Classics and Coffee

In this episode, Matthew and Juliette discuss Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899), a novel that The Nation , in reviewing the novel, said " The Awakening is the sad story of a Southern lady who wanted to do what she wanted to. From wanting to, she did, with disastrous consequences." Chopin's novel is an important feminist novel of the Victorian period, highlighting the constrictio...

In this episode, Matthew and Juliette speak with National Book Award winning author and illustrator Nate Powell about his latest book Fall Through , a graphic novel steeped in magical realism about a punk band named Diamond Mine as they embark on their final tour. They talk about playing music during their late teens and early twenties, punk rock, nostalgia, and much more. You can visit Nate on hi...

In this episode, Matthew sits down with comics writer, illustrator, and professor John Jennings to talk about his recent Marvel comics series Silver Surfer: Ghost Light . While talking about Ghost Light's publication history, which dates back to 1969's Silver Surfer #5, they talk about what inspired the series, how Jennings constructed a backstory for Al B. Harper (Ghost Light), and how ar...

In this episode, Matthew sits down with writer S.A. Cosby to talk about his latest novel All the Sinners Bleed , which Barack Obama named as one of his favorite reads of 2023 . While talking about the novel, they also discuss the influence of Ernest Gaines on Cosby's writing, Southern literature, important voices in contemporary Southern literature such as Jesmyn Ward, and about their love for...

Juliette and Matthew continue their conversation about  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's  Americanah . They discuss Ifemelu's and Obinze's immigrant experiences moving from Nigeria to the United States and England respectively. They also explore Ifemelu's and Obinze's encounters with racism and the exploration of Western colonialism.  Americanah  examines themes of identity, assimila...

In chapter 5, Juliette and Matthew read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah . They discuss Ifemelu's and Obinze's immigrant experiences moving from Nigeria to the United States and England respectively. They also explore Ifemelu's and Obinze's encounters with racism and the exploration of Western colonialism. Americanah examines themes of identity, assimilation, and beauty st...

Toni Morrison's debut novel  The Bluest Eye  appeared in 1970, introducing the world to Morrison's literary genius. Since its debut, the novel has been one of the  most challenged and banned books  in the United States, according to the American Library Association. In this episode we talk about the current attempts to ban and remove books from libraries and the classroom. On writing her n...

Toni Morrison's debut novel The Bluest Eye appeared in 1970, introducing the world to Morrison's literary genius. Since its debut, the novel has been one of the most challenged and banned books in the United States, according to the American Library Association. In the novel, Morrison examines the psychological impact of racism on individuals, specifically, as she puts it, "the one le...

In chapter 3 part 2, we discuss William Gardner Smith's  The Stone Face  (1963). while enjoying  Ethiopia Koke Washed coffee from Portrait Coffee ! Adam Shatz states that " The Stone Face  explores a black exile's discovery of the suffering of others: an injustice perpetrated by his host country, a place he initially mistakes for paradise." Smith's novel is extremely relevant...

In chapter 3, we discuss William Gardner Smith's The Stone Face (1963). while enjoying Ethiopia Koke Washed coffee from Portrait Coffee ! Adam Shatz states that " The Stone Face explores a black exile's discovery of the suffering of others: an injustice perpetrated by his host country, a place he initially mistakes for paradise." Smith's novel is extremely relevant, especiall...

In chapter 2, we discuss Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre (1847) while enjoying some Friele coffee from Norway! We discuss why some early reviewers of Jane Eyre called the novel "antiChristian," the anti-imperialist underpinnings of the novel, and of course its feminist aspects. You can read about Matthew's trip the Brontë parsonage in Haworth on his blog. You can listen to Partyline...

Many consider F. Scott Fitzgerald's T he Great Gatsby the quintessential American novel, a classic if you will. Fitzgerald himself even proclaimed, "I think my novel is about the best American novel ever written." What makes it a classic? Why do we continue to teach it, year after year, in both high school and universities? Do we even understand the novel? Fitzgerald wrote to critic...

Welcome to Classics and Coffee, a podcast where a father and daughter talk about books while enjoying their favorite coffee.