Best Moby Grape Podcasts (2025)

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THE PICKLE MAFIA (CHARLIE) 1:00:46

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43m ago1:00:46

1:00:46

picklemafia.com Instagram: @therealpicklemafia The Pickle Mafia is a dynamic trio from New York, garnering nationwide attention through their groundbreaking, unique brand of Arena Jazz Fusion. The visual appeal the band brings to audiences across the globe is an important element that adds to their musical artistry. This act has racked up 25,000+ v…

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MEKLIT - NEW ALBUM - A PIECE OF INFINITY 1:00:35

7h ago1:00:35

1:00:35

www.meklitmusic.com/ Meklit Hadero is an Ethiopian-American vocalist, songwriter, and composer, known for her electric stage presence, innovative sound and vibrant cultural strategy. Her newest record called “A Piece of Infinity” set to be released September 26, 2025 on Smithsonian Folkways. The lead single - Tizita featuring Brandee Younger - is o…

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Cosmo Topper (Morley Bartnoff) 59:16

2d ago59:16

59:16

https://cosmotopper.bandcamp.com/album/pure-fast-vibration Cosmo Topper (Morley Bartnoff) Has been a part of Wild Honey Orchestra and Foundation since 1993 , Bugs Tomorrow, Andy and The Rattlesnakes, Burning Sensations-whose song Belly of The Whale was a KROQ MTV staple The Summer of 1983-Stew and Heidi Rodewald,( Passing Strange), Ike Willis From …

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735 Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (with Mark Hussey) | My Last Book with Graham Watson 1:23:55

6d ago1:23:55

1:23:55

Jacke talks to author Mark Hussey (Mrs Dalloway: Biography of a Novel) about Virginia Woolf's beloved novel Mrs Dalloway, which turned 100 earlier this year. PLUS author Graham Watson (The Invention of Charlotte Bronte) stops by to discuss his choice for the last book he will ever read. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England (signup open thr…

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BILLY HAYNES 57:50

5d ago57:50

57:50

NEW ALBUM: Love Is The Cure Traveling the world as a bass player with the likes of Tina Turner and Lou Rawls can stimulate some pretty crazy road stories. Having your own society band in Los Angeles, spending a decade performing in the Middle East and Asia, and living and performing in Europe with various orchestras just adds to the swirl of emotio…

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734 The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (#16 GBOAT) | 1925 - A Literary Encyclopedia (with Tom Lutz) 56:09

10d ago56:09

56:09

Jacke talks to author Tom Lutz about 1925: A Literary Encyclopedia, which provides a fascinating window into a year when literature was arguably at its peak centrality. PLUS a look at J.R.R. Tolkien and his influential Lord of the Rings, #16 on the list of the Greatest Books of All Time. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England (signup open th…

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JESUS MIND GLAZE 1:00:16

8d ago1:00:16

1:00:16

Jesus Mind Glaze is the vision of singer/songwriter/producer Cameron Lowe. Psychedelic rock n roll with a tincture of gospel perfume, the songs are ecstatic expressions of childlike wonderment and self exploration, unavoidable loss and suffering, rediscovery of original spirit, and a new-found freedom. ⁠jesusmindglaze.com⁠ Instagram: @jesusmindglaz…

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THE MAJESTY OF ROCK (MARC SHEA - PRODUCER OF SPINAL TAP TRIBUTE ALBUM, BENEFIT FOR TEEN CANCER AMERICA) 59:56

12d ago59:56

59:56

THE MAJESTY OF ROCK – An All-Star Spinal Tap Tribute Album to Benefit Young People with Cancer is the project. It is a charitable project that combines music, legacy while supporting a deeply impactful cause, Teen Cancer America which is Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of legendary rock band The Who’s charity. The triple album, produced by Marc Sh…

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733 Haruki Murakami (with Mike Palindrome | To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (#17 GBOAT) | A Letter from Tehran 1:24:11

13d ago1:24:11

1:24:11

Haruki Murakami (b. 1949) is one of the rare writers who combines literary admiration with widespread appeal. Host Jacke Wilson is joined by lifelong Murakami fan Mike Palindrome to discuss what makes his novels so compelling, so mysterious, and so popular. Works discussed include The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore, and …

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732 The Bible (#18 GBOAT) | The Diaries of Samuel Pepys (with Kate Loveman) | Health Advice 1:13:35

17d ago1:13:35

1:13:35

Jacke starts the episode by looking at the different ways that ten writers have viewed the Bible, #18 on the list of the Greatest Books of All Time. Then he's joined by scholar Kate Loveman, one of the few people in the world who's been able to read the diaries of Samuel Pepys in the original shorthand, for a discussion of her book The Strange Hist…

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New York City Experimental Music 1980-1990 with Brooke Wentz, author of Transfigured New York 57:59

16d ago57:59

57:59

For the latest edition of Reading Is Funktamental, we speak with Brooke Wentz, author of Transfigured New York, a fantastic book of interviews with leading figures in the experimental music scene in NYC from 1980-1990 including composers like Arthur Russell, Glenn Branca, John Cage, La Monte Young and leading jazz musicians like John Zorn, Vernon R…

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731 The Brothers Karamazov Reclaimed (#19 Greatest Book of All Time) 1:21:06

20d ago1:21:06

1:21:06

Responding to a special request from a listener, Jacke discusses Fyodor Dostoevsky, his novel The Brothers Karamazov, and the search for meaning in a meaningless world. This episode was originally released as episode #250 on October 7, 2020. For reasons Jacke discusses, it has not been available for several years. One show note: at several points i…

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730 "To Autumn" by John Keats | The Invention of Charlotte Brontë (with Graham Watson) | My Last Book with Sara Charles 1:06:20

24d ago1:06:20

1:06:20

Jacke looks forward to a new season by exploring the language and imagery of John Keats's famous ode to autumn. Then he talks to Graham Watson about his new book The Invention of Charlotte Brontë: A New Life, which tells the story of how how Charlotte reinvented herself as an acclaimed author, a mysterious celebrity, and a passionate lover. PLUS Sa…

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CHRISTENA RICH (New Album 'Jimmy's' produced by Laurence Juber) 1:00:09

24d ago1:00:09

1:00:09

Christena Rich sets an atmosphere of sweet soul and uplifting music when she sings her renditions of Jimmy McHugh songs. She just released her debut album ‘Jimmy’s’, Produced by and featuring Paul McCartney and Wings guitarist and Grammy winner Laurence Juber. The album of McHugh songs, such as ‘I’m in the mood for love’, and On the Sunny Side of T…

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729 Milton the Revolutionary (with Orlando Reade) | My Last Book with Jodi Picoult | More Exciting News 1:07:45

27d ago1:07:45

1:07:45

Since the publication of John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost in 1667, readers and critics have noted the relationship between the poem and the author's political and personal struggles. What has been less prominent - at least until now - is how the poem came to haunt various political struggles over the next four centuries. In this episode, Jacke…

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728 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (#20 GBOAT) | Lorraine Hansberry - RECLAIMED 1:30:35

1M ago1:30:35

1:30:35

As part of the "25 for '25" series, Jacke starts the episode with a look at #20 on the list of Greatest Books of All Time, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Then he reclaims a previous episode devoted to Lorraine Hansberry, author of A Raisin in the Sun, a brilliant playwright who died at the tragically young age of 34. (The Hansbe…

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SPUTNIK THE BAND 59:41

1M ago59:41

59:41

Emerging from the vibrant New York City music scene, Sputnik The Band compellingly explores the American pop tradition. Fronted by the ethereal and dreamy voice of singer/songwriter Genie Morrow, and grounded by the versatile instrumental talents of Nigel Rawles and a rotating cast of New York’s best studio and live musicians, Sputnik The Band crea…

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727 Earthly Paradise in Old French Verse (with Jacob Abell) | My Last Book with Victorian Literature Expert Allen MacDuffie | A Dueling Neapolitan Passionate for Poetry 1:04:12

1M ago1:04:12

1:04:12

What happened to Eden? While today we might view the story of Adam and Eve as metaphorical, for many generations of Christians, the Earthly Paradise was a vibrant symbol at the heart of the cosmos. In this episode, Jacke talks to Jacob Abell about his book Spiritual and Material Boundaries in Old French Verse: Contemplating the Walls of the Earthly…

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726 England vs France - A Literary Battle Royale (with Mike Palindrome) - RECLAIMED 1:03:36

1M ago1:03:36

1:03:36

“Our dear enemies,” a French writer once called the English. Englishman John Cleese called the French “our natural enemies” and joked “if we have to fight anyone, I say let’s fight the French.” With the exception of some (very important) twentieth-century alliances, the French and the English have been at each others’ throats for a thousand years. …

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725 The Trial by Franz Kafka (#21 GBOAT) | Edith Wharton and Patrick O'Brian (with Olivia Wolfgang-Smith) | An Uplifting Story 1:18:40

2M ago1:18:40

1:18:40

Jacke starts the episode with an uplifting story, then submerges himself into chaos and absurdity for a look at The Trial by Franz Kafka, which lands at #21 on the list of Greatest Books of All Time. Then he welcomes novelist Olivia Wolfgang-Smith to the show for a discussion of her admiration for Edith Wharton, her passion for the works of Patrick…

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The Life & Music of The Band's Richard Manuel with Biographer Stephen T. Lewis 57:59

1M ago57:59

57:59

Guests: Steven Lewis, author of Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from the Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band Richard Manuel was a fearless original. Sweetly soulful as a vocalist and endearingly creative as a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, he was a vital part of some of rock ’n’ roll’s pivotal moments, including Bob Dylan’s controversial mov…

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724 The Stranger by Albert Camus (#22 Greatest Book of All Time) | Christopher Isherwood (with Jake Poller) | Postcard from a Listener in Yunnan 1:01:38

2M ago1:01:38

1:01:38

Put on your black turtleneck! Jacke starts the episode with a look at #22 on the list of The Greatest Books of All Time, The Stranger by Albert Camus. Then he talks to Jake Poller about British and American novelist and playwright Christopher Isherwood, whose Goodbye to Berlin was adapted into the stage musical and movie Cabaret. In discussing his …

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723 The Moral Rights of Authors (with Mira T Sundara Rajan) | My Last Book with Radha Vatsal 1:16:28

2M ago1:16:28

1:16:28

As technology advances, the ability of authors and artists to prevent their works from being pirated or misused has become urgent. In this episode, Jacke talks to copyright expert Mira T. Sundara Rajan (The Moral Rights of Authors and Artists: From the Birth of Copyright to the Age of Artificial Intelligence) about the history of copyright law, the…

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SAINT LUMINUS 1:02:52

2M ago1:02:52

1:02:52

The list of professional guitarists who had to completely relearn to play their instrument is a short one. Jazz guitarist Pat Martino and former Danzig guitarist John Christ comes to mind . You can add to that distinguished shortlist electro space-rock guitarist, Saint Luminus. As his earthling name, William Rustrum, the instrumental guitarist-comp…

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722 Kerouac's Road - A Conversation with Ebs Burnough, Director of a New Kerouac Documentary | My Last Book with Beat Generation Expert Steven Belletto 1:03:15

2M ago1:03:15

1:03:15

Since its publication in 1957, Jack Kerouac's iconic novel On the Road has inspired millions to head for the highways and live life to its fullest. In this episode, Jacke talks to filmmaker Ebs Burnough about his new documentary Kerouac's Road: The Beat of a Nation, which interweaves stories of modern-day travelers with those influenced by or conne…

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721 Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (The #23 Greatest Book of All Time) 1:28:14

2M ago1:28:14

1:28:14

Jacke continues his journey through the list of the 25 Greatest Books of All Time with a look at Flaubert's "perfect novel," Madame Bovary (1856-57). Telling the story of the bored wife of a provincial doctor who enters into a series of infidelities, Flaubert's debut caused an immediate sensation - and changed the way we've come to view both novels…

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720 The 25 Greatest Books of All Time - #24 "The Odyssey" by Homer | The Conclusion to F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" (with Mike Palindrome) 1:23:43

2M ago1:23:43

1:23:43

Jacke continues his analysis of "The 25 Greatest Books of All Time" by a special look at Homer's Odyssey. Then Mike Palindrome, the president of the Literature Supporters Club, joins Jacke for a discussion of the second half of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1922 story, "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," in which a young midwesterner travels to a secluded Mo…

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719 "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" by F Scott Fitzgerald (with Mike Palindrome) | 25 for 25 - #25 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 1:51:49

2M ago1:51:49

1:51:49

In June of 1922, the twenty-five-year-old wunderkind F. Scott Fitzgerald published "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," an incredible story of fabulously wealthy people living a secret life in remote Montana. Later that month, he began composing his most famous work, The Great Gatsby. In this episode, Jacke and Mike read and discuss this early Fitzger…

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Robbie Kaye, Emily Zuzik, Toni Land 59:57

2M ago59:57

59:57

Toni Land’s reputation as a prolific and stellar songwriter precedes her. She has earned publishing and production deals throughout her career. As a recipient of multiple awards including Best Songwriter by the International Acoustic Music Awards and the Portland Songwriter Association, Land is know for her comparisons to singer songwriters such as…

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718 Jim - The Life and Afterlives of Huckleberry Finn's Comrade (with Shelley Fisher Fishkin) | Mark Twain's Dreams 1:36:04

2M ago1:36:04

1:36:04

In this episode, Jacke talks to eminent Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin (Was Huck Black?: Mark Twain and African-American Voices) about her new book Jim: The Life and Afterlives of Huckleberry Finn's Comrade, which sheds new light on the origins and influence of Mark Twain's beloved yet polarizing figure. PLUS Jacke takes a look at the recent …

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717 Einstein and Kafka (with Ken Krimstein) | Dr Johnson Helps a Friend (and Changes the Course of Literary History) | My Last Book with Fernando Pessoa Expert Bartholomew Ryan 53:41

2M ago53:41

53:41

It's an action-packed day at the History of Literature! First, Jacke recounts the story of Dr. Johnson racing to the aid of his friend, the playwright Oliver Goldsmith, whose landlady was threatening him with debtor's prison. Naturally, the great critic and dictionary author Johnson found a very literary way to help. Then Jacke is joined by author …

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716 Icelandic Folk Legends (with Dagrun Osk Jonsdottir) | John le Carre at the Bodleian 58:28

3M ago58:28

58:28

Since the first permanent settlers landed there more than a thousand years ago, Iceland has been perhaps the most unique and enchanting place in all of Europe. How fitting, then, for its people to have developed unique, enchanting, and captivating stories involving hidden people, trolls, ghosts, sea monsters, and more. In this episode, Jacke talks …

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715 How Did George Eliot and the Victorians Respond to Climate Collapse? (with Nathan Hensley) | People at Museums Are Losing Their Brains! | My Last Book with Stephen Browning and Simon Thomas 1:09:12

3M ago1:09:12

1:09:12

What does it feel like to live helplessly in a world that is coming undone? If you're alive in 2025, you are probably very familiar with this feeling - and if you'd been alive in the age of Victorian literature, you might have felt that way too. In this episode, Jacke talks to author Nathan K. Hensley about his book Action without Hope: Victorian L…

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John McLaughlin & the Mahavishnu Orchestra with author Walter Kolosky 57:59

3M ago57:59

57:59

In this month's episode of Reading Is Funktamental, we speak with Walter Kolosky, author of the new book Mahavishnu Memories. Kolosky's latest is his third book, charting the career of the remarkable jazz fusion guitarist, John McLaughlin. This book chronicles all the live concerts of the original iteration of McLaughlin's mighty Mahavishnu Orchest…

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714 The Real Charles Dickens (with Stephen Browning and Simon Thomas) | Dickens and the Theatre 1:22:00

3M ago1:22:00

1:22:00

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) led one of the most colorful and interesting lives of any author. But while many of us are familiar with his unforgettable characters and fantastically successful novels, we often don't know the details of his difficult early life, his success as a reporter, his troubled marriage and suspected relationship with another w…

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713 The Odyssey (with Daniel Mendelsohn) | The History of Literature Podcast Tour! 1:31:43

3M ago1:31:43

1:31:43

Homer's Odyssey is one of the oldest surviving works of literature - and yet, somehow, it can also feel like one of the newest. The inventive narrative structure, complex hero, and surprisingly modern themes still feel fresh, thousands of years after the poem's genesis. In this episode, Jacke talks to author and translator Daniel Mendelsohn about h…

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712 Shakespeare's Greatest Love (with David Medina) | New Play About Shakespeare's Collaboration with Marlowe 56:46

3M ago56:46

56:46

He might be the greatest writer about love that the world has ever known. But as is so often the case with Shakespeare, the biographical record raises as many questions as it answers. How often did Shakespeare fall in love, and with whom, and what happened? Who was Shakespeare's greatest love? In this episode, Jacke talks to David Medina about his …

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711 How Does Literature Handle Atrocities? (with Bruce Robbins) | My Last Book with Hemingway Expert Alex Vernon | Who Will Come to Jacke and Emma's Party? 1:10:28

3M ago1:10:28

1:10:28

For millennia, literature has represented humanity at its finest. Over the same period of time, human beings have been committing the worst acts of mass violence imaginable. How have authors addressed these atrocities? Have they shown an ability to look at their own nation with the critical eyes of a stranger? And if so, have works of imagination p…

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JULIA LOGAN 58:38

3M ago58:38

58:38

julialogan.com The dreamy folk-pop of Julia Logan exudes a voice at once both comforting and piercing. Accompanied by observant lyrics, bronzed and mellow melodies excellently produced and co-written by Daniel Bengtson soar to hit home the deeper point in songs that honor and long for human connection and respect. It might be their quiet revolt aga…

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710 Weird and Wonderful Stories from Ancient Greece and Rome (with Paul Chrystal) | A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT | Two Listeners Follow Their Dream (And Create Something Amazing) 57:09

3M ago57:09

57:09

It's another action-packed episode! First, Jacke relays the story of a long-time listener who worked some mundane jobs before becoming an artistic bookmaker. Then Jacke talks to author Paul Chrystal about his work diving into lesser-known ancient texts for his book Miracula: Weird and Wonderful Stories of Ancient Greece and Rome. And in between, Ja…

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709 Black American Humor (with Damon Young) | The Greatest American Joke Ever Told? 1:28:52

3M ago1:28:52

1:28:52

DAMON YOUNG (⁠What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays⁠) is a Pittsburgh writer and humorist. In this episode, Jacke talks to Damon about his work editing and writing an introduction for That's How They Get You: An Unruly Anthology of Black American Humor, which emphasizes how and why Black American humor is uniquely transfixing.…

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708 Science Fact and Science Fiction (with Keith Cooper) | AI Discovers a Work of Ancient Philosophy and Dreams Up a Reading List 1:08:01

4M ago1:08:01

1:08:01

For decades, writers and filmmakers have imagined worlds where characters can do things like watch a double sunset (on Tatooine, of course), or stand among the sand dunes of Arrakis, or gaze at the gas-giant planet Polyphemus from the moon Pandora. But even as works like Star Wars, Dune, and Avatar have enticed us with their fictional renditions of…

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Yoko Ono - Her Life & Art with Biographer David Shiff 57:57

4M ago57:57

57:57

John Lennon once described Yoko Ono as the world’s most famous unknown artist. “Everybody knows her name, but no one knows what she does.” She has only been important to history insofar as she impacted Lennon. Throughout her life, Yoko has been a caricature, a curiosity, and, often, a villain—an inscrutable seductress, a manipulating con artist, an…

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707 Emile Zola (with Robert Lethbridge) | Graham Greene's Only Ghost Story | My Last Book with Irina Mashinski 57:42

4M ago57:42

57:42

For years, listeners have been requesting an episode devoted to the French novelist, journalist, playwright, and public intellectual Émile Zola (1840-1902). In this episode, Jacke talks to author Robert Lethbridge, whose new book Émile Zola: A Determined Life presents a comprehensive exploration of the life, work, and times of the celebrated French…

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706 Living with Jane Austen (with Janet Todd) | A Listener Changes His Life | Bored Parents 1:09:23

4M ago1:09:23

1:09:23

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that Jane Austen's novels make us wish she was our friend. She wouldn't be just any old friend: she'd be the sharpest and wisest, the one we turn to in a crisis, the one who understands our flaws and helps us see our blind spots. As we navigate the perils of love and life, she'd be the friend who gently point…

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705 Runaway Poets - How the Brownings Fell in Love (And Why It Matters) 59:34

4M ago59:34

59:34

Elizabeth Barrett (1806-1861) was one of the most prolific and accomplished poets of the Victorian age, an inspiration to Emily Dickinson, Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allan Poe, and countless others. And yet, her life was full of cloistered misery, as her father insisted that she should never marry. And then, the clouds lifted, and a letter arrived. It was …

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704 Butterflies Regained 1:23:31

4M ago1:23:31

1:23:31

Poetry, butterflies, and original music oh my! With some help from poets Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, William Wordsworth, and John Keats, along with original music by composer Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal, Jacke tackles the topic of butterflies. Yes, yes, we all know that butterflies are symbols of beauty and transformation - but can great poets get beyon…

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JESS BUSH 1:00:18

4M ago1:00:18

1:00:18

Born into a musical family, Jess Bush took her first piano lesson at the age of seven and was instantly hooked. Inspired by the musical open heart surgery of legends like Carole King, Stevie Nicks, and Brandi Carlile, her soulful vocals, raw, honest lyrics, and bluesy piano composition result in an unmistakably earnest Americana sound. In May of 20…

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703 D.H. Lawrence (with David Ellis) | My Last Book with Dorian Lynskey 1:06:35

4M ago1:06:35

1:06:35

D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) is one of the most famous novelists of his era - and one of the most difficult to pin down. Was he a tasteless, avant-garde pornographer? Or the greatest imaginative novelist of his generation (as E.M. Forster once said)? What should we know about his hard-luck childhood and turbulent adult life? In this episode, Jacke tal…

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FLAMY GRANT 1:07:46

4M ago1:07:46

1:07:46

Award-winning and Billboard-charting artist Flamy Grant is a shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen from Asheville, North Carolina. Her 2024 record CHURCH hit #8 on the iTunes Country charts and was named one of the Top Ten Best Queer Country Albums of 2024 by Rainbow Rodeo Magazine, while her 2022 debut record, Bible Belt Baby,…