Best Stephen Shelley Podcasts (2025)

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746 Wild Jane Austen (with Devoney Looser) | #9 Greatest Book of All Time 1:04:37

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21h ago1:04:37

1:04:37

Author Devoney Looser may be a mild-mannered English professor to most people, but roller derby fans know her as Stone Cold Jane Austen, her smashmouth alter ego. In this episode, Devoney tells Jacke about her new book Wild for Austen: A Rebellious, Subversive, and Untamed Jane, which suggests we also rethink the commonly held view of "spinster Jan…

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The Tale of Those Bullies at Clarion West 27:59

4d ago27:59

27:59

Those stuck-up snobs at the most privileged literary circle of all, Clarion West, have perpetrated a despicable prank on the Midnight Pals involving a paper bag full of dog poop, a match, and Steve's brand new sneakers. This means WAR! CAST: Clive Barker — DAVID AULT Edgar Allan Poe — RODRIGO BORGES Mary Shelley — REBECCA D'SOUZA HP Lovecraft/Micha…

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From the Vault: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994 Film) 40:48

4d ago40:48

40:48

In the 90s, Director Kenneth Branagh made a wild heavy metal adaptation of the seminal SciFi novel starring himself, Robert De Niro, and Helena Bonham Carter. Join Luke & James in this former Patreon-exclusive Halloween episode as they debate the value of such an over-the-top take on a literary classic. Pickup any of the novels they've covered at t…

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745 Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti (Halloween Fun-Size Edition) 2:14:14

5d ago2:14:14

2:14:14

In the spring of 2022, Jacke dropped everything to plummet into one of the strangest poems he had ever read, "Goblin Market" by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894). The result was a two-part episode that never quite found its home. In this special Halloween episode, we've combined the best parts of both of those episodes to bring you the full story of a…

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744 Love, Sex, and Frankenstein (with Caroline Lea) | #10 Greatest Book of All Time | My Last Book with Geoffrey Turnovsky | A Letter from a Middle School Teacher and Mom 1:26:42

8d ago1:26:42

1:26:42

The year is 1816, and 18-year-old Mary Shelley has fled London with her lover, Percy Shelley, and her sister, Claire. They're on their way to visit Lord Byron's villa in Lake Geneva, Switzerland - and to change the course of literary history. In this episode, Jacke talks to Caroline Lea about her novel Love, Sex, and Frankenstein, which tells the h…

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Guest: Mike Viola, Live Performance And Interview from Oct 24, 2025 1:05:09

9d ago1:05:09

1:05:09

Mike Viola - "Interview"https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/157511By Michael Shelley and WFMU

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From the Vault: Room 237 (2012 Film) 39:24

11d ago39:24

39:24

Director Rodney Ascher presents some of the wild interpretations of The Shining (1980) that persist to this day, each more fantastical than the next. Some theories seem grounded in reality, but others take massive leaps and arrive at outlandish ideas, none more ridiculous than the "moon landing footage was faked by Stanley Kubrick" theory. But is i…

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743 Fairy Tales (with Jack Zipes) [RECLAIMED] | Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (#11 GBOAT) | Chaucer News 1:02:07

12d ago1:02:07

1:02:07

An early encounter with one of the most famous people in the world initiated Jack Zipes into the world of fairy tales - and he never looked back. In this episode, Jacke talks to the fairy tale expert about his book Buried Treasures: The Power of Political Fairy Tales, which profiles modern writers and artists who tapped the political potential of f…

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742 Edgar Allan Poe (with Richard Kopley) | Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (#12 GBOAT) | My Last Book with Christopher Herbert 1:17:41

15d ago1:17:41

1:17:41

It's October, the perfect month to celebrate the master of mystery and the macabre. In this episode, Jacke talks to author Richard Kopley about his book Edgar Allan Poe: A Life, a comprehensive critical biography that combines a narrative of Poe's enduring challenges (including his difficult foster father, poverty, alcoholism, depression, and his n…

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Tragedy Becomes Art | The Long Walk (2025 Film) 1:17:15

17d ago1:17:15

1:17:15

Director Francis Lawrence takes time off from directing the Hunger Games franchise to tackle one of the original battle royale stories with THE LONG WALK by Richard Bachman. In episode 362, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they discuss changing this Bachman story back into a King story, the changing metaphor behind the grueling contest, how adap…

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Episode #239 ... Authenticity and the history of the self. (Charles Taylor) 36:43

17d ago36:43

36:43

Today we talk about the work of the philosopher Charles Taylor. First, we trace the historical origins of how he views the modern self. From the Greeks to the Reformation. From Descartes to Rousseau. The modern self to him is something "irreconcilably multileveled". Then we talk about our modern focus on authenticity as a moral ideal and why Taylor…

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741 Gabriela Mistral 1:04:27

19d ago1:04:27

1:04:27

In 1945, the Nobel Committee awarded its prize for literature to Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957) "for her lyric poetry which, inspired by powerful emotions, has made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world." Born in a rural Andean valley and abandoned by her free-spirited father at the age of three, Mistral s…

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740 Mel Brooks and Other Eminent Jews (with David Denby) | War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (#13 GBOAT) 1:03:56

22d ago1:03:56

1:03:56

In this episode, Jacke talks to author David Denby about his new book, Eminent Jews: Bernstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer, a group biography (loosely inspired by Lytton Strachey's Eminent Victorians) that describes how four larger-than-life figures upended the restrained culture of their forebears and changed American life. PLUS in honor of War and P…

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Stephen King On a Rainy Day | The Long Walk (1979 Novel) 1:20:27

25d ago1:20:27

1:20:27

Enigmatic author Richard Bachman drew comparisons to another famous author from the jump, but it would be years before the truth about him was finally exposed. In episode 361, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they strap on their best shoes and take a long walk into the past as they explore the noteworthy history behind this novel, consider toxic…

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739 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (#14 GBOAT) | Johannes Gutenberg (with Eric Marshall White) 1:34:01

26d ago1:34:01

1:34:01

Thanks to his invention of Europe's first typographic printing method, and his pioneering work on the first printed Bible, the fifteenth-century German inventor Johannes Gutenberg has a fame and reputation that continues to this day. In 1997, Time magazine credited him with the most important innovation of the past one thousand years. However, due …

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Episode #238 ... Frankenstein - Mary Shelley 30:06

26d ago30:06

30:06

Today we talk about the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. We talk about the mix of Romantic and Enlightenment attitudes and how it leads to problems without the proper oversight. We talk about technology and the responsibility that comes with creation. We talk about how ostracized people often learn to resent the world they live in. Hope you love …

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738 Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (#15 Greatest Book of All Time) 1:16:09

29d ago1:16:09

1:16:09

Emily Brontë only published one full-length book before dying at the tragically young age of 30. But that book, Wuthering Heights, which tells the story of obsessive and vengeful love on the rugged moors of Yorkshire, is still considered one of the pinnacles of English literature, landing at #15 on the list of Greatest Books of All Time. In this ep…

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The Blueprint for Helldivers | Starship Troopers (1997 Film) 1:20:12

1M ago1:20:12

1:20:12

Paul Verhoeven's adaptation of Heinlein's classic novel divided critics at the time as many found the satire to be indistinguishable from endorsement, but its antifascist subtext plays a bit different in 2025. In episode 360, join Luke Elliott and James Bailey as they compare the film to Helldivers II, try to find the line between satire and approv…

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737 "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs 42:21

1M ago42:21

42:21

It's October! Jacke kicks off his favorite month with a classic tale of horror, "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs. Perhaps you know the general contours of the paradigmatic "be careful what you wish for" story from the Simpsons or another popularization - but just how scary was the original story? And who was W.W. Jacobs? Join Jacke on a trip throu…

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Episode #237 ... The Stoics Are Wrong - Nietzsche, Schopenhauer 30:27

1M ago30:27

30:27

Today we talk about two famous critiques of Stoicism. One by Friedrich Nietzsche who thought the Stoics weren’t life affirming enough and so rob themselves of some of the best parts of life. The other by Arthur Schopenhauer who thought the Stoics were too life-affirming of worldly things to ever reach a deep understanding of things. Hope you love i…

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736 Jane Austen's Favorite Brother, Henry (with Christopher Herbert) | A Letter from the South of France | My Last Book with Nicholas Jenkins 1:00:29

1M ago1:00:29

1:00:29

Jane Austen had six brothers, but her older brother Henry was her favorite. Kind and witty, Henry has long been appreciated by Austen fans for his devotion to Jane and his championing of her novels. But Henry was a fascinating figure in his own right, capering through risky financial schemes and marrying an enigmatic French countess before ending h…

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Starship Troopers (1959 Novel) | NOT a Satire 1:15:05

1M ago1:15:05

1:15:05

Often called the "Dean of Science Fiction Writers," Robert A. Heinlein is considered one of the "Big Three" of English-language classic science fiction, but why isn't he read more today? In episode 359, join Luke Elliott & James Bailey as they explore Heinlein's complex legacy of shifting political philosophy, grapple with an explicitly militaristi…

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

1M 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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734 The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (#16 GBOAT) | 1925 - A Literary Encyclopedia (with Tom Lutz) 56:09

2M 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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733 Haruki Murakami (with Mike Palindrome | To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (#17 GBOAT) | A Letter from Tehran 1:24:11

2M 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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Bobby Hart Remembered from Sep 14, 2025 51:32

2M ago51:32

51:32

Bobby Hart - "Interviews from March 2014 & May 2015"https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/156155By Michael Shelley and WFMU

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Episode #236 ... Meditations - Marcus Aurelius 36:57

2M ago36:57

36:57

Today we talk about the collection of journals known as Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. We mark the differences between Stoicism, modern Stoic ethics, and the journals of Marcus Aurelius. We talk about the divine logos, indifferents, and how metaphysical assumptions ladder up into the virtue ethics of the ancient Stoics. We talk about some of the c…

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

2M 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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Clawing Back Your Identity | Nightbitch (2024 Film) ft. Shayna Hodge 1:28:13

2M ago1:28:13

1:28:13

Guest Shayna Hodge (they/them) joins the show once more to round out our coverage on the Marielle Heller adaptation of Rachel Yoder's NIGHTBITCH. In episode 358, join Luke, James, and Shayna as they breakdown Amy Adam's stark portrayal, unpack the changes made to the husband's character, make a surprising "American Psycho" connection, hear about an…