ulysses.Brandon: Well, yes.Henry: I have no idea, but I'm sure, I'm sure.Brandon: But so few of us are James Joyce. And that novel is like a thousand bodily functions per page. But don't love it. Don't love it.Henry: You don't love Ulysses?Brandon: No, I don't… Listen, I don't have a strong opinion, but you're not going to get me cancelled about Ulysses. I'm not Virginia Woolf.Henry: We're happy to have opinions of that nature here. That's fine.Brandon: You know, I don't have a strong feeling about it, actually. Some parts of it that I've read are really wonderful. And some parts of it that I have read are really dense and confusing to me. I haven't sort of given it the time it needs or deserves. What did you learn from reading Toni Morris? What did I learn? I think I learned a lot about the moral force of melodrama. I think that she shows us a lot about the uses of melodrama and how it isn't just like a lesion of realism, that it isn't just a sort of malfunctioning realism, but that there are certain experiences and certain lives and certain things that require and necessitate melodrama. And when deployed, it's not tacky or distasteful that it actually is like deeply necessary. And also just like the joy of access and language, like the sort of... Her language is so towering. I don't know, whenever I'm being really shy about a sentence being too vivid or too much, I'm like, well, Toni Morrison would just go for it. And I am not Toni Morrison, but she has given me the courage to try.Henry: What did you like about the Annette Benning film of The Seagull?Brandon: The moment when Annette Benning sings Dark Eyes is so good. It's so good. I think about it all the time. And indeed, I stole that moment for a short story that I wrote. And I liked that part of it. I liked the set design. I think also Saoirse Ronan, when she gives that speech as Nina, where she's like, you know, where the guy's like, what do you want from, you know, what do you want? Why do you want to be an actress? And she's like, I want fame. You know, like, I want to be totally adored. And I'm just like, yeah, that's so real. That's so, that is so real. Like Chekhov has understood something so deep, so deep about the nature of commerce and art there. And I think Saoirse is really wonderful in that movie. It's a not, it's not a good movie. It's maybe not even a good adaptation of The Seagull. But I really enjoyed it. I saw it like five times in a theater in Iowa City.Henry: I don't know if it's a bad adaptation of The Seagull, because it's one of the, it's one of the Chekhov's I've seen that actually understands that, like, the tragic and the and the comic are not meant to be easily distinguishable in his work. And it does have all this lightheartedness. And it is quite funny. And I was like, well, at least someone's doing that because I'm so sick of, like, gloomy Chekhov. You know what I mean? Like, oh, the clouds and the misery. Like, no, he wants you, he wants you to laugh and then be like, I shouldn't laugh because it's kind of tragic, but it's also just funny.Brandon: Yeah. Yes, I mean, all the moments were like, like Annette Bening's characters, like endless stories, like she's just like constantly unfurling a story and a story and a story and a story. Every scene kind of was like, she's in the middle of telling another interminable anecdote. And of course, the sort of big tragic turn at the end is like, where like, Kostya kills himself. And she's like, in the middle of like, another really long anecdote while they're in the other room playing cards. Like, it's so, it's so good. So I love that. I enjoy watching that movie. I still think it's maybe not. It's a little wooden, like as a movie, like it's a little, it's a little rickety.Henry: Oh, sure, sure, sure, sure. But for someone looking to like, get a handle on Chekhov, it's actually a good place to go. What is the best make of Fountain Pen?Brandon: That's a really good, that's a really, really, really good question. Like, what's your Desert Island Fountain Pen? My Desert Island Fountain Pen. Right now, it's an Esterbrook Estee with a needlepoint nib. It's like, so, I can use that pen for hours and hours and hours and hours. I think my favorite Fountain Pen, though, is probably the Pilot Custom 743. It's a really good pen, not too big, not too small. It can hold a ton of ink, really wonderful. I use, I think, like a Soft Fine nib, incredible nib, so smooth. Like, I, you could cap it and then uncap it a month later, and it just like starts immediately. It's amazing. And it's not too expensive.Henry: Brandon Taylor, thank you very much.Brandon: Thanks for having me. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.commonreader.co.uk/subscribe

The Synergy Connection Show has for many years now shared that our inherited beliefs and emotions, which are stored in our subconscious, control to a major degree our thoughts and actions. We truly do create our own personal reality!Mary Crawford has a new program to help participants “find and release hidden beliefs, doubts, fears and trauma hiding in the cells of your body. Some of these energies are yours from experiences in this lifetime and others have been passed down on your DNA through ancestral lines”.Join on today's show as we discuss her new program “Jumpstarting Lasting Change” which are 4 sessions done over a 4 week period. She will work with your Little Child, Your Heart, Systems within the Body and Nutrition. These sessions are designed to meet your specific needs.Mary Crawford can be reached for further consultation on how to Jumpstart Lasting Change via her website at TheJoyOfBeingWell.com.Listen to this week's program below or on your podcast platform of choice by clicking Here.

The National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education will hold its annual conference later this month. The theme of the conference, which will be held in Athlone, is Belonging. For more on this, Alan Morrissey was joined by the Chairperson of The Conference Committee and Vice Chair of NABMSE, Mary Crawford and Professor of Disability and Children's rights at QUB, Prof. Bronagh Byrne. Photo (c) midlandsprint (c) NABMSE

The Synergy Connection Show has for many years now shared that our inherited beliefs and emotions, which are stored in our subconscious, control to a major degree our thoughts and actions. We truly DO create our own personal reality!Mary Crawford has a new program to help participants “find and release hidden beliefs, doubts, fears and trauma hiding in the cells of your body. Some of these energies are yours from experiences in this lifetime and others have been passed down on your DNA through ancestral lines”.Join us on the show today as we discuss this new program and how you can change your life through changing your thoughts and beliefs.Mary Crawford can be reached for further consultation via her website at TheJoyOfBeingWell.com.

The complete audiobook is available at Audible.com: voicesoftoday.net/mansfield Mansfield Park and Lovers' Vows By Jane Austen, August Kotzebue and Elizabeth Inchbald Narrated by Catherine Bilson, Graham Scott, Sarah Jane Rose, Denis Daly, Linda Barrans The unlikely heroine of the novel is the bashful and unadventurous Fanny Price, who occupies a Cinderella-like position in the residence of her wealthy cousins, the Bertrams, at Mansfield Park. Fanny is the butt of ridicule by the young Bertram sisters Maria and Julia, and is relentlessly bullied by her manipulative and penny-pinching aunt, the widowed Mrs Norris. Maria, Julia, and their brother Tom, are symbols of social irresponsibility, while the other son, Edmund is earnest and upright. Although Sir Thomas' wealth is derived largely from a sugar plantation in the West Indies, Austen largely avoids discussion of slavery and the other evils of colonialism. The young Bertrams form a close friendship with the dashing and unscrupulous Henry Crawford and his glamorous sister Mary. Henry decides to pursue Fanny with a view to marriage, but she, discerning his devious nature, resists all his advances. After a visit to her family in Portsmouth, Fanny returns to Mansfield Park, and finds herself attracted to the worthy Edmund, who is recovering from a rejection by Mary Crawford. Eventually, the two marry, the only young couple in the novel to form a stable relationship. Mansfield Park is unusual in that it features the abortive amateur production of a popular sentimental drama, Lovers' Vows, planned by members and friends of the Bertram family, while Sir Thomas is absent in the West Indies. His unexpected return brings these plans to an abrupt halt. This recording also includes a multicast presentation of Lovers' Vows. In the play, the widowed Baron Wildenheim, by a twist of circumstances, comes into contact with a poor woman whom he had abandoned when he was a young man. Subsequently, the Baron had married a wealthy woman, with whom he had a daughter, Amelia. Unknown to the Baron, his first relationship resulted in the birth of a son. He is now faced with the decision about how he is to acknowledge his new-found son and the young man's mother. At the time the plot was considered controversial because of the issue of illegitimate children.

Communicating with the animals we love is a special skill most of us would love to develop because during stressful times, our ability to calm and de-stress them would help both the pet and owner. We can begin this process by silently or vocally asking permission to speak to them and Mary Crawford shares this special skill she has developed over the years with us on the show today. Scientists over the years have discovered dogs respond much like human infants to language but they have also discovered cats to be more difficult as “they choose” their people for communication.Mary Crawford can be reached for further consultation via her website at TheJoyOfBeingWell.com.

If you thought that Mary Crawford with her harp was the only siren in the Crawford family, think again. Henry Crawford is here with a volume of Shakespeare, and WOW. Prepare yourselves. This episode we unpack this scene's particular Shakespearean allusion, examine the status of reading aloud during Austen's time, and discuss Fanny's reaction to Henry's reading. You can find us online at https://www.thethingaboutausten.com and follow us on Instagram @TheThingAboutAusten and on Twitter @Austen_Things. You can also email us at TheThingAboutAusten@gmail.com. We have merch! Check out https://www.redbubble.com/people/aboutausten/shop to see the current offerings.

La satanista (The Satanist) es un relato de terror del escritor inglesa Mary Crawford Fraser (1851-1922), publicado en 1912 y recogido en numerosas antologías. La satanista, cuento de Mary Crawford Fraser —quien a menudo firmaba con el seudónimo Señora Hugh Fraser (Mrs. Hugh Fraser), y en este caso en particular con el nombre de su hijo: John Crawford Fraser—, narra la historia de una joven mujer, llamada Yolanda, y su descenso a los abismos del satanismo, la brujería y la magia negra. ¡¡¡¡¡SPOILER!!!!! No obstante, Yolanda no es una mujer malvada, sino más bien una muchacha desorientada, perdida, que se convierte en adoradora de Satanás a causa de un intenso odio por su madre. En este sentido, Mary Crawford Fraser induce la sospecha de que Yolanda en realidad lucha contra una sociedad patriarcal, contra el hecho de haber decepcionado a todos por no haber nacido hombre, y sobre todo contra sus impulsos naturales, en este caso, el amor por otra mujer, su criada y amiga Léonie. Si despejamos la maleza moralista, por momentos, impenetrable, La satanista es un cuento excelente, uno que forjó las bases para el relato de ocultismo de mediados del siglo XX, a través de una atmósfera sumamente inquietante que busca retratar las costumbres de las sociedades satánicas de la Italia de fines del siglo XIX. Vale la pena mencionar que la obra de Mary Crawford Fraser —la cual cuenta con algunos ejemplos notables, además de La satanista, como Palladia (Palladia), Los telares del tiempo (The Looms of Time), El emperador robado (The Stolen Emperor) y En la sombra del Señor (In the Shadow of the Lord)— fue totalmente eclipsada por la de sus dos hermanos: Francis Marion Crawford, autor de Por la sangre es vida (For the Blood Is the Life) y La calavera que gritaba (The Screaming Skull), y Mary Ann Crawford, autora de El misterio de la campiña (A Mystery of the Campagna). A tal punto fueron ignorados los relatos de Mary Crawford Fraser, que incluso intentó escribir secuelas de las obras exitosas de sus hermanos, como El hombre lobo de la campaña (A Werewolf of the Campagna), especie de continuación del relato de vampiros de su hermana Mary Ann Crawford, pero con hombres lobo. Sin embargo, basta leer La satanista para advertir que Mary Crawford Fraser no solo estaba a la altura de sus hermanos, sino que, en muchos aspectos, su imaginación era incluso superior. Análisis de: El Espejo Gótico http://elespejogotico.blogspot.com/2018/05/la-satanista-mary-crawford-fraser.html Texto del relato extraído de: http://elespejogotico.blogspot.com/2018/05/la-satanista-mary-crawford-fraser.html Musicas: - 01. Mind Tricks - Experia (Epidemic) Nota: Este audio no se realiza con fines comerciales ni lucrativos. Es de difusión enteramente gratuita e intenta dar a conocer tanto a los escritores de los relatos y cuentos como a los autores de las músicas. Nota: Este audio no se realiza con fines comerciales ni lucrativos. Es de difusión enteramente gratuita e intenta dar a conocer tanto a los escritores de los relatos y cuentos como a los autores de las músicas. ¿Quieres anunciarte en este podcast? Hazlo con advoices.com/podcast/ivoox/352537 Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Did you know your lymphatic system is where inflammation either happens, or is shed and decreased? It is a system that is in charge of fluid release, and toxin release!!! And, unlike your heart, it does NOT have a pump. YOU have to manually move that lymph! But it's easy, and will benefit your skin, immune system, inflammation and even overall weight loss! Tune in with our expert interviewee, Mary Crawford. ​ THE MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM IS OPEN!!!! It's called The Postpartum Freedom Community, Sign up at https://www.lizzielangston.com/community ALL NEW RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR MOMS! Check them out at https://www.lizzielangston.com/workwithme Sign up for the free mini course, GET OUT OF THE POSTPARTUM RUT:https://www.lizzielangston.com/freebie-1-optin Free meditation for calm for mothers: https://www.lizzielangston.com/freebie-4-optin BOOK A CONSULTATION: https://www.lizzielangston.com/consult Buy Postpartum Freedom: The Online Course >>>>https://www.lizzielangston.com/course Lizzie on Instagram>>>: https://www.instagram.com/lizzie.postpartumcoach/  Let's connect! Dm me any time.  Mary Crawford is a Licensed Aesthetician, Massage Therapist and Body Contouring Specialist, Certified Aromatherapist, and Skincare Educator. Mary has performed over 20,000 services in her 24-year skin and body care career.  She is the only East Valley provider, of advanced  Lymphatic Drainage with the Endolymph Microvibration Device. Her experience allows her to combine and customize modalities, for each person's individual needs, supporting greater Patient results and satisfaction.​ With CODE: Lizzie24 listeners will receive $50.00 off any service over $250.00. Please use the code on our app to purchase and receive discount. Now through January 31, 2024. Here's a special gift for you! Simply click on the link below to redeem:https://trueharmonywellness.repeatmd.app/app/signin?referralCode=5IBLqILi  $50 Towards any Service from True Harmony VIP. Enjoy! The Platinum membership that we offer in our Patient Rewards app, allows you to pick 3 treatments a month, from 6 different services plus discounts on products and packages.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode of the Holistic Mama Speaks Podcast, Carrie Marie engages in a captivating and insightful discussion with a lineup of esteemed guests: Candy Wilson, Chris Bargeron, Mary Crawford, and the returning guest, Michael Mulkey. Together, they delve into the compelling theme of "Rediscovering 'You' - Embracing Self-Identity Beyond Parenthood." As parents, caregivers, and individuals, the journey of self-discovery is often intertwined with the roles we assume, and this episode aims to unravel the complexities of embracing our authentic selves beyond the realm of parenthood.

The opening episode of series two contains an in-depth interview with Mary Crawford. Mary was the CEO of the Brook Advisory Clinic in Northern Ireland for 25 years, and oversaw the organisations transition to Common Youth before retiring in 2018. She is a veteran pro-choice campaigner, and a Trustee of Informing Choices NI.Mary reflects on the sex education she received growing up; being involved in abortion rights campaigns as a student in the 1970s; running personal development courses at Youth Action; the opening of the Brook Advisory Clinic in Belfast in 1992; the impact of protests and being targeted within her local area; meeting with former Northern Ireland Secretary of State Mo Mowlam MP; delivering relationships and sexuality education (RSE) programmes in community settings; providing sexual health services to young men; the decline in teenage pregnancy rates; and what constitutes good RSE.If you would like support around a sexual health issue you can call the Sexual Health Helpline on 028 9031 6100.Useful linkshttps://informingchoicesni.org/https://commonyouth.com/ResourcesAn Early Day Motion from 1991 regarding the proposed establishment of a Brook Advisory Centre in BelfastNews articlesA BBC News article regarding the firebombing of the Ulster Pregnancy Advisory Association which references the letters sent to Mary Crawford's neighbours A Belfast Telegraph article regarding the provision of young men's sexual health clinics by Brook NIA Guardian article regarding relationships and sexuality education in Northern IrelandA platform piece by Mary Crawford in the agendaNi publication regarding sexual health in the 21st century 

In this episode I'm  joined by Charlie @thebookboy to discuss Jane Austen's Mary Crawford from Mansfield Park. Described by some as the real heroine of Mansfield Park, she is a character who divides the community. embodying everything Austen tells us is good such as being outspoken and lively, Mary isn't so dissimilar than Lizzy Bennet and yet she is a polarising character and is placed in binary opposition to the heroine Fanny Price. This is a fun and interesting conversation to explore the character of Mary from two Mary sympathisers. Thanks again to our sponsor Haus of Bennet: https://hausofbennet.com/ Use code whatthediscount at the checkout for 15% off! and you will also be supporting the Podcast

Army Sergeant Majors strive to do their best to provide Soldiers with what they need to complete the mission. Staff Sgt. Yoshi Shinzato tells us what a group of Sergeant Majors are doing to make a difference. Includes sound bites from Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Schroeder, Combined Joint Task Force 101, Command Sgt. Maj., Staff Sgt. Mary Crawford, Bravo Company, 436, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Air Assault.

Mary Crawford is an Energy Transformer, Master Dowser and Nutritional Consultant. Her focus is to help you to remember the powerful creator you truly are. On the show today, we discuss how using the Emotional Freedom Technique can change your life.EFT or “Tapping” as it is sometimes called is a technique that can assist with the elimination of physical and emotional pain. Through tapping on the various meridians in the body, the person doing the “tapping” can create balance within the body's energetic system.Tapping methods can vary but with each method there are basic points that are covered. Identification of the issue that is distressing you.Rating the intensity of the issue on a scale of 1-10.Tapping on the meridian's you have chosen to use on your body while talking about the issueContinuation of the tapping while rating whether the intensity of the stressor is diminishingSince the benefits of tapping are cumulative, the best results will come from tapping daily.Mary Crawford can be reached for further consultation via her website at TheJoyOfBeingWell.com

Erika Robuck's heart-stopping new World War II drama, Sisters of Night and Fog, was named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by BuzzFeed, BookBub, Book Trib and more! It tells the story of two very different women with a common cause. Hi there, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading today, international bestselling author Erika Robuck talks about her spell binding historical fiction, based on the extraordinary true stories of an American socialite and a British secret agent whose stunning acts of courage collide in the darkest hours of World War II. We've got free books to give away, this week Mary Crawford's Until The Stars Fall From the Sky – a clean and wholesome romance with a fiery heroine and an unlikely hero that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Books and an E reader to be won get free romance Plus win a bundle of Cozy Mysteries 50+ books (including Poisoned Legacy, #1 in the Of Gold & Blood series) and a brand new E-Reader - Total Value $550 ENTER BOOKSWEEPS TO WIN And don't forget, for the cost of less than a cup of coffee a month you can get exclusive bonus content – like hearing Erika's answers to the Five Quickfire Questions – by becoming a Binge Reading on Patreon supporter. We've got a new feature starting on Patreon this month – Encore – shorter interviews with favorite authors, people who have already been on the podcast talking about their latest book. Encore will be previewed for Patreon supporters and then released on the free to air broadcast feed two weeks later. We will do these monthly and see how we go. Encore on Binge Reading - This month Deborah Challinor talks about The Leonard Girls support binge reading on patreon First up is Kiwi bestselling historical fiction author Deborah Challinor who talks about her new book The Leonard Girls, a story about two sisters and the Vietnam war years of the late sixties. Nurse Rowie Leonard is pro war. Her younger sister Jo is a protestor and they're both in Vietnam.  As the sisters grapple with love, loss and the stresses and sorrows of war, each will be forced to confront and question everything they've believed in.  As usual all the links to things mentioned in the podcast are available in the show notes for this episode on the website www.thejoysofbingereading.com. Links for this episode Nacht Und Nebel: https://wordhistories.net/2020/12/09/nacht-und-nebel/ Virginia d'Albert Lake: https://francetoday.com/culture/remembrance/an-american-heroine/ Violet Szabo:  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/behind-enemy-lines-with-violette-szabo-1896571/ Erika Robuck book links: Hemingway's Girl: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/13485500-hemingway-s-girlThe Invisible Woman: http://www.erikarobuck.com/The-Invisible-Woman.htmlCarve Her Name with Pride (1958 movie about Violet Szabo) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carve_Her_Name_with_PrideSpecial Operations Executive (SOE): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Operations_ExecutivePaula McLain:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/290189.Paula_McLain What Erika's Reading: The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/55711683-the-forest-of-vanishing-stars The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/56922702-the-last-checkmate That Summer in Berlin by Lecia Cornwall: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634184/that-summer-in-berlin-by-lecia-cornwall/ A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/677123/a-dress-of-violet-taffeta-by-tessa-arlen/ Where to find Erika Website: http://www.erikarobuck.com/ Email: info@erikarobuck.com Instagram: @erobuckauthor Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-robuck-78906211/ You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/erobuck Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErikaRobuck What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation,

This week Elle and Catrina discuss a few Mansfield Park book adaptations. What would Mansfield Park look like through the point of view of Edmund Bertram? How would Mary Crawford tell her won story? These adaptations look at the story through different points of view. Elle read Edmund Bertram's Diary, by Amanda Grange. As part of Grange's Austen heroes series, this book follows Austen story beat by beat through the POV of Edmund. While Grange always delivers a great read, this book suffers from one glaring problem in Elle's opinion.Catrina read Mary Crawford: Revisiting at Mansfield Park, by Julia Barrett. While this adaptation is actually a sequel to Mansfield Park, it explores the repercussions of Mary's actions in the original story. So, what happens when Mary finds her way back to Mansfield? Well, her new love interest might just surprise you. Wit Beyond Measure is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts.   

Welcome Dr. Mary Crawford, DPM to this week's episode of She's a DPM!Dr. Crawford has had a very successful career in Podiatric Medicine & Surgery, but more recently she has been pursuing a passion outside of medicine and transitioned into a new career. She began her business Crawford Canine Connection. Her mission? To enhance the human~canine connection through reward-based training and behavior modification.How does that differ from training students and surgical residents? What was the transition like leaving medicine? We answer all these questions and more! Resources:Crawford Canine Connection: https://www.crawfordcanineconnection.com/International Foot and Ankle Foundation: https://www.internationalfootankle.org/Lower Extremity Soft Tissue & Cutaneous Plastic Surgery (Hardback)https://www.amazon.com/Extremity-Tissue-Cutaneous-Plastic-Surgery/dp/0702031364 Welcome to She's a DPM. A podcast for women to share their experiences, knowledge, and insights on cultivating a life in, and outside, the field of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery.Contact me if there is a topic you'd like to hear more about, or if you know a kick ass Lady DPM who should be interviewed.Email: DrOexeman@gmail.com Instagram: @droexeman

Mansfield Park: Chapters 44-48In these final chapters of the novel, Fanny is stuck in Portsmouth while chaos is happening in London. Letters arrive to the Price household describing Tom Bertram's (junior) serious illness, Maria's indiscretion, and Mary Crawford's conniving. In the aftermath, Edmund finally goes to pick up Fanny and bring her back to Mansfield Park, where, once home, Fanny learns all that happened between Edmund and Mary that caused their falling out. Now, with Mary out of the picture - is it finally happily ever after for Fanny?This week Elle and Catrina discuss just how diabolical Mary really is, while wondering if Edmund truly deserves Fanny. They also discuss how Sir Thomas has grown a lot over the course of the story and comes to realize all of his shortcomings as a parent. Which is good for him, because unfortunately Mrs. Norris isn't so lucky, as her favorite niece has become her punishment.Wit Beyond Measure is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts.

Mansfield Park: Chapters 39-43Fanny is super unhappy in Portsmith. Her house is hectic and her family doesn't seem to care that she is there. But don't worry, things are only going to get weirder when Henry Crawford shows up. At least there hasn't been any word about an engagement from Edmund or Mary Crawford yet.This week Catrina and Elle take a good look at the Price family. Austen is known for showcasing the flaws of beloved family members and the Price family is no exception. Catrina also asks Elle if she thinks Henry Crawford is genuine in his affections for Fanny.It's the epistolary portion of Mansfield Park.This episode is brought to you by Kensington's newest title from Lexi George, DEMON HUNTING WITH A SOUTHERN SHERIFF. Find out more at Kensingtonbooks.com”Wit Beyond Measure is part of the Folic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts  

Mansfield Park: Chapters 27-30Fanny's anxiety around Mary Crawford's gift continues to rise after Edmund also gifts her a necklace. Edmund starts to get anxious about whether Mary is willing to marry him after he becomes a clergyman. Henry becomes buddy-buddy with William and Mary gets into a pretty intense fight with Edmund. All of this before the ball at Mansfield Park even begins!This week Elle and Catrina discuss everything from Fanny's necklace dilemma to Henry Crawford's declaration of love. Catrina gets frustrated at Edmund and Mary's constant back and forth between liking each other and complaining about the church. While Elle continues to not believe Austen when she reads that Henry Crawford is "in love."What's more, is Fanny officially out now? Wit Beyond Measure is part of the Folic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts   

Mansfield Park: Chapters 14 - 18After much deliberation, the gang at Mansfield Park have finally decided on a play - Lover's Vows. This scandalous play causes a lot of drama around the house, especially between the Bertram sisters. What's more, it puts Edmund in a bit of a situation when he has to choose between standing his ground against the play and taking up a part to keep this scandal under wraps. This week Catrina and Elle discuss how Henry Crawford tears apart Maria and Julia, Edmund's failing convictions, and why Mary Crawford might not be as devious as they previously thought. This episode has a lot of really juicy bits, and poor Fanny is right in the middle of all of it. Oh, and Sir Thomas comes home... so that should be interesting next week.Wit Beyond Measure is part of the Folic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts  

Mansfield Park: Chapters 9-13If you are looking for scandalous activities in Jane Austen novels, then these are the chapters for you! Bridgerton fans will love all this drama. While visiting Southerton, the Mansfield Park gang manages to separate themselves into pairs and find some hidden away places. Edmund and Mary leave Fanny to wander the woods. Maria and Henry send Mr. Rushworth away to find a key before heading out into the shrubbery alone. It all happens right in front of Fanny!This week Elle and Catrina talk about the drama and scandal that happens at Southerton. From Mary bad talking the church in front of Edmund to Julia getting to ride next to Henry on the way home, there is drama around every corner this week. But the real question is, can Mary Crawford convince Edmund to leave the church?Wit Beyond Measure is part of the Folic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts 

Mansfield Park: Chapters 5-8There is something about this Mary Crawford and her fuckboi of a brother Henry. They are visitors from the city who are lauded as the height of sophistication and knowledge by the Bertram sisters. Mary Clearly has her eyes set on one of the Bertram brothers, while Henry finds himself flirting with the sisters. But, most egregiously, Mary keeps taking out Fanny's horse. This week Elle and Catrina talk about the Crawfords and how they are integrating themselves into the party at Mansfield Park. Mary Crawford has a lot of opinions and somehow offends everyone, while still charming their pants off. While Henry revels in the attention he is getting from both Maria and Julia Bertram. We only get to see the beginning of the drama as Mary starts to pull Edmund's attention away from his poor cousin and Henry encourages Maria's flirting. Also, who asks farmers to lend out their wagons during hay harvesting season? Rude much?  Wit Beyond Measure is part of the Folic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts 

Numerologist, Josh Siegel, states that the base number of 2022 which is 20 implies “we are in this together and not separate”. The 22 in 2022 is also a Master Number and is associated with rebuilding our lives. Learning to balance work and relationships is yet another area of focus for 2022.Several astrologers have the perspective that 2022 is a “soul mission” year and as a result there will be a doubling of energy focused on the relationship we have with our emotions, intuition, and wellness in each aspect of our life.Mary Crawford is an Energy Transformer, Master Dowser and Nutritional Consultant. Her focus is to help you remember the powerful creator you are. She can be contacted through her website TheJoyOfBeingWell.com

In this episode, we read Chapters 4 to 7 of Mansfield Park. We talk about the character-revealing scenes, how the presentation of Fanny may make some readers dislike her, why Maria became engaged to Mr Rushworth, and Henry Crawford's behaviour.We discuss the character of Mary Crawford – who is perhaps almost as divisive as Fanny Price – and then Ellen talks about baronets, Members of Parliament, and the idea of ‘interest'. Harriet considers how the three adaptations, and two of the modernisations, present these chapters. Things we mention: General and character discussion:John Wiltshire [Editor], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Mansfield Park (2005)Lionel Trilling, “Mansfield Park“, Partisan Review 21 (September-October 1954): 492-511. Also published in Encounter, September 1954: 9-19.Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943) and More Talk of Jane Austen (1950)John Mullan, Live at the Hay Festival (2014) [YouTube]Kingsley Amis, “What Became of Jane Austen?”, The Spectator, 4 October 1957 – republished in What Became of Jane Austen? And Other Questions (1970)The Daily Knightley (2021) [podcast] Popular culture discussion:Adaptations:BBC, Mansfield Park (1983) – starring Sylvestra Le Touzel and Nicholas Farrell (6 episodes)Miramax, Mansfield Park (1999) – starring Frances O'Connor and Jonny Lee MillerITV, Mansfield Park (2007) – starring Billie Piper and Blake RitsonModernisations:YouTube, Foot in the Door Theatre, From Mansfield With Love (2014-2015)D.E. Stevenson, Celia's House (1943)Creative commons music used: Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio.Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen. Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major. File originally from Musopen. 

In this episode, we read the Chapters 4 to 7 of Mansfield Park. We talk about the character-revealing scenes, how the presentation of Fanny may make some readers dislike her, why Maria became engaged to Mr Rushworth, and Henry Crawford’s behaviour. We discuss the character of Mary Crawford – who is perhaps almost as divisive as ... Read more Mansfield Park: Episode 2, Chapters 4-7 The post Mansfield Park: Episode 2, Chapters 4-7 first appeared on Reading Jane Austen.

This weekend sees a commemoration take place in Ennis for the 1917 Clare hunger strikers. To tell us more about this, on Friday's Morning Focus, Alan Morrissey was joined by Mary Crawford, Cathaoirleach of the Mid Clare Brigade Commemoration Group and Shane Kelly, Senior Prison Officer with the Irish Prison Service.

Mary Crawford, an Energy Transformer, Master Dowser and Nutrition Consultant, is my guest today. We talk about the importance of “joy and happiness” contributing to our overall health. She indicates her joy comes from helping you “feel great and get excited about your life”.We discuss how to open your mind to positivity which improves a person's problem-solving ability. Positive-minded individuals look at life with an “I can” attitude as they approach their goal.An additional advantage of focusing on joy and happiness is the lowering of your risk for cardiovascular disease. Reducing blood pressure, better sleep and maintaining a normal body weight are also benefits.Mary Crawford can be reached for classes and consultation at the following links:TheJoyOfBeingWell.comYouDefineWellness.com WorkshopsListen to this week's program below or on your podcast platform of choice by clicking Here.

Mary Crawford is playing the harp over at the Mansfield Parsonage, and we've got front row seats to the hottest performance in town. If you have ever wondered about all those mornings Edmund spent listening to his "prime favourite," this episode is for you. Thank you so much to Dr. Lidia Chang for joining us for this discussion! You can find her online at www.lidiachang.com or follow her on Instagram @lidiaac. You can find us on Instagram @TheThingAboutAusten and on Twitter @Austen_Things and email us at TheThingAboutAusten@gmail.com.

Welcome to the sixth episode of the What the Austen? podcast! I'm your host Izzy, and I am joined by my friend and fellow Janeite Naomi from @naomi.not.niomi. In this episode, we discuss Jane Austen's novel Mansfiled Park and focus on the character of Fanny Price. Fanny is a very different protagonist to Austen's other heroines, resembling Jane Eyre more than Elizabeth Bennet. We will go through the book looking at the her pros and cons of her character, making reference to the constant comparison between her and Mary Crawford that is evident in the novel. We will also explore her relationship with Edmund and whether their marriage is one of love or connivence. This podcast is about Janeites coming together, discussing Jane Austen's work, and having a few laughs along the way. We really enjoyed making this episode and we hope you like it! Please follow and subscribe to keep up with all the upcoming episodes.Where can you find Naomi? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naomi.not.niomi/  Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEAudible | 30 day free trial Izzy's recommendation: The Jane Austen Collection: An Audible Original Drama Support the show

A story about love, cheese puffs, toe-free appetizers, and a talking cat (of course). Listen in as me and my guest, Kelly, meow about this breezy and silly film. Directed by David DeCoteau (Working Girls, Boys Just Wanna Have Sex, and Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge) under the pseudonym of Mary Crawford, and written by Andrew Helm (The Great Halloween Puppy Adventure, Santa's Summer House, and Death Racers -- starring I.C.P.), this film tells the whimsical story of Duffy the talking cat, voiced by the incomparable Eric Roberts, and how he touches the lives of two families in need of connection. In one house we have über-rich Phil and his socially weird son Chris. In another we have Susan, one of the worst caterers in history, with her kids Tina and Trent. Duffy works his magic and brings love and companionship to these families as well as pushes them to follow their dreams... all while being able to talk to each person only once. This film was helmed by director with a history of making softcore porn and boy, does it show in the camera work, staging, and performances. Easily one of the most hysterically agonizing selections and pretty much the only family-friendly offering this season. Listen to this NSFW episode with grownups, then share the magic of A Talking Cat !?! with the family! Available on streaming and on DVD.

What is dowsing? It is considered a metaphysical art form that helps a person access a divine power for information. Dowsing has been used for centuries and many years ago, it was a method that helped people find underground water sources. In its most simple form, dowsing aids in decision making and answering questions.Mary Crawford brings 20 years of experience in working with dowsing instruments to help her clients release trapped emotional energies and understand their nutritional and physical needs. In doing this work, she can help individuals connect to their bodies as well as their inner truths so they can live their best life.Mary can be reached for consultations via her website TheJoyOfBeingWell.com

From the legendary director who brought us Prison of the Dead, Bikini Goddesses, and Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama comes a heartwarming film for the whole family. The guys (Ben, Bracken, Buzz, Nate and producer, Danny) discuss the entertainment values of this direct to video movie. What causes Bracken to lose it...listen and find out. Shot in 3 days and featuring the voice talents of Erc Roberts as Duffy the cat, is this movie worth watching with your friends? Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @BMWRPodcast or email us at BMWRPodcast@gmail.com A Talking Cat!?! was Directed by David DeCoteau (as Mary Crawford), Produced by David DeCoteau, Marco Colombo, Kathy Logan, and Gregg Martin, Written By Andrew Helm.

Fellow GaS Digital hosts Shannon Lee Heyer and Matty Jester Skulls from The Thing Is podcast, and Dalton Pruitt from the Loud Boys podcast join Zac this week for one terrible tail. The gang settles in for a long and incessantly musical fever dream that includes Eric Roberts as the voice of a cat with a magical collar, and a dwindling supernatural ability. From the mind and mansion of porn director David DeCoteau (as Mary Crawford) it's A Talking Cat!?! from 2013.PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSORSIf you're over the age of 21 and a fan of marijuana, Hempire Direct can now sell you Delta-8 THC flower, legally shipped to 42 States. Visit www.HempireDirect.com and use code GASFLOWER for 50% OFF any of their premium Delta-8 bud!If you are currently a fan of Kratom, you can save some money and stock up at YoKratom.com, the only place you will find $60 Kilos. Visit www.YoKratom.com where you can buy directly at incredible prices.FOLLOW THE SHOW!Zac AmicoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zacisnotfunnyShannon Lee HeyerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonlee6982Twitter: https://twitter.com/ImShannonLeeMatty Jester SkullsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesterskullsTwitter: https://twitter.com/drdingdaddyDalton PruittInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/saltydalty69420Twitter: https://twitter.com/newdalton69420The Thing Is...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC87Akt2Sq_-YEd_YrNpbS2QThe Loud Boyshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWho5EheSV3fzfY1aJ0K2gAThe newest 15 episodes are always free, but if you want access to all the archives, watch live, chat live, access to the forums, and get the show five days before it comes out everywhere else - you can subscribe NOW at http://www.GaSDigitalNetwork.com and use the code ZAC for a 7-Day FREE Trial and save 15% on your subscription to the entire network.Check out https://www.PodcastMerch.com/ZAC to get EXCLUSIVE Zac Amico merchandise (including the Amico 666 Shirt seen on the Joe Rogan Experience!), with BRAND NEW items coming soon!

Oh, boy, let's talk DRAMA. Our Mansfield crew has decided that putting on a private play would be a most gripping diversion, despite Edmund's disapproval. Nothing like throwing a group project onto a situation rife with entitlement, sexual tension, and love triangles to make life easier. Jessie and Annie dive in, trying to decide if they even like their main protagonists and wtf is up with Mary Crawford?MENTIONSAngie Thomas's Concrete Rose and The Hate U GiveDana L Davis's Roman and JewelMackenzi Lee's A Lady's Guide to Petticoats and PiracyStephen Fry's Mythos: The Greek Myths ReimaginedJoin us next time for chapters 16-20 of Mansfield Park!Talk to us! We'd love to hear from you.thedailyknightley.comTwitter: @knightleypodInstagram: @thedailyknightleyEmail: thedailyknightley@gmail.comMusic from https://filmmusic.io: “Improbable” by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.comLicence: CC BY http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

WHEW, more love triangles than a geometrist can handle! Jessie and Annie return to Mansfield Park and try to sort out all the crisscrossing connections, talk about the unkosher way the others talk about Fanny's physical abilities, whether Rushforth should be sympathized, and why Mary Crawford is no Caroline Bingley. Also, Henry Crawford: Is he cute or is he tall and white? Mild CW: For discussion on sexual consent while we talk about "Brigerton" on our book/media roundup (which we loved but are not blind to its flaws): "Why Brigerton Is Problematic || Colorism, Race Baiting and Implicit Bias""How Bridgerton Handles the Book's Wildly Controversial Scene"MENTIONSIjeoma Oluo's Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male AmericaSarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury Mackenzi Lee's A Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy and The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and Loki: Where Mischief Lies Stephen Fry's Mythos: The Greek Myths ReimaginedMadeline Miller's The Song of AchillesNnedi Okorafor's Binti Olivia Dade's Spoiler AlertJoin us next time for chapters 11-15 of Mansfield Park!Talk to us! We'd love to hear from you.thedailyknightley.comTwitter: @knightleypodInstagram: @thedailyknightleyEmail: thedailyknightley@gmail.comMusic from https://filmmusic.io: “Improbable” by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.comLicence: CC BY http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Mid Clare Commemoration Committee has been marking historic events in The Mid Clare Brigade area for the past ten years. During the Centenary of the War of Independence in Clare, the Committee is now working to acknowledge the role of Cumann na mBan in the area during this period. The role of women was pivotal but their recognition has been largely neglected. The Committee have now launched a schools project where students are invited to select Cumann na mBan members and document their life contribution to National Independence and a centenary commemorative booklet of the students work will be produced by the committee. On Friday's Morning Focus, Gavin Grace spoke to Mary Crawford, Chairperson of the Mid Clare Brigade Centenary Commemoration Committee. Picture © Mid Clare Brigade

You may already know the name of David DeCoteau, or perhaps you know him under one of his many aliases: Mary Crawford, Julian Breen or the amusingly named Richard “Dick” Chasen. He's directed 100 feature films as of this year, including four of the classic Puppet Master movies, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, Test Tube Teens from the Year 2000, Witchhouse, the Brotherhood franchise, the 1313 franchise and the modern cult classic A Talking Cat!?! And how does he celebrate such a glorious accomplishment? Why, by appearing on The B-Movies Podcast of course! That's right, it's an in-depth interview with B-Movie titan David DeCoteau about his rise to straight-to-video prominence, the foundation of Full Moon Pictures, the rise and fall of Skinemax, the production of the Puppet Master movies, his ratings fiascos with the MPAA, and of course, A Talking Cat!?!, which David DeCoteau reveals was supposed to be outrageous on purpose. He also says that Eric Roberts, the voice of the talking cat, really did perform his entire role in fifteen minutes in his own living room. Because obviously. Why didn't David DeCoteau cast Brad Pitt in one of his early horror movies? You'll find out on The B-Movies Podcast Presents: David DeCoteau! Subscribe to The B-Movies Podcast on iTunes, follow us on Twitter on @BMoviesPodcast, @WilliamBibbiani and @WitneySeibold, and follow the kid who pretends to be David DeCoteau on Twitter at @DavidDeCoteau, and check out his website RapidHeart.com! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yeahitsback/support

Mary Crawford with Calibur gun sales tells JT how the election has effected gun sales and also about an event they have coming up today.

Today - September 22nd - marks the 100th anniversary of the Rineen Ambush. The ambush was carried out by the IRA during the War of Independence and took place at Drummin Hill in the townland of Drummin, near the hamlet of Rineen. The IRA's Mid-Clare Brigade attacked a Royal Irish Constabulary lorry, killing six officers. Shortly after, the IRA volunteers were attacked by ten lorry-loads of British Army soldiers, who had been sent as reinforcements. However, they held off this attack long enough to flee the scene and sustained only two wounded. In reprisal for the ambush, the RIC Auxiliaries and British military raided three local villages, killed five civilians and burnt 16 houses and shops in the surrounding area. While celebrations aren’t possible due to public health guidelines, people are still encouraged to visit the Rineen monument, where this morning a wreath was laid and the national flag was raised. On Tuesday's Morning Focus, Gavin Grace spoke to Mary Crawford, Chairperson of the MidClare Brigade Commemoration Committee and Joe O’Neill, the grandson of Ignatious O’Neill who was Commanding Officer on the day in 1920.

Most children will only have to stay one metre apart when schools reopen in September. That's according to new public health advice, published by the Department of Education. In primary school, one metre should be kept between children from third class onwards. Social-distancing will not be essential for the first four years of schooling. Secondary pupils will be asked to keep two metres apart - but if that's not possible, one metre is sufficient. Gavin discussed these guidelines with Mary Crawford, Retired Principal of St. Joseph's Secondary School, Spanish Point and with Cllr Joe Killeen, former President of the INTO.

This episode discusses the war service of Dr. Mary Crawford, Cornell.

On Tuesday's programme, we marked the 100th anniversary of the Canada Cross shootings of 1920 in Miltown Malbay. On the night of 14th April 1920, celebrations were taking place in Miltown Malbay to mark the release of IRA hunger strikers from Kilmainham Gaol. At about 10.45pm, a bonfire was blazing at Canada Cross and a group of adults and children were gathered around it singing nationalist songs. The police and military arrived on the scene and without warning fired about a hundred shots at the crowd. Three men were killed: Patrick Hennessy from Church St, married with two children; Thomas O’Leary, Ballard Road, married with ten children; and John O’Loughlin, a 25-year-old tailor from the Ennistymon Road. 12 others were injured. Later, at the inquest in Ennis, a verdict was returned of “wilful murder without provocation”. A planned commemoration event this weekend had to be cancelled. Gavin spoke with Mary Crawford, Chairperson of the Mid Clare Brigade Commemoration Committee, and with Micheal Hennessy, the grandson of Patrick Hennessy who died on that fateful night.

Mary Crawford from Caliber gun store in Homewood joins JT to talk about how people are stocking up on ways to protect their families.

Shortly after the signing of the treaty of Schönnbrun in October of 1809, bringing an end to Austrian involvement in the Fifth Napoleonic War, a British official on a mission to the Austrian court vanished without a trace. He was in Germany, on his way back to British territories, and while examining his horses at an inn near Berlin, he walked around to the other side of his horses – and disappeared, never to be seen again. Or that's the way it's usually told. Podcast Site: https://forgottendarkness.podbean.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agable_fd/ Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/ My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/ Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Dance" and "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Closing music by Soma. SOURCES “A century old mystery.” London Observer, December 18, 1910. “A mysterious crime.” Hull Packet and East Riding Times, September 26, 1862. Baring-Gould, Sabine. Historic Oddities and Strange Events. London: Methuen & Co., 1889. Dash, Mike. “The Disappearance of Benjamin Bathurst.” Fortean Times 54 (Summer 1990). Fraser, Mary Crawford. Storied Italy. New York: Dodd, Mead, and Co., 1915. Lang, Andrew. The All Sorts of Stories Book. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1911. Machen, Arthur. Dreads and Drolls. New York: Alfred A, Knopf, 1927. https://www.svz.de/lokales/spurlos-in-perleberg-verschwunden-id4680756.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Alexandre_de_Launay,_comte_d%27Antraigues http://www.notableabodes.com/abode-search-results/abode-details/139177/dantraigues-27-the-terrace-barnes-london

Mary Crawford, who is Chairperson of the Mid Clare Brigade Commemoration Group, outlined their plans to commemorate the highest ranking IRA officer to be killed in Clare during the War of Independence. Vice-Commandant of the Mid Clare Brigade, Martin Devitt was shot dead during a shoot-out with the RIC on February 24th 1920. A commemorative event in Ennistymon this Sunday will be attended by Mary O'Rourke, and will include music by Sharon Shannon and family.

Gentle listeners, rejoice! We're reviewing another Austen movie adaptation, this one the 2007 ITV adaptation of Mansfield Park, starring Billie Piper as Fanny Price. Listen as we discuss Fanny's spunky badminton chops, Haley Atwell's winsome take on Mary Crawford, and Edmund's incomprehensibly strange bangs. To nobody's surprise, Kristin didn't like it. Credits for the movie can be found at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847182/

Please join us in praying for Gabriel and his entire family!  We are so grateful for their witness of love. The Companions of Jesus of Nazareth GoFundMe for The Crawford Family

The Companions of Jesus of Nazareth GoFundMe for The Crawford Family

This month, we’re looking back on the history of Attucks School in Craig County. Built in 1916, Attucks served African American students in Vinita, a city located in northeastern Oklahoma, through the mid-1950s. Deeply rooted in the African American community, the school and its teachers provided students and their families with support in many different ways. Even today, its impact can be seen in the memories of alumni near and far, with many returning for the school’s biennial reunions. In this episode, we’ll hear excerpts from the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program’s archives featuring Attucks alums Arlene Kirkendoll, Charles Kirkendoll, Lois Hunt West, Robert Ramsey Jr, Okla Hicks, and Mary Crawford. Later, we’ll sit down with Kathleen Duchamp, the director of the Eastern Trails Museum in Vinita to learn more about the history and importance of Attucks School. Amplified Oklahoma is a production of the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program at the Oklahoma State University Library. Show notes: https://library.okstate.edu/news/podcast/episode-22-attucks-school

Joe Weber joins us to watch A Talking Cat!?! and discuss the low-budget qualities that make this terrible family film from a former porn director highly entertaining.IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2511190/?ref_=nv_sr_1Directed by: David DeCoteau (as Mary Crawford)Written by: Andrew HelmStarring: Johnny Whitaker, Kristine DeBell, Justin Cone, Janis Valdez, Alison Sieke, Eric RobertsMovie Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-h-KpG2tHMWikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Talking_Cat!%3F!Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_talking_cat_2013Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Whitaker-Kristine-Meatballs-Roberts/dp/B00A47BTFYJonTron Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m76z5mgv5_AIf you are enjoying I Will Watch Anything Once, please subscribe, rate and review on iTunes, like it on Facebook and follow IWWAO on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tumblr. Email questions for your hosts and movie suggestions to iwillwatchanythingonce@gmail.comAdditional Links:Joe Weber - Twitter: https://twitter.com/BZUKAjoe - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jowstinky/DuckSnort: A Baseball Podcast - http://boardwalkaudio.com/ducksnort/Support all the Artists at Boardwalk Audio: http://www.amazon.com/?tag=iwillwatchanythingonce-20  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In part 2 of the Mansfield Park series, Kristin indulges herself with an entire episode centered around the novel's famous set piece, in which the gang gets up a production of the scandalous play Lovers' Vows. Maggie contributes her theory as to how Mary Crawford's décolletage might affect the narrative. Kevin (Kristin's husband) guest-stars to provide incisive analysis and agree that Kristin is right.The First Impressions podcast is a safe space for us to discuss our love for Jane Austen away from the haters, and perhaps even convert some skeptics in the process. Thanks for listening to our first episode, and if you enjoyed it, please spread the word and let us know what you think! We can be reached at first.impressions.podcast@gmail.com.

Where can you go to find references to a better version of this podcast, stories about horrific encounters with deer, and a promise that we’ll never do “Battlefield Earth”? Here, on this quality podcast covering Marjane Satrapi’s “The Voices” and Mary Crawford’s (a.k.a. David DeCoteau) “A Talking Cat!?!” It’s true: we lined up a special […] The post The Voices / A Talking Cat!?! | Double Bill: 19 appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.

Welcome to another Lost Tapes edition of The Film Room! This time we gaze into a mouth-shaped deep, dark abyss; we watch David DeCoteau's A Talking Cat!?! (punctuation not ours), a family film that features notable actor Eric Roberts as the titular talking cat(!?!). Did we mention it was shot on the same set as some (extremely) soft core porn? By the same director? Did we? After tumbling down the no-budget no-effort film hole, we try to climb our way back out by thoroughly picking it, and the importance of base filmmaking, apart at the seams. This is The Whimsical World of Mary Crawford! Opening Song: I'm a Stupid Cat! (Buy on iTunes) A Talking Cat!?!: The Movie: The Tumblr A Talking Cat!?! is The Room of anthropomorphic animal movies - Onion AV Club  Onion AV Club interviews Eric Roberts Laine Perez's Twitter (Great riffs) Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Fans of My Little Pony (Documentary)  Antisocial Commentary on Geek Juice Media Red Letter Media's Half in the Bag: Jack and Jill Review Look how similar all these actors look. JUST LOOK! How confusing! This picture doesn't even fully convey the cheapness of the talking effect. See below for video! Video of the talking "effect" Video of Duffy getting "healed" Closing Song: La Cucamaracha - TNN E-mail us: filmroompodcast@gmail.com  Like us on Facebook! Twitter us: @FilmRoomCast Albert: @PrimitiveManPrd Austin: @untitleduser Next Time: GOJIRAAAA!!!!