Best Bob Merrick Podcasts (2025)

1
Episode 111-Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg 1:34:03

8d ago1:34:03

1:34:03

Lisa Green, first timer on the show(!) and Masters Degree recipient(!woohoo!)recommended this book of wonderful short stories in all different formats and it was such a great read at this moment when my mind was drifting towards way too serious. If you love the humor and weird of BoJack Horseman, you will devour these stories.…

1
Episide110-Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain-with Carl Merrick 1:20:59

4M ago1:20:59

1:20:59

Somehow I got through decades without reading Huckleberry Finn. Thanks to Carl Merrick for suggesting it and hanging with me for the discussion. It is way too cold right now. Our country is changing rapidly and it's kinda scary. The Michigan comedy scene is thriving. AI is making customer service more and more terrible. And somehow, this book, orig…

1
Episode 109-Holiday Odds and Ends Wrap Up w/Jamie Lowell 51:55

5M ago51:55

51:55

It is a strange but somehow peaceful time. We are in the 'holiday season', which is 'show season' for me. We are between the election and the inauguration. We decided to read a surprisingly silly Zingerman's SOP and revisit the piece I read for my dear friend's wedding. Jamie updates me on the news from a recent cannabis conference in Vegas. Come s…

1
Episode 108-Our House by Patrick Dunn 42:02

6M ago42:02

42:02

My lovely friend Patrick Dunn wrote his first horror comic and it was just wonderful to hang out with him and talk about it. You see, he is a journalist by trade and this is a completely different set of skills, and he had been missing all the drawing he used to love to do and has re discovered that love. Of course we had great weed and snacks. We …

1
Episode 107-Live from Entheofest 2024 19:04

6M ago19:04

19:04

Shelly live at Entheofest 2024 in Ann Arbor on September 22, talking books with new friends, fellow psychonauts and bookworms. Thanks to Claire Forster for helping me with the table. Thanks to MIchigan Psychedelic Society, Decriminalize Nature, Great Lakes Expungement Network, and everyone that works so hard to make this lovely day happen every yea…

1
Episode 106-Metaphysical Anatomy by Evette Rose 1:18:16

10M ago1:18:16

1:18:16

Isn't it strange that we are all trying to figure out the bodies that we live in? Where do we turn when the physical 'fixes' we are trying aren't 'fixing' the issue? Thanks to integrative health practitioner Lacey Reedy for suggesting this book and for discussing it with me. Times are strange and it can be stressful and sometimes we hold stress in …

1
Episode 105-The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell-live from DWOC Independent Comedy Club 1:22:25

12M ago1:22:25

1:22:25

This episode was recorded live at the Independent Comedy Club in Hamtramck as part of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival in May 2024. I was joined by Claire Forster whose 'lapsed academia' brain helped me digest alllll the vocabulary and concepts from Amanda Montell's third book. We had the friendliest most engaged audience and goodie bags with t…

1
Episode 104-Carceral Motherhood-Honors Thesis by Kseniya Dzhala 1:12:30

1y ago1:12:30

1:12:30

Thanks so much to Kseniya for sharing her research with us and congrats on the awards your writing received. This topic is close to the hearts of many of our listeners and we would love to hear your experiences. I was thinking of many of you while we were recording. I appreciate this amazing thoughtful research and also would love to hear your pers…

1
Episode 103-The End of the Rose by Scott Mooney 1:19:11

1y ago1:19:11

1:19:11

This show was recorded the day after a glorious Hash Bash weekend and I think you can hear that in my scratchy voice. We are back with fantasy author Scott Mooney to discuss the third and final book in the poisoned apple trilogy, 'The End of the Rose'. It was so good! I tore through it in a few days. Twists up until the last few pages. What will ha…

1
Episode 102-Hash Bash Treasure Hunt promo! 25:58

1y ago25:58

25:58

Shelly is joined by Jamie Lowell and Josey Scoggin to discuss all the fun leading up to Hash Bash 2024. The Treasure Hunt is on again! Maps available now-http://Givebutter.com/hashbashtreasurehuntGo have a blast wandering around Ann Arbor supporting Great Lakes Expungement Network.By Reads and Weeds

1
Episode 101-Stone Dragon Stew by Brian Cox 59:29

1+ y ago59:29

59:29

Shelly gathered with a fantastic fun group of theater vets to discuss and read scenes from Brian Cox's new childrens' play 'Stone Dragon Stew'. Thank you Brian for sharing this gem with us and thanks to Laurie Atwood, Robert Papineau, Tommy Cook, and Dinah Tutein for jumping in. Villagers of Nearhere are fed up with living under siege of the Stone …

1
Episode 100-Comedy Notebooks-Live from Verts in Traverse City 1:11:26

1+ y ago1:11:26

1:11:26

On a sunny winter Saturday during the Traverse City Comedy Festival, Shelly got to hang out at Verts Neighborhood Dispensary and talk comedy writing with Tanner Oliver, Sam Rager, and Melanie Hearn. What a treat!By Reads and Weeds

1
Episode 99-The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron 1:34:20

1+ y ago1:34:20

1:34:20

I hadn't talked with my friend Beth Dougherty for over 20 years when I asked her to do this with me. We grew up together in South Carolina. I was in the choir. She painted. We sang Heartbreak Hotel on the sidelines when we were supposed to be cheering on the Boiling Springs Bulldogs. I have wanted to work through this book for so many years and am …

1
Episode 98-Cannabis news w/Jamie Lowell 27:05

1+ y ago27:05

27:05

Last show of a true rollercoaster of a year. Jamie Lowell, Chief Operating Officer of Meds Cafe, is on to give me the scoop from MJ Biz Con. Believe it or not, even with new businesses open every day, this plant is still illegal in some places and people are still serving time for cannabis crimes. Thanks to everyone out there still fighting the goo…

1
Episode 97-The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield 1:11:08

1+ y ago1:11:08

1:11:08

Thanks to Kevin Suboski for recommending this one and for being completely honest about his thoughts on the book. Did we love it? It's complicated. Do the 'insights' hold up? It seems they do! Let me know what you thought about this one.Thanks to Redemption brand Mafia Funeral strain for helping Shelly through this one.Big big love out to the canna…

1
Entheofest Promo! 16:16

1+ y ago16:16

16:16

September is here and that means that we are excited about the 3rd annual Entheofest taking place on the diag at the University of Michigan on Sunday, September 17th at 1:11 pm. Entheofest is a free speech event celebrating sacred plants and fungi and facilitates creating a base of equity in this growing industry. There will be live music, speakers…

1
Two-Boy Weekend by Francine Pascal-recorded live at the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival 37:11

2y ago37:11

37:11

This episode was recorded live on May 20, 2023, at the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at the Independent Comedy Club in Hamtramck. Thanks to the hilarious and mighty Melanie Hearn and her perfect dog Foxy for joining me and thanks to that wonderful mid-day audience that showed up! What a fun vibe to discuss Two-Boy Weekend. Don't let those cute b…

1
Episode 95-But Beautiful (A Book About Jazz) by Geoff Dyer 1:38:35

2y ago1:38:35

1:38:35

I am so grateful to Dr. Dan Piccolo(dear old friend and percussionist) for recommending this book and to Ross Huff(dear old friend and trumpet player) for joining us on the read. Two big ideas stuck with me from this book. One is that creating music is dependent on the tension between understanding the basics of a deep tradition AND constantly impr…

1
Episode 94-Leave Your Sh*t Here-a guided journal by Jackie Wallace and Elizabeth Reed 1:10:04

2y ago1:10:04

1:10:04

Hey there! You're having STRONG FEELINGS......and maybe, hopefully...... you are being mindful and trying to decide what to DO with these FEELINGS. Well, life coach Jackie Wallace and psychotherapist Elizabeth Reed want you to start writing that shit down to start dealing with it. Shannon Trudell is back.....yaaaay....and this very PRO THERAPY grou…

1
HashBash Treasure Hunt Promo with Josey Scoggins!!! 42:57

2y ago42:57

42:57

Special HashBash week promo! The wonderful hardworking Josey Scoggins joins me to talk about her favorite books, the great work the Redemption Foundation is doing, and the Treasure Hunt you can join to support both Sons and Daughters United and the Great Lakes Expungement Network. Come roam around Ann Arbor with us trying goodies and sending help t…

1
Episode 93-There are Moms Way Worse than You by Glenn Boozan 1:16:07

2y ago1:16:07

1:16:07

I am so grateful that Robyn Gilleran and Sarah Grogan totally get me and laughed when I mailed them this book out of nowhere the night after they first met at a comedy show. I had a feeling these two awesome moms would have a blast together and also have exactly the right commentary on this important work of literature about child-rearing in the an…

1
Episode 92-Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 1:03:59

2+ y ago1:03:59

1:03:59

I love how Fredrik Backman creates the messiest most human humans and lets them have the most real awkward fraught sweet moments your heart can stand. I laugh/cried through 'A Man Called Ove' almost 10 years ago and laugh/cried through Anxious People too. What could be better than to chat about this with one of my favorite kindred messy humans, Emi…

1
Episode 91-Worth The Fight by Matthew Simpson 54:09

2+ y ago54:09

54:09

Thanks so much to Amber Asbury for recommending Worth the Fight and for connecting me to Matthew Simpson. Thank you Matt for sharing your experience of facing the darkness and finding the light in service. More of this, please!Visit Amber!www.nirvanacenter.com/Keep in touch with Matt!worththefightbook.orgMagic n’ Microdosing Mastermind: January 10t…

1
Episode 90-The Adventures of Wembly the Pug by David Shoup 36:31

2+ y ago36:31

36:31

I love dogs and I love books and I love promoting the work of friends so this was just so fun. Meet Wembly the Pug, lovingly based on first-time author David Shoup's pal of 18 years, Elvis. Elvis is gone but his adorable spirit lives on in the courageous Wembly. Shout out to Antonella Fant also for the precious illustrations. I love it so much. Hop…

1
Episode 89-Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 1:18:53

2+ y ago1:18:53

1:18:53

Claire is back! It is the day after the midterm elections and we are relieved that our rights were protected by Michiganders. Maryland and Missouri voted for cannabis legalization. Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota rejected it. I'm trying a new recording setup and smoking tiny joints and we have a great spontaneous conversation about everyth…

1
Episode 88-Behind the Wall.....The Tony Green Story, by Jackie Wallace 1:11:20

2+ y ago1:11:20

1:11:20

After some light-hearted Kanye bashing and wonky editing, I settle into a great conversation with Hyped up Live Co-Producers Tony 'TMoney' Green and Yorg Kerasiotis, along with author Jackie Wallace to discuss Jackie's new book 'Behind the Wall'. The title is alluding to alll the stories that happen BEHIND that wall of gold records you see. If you …

1
Episode 87-Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston 1:13:44

2+ y ago1:13:44

1:13:44

I recorded this one live at Detroit Specials Used Books store with owner Dora Badger and two cats! Animals are welcome here. In fact, a portion of all sales from both the physical and online stores goes to animal rescue organizations in Detroit.I am not a regular fantasy reader and initially struggled with Hairston's language. Thanks, Dora for shif…

1
Episode 86-Legal Questions with Nick Leydorf 'Comedian at Law' 1:01:18

2+ y ago1:01:18

1:01:18

We aren't reading a book this episode. We are reading and discussing actual legal questions posed to Nick Leydorf, Comedian at Law'. Melissa and her 6-month-old golden doodle are hosting me in the garage where Melissa rolls the fattest joints in the land. Check out Nick's new album 'Free Consultation' available Oct 14th. You can pre-order now throu…

1
Episode 85-The Alcohol Experiment by Annie Grace 1:08:02

2+ y ago1:08:02

1:08:02

How does the title of this book make you feel? Are you UNCOMFORTABLE? Are you CURIOUS? ANNOYED? And why? That is kinda the whole point of this book. Annie Grace is just leading you through a mindfulness exercise around this ONE topic. No judgment. No shame in the process. Just observation and questioning of potentially long-held beliefs. This quest…

1
Episode 84 Long Legs and Tall Tales by Kristi Lynn Davis 1:45:54

3y ago1:45:54

1:45:54

First of all, dancer and author Kristi Lynn Davis is a DELIGHT and this book made me so happy. We are silly show people and it makes sense to us to buy groceries at 2am and have prop accident scars that we are proud of. She takes the reader with her from a small dance studio in Michigan to New York then all over the world and back obeying her call …

1
Episode 83-The work of Shel Silverstein 56:08

3y ago56:08

56:08

I couldn't believe we hadn't read any Shel Silverstein on the show yet! And now that we have, I am mad that I didn't get to hang out with him as a friend. Would this writer of children's books and country songs AND stoner poetry be my friend? OF COURSE HE WOULD HAVE! WE WOULD HAVE LAUGHED SO MUCH!First time guest and fellow 'bookfield' veteran Lest…

1
Episode 82-The Lyrics of TJ Zindle 1:11:27

3y ago1:11:27

1:11:27

You might already know TJ Zindle from his first band Last Conservative or more recently from shredding guitars in his sister's band Erin Zindle and the Ragbirds, BUT I'm excited to talk to him about his songwriting! Go ahead over to Bandcamp and get his NEWEST album 'Now Let Go', the follow up to 2017's 'Hold On With All Your Might'. What a great f…

1
Episode 81-The GreatGatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald 1:19:40

3y ago1:19:40

1:19:40

It was so interesting to revisit The Great Gatsby 100 years after the time it was set in. Was Fitzgerald's snapshot of America post Spanish flu jazz age that much different from post Covid America? Are rich couples still getting away with murder? Are lovesick people still doing things for the most bizarre of reasons? Are people still partying too m…

1
Episode 80-Untamed by Glennon Doyle 1:38:56

3y ago1:38:56

1:38:56

Early in this discussion about Untamed by Glennon Doyle, Mary Dettling called it Shakubuku, which was referenced in the 1997 John Cusack movie Grosse Pointe Blank as 'a spiritual kick to the head.' It's a Buddhist term meaning roughly 'break and subdue' in which the resistance of another is broken by forceful argument. And I get it. It is a mind sh…

1
Episode 79-The Elephant on the Ceiling, by Mike Hain 1:28:07

3y ago1:28:07

1:28:07

You wouldn't know it by how silly we start, but this conversation with my friend Ray Reyes is about to get really heavy. His is the first story in Mike Hain's compilation of near death experiences published in 2021. It is May and outdoor cannabis farms are being planted. Thanks Island Farm for the delicious Shiraz preroll! There is throat singing i…

1
Episode 78-Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer 1:47:14

3y ago1:47:14

1:47:14

"In Native ways of knowing, human people are often referred to as 'the younger brothers of creation'. We say that humans have the least experience with how to live and thus the most to learn. We must look to our teachers among other species for guidance." I had the pleasure of talking about this book with Sarah Nunez Bida and Luna Alexander. It is …

1
Episode 77-the Lunchroom Problem by Nunya 15:18

3y ago15:18

15:18

Oh boy! Breaking news from a midwest elementary school prompted an emergency minisode! This writer is a budding activist if I've ever heard one. Bravo. The writing is direct, on message, and passionate. Paul Gordon is back with me, lending his voice to the dramatic re enactment of this journalistic piece. He ALSO has a new podcast you should go fol…

1
Episode 76- The lyrics of Ebird-Part 2 48:53

3y ago48:53

48:53

I'm back with the second half of the delicious interview with Erin Zindle-multi instrumentalist front woman of the Ragbirds and confessed pure songwriter at heart. In this half we explore writing from a place of pain, how badass her band is,(shout out to Loren Kranz on drums, Shannon Wade on bass, and TJ Zindle on guitar), and writing as a self ful…

1
Episode 75-The lyrics of Ebird-Part 1 1:06:17

3y ago1:06:17

1:06:17

Well this was just wonderful. In this episode I sit down with my lovely longtime friend Erin Zindle to talk about songwriting. Erin is the multi instrumentalist frontwoman of the band the Ragbirds. I have loved her music for so long because it speaks right to me, makes me want to dance, makes me want to pray, sometimes to cry. Erin also teaches pri…

1
Episode 74-Snow Hill Drama-by Nunya(nunya bizness) 10:21

3y ago10:21

10:21

Oh wow! There was drama on the school snow hill and this kid got to the bottom of it. I want to read more stories written by kids. Please send me more! This gem really got me. So fun! Happy last day of February! I don't know who needs to hear this, but stop taking yourself so seriously.By Reads and Weeds

1
Episode 73-The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 1:49:17

3+ y ago1:49:17

1:49:17

Before there were reality shows where gay friends were dramatically overwrought, there was Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray. We think he might have invented the genre. Thanks to Moon Abbott for the recommendation and to Paul and Moon Abbott for being the first parent/child combo team on Reads and Weeds. If you enjoy a witty 19th century upper class comedy…

1
Episode 72-Fifth Business by Robertson Davies 1:18:40

3+ y ago1:18:40

1:18:40

It was high time for me to catch up with my former improv class buddy Kate Britt. She enthusiastically recommended Fifth Business, the first in the Deptford Trilogy. And she knows stuff because she is a LIBRARIAN. I didn't realize how bad I had been missing smart witty IN PERSON conversation during these cold ass wintery lingering pandemic days and…

1
Episode 71-Cannabis for Health- by Mary Clifton, MD and Barbara Brownell Grogan 1:19:56

3+ y ago1:19:56

1:19:56

It was a 'show must go on' day, and thanks to the lovely recommendation from and company of Cynthia Shelby Lane, it was fun and engaging. If you are looking for a very easy to read and reference guide on how cannabis is being used to treat many well known conditions from insomnia to epilepsy to ptsd, this is the book. If you are looking to start ex…

1
Episode 70-MAD Magazine Stocking Stuffer edition! 1:10:02

3+ y ago1:10:02

1:10:02

We are smack in between Thanksgiving and Christmas and nothing captures that feeling for me quite like Mad Magazine. I had missed it so! Since I was teeny, I felt like they got me. They 'got' the 'funny'. I knew it before I even understood the word 'satire'. I was so excited to find this special edition in a grocery store and realize the humor hold…

1
Episode 69-On Writing-A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King 1:05:45

3+ y ago1:05:45

1:05:45

I have loved this book for so long. Every few years when I re read it, it is usually because I am hoping it will inspire me. It always does. I feel like Stephen King is hanging out with me telling life stories and talking shop. It is, of course, TELEPATHY! (If you know you know.) I hadn't read lots of his work but that doesn't matter. He is the tea…

1
Episode 68 Reading AFFIRMATIONS! 1:24:45

3+ y ago1:24:45

1:24:45

I bet some of you saw that title and had a gut reaction to the idea of reading affirmations. Maybe you have rewired your brain and changed your life for the better. Maybe you think they are absolute bullshit. Maybe you feel like using affirmations is just lying to yourself. I'm ALL FOR IT. One day while taping some dance videos for World Dance Work…

1
Episode 67 The Rose of Paracelsus by William Leonard Pickard 1:09:39

3+ y ago1:09:39

1:09:39

Shelly hangs with Myc again to dive into the mind of William Leonard Pickard. Myc calls him an ENIGMA-defined as 'a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand'. I would have to agree. In the middle of reading this epic memoir that is at times magical realism and often an historical reference, I heard him speak at the i…

1
Episode 66 Budding Prospects by T.C. Boyle 56:28

3+ y ago56:28

56:28

Shelly hangs with Roberta King to talk about Budding Prospects-A Pastoral-by T.C. Boyle. HOLY COW if you have been in the cannabis industry for awhile or ever worked at a grow you have to read this. It is too funny and real. Of course it starts with a charismatic money guy showing up at his friends place talking about big money to be made-And ends …

1
Episode 65-The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia 1:22:22

3+ y ago1:22:22

1:22:22

While listening to the audio version of this magical book which is set on a farm in Mexico during the pandemic 100 years ago, I was working on a farm in Michigan and living through a pandemic in 2021. (AND, AND it originally came out in 2015 but it SEEMS like she MUST HAVE KNOWN that another pandemic was coming, you know.)Anyway I highly recommend …

1
Episode 64-Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark 1:46:42

4y ago1:46:42

1:46:42

We love the podcast 'My Favorite Murder' with Karen and Georgia. Somehow two friends talking about true crime and being their daring authentic selves has inspired a giant 'Murderino' community that is supportive, honest, humble, bold, and knows when it needs therapy and we are HERE FOR IT. We love this book and want you to read it. Shelly and Angie…

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