Plain Reading

Plain Reading is a conversation about books, reading, words, and the ideas and enthusiasms they inspire. We love talking to writers and readers of all sorts, and post a new episode every other week.

A Visit to the Bookstore: Annie Clymer 10/08/2025

Mystery Prevails: Lara Levitan 09/17/2025

In Search of Another Greece: JC Boyle 09/03/2025

Finding the Mean: Tim Mather 08/20/2025

Exploration and Rediscovery: Caroline Turner 08/06/2025

Nature and the Strange: Matt Stansberry 07/23/2025

Some of Them Wrote It Down: George Schmidt 07/09/2025

Stories Wherever You Find Them: Vahid Friedrich 06/18/2025

Language and Attention: Donato Loia 06/04/2025

Life-Changing Books: Wendy Hustwit 05/21/2025

Publishing and Craft: Deborah Shapiro 05/07/2025

Beckett, Biography, and Absorbing Books: Liam Heneghan 04/23/2025

Reading What You Love, Loving What You Do: Tim Hodges 02/05/2025

The Call of the Poem: Niloofar Ghaemi 01/22/2025

Sound and Sense: Lewis Freedman 01/08/2025

Innocence and Mercenary Reading: Jacqueline Hidalgo 12/25/2024

Cold Reads and Graphic Novels: Louise Tripp 12/11/2024

Thinking in Stories: Muna Mitchell 11/27/2024

Folklore, Fantasy, and the Power of Language: Kenzie Grubitz Simpson 11/13/2024

Folklore, Fantasy, and the Power of Language: Kenzie Grubitz Simpson We’re talking today to linguist and grant writer Kenzie Grubitz Simpson about folklore, the power of embodiment and language—and even the weather! Intro and outro music: "" courtesy Music_Unlimited on Pixabay. Episode artwork: Virginia Frances Sterret (cropped). Public domain image courtesy . Want to learn more about the books—and shows!—we talked about on this episode? Check out the list below. You can also find us on , , and —and show your support at ! David Abram Daniel Allison Daniel Allison J. L. Austin Raymond Chandler Susanna Clarke John Crowley John Crowley John Crowley Joan Didion "" Merlin Donald Aris Fioretos, ed. Allen Grossman Werner Herzog Samuel Johnson/ James Boswell George Lakoff / Mark Johnson Urusla K. Le Guin "" Urusla K. Le Guin Urusla K. Le Guin Urusla K. Le Guin Urusla K. Le Guin Urusla K. Le Guin Urusla K. Le Guin Doris Lessing John Sayles Viktor Shklovsky Denis Villeneuve Frances A. Yates /episode/index/show/69a4bd38-498c-491b-9254-764c601f4ad6/id/33862642

Writing into Uncertainty: Rachel Mennies 10/30/2024

Writing into Uncertainty: Rachel Mennies We’re talking in this episode to poet and editor , who tells us about writing into and through uncertainty, what keeps us writing, and what it’s like to be part of a journal’s editorial staff. Intro and outro music: "" courtesy Music_Unlimited on Pixabay. Episode artwork: Filipp Malyavin, A Secret (cropped). Public domain image courtesy . Want to learn more about the books—and shows!—we talked about on this episode? Check out the list below. You can also find us on , , and —and show your support at ! Ruth Awad / Rachel Mennies Lucy Brock-Broido Roberto Calasso Arkadii Dragomoshchenko Peter Hammond Homer Homer Lewis Hyde Stephen King Mario Levrero David Lynch J. D. McClatchy, ed. Rachel Mennies "" Rachel Mennies Madeline Miller Madeline Miller Christopher Nolan Alice Oswald Jean-Paul Sartre Elaine Scarry Chris Van Dusen /episode/index/show/69a4bd38-498c-491b-9254-764c601f4ad6/id/33618557

Autobiography and the Shape of the Self: Zach Simpson 10/16/2024

Autobiography and the Shape of the Self: Zach Simpson Hiker, podcaster, and professor of philosophy and religious studies tells us about autobiography, the way we’re shaped by reading, and the skilled misdirections of detective fiction. Intro and outro music: "" courtesy Music_Unlimited on Pixabay. Episode artwork: Saint Augustine by Philippe de Champaigne (cropped). Public domain image courtesy Los Angeles County Museum of Art and . Want to learn more about the books—and shows!—we talked about on this episode? Check out the list below. You can also find us on , , and —and show your support at ! Al-Ghazali Dante Alighieri Augustine of Hippo Bill Bryson Roberto Calasso Italo Calvino Lee Child Michael Connelly Michael Connelly Alasdair Gray Frederic Gros Barbara Guest Rob Harvilla Aldous Huxley Samuel Johnson / James Boswell John Kaag John Locke Martin Luther Robert Macfarlane Metallica "" Georg Misch Thomas More Friedrich Nietzsche Eric Ellis Overmeyer Rick Riordan Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau Saturday Night Live "" William Shakespeare William Shakespeare Zachary Simpson Ibn Tufayl Hayy ibn Yaqzan Mark Twain /episode/index/show/69a4bd38-498c-491b-9254-764c601f4ad6/id/33432912

Art, Community, and Reasons for Writing: Nick Rossi 10/02/2024

Intertextuality and Telling Time: J. R. Hustwit 09/18/2024

Intertextuality and Telling Time: J. R. Hustwit Join in on our conversation wtih religion and philosophy professor —on sci-fi and wiki writing projects, horology, portals, and tons more. Intro and outro music: "" courtesy Music_Unlimited on Pixabay Episode artwork: "Coming thru the portal" (cropped). image courtesy and . Want to learn more about the books, films, and movies we talked about on this episode? Check out the list below. You can also find us on , , and —and show your support at ! Gotham Chapra Mark Z. Danielewski Kirby Dick / Amy Ziering Kofman Joseph Fink/ Jeffrey Cranor Michael Gondry/ Charlie Kaufman Brandon R. Grafius Alasdair Gray Dave Hickey H. P. Lovecraft "" Geoff Manaugh Cormac McCarthy Metallica "" Paul North Meredith Ann Pierce Poison "" QNTM Paul Ricoeur Paul Ricoeur Kim Stanley Robinson Kevin Smith Kevin Smith Kevin Smith The Music Swap "" Keenen Ivory Wayans Ben Woodard /episode/index/show/69a4bd38-498c-491b-9254-764c601f4ad6/id/32937512

Adventures in History, Adventures in the Library: Ollie Shane 09/04/2024

Adventures in History, Adventures in the Library: Ollie Shane Our wide-ranging conversation with poet and library fan covers European history, contemporary poetry, Somerset Maugham, and more! Intro and outro music: "" courtesy Music_Unlimited on Pixabay. Episode artwork: Student at the Library of the London School of Economics and Political Science, 1981 (cropped). Image with no known copyright restrictions courtesy . Want to learn more about the books—and movies!—we talked about on this episode? Check out the list below. You can also find us on , , and —and show your support at ! Theodor Adorno et al. Richard Aldrich Joseph Barbera & William Hanna Antony Beevor Walter Benjamin "" Bertolt Brecht Bertolt Brecht Richard Burton "" CAConrad Oscar Chan (Christine Weston Chandler) Len Deighton Jacques Derrida Philip K. Dick Caroline Elkins Caroline Elkins Tan Twan Eng Bob Fosse Veit Harlan Stefano Harney & Fred Moten Selina Hastings Fritz Hippler Martin Jay François Jullien Philip Kerr Philip Kerr Chris Kraus Chris Kraus Erik Larson Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller Janna Levin Gabriel García Márquez Airea D. Matthews W. Somerset Maugham W. Somerset Maugham Ted Morgan Russell Nieli Luis Puenzo Assotto Saint Diane Seuss Diane Seuss Diane Seuss William Shakespeare Ollie Shane Ollie Shane Danez Smith Frank Spotnitz (creator) (series) Torquato Tasso Morten Tyldum Michael Verhoeven Wolfram von Eschenbach Michael Warner Bill Watterson Ludwig Wittgenstein /episode/index/show/69a4bd38-498c-491b-9254-764c601f4ad6/id/32459877

Poetry and Problematic Literature: Carrie Olivia Adams 08/21/2024

Music and Words: Kalindi Bellach and Kay White 08/07/2024

Music and Words: Kalindi Bellach and Kay White Our first episode of season 2 features violist Kalindi Bellach and alto Kay White, who let us in on perfectionism in performance, writing and reading about music, and the for-fun books that everyone needs. Intro and outro music: "" courtesy Music_Unlimited on Pixabay Episode artwork: Photo Collage: Musician Playing Triangle, photo collage by Juan Pedro Chabalgoity (MET, 2017.68.15), cropped. image courtesy . Want to learn more about the books—and music!—we talked about on this episode? Check out the list below. You can also find us on , , and —and show your support at ! David Abram Woody Allen American Museum of Natural History Matthew Aucoin "" Johann Sebastian Bach Muriel Barbery Steven Beller Brené Brown Judith Butler, Zeynep Gambetti, and Leticia Sabsay Camille T. Dungy Epictetus George Frideric Handel Paul Kingsnorth Paul Kingsnorth Paul Kingsnorth Anne McCaffrey Sarah J. Maas Olivier Messiaen David Mitchell Haruki Murakami The Onion "" Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Meredith Ann Pierce Richard Powers Richard Powers Richard Powers Richard Powers Richard Powers Marcel Proust Emily Raboteau “” Vikram Seth Samantha Shannon Gertrude Stein Donna Tartt Donna Tartt Donna Tartt Hanya Yanagihara Rebecca Yarros /episode/index/show/69a4bd38-498c-491b-9254-764c601f4ad6/id/32311332

Epic, Personas, and Writing Across Disciplines: L. S. McKee 05/01/2024

Epic, Personas, and Writing Across Disciplines: L. S. McKee Poet and educator L. S. McKee tells us about poetry and personas, the joys of secret venues, writing across science and art curricula, and even relics. Intro and outro music: "" courtesy Music_Unlimited on Pixabay. Episode artwork: Joan Crawford holding mask of herself (cropped). Photoplay, 1932. Public domain image courtesy . Want to learn more about the books—and music!—we talked about on this episode? Check out the list below. You can also find us on , , and —and show your support at ! Elizabeth Arnold Anne Carson Rachel Carson Paul Celan Julio Cortázar Julio Cortázar Julio Cortázar Frédéric Gros Luke Harding Hugh Haughton, ed. Zbigniew Herbert Homer Homer Hope Jahren Hope Jahren Brad J. Kallenberg Benjamín Labatut Doris Lessing Primo Levi Primo Levi Janna Levin Christopher Logue Georg Lukács L. S. McKee L. S. McKee Haruki Murakami Maggie Nelson George Oppen Jonathan Sumption Greta Thunberg Isabel Zapata /episode/index/show/69a4bd38-498c-491b-9254-764c601f4ad6/id/30956253

Music, Time, and Committed Communities: Dirk von der Horst 04/17/2024

Music, Time, and Committed Communities: Dirk von der Horst Join us as we talk to professor of musicology and religion about time, religion, activism, and more. Intro and outro music: "" courtesy Music_Unlimited on Pixabay Episode artwork: Aaron Willard, Banjo Clock MET (cropped). Public domain-dedicated image courtesy . Want to learn more about the books—and shows!—we talked about on this episode? Check out the list below. You can also find us on , , and —and show your support at ! Arne Arnbom (dir.) Naim Stifan Ateek Karl-Birger Blomdahl Adam Conover Jacques Ellul David Graeber/David Wengrow Ernst-August Gutt Conner Habib Wolfgang Hilbig Ayana Elizabeth Johnson/Katharine K. Wilkinson, eds. Pella Kagerman/Hugo Lilja Adam Kotsko Adam Kotsko Robert Jay Lifton Harry Martinson Adam McKay, dir. Marcel Ophuls Marianna Ritchey Herman J. and Rosemary Radford Ruether Edward Said Elisabeth Schüssler-Fiorenza Greta Thunberg Greta Thunberg Dirk von der Horst Dirk von der Horst Dirk von der Horst Dirk von der Horst, et al, ed. Amy Webb Anonymous /episode/index/show/69a4bd38-498c-491b-9254-764c601f4ad6/id/30155973

Poetry, Imagination, Transcendence: Lisa Dordal 04/03/2024

Poetry, Imagination, Transcendence: Lisa Dordal Poet and teacher joins us to talk about memory, the imagination, clearing up misconceptions about poetry, and so much more! Intro and outro music: "" courtesy Music_Unlimited on Pixabay Episode artwork: Leon Kowalsi, Nostalgia (cropped). Public domain image courtesy . Want to learn more about the books—and shows!—we talked about on this episode? Check out the list below. You can also find us on , , and —and show your support at ! Claire-Louise Bennett Joe Brainard Oliver Burkeman Willa Cather Gaius Valerius Catullus , transl. Frank. O. Copley Leonard Cohen Julio Cortázar Simon Critchley Simon Critchley Lisa Dordal Lisa Dordal Lisa Dordal T. S. Eliot Vilém Flusser David Guterson Martin Heidegger Jack Kerouac Maxine Kumin Julie Otsuka Marcel Proust Patrick Radden Keefe Rumi Percy Bysshe Shelley Clint Smith Clint Smith Thao Thai Antonio Zadra/Robert Stickgold /episode/index/show/69a4bd38-498c-491b-9254-764c601f4ad6/id/30122648

Art, Fashion, and Authentic Creation: Tiffany Gholar 03/20/2024

Art, Fashion, and Authentic Creation: Tiffany Gholar Artist, designer, and author joins us to delve into the nature of art and creative production, fashion dolls, and even game show appearances. Intro and outro music: "" courtesy Music_Unlimited on Pixabay Episode artwork: Mopsy Modes, from Mopsy, 1(1), 1948 (cropped). Public domain image by Gladys Parker, courtesy . Want to learn more about the books—and shows!—we talked about on this episode? Check out the list below. You can also find us on , , and —and show your support at ! Julie Aigner-Clark Ted Chiang David X. Cohen/Matt Groening Kristin Kobes Du Mez Tiffany Gholar Tiffany Gholar Tiffany Gholar Tiffany Gholar Tiffany Gholar Stephen King Mario Levrero Mario Levrero Daniel Myrick Eduardo Sánchez Anne Helen Petersen David Quammen David Quammen David Quammen Elizabeth Rush Elizabeth Rush Rebekah Weatherspoon /episode/index/show/69a4bd38-498c-491b-9254-764c601f4ad6/id/29563243

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