Down the Yellow Brick Pod

Send us Fan Mail The fateful moment has finally arrived to meet the nefarious, the childlike, the ornery, the complicated Wicked Witch of the West!!! Follow Dorothy and friends as they survive attacks by wolves, crows, bees, and (an A for effort attempt) Winkies before Dorothy brings an end to this single-chapter villain. Tara and EmKay discuss their favorite interpretations of the Witch, question...

Send us Fan Mail The big moment has arrived for Dorothy and friends (except Toto!) to meet the Wizard, where he debuts Tony Award winning-level transformations and shares the not-so-welcome news that the group must first murder the Wicked Witch of the West! Tara and EmKay reflect on the term "wicked" and recall moments of disappointment when they felt like they were in Dorothy's sho...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Yellow Brick Crossroads, a monthly bonus episode where Tara and EmKay interact with the incredible snail mail, social media reach-outs, reviews, corrections, and Oz memories you fine listeners share! August's YBC included an old school record, original art, a sought after puzzle, a short story, and so much more. Thank you for taking the time to share your day and s...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay are putting on their green glasses and officially stepping through the portal into the Emerald City! The illustrations alone are chock full of rabbit holes and details to admire, leading to discussions of the Wizard bringing Americana to Oz, the influence of the Chicago World’s Fair on Baum’s creation of the Emerald City, and even some Inception-like Oz theories.. c...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay dive deep in part two as they share their personal Emerald Cities, reveal what “green glasses” they have decided to take off in their own lives, and discuss what it means to question if our own perspectives feel authentic or influenced by facades. Show Notes: YES Company Eloise  by Kay Thompson Instagram: @downtheyellowbrickpod #DownTheYBP Tara: @taratagtickles EmKa...

Send us Fan Mail EmKay and Tara are finally about to enter the portal into the Emerald City, but first it's time to find out more about the lore and legend of the Wizard of Oz...apparently from a random man with a mysterious leg injury (WHAT?)!   Join them as they pass the night with Dorothy and friends in the last stranger's home of their journey, comparing the Emerald City gates to the...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay get one step closer to the Emerald City by meeting the generous and trusting Queen of the Field Mice (No King Necessary) and her tiny queendom, who give without expecting anything in return. Your gingham gals discuss ways they hope to bring that same giving openness into their lives and relationships - why put a cap on generosity? Show Notes: Oz in Disneyland Paris...

Send us Fan Mail Happy 81st Anniversary to MGM's The Wizard of Oz !  On this day we honor and celebrate the classic film by sharing where Down the YBP will be heading in 2021... get those vocal cords ready. Show Notes: @followtheyellowbrickgirl Dorothy Must Die  by Danielle Paige Instagram: @downtheyellowbrickpod #DownTheYBP Tara: @taratagtickles EmKay: @emshray Original music by Shane Chapma...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay venture into the deadly and dangerously entrancing poppy field where they discuss the literary and personal symbolism of California poppies, poppies in remembrance of war veterans, and the seductive poppies of never ending posts on social media. Plus story time about Tara's experience getting lost in a lazy river (just like the Scarecrow) and EmKay almost falli...

Send us Fan Mail In commemoration of the ratification of the 19th Amendment on August 18th, 1920, the incredible Sue Boland sat down with us to discuss one of the most courageous pioneers of equality and women's rights (and L. Frank Baum's mother-in-law), Matilda Joslyn Gage. Without her, Baum may have never been encouraged to sit down and "write his stories." Sue is the Local...

Send us Fan Mail Ka-lee-dah or Kuh-lie-duh? Unsure of pronunciation, EmKay and Tara nevertheless meet the monstrous beasts of Oz, but feel in their hearts they would be incredible Fosse dancers. Incredible. Join your gingham gals as they applaud the courage of our Oz heroes… and become a Bachelor podcast for a hot minute. Sorry, not sorry.. would be the Bachelor thing to say. Show Notes: 👯‍♀️ &qu...

Send us Fan Mail EmKay and Tara were NOT READY for the Ted Talk DEPTH the Cowardly Lion would roar into this episode!  From investigating courage, shame, societal expectations, bullying, and more, Oz has officially become a therapeutic escape and lens for life lessons as they continue whole heartedly down the yellow brick pod.  Thank you for listening!    Show Notes: The Wizard of Oz  opening Afri...

Send us Fan Mail EmKay and Tara are ecstatic to welcome their first guest, Madame President of the International Wizard of Oz Club, Jane Albright! Listen to Jane's bubbly and contagious Oz enthusiasm as she shares her love for Oz and everything happening at TO OZ, a FREE virtual Oz Convention happening August 14th-16th, 2020. Tara and EmKay have never signed up for something faster. Show Note...

Send us Fan Mail For a man made of metal who swears he is missing a heart, the Tin Woodman will straight up break yours! Join Tara and EmKay in their tender embrace of the Tin Woodman’s tarnished past and their first revisit to the periodic table of elements since high school chemistry. #humbling Show Notes: "An Animated Tin Man PSA Commercial from the 1970's" Dorothy Must Die  by D...

Send us Fan Mail EmKay continues her role as our resident Truth Bomb Historian while Tara trepidly inhabits the role of brain scientist. Join us as we unpack the chapter where “There’s no place like home” is SAID FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!! Show Notes:” "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” illustrated by Robert Ingpen NYC Guitar School "There's No Place Like Home" Origins "Home! Sweet...

Send us Fan Mail Listen to EmKay blow Tara’s mind with the shocking history of gingham as they set afoot down the yellow brick road with Dorothy, question munchkin wealth and reveal their first impressions of Dorthy’s OG companion, the Scarecrow. Show Notes: Gingham Fabric, A Chequered History : “V is for Vintage”   Adrian (Costume Designer) Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic and Power ...

Send us Fan Mail Lots of shade and skepticism about the “Good” in the Good Witch of the North’s self proclaimed title and her beef with the “Wicked” Witch of the East. Join Tara and EmKay for a quizzical exploration of Dorothy’s first taste of Oz. Show Notes: Matilda Joslyn Gage "The Wizard of Oz" Invented the 'Good Witch'  by Pam Grossman David Hardenbrook -  The Unknown Witch...

Send us Fan Mail From sharing a home on the open road to sharing a home in a crazy city, meet Em Kay and Tara as they go public with their uncontainable Oz obsessions.   Show Notes: Emeralds of Oz: Life Lessons from Over the Rainbow Harry Potter and the Sacred Text Paper Mill Playhouse Chasing Rainbows Musical John Fricke Wizard of Oz on Ice Some Good News Why Zoom is Terrible Instagram: @downthey...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay visit their Oz libraries and pull their most holy copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz down off the shelf to bless and begin this savory re-reading journey. Show Notes: Rachell Sumpter @rachellsumpter Penguin Classics Wizard of Oz Greg Hildebrant Jack Zipes Margaret Hamilton on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood The Great Realisation Good Night, Rebels The Annotated Wiz...

Send us Fan Mail From imagining Dorothy’s backstory before the Kansas prairie to foreshadowing findings in the text that made us FREAK, join EmKay and Tara as they pretend to be historians of 1800's America and re-examine the inciting incident. Show Notes: The Wizard of Oz Apple Books Narrated by Tituss Burgess A Brief History of Kansas (written by 7th graders) Dorothy: This Side of the Rainb...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Down the Yellow Brick Pod, your Ozcast journey for all things over the rainbow! Join Tara Tagliaferro and Emily Kay Shrader as they take you through the extensive history, hidden emeralds, imagined backstories, and alternate perspectives of Oz starting with the original 1900 source by L. Frank Baum titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.   Before we travel down the yellow b...