Barred Books

Hello book lovers and fascism haters! The USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen novels, Jaye Wells, joins us in the house today. We're discussing Ray Bradbury's seminal work Fahrenheit 451 --many people think this book is about censorship--which it is, in a way--but its original intent was to show the inherent dangers of television. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, includ...

Hey everyone! In this episode, we brought in distinguished Afrofuturist, author, teacher, mentor, and community organizer Maurice Broaddus to discuss Octavia E. Butler's 1993 novel Parable of the Sower. Set in the years 2024-2027, it's an eerily prescient look at the effects of late-stage capitalism on the American populace. It should be required reading, but it has a Black protagonist a...

Hello book lovers and fascism haters! Today's Barred Book Episode features host Kelly Swails and guest Bryan Young discussing the classic book Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. The author mentions Irish Whiskey in the first chapter, and since both Bryan and Kelly are writers, we paired this discussion with Writer's Tears. Cheers! 

In this episode, Susan J. Morris and host Kelly Swails sip on Margaret Atwoods while discussing the ever-more-relevant  The Handmaid's Tale . Get ready for some feminist rage! If you'd like to drink along with us, this cocktail is from Jennifer Croll's book Free the Tipple . I did not have a Collins glass handy so I skipped the ice and used a flute. Also, no garnish, because really,...