Happy To Be Here

Today’s episode is about public television, classic literature, and an extremely charismatic Jack Russell Terrier. Yes, we are talking about Wishbone , the iconic children’s PBS show that aired from 1995 to 1998.  It was about Wishbone the dog, who imagined himself as the star of many canonical texts such as The Odyssey , Romeo and Juliet , Oliver Twist , and Cyrano de Bergerac . The shoe air...

Host Greta Johnsen talks to author and poet Paige Lewis. Their novel Canon is the GRETAGRAM book club selection for July. Canon is difficult to describe -- it pays homage to many classic epics and is deeply rooted in the Bible, But it’s also extremely irreverent, funny, and weird. Ultimately, it’s a nonbinary hero’s journey with Good Guys and Bad Guys and a wonderful talking whale.  Greta and...

The June GRETAGRAM book club selection is Julia Langbeing’s Dear Monica Lewinsky , a novel that explores sainthood, desire, the legacy of Monica Lewinsky, and the history of horny nuns.  Host Greta Johnsen discusses the book with Gwen Kirby, the author of the wonderful short story collection Shit Cassandra Saw . Together, we unpack what makes this book SO GOOD, from tone to topic to setting t...

It’s the first Friday of the month, which means it’s time for a new book to read! This month’s selection is Julia Langbein ’s phenomenal novel Dear Monica Lewinsky, and Julia is today's guest on the show. The book is about Jean, whose life was derailed the summer after her sophomore year in college. When she travels to France to study medieval religious history, she meets a charismatic professor a...

It’s the last Friday of May, which means it’s time to discuss T Kira Madden’s novel Whidbey ! Host Greta Johnsen talks to self-professed T Kira stan Kristen Arnett, the author of several novels. (Her most recent book, Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One , is especially wonderful!) They unpack what makes this complex novel so readable: nuanced themes, compelling characters, tangible sense of place, an...

Host Greta Johnsen talks to two of her favorite readers -- MJ Franklin , an editor at the New York Times Book Review and host of The Book Review Book Club podcast, and Traci Thomas , who hosts the wonderfully bookish podcast The Stacks . Even though the three of them have WILDLY different reading tastes, they also have an abundance of respect for each other, so these conversations are always a tre...

WXPN morning host and assistant music director Kristen Kurtis offers host Greta Johnsen three songs to enjoy this summer, and they are all BOPS:   Zinadeplhia, “River” Parlor Greens, “Eat Your Greens” Allison Russell, “Cold April” ft. Kara Jackson, Denitia, and Explore! Pop Choir SHOW CREDITS Creator and host: Greta Johnsen Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg Composers: Ross Bellenoit and Jere...

Host Greta Johnsen talks with profesisonal organizer Kelly Brask about how Swedish death cleaning can help you live better by getting rid of the things that no longer fit int your life and keeping the things that are useful and joyul for you. She also offers hints for how to organize your space and encourages you to embrace cleanliness while avoiding perfectionism. See Privacy Policy at https://ar...

Host Greta Johnsen talks with T Kira Madden, whose novel Whidbey is the GRETAGRAM Book Club selection for May. (TW: Child sexual abuse.) Whidbey is told from the points of view of three women who are all connected to Calvin, a sexual precator: Mary Beth, his mother, and Birdie and Linzie, who victims who approach their trauma in very different ways.  T Kira talks about the book’s enticin...

Host Greta Johnsen talks with Roxana Jullapat, head baker and co-owner at the Los Angeles restaurant Friends & Family . Her new cookbook is Morning Baker : Recipes and Rituals for Breakfast and Beyond . In 2019, she wrote Mother Grains: Recipes for the Grain Revolution , a thorough compendium of heritage grains and everything they have to offer.  Roxana says the new cookbook is just as de...

Host Greta Johnsen talks to author Rufi Thrope, whose novel Margo’s Got Money Troubles was just adapted into a series on Apple TV+ . The show’s cast is stacked -- it stars Elle Fanning as Margo, a young woman who becomes pregnant after an affair with her college professor. She decides to keep the baby, much to the chagrin of her own single mom Shyanne, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. Margo’s absentee...

Greta’s guest today will be familiar to longtime Nerdette listeners -- her name is Kate Schatz, and she’s an activist and author. She co-wrote Do the Work: An Antiracist Activity Book with W Kamau Bell, and she’s the author of Rad American Women A-Z and Rad Women Worldwide . Now, she’s back with her first novel for adults! Where the Girls Were takes place in the Bay Area in 1968. It’s about Baker,...

An unimportant investigation into the difference between cupcakes and muffins with Bon Appetit test kitchen editor Shilpa Uscocovic . SHOW CREDITS Creator and host: Greta Johnsen Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg Composers: Ross Bellenoit and Jeremy Thal Tile art: Mac Maclean See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info...

For this deep-dive discussion of Tayari Jones’ novel Kin , host Greta Johnsen talks with Traci Thomas, who hosts The Stacks podcast .  They talk about the exquisite pleasure of reading a book that does exactly what it sets out to do, the beauty of female friendship, and the different ways the main characters are mothered despite the absence of their actual mothers.  Warning: this is a sp...

Greta Johnsen and Kristen Meinzer discuss the finale of My So-Called Life -- “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities”  -- with Pop Culture Happy Hour host Linda Holmes and Ronald Young, Jr. , who hosts Weight for It.  They talk about the centrality of Angela and Rayanne’s friendship, the power of Patty’s nostalgia trip, and how the episode works as both a season and series finale.  Plus,...

In today’s MSCL rewatch episode, Greta Johnsen and Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 17 and 18 -- “Betrayal” and “Weekend”  -- with Soraya Roberts , a culture writer and contributing writer at Defector who wrote the the book In My Humble Opinion: My So-Called Life . They talk about THE BEYRAYAL, whether Jordan actually loved Angela, and what Brian’s deal is. SHOW CREDITS Crea...

Greta Johnsen and Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 15 and 16 -- “So-Called Angels” and “Resolutions”  -- with Jenn White , the host of the NPR show 1A . They talk about the ups and downs of what Jenn (somewhat facetiously) calls “a very special episode of My So-Called Life ,” the devastation and sweetness of Ricky’s story, and the fact that Sharon is “just a nice, middle-cla...

Host Greta Johnsen talks to Tayari Jones . Her novel Kin is the GRETAGRAM book club selection for March. It’s about two girls grow up in the 50’s in Alabama. They each lost their mothers in different ways, and those absences shape the trajectories of both of their lives.  Tayari and Greta talk about the power of deep, abiding friendship, the importance of asking for help, and how Tayari stumb...

Host Greta Johnsen and co-gost Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 13 and 14 -- “Pressure” and “On the Wagon”  -- with culture writer and podcaster Margaret H. Willison .  They talk about the show’s many different depictions of teenage desire, the fate of the Frozen Embryos, and Patty’s “congenital inability to chill,” as Margaret so skillfully puts it. SHOW CREDITS Creato...

Host Greta Johnsen and co-host Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 11 and 12 --”Picture Perfect” and “Self Esteem” -- with Christina Tucker !!!!  She’s a podcaster and writer who co-hosts the podcast Wait, Is This A Date? .  They talk about school dance drama, wallpaper as an analogy for sex, and the fact that Delia Fisher is a f*****g QUEEN. . SHOW CREDITS: Creator and ho...

Greta and Kristen discuss My So-Called Life episodes 9 and 10 --”Halloween” and “Other Peoples’ Mothers” -- with Patrick Hinds ! He co-hosted his own MSCL deep-dive podcawst, My So-Called Podcast , in 2018. They talk about whether Angela ACTUALLY time travels, how terrible it is to add oregano to a curry, and how Patrick thinks about Patty differently now that he’s a parent.  SHOW CREDITS Cre...

The GRETAGRAM book club is officially in podcast form! Host Greta Johnsen talks to Nina McConigley , the author of How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder . Her novel is the GRETAGRAM book club selection for February. It’s about two teenage sisters who decide they must kill their uncle.  While this book is intense it’s also funny and strange -- or, as Nina puts it, cheeky!  Nina talks about...

On this week’s podcast, Greta Johnsen and Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 7 and 8 --”Why Jordan Can’t Read” and “Strangers in the House” -- with Joanna Robinson and Kristin Russo . They’re the perfect guests to talk about MSCL because they hosted their own rewatch podcast, The Boiler Room ! The group chats about Angela’s amazing detective skills, the crumbs of Jordan’s pers...

Greta Johnsen and Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 5 and 6 --”The Zit” and “The Substitute” -- with Anna Sale ! They talk about the messiness of teenage desire and objectification, self-esteem and insecurity, and whether Anna Sale is Patty-ing her children.  SHOW CREDITS Creator and host: Greta Johnsen Co-host: Kristen Meinzer Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg Composer: Andrew M...

The  My So-Called Life  rewatch continues!  Greta Johnsen  and  Kristin Meinzer  discuss episodes 3 and 4 with  Jason Concepcion.  They talk about the devastating quaintness of a school gun violence episode from the ‘90s, whether Graham is a good dad, and Sharon and Rayanne’s burgeoning … friendship? Plus, Jason calls for MORE JORDAN CATALANO, Greta becomes...