Mavericks
Life stories and lessons of history’s most extraordinary misfits
Dismantling the Mother Shelf: Expanding Our Thinking About Women’s Stories of Parenthood
When it comes to the Mother Shelf, it’s tempting to shrug our collective shoulders and say, Well, that’s just how book marketing works. But the uncomfortable truth is that publishers,…
Frankenstein inspired by suicide of Mary Shelley’s half-sister, book reveals
The twin tragedies alter the understanding of the themes of Frankenstein. It is often read as a warning about the perils of science, but as the daughter of Wollstonecraft, England’s…
My Brilliant Frenemy
The contentious bond between Joan Didion and Eve Babitz
I Want You to Want Me
Charlotte Shane discusses desire, sex work, and writing
Episode 163: Ten Years After “Over the Garden Wall”
We're taking a cozy, autumnal trip back in time to "peak television," when animation was truly feral and we had shows like "Over the Garden Wall." We'll talk about this…
Bread (1918 film)
Only an excerpt, but so powerful! The rest remains lost... Imdb synopsis: A naïve country girl ventures to New York to become a star, but faces poverty and disillusionment when…
George Orwell’s forgotten wife
George Orwell – the author of classics like 1984 – is a household name. But have you heard of his first wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy, who convinced her husband to write…
our opinions are correct Podcast Episode 132: A Sense of Place with Jessica Johns
Sometimes, a story is set in a place that isn’t just a location. It’s a character. How do places come alive?
SHELF LIFE—Tastes Like War with Grace M. Cho – Virginia Festival of the Book
Grace M. Cho discusses her latest book, Tastes Like War, which was a nonfiction finalist for the 2021 National Book Award. Part memoir, part sociological investigation, Tastes Like War offers…