Just Plain Wrong

This week the MennoBriarians discuss Forbidden Rumspringa, our first ever explicit Amish romance novel, and our first romance featuring a gay couple.  Join us as we discuss the past and present attitudes toward queer members in Mennonite churches, and also the first gay Amish romance ever written, the likelihood of a gay Amish love story, erotic trains and zippers, and more.  We always love hearin...

This week, we discuss Banished, by Linda Byler, the first Amish fiction author we've read that is an actual member of an Old Order Amish community.  The book begins in the early 1910s, and following the lives of Oba and May after their parents pass away and they are adopted by relatives in an Amish community in Arkansas. We discuss how this book handles dark themes like abuse and racism, and...

This week, the MennoBrarians return again to the mid-90s, this time to discuss the songs of the parody rock band, the Electric Amish. We chat about lyrics, Amish parsons, and the many jokes about Mennonites burning in hell. While we've included a few clips in the episode, you can find much of the Electric Amish catalog on YouTube.  Let us know your thoughts!  We always love hearing from liste...

This week the Mennobrarians return to the world of cozy Amish mysteries with a discussion on Lethal Licorice by Amanda Flowers. We chat candy making, armchair detectives, implausible buggy accidents, and whether or not Jethro the pig would eat humans (he would).  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you wa...

This week, we share drinks and conversation with S. L.  Klassen, known online by her handle, the Drunken Mennonite. Tune in for chats about the history of Mennonites and alcohol, our favorite drink-inspired puns, and to learn what "faspa" is. You can preorder Sherri's book Menno-Nightcaps: Cocktails Inspired by that Ethno-Religious Group You Keep Mistaking for the Amish, Quakers, an...

This week, the MennoBrarians welcome guest host Joanne Gallardo to chat about the book that arguably kicked off the modern Amish romance era: The Shunning, by Beverly Lewis. Tune in for discussions on the music of 1997, satin baby dresses, adoption, metaphors and more!  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If...

Stop, download the pod and listen, the MennoBrarians are back with a brand new... episode. This week we discuss about the Season 1 of the home renovation show, Vanilla Ice Goes Amish.  We chat house projects, Vanilla Ice memories, Amish humor, and more.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you want to hel...

This week, the MennoBrarians chat about the 2015 movie Love Finds You in Charm, based on the book, Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio by Annalisa Daughety. We discuss train travel, library shelving problems, unlikely love triangles, and cheese.  Find the movie on Prime and let us know your thoughts!  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, I...

This week, the MennoBrarians review and discuss some of the earliest books in the Amish fiction and Amish romance genre: Tillie a Mennonite Maid, from 1904, Sabina: a Story of the Amish from 1905, and The Masquerading of Margaret from 1908. These three texts are in the public domain so you can find and read them for free!  Despite being more than 100 years old, these texts share some similarities...

This week, the MennoBrarians describe and debate the "Mennonite game," the networking event that many Mennonites feel compelled to play whenever hearing words like "Hostetler," "Yoder" or "Goshen."  We also chat about the Kickstarter-funded card game bearing the same name.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com...

Join the Mennobrarians as we discuss the book Narrow Path, by Gail Sattler. Tune in for chats on Mennonite hymns,  evangelism, Ted's hat,  and our debate on what type of Mennonites the author is actually trying to depict.  The marketing materials say Old Order Mennonite but the details suggest something else entirely!  You'll also learn why we really don't like Ted.  Content warning...

This week, the MennoBrarians chat  TV dramas! We start with Grey's Anatomy, Season 3, ep 13, where a minor plot line involves two formerly Amish young women dealing with a cancer diagnosis. In the second half of the episode, we discuss the Bones episode "The Plain in the Prodigy" (season 5, ep 3) where the body of an Amish teen is discovered. Discussion topics include shunning, rums...

This week the MennoBrarians try something new! Instead of all reading and discussing the same book, this episode, each of us reads a different book and reviews it for the others. Abby discusses Amish Vampires in Space, Erin reviews Crimson Born (aka the Amish Twilight), and Tillie shares about the Punisher Max comic book character "The Mennonite." Tune in for lengthy book summaries, chat...

This week, the MennoBrarians kick off season 2 with Adoring Addie, an Amish Retelling of Romeo and Juliet. We discuss Shakespeare references, giant families, convoluted feuds, and more.  CW: mental health and depression are briefly discussed in this episode.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you want t...

A short promo for season 2 of Just Plain Wrong which starts next Wednesday July 7.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you want to help support the podcast financially, please consider joining our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/plainwrongpod   or buying merch at TeePublic Follow us:   Twitter: https:...

This week, we reflect on the end of our first season and discuss our favorite books & movies from season one as well as those we liked a wee bit less. Tune in to hear some secret podcast shames, a couple rants, and what's to come in Season 2. Just Plain Wrong will be on vacation for the month of June, but we will be back July 7! We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at p...

This week we are joined by special guest Elyssa, a librarian and reader of Amish fiction, for a discussion of Belle: An Amish Retelling of Beauty and the Beast. We chat about Episcopalian stereotypes, Disney Movies, and fairy tales (of course).   We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you want to help suppor...

This week we chat with Andrew Unger, author of the newly published novel Once Removed, and the creator of the Daily Bonnet , a Mennonite satire site. Listen in to learn about Mennonite satire, Russian / Canadian Mennonites, and why each of our families has to have seating arrangements in church to avoid inappropriate giggling. Also, this episode was recorded way back in February, so some reference...

This week, the MennoBrarians discuss the first book in the Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery series by Tamar Myers, Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth. This book brings us our first Mennonite protagonist, Mags Yoder, who runs an Amish-themed B&B in central PA. We chat deer hunting,  Mennonite denominations, murder plots, and stereotypes that feel a bit too accurate.  We always love hearing from listeners...

This week, we discuss the movie Silent Light (Stellet Licht), a movie set in an Old Colony Mennonite community in Mexico. Rebecca Janzen, author of "Liminal Sovereignty: Mennonites and Mormons in Mexican Popular Culture" and professor at the University of South Carolina, joins us as a guest to offer her expertise and help us make sense of this very slow film.  We always love hearing from...

This week we return to the world of Amish Romance to discuss the book   An Amish Husband for Tillie, by Amy Lillard.  In this book we find lots to chat about, including improbable threats of shunning, untimely tree deaths, and the author's take on Amish gender roles.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook....

Amish Paradise, a parody song by Weird Al Yankovic, recently celebrated its 25th birthday. In honor of this celebration, the MennoBrarians chat about the lyrics, the video, nostalgic memories of the song and more.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you want to help support the podcast financially, pleas...

This week we chat about the Amish episodes of two sitcoms, Schitt's Creek (Finding David, Season 2, Ep 1) and Third Rock from the Sun (Season 6, Ep 17). We discuss our favorite sitcoms, Charlie Sheen quilts, and what the heck David was hoeing in the hay field.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you...

Join us this week for an interview and conversation with Valerie Weaver-Zercher, the author of Thrill of The Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels. We chat about Valerie's book and research, what has changed since the book has been published, and more.  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you wa...

This week, we take a break from reading Amish romance novels and instead share some corrections, listener stories, and a whole slew of MMmmMms (most Mennonite moments).  We always love hearing from listeners! You can reach us at plainwrongpod at gmail.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you want to help support the podcast financially, please consider joining our Patreon at https://www...