Best Litquake Podcasts (2025)

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'Noises Off' play // Litquake event 'Generation Women: Secrets and Lies' // 'Wrestling the Angel' documentary // Sights + Sounds After Dark event 'Creepy Tales' 52:00

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26d ago52:00

52:00

On today's show a British slapstick comedy that makes you laugh and think about the chaos of life. Then, secrets and lies in literature by women and non-binary writers. Also, a Berkeley artist reflects on her art and life lessons she learned from having cancer. We close with details about our pre-Halloween storytelling event "Creepy Tales."…

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Sights + Sounds Picks: Joshuah Ciafardone and Olivia Day 6:00

15h ago6:00

6:00

On this week's episode of "Sights + Sounds Picks," pole dancers Joshuah Ciafardone and Olivia Day give their arts and culture suggestions happening in the Bay Area.By Jeneé Darden, Porfirio Rangel

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'Sally & Tom' play // Roger Thomas of vocal group Naturally 7 // 'Big Bryce Son' documentary 51:36

1h ago51:36

51:36

On today's show a play that's about a play, about former Pres. Thomas Jefferson and his enslaved mistress Sally Hemmings. Then, the amazing singing group Naturally 7 is coming to Oakland. And, a hip-hop artist from Oakland reflects on fatherhood in a new documentary.By Jeneé Darden

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Sights + Sounds Picks: Caro De Robertis 6:00

8h ago6:00

6:00

On this week's episode of "Sights + Sounds Picks," author Caro De Robertis gives their arts and culture suggestions happening in the Bay Area.

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Cirque du Soleil's 'ECHO' // 'Strut: A Queer Pole Cabaret' // 'Making History Fun Again' speaker series 51:47

12d ago51:47

51:47

On today's show host Jeneé Darden speaks with an acrobat and juggler from Cirque du Soleil. Then, a queer pole and cabaret show takes to the the stage one last time at the gay nighclub Oasis. And, historians and travel writers are sharing some fun San Francisco history.By Jeneé Darden

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Sights + Sounds Picks: Joe Ayers 6:00

13d ago6:00

6:00

On this week's episode of "Sights + Sounds Picks," actor Joe Ayers gives his arts and culture suggestions happening in the Bay Area.By Jeneé Darden, Porfirio Rangel

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'Fairyland' film // 'The Art of Manga' exhibit 51:45

13d ago51:45

51:45

On today's show we talk with the director behind the film adaptation of the memoir "Fairyland." Then, a huge exhibit has manga fans flocking to the de Young Museum in San Francisco.By Jeneé Darden

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Sights + Sounds Picks: Creepy Tales 6:00

14d ago6:00

6:00

On this week's episode of "Sights + Sounds Picks," host Jeneé Darden and producer Porfirio Rangel talk about their horror event "Creepy Tales."By Jeneé Darden, Porfirio Rangel

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Sights + Sounds Picks: Kristin Tièche 6:00

29d ago6:00

6:00

On this week's episode of "Sights + Sounds Picks," filmmaker Kristin Tièche gives her arts and culture suggestions happening in the Bay Area.By Porfirio Rangel, Jeneé Darden

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'Kim's Convenience' play // Children's book 'Story Power!' // 'So Many Stars' // Sights + Sounds After Dark event 'Creepy Tales' 51:19

1M ago51:19

51:19

On today's show, actress Kelly J. Seo from the hit play "Kim's Convenience." Then, a children's book that encourages kids to write stories. Later, a book of oral history of trans and gender-nonconforming elders of color. And, our upcoming, pre-Halloween creepy, storytelling eventBy Jeneé Darden

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Sights + Sounds Picks: August Lee Stevens 6:00

30d ago6:00

6:00

On this week's episode of "Sights + Sounds Picks," singer August Lee Stevens gives her arts and culture suggestions happening in the Bay Area.By Jeneé Darden, Porfirio Rangel

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Actor Ben Hirschhorn finds balance of humor and struggle in 'The Reservoir' 14:40

29d ago14:40

14:40

On today's episode a play about a young man battling alcoholism while his grandmother struggles with Alzheimer's.By Jeneé Darden

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Sights + Sounds Picks: Donato Cabrera 6:00

1M ago6:00

6:00

On this week's episode of "Sights + Sounds Picks," music conductor Donato Cabrera gives his arts and culture suggestions happening in the Bay Area.By Jeneé Darden, Porfirio Rangel

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'Finding Lucinda' documentary // 'Down on the Corner' public art project // 'Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink' documentary 51:59

2M ago51:59

51:59

On today’s show, a documentary about a musician who looks to Lucinda Williams for inspiration. Then, a singer honors the historical Compton's Cafeteria riots in the Tenderloin. Also, a documentary about hedge funds destroying local newspapers, and how journalists are fighting back. We close the show with a salute to trailblazing journalist Belva Da…

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Sights + Sounds Picks: B. DeVeaux 6:00

2M ago6:00

6:00

On this week's episode of "Sights + Sounds Picks," Oakland singer and songwriter B. DeVeaux gives their arts and culture suggestions happening in the Bay Area.By Jeneé Darden, Porfirio Rangel

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'A Taste of Ireland' // California Symphony's 2025/26 season // David Archuleta's EP 'Earthly Delights' 51:12

2M ago51:12

51:12

On today's show a dancer and fiddle player from the show "A Taste of Ireland." Then, the conductor of the California Symphony talks about their new season. Finally, we revisit an interview with singer/songwriter David Archuleta.By Jeneé Darden

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Sights + Sounds Picks: Ashley Nelson Levy and Adam Levy 6:00

2M ago6:00

6:00

On this week's episode of "Sights + Sounds Picks," Transit Books founders Ashely Nelson Levy and Adam Levy give their arts and culture suggestions happening in the Bay Area.By Jeneé Darden, Porfirio Rangel

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Comedian Sandra Bernhard talks life, the late Paul Mooney and her live show at Stanford 'Shapes and Forms' // Oakland filmmaker Anthony Lucero on his new film 'Paper Bag Plan' 52:19

2M ago52:19

52:19

On today's show, comedian Sandra Bernhard talks about her career, life and her upcoming show at Stanford University. Then, a touching movie about a father fighting a terminal illness while trying to care for his disabled son.By Jeneé Darden

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Taylor Smalls paints for the Golden State Valkyries // Transit Books' 10th anniversary // Mary Catherine Starr's graphic novel memoir 'Mama Needs a Minute!' 1:00:59

2M ago1:00:59

1:00:59

On today's show we visit the studio of an artist who paints with knives and she's creating pieces for the Valkyries. Then, a publisher celebrating 10 years of translating books by authors overseas, and a woman who expresses her experience as a mom by drawing comics.By Jeneé Darden

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Porchlight Storytelling: Touched by an Angel (episode #156) 50:10

3M ago50:10

50:10

The Bay Area's long-running Porchlight storytelling series returned to Litquake once again for this special edition, featuring tales on the theme of Touched by an Angel: Stories of Mentors, Teachers, Guardians, and Influencers. Featuring off the cuff stories by Litquake co-founder Jack Boulware and memoirists Nico Lang, Adam Nimoy, Eugene Rodriguez…

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Generation Women: Plot Twists (episode #155) 39:20

3M ago39:20

39:20

Generation Women returns to Litquake with a powerful night of live, multigenerational storytelling. Founded by author Georgia Clark in 2017, this series amplifies underheard voices and fosters intergenerational connection. In this special festival edition, one woman or non-binary storyteller from each decade—20s through 70s+—shares an original, tru…

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Modern Magic with Michelle Tea (episode #154) 34:05

4M ago34:05

34:05

Recorded at The Lost Church during Litquake 2024, this magical evening features DIY witch and literary icon Michelle Tea in conversation with The Witching Year author Diana Helmuth, guided by writer and artist MK Chavez—plus a special onstage gathering in the second half. Interested in learning more about Litquake? Visit us at www.litquake.org Conn…

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How to Get Free Healing with Morgan Parker, Sam Sax, and Carvell Wallace (episode #153) 1:09:48

4M ago1:09:48

1:09:48

Three acclaimed writers—Morgan Parker, Carvell Wallace, and sam sax—offer bold, deeply personal takes on healing in a world that resists it. From mental health and identity to queerness and survival, their recent works reimagine what self-love can look like today. Interested in learning more about Litquake? Visit us at www.litquake.org Connect with…

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Atlas Obscura's Wild Life: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Living Wonders (episode #152) 1:09:16

4M ago1:09:16

1:09:16

Recorded live at Litquake Festival 2024, this episode celebrates Wild Life, the latest from the minds behind Atlas Obscura. Editor Cara Giaimo, journalist Marissa Ortega-Welch, and Oakland Zoo's Amy Gotliffe share stories of Earth's most awe-inspiring creatures—and why they matter. Interested in learning more about Litquake? Visit us at www.litquak…

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Mayor of the Tenderloin: Del Seymour's Journey from Living on the Streets to Fighting Homelessness in San Francisco (Episode #151) 1:05:06

4M ago1:05:06

1:05:06

Recorded during Litquake Festival 2024, journalist Alison Owings and Del Seymour—founder of Code Tenderloin and former unhoused advocate—share a powerful conversation about recovery, resilience, and community transformation. Featuring a special performance by Skywatchers! Interested in learning more about Litquake? Visit us at www.litquake.org Conn…

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Paola Ramos on her book Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right (Episode #150) 1:10:12

5M ago1:10:12

1:10:12

On the eve of the 2024 presidential election, journalist Paola Ramos joined us to discuss her urgent new book, Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right. In conversation with KALW's Angie Coiro, Ramos explores the complex forces—identity, race, disillusionment, and political trauma—driving a growing number of Latino voters toward conservative can…

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How They Did It: Biographical Fiction: Episode #147 1:22:13

12M ago1:22:13

1:22:13

In the third of our "How They Did It" series from summer of 2024, we heard from four talented novelists who have blended fact with their fiction, with dazzling results. Novelist Jasmin Darznik moderated a wide-ranging conversation with novelists Karen Joy Fowler, Dawn Tripp, and Gail Tsukiyama. We gathered once again at the Page Street Co-Working s…

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Porchlight Storytelling 2023: Tricks Up My Sleeve: Lit Cast Episode #146 1:37:31

1y ago1:37:31

1:37:31

Another from the archives! A staple of Litquake for nearly two decades, the Bay Area's long-running Porchlight storytelling series returned once again to Litquake Festival 2023 for this special edition, featuring tales on the theme of Tricks Up My Sleeve: Invisible Magic. With authors Derrick Brown, Dorothy Lazard, Dominic Lim, Ahmed Naji, and Dan …

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Grace Notes 2021: Lit Cast Episode: #145 1:21:39

1y ago1:21:39

1:21:39

Litquake Festival 2021 saw us return to San Francisco's gothic and gorgeous Grace Cathedral for the first time post-COVID. This event, which has now been going for almost 10 years is always a special evening. In 2021, Grace Notes featured Sandra Lim, Forrest Gander, Miguel Murphy, and Derrick Austin with Danusha Lameris' poems read by TS Leonard as…

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RO Kwon's Exhibit Book Launch: Lit Cast episode: #144 1:03:31

1y ago1:03:31

1:03:31

Together with Green Apple Books, we copresented the launch party celebrating R.O. Kwon's highly-anticipated second novel, EXHIBIT, the exhilarating, blazing-hot story of a woman caught between her desires and her life. On this night in May at San Francisco's historic Verdi Club, Kwon was in conversation with friend and fellow author Ingrid Rojas Co…

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How They Did It: High-Stakes Memoir: Litcast Episode #143 1:13:44

1+ y ago1:13:44

1:13:44

Writing anything for public consumption is an act of bravery, but writing memoir and autobiography requires next-level courage. How can you share a true story that demands to be told—even if it might harm relationships, revisit trauma, unearth secrets—and portray your own life honestly and vulnerably, without the benefit of an Instagram filter? In …

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An Evening with the Institute of American Indians Arts: Litcast Episode #142 53:21

1+ y ago53:21

53:21

In early April, we celebrated IAIA with a reading from students, alumni, and faculty at Green Apple Books on the Park. You're gonna hear from Tracey Abeyta, a current Institute student pursuing a MFA in Fiction; alumna Jennifer Elise Foerster; recent IAIA graduate, Ibe Liebenberg; and Deborah Jackson Taffa, the director of the MFA Creative Writing …

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Rambling Reckless Hobo: A Woody Guthrie Tribute: Litcast Episode 141 1:39:33

1+ y ago1:39:33

1:39:33

We're going way back to Litquake Festival 2012. It was a Sunday evening early in the festival at Z Space, the same Sunday that Hardly Strictly Bluegrass wrapped. That night, Hardly Strictly lent us some special guests with My Morning Jacket's Jim James enjoying from the stands. On stage to celebrate Woody Guthrie's 100th birthday, we had Jay Farrar…

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How They Did It: Publishing After 40: Lit Cast Episode 140 1:12:54

1+ y ago1:12:54

1:12:54

Sure, you might not have made the cut for "5 Under 35," but that certainly doesn't mean you need to give up on your dreams of writing and publishing a book! In the first installment of our ongoing "How They Did It" series, Litquake and LitCamp have brought together six authors who found their way to publishing success after the age of 40. Recorded …

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Straight, No Chaser: Writers at the Bar: Lit Cast Live Episode 139 1:28:16

3+ y ago1:28:16

1:28:16

Famed bohemian saloon Vesuvio Café welcomes Litquake for an edgy and hilarious North Beach reading celebrating 2020 authors (who didn't get to have any damn fun). Featuring Vanessa Hua, A.H. Kim, Roberto Lovato, Caitlin Myer, and Maggie Tokuda-Hall. Hosted by Alia Volz. A rare opportunity to glimpse authors performing new work in their natural habi…

1
Word Jazz: Lit Cast Live Episode 138 1:52:37

4y ago1:52:37

1:52:37

Sponsored by Yerba Buena Community Benefit District Co-presented by Healdsburg Jazz Festival and Poets & Writers In the great tradition of San Francisco jazz and spoken-word basement readings first forged by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Kenneth Rexroth, and Bob Kaufman, Litquake is proud to bring back this festival favorite, showcasing world-class poets …

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Raceless: Georgina Lawton in conversation with Jess Cole: Lit Cast Live Episode 137 1:01:48

4+ y ago1:01:48

1:01:48

Co-presented with MOAD. From The Guardian's Georgina Lawton, a moving examination of how racial identity is constructed—through the author's own journey grappling with secrets and stereotypes, having been raised by white parents with no explanation as to why she looked black. Raised in sleepy English suburbia, Georgina Lawton was no stranger to hom…

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Funeral Diva: Pamela Sneed with Tommy Pico: Lit Cast Live Episode 136 1:06:37

4+ y ago1:06:37

1:06:37

This event is now available to watch on our YouTube page, along with the rest of our 2020 festival programming. Co-presented by City Lights Booksellers & Publishers "This notable achievement...is a harrowing account of how Sneed transforms violence and pain into an artist's life." —Claudia Rankine, author of Citizen: A Lyric In this collection of p…

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Good Things in Small Packages: Lit Cast Live Episode 135 1:18:06

4+ y ago1:18:06

1:18:06

Co-presented by The Ruby and Left Margin Lit The best short stories evoke a whole world in a small space. But how do they get written? Join Litquake as we hear five writers (and readers) of short stories discuss their different approaches to writing the form. They'll discuss their own methods, philosophies, and techniques behind telling stories wit…

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Hurricane Season: Fernanda Melchor with Yuri Herrera: Lit Cast Live Episode 134 1:02:00

5y ago1:02:00

1:02:00

This event is now available to watch on our YouTube page, along with the rest of our 2020 festival programming. "Melchor's English-language debut is a furious vortex of voices that swirl around a murder in a provincial Mexican town. Forceful, frenzied, violent, and uncompromising, Melchor's depiction of a town ogling its own destruction is a powder…

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Foglifter Journal Volume 5 Issue 2 Launch: Lit Cast Live Episode 133 58:46

5y ago58:46

58:46

As part of Litquake Festival 2020 we will be launching our latest issue with readings from: Ching-In Chen Piper J. Daniels Chekwube Danladi Cyrée Jarelle Johnson J.S. Kuiken t. tran le Wryly T. McCutchen heidi andrea restrepo rhodes Zak Salih Mimi Tempestt Join Foglifter is as we celebrate powerful, intersectional writing that queers our perspectiv…

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Every Day We Get More Illegal: Juan Felipe Herrera with Jericho Brown: Lit Cast Live Episode 132 1:00:23

5y ago1:00:23

1:00:23

This event is now available to watch on our YouTube page, alongside the rest of our 2020 festival programming. Co-presented by City Lights Booksellers & Publishers "From Basho to Mandela, Every Day We Get More Illegal takes us on an international tour for a lesson in the history of resistance...In ways subtle and sometimes proudly loud, this book m…

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An Evening with The Rumpus: Lit Cast Live Episode 131 34:44

5y ago34:44

34:44

The Rumpus proudly presents our San Francisco Lit Crawl 2020 event, An Evening with The Rumpus! With readings from Tongo Eisen-Martin, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, and Monica Sok, and featuring comedy by Nato Green! Hosted by Christine Hyung-Oak Lee.

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The Other America: Finding Common Ground: Lit Cast Live Episode 130 1:00:03

5y ago1:00:03

1:00:03

"This is an unflinching book that illustrates the central, confounding American paradox—in a country that purports to root for the underdog, too often we exalt the rich and we punish the poor. With thorough reporting and extraordinary compassion, Kristof and WuDunn tell the stories of those who fall behind in the world's wealthiest country, and fin…

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Freemans Best New Writings on Love: Lit Cast Live Episode 129 1:29:06

5y ago1:29:06

1:29:06

Litquake and City Lights present John Freeman with Robin Coste Lewis, Tommy Orange, and Matt Summell. John Freeman celebrates the latest installment of the journal that is called "a powerful force in the literary world" (Los Angeles Times.) Freeman's turns to one of the greatest elevating forces of life: love. FREEMAN'S: Best New Writings on LOVE e…

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A Family Divided: Lit Cast Live Episode 128 59:03

5y ago59:03

59:03

Millions of families are separated today, by circumstances of the current pandemic, by draconian immigration policies, and by war. Family separation has long been used as an intentional political tool to pressure, frighten, and terrorize. Through the lens of fiction, we can understand the impact of such wounds, and strengthen our shared belief in f…

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Alexandra Petri and Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why: Lit Cast Live Episode 127 1:08:18

5y ago1:08:18

1:08:18

"One of the difficulties of being alive today, is that everything is absurd but fewer and fewer things are funny." In her new essay collection Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why, acclaimed Washington Post satirist Alexandra Petri offers perfectly logical, reassuring reasons for everything that has happened in recent American politics that will in no …

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Afrofuturism — Risen From a Poet's Sun: Lit Cast Live Episode 126 1:21:43

5+ y ago1:21:43

1:21:43

Afrofuturism: Risen From a Poet's Sun explores the intersection of technology, science, and the arts, as well as culture, of the African Diaspora. Featuring Bay Area poets James Cagney, Tongo-Eisen Martin, Thea Matthews, and Tureeda Mikell.

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You, Me, and Everyone In Quarantine: Lit Cast Live Episode 125 1:34:14

5+ y ago1:34:14

1:34:14

Cutting-edge poetry and visuals from both coasts, on the theme of "You, Me, and Everyone In Quarantine." From the depths of their shelter-in-place, these writers will perform their literary hearts out for you! With SevanKele Boult, Wo Chan, Katie Fricas, Irene McCalphin aka Magnoliah Black, and Preeti Vangani. Curated and hosted by Baruch Porras-He…

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Literary Page Turners: Lit Cast Live Episode 124 1:14:40

5+ y ago1:14:40

1:14:40

Page turners are usually associated with genre or popular fiction rather than literary fiction. In this discussion, Melanie Abrams, Laura Mazer, and Kate Milliken will talk about what readers, agents, and editors are looking for when it comes to plot. Our guest authors speak about marketability, but also how to write a beautifully crafted narrative…