An Unlikely Visitor: James Weldon Johnson

Haley Mlotek's "No Fault: A Memoir of Divorce and Romance"

Today we're sharing one of our favorite podcasts, LARB Radio Hour. For all you lovers of living writers, enjoy! Kate Wolf and Medaya Ocher speak to writer Haley Mlotek about No Fault: A Memoir of Divorce and Romance. The book blends the history of divorce law and custom in North America over the last century with cultural criticism on the way divorce has been portrayed in literature, film, and online. Mlotek also records her own experience of ending a marriage, and the front row seat she had growing up to the dissolution of many other unions through her mother’s work as a divorce mediator. At a time when it’s easier than ever before to access divorce, No Fault looks at the many questions that still persist around “what divorce should be, who it is for, and why the institution of marriage maintains its power.” Explore more episodes of LARB Radio Hour at https://lareviewofbooks.org/podcasts/ New episodes drop every Friday morning. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Girlfriends: Sarah Orne Jewett

Tess and Brock dive into the unconventional life of Sarah Orne Jewett by first venturing to Berwick Academy, the school that Jewett attended. As an alum, Jewett was somewhat of a “patron saint”, and there are still students there who read and relate to her wild ways. At Jewett’s house, Tess and Brock are fascinated by her desk due to its unexpected position and discuss Jewett’s lover, Annie Fields. Marilyn Keith Daily, who works for Historic New England, shares that she became a Jewett fan after starting to work at Jewett’s house which proves that stepping foot in an author’s home can indeed encourage the need to read. Mentioned: * A White Heron and Other Stories [https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-white-heron-and-other-stories-sarah-orne-jewett/7717691?ean=9798212278485] by Sarah Orne Jewett * ”The Angels of Buena Vista” [https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/poetical-works-in-four-volumes/the-angels-of-buena-vista/] by John Greenleaf Whittier * The Country of the Pointed Firs [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-country-of-the-pointed-firs-and-other-stories-sarah-orne-jewett/8533057?ean=9780375756719]by Sarah Orne Jewett The house: * Sarah Orne Jewett House and Visiting Center [https://www.historicnewengland.org/property/sarah-orne-jewett-house-museum-and-visitor-center/] in South Berwick, ME   Tess Chakkalakal [https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/tchakkal/index.html] is the creator, executive producer and host of Dead Writers. Brock Clarke [https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/bclarke2/index.html]is our writer and co-host. Lisa Bartfai is the managing producer and executive editor. Our music is composed by Cedric Wilson, who also mixes the show. Ella Jones is our web editorial intern, and Mark Hoffman created our logo. A special thanks to our reader Colleen Doucette. This episode was produced with the generous support of our sponsors Bath Savings and listeners like you.

Making Friends at the Nathaniel Hawthorne House

Tess and Brock explore Nathanial Hawthorne’s childhood home in Raymond, Maine. Hawthorne’s writing colors the house as an idyllic childhood summer home and so it remains. Today, the local community uses the house as a space to come together—like it or not, Hawthorne! Tess and Brock remain persistent in their attempts to reveal the true story of Hawthorne and his house, but Hawthorne manages to keep up his image as a mysterious, and intensely private writer. Mentioned: * The Scarlet Letter [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-scarlet-letter-nathaniel-hawthorne/16989044?ean=9780143107668] by Nathaniel Hawthorne * Passages from a Relinquished Work (From "Mosses from an Old Manse") [https://bookshop.org/p/books/passages-from-a-relinquished-work-from-mosses-from-an-old-manse-nathaniel-hawthorne/20151238?ean=9789357385879] by Nathaniel Hawthorne * Wakefield [https://bookshop.org/p/books/wakefield-nathaniel-hawthorne/6819337?ean=9781977545565]by Nathaniel Hawthorne * Moby Dick [https://bookshop.org/p/books/moby-dick-or-the-whale-herman-melville/18595562?ean=9780142437247] by Herman Melville * Dayswork [https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324065401] by Chris Bachelder [https://wwnorton.com/author/17445/chrisbachelder] and Jennifer Habel [https://wwnorton.com/author/56454/jenniferhabel] * Easy A (2010) * Crazy Stupid Love (2011) The house: * Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Boyhood Home [https://hawthorneassoc.com/] in Raymond, ME   Tess Chakkalakal [https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/tchakkal/index.html] is the creator, executive producer and host of Dead Writers. Brock Clarke [https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/bclarke2/index.html]is our writer and co-host. Lisa Bartfai is the managing producer and executive editor. Our music is composed by Cedric Wilson, who also mixes the show. Ella Jones is our web editorial intern, and Mark Hoffman created our logo.  This episode was produced with the generous support of our sponsors Bath Savings and listeners like you.

An Unlikely Visitor: James Weldon Johnson

Tess and Brock travel to Wiscasset, ME, to investigate the scene of James Weldon Johnson’s tragic death in a train accident. Author Russell Rymer gives us a glimpse of Johnson's life as a Black poet, diplomat, novelist, and activist—Johnson was a jack of all trades, master of all. Poet C.S. Giscombe discuss Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and finds surprising similarities to the tv cartoon Futurama. Tess and Brock also meet with Melanie K. Edwards, Johnson’s great grandniece, who gives some insight into what her famous uncle was doing in Maine in the first place. Mentioned: * The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-autobiography-of-an-ex-colored-man-james-weldon-johnson/399434?ean=9780140184020] by James Weldon Johnson * “We To America” [https://jamesweldonjohnsonpark.org/uncategorized/jwjbdayweek/] by James Weldon Johnson * God's Trombones [https://bookshop.org/p/books/god-s-trombones-seven-negro-sermons-in-verse-james-weldon-johnson/14916739?ean=9781420981704] by James Weldon Johnson * “Listen Lord, A Prayer [https://poets.org/poem/listen-lord-prayer]” by James Weldon Johnson * “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing [https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/lift-every-voice-and-sing]” by James Weldon Johnson * Negro Mountain [https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/N/bo208152043.html] by C.S. Giscombe * American Beach [https://www.russrymer.com/american_beach_a_saga_of_race__wealth__and_memory_34019.htm]by Russell Rymer * Futurama (1999) * Simpsons (1989) The house: * James Weldon Johnson Bench [https://www.wiscassetnewspaper.com/article/maine-celebrates-james-weldon-johnson-day-wiscasset/161836] in Wiscasset, ME Tess Chakkalakal [https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/tchakkal/index.html] is the creator, executive producer and host of Dead Writers. Brock Clarke [https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/bclarke2/index.html]is our writer and co-host. Lisa Bartfai is the managing producer and executive editor. Our music is composed by Cedric Wilson, who also mixes the show. Ella Jones is our web editorial intern, and Mark Hoffman created our logo.  This episode was produced with the generous support of our sponsors Bath Savings and listeners like you.

Volcano: Edna St. Vincent Millay

Tess and Brock put the spotlight on Edna St. Vincent Millay, the 20th century poet and feminist icon. Millay was notorious for her active “social life” among the NYC art scene during the height of the roaring ‘20s, but Tess and Brock focus on her prolific writing. Poet Gillian Obsorne has admired Millay for her eloquent expression of feminine angst since she first read Millay as a teenager. And as an educator, she sees how it still speaks to young women today. Whether it’s because of her compelling success story or her well-served, cold disses, Millay is an author who’s easy to fall in love with. Mentioned: * “The Ballad of the Harp-weaver and Other Poems [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-ballad-of-the-harp-weaver-and-other-poems-edna-st-vincent-millay/10127041?ean=9781644390450]” by Edna St Vincent Millay * “Childhood is the Kingdom Where Nobody Dies” [https://poets.org/poem/childhood-kingdom-where-nobody-dies] by Edna St Vincent Millay * “Sonnet IV” [https://poets.org/poem/i-shall-forget-you-presently-my-dear-sonnet-iv] by Edna St Vincent Millay * “Renascence [https://millay.org/2022/04/19/renascence/]” by Edna St Vincent Millay * The Wasteland [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-wasteland-prufrock-and-other-poems-t-s-eliot/15307976?ean=9781434101693] by T.S. Elliot * Green Green Green [https://nightboat.org/book/green-green-green/] by Gillian Obsorne The house: * Millay House Rockland [https://millayhouserockland.org/about] Tess Chakkalakal [https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/tchakkal/index.html] is the creator, executive producer and host of Dead Writers. Brock Clarke [https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/bclarke2/index.html]is our writer and co-host. Lisa Bartfai is the managing producer and executive editor. Our music is composed by Cedric Wilson, who also mixes the show. Ella Jones is our web editorial intern, and Mark Hoffman created our logo. A special thanks to our reader Ella Jones. This episode was produced with the generous support of our sponsors Bath Savings and listeners like you.