Julia and Victoria talk about the marriage of message and form in the “memoir situation” by one of their favorite human beings: 10 Steps to Nanette by Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby.

Julia and Victoria are joined by their new literary friend Caleb Tankersley to discuss Caleb’s debut story collection Sin Eaters. They enjoy a lovely ramble about the process of creativity and the value of writing what makes you happy. Plus: some important Oreo discourse.

Julia and Victoria make their case as to why Babel by R. F. Kuang should be two (or three?) books. Point #1: It is amazing, and the people want more.

Julia and Victoria have an epiphany, answer their lingering questions, and discuss major series themes of time and the legacy of oppression while discussing The Stone Sky, conclusion of the Broken Earth trilogy, by N. K. Jemisin.

Hold on to your runny sacks. We are wrapping up our discussion of The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin! We’ll be re-releasing episodes on book one and two over the next two weeks. Stay tuned for our concluding discussion of book three, The Stone Sky, coming your way May 2023.

Hold on to your runny sacks. We are wrapping up our discussion of The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin! We’ll be re-releasing episodes on book one and two over the next two weeks. Stay tuned for our concluding discussion of book three, The Stone Sky, coming your way May 2023.

Victoria just got back from AWP where she spent five days geeking out with fellow book nerds. Julia and Victoria talk about networking and finding your people as an adult.

Julia has questions. Victoria does some digging. They both gain context on the voice of author Cho Nam-Joo of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 and the impact the novel had on the life and politics of South Korea in 2016.

Julia and Victoria meet up with their internet friend Sofía Syntaxx (of the ANGR podcast) to talk about how much they loved Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, swap stories, compare languages and knowledge systems, and laugh about all the things American scientists “discovered” which indigenous peoples have known for thousands of years. A good deal of swearing is involved, but like, in a fun way.

Julia and Victoria learn about the history of mental health stigma in the United States and have some lightbulb moments with Nobody’s Normal by Roy Richard Grinker.

Julia and Victoria lose their minds talking about reality and worldviews in Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

Julia and Victoria reflect on their winding work histories and the rise of pointless labor with the help of Bullshit Jobs by anthropologist David Graeber. They get very excited about it.