American poet, novelist and short story writer
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Katy Perry, Kylie Jenner, Alex Cooper, we have a question. What’s with “Daddy”? And should we have the ick? Also, are you in a reading-gap relationship? SUBSCRIBE to Mamamia, never miss a word of Out Loud, get every article on Mamamia & get $20 off a pair of the Internet’s favourite sandals, Twoobs. Plus, we answer a VERY important question: How often SHOULD you wash your hair? And check-in with Em’s analogue, friction-maxxing life. It’s going great. Recommendations Em recommends The Mandalorian and Grogu, the latest Star Wars movie. Clare recommends Is It Too Early To Bitch by Grace Rouvray. Holly recommends Urzila on ABC iview New Mamamia subscribers get $40 off — $20 off an annual membership and $20 off your TWOOBS order. Click here to subscribe. Already a subscriber? Click here for your $20 TWOOBS discount code. T&C's apply What To Listen To Next: Listen to our latest episode: What We Wish We'd Never Written On The Internet Listen: A Woman Got Pregnant & ‘Betrayed Us All’ Listen: The One Big Lie Blown Up By The Kylie Doco Listen: Bed Shaming & A Terrible Excuse To Skip Your Son’s Wedding Listen: It's Sexy TV Season & An Embarrassing Email Mistake Listen: Why Yesteryear Is The Ultimate Revenge Fantasy Listen: An Argy-Bargy About Childcare & The Wrong Friendship Advice Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here including the very latest episode of Parenting Out Loud, the parenting podcast for people who don't listen to... parenting podcasts. SUBSCRIBE here: Support independent women's media You can now watch our show in full length video on the Apple Podcast app - make sure your phone is up to date and we can't wait for you to see Mamamia Out Loud on Apple What to read: 'Something doesn't seem right.' A theory about Katy Perry's tour and the relentless backlash. 'It makes zero sense on paper. But I've finally figured out why Kylie and Timothée work.' These 7 books will cure your reading slump immediately. 'I'm a psychologist and there's an easy experiment I recommend everyone try.' 'My phone addiction was genuinely taking over my life. This is the only thing that fixed it.' THE END BITS: Check out our merch at MamamiaOutLoud.com GET IN TOUCH: Feedback? We’re listening. Send us an email at outloud@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message. Join our Facebook group Mamamia Outlouders to talk about the show. Follow us on Instagram @mamamiaoutloud and on Tiktok @mamamiaoutloud CREDITS: Hosts: Holly Wainwright, Clare Stephens & Emily Vernem Group Executive Producer: Sasha Tannock Executive Producer: Grace Rouvray Video Producer: Josh Green Associate Producer: Tessa Kotowicz Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we have recorded this podcast.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome to the Summer 2026 Book Preview with Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books! Today, Sarah and Catherine share 12 of their most anticipated books releasing in June through mid – August. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Announcements One of the many benefits to supporting the podcast through either our Patreon Community or our Substack Community (both for just $7/mo) is that you get access to several bonus podcast episode series, including Book Preview Extras! In these episodes, Catherine and Sarah share 4 bonus books (2 each) we are excited about that we did not share in the big show preview episode. Get more details about all the goodies available and sign up here for Patreon and here for Substack! Highlights A lightning round of some big summer releases that are NOT our personal preview picks. Catherine's theme this season was following her initial emotional reaction to a book, while Sarah's picks skew a bit outside of her usual comfort zone. Catherine chose books across historical fiction, cultural fiction, romance, humor, and thriller. One of the season's more challenging reads for Catherine comes from an author she trusts, while Sarah has two books over 450 pages. There's one debut in Sarah's stack this season — along with some historical fiction. Sarah has already read one of her picks — not only was it 5 stars, it's already a strong contender for book of the year. Plus, their #1 picks for summer. Big Summer Releases Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer (June 9) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:28] God's Country (Cork O'Connor, 22) by William Kent Krueger (August 18) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:33] The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson (June 30) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:36] Biological War by Annie Jacobsen (July 28) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:43] Cool Machine (The Harlem Trilogy, 3) by Colson Whitehead (July 21) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [2:48] A Tender Age by Chang-rae Lee (August 11) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [2:53] Under the Falls by Richard Russo (August 11) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [2:55] Sunrise by Téa Obreht (August 11) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [3:14] Dominion (The Silk and Iron Trilogy, 1) by Jean Kwok (July 14) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [3:26] Other Books Mentioned Less (The Arthur Books, 1) by Andrew Sean Greer (2017) [1:32] Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson (2023) [1:41] Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen (2024) [1:47] Empire Falls by Richard Russo (2001) [3:04] Summer 2026 Book Preview June Sarah's Pick Whistler by Ann Patchett (June 2) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [6:53] Catherine's Picks A Year of Marvelous Ways by Sarah Winman (US Release June 16) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:23] Leave and Come Back by Lavanya Lakshmi (June 16) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [18:29] The Top of the World by Ethan Joella (June 30) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [21:59] Keep Them Close by David Ellis (June 30) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:39] Other Books Mentioned Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (2023) [8:05] The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) [8:54] Commonwealth by Ann Patchett (2016) [9:12] Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (2001) [9:16] The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (2019) [9:17] State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (2011) [9:18] The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne (2017) [10:07] Tin Man by Sarah Winman (US 2018) [13:39] Still Life by Sarah Winman (2021) [14:24] Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians, 1) by Kevin Kwan (2013) [19:54] Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding by Lian Dolan (2025) [20:12] The Best Lies by David Ellis (2024) [26:44] July Sarah's Picks The Half Life by Rachel Beanland (July 14) |Amazon | Bookshop.org [14:40] Dad, Love, Me by Matthew Quick (July 21) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:27] Catherine's Pick City of Widows by Nadia Hashimi (July 28) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [30:28] Other Books Mentioned Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland (2020) [15:26] The House Is on Fire by Rachel Beanland (2023) [15:28] The Women by Kristin Hannah (2024) [16:27] The Wives by Simone Gorrindo (2024) [17:48] The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick (2008) [20:39] August Sarah's Picks Everything That Is Beautiful by Louise Nealon (August 4) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [24:33] Sunlight Finds You by Laura Moriarty (August 4) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[28:32] Kitten by Stacey Yu (August 4) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:07] Catherine's Pick You'll Love It Here by Natalie Sue (August 11) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:41] Other Books Mentioned Snowflake by Louise Nealon (2021) [25:05] Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane (2019) [26:25] Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (2014) [28:54] The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty (2012) [29:14] The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963) [36:01] I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue (2024) [37:51]
Sylvia Plath took the stairs, I am sure. Why do we still have a 40 hour work week? It's strange weather in Tokyo, we are losing DEI and Pride when we need to lose religion and gain education.
In this episode, we take a look at the books we have on our nightstands and what they say about us! From the current reads, the aspirational tomes, the comfort books, the neglected books that somehow never leave the stack, and the ever-growing piles of good intentions, what makes a book a “nightstand book” instead of a shelf book? What do our bedside stacks reveal about our habits, ambitions, moods. And how often do our actual reading lives diverge from the readers we imagine ourselves to be?Along the way, we talk about reading rituals, unfinished books, literary guilt, late-night attention spans, and the strange intimacy of the books we keep closest at hand.2026 Novella Book ClubWe have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026!* January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James* April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira* July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector* September: Prelude, by Katherine MansfieldDiscussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!).We've got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you'd like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you'll have a few months to get ready for each. Here's what we have in store:* Episode 135: William Faulkner* Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor* Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz* Episode 165: Annie Ernaux* Episode 175: Henry JamesThere's no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you're prepared for these as they come!Join the Mookse and the Gripes on DiscordWant to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we're discussing? Join us over on Discord! It's the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you're reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind.We're also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It's a fantastic book, and we'd love to have you join the discussion. It's a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you're reading.Shownotes* Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi* Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times, by Azar Nafisi* Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old, by Mary Beard* The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding* The Other Bennet Sister, by Janice Hadlow* The Bachelors, by Muriel Spark* Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark, by James Bailey* Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, by Heather Clark* The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel SparkOnce we get to the general discussion I stopped copying the books we mentioned, but let me know if you have questions and I can find you anything!The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We're glad you're here, and we hope you'll continue to join us on this literary journey!A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you'd like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they're released to the public. We'd love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe
My guests on this week's Book Club podcast are Amanda Golden and Karen V. Kukil, editors of the new The Poems of Sylvia Plath, a variorum collection of every poem Plath wrote. They tell me what light her juvenilia sheds on her later work, how art and music fed into her poetry, and how deep her poetic partnership with Ted Hughes ran. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guests on this week's Book Club podcast are Amanda Golden and Karen V. Kukil, editors of the new The Poems of Sylvia Plath, a variorum collection of every poem Plath wrote. They tell me what light her juvenilia sheds on her later work, how art and music fed into her poetry, and how deep her poetic partnership with Ted Hughes ran.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcastsContact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Send us Fan MailPiper Ferrari of Roman Candle joins us on IUF to break down the band's debut full-length Unadulterated, out now via Sumerian Records. Born out of a moment where the band nearly called it quits, this record feels less like a debut and more like survival — raw, unfiltered, and emotionally uncompromising. We get into that turning point, the chaos that shaped the album, and how tracks like “Nothing Is Original” set the tone for everything that followed.From confronting OCD and religious trauma on “Can We Watch Something Happy?” to pulling lyrical influence from voices like Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf, Piper opens up about writing without filters and treating lyrics as poetry. We also touch on creative control behind the self-produced record, navigating identity in hardcore, and balancing intensity with catharsis — all while building something entirely their own. Unadulterated is out now worldwide.Stay connected with Roman Candle, visit: https://sumerianrecords.com/collections/roman-candle and https://www.instagram.com/romancandlex/Stay connected with IUF, visit: https://interviewunderfire.com/
Special guest Meccah from the Lansing Libraries joins us for a dive into favorite romance picks and the romance genre in general, along with our regular diverse range of picks for the month. Cheryl's Books: Nothing Compares to you: What Sinéad O'Connor Means to Us edited by Sonya Huber and Martha BayneRed Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath by Heather ClarkLondon Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth by Patrick Radden KeefeBeatrix Potter's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places that Inspired the Classic Children's Tales by Marta McDowellMentioned: Hanif Abdurraqib writing about Sinéad O'Connor (Instagram post) InstagramSay Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden KeefeEmpire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden KeefeRecollections of My Nonexistence by Rebecca SolnitEmily Dickinson's Gardening Life: The Plants & Places that Inspired the Iconic Poet by Marta McDowell Jessica's Books: Archangel's Eternity by Nalini SinghGet a life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert The Beginning Comes After the End by Rebecca SolnitMentioned: Angel's Blood (first book in series) by Nalini SinghNalini Singh's wide range of titles.Talia Hibbert titles, “The Brown Sisters” trilogy.The author I blanked on was Jasmine Guillory.Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit Mari's Books: Love, Sivvy: A Novel Inspired by the Life, Letters, and Diaries of Young Sylvia Plath by R.L. ToalsonThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathThe Poet and the Bees: A Story of the Seasons Sylvia Plath Kept Bees by Amy NoveskyNavigating Night by Julie LeungOur Lake by Angie Kang Meccah's Books: Before I Let Go by Kennedy RyanMore titles by Kennedy RyanTia Williams titlesTwenty-Four Seconds From Now: A Love Story by Jason ReynoldsWe Go Slow by Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie
Move over Sylvia Plath, a new foundational feminist author has entered the chat. Dee Salmin, esteemed radio presenter and modern dating, sex, and love expert, has released her debut book, ‘It's Not Love, Actually'. From ‘Boy Sober' to ‘Femcels' and the timeless question of ‘are the straights okay?, she tackles myriad topics present in the lives of young folk in 2026. In this episode of Booksmart, hosts Sunny & Allie sit down with Dee to unpack her powerful book, her “reputation” as a “gonad stealing feminist witch”, and her storied career as a radio presenter.Get your copy of 'It's Not Love, Actually' by Dee Salmin here.
Cześć! Zapraszamy na kolejny odcinek naszego podkastu! Tym razem mamy dla Was powieść i biografię, które łączy oryginalne podejście do gatunku, nieszablonowa perspektywa, a po części także poruszana tematyka. Jeśli lubicie dobrze zarysowane postacie i rozważania nad tym, co nas kształtuje, jeśli interesuje Was nie tylko Sylvia Plath i jej poezja, ale też ograniczające układy w krytyczno-literackim świecie, to mamy coś dla Was! Koniecznie posłuchajcie naszej rozmowy i dajcie znać, co myślicie. Znacie którąś z tych książek? Czekacie na polskie tłumaczenie "The Names"?Książki, o których mówimy w podkaście:
The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life
In this week's show, Rachael Tillman and I discuss The Bell Jar, in part 3 of our series on Sylvia Plath. If you are keen, check out the previous installments: episodes 685 (The Colossus and Other Poems) and 693 (Emily Van Duyne's Loving Sylvia Plath).
Hace rato escribí unos textos sobre este tema, y leer La Campana de Cristal fue el empujón para finalmente hablar de esto. Diría que me recordó esta incógnita, pero la verdad es que la pienso prácticamente todos los días. ¿Es preferible especializarse? ¿Es falso hacerlo? ¿Cómo arrepentirme menos?
Bringing The Darkness To The Light with Catherine Nadal The Artistic Journey of Michael Saint and Scarhaven Guest, Michael Saint from Scarhaven This interview features Michael Saint, the lead vocalist of the rock band Scarhaven, discussing his unconventional path from nursing and acting schools to becoming a rising figure in the hard rock scene. He explores the emotional depths of his songwriting, the band's formation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their upcoming plans for a major EP release. The Evolution of a Creative "Black Sheep" Michael Saint's path to music was far from linear. Initially pursuing a nursing degree at the University of Pittsburgh, he felt an irrepressible "creative fire" that led him to acting school at Stella Adler and later to film school in New York. The 2020 lockdown served as a pivotal turning point; returning to his family home, he taught himself guitar and began practicing vocals through private karaoke sessions in his car. This period of isolation allowed him to transition from a shy individual hiding behind acting roles to a vulnerable, honest frontman. The Sound and Soul of Scarhaven The band Scarhaven emerged from a partnership between Michael and bassist Jared Edson, eventually expanding to include guitarist Matt Kilroy and drummer Alex "Shap" Shapiro. The name "Scarhaven" reflects the idea that everyone carries "scars" from life's experiences and needs a "haven" to connect with those moments. While Michael grew up listening to his mother's '70s R&B and soul records—citing the Bee Gees and Elton John as early influences—his current sound is frequently compared to the '90s grunge era, specifically the vocal prowess of Chris Cornell and Soundgarden. Lyrical Themes and Emotional Depth Michael views songwriting and poetry as a form of therapy, drawing inspiration from poets like Charles Bukowski and Sylvia Plath. His lyrics often tackle heavy, universal emotions: "I'm Not Dead Yet": Written in 2023 during the illness of his nanny (a second mother figure), the song is a defiant anthem against being "written off" by others. "Changing": Inspired by the film The Lost Boys, it explores the dual nature of growth and the risk of transforming into something "ugly" if one isn't careful. "Drowned": A reflection on the profound loneliness one can feel even when surrounded by loved ones or friends. Industry Recognition and Future Outlook Scarhaven has recently gained significant momentum, signing with a new rock label at Riser House in Nashville. Working with producer Jim Kaufman and A&R Jason Martin, the band is focusing on building a distinct visual brand through music videos directed by Matt Elkanah. Michael attributes their rapid progress to a "come to Jesus moment" where they received and implemented critical professional advice to refine their performance and professional approach. Michael Saint's journey underscores the power of late-blooming creativity and the importance of authenticity. By embracing his "black sheep" status and channeling personal grief and isolation into a powerful grunge-inspired sound, he and Scarhaven have created a "haven" for listeners to process their own scars through the medium of hard rock.
Jennifer Khakshouri, Elke Heidenreich, Thomas Strässle und Gast Denise Tonella diskutieren über «Meine Liebe stirbt nicht» von Roberto Saviano, «Die Reise ans Ende der Geschichte» von Kristof Magnusson, «Nebelflüchtige» von Flurina Badel sowie «Die Lebensentscheidung» von Robert Menasse. Vor 20 Jahren hat Roberto Saviano mit «Gomorra» die Mafia aufgeschreckt. Seitdem lebt er unter Polizeischutz wegen Morddrohungen. Die Mafia bleibt dennoch sein Thema. Jetzt hat er einen Roman nach einer wahren Geschichte geschrieben. «Meine Liebe stirbt nicht» erzählt von einer verhängnisvollen Beziehung – anhand von Gerichtsunterlagen, Abhörprotokollen und schriftstellerischer Fantasie. Der deutsch-isländische Schriftsteller Kristof Magnusson ist bekannt für gute Unterhaltung mit Tiefgang. Sein neuer Roman ist ein historischer Spionage-Thriller und gleichzeitig eine Parodie darauf. Am Ende des Kalten Krieges schien alles möglich: In dieser Zeit schickt Magnusson einen jungen, erfolgreichen Schriftsteller auf Agentenmission. «In den Tag» von Christoph Ribbat beschreibt die Schwelle zwischen Augenaufschlag und Wachwerden. Jenseits heutiger Selbstoptimierung entfaltet er eine Kulturgeschichte des Aufwachens, amüsant und anekdotisch: Paul McCartney soll einen seiner Songs komplett geträumt haben. Autoren wie Toni Morrison, Sylvia Plath und Ernest Hemingway schrieben ganz früh morgens. Die Bündnerin Flurina Badel greift in «Nebelflüchtige» ein aktuelles politisches Thema auf: Die Nachfrage nach Ferienwohnungen im Engadin macht erschwinglichen Wohnraum für Einheimische knapp. Die Romanfigur Aita kehrt nach dem Tod ihrer Mutter in ihr Bergdorf zurück. Das Haus soll verkauft werden – und so vermischt sich die Trauer über die Mutter mit jener über den Verlust der Heimat. Seit seinem preisgekrönten Roman «Die Hauptstadt» ist der österreichische Autor Robert Menasse der literarische Europa-Spezialist. Nach flammenden Plädoyers für Europa zeigt er sich in der Novelle «Die Lebensentscheidung» abgeklärter: Er schickt einen müden und ernüchterten Angestellten der Europäischen Kommission in den Tod. Ein Buch über verpasste Chancen, Freundschaft und Müttersöhne. Die Bücher der Sendung sind: • Roberto Saviano: «Meine Liebe stirbt nicht» (Hanser); • Kristof Magnusson: «Die Reise ans Ende der Geschichte» (Klett-Cotta); • Christoph Ribbat: «In den Tag» (Insel); • Flurina Badel: «Nebelflüchtige» (Rotpunkt); und • Robert Menasse: «Die Lebensentscheidung» (Suhrkamp).
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comNancy and Sarah talk with Leigh Stein, whose recent Substack essay might be the best thing to come out of the Lindy West discourse. Entitled “I Escaped Bluebeard's Castle. Lindy West Didn't,” the essay describes an abusive relationship from Leigh's past and sheds light on the painful accommodations some of us make to keep love - or its simulacrum - in our lives. No strangers to overdramatic relationships, the gals then take a trip down the memory lane of terrible boyfriends, the insecurities that make people act like creeps and victims, and the trap that is the public persona.Also discussed:* Virginity as liability* Love addiction = the frothy dilemma of it all* Nancy's theory of Lindy West's self-sabotage* The Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes school of romance* Sarah is a sucker for a tough childhood* That time Leigh contemplated a three-way* “I remember going to a psychic …”* An addiction to Intervention* Rescuing someone over and over makes them weaker, then bitter* Who do you become if you stop solving other people's problems?* What would Dan Savage say? * Heather Havrilesky, preach!Plus, polyamory as a conceptual art project, Nancy's dad's tough love, contemplating the many meanings of “the love hole,” and much more!Announcements galore:Go see Leigh in conversation with our beloved Kat Rosenfield, at the Darien Library on Tuesday, April 21, 7-8pm. Details here.It's the first Sunday of the month so you (if not Nancy) recall what that means: First Sunday Zoom, 5pm PT / 8pm ET, come celebrate Easter evening with us. Zoom link for paid subscribers will be sent the day-of.How long does it take to make coffee? Nancy is thinking eight minutes, the average time of her new weekly mini-series, New York Stories. Paid subscribers get it delivered hot and tasty Sundays at 8am.No April Fool's joke. Life is better as a paid subscriber.
Sylvia Plath's second collection Ariel (Faber) was published in 1965, two years after the poet's death, in a version somewhat reconfigured from her draft copy by Ted Hughes. Plath's original arrangement was restored in 2004 in an edition edited by her daughter Frieda Hughes. To mark Ariel's 60th birthday and the new Faber edition, poets Victoria Adukwei Bulley and Richard Scott read from Plath's work and from their own, and examined the abiding legacy of one of the 20th century's most influential literary documents. Fellow poet and essayist Lavinia Greenlaw was in the chair.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 22, 2026 is: apotheosis uh-pah-thee-OH-sis noun Apotheosis refers to the perfect form or example of something, or to the highest or best part of something. It can also mean “elevation to divine status; deification.” It is usually singular, but the plural form is apotheoses. // Some consider (however ironically) french fries to be the apotheosis of U.S. cuisine. // Their music reached its creative apotheosis in the late 2010s, which is also when they won two Grammys. See the entry > Examples: “At its simplest level, Canada appears in American literature as a wilderness escape from a more urbanized United States. ... The apotheosis of this view of Canada as a wilderness getaway might be Sylvia Plath's poem ‘Two Campers in Cloud Country,' subtitled ‘Rock Lake, Canada' and written about a camping trip she and her husband Ted Hughes took through Canada and the northeastern US in 1959.” — Brooke Clark, LitHub.com, 17 Apr. 2025 Did you know? Among the ancient Greeks, it was sometimes thought fitting to grant someone “god” status. Hence the word apothéōsis, from the verb apotheóō or apotheoûn, meaning “to deify.” (All are rooted in the Greek word theós, meaning “god,” which we can also thank for such religion-related terms as theology and atheism.) There's not a lot of literal apotheosizing to be had in modern English, but apotheosis is thriving in the 21st century. It can refer to the highest or best part of something, as in “the celebration reaches its apotheosis in an elaborate feast,” or to a perfect example or ultimate form, as in “a movie that is the apotheosis of the sci-fi genre.”
‘Even the sun-clouds this morning cannot manage such skirts.' This week, Sally returns to Sylvia Plath's ‘Poppies in October.' Listen for a mediation on the mouth, sound, and their essential role in approaching the lyric. The wonderful piano music in the closing section is ‘Sirens' by Paul Seba. More information on Paul and his work can be found here. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.
From bellringing to beekeeping - Author Helen Bain talks about the highly detailed research she conducted for the writing of her The Daffodil Days, inspired by Ted Hughes and Sylvia Pllath's year in North Tawton in Devon in 1962, and on why she has told the story in reverse, through the observations of the locals who came into contact with them at the time. Hue & Cry, who first made their name in the mid 80s and who won the Outstanding Contribution prize at last year's Scottish Music Awards, are back with a new single, a 16th studio album and a UK tour. We speak to brothers Pat & Greg Kane about their four decades in the music business, and about fusing acoustic and synth technologies and the duo perform one of their biggest hits in the Front Row studio. At the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1990s, American photographer Catherine Opie honoured members of the gay community with portraits inspired by court artist Hans Holbein. Since then she's become known as an "all-American subversive" for her groundbreaking depictions of queer America. A retrospective of her work - To Be Seen - which also features a new commission of a portrait of Sir Elton John and his family - has opened at the National Portrait Gallery in London and she joins us live to talk about it. Plus the Artistic Director of Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre, James Brining, and The Scotsman's theatre critic, Joyce McMillan, discuss the theatre's decision not to let critics from UK-wide media in to review the world premiere of the new stage production One Day, adapted from David Nicholls' bestselling book. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan
For her debut novel, Helen Bain chose one of her heroes as her focus: poet, author, arch-confessionist and genius, Sylvia Plath. The Daffodil Days spans a year and a half in Plath's life, during which she and husband Ted Hughes head to Devon seeking the idyll of country living. During that time, Plath completed The Bell Jar, gave birth to a son, Nicholas, and wrote the poems that would be posthumously published as Ariel. But she also threw herself full-heartedly into the Devon life, and it's this and what it tells us about Plath, which Helen so beautifully explores in The Daffodil Days. She chats to Mick about Plath, female genius, daffodils, hope and bellringing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Amanda Holmes reads Sylvia Plath's “A Birthday Present.” Have a suggestion for a poem by a (dead) writer? Email us: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. If we select your entry, you'll win a copy of a poetry collection edited by David Lehman. This episode was produced by Stephanie Bastek and features the song “Canvasback” by Chad Crouch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
An initial military investigation says the United States accidentally hit a girls’ school in Minab, Iran, with a missile. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says the U.S. has basically already won its conflict with Iran; Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes has apologised after cutting 10% of the company’s global workforce; Billie Eilish is making her acting debut, playing Esther Greenwood in a new film adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s classic novel The Bell Jar. THE END BITS Support independent women's media Check out The Quicky Instagram here GET IN TOUCHShare your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice note or email us at thequicky@mamamia.com.au CREDITS Host: Tahli Blackman Audio Producer: Lu HillBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this installment of Bad Book Club, Julia and Eliza read the sacred word of Lori Alexander, aka The Transformed Wife, who walked so all trad wife influencers could run. The girlies unpack Lori's memoir, in which she preaches biblical womanhood and reveals the brain tumor that made her submit to her husband. Plus, helpful life lessons like always say yes to sex, reuse your children's bathwater, and never have shit to say to anyone. Digressions include Lana's recent Sylvia Plath tribute, Eliza's long-awaited return to the plant of unfathomable joy, and the three types of divinely ordained men (allegedly). This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. To listen to the full episode and access over 50 bonus episodes, mediasodes, and our monthly news broadcast What the Hell Sure NEWS, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.
In Episode 218, Sarah chats with Enneagram author, speaker, and podcaster Sarajane Case about Reading Through the Enneagram. After a brief introduction to the Enneagram and how it differs from other personality systems, they dive into how Enneagram types show up in our reading lives — from guessing an author's type to rethinking our own habits as readers. Sarajane walks through the nine types, shares a book recommendation for each, and offers her own personal picks. Note: This episode was republished due to an Apple Podcasts feed glitch that prevented it from appearing for some subscribers. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights Books by Sarajane Case: The Honest Enneagram and The Enneagram Letters A brief introduction to the Enneagram — and how it differs from other personality systems Sarajane's personal approach to working with the Enneagram A quick overview of the nine Enneagram types How each Enneagram type might approach reading Whether (and how) we can discern an author's Enneagram type through their work (and the Enneagram types most and least likely to be authors themselves) Practical tips for using your type to improve your reading life Reading Through the Enneagram [29:51] Type 1: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [30:08] Type 2: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [30:50] Type 3: In Five Years by Rebecca Serle (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:27] Type 4: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:42] Type 5: Fourth Wing (Empyrean, 1) by Rebecca Yarros (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:56] Type 6: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:32] Type 7: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:56] Type 8: Crook Manifesto (The Harlem Trilogy, 2) by Colson Whitehead (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:20] Type 9: Severance by Ling Ma (2018) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:16] Other Books Mentioned The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, 1) by J. R. R. Tolkien (1954) [32:08] Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) [33:49] The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez (2019) [34:57] Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022) [35:23] Sarajane's Book Recommendations [36:37] Two OLD Books She Loves The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:50] Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:08] Two NEW Books She Loves Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:09] A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [43:14] Other Books Mentioned Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2019) [42:05] The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017) [42:16] Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2021) [42:28] Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2022) [42:37] The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (2022) [43:28] One Book She DIDN'T Love Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (1987) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:14] Other Books Mentioned South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami (1992) [44:20] 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (2009) [44:49] One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About Theodora's Tea Shop by Christy Anne Jones (July 28, 2026 — no US release date set yet) | Link to Blackwell's for US Orders [45:52] Other Links Truity | Enneagram Personality Test
We tend to think of books as belonging somewhere: novel, memoir, biography, fantasy, history. Genre gives us orientation and sets expectations. In this episode Trevor and Paul are joined by Rebeccas Hussey of One Bright Book to talk about books that blur boundaries and resist easy classification. Are these books resisting genre? Or are they resisting certainty itself?Please make sure to check out One Bright Book Podcast as well!2026 Novella Book ClubWe have announced the four novellas we will be reading for The Mookse and Gripes Novella Book Club in 2026!* January: Daisy Miller, by Henry James* April: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira* July: The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector* September: Prelude, by Katherine MansfieldDiscussions will be hosted at The Mookse and the Gripes Discord (see below!).We've got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you'd like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you'll have a few months to get ready for each. Here's what we have in store:* Episode 135: William Faulkner* Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor* Episode 155: Naguib Mahfouz* Episode 165: Annie Ernaux* Episode 175: Henry JamesThere's no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you're prepared for these as they come!ShownotesWhat are you reading?* Rebecca: Baldwin: A Love Story, by Nicholas Boggs; Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife, by Francesca Wade* Paul: A Time to Keep Silence, by Patrick Leigh Fermor* Trevor: Mule Boy, by Andrew KrivakWorks mentinoed* Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, by Heather Clark* The Making of Americans, by Gertrude Stein* The Bear, by Andrew Krivak* The Sojourn, by Andrew Krivak* The Art of the Personal Essay, by Phillip Lopate* The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age, by Sven Bikerts* Out of Sheer Rage: Wrestling with D. H. Lawrence, by Geoff Dyer* But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz, by Geoff Dyer* Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, by Herman Melville* There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension, by Hanif Abdurraqib* Cross-Stitch, by Jazmina Barrera, translated by Christina MacSweeney* On Lighthouses, by Jazmina Barrera, translated by Christina MacSweeney* Linea Nigra: Essays on Pregnancy and Earthquakes, by Jazmina Barrera, translated by Christina MacSweeney* The Long Form, by Kate Briggs* Drifts, by Kate Zambreno* Orlando, by Virginia Woolf* Alphabetical Diaries, by Sheila Heti* Flights, by Olga Tokaczuk, translated by Jennifer Croft* Dept. of Speculation, by Jenny Offill* Erik Satie Three Piece Suite, by Ian Penman* To Write As If Already Dead, by Kate Zambreno* Suite for Barbara Loden, by Nathalie Léger, translated by Natasha Lehrer and Cécile Menon* Traces of Enayat, by Iman Mersal, translated by Robin Moger* Animal Joy: A Book of Laughter and Resuscitation, by Nuar Alsadir* Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography, by Roland Barthes, translated by Richard Howard* Fifty Sounds, by Polly Barton* Melvill, Rodrigo Fresán, translated by Will Vanderhyden* Rings of Saturn, by W.G. Sebald, translated by Michael Hulse* Schattenfroh, by Michael Lenz, translated by Max LawtonJoin the Mookse and the Gripes on DiscordWant to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we're discussing? Join us over on Discord! It's the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you're reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind.We're also just about to read the second novella book club book of 2026: An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews. It's a fantastic book, and we'd love to have you join the discussion. It's a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you're reading.The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We're glad you're here, and we hope you'll continue to join us on this literary journey!A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you'd like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they're released to the public. We'd love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe
In Episode 218, Sarah chats with Enneagram author, speaker, and podcaster Sarajane Case about Reading Through the Enneagram. After a brief introduction to the Enneagram and how it differs from other personality systems, they dive into how Enneagram types show up in our reading lives — from guessing an author's type to rethinking our own habits as readers. Sarajane walks through the nine types, shares a book recommendation for each, and offers her own personal picks. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights Books by Sarajane Case: The Honest Enneagram and The Enneagram Letters A brief introduction to the Enneagram — and how it differs from other personality systems Sarajane's personal approach to working with the Enneagram A quick overview of the nine Enneagram types How each Enneagram type might approach reading Whether (and how) we can discern an author's Enneagram type through their work (and the Enneagram types most and least likely to be authors themselves) Practical tips for using your type to improve your reading life Reading Through the Enneagram [29:51] Type 1: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (2020) | Amazon| Bookshop.org [30:08] Type 2: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [30:50] Type 3: In Five Years by Rebecca Serle (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:27] Type 4: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:42] Type 5: Fourth Wing (Empyrean, 1) by Rebecca Yarros (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:56] Type 6: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:32] Type 7: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:56] Type 8: Crook Manifesto (The Harlem Trilogy, 2) by Colson Whitehead (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:20] Type 9: Severance by Ling Ma (2018) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:16] Other Books Mentioned The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, 1) by J. R. R. Tolkien (1954) [32:08] Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) [33:49] The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez (2019) [34:57] Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022) [35:23] Sarajane's Book Recommendations [36:37] Two OLD Books She Loves The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:50] Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:08] Two NEW Books She Loves Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:09] A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (2025) | Amazon| Bookshop.org [43:14] Other Books Mentioned Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2019) [42:05] The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017) [42:16] Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2021) [42:28] Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2022) [42:37] The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (2022) [43:28] One Book She DIDN'T Love Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (1987) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:14] Other Books Mentioned South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami (1992) [44:20] 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (2009) [44:49] One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About Theodora's Tea Shop by Christy Anne Jones (July 28, 2026 — no US release date set yet) | Link to Blackwell's for US Orders [45:52] Other Links Truity | Enneagram Personality Test
Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:15:00 GMT http://relay.fm/conduit/122 http://relay.fm/conduit/122 Kathy Campbell and Jay Miller Jay is gone again, so Kathy brings back Merlin Mann to discuss productivity porn as well as a ton of other topics of import. Jay is gone again, so Kathy brings back Merlin Mann to discuss productivity porn as well as a ton of other topics of import. clean 5583 Jay is gone again, so Kathy brings back Merlin Mann to discuss productivity porn as well as a ton of other topics of import. Guest Starring: Merlin Mann Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections - Merlin ✅ - Working on collecting the old sites and Fives list - Kathy ✅ - Get ready for unicorning cowork Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback! New Connections - Merlin - Keep working on the site thing - Kathy - Take things to the post office For Our Super Conductors: Pre-Show: LIDar on iOS. How do you know if you're ladder is against the right wall? Post-Show: Embracing the chaos Credits Music: When You Smile Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community Conduit e122 Links Merlin's One Good Things Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Judy Greer (Ted Danson, Conan O'Brien Network) -- "I went in thinking, oh, this looks really good, and I ended up liking it probably twice as much as I expected." Judy Greer -- Cheryl/Carol on Archer, Kitty Sanchez on Arrested Development. "It was neat to hear her talk about how important it was for her to get better at acting." Typora -- WYSIWYG Markdown editor ($15). "A really nice balance of what I'm looking for" -- discovered through the 5ives redesign work with Claude. Judi Dench speech on The Graham Norton Show -- "Made me cry." Kathy's One Good Thing Flavor Flav sponsoring the US women's hockey team -- Vegas celebration for the gold-medal team. Merlin responded by rapping "Bring the Noise" from memory. Merlin's Shows Do By Friday (with Alex Cox) Reconcilable Differences (with John Siracusa) Roderick on the Line (with John Roderick) Productivity / Publishing Inbox Zero -- "I'm the inbox zero guy." Merlin originated the concept; the world turned it into a marketing term. 43folders.com -- "In 2004, there were not a lot of websites about how to deal with your productivity problems as a Mac user." Back to Work (5by5) -- former podcast David Allen / Getting Things Done -- "He claims he's the laziest man in the world, and I've always admired that he says that." Danny O'Brien and the 2005 ETech "Life Hacks" talk -- "Danny and I are both so addled and odd and different... his energy was just incandescent to be around." The conference where Merlin's laptop had Wi-Fi for the first time. Site Meter -- "There's your life before site meter and your life after site meter." The little GIF badge that counted page loads and launched a million blog vanity spirals. 5ives & Typography 5ives -- Merlin's list site (2002), 450 lists, being revived. "I'm pleased with myself. I like that I made four hundred and fifty lists that some people thought were funny in the 2000s." Matthew Butterick -- fonts, Practical Typography. "One of those people where I'm just interested in your deal," like Simon Willison or Edgar Wright. Merlin bought the entire font set during a bout of situational depression and is finally using them for the 5ives redesign. Movies & TV The Hollow Crown (BBC) -- Trailer. "Look at that stacked cast." Ben Whishaw, Tom Hiddleston, Sophie Okonedo, Rory Kinnear. Merlin told Kathy to buy it on Apple TV "or I can pirate it for you." Kenneth Branagh's Henry V (1989) -- "My number one movie that I recommend." "You don't even need to understand what they're saying. It'll still give you shivers." Mark Rylance: St. Crispin's Day speech at the Globe -- "It gives you a different kind of shivers, like a different part of your neck and your back." Merlin recited part of the speech from memory. The Death of Stalin (2017) -- "A very dark, very funny film" by Armando Iannucci. Veep / The Thick of It -- "It's gonna be difficult difficult lemon difficult." Both Iannucci. Led to Merlin imagining Matthew Butterick as a Veep restaurant reservation alias. Women Talking (2022) / Men (2022) -- Merlin's suggested double feature for mom's night. "Start with Women Talking, back with Men." Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear. Our Flag Means Death -- Merlin named his Mac Studio "Buttons" after Ewen Bremner's Mr. Buttons ("the guy from Trainspotting"). Rhys Darby, Kristian Nairn ("Hodor's on there. He's a big fella."). Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) -- "Just to be available." Merlin's favorite line, from Mr. Kylie the possum wanting to know his job in the big plan. Music Vikingur Olafsson: Goldberg Variations (Deutsche Grammophon, 2023) -- Merlin's current obsession. "I care so intensely about that." Discovered after years of only knowing Glenn Gould. Glenn Gould: 1955 vs. 1981 Goldberg Variations -- The famous pair: 38 minutes of youthful showmanship vs. 51 minutes of deliberate structure. Public Enemy -- "Bring the Noise" -- Merlin rapped the full opening verse from memory when Kathy mentioned Flavor Flav. "Bass, how low can you go?" Poetry Gwendolyn Brooks -- "We Real Cool" (video of her 1983 Guggenheim reading) -- "We real cool. We jazz June. We die soon." Merlin on hearing poetry "in the air" vs. on the page. Sylvia Plath -- "Daddy" (her 1962 BBC recording) -- "You do not do, you do not do... you really hear something you didn't see on the page." Books & Podcasts Bessel van der Kolk on The Ezra Klein Show -- "One of my all-time favorite podcast episodes. It changed my life. Everything you know about trauma is screwing you up." Off Menu -- celebrities describe their dream meal. The Amanda Seyfried episode taught Merlin about a kind of olive he now puts on Brussels sprouts. Mr. Show with Bob and David -- source of the "hey everybody" drum bit Merlin does throughout. "I'm very, very, very specifically stealing it from a bit about the new Ku Klux Klan." Blank Check (Griffin Newman) -- source of "the great ___" bit. "I'll credit Griffin Newman for that bit." People James Thompson (PCalc, Dice by PCalc) -- "What if twenty-sided dice fell on your head?" Merlin on how James finds delight in close-to-the-metal Apple tech. Armando Iannucci -- "If you like English nerd comedy, he's really something." Simon Willison, Matt Webb, danah boyd -- people Merlin follows because "I'm just interested in your deal." Edgar Wright -- "I will just show up because I'm interested in what he's up to. I don't even care if I like his movie." Ecamm Live -- streaming app Kathy uses for her unicorn co-working sessions. Pre-Show (Superconductors only) LiDAR accessibility features on iPhone -- Merlin fiddled with it on the street, "pointing his phone at people for a very long time." Apple's breathing sleep LED -- the MacBook pulsing light. Kathy: "So relaxing, so unnecessary and delightful." Apple researched sleeping respiratory rates and chose the calmest end of the spectrum. Erich Brenn, plate spinner, on The Ed Sullivan Show -- the origin of "spinning plates" as a metaphor. 8 appearances in the 1950s-60s. Support Conduit with a Relay Membership
Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:15:00 GMT http://relay.fm/conduit/122 http://relay.fm/conduit/122 There is No One True Anything with Merlin Mann 122 Kathy Campbell and Jay Miller Jay is gone again, so Kathy brings back Merlin Mann to discuss productivity porn as well as a ton of other topics of import. Jay is gone again, so Kathy brings back Merlin Mann to discuss productivity porn as well as a ton of other topics of import. clean 5583 Jay is gone again, so Kathy brings back Merlin Mann to discuss productivity porn as well as a ton of other topics of import. Guest Starring: Merlin Mann Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections - Merlin ✅ - Working on collecting the old sites and Fives list - Kathy ✅ - Get ready for unicorning cowork Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback! New Connections - Merlin - Keep working on the site thing - Kathy - Take things to the post office For Our Super Conductors: Pre-Show: LIDar on iOS. How do you know if you're ladder is against the right wall? Post-Show: Embracing the chaos Credits Music: When You Smile Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community Conduit e122 Links Merlin's One Good Things Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Judy Greer (Ted Danson, Conan O'Brien Network) -- "I went in thinking, oh, this looks really good, and I ended up liking it probably twice as much as I expected." Judy Greer -- Cheryl/Carol on Archer, Kitty Sanchez on Arrested Development. "It was neat to hear her talk about how important it was for her to get better at acting." Typora -- WYSIWYG Markdown editor ($15). "A really nice balance of what I'm looking for" -- discovered through the 5ives redesign work with Claude. Judi Dench speech on The Graham Norton Show -- "Made me cry." Kathy's One Good Thing Flavor Flav sponsoring the US women's hockey team -- Vegas celebration for the gold-medal team. Merlin responded by rapping "Bring the Noise" from memory. Merlin's Shows Do By Friday (with Alex Cox) Reconcilable Differences (with John Siracusa) Roderick on the Line (with John Roderick) Productivity / Publishing Inbox Zero -- "I'm the inbox zero guy." Merlin originated the concept; the world turned it into a marketing term. 43folders.com -- "In 2004, there were not a lot of websites about how to deal with your productivity problems as a Mac user." Back to Work (5by5) -- former podcast David Allen / Getting Things Done -- "He claims he's the laziest man in the world, and I've always admired that he says that." Danny O'Brien and the 2005 ETech "Life Hacks" talk -- "Danny and I are both so addled and odd and different... his energy was just incandescent to be around." The conference where Merlin's laptop had Wi-Fi for the first time. Site Meter -- "There's your life before site meter and your life after site meter." The little GIF badge that counted page loads and launched a million blog vanity spirals. 5ives & Typography 5ives -- Merlin's list site (2002), 450 lists, being revived. "I'm pleased with myself. I like that I made four hundred and fifty lists that some people thought were funny in the 2000s." Matthew Butterick -- fonts, Practical Typography. "One of those people where I'm just interested in your deal," like Simon Willison or Edgar Wright. Merlin bought the entire font set during a bout of situational depression and is finally using them for the 5ives redesign. Movies & TV The Hollow Crown (BBC) -- Trailer. "Look at that stacked cast." Ben Whishaw, Tom Hiddleston, Sophie Okonedo, Rory Kinnear. Merlin told Kathy to buy it on Apple TV "or I can pirate it for you." Kenneth Branagh's Henry V (1989) -- "My number one movie that I recommend." "You don't even need to understand what they're saying. It'll still give you shivers." Mark Rylance: St. Crispin's Day speech at the Globe -- "It gives you a different kind of shivers, like a different part of your neck and your back." Merlin recited part of the speech from memory. The Death of Stalin (2017) -- "A very dark, very funny film" by Armando Iannucci. Veep / The Thick of It -- "It's gonna be difficult difficult lemon difficult." Both Iannucci. Led to Merlin imagining Matthew Butterick as a Veep restaurant reservation alias. Women Talking (2022) / Men (2022) -- Merlin's suggested double feature for mom's night. "Start with Women Talking, back with Men." Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear. Our Flag Means Death -- Merlin named his Mac Studio "Buttons" after Ewen Bremner's Mr. Buttons ("the guy from Trainspotting"). Rhys Darby, Kristian Nairn ("Hodor's on there. He's a big fella."). Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) -- "Just to be available." Merlin's favorite line, from Mr. Kylie the possum wanting to know his job in the big plan. Music Vikingur Olafsson: Goldberg Variations (Deutsche Grammophon, 2023) -- Merlin's current obsession. "I care so intensely about that." Discovered after years of only knowing Glenn Gould. Glenn Gould: 1955 vs. 1981 Goldberg Variations -- The famous pair: 38 minutes of youthful showmanship vs. 51 minutes of deliberate structure. Public Enemy -- "Bring the Noise" -- Merlin rapped the full opening verse from memory when Kathy mentioned Flavor Flav. "Bass, how low can you go?" Poetry Gwendolyn Brooks -- "We Real Cool" (video of her 1983 Guggenheim reading) -- "We real cool. We jazz June. We die soon." Merlin on hearing poetry "in the air" vs. on the page. Sylvia Plath -- "Daddy" (her 1962 BBC recording) -- "You do not do, you do not do... you really hear something you didn't see on the page." Books & Podcasts Bessel van der Kolk on The Ezra Klein Show -- "One of my all-time favorite podcast episodes. It changed my life. Everything you know about trauma is screwing you up." Off Menu -- celebrities describe their dream meal. The Amanda Seyfried episode taught Merlin about a kind of olive he now puts on Brussels sprouts. Mr. Show with Bob and David -- source of the "hey everybody" drum bit Merlin does throughout. "I'm very, very, very specifically stealing it from a bit about the new Ku Klux Klan." Blank Check (Griffin Newman) -- source of "the great ___" bit. "I'll credit Griffin Newman for that bit." People James Thompson (PCalc, Dice by PCalc) -- "What if twenty-sided dice fell on your head?" Merlin on how James finds delight in close-to-the-metal Apple tech. Armando Iannucci -- "If you like English nerd comedy, he's really something." Simon Willison, Matt Webb, danah boyd -- people Merlin follows because "I'm just interested in your deal." Edgar Wright -- "I will just show up because I'm interested in what he's up to. I don't even care if I like his movie." Ecamm Live -- streaming app Kathy uses for her unicorn co-working sessions. Pre-Show (Superconductors only) LiDAR accessibility features on iPhone -- Merlin fiddled with it on the street, "pointing his phone at people for a very long time." Apple's breathing sleep LED -- the MacBook pulsing light. Kathy: "So relaxing, so unnecessary and delightful." Apple researched sleeping respiratory rates and chose the calmest end of the spectrum. Erich Brenn, plate spinner, on The Ed Sullivan Show -- the origin of "spinning plates" as a metaphor. 8 appearances in the 1950s-60s. Support Conduit with a Relay Membership
Jeff & Shannon celebrate Jeff's birthday (shared with Lincoln's 217th), shred Dataset 12's coded journals exposing a teenage victim's nightmare as a human incubator in Epstein's depraved breeding program, connect Bannon's Epstein ties, and call out elite protection rackets. Tune in at Rumble, YouTube, X and Red State Talk Radio! Patriots, hold on tight—this episode packs a patriotic punch from start to finish in **Season 8, Episode 029, "The Coded Journals in the Epstein Files That Hide a Teenage Girl's Horrific Story"**! @intheMatrixxx and @shadygrooove kick things off with a massive surprise birthday bash for Jeff (@intheMatrixxx), who shares the date with Abraham Lincoln's 217th birthday. Custom songs from Mikey Mariano, AARP memes, viewer Rumble rants, gift subs, and even a special "Happy birthday, Jeffrey, you're a true patriot" text straight from President Trump set the high-energy tone. Jeff reflects on his premature birth in the Land of Lincoln, breech at 5.7 ounces, and growing up with the Emancipation Proclamation on the wall—perfect backdrop for honoring the man who kept America from being torn apart by globalist bankers. Then the show dives straight into the gut-wrenching core: **Dataset 12** from the justice.gov/Epstein files, released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. These are the raw, coded journals of a teenage victim starting at age 16—magazine cutouts, glued birthday cards for her 16th, sonograms, Sylvia Plath poems with underlined lines, and vertically readable handwritten codes documenting years of sexual slavery, repeated forced pregnancies, and babies ripped away minutes after birth, sometimes with Ghislaine Maxwell in the room ordering her to "close your eyes." She names the monsters: Leon Black (violent rapes), George Mitchell, Ted Leonsis, Steve Case, James Kimsey, John Colgan, "The Gregorys," and more from the flights and yachts of horror. The victim describes being used as a "human incubator" for a so-called superior gene pool—Epstein's eugenics obsession tied to hair color, eye color, musical talent—feeling "very Nazi-like" in her own words. This isn't speculation; it's her documented trauma, provable in court, exposing a systematic breeding program the mainstream media blackouts while obsessing over distractions. Jeff and Shannon connect the dots they've been targeted for years over: genetics, bloodlines, MKUltra-style programming, hot/cold treatment, compartmentalized minds, and the "born in" pattern from historical operations like Paperclip. They contrast this hard evidence against Pizzagate-style noise, slam the two-tiered justice system protecting elites, and spotlight networks working overtime to silence the truth—including deep ties like Steve Bannon borrowing Epstein's plane (not friendship, but partnership and cohorts), his silence on the files, and contradictions to his public MAGA persona. They also break down the Super Bowl LIX Bad Bunny halftime viewership crash (nearly 20% drops in markets like Boston and Seattle), elite disconnect, virtue-signaling rage bait, and the NFL's shame—plus a quick hat tip to Pam Bondi's congressional "Anons" gesture on Brennan indictments. After 8 years of fighting censorship, deplatforming, and attacks for exposing bloodline control and child protection, the message is clear: enough is enough. The truth is learned, never told. The constitution is your weapon. Tune in at noon-0-five Eastern LIVE to stand with Trump! MG Show: America First MAGA Podcast & Conservative Talk Show Launched in 2019 and now in Season 8, the MG Show is your go-to source for unfiltered truth on Trump policies, border security, economic nationalism, and exposing globalist psyops. Hosted by Jeffrey Pedersen (@InTheMatrixxx) and Shannon Townsend (@ShadyGrooove), it champions sovereignty, traditional values, and critiques of establishment politics. Tune in weekdays at 12pm ET / 9am PT for patriotic insights strengthening the Republic under President Trump's America First agenda. Hosts - Jeffrey Pedersen (@InTheMatrixxx): Expert in political analysis and exposing hidden agendas, with a focus on Trump's diplomatic wins and media bias. - Shannon Townsend (@ShadyGrooove): Delivers sharp insights on intelligence operations, Constitutional rights, and defenses of Trump's strategies against mainstream critiques. Where to Watch & Listen Catch live episodes or on-demand replays packed with MAGA victories like inflation drops, border awards, Trump pardons, and psyop exposures: - Live Streams: https://rumble.com/mgshow for premium America First content. - Radio: https://mgshow.link/redstate on Red State Talk Radio. - X Live: https://x.com/inthematrixxx for real-time pro-Trump discussions. - Podcasts: Search "MG Show" on PodBean, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Amazon Music. - YouTube: Full episodes at https://youtube.com/c/inthematrixxx and https://www.youtube.com/c/TruthForFreedom. Follow for daily pro-Trump alerts: - X: @InTheMatrixxx (https://x.com/inthematrixxx) and @ShadyGrooove (https://x.com/shadygrooove). Support the MG Show Fuel the MAGA movement against establishment lies: - Donate: https://mg.show/support or contribute at https://givesendgo.com/helpmgshow. - Merch: https://merch.mg.show for official gear. - MyPillow Special: Use code MGSHOW at https://mypillow.com/mgshow. - Crypto: https://mgshow.link/rumblewallet. All Links Everything MG Show Related: https://linktr.ee/mgshow. MG Show Anthem Get chills with the patriotic track: https://youtu.be/SyfI8_fnCAs
she was in the grip of the most ferocious creative surge of her life.
Please Support Breaking Form!Review the show on Apple Podcasts here.Aaron's STOP LYING is available from the Pitt Poetry Series. And BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE is available from Bridwell Press. James's ROMANTIC COMEDY is available from Four Way Books.NOTES:Gwendolyn Brooks published "The Bean Eaters" in Poetry Magazine in 1959. Check out the video of this interview with Gwendolyn Brooks. Here is Sylvia Plath's "Aftermath." Listen to this October 1962 interview with Plath by Peter Orr for the British Council. Read Gary Soto's "Avocado Lake." Linda Pastan published her poem "Waiting Room" in the October 1984 issue of Poetry. Here's Suji Kwok Kim's "Occupation" which appeared in the July 1994 Poetry. Here is a 2008 reading by Kim (~28 min).Watch Cher introduce her song "Just Like Jesse James" during her Farewell Tour.Read "The Speed of Darkness" by Muriel Rukeyser.
Hello Seekers! Ben here, today Hesse, Jacques and I open up the show with a discussion on Venezuela. Then we get into some new eating techniques Jacques is developing and end the show by forgetting about how Sylvia Plath died.
On this episode, Madeline Blair, founder and editor of the literary magazine Sabr Tooth Tiger, talks about her development as a lover and writer of poetry, how balancing reading online publications can run up against her day job, and how she discovers new pieces to read. You also get to hear me have a bit of an existential crisis in real time which happens every time I think about how much content there is out there to read. Sabr Tooth Tiger Books mentioned in this episode: What Betsy's reading: The Sisters by Jonas Hassan Khemiri There is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone Books Highlighted by Madeline: Crossing the Water by Sylvia Plath Ariel by Sylvia Plath Wicked by Gregory Maguire Monsters, Clowns, and the Holy Fool by Satori Na The Poet's Companion by Kim Addonizio Letters to Milena by Franz Kafka The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page. Other books mentioned in this episode: Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams by Sylvia Plath Girls That Never Die by Safia Elhillo The Diary of Anaïs Nin by Anaïs Nin The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith Poems 1962-2012 by Louise Glück Selected Poems of Frank O'Hara by Frank O'Hara Men in the Off Hours by Anne Carson Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bzaterrica Dubliners by James Joyce The Idaho Four by James Patterson & Vicky Ward The Wild Fox of Yemen by Threa Almontaser
Emily LaBarge's Dog Days (Peninsula Press) begins with a personal trauma – the account of how she and her family were held hostage during the Christmas holidays of 2009 – building on that experience a dazzling exploration of writing, art and the imagination. Drawing on writer and artists such as Vivian Gornick, Robert Burton, David Lynch and Sylvia Plath, LaBarge picks apart the structures of narrative forms to ask how it might be possible to tell the ‘Good Story,' and its aftermath, on its own terms. LaBarge was in conversation with writer Olivia Laing.
The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life
Emily Van Duyne discusses her remarkable tome of scholarship on Sylvia Plath, including a literary history of how Plath's legacy has been shaped. Emily also guides Rachael and John's attempts to de-Hughes-ify the available texts.
Sylvia Plath, Janet Malcolm and our thoughts on writing style – welcome to episode 144! In the first half of this episode, we discuss whether we prefer writing style to be ornate or simple. In the second half, we compare
Lords: * Danny * https://linktr.ee/dannyBstyleband * Josh * https://www.bonusstage.ca/ * Vitor * https://vitoramado.framer.website/ Topics: * Games you love that nobody else knows exist * I keep losing my sunglasses. How do I fix this? * Homebrewing * When did Bush stop hiding the facts?? * Mad Girl's Love Song by Sylvia Plath * https://allpoetry.com/mad-girl%27s-love-song * I didn't actually have four poems in mind that made me say oh shit but skimming the list, this could be them: * https://www.tumblr.com/ailbey/750880084257374208 * https://cih.ucsd.edu/sites/cih.ucsd.edu/files/cfm/When%20I%20am%20among%20the%20Trees%20by%20Mary%20Oliver.pdf * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DoNotStandatMyGraveand_Weep * https://nextworldover.tumblr.com/post/705362430786748416/guooey-a-psalm-for-the-wild-built-becky Microtopics * Video game music man. * Playing a guitar part that someone else wrote by clicking with a mouse. * A very fun interesting exercise that you appreciate. * Bass dives. * Playing bass with extra fingers. * Walking into the luthier's workshop asking to pay them to put a whammy bar on a bass and they're like *fuck you, that's disgusting." * Harold Drumsman. * Tympanum Factotum. * Super Stardust vs. Super Rub-a-Dub. * The twin stick shooter you made all your bandmates play. * The most 1989 thing you've ever seen. * A lopsided castle shape drawn out of block characters. * Seeing a Lamborghini game and wondering "who would ever play that??" * Modding modern-resolution models and textures into an N64 game. * A game that looks like dogshit but with modern emulation it's extremely high resolution dogshit. * Impressing your dad at how good you are at the one video game he lets you play. * Hemiroids. * Art style becoming a monoculture more easily in small communities. * Dirty Dancing except Baby never dances again. * Phalanx. (The banjo game.) * The banjo player going inside the ship for the European box art. * Engineering Jones and the Time Thieves of DSPea. * Games that quiz you on what sorts of consulting services your company needs. * Finding a pair of crudely drawn breasts in a collection of Windows 3.1 icons on Uncle Dave's PC and thinking "Uncle Dave is into some weird shit." * Prescription sunglasses vs. Just For Fun sunglasses. * Doing something that makes you look funny and preparing a five minute angry rant to spit at anyone who looks at you funny. * Lacquering your eyes with a substance that darkens in the sunlight. * Lacquering your skin instead of wearing clothes. * Buying more and more expensive sunglasses until you stop losing them. * Pushing 32. * Being the mead guy and everyone sends you mead making videos. * Fermenting honey in the hot dog water. * Making a slurry of hot dogs and ethanol in the blender. * Letting honey sit in the closet until it becomes mead. * Putting mead in the beehive to give back to the community. * Giving all the hallucinogens to all the manufacturing insects to see if they make exciting new kinds of silk and honey. * Kirkland Signature Mead. * Going into an underground tavern in Sweden and eating boar and lingonberries. * Distilling and getting all the wrong -thanols. * Putting a couple shots of moonshine in a cup of Booster Juice. * Could potato pizza sprout more potato. * Have you ever heard a plant scream during a job interview? * There is no ethical consumption under life. * Connecting plants up to synthesizers. * The sound of two black holes colliding. (Bloop!) * Data Audializaion. * How Windows XP users discovered that bush hid the facts. * When did Bush get Microsoft to disable the "Bush hid the facts" Easter egg. * The mongoose is a common sight on the Earth. * The mongoose's shadow casts a faint glow upon the ancient tree. * Reading aloud and trying to understand what you're reading at the same time. * Cool as fuck yours truly uwu. * The four poems that made you say "oh shit." * Art that communicates ideas vs. art that communicates feelings. * Bonus stage. * Rock Band Karaoke.
We are back. Sorry for the delay--we were just uh...savoring the book's ending, and the richness of the text.John and Asher ride solo...together. Like DL and Takeshi! In our final Vineland read-through, we cover the book's last three chapters, learn more about Brock Vond's sexual proclivities, witness, the birth of Prairie, get the scoop on Zoyd's whole window-smashing-deal, return to Vineland itself for the Traverse-Becker family reunion, learn the fate of all our characters, and meet like 17 more.We also discuss myths of the afterlife, theories of hereditary madness (courtesy Italian phrenologists), giggling, acid versus coke rock, acid versus coke books, the ontology of the Pynchonverse, the (over)abundance agenda, if Sleep is the same band as Electric Wizard, Sylvia Plath, Proust (natch!), something-other-than-pessimism, the symbolism of blue jays, if hope is evil, and the impossibility of tilting the beam.Thanks for listening! We'll be back soon!And remember...SUNSHINE DAYDREAMSUNSHINE DAYDREAMSUNSHINE DAYDREAMSUNSHINE DAYDREAMSUNSHINE DAYDREAMSUNSHINE DAYDREAMSUNSHINE DAYDREAMSUNSHINEDAYDREAMMusic In This Episode:Wendy Watson - "Degrassi Jr. High Theme" (excerpt)Sleep - "Dragonaut" (excerpt)Pop o' Pies - "Sugar Magnolia" (Demo Tape Version) (edited)Other Stuff:"Daddy" by Sylvia Plath"Proverbs for Paranoids" Gravity's Rainbow Guide
Today's poem is a “row of perfect rhymes” and an absolute delight. Happy reading.You can find the text of the poem here.George Starbuck was born in Columbus, Ohio on June 15, 1931. He grew up in Illinois and California. He attended the University of California at Berkeley for two years, and the University of Chicago for three. He then studied with Archibald MacLeish and Robert Lowell, alongside peers Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath, at Harvard University. Starbuck won the Yale Younger Poets Prize for his collection Bone Thoughts (1960). He is the author of several other books, including The Argot Merchant Disaster: New and Selected Poems (1982), Elegy in a Country Church Yard (1974), and White Paper (1966). He taught at the State University College at Buffalo, the University of Iowa, and Boston University.Starbuck's witty songs of protest are usually concerned with love, war, and the spiritual temper of the times. John Holmes believed that “there hasn't been as much word excitement ... for years,” as one finds in Bone Thoughts. Harvey Shapiro pointed out that Starbuck's work is attractive because of its “witty, improvisational surface, slangy and familiar address, brilliant aural quality” and added that Starbuck may become a “spokesman for the bright, unhappy young men.” Louise Bogan asserted that his daring satire “sets him off from the poets of generalized rebellion.”After reading Bone Thoughts, Holmes hoped for other books in the same vein; R.F. Clayton found that, in White Paper(1966), the verse again stings with parody. Although Robert D. Spector wasn't sure of Starbuck's sincerity in Bone Thoughts, he rated the poems in White Paper, which range “from parody to elegy to sonnets, and even acrostic exercises,” as “generally superior examples of their kind.” In particular, Spector wrote, when Starbuck juxtaposes McNamara's political language and a Quaker's self-immolation by burning, or wryly offers an academician's praise for this nation's demonstration of humanity by halting its bombing for “five whole days,” we sense this poet's genuine commitment.Starbuck died in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on August 1, 1996.-bio via Poetry Foundation This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe
Indie rock legend Evan Dando joins me in episode 130 to talk about The Lemonheads' excellent new album, Love Chant — their first LP of originals in twenty years. We also discuss the Townes Van Zandt covers album he's currently working on, his recently released memoir, Rumors of My Demise, and we delve into important creative influences past and present: Sylvia Plath, the Replacements, Big Star, Love, the mentorship he received from Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, and more. Dando also answers a couple of fun guest questions submitted by our pals Adam Green (who co-wrote the song “Wild Thing” from the new album) and Ben Lee.
Heather Clarke is the award-winning author of "Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath." Her debut novel, "The Scrapbook" tells the story of an intense first love haunted by history and family memory, inspired by the startling WWII scrapbook of Clark's own grandfather, hidden in an attic until after his death.
Since her death, Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) has become an endless source of fascination for a wide audience ranging from readers of The Bell Jar, her semiautobiographical novel, to her groundbreaking poetry as exemplified by Ariel. Beyond her writing, however, interest in Plath has also been fueled in part by the tragic nature of her death. As a result, a steady stream of biographies of Plath have appeared over the last fifty-five years that mainly focus on her death or contain projections of an array of points of view about the writer. Until now, little sustained attention has been paid to the influences on Plath's life and work. What movies did she watch? Which books did she read? How did media shape her worldview? In this meticulously researched biography The Making of Sylvia Plath (UP Mississippi, 2024), Carl Rollyson explores the intricate web of literature, cinema, spirituality, psychology, and popular culture that profoundly influenced Plath's life and writing. At the heart of this biography is a compelling exploration of William Sheldon's seminal work, Psychology and the Promethean Will, which Plath devoured in her quest for self-discovery and understanding. Through Plath's intense study of this work, readers gain unprecedented access to Plath's innermost thoughts, her therapeutic treatments, and the overarching worldview that fueled her creative genius.Through Sheldon as well as Plath's other influences, Rollyson offers a captivating survey of the symbiotic relationship between an artist and the world around her and offers readers new insights into the enigmatic mind of one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. Jane Scimeca, Professor of History at Brookdale Community College Website here @janescimeca.bsky.social Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Since her death, Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) has become an endless source of fascination for a wide audience ranging from readers of The Bell Jar, her semiautobiographical novel, to her groundbreaking poetry as exemplified by Ariel. Beyond her writing, however, interest in Plath has also been fueled in part by the tragic nature of her death. As a result, a steady stream of biographies of Plath have appeared over the last fifty-five years that mainly focus on her death or contain projections of an array of points of view about the writer. Until now, little sustained attention has been paid to the influences on Plath's life and work. What movies did she watch? Which books did she read? How did media shape her worldview? In this meticulously researched biography The Making of Sylvia Plath (UP Mississippi, 2024), Carl Rollyson explores the intricate web of literature, cinema, spirituality, psychology, and popular culture that profoundly influenced Plath's life and writing. At the heart of this biography is a compelling exploration of William Sheldon's seminal work, Psychology and the Promethean Will, which Plath devoured in her quest for self-discovery and understanding. Through Plath's intense study of this work, readers gain unprecedented access to Plath's innermost thoughts, her therapeutic treatments, and the overarching worldview that fueled her creative genius.Through Sheldon as well as Plath's other influences, Rollyson offers a captivating survey of the symbiotic relationship between an artist and the world around her and offers readers new insights into the enigmatic mind of one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. Jane Scimeca, Professor of History at Brookdale Community College Website here @janescimeca.bsky.social Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies
The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience
Acclaimed debut novelist Penny Zang spoke with us about making friendship bracelets for readers, why the world doesn't stop when you lose a loved one, hanging out with Sylvia Plath, and her psychological thriller DOLL PARTS I am joined by a co-host this week, none other than The Book Babe, Milena Gonzalez. Penny Zang is an English professor at Greenville Technical College and the debut author of DOLL PARTS, described as “... a dark, poetic, dual-timeline psychological thriller that blends sad girl lit and feminist horror with a heavy dose of 90s grunge nostalgia.” International bestselling author Samantha Downing said of the book, "Doll Parts is the most mesmerizing and original book I've read in a long time. It's eerie and addictive, a story that pulls you in and won't let go," and Library Journal wrote, “Zang's compelling debut delves insightfully into topics such as friendship, grief, and Plath's place in literature...” Penny Zang holds an MFA in Creative Writing from West Virginia University and is the 2024 Elizabeth Boatwright Coker fiction fellow via the South Carolina Academy of Authors. Her work has appeared in New Ohio Review, Louisville Review, Superstition Review, Potomac Review, and South 85, among others. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Penny Zang, Milena Gonzalez, and I discussed: How she formed the #5AMWritersClub Writing as a form of grief after losing a good friend Reminding her parents that her fiction didn't really happen Wending pop culture iconography into her work Why finding your writing community is so important And a lot more! Show Notes: pennyzang.com Doll Parts: A Novel by Penny Zang (Amazon) Penny Zang on Facebook Penny Zang on Instagram Penny Zang on Twitter Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Roll on another month and another Three Ravens Live Show release - and of not just one but two performances recorded at Gloucester History Festival at the end of September 2025!As we explain in the episode, first comes our Forgotten Melodies Live show, performed on Sunday 21st September in the Great Hall at Gloucester's Blackfriars as part of Witch Night, followed by a retelling of Martin's Gloucester story first heard in Series 3 Episode 2 about Gloucestershire, "The Torbarrow Guardian" as recorded that afternoon in the Scriptorium Buttery.We really hope you enjoy both recordings, speak to you tomorrow for an all-new episode of Three Ravens Haunting Season, and if you would like details of the Forgotten Melodies Live set list then it's as follows:The Earth, The Air, The Fire, The Water (Trad)On Matthew Hopkins by Samuel Butler (c.1663)Ring Down Below (Trad)Hecate's Speech from Macbeth by William Shakespeare (c.1606)Old Pendle (Trad)Very Wicked People (spoken word)Witches Reel (Trad)Witch Burning by Sylvia Plath (1959)Sovay (Trad)The White Witch by James Weldon Johnson (1915)Hare Spell (Trad)Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Itinéraire d'une cinéphile autodidacte Dans la catégorie critiquée et redoutée de la critique ciné, au sein de ce métier malmené par la concurrence des algorithmes publicitaires, Murielle Joudet fait figure de rempart, de meilleur espoir. Signature cinglante du journal Le Monde depuis 2017, mousquetaire sur France Inter du nouveau Masque et la plume depuis 2024, la journaliste et autrice parisienne est la jeune première qui monte, acerbe et bien renseignée, incollable (ou presque) sur l'âge d'or d'Hollywood. À 34 ans, l'ex-chroniqueuse au lance-flammes du magazine Chronicart, vue dans l'émission Le Cercle sur Canal+, semble déjà reconnue comme la « bad cop » du milieu, sa mauvaise conscience, à la recherche du « grand » cinéma.Mais comment cette stakhanoviste autodidacte a-t-elle formé son goût et ses dégoûts ? « Entre 17 et 24 ans, on attend que la vie commence et le cinéma est une sorte de teaser. Mais le décalage est toujours un peu décevant », dit cette lectrice de Sylvia Plath et de Pierre Michon, fan d'Éric Rohmer ou d'Abdellatif Kechiche, qui passa « religieusement » sept ans dans les salles obscures en marge de ses études de philo. « Les cinéphiles peuvent faire l'économie du dehors, comme si tous les films vus recouvraient la surface du monde, pour ne plus avoir à le voir – j'ai été comme ça, je le suis encore un peu. »Qu'a-t-elle retenu de son exposition aux princesses et sorcières de Walt Disney ? Ou de ses nuits à zapper pour tomber sur le cinéma queer de Paul Morrissey ou Les hommes préfèrent les blondes avec Marilyn Monroe, dont la pluie de couleurs et de diamants lui donna l'idée « de travailler sur les images » ? Comment cette blogueuse graphomane a-t-elle professionnalisée sa « vie intérieure hyper-trophiée » ? Ces questions sont à l'affiche de ce premier épisode, à écouter les yeux grands ouverts.L'autrice du mois : Murielle JoudetNée en 1991 à Paris, Murielle Joudet est critique de cinéma dans la presse (Le Monde), à la radio (sur France Inter pour Le masque et la plume), en ligne (dans le podcast Sortie de secours ou via l'émission Dans le film sur le site Hors-Série) ou pour la Cinémathèque française. Elle a publié quatre ouvrages qui documentent avec rigueur des façons de défier les conventions, en tant que femme, dans l'industrie du 7e art : Isabelle Huppert – vivre ne nous regarde pas (Capricci, 2018), Gena Rowlands – on aurait dû dormir (Capricci, 2021), La seconde femme – ce que les actrices font à la vieillesse (Premier Parallèle, 2022) et un recueil d'entretiens avec la cinéaste Catherine Breillat, Je ne crois qu'en moi (Capricci, 2023). Elle vit et travaille à Paris. Enregistrement juillet 2025 Entretien, découpage Richard Gaitet Prise de son Mathilde Guermonprez Montage Étienne Bottini Réalisation, mixage Charlie Marcelet Musiques originales Samuel Hirsch Harpe, flûte, clarinette, cor, basson, xylophone, timbales et gong Xavier Thiry Illustration Sylvain Cabot
The newest evolution of softboi has just landed with the most on the nose name yet - the performative male. He reads Sylvia Plath outside indie coffee shops as he sips matcha. He has a Labubu and his Labubu has a cute nickname. He is a little bit Letterboxd famous and he calls his mother once a week. He's also the worst man you have ever dated in your life.In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with whether this new archetypal male is anything new, or if men have always manipulated what women want to get laid.Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member
When Harold Dahl saw UFOs over Puget Sound in 1947, he never expected a visit from a man in black who would threaten him to keep quiet—spawning a phenomenon that would haunt UFO witnesses for decades.Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateTake the WEIRD DARKNESS LISTENER SURVEY and help mold the future of the podcast: https://weirddarkness.com/surveyIN THIS EPISODE: The Bermuda Triangle isn't the only watery region with a reputation for unexplainable events and tragedies. For centuries, a triangular portion of Lake Michigan has been ground zero for sunken ships, disappearing crews, and vanishing aircraft. As if these incidents aren't creepy enough, what is now known as the Lake Michigan Triangle is also notorious for UFO sightings and strange lights appearing on the horizon. (The Lake Michigan Paranormal Triangle) *** There's a beast living in the woodlands outside of Rhinelander, Wisconsin – and its description is beyond belief. I'll introduce you to the hodag! (Meet the Hodag) *** Sylvia Plath died by suicide at the age of 30 on February 11, 1963, following a barrage of literary rejections and her husband's infidelity. We'll look at her haunting story and tragic death. (The Tragic Death of Sylvia Plath) *** It's approximately four hundred years old, full of colorful illustrations of plants, flowers, the stars, women, medicinal herbs, and text… yet no one has been able to decipher exactly what the Voynich Manuscript is for or what it says. (The Voynich Manuscript) *** The disappearance of a person is a tragedy no matter how you look at it. When we first read about missing people we usually automatically assume the most logical explanation was what happened. But what if we're wrong? We'll look at the vanishing of Claude and Sue Shelton. (The Shelton Disappearance) *** Unlike their Hollywood counterparts, the real-life Men in Black are mysterious figures who threaten people who have reported paranormal experiences. (The Intimidating and Terrifying Men in Black)ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Lead-In00:01:44.740 = Show Open00:04:31.537 = Intimidating and Terrifying Men In Black00:13:11.087 = Shelton Disappearance00:25:26.772 = Lake Michigan Paranormal Triangle00:42:51.645 = Tragic Death of Sylvia Plath00:51:48.043 = Voynich Manuscript00:58:43.489 = Meet The Hodag01:07:42.142 = Show OutroSOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…BOOK: “The Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers” by Gray Barker: https://amzn.to/3FMkmXZBOOK: “Flying Saucers And The Three Men” by Albert Bender: https://amzn.to/40IKixr“The Lake Michigan Paranornal Triangle” by Megan Summers for Graveyard Shift: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y2zb3xjd“The Tragic Death of Sylvia Plath” by Kaleena Fraga for All That's Interesting: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/5764u398“The Voynich Manuscript” by Shelly Barclay for Historic Mysteries: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8a92bu“Meet the Hodag” from The Ghost In My Machine: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8bv8ws (PHOTOS of the captured hodag: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8u5abz; statue in front of Chamber of Commerce:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8c3h38; statue at ice arena: https://explorerhinelander.com/Listings/rhinelander-ice-arena/)“The Shelton Disappearance” by Crystal Dawn for Lost N' Found Blogs: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckkskp7“The Intimidating and Terrifying Men in Black” by Austin Harvey for All That's Interesting:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3ccn32bj=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: November 07, 2023NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is NOT an AI voice.EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/TheyKnewTooMuch#MenInBlack #MIB #UFOSightings #UFO #HaroldDahl #MauryIslandIncident #AlbertBender #GrayBarker #TheyKnewTooMuch #UFOWitnesses #UFOConspiracy #GovernmentCoverUp #FlyingSaucers #AlienEncounters #UFOHistory #MenInBlackOrigins #RealMenInBlack #MIBSightings #UFOFolklore #MysteriousVisitors #Paranormal #UFOSilencing #ConspiracyTheories #Ufology #UFOCulture #MIBPhenomenon #TrueUFOStories #UnexplainedPhenomena #AlienConspiracy #GovernmentAgents #ParanormalHistory #AmericanFolklore #ModernMythology #UFOCoverUp #1947UFO #RoswellIncident #SpaceReview #UFOThreats #UFOIntimidation #BlackSuitVisitors #PugetSoundUFO #WashingtonStateUFO #UFODebris #ParanormalInvestigation #1950sUFO #UFOMystery #AlienMystery #UnexplainedMysteries #CarlJung #FredCrisman
Brocarde is the creator of an enchanting world where dark, haunting aesthetics meet passion-fuelled lyrics and design. Her latest single "Identity Theft" was produced by Chris Collier (Korn, Mick Mars). Brocarde is a dynamic storyteller who marries both music and fashion in an orchestral explosion, designed to make the ears and eyes bleed. A one-woman horror story, if centuries aligned, Brocarde could almost be the secret lovechild of Edgar Allan Poe and Sylvia Plath. In what could only be described as an effervescent melting pot, Brocarde's bubbling cauldron is peppered with hints of Little House on The Prairie, and seasoned with remnants of the Addams family values: she's an all-consuming artist who's not for the faint-hearted. Brocarde arrived on the music scene in 2019 presenting her debut single Last Supper. With its biblical relatability and an army of sinister pigs, the music video depicted a twisted fairy tale that whetted the appetite of her loyal supporters. She was hailed as "One to Watch" by Planet Rock Magazine, and secured airplay on Kerrang!, Planet Rock and BBC Introducing. www.Instagram.com/brocarde website www.Brocarde.com About Music Matters with Darrell Craig Harris The Music Matters Podcast is hosted by Darrell Craig Harris, a globally published music journalist, professional musician, and Getty Images photographer. Music Matters is now available on Spotify, iTunes, Podbean, and more. Each week, Darrell interviews renowned artists, musicians, music journalists, and insiders from the music industry. Visit us at: www.MusicMattersPodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/musicmattersdh For inquiries, contact: musicmatterspodcastshow@gmail.com Support our mission via PayPal: www.paypal.me/payDarrell